Madeline shrugged out of her coat and draped it across a chair, then stepped out of her boots. “What did Cameron say about Raven?”
“That she’s a healthy eight-year-old lab. She’s a little underweight. He would guess she hasn’t been eating much either because she’s depressed or because she’s getting pushed from her food by other dogs. He also wants her to get plenty of exercise. That’s the best way to keep her healthy.”
As he spoke, he bent down and petted the dog. Raven’s tail thumped on her bed.
“Then you have a plan,” Madeline said, thinking the man and the dog looked really good together.
“I do. Want to help me decorate the tree?”
“You know it.”
They discussed the color scheme they wanted. Jonny being Jonny had overbought and there were enough shiny, glittery decorations for three trees. They quickly settled on traditional red, green and gold decorations. She unpacked the boxes and he placed the ornaments on the tree.
About a half hour into their endeavors, she went into the kitchen to put a casserole into the oven, then changed into jeans and a sweatshirt that she’d brought with her. Jonny pulled champagne out of the refrigerator and, despite his injury, popped the cork.
“To celebrate my new committed relationship,” he said, pouring them each a glass.
She knew exactly what he meant—that he’d adopted Raven. But for a second, she allowed herself to think he meant more. That he meant them.
She didn’t know exactly when he’d transitioned from Jonny Blaze, Action Star, to the guy she was falling for. She’d started seeing him as a person almost right away. But the caring part—that had been coming on gradually.
She liked how much he loved his sister and how easily he fit into the town. She enjoyed hanging out with him. They never ran out of things to say to each other. They shared similar values and laughed at the same jokes. Being with him was...nice.
“I went back to the Day of Giving,” he said when they’d each taken a sip. “There are a lot of charities in the area.”
“Some come in from Sacramento and even San Francisco,” she told him. “We get plenty of tourists this time of year and the organizations are hoping to attract attention. Did you find any that were interesting?”
He nodded. “I’m going to do some research, but I figure now that I’m living here, I should get involved.”
“You could bring a lot of attention to any one of them.”
He leaned against the counter. “Not my favorite part, but you’re right.” One corner of his mouth turned up. “I guess it’s time to use my powers for good.”
“As opposed to the evil you’ve been doing so far?” she asked, her voice teasing.
“Exactly.” He nodded toward the family room. “Come on. Tell me about that train set you’re allowing me to borrow. I want to hear the family history.”
“Then I’ll tell you. It belonged to my great-grandfather on my mother’s side.”
“I knew it would be something like that.”
* * *
Jonny hadn’t known what to expect for the painting party. Madeline had promised him lots of help and that the toys would all be painted in time to be given to the toy drive. He’d set up tables and chairs in the open area of the barn where they would hold Ginger’s reception, then had put out the paints he’d bought, along with brushes.
Right on time, cars started pulling up in his driveway. Eddie and Gladys were the first to arrive. Both old ladies hugged him close. Eddie was near tears again as she asked about his hand.
“I’m doing great,” he assured her. “Good as new.”
She didn’t look convinced and he hated to see her spunkiness brought low by a freak accident. Not knowing how else to restore her spirit, he decided to take one for the team and turned his back.
“Go ahead,” he told them. “Pat my butt. You know you want to.”
He thought they might hesitate, but he was wrong. Both old ladies immediately patted his butt. One of them lingered just a little too long and he was forced to step away.
As he turned back to them, they were shaking their heads.
“We should have gotten our cameras out,” Gladys said.
“And filmed it.” Eddie’s expression turned sly. “Can we do that again, Jonny?”
“Not a chance. It was a one-time thing.”
“Then we’ll have to sneak up on you,” Eddie said.
Jonny held in a grin. Order had been restored to the universe.