Page 27 of A Love Like Christmas Time
I collected real fir branches from the trees in Nic’s and my garden, meticulously bound them around a straw wheel withwire and hot-glued a bunch of decor elements onto it. Then I sprayed some sparkling fake snow on there because I’m just a girl.
“This baby will hold no matter how often people open your door,” I promise and hand it to him solemnly. With the amount of hot glue I used, you could probably frisbee it against Nic’s ex’s head if he ever turns up here again.
“I’ll hold you to that,” he says gruffly, and reaches for the hammer in the back pocket of his jeans.
Okay, Lauren. Try to take it in. The last nail he’s hammering into the wall, that adorable focused wrinkle between his eyebrows, the way the tip of his tongue sticks out between his lips. And how his shirt rides up the tiniest bit as he hammers over his head, revealing a glimpse of his abs.
God, I wish I could paint. This is the stuff that must have inspired Michelangelo.
“Okay,” he announces and retracts his arms, taking a step back.
“And? What’s the verdict?” I ask, holding his gaze, while his eyes shift around uncomfortably. When he doesn’t answer, I raise an eyebrow and frown. I’m about to use our newly decided code word when he finally speaks.
“Not as bad as I imagined,” he admits, putting his hands in his pockets and letting out a deep sigh of relief.
“I’ll take it,” I say with a shrug. Then I reach for one box and pull at the sides to break it down for easier storage. “Then my job as the… Okay, I’m not a ghost, so let’s say the bringer of Christmas present here, is done.” Once I broke the last box down, I reach my arms up and stretch my back. “I’d say sorry for crashing your evening, but I’m really not. This was fun!”
“I’ll bring it to your car,” Caleb says and rounds the counter to get his jacket from the kitchen.
“You don’t have to,” I assure him and pull on my own coat. “I’m parked right on the other side of the main square. I’m abig girl, and Wayward Hollow is tiny, I can find the way on my own.”
“Shut up, Lauren. Let me bring you to your car,” he mutters and opens the door for me.
I make him wait while I meticulously close every button of my coat and wrap my scarf tightly around my neck, the tip of his shoes tapping on the ground irritated. With a grin, I walk outside and talk to him over my shoulder.
“So, do you have any fun plans for the rest of this evening? Any fun movie you were going to watch?”
He loosened up a little while we were decorating. Not enough to revisit the topic of his mother, but enough to crack the occasional joke or make fun of my singing and dancing skills. What can I say? There’s a reason I became an actress and not a pop star.
“My grand plan is going home and sleeping,” he mutters and pulls the door close after him, locking the café up. But as soon as my foot touches the sidewalk, I stop in my tracks, causing to him run right into my back.
“Oh my God, it’s snowing!” I exclaim. The coldness is making my cheeks flush, and cold little snowflakes are blowing into my face, melting on my hot skin. “When did that happen? I didn’t even see it from inside.” No, I was too focused on the hot guy I was with to notice. I step out further, watching excitedly as my footsteps leave faint tracks on the ground, a giggle bursting out of me. “It’s been a decade since I last saw snow!”
I hold out my hand, trying to catch a flake. One lands right on my palm and melts within a second.
“Be careful,” Caleb says as I take another step.
“Huh?” Right as I turn around, my foot slips on the slippery ground. I expect to kiss the pavement rather passionately, but I find my balance only at the last moment. “Oh, shit!”
“That’s what I meant. Be careful.”
“I don’t think I’m wearing the right shoes for this,” I mutter and take another, much more careful step, only to almost lose my footing yet again.
“Hold up, don’t move,” he cautions me, and from his tone I can tell he’s holding back a deep sigh or pinching the bridge of his nose. Before I know it, he’s right next to me, offering up his arm.
“Thank you,” I grin up at him and loop my arm right through his.
Damn, I could get used to this. Not the slippery ground, but the way I can clutch his muscular arm unabashedly and all but cuddle it to my chest.
Carefully, we make our way across the street. There are lone tire tracks in the otherwise seamless snow blanket. Instead of crunching, the snow squelches under my sole. I hope we’ll also get some proper snow, not only this watery slush.
I sigh in relief when the more textured pathway through Main Square provides me with slightly more hold.
“Why are you so excited about snow?” he wonders, watching me from the corner of his eye.
“I mean, look at it.” I make a vague gesture around us. The warm light of street lamps illuminates the little park. Snow covers the bare tree branches, flakes on the ground shimmering as we walk by.
“I adore the way it sparkles. The silence snow brings with it. It’s something you don’t see every day. Or even every year in my case.” I shrug and take a deep breath, welcoming the ice-cold air into my lungs. “I love snow. It forces the world to slow down and makes everything calmer.”
