Cross My Heart (A Contemporary Romance Novel)

him a lullaby, holding him close and helping him sleep.”
    She glanced at Michael, who was standing behind Claire, reading the words of the carol over her shoulder. “You’re right,” he said. “It is like a lullaby. I never really thought about it.”
    “Can you play it, Claire?”
    “Uh huh.”
    “Okay, then, let’s try it. Claire, you can sing too, or just play if you want.”
    Claire’s hands hovered over the keys for a moment. Then she started to play the simple melody, very softly. After the first few bars Jenna started to sing, her voice as soft as Claire’s playing. “Silent night, holy night…”
    She wasn’t sure if Michael would join in or not. But he did, after a moment, his warm baritone sending a tingle down her spine. It was a nice counterpoint to her contralto. And then Claire joined them, too, her unexpectedly sweet soprano rising above the voices of the two adults, causing them to glance at each other in surprise.
    They sang all three verses, the gentle magic of the song a tangible presence in the room. Jenna had moved closer to Michael without noticing it—or maybe he had moved closer to her. Either way she was conscious of his nearness, the solidity of him, the strength of the big body next to hers. And his voice was like the warm summer night outside.
    After they finished the final verse Claire let the last note linger, and when the sound had faded completely she twisted around on the piano bench to look up at them.
    “That was cool,” she said seriously.
    Her father put a hand on her shoulder. “Yeah, it was.” He sounded husky, and he cleared his throat. “I didn’t know you could play like that. And your voice…your voice is beautiful, Claire.”
    “Thanks,” she said a little gruffly.
    Jenna felt a sudden burning behind her eyes.
    “Let’s do another one,” she said quickly, and Claire turned the page of the music book to find another carol. It was Hark the Herald Angels Sing , which made their next musical effort a little more lively.
    They kept going for a while after that, singing several more songs, until Jenna glanced at the clock on the fireplace mantel. “If you guys are going to get any dessert I should dish it up now. I didn’t realize how late it was. Why don’t you have a seat on the couch and I’ll bring out the ice cream?”
    A few minutes later she came out of the kitchen with three bowls.
    “Thanks,” Michael said as he took his, and she knew he was talking about more than the ice cream.
    “My pleasure,” she said. And realized she meant it. She’d had fun tonight, but she’d also been…touched.
    She decided not to analyze the feeling too much. The fact was, she’d had a good time with Michael and his daughter, and she was glad that they’d had a good time, too.
    She was touched again when Claire asked her to come back to their house with them. She said it was to lend her a CD they’d talked about over dinner, but Jenna knew she wanted to prolong the evening a little more.
    She didn’t have the heart to say no, so the three of them walked back to Michael’s house together. Once they were inside, Claire ran upstairs to get the CD.
    Down in the foyer, it was suddenly quiet. “I’ll walk you back home,” Michael said after a moment, looking down at her.
    “You don’t have to do that,” she objected.
    “It’s late. I’ll walk you.”
    “But I live next door. In a ridiculously safe neighborhood. Also, I’ve spent the last twelve years of my life walking alone on the streets of Chicago, Detroit, L.A…”
    “Only because I wasn’t there,” he said, smiling at her. “Call me old-fashioned, but it’s just not in me to let a woman walk home alone.”
    She shook her head slowly. “I didn’t know men like you still existed. Okay, you can walk me home. And if I drop my handkerchief on the way you can pick it up for me.”
    “Deal,” he said with a grin.
    “Okay, here it is,” Claire said, running down the steps with the CD in her hand. “You can borrow it as long as you want. And…” She hesitated.
    “Yes?” Jenna asked after a moment.
    “Just…thank you. For tonight. It was really fun.”
    “I had fun, too. And I’ll be seeing you again, won’t I? You’re right next door, after all. And don’t forget you promised to watch the Mollies practice next week.”
    Claire’s face glowed. “I won’t forget,” she said. She looked at her dad with the same expression, which made Jenna very happy. “Good night, you