It's Beginning to Look a Lot...

Raquel was already buckled in upfront, and Tabitha was in the back waiting. In just a few seconds he had it secured then looked at the little girl.

"You ready?"

She nodded, so he picked her up and sat her in it then pulled the seatbelt around her.

Raquel watched and smiled and thanked him again as he walked around to the driver's side. Jason hopped up and in, fired up the rig, then looked over at Raquel who was staring at him.

"You okay?" he asked, a big smile on his face as she looked at the snow in his thick, dark hair that was already beginning to melt.

"Oh, yes. You...you just remind me of someone. That's all," she told him, a weak smile on her very pretty face.

"I hope it's someone you like," he replied with a chuckle before checking for cars as he put it in reverse.

She didn't tell him the man he reminded her of was her late husband, but between his gorgeous dark hair and the square jaw and high cheekbones, he definitely looked a good bit like the man she'd fallen in love with. But that had been what seemed like a lifetime ago. Back when she was...Jason's age.

"Okay. Everybody ready?" Jason asked, mostly looking back at Tabitha.

"I'm ready! Are you ready, Mommy?"

She turned around and saw the rosy cheeks on her daughter's face and tried to smile.

"I am."

The cab warmed back up in no time, and the air from the vents kept the side windows clear as the windshield wipers removed the falling snow. It got warm enough that Raquel took off her gloves, and while Jason wasn't looking to see whether or not she was married, the large rock on her left hand felt like a punch in the gut. It was ridiculous because he'd have looked were she 18 or 80. Still....

He glanced at her one more time then mentally shifted gears to make himself be satisfied with just doing the right thing--which this was.

Raquel got out two words of the question she wanted to ask when Jason's phone rang.

Bluetooth picked it up and Jason took the call.

"Honey? Are you okay?" a woman's voice said.

"Hey, Mom. Yes, I'm fine. I'm just helping out a very nice woman and her daughter who ran into a little problem with the snow."

"So you're all right?"

"I'm fine, and I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Okay. I was getting a little worried, but for something like that, you take all the time you need."

"I'm happy to help out, and as nasty as it's getting, I'm sure her husband is as worried about them as you were about me."

"Yes, definitely. It is looking bad. Anyway, your dad and I love that you're always willing to lend a hand. Kind of makes us think we maybe we did okay."

Were Raquel single he'd have been a tad embarrassed at his mom's kindness which he saw as overprotectiveness, but that was a non issue.

When the call ended, he looked over at Raquel again, and saw a pained look on her face.

"Everything okay?"

"Oh, yes. Sorry. I...what you said, it...it made me think about my husband," Raquel said, a quiet, reflective tone in her voice.

"Shame on me. Listen, if you need to give him a call, by all means...."

Raquel turned her head his way a bit then explained for the second time in less than an hour.

"My husband...he, he um...he passed away a few years back."

Truly surprised and genuinely saddened, he looked her way and said, "Raquel. I...I'm so sorry. I...."

She saw him look at her ring and tried to smile. She held it out a little and looked at it herself.

"I've never been able to take it off, you know? It's been well over three years, but I guess it feels like doing that would be a kind of...."

"Betrayal?" Jason offered.

"Yes. That's exactly the right word. I know it's ridiculous, but...."

"No. It's not ridiculous. It's a testament to how much you loved him. I don't think it's a ridiculous at all."

She saw him look over at her and managed a smile.

"You're a very nice man, Jason. Thank you so much for doing this. All of this. Now I feel guilty because you're missing time with your family."

Jason had always loved movie lines and laid a little of his best John Wayne cowboy improv on her.

"Ah, shucks, little lady. Taint nuthin'," he drawled in a hillbilly-sounding voice as he pretended to tip the cowboy hat he wasn't wearing.

She tried not to laugh, but it was so corny she couldn't help herself.

"And funny," she told him.

Jason got real serious then said, "I often hear that."

She raised her eyebrows in expectation of an explanation. He paused for effect then said, "But let's not talk about my looks, okay?"

Raquel needed a second to process the humor then nearly snorted which made her laugh even more as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh, my goodness! Whatever you do, do not quit your day job, okay?"

Jason laughed, too, which got Tabitha's attention.

"Why are you guys laughing?" she asked. "Is something funny?"

Her mom turned around, and still smiling said, "Well...kind of."

She glanced at Jason who gave her a look that feigned being offended, and she laughed even more.

Raquel told her daughter, "It's more that Mommy's having a nice time."

"Oh, okay," came the reply.

"I may not have a future as a comedian, but if I've made you smile after all of this, I'll take that."

The look she gave him changed the way he felt about her. That and having learned she wasn't married, although the reason why didn't help. He wasn't sure what it meant, but it made him feel good, and for the rest of the short ride they made small talk with a fair amount of laughter in between.

By the time they got to her house they knew some of the basics about each other, and both of them were very pleasantly surprised at how well the conversation flowed between them.

"You're easy to talk to," Jason said as he put the truck in park and again looked her way.

"Yeah. You, too," she said, a kind of twinkle in her eye, and a smile on her pretty face.

The look lasted a few seconds longer than it maybe should have, and when Raquel realized it, she looked away then said, "Let me get Tabitha inside, and I'll come back and help you with the tree."

"Or...you could just take Tabitha inside, and I'll bring the tree to the front door."

"I don't mind helping," she told him rather sweetly.

"I know. I'd just prefer to do this for you. If you don't mind. Besides, you can help me once I get it up on your porch."

"Okay," she told him as she reached for the door handle.

"Ahem!"

"What?" Raquel said as she flinched a little at the sudden, rather loud interjection.

"Don't you dare touch that door handle. I'll be right there to open it for you."

She looked at him, opened her eyes wide, and pulled back a little, now feigning offense herself.

"Yes, sir!" she told him, unable not to smile.

"Sit tight, soldier," Jason told her just before he winked then hopped out and carefully walked around. The driveway was slick, but the work boots he was wearing helped to mitigate the chances of slipping and/or falling.

He opened the door then bowed slightly, and that drew another laugh. Raquel turned her legs toward him then accepted his outstretched hand. As she slid down, her slick-soled shoes immediately lost traction on the snow. He still had her hand, and as she lost her balance she grabbed onto Jason's other arm for dear life which caused him to pull her closer for more stability.

She was now just inches away from him, and when she regained her balance, she briefly looked at him then looked away.

"Thank you. It's...slicker n' snot!" she said, not sure why she felt so out of sorts or used that ridiculous comparison.

She'd tried to say it with the same accent he did, but hers was awful. Even so, Jason laughed, and as she went to move away he gently stopped her and held her there for a second or so. Her eyes met his again, and when they did there was this...moment. A moment that made no sense, but a moment that caused some sort of flash of feelings that reminded her of another time and another handsome man.

"Oh. Sorry," Jason said, assuming she wasn't thrilled with what he'd just done.

He did his best to recover as he let go with one arm as he asked, "You got it?"

Raquel tested her footing and said, "I think I'll be okay."

"I'm happy to carry Tabitha inside for you."

It really was very slick, and she was afraid her daughter would fall but even more afraid she might fall with her were she to carry her.

"You don't mind?"

"Are you kidding?" he replied, a huge smile on his face.

The look he gave her told her he didn't mind, and she returned it with a sweet smile of her own then thanked him. Again.

"Hey, there," Jason said to Tabitha when he opened her door.

"Are we at my house?" she asked as he unbuckled her carseat belt. "It's very snowy!"

"We are. And if it's okay, I'm gonna carry you inside because it's really slippery out here."

The young girl didn't even reply. She just held her arms out then put them around his neck as he picked her up. Raquel closed the door then walked with them to the front of the house.

The sense of deja vu was even stronger as she imagined Tabitha's father carrying their daughter, a thought that would have normally made her sad. But as she heard Jason say something that made Tabitha laughed, she realized she wasn't sad. She not only wasn't sad, she felt as close to normal as she had since before the night chief of police came to her door with the department chaplain and her husband's former partner.

The words the chief spoke still haunted her.

"Raquel, I'm so sorry. It's Tommy," he began. The rest was a blur, and right now she didn't want to relive it for the umpteenth time.

Jason set the girl down then turned to help Raquel up the last step. As she took his hand again she told him, "We usually go in through the garage, but...."

"I take it you park in the garage then."

"We do. Why?"

He chuckled as she unlocked the door and explained how it seemed that most people parked their cars in the driveway and used their garages for storage.

"Oh, right. I suppose that's true. If not for my...husband...I'd almost certainly be one of them."

"He was...organized?" Jason asked as she opened the door.

"No. I'm organized. He was...."

Raquel smiled as she thought about his closet and the way he spaced his hangars using two fingers to get the spacing exact.

"Meticulous."

She shut the door then let Jason know he'd been a Marine for four years before they met.

"Not that we met as soon as he got out. I only meant that he served before I knew him."

"The Marine Corps. That's tough. I thought about it myself, but Full Metal Jacket scared me away, and I went in the Air Force."

"I didn't know that," Raquel said, as though she should have somehow been aware of his past.

"It really worked out well for me. I loved being in, and the training I got helped me land a decent job, so all in all, it was a really good experience."

"Same with Tommy. He was a military police officer and became a Washington State Patrolman."

"I can tell you're very proud of your husband," Jason offered respectfully.

"Yes. Very much so."

Not feeling right about asking any questions Jason suggested they get the tree on the porch and assess the damage.

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you bring it in?" she asked again. "I really don't mind."

"Maybe think about how we're going to get all the snow off of it?" he countered, not wanting her on the sidewalk in those shoes.

"Oh, right. I didn't even think about that, but it's really coming down now," she said as she realized she wouldn't have even been able to do that by herself.

She laughed, pointed at her head, then said, "Duh!"

Jason laughed, too and told her, "I'll drag it up here, we can shake off as much as possible, trim it up, then maybe set down some towels around the base before we stand it up to catch any water from the little bit left that melts. Shouldn't be a whole lot remaining if we're careful."

Raquel was aware that she was taking time away from his being able to be with his family, but something else was going on, too, and she wasn't sure if the 'something' was bothering her, or if it was more that she couldn't figure out what the 'something' was.

Jason got the tree up on the porch without a hitch, and Raquel picked up the lighter, top end and helped shake the snow off. Some of it flew up and into her face causing her to shriek then laugh.

"You okay over there?" Jason asked, a smile on his handsome face.

She wiped the snow away then noticed his face was entirely covered.

"Um...Casper? You're white as a ghost!" she told him as the laughter got a bit louder.

Jason was doing the same thing only with both hands and then his sleeve. When he stopped his eyebrows were still white, but Raquel only smiled as she told him that was much better.

He then started assessing the damage and was able to pull off one branch that was hanging by a thread before grabbing his handsaw and cutting off two more that were unsalvageable. Raquel set the branches aside to give Jason as much room to work as possible.

"Not too shabby, huh?" he said as she looked it over.

"You were right. It really isn't that bad," she told him after seeing that the area with the most damage wasn't as bad as she thought it might be.

"You ready?" Jason asked after she finished the quick inspection.

"The towels!" she said as she zipped inside to lay down as many as she could find. That turned out to be a very good idea because the remaining snow began melting the moment they got the tree inside, and while a little water wouldn't hurt the hardwood flooring, there was a lot more than just a little.

Her husband had been extremely detail-oriented about most things in his life, but the house wasn't one of them. At least not where things that were typically associated with 'women's work' were concerned. The funny thing was he was always helping out whether it was with the laundry, vacuuming, putting dishes in the dishwasher or doing the laundry. He just didn't do any of them with as much care as she did. Then again, she was more lax with things he obsessed over, and together, they'd made a really good team. She couldn't help but think about such things, but doing so was bittersweet, so she chose to focus on the present which meant getting the tree up.

Jason stood the it upright then he and Raquel raised it and lowered it into the contraption she used as the base which she'd set out before leaving to buy the tree. He turned it left then right until she found the best angle to hide the crushed limbs and told him to stop. He held it in place while she tightened some wing nuts.

"Mommy! It's so boo-tee-foh!" Tabitha told her once her mom said, "voile!"

Raquel stood behind her daughter and called for Jason to stand next to her.

"What do you think?" she asked as she glanced his way then turned back to look at the tree.

"If I hadn't cut off the branches myself, I'd be hard pressed to tell they were missing."

"It looks amazing. Thank you."

She turned his way again and smiled, and he did the same.

"Well, I uh, I believe my work here is done," Jason announced, signaling his intent to leave.

"We can't thank you enough. For...everything."

"It was my pleasure. I'm just glad we were able to salvage the tree and get it--and the two of you--back to your house safe and sound."

"I honestly had no idea it even came off until I saw you...run over it," Raquel admitted a little sheepishly.

"No harm done," Jason said with a laugh before correcting himself. "Or not too much harm done."

"It looks great, Jason. Thank you so much."

She'd turned his way, and as she thanked him for the umpteenth time, her arms raised up. It wasn't unusual for a woman to hug someone who'd been so kind, but when he immediately did the same and embraced her, she realized what the 'something' was that had been bothering her.

As the short hug ended, Jason kept his hands on the backside of her upper arms. He was smiling at her, and the way he was looking at her confirmed her suspicions. She liked him. As in...liked him.

Once the thought had fully matured she felt foolish and had to look away lest he somehow 'see' what she was thinking, as he was much too young, and for all she knew, he might well be in a serious relationship with someone. Someone younger and prettier.

Raquel lowered her arms and told him she was sorry for taking up so much of his time.

"You're not taking up my time," he told her in a soft, quiet voice. "I was more than happy to help."

"Oh. Um...well, I'm glad I didn't...."

She was saved from herself when Tabitha asked if they could decorate the tree.

"What?" her mom asked. She'd been so caught up in her fanciful daydreams and embarrassment that she had no idea what her daughter had just said.

"Can we do the lights and the pencil?"

Raquel stared for a moment then realized she meant 'tinsel.'

"The tinsel?"

"Uh-huh. The shiny stuff that hangs down like a angel's hair!"

"We can do the lights, but we don't have any tinsel, honey. Sorry."

Jason saw the look of disappoint on Tabitha's face and made a decision.

"Guess what?" he said to the girl as he leaned down to talk to her. "I just happen to have a whole bunch of tinsel."

"You do?" Tabitha asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Yep. I picked some up for my mom before I uh, ran into you and your mom, so you now have tinsel."

He ran--carefully--to his truck and was back a few seconds later and got another burst of applause from a very happy little girl.

"Yay! she said as she clapped her hands. "Mommy? Can I hang the stint-sul?"

Her mother ignored the mispronunciation as she looked at Jason.

"No, that's for your family," Raquel told him.

"No, I have more than enough. They had a two-for-one sale, and I'll still have more than my mom can use."

"If you're sure," she said yet again.

Jason assured he was.

"Okay. Again--thank you."

She thought about asking this friendly, charming, younger man if he wanted to stay and decorate the tree but realized how absurd that was. She'd no sooner dismissed the thought when her daughter did the asking.

"Do you wanna help us decorate our tree?" she asked, her little eyes imploring him to say 'yes'.

"Oh, no. Honey, he was on his way to help his own mom with their tree, so...."

"I'd love to help. Unless you're trying to get rid of me," Jason told her as he looked at Raquel first and then at her daughter.

He wasn't smiling this time, but the way he looked at her got to her even more than one of his amazing smiles would have.

"I...we can't ask you to do that," she quietly replied, all of her previous feelings coming back at once.

"You're not. I'm offering."

"So can he?" Tabitha asked, her little eyes looking up still pleading for a 'yes.'

"Well, if he doesn't mind, I suppose that would be okay."

"Do you mind?" Tabitha asked, that same look on her face.

"Not at all. I'd love to!" Jason told her. "Why don't you get the lights out, and I'll open the box of tinsel, and we'll get started!"

"Okay!" came the happy reply as Tabitha ran over to a cardboard box that had "Xmas Lights" written on the side of it.

"I think someone is excited," Jason said, enjoying watching a child to whom Christmas still meant so much.

"Oh, she loves Christmas!" her mother said as she picked up some of the mess.

Jason was still looking at her, so she said, "So do I."

"Me, too," he quietly replied as her eyes rapidly moved back and forth between his.

A happy shriek from Tabitha broke the spell.

"Mommy, look! Aren't the red ones pretty?"

She was trying to lift a long string of lights out of the box, but they were so tangled up she couldn't.

"Here, let me help you, okay?" Jason offered as he walked over to her and grabbed the bird's nest of wire and lights.