Drew took Kacey’s hand and led her over to the corner, away from the children and parents. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re welcome. I should actually be thanking you.”
“Why?” he asked.
“You forced me to overcome my stage fright.” She tilted her head and scrunched her eyebrows. “Where were you?”
He hesitated. “I was at a job interview. For the department head in Newton.”
“Oh.” Her breath hitched, and she tried to stop herself from frowning. “How did it go?”
He shrugged. “It’s difficult to tell.”
“Oh.”
“Aunt Kacey!” Riley called. “Look! It’s snowing.”
Kacey spun to face the window and gasped as beautiful snowflakes swirled through the air. She moved to the window and smiled at Drew. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
His eyes never left hers. “Yes, it is.”
“Aunt Kacey...” Riley sang as she tugged on Kacey’s sleeve.
Kacey looked down at her niece. “What is it?”
Riley giggled and pointed toward the ceiling. “Look up.”
Kacey peered toward the ceiling where mistletoe hung above them. She met Drew’s gaze, and her knees wobbled.
Drew’s lip twitched. “I guess we know what we have to do.”
He rested his hands on the sides of her face, then leaned down and brushed his lips across hers, making her lose track of both her surroundings and time. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of her mouth against his, and a shiver of longing vibrated through her body.
The children began to giggle and hoot, and Kacey came back to earth. She took a step away from him, trying to catch her breath.
She met Drew’s gaze, but his expression was unreadable. And the question that had haunted her since senior year bubbled up in her mind.
“Why didn’t you ask me to prom?” she asked.
He blanched as if her words had struck him. “I thought—Wait... Would you have gone with me?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“Oh no!” one of the mothers called. “You spilled it all over, Braxton!”
Kacey pivoted toward where one of the children had dumped his cup of cocoa on the floor. “I’ll get some paper towels.”
She hurried to the kitchen and wondered if she’d ever find out if Drew cared for her.
Chapter10
“So you kissed her?” Garrett grinned at Drew across the table Monday afternoon while they ate lunch in the teacher’s lounge.
Drew nodded and heat roared through his veins at the memory of how it felt to brush his lips against hers. “Yes. Thank goodness her niece noticed the mistletoe.”
“Surely that means you’re finally dating. Good for you.”
Drew shook his head as he swallowed a bite of his ham and cheese sandwich. “No, we still haven’t talked about it. She started to ask me why I didn’t ask her to prom, and we just haven’t had a chance to connect and finish the conversation. She was busy with her family the rest of the weekend.”
