“I don’t know him that well.” She locked eyes on him again. “I’m still getting to know him.”
“Maybe you’ll learn more.” Allen swallowed because of the awareness of his own heartbeat. He then attached the wooden head to his pinecone. He couldn’t pinpoint what was happening between him and Heather. She was captivating, but she was a client. He was only helping with the Christmas fair as a favor to his father. He couldn’t afford to like her.
At that moment, she held up a finished elf. With little feet and a scarf around the neck, Allen smiled at her creation. As the children sang “Frosty the Snowman,” Heather made her little elf dance mouthing the words. Allen laughed.
Heather’s eyes sparkled, like distant stars glimmering in the darkness. She glowed as he stared. She gazed back at him, her eye contact firm. How he wanted to touch the swoop of her cheek. His fingers tingled, and it wasn’t from the felt fabric in his grasp.
“Allen!” Ms. Diana waved him over in the room's corner. “Can you help back here with the candy cane lane?”
He stood up from his seat, grateful for the diversion.
***
“Promise me you’ll go to bed and get some rest,” Heather’s mother said.
“I will.” She grabbed her crutch and unclicked her seatbelt.
“You have another session for therapy tomorrow, right?”
“Yes. Allen will be here tomorrow.”
“He seemed to enjoy himself tonight.”
Heather’s stomach flipped. Allen’s stare unglued her. She didn’t plan on talking about her father, but with him sharing about his mother, an overall weighted feeling settled inside her chest.
His slack expression showed his brokenness, and she didn't want Allen to feel as if she didn’t understand. While her father lived, the family she loved died the day he left. Could she forgive him for that? The jury was still out.
“Call me if you need anything,” her mother said.
Heather forced a smile as she closed the car door behind her. Waving goodbye to her mother, Heather walked to her front door. Tinsel barked at her entry and Sonia closed the book she was reading on the couch.
“How did it go?” her sister asked.
“It’s coming along.” Heather sat on the couch and Tinsel jumped in her lap. “Thanks for watching him. Mom just left.”
Sonia grabbed her coat and gloves. “Need anything else?”
Heather shook her head. “I’m good.” She wouldn’t share with Sonia about her little moment with Allen. Why did his look cause an almost electrical feeling upon meeting his eyes? Cuddling Tinsel, heat rose behind her eyelids. The thought was absurd. Allen was her physical therapist. That was all he was.
“Okay, I’ll buy it for now.” Her sister squinted her eyes. Knowing Sonia, she would wait for an opportunity to bug Heather about her love life later. “Goodnight.”
Heather nodded her head, still massaging Tinsel. Her mouth went dry. She couldn’t like Allen. It wasn’t possible. She closed her heart from all of that.
Tinsel then climbed off her lap just as Heather grabbed her phone. She could cancel her session with him. Through the company’s app, she could cancel her appointment or request another th
erapist. She chose the former.
Reasons came on the screen per her request. Family grievance? Sick? Schedule conflict? Heather groaned, not wanting to lie. The option of “I think I’m crushing on my therapist” wasn’t available.
***
Heather scratched at her throat. Tinsel rested at her feet and she tucked her blanket underneath her chin. She hated being sick and though it was only a cold, Heather despised the muscle weakness. Even her taste buds were off, so she couldn’t enjoy the potato soup her mother brought over.
“You sure you don’t want anymore?” Her mother asked, putting back on her coat.
“I’m fine.” She slowly blinked her eyes. “I just want to sleep.”
Her mother came over and kissed her forehead. “Then sleep and I’ll check on you later.”