Renata opened the box, fighting back excitement as she sifted through the tissue paper inside. Until she saw what he’d sent.
“Teething rings.” A nervous giggle erupted. This was good. A relief. A huge relief. So why didn’t she feel that way?
“Really?” Irma asked, peeking her head in the door. “Well, that’s... Huh.”
She held the teething rings for Irma’s inspection. “It’s the most practical gift so far.” Which was true, but that didn’t stop a knot from lodging in her throat.
Irma’s eyes narrowed, then widened. “There’s only four.” She practically ran into the office, making a beeline for the box on Renata’s desk.
Renata glared at her, but Irma was al
ready picking up the box and shaking it. Sure enough, something else was inside. The lump in her throat doubled in size as Irma smiled and offered the box back.
No. Renata eyed the box. She didn’t want to know what was inside. She really didn’t. But she was turning over the box, dumping the cotton padding onto her desk... A gold key ring. With a key on it. She blew out a slow, deep breath.
Her phone rang.
“Hello?” she asked, turning the key over.
“You get it?” It was Ash.
She cleared her throat. “Yes. Ash, thank you. But this has to stop, really. I’m not sure why—”
“You’re not curious?”
She turned the key over. “Fine. Yes. What is it?”
He chuckled. “I’m outside. Let’s go try out the key.”
“Okay. Give me a minute.” She tucked the teething rings and key ring into her purse, slipped into her coat and hurried down the hall.
“Enjoy your lunch.” Irma waved.
The urge to climb into his lap and shower him with very thorough, very passionate kisses was there—like it had been for the past four days. But he wasn’t alone. The mothers and Curtis were in the truck waiting.
“Hi, everybody.” She climbed into Ash’s truck and reached back to squeeze Curtis’s foot. Curtis squealed in reply.
“Let’s go.” Ash chuckled before turning the truck and heading back down Main Street.
“Guess I can’t ask where we’re going?” She glanced his way.
He winked. “You can ask.”
She shook her head, grinning like a fool.
“Set us straight, Renata,” Nancy Carmichael said. “Is the big parade tonight or tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow,” she said, playing peekaboo with Curtis over the back of her seat. “You ready to meet Santa Claus?”
Curtis’s little feet kicked and he babbled with great enthusiasm.
“I thought so,” she agreed, wiggling his little foot and smiling.
“It’s awful cold. We’ll have to bundle him up so he doesn’t catch pneumonia.” Betty said. “He doesn’t have much in the way of winter clothing.”
Which reminded her. “I meant to tell you earlier—Kylee and Annabeth have boxes of clothes for Curtis. And toys. If you don’t mind hand-me-downs?”
“Why would I mind?” Ash asked, his deep voice making her insides melt a little more.