Chloe arrived home late that afternoon to find Adam sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee and a stack of files in front of him.  He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, his face covered in stubble and his brow furrowed.

“What’s all this?” Chloe asked bravely.

Adam looked up from his work and grinned.  Chloe was glowing.  Immediately, his eyes widened.  Realization had just set in.

“OH MY GOD!” Adam exclaimed.

“What?!” Chloe replied startled.

“You!” Adam replied still grinning.

“What about me?” Chloe answered.

“You…you and Mr. Sexy Back…”Adam teased.

Chloe made a face.  “Really Adam?!”

Adam kept going.  “So?”

“So what?” Chloe shot back.

Adam grinned.  “How was he?”

Chloe gave him a look.  “OH MY GOD, really?!”

Adam couldn’t help himself.  He was enjoying this a bit more than he should, but he hadn’t seen this particular look on Chloe in a very long time!

“That good, huh?!” Adam teased.

Chloe blushed and bit her lip.  Adam immediately noticed.

“Better than Eddy?” Adam continued.

Chloe blushed more.  “No comparison.”

“I’m so proud!” Adam laughed.

“Shut up!” Chloe exclaimed giggling.

Adam sobered a bit and then smiled up at his sister again.

“You look happy.  I approve.”

Chloe blushed.  “I think I am.”

Adam “You think?”

Chloe sighed and slumped down on the bench next to her brother.

“It feels different this time, and I know that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I can’t help but wonder if this is too good to be true.”

Adam sighed a little too.  “I would say stop worrying so much, but I also know you, and I know why you’re worried.  What you’re feeling is completely normal given the circumstances.  A little bit of caution is healthy, but don’t let it take over.  I mean, it’s obvious there’s something there between you. “

Chloe made a face.  “It’s obvious? How is it obvious? You’ve never met him.”

Adam laughed at this.  “Your face! The way you talk about him. The way you blush when I so much as mention him.  I mean, yeah, I know you’ve had a bit of “Fantasy crush” on him since you were a kid but ever since that night you seem like a much happier person.  You seem like the Chloe I remember.”

Chloe’s eyes widened.  “Really?!”

Adam grinned. “Yes, really!”

“Am I crazy?” Chloe wondered aloud.

Adam chuckled.  “No. Why? Because you just happen to be falling for one of the biggest Pop stars in the world?”

Chloe made a face.  “See, it sounds crazy.”

“No, it doesn’t.  Pop star or not, he’s still a guy.  A single, attractive, intelligent guy.  Nothing wrong with that.”

“So, you approve?’ Chloe replied.

Adam grinned.  “If he makes you happy, then yes, I approve.”

“Good to know.”

“Don’t get me wrong…he hurts you and I’ll kick his ass, but for now, yeah…I approve.” Adam replied.

Chloe giggled and nodded.  “Understood.”

Adam grinned more.  “Now what?”

Chloe raised an eyebrow.  “What do you mean?”

“What’s next?”

Chloe gave him a puzzled look.  “Next I am going to go get a shower and get ready for work.”

Adam laughed.  “Well, I figured as much, but that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” Chloe asked, huffing a bit.

“With you and Justin?  What’s next?”

Chloe screwed up her face in thought.  To be honest, she wasn’t sure what came next.  When she and Eddy first started dating things were much simpler.  No job, no child, no responsibilities other than school. 

“I don’t know…I was thinking I might invite him over here for dinner sometime.”

Adam’s eyes widened.  “To meet Gabby?!”

Chloe shook her head emphatically.  “Not yet.  I’m not quite ready for that yet, but soon.”

“In other words, you want me to watch Gabby.” Adam said with a wink.

Chloe shook her head.  “Not necessarily.  Mom and Dad have offered to take her on the weekend every now and then.  I think they like having kids in the house again and my resurrected social life gives them a good excuse.”

Adam chuckled.  “When were you thinking?”

Chloe sighed.  “I don’t know.  Friday maybe.  I know you’ll be in court so Mom said she would pick Gabby up from school.  So long as I don’t get stuck in surgery I could come home, make dinner, and then have him over around 7:30.”

A sly smile crept across Adam’s face.  Because her work schedule was so chaotic and very unpredictable at times, he was the one that did the majority of the cooking in the house. 

“You’re going to cook?! What are you going to make?”

Chloe shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I hear he likes Italian so I was thinking maybe I would make Grandma’s recipe for Braciole.”

Adam’s eyes widened.

“Braciole?!  Wow!  You do like him, don’t you?” Adam teased.

Chloe blushed.  “Maybe a little.”

Adam snorted.  “A little?! You’re making Braciole! I’d say you like him more than a little.  Are you going to save some for me?”

Chloe smirked.  “We’ll see.”

Adam laughed.  “Ok, I will tell you what.  Write a list of what you need.  I’ll do the shopping for you, but on the condition that you save some for me.  I’ll even volunteer to make myself scarce on Friday night.”

Chloe giggled.  “How kind of you.”

***

“Where you off to in such a rush?” Nurse Liz called after Chloe.

Chloe cracked a smile as she handed off a patient chart to the nurse. 

“I have to get home.” Chloe explained.

“Gabby waiting?”

Chloe smiled more.  “Umm…no…I’m having a friend over for dinner.”

“A friend? Is this friend male?” Liz asked grinning.

Chloe couldn’t help but blush.  “Maybe.”

“Are you cooking?” Liz continued, her eyes glinting.

“I’m going to try.”

“What time is he coming over?” Liz asked.

“7:30.”

Liz’s eyes widened.  “Better get going before another surgery comes in.”

“I’m going.” Chloe giggled as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

Once at her apartment Chloe began to scramble.  She wanted everything to be ready before Justin got there.

After setting her bag down in the bedroom Chloe made her way to the kitchen.  The one nice thing about making her Grandmother’s recipe for Braciole was that you could start it in the crockpot.  After stirring the sauce a bit, and checking on the meat it was back to the bedroom to get a shower and get ready.

Chloe felt like she was scrambling and the butterflies in her stomach were going wild.  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d made dinner for a guy that wasn’t her brother or had someone over to the house.

When the doorbell rang Chloe jumped. 

As soon as she opened the door Chloe felt her breath catch in her throat.  He was dressed in dark wash jeans, a dark grey, v-neck sweater and a dark grey peacoat.  In his hands, a bouquet of roses and a bottle of wine.

“Hi.” Justin said smiling.

Chloe blushed and tried to calm the butterflies.

“Hi.”

“These are for you.” Justin said handing over the flowers and the wine.

“Thanks.” Chloe replied, taking the items from him.

Chloe blushed and bit her bottom lip as she ushered Justin into the house.  As soon as he stepped through the door his eyes went wide and smile started to tug at the corners of his mouth.  Something smelled delicious.

“Wow!” Justin breathed out.

“What?” Chloe asked.

Justin smiled.  He could tell she was a tad nervous.

“You look…amazing!  Also, it smells wonderful!”

Chloe looked down at herself and blushed a bit.  She’d picked this outfit on purpose, because she loved it but rarely got an excuse to wear it.  She was wearing a pair of dark denim jeans and a faux cashmere sweater in dark purple that came off her shoulders.  It was soft, super soft and it was comfortable, but sexy at the same time. 

“Cute slippers.” Justin said noticing her feet.

Chloe blushed.  “Umm…thanks…I figured I was at home so, why not?”

On her feet were a pair of fuzzy slippers that looked like moose or reindeer, he wasn’t sure, but on her they were adorable.

“No judgement here.” Justin chuckled.

Chloe giggled slightly.  “I know, I know, they don’t really go with the outfit, but I’m home and after being on my feet all day I wanted to be comfortable.”

Justin grinned.  “Like I said, no judgement.  On you, they look good.”

Chloe simply nodded.  There was an awkward pause that followed.  They were still standing just inside the door.  He was looking down at her, his blue eyes sparkling and his lips curled into a soft smile.  It was making her slightly giddy.

“Is it just us?” Justin asked, clearing his throat a little.

Chloe nodded.  “Adam was going back to his office after court to go over notes, then he and some friends were going to go out.  Gabby is with my parents for the evening.”

Justin cracked a smile. “Do you want to show me around?”

Chloe bit her lip and nodded.  “Sure.  Let me just go put these in some water and put the wine in the wine cellar.”

Justin made a face.  “You have a wine cellar?”

Chloe laughed.  “Yes and no.  We have one of those free-standing refrigerators for wine.  Adam insisted on getting one when he moved in.  I said, “fine” but he had to buy it and install it himself.”

Justin chuckled.  “I see.”

Justin followed Chloe to the kitchen, his eyes taking everything in.  Her house felt cozy and warm.  The décor was Farmhouse style, which he hadn’t expected but it definitely suited her.  The kitchen cabinets were white, the countertops grey marble and all the appliances were stainless steel.  It was clean too.  Very clean.  In fact, if he hadn’t known he would have never guessed that a five-year-old even lived here.

It was then, as he was standing in the kitchen, taking in his surroundings that he spied it on the fridge, a picture of a little girl with dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes and the cutest smile.  A smile that reminded him of Chloe.  The little girl had to be Gabby.

“Is this Gabby?” Justin asked motioning to the photo.

Chloe smiled and nodded.  “That’s her.  It’s her Fall school photo.”

Justin smiled at Chloe.  “She’s beautiful…just like her mother.”

Chloe made a face.  “She looks a lot like her father.”

Justin grinned and shook his head.  “I see you.  Her smile. Her cute little nose.  I bet she has your sass too.”

Chloe laughed.  “Oh, she does.  I swear she’s five going on fifteen.”

Justin chuckled.  “I’ve heard that happens, particularly with little girls.”

Chloe smiled and nodded as she busied herself with putting the flowers in a vase.  He really was as charming as she’d imagined he would be.

Once she finished, she turned and looked up at him again.  He was watching her intently, his eyes completely fixed on her and a flirty smile tugging at his lips.  It made her suck in a breath.

“So, this is the kitchen.” Chloe explained giggling a bit.

Justin grinned.  “Yeah, I got that from the smell.  It smells AMAZING!”

Chloe bit her lip and nodded.  “I hope it tastes as good as it smells. It’s my grandmother’s recipe for Braciole.  I don’t make it very often.”

“Braciole?” Justin repeated confused.

“Have you not ever heard of Braciole?”

Justin shook his head.  “Can’t say that I have, but it sounds delicious.”

Chloe grinned.  “You are a world traveler who claims to love Italian food and you’ve never had Braciole?!”

Justin chuckled.  “Nope.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing.”

Justin chuckled more and shook his head.  “Obviously not! What is it?”

Chloe beamed.  “It’s thinly sliced, stuffed steak.”

“I’m sure it will be wonderful.”

“I certainly hope so.”

Justin shook his head and smiled at her.  “Like I said, it smells wonderful so I really doubt it’s going to taste bad.”

Chloe smiled.  “Would you like to see the rest of the house?”

“I’d love to.”

Without even thinking Chloe took Justin’s hand and began to lead him from the kitchen.  Justin smiled when his hand met hers.  It felt comfortable.  Normal even.  Like her hand was meant for his. 

Chloe led him back to the living room first.  A long, dark grey sectional couch faced the wall mounted, flat screen tv.  Underneath the TV a white wood entertainment center with a dark wood top.  It was very Farmhouse but it fit the room perfectly and it matched the coffee table as well. 

It was as Justin was looking around the room that he noticed there was no Christmas tree.

“Where is your tree?”

Chloe blushed.  “Umm…well…that’s a family thing…Eddy and I used to take Gabby out and let her pick the tree.  Then, last year, it was Adam, and I, but this year Adam is in the middle of a really big case and I’ve been super busy…”

Justin nodded. “What’s your schedule like this week?”

Chloe gave him a puzzled look.  She wasn’t sure where he was going with this but she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Umm…today is Friday.  I am On Call tomorrow night but off Sunday then I work 7-5 Monday, I’m On Call Tuesday night, I have Wednesday off and I work 7-5 Thursday and Friday.”

Justin grinned and shook his head.  Yes, he typically had a busy schedule, and it was never the same week to week, but her schedule made his head hurt. 

“What are you doing Sunday?” Justin continued.

Chloe made another face.  “Umm…I don’t know…sleeping …”

“Do you typically sleep all day after an On Call shift?”

Normally, Chloe might have been offended by his implication but something about the look in his eyes told her to stand down, that his intentions for asking were pure.  However, that didn’t mean she was going to let him off the hook completely.

“I have a five-year-old, what do you think?” Chloe smirked.

Justin bit his lip and tried not to laugh.  He loved her sass but understood why she was a bit on the defensive considering his question.

“I promise you, I meant nothing by that, I was just trying to figure out if you were busy on Sunday.  If you had anything else planned.” Justin explained.

Chloe’s expression softened. 

“No.  No plans.”

Justin grinned.  “Then what would you say to me taking you and Gabby out Christmas tree shopping?”

Chloe’s eyes widened.  Her jaw dropped.  She didn’t know how to respond.

“I know I said you were in charge, that we would move at your pace but I like you, I like you A LOT.  I want to get to know you, and getting to know you means getting to know Gabby too.  I know you are worried about bringing someone knew into Gabby’s life, how it will affect her if it doesn’t work out, but I have no intention of going anywhere, not so long as you let me stick around.”

Chloe opened her mouth to speak, then abruptly shut it again.  She was speechless.  They’d been dating for several weeks now, quite possibly a month, she couldn’t be sure.  She’d lost track and he’d been extremely understanding up to this point. 

“I won’t be offended or upset in the least if you say “no.” I promised we would move at your pace, that I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you or Gabby, I am just putting it out there.  I’m ready whenever you are.” Justin continued when she didn’t respond.

Chloe swallowed the lump that had appeared in her throat.

“Umm…well…like I said, it’s a family thing…” Chloe stammered.

Justin nodded.  “And I totally respect that.”

Chloe managed a weak smile.  “What I mean is…I’d have to ask her…”

Justin grinned.  “I can respect that too.”

“I’ll ask her tomorrow when I pick her up from my parents’ house and get back to you, is that ok?”

Justin grinned more and nodded.  “Sounds perfect.”

“Thank you.” Chloe managed.

Justin nodded.  “Of course.”

“Should we continue the tour?” Chloe asked nervously.

“I’d like that.”

Smiling and taking his hand again Chloe guided him through the house.  She motioned to the door to Adam’s room, then moved on to Gabby’s room.  It was totally a little girl’s room.  Disney Princess decals on the wall.  A Frozen 2 Comforter and pillow on the bed but it was what was above her bed that made him smile.

“Hmm, wonder where she got that poster?” Justin asked grinning as he nodded to the No Strings Attached poster.

Chloe blushed.  “She found it in some of my old stuff and insisted I hang it up.”

“That hair, OH MY GOD! What was I thinking?” Justin chuckled.

Chloe giggled.  “It wasn’t so bad.  The previous hair-a, now that’s different.”

“Hair-a?” Justin asked raising an eyebrow.

“Hair era.” Chloe explained.

Justin laughed.  “What was wrong with my hair then?’

Chloe blushed.  ‘The bleached blonde ramen noodles never really did it for me.”

Justin snorted.  “Oh?!”

“I much prefer the look you’re sporting now.”

“Is that so?” Justin replied grinning.

“Is it a problem?” Chloe teased.

“Nope.  No complaints here.”

Chloe blushed a bit more.  “Are you hungry yet?”

Justin nodded.  “I could eat.”

“C’mon, the noodles should be just about perfect by now.”

“Noodles?’

“I usually serve Braciole over linguini noodles.  It’s the way my Grandma use to do it.”

“Sounds delicious, but what about the tour? I haven’t seen your room yet.”

Chloe bit her lip and tried not to blush again.  “Maybe AFTER dinner, if you’re good.”

Justin laughed.  “I’ll be on my best behavior.”

Ten minutes later they were seated at the dining room table.  Chloe had done her best to set the mood.  She’d dimmed the lights and lit candles and there was soft holiday music playing in the background.

“This is AMAZING!” Justin said between bites.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome…but now you’ve kind of ruined it for me.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped.  He’d just said it was amazing and now he was saying she “ruined” it.

Justin noticed her expression and couldn’t help but chuckle.  “What I mean is…now I can’t order this the next time I’m in Italy because I know it won’t be as good.  I’ll always compare it to yours.”

“Oh, I am sure there are people in Italy who can make it better.”

“Nope. Homemade is always best.”

Chloe giggled.  “Fair enough.”

For the rest of the meal, they chatted and ate happily.  It was perfect.  No pressure.  Just two people enjoying each other’s company.  In fact, neither could remember a time they’d felt this relaxed or comfortable on a date.

After dinner they settled in the living room in front of the fire casually sipping on wine.  The music still playing softly in the background. 

Justin had just taken a sip of his wine when a familiar melody registered in his brain.  His eyes widened a bit and he couldn’t help but smile bashfully over at Chloe.

“I think I’ve heard this one before.” Justin teased.

Chloe giggled.  “I just typed “Christmas music” into the Spotify search.  It’s not my playlist.”

“Sure, it isn’t.  So, then you don’t own “Home for Christmas?”

Chloe laughed more.  “I never said that.  I said this wasn’t my playlist.  I think you’d be hard pressed to find an *NSYNC fan who doesn’t own “Home for Christmas.”

Justin laughed.  “Touche.  Well played.  So, then, what’s your favorite song?”

“Not “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.” Chloe smirked.

Justin smiled and shook his head.  “I would have never guessed that.”

“All I Want is You (This Christmas)” Chloe answered.

Justin bit his lip and nodded.  “I’ll have to remember that.”