Making Memories
Holiday Extravaganza

Excerpt

Amanda Forrester left the Rosewood Reality office with a huge grin on her face. It'd been a great day. Not only had she closed on the first two houses she’d sold, she’d also received her first listing. Maybe her move to Oklahoma City hadn’t been a mistake after all.

She decided to stop at the grocery and buy a steak to celebrate. Maybe she’d buy two and ask Josh Randall, her next-door neighbor, to join her. Actually, she hoped he’d offer to cook them. She hadn’t quite gotten the hang of her gas grill yet, and he could grill anything—blindfolded.

Amanda hurried into the store and picked out two thick steaks. Normally she loved to go up and down the aisles to see what all the grocery offered. It was so much larger than what she was used to back home. But then, everything in the city was larger than she was used to. She grew up on a farm outside of Pierce City, Missouri and had been a little apprehensive about moving to a big city, but she was beginning to adjust.

She paid for the steaks and hurried back to her car. As she drove out of the large parking lot and headed home, Amanda realized she should have called Josh to make sure he didn’t have plans for the evening, but she wasn't going to pull her cell phone out now. She sure hoped he was free. A celebration meant more if it was shared with someone. She turned down her street and grinned. Josh was pulling into his drive just ahead of her. She couldn’t have timed things better if she’d planned to.

“Hey, lady, need any help?” he asked, jogging across the small side yard separating their properties.

“Sure.” Amanda began to pull bags out of her car. “And, if you’ll do the grilling tonight, I’ll provide the steaks.”

“Steaks?” Josh looked into the bag she handed him. “Whoa. What are we celebrating?”

“Oh, not much. Just my first listing for Rosewood Realty and two closings today.”

“Wow! That is something to celebrate. I’ll be glad to cook for you.”

His lopsided smile never failed to make her a little breathless. Her heart did a flip, but as usual, she tried to ignore it. “Sure you don’t want to cook inside? It’s kind of chilly out.”

“Are you kidding? When you have that wonderful stainless-steel grill outside?”

“Yeah, and you know the only reason I have that state-of-the-art grill is because some lucky salesman knew I didn’t have a clue what I was looking for.”

Josh took another bag from her. “You made an excellent decision, to my way of thinking.”

“You’re going to have to teach me how to use my own grill one of these days, Josh. It thinks you own it.”

Josh laughed as he followed her to her kitchen and put the two bags on the counter. “I like it better than my own.”

“You’ve used it more than your own,” Amanda teased him.

“That I have. It’s a great grill. What time do you want me to start cooking?”

“In about an hour and a half. I’ll put some potatoes in the oven to bake and then make a salad.”

“OK. I’ll go get changed and check my email. Be back in a little while.”

“Oh, and would you bring back some sour cream, if you have any? I seem to have forgotten it.”

“See, that’s what you get for going grocery shopping without me. I’ll bring some.” Josh chuckled on his way out the door.

He was right. When they went together, he always prompted her to remember things she might be out of. They’d become good friends right after she moved in when he’d offered to show her how to light her grill. He’d been in his small backyard next door and had heard her talking to herself—or more accurately, to her grill, trying to convince it to light for her.

Amanda turned on her oven and pulled out the two large potatoes she'd bought. Wrapping them in foil, she smiled, remembering how quickly he'd accepted her offer to share her steak with him that first night.

Since then, they’d eaten together several nights a week. Josh wasn’t shy about asking himself to supper. On the other hand, he was very generous with his help. In the few months she’d lived next door, he’d fixed two leaky faucets…one in the kitchen and one outside. He changed the oil in her car to save her money, and he always carried in her groceries if he was around and saw her unloading her car. He’d also told her the best places to shop; the best place to get her gas tank filled, and he’d even given her the names of his doctor and dentist.

All in all, he’d made her move away from family a little easier. Much as she hated to admit it, even to herself, she did get lonesome at times. She missed her relatives—but not their constant matchmaking.

After each of her three cousins left home, her big family suddenly decided it was their mission to find Amanda a mate. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t interested. She’d witnessed enough of her cousins’ broken romances to know she’d rather stay single than go through all the heartache they’d endured. She didn’t want to hurt her family—she knew their intentions were good, but she couldn’t go along with their plans to set her up with every available man they knew.

Her parents hadn’t been thrilled about the move, but they’d supported her anyway and helped her get settled into the condo in northwest Oklahoma City. But after they left for home and she was truly on her own, she’d found getting started in a strange city wasn’t easy.

She put the potatoes in the oven and went to take a quick shower. Today truly was a day to rejoice, and Amanda was glad the one person who made her move easier would celebrate with her. She liked her condo and the neighborhood it was in. It was quiet and peaceful. There was a community pool she’d used a couple of times before it got too cold and a walking trail she enjoyed almost daily.

But, most of all, she liked her next-door neighbor—probably a little too much for her own good. Josh was the kind of man she could fall in love with if she wasn’t careful. He was fun to be with, more than a little nice looking and, best of all, he was a Christian.

She’d been delighted to discover he was also in her Sunday school class at church. They seemed to find more and more in common with each passing day. They both liked old movies, and the cooking channel on TV. Josh was one of the few men she knew who also liked to shop. Every day she seemed to learn more about him, and she liked all of it.

But, she had to remind herself he was just a very good neighbor...at most, a really great friend. He’d shown no sign of wanting their relationship to be anything else, and Amanda told herself she wanted things to stay just like they were.

She changed and returned to the kitchen to make the salad and dry-rub the steaks with a spicy mixture of seasonings. She set the round table in her dining area and turned the gas logs on low. Her two-sided fireplace could be seen from the living and dining room at the same time, and she really enjoyed it this time of year.

The doorbell rang. A blast of cold air hit as she opened the door. “Come on in. It’s getting colder. Maybe we’d better cook on my little electric grill tonight.”

“Nah, it’ll be fine. I’m dressed for it.” Josh had on a heavier jacket than she’d seen him in before. Still, it didn’t look all that warm to her.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. I go to all kinds of tailgate parties this time of year.” He handed her a small white tub. “Here’s the sour cream you asked for. Now”—he squared his shoulders and grinned at her—”lead me to those steaks.”

Amanda chuckled and led the way back to the kitchen, shaking her head. Men. They were so funny sometimes.