A lifetime ago. His first start.

He ran his fingers across the picture. He’d been so young. Skinny, before he’d gathered up some muscle. He looked like a punk, all smirk and attitude, his arms folded across his chest, his ankles crossed as he looked at Molly.

He lifted his gaze to her. “Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome. I had it blown up and framed. I figured you might want to put it in your office at the shop in Hope.”

“I will. It means a lot to me to have it.” He leaned over and brushed his lips across hers.

“It was either that or socks,” she whispered.

He laughed. “Well, this is much better than socks, and you know what a fan I am of those.”

He laid the photo down, then went to the tree, grabbing a small box from underneath it.

“This is for you.”

“You already gave me a gift.” Her eyes widened at the size.

“This is more . . . personal,” he said, his eyes glittering with amusement.

She looked down at the box, then at him. “I hope these are earrings or something.”

“I guess you’ll have to open the box to see.”

Carter couldn’t wait to see her reaction to the gift.

She unwrapped the package, saw the black velvet jewelry box inside, and lifted her gaze to his.

He saw panic in her eyes. Okay, he’d thought it was funny. Clearly, she didn’t.

He tried smiling at her, to ease the tension. She wasn’t buying it.

“Carter.”

“Just open the box, Molly.”

Her hands were shaking as she lifted the lid on the box.

Inside, on the soft black velvet, was a key.

She exhaled, then looked over at him. “What is this?”

“I figured you were tired of standing outside in the cold, so it’s a key to my house.”

“Oh.”

“You know, so anytime you want to pop over, you can just use the key to get inside.”

She lifted the key. “This is . . . great. Thanks.”

Yeah, he could tell she was underwhelmed. Maybe a little shocked. But he had to take those first steps, go slow, if he was ever going to get anywhere with her.

“You know you already keep some of your things here when you spend the night. And eventually, with your mom getting back on her feet, you’re going to want to think about where you want to stay after—she’s all better.”

She lifted her gaze to his, the key lying like a poisonous snake in the open palm of her hand. “What are you saying?”

All the wrong things, obviously. “That maybe you might want to consider this your secondary home, until you find another place to live.”

She held the key in the open palm of her hand like it was something toxic. “Oh.”

Okay, maybe this hadn’t been a good idea after all.

“Hey, no pressure, ya know? If you don’t want to use it, you don’t have to. And you can hang out at your parents forever. Or not forever. You’re free to do whatever you want, Molly. I just wanted to give you another option.”

He wanted to tell her he loved her, that he wanted her to move in with him, stay with him. But the look of stricken panic on her face stopped him, so he reined in the urge.

She finally closed her fingers over the key. “I appreciate this so much, Carter. Thank you for opening your home to me.”

She was being so . . . polite, and so quiet, like she was choosing each of her words carefully.

He shrugged. “Hey, no big deal, you know? Since you already had a toothbrush, shampoo, and underwear here, I figured you might want a key.”

She finally dropped her shoulders and laughed. “I can see your point.” She scooted closer. “And thanks for Las Vegas.”

“I’m looking forward to Vegas,” he said, trying to jolt her out of whatever shock or funk she’d experienced. “I’m ready to play some blackjack.”

“Really. So, you’re a gambler. How did I not know this about you?”

“I’ve taken a few trips to Vegas over the years.”

“Have you. And did you win money?”

“Won some, lost some.”

“How . . . enlightening. You’re like this man of mystery. I can picture you at the blackjack tables.”

“And craps tables, too. Wait ’til you see me in Vegas. You might be surprised.”

She smiled at him now, and he was relieved.

“I look forward to you surprising me.”

He pulled her onto his lap. “Hey, there are still a lot of things you don’t know about me, babe.”

He pressed his lips to hers and hoped things were on the right track now.

Chapter 32

IT WAS THE day before New Year’s Eve, and since Christmas, Molly had dived back into work, keeping her mind occupied, trying not to think about the upcoming trip with Carter.

Her mom was doing great and didn’t need her at all anymore. Next week she’d get her casts off and she was talking about going back to work, since she could fit in physical therapy around her job, plus she was already driving again since her casts didn’t get in the way.

The new server and computer system installation was flowing smoothly at work, and she’d conducted training for all of the managers. She’d worked out the kinks in the system, and so far, so good. The new system was lightning fast, and she’d linked all of the vital information so Carter could access everything he needed on-the-go on his tablet. It allowed him to be more mobile than in the past, freeing him up to visit all his sites as often as he wanted to. Eventually, he’d even have a little spare time to work in the shop if he wanted.