Page 10 of Big Package
The label read WRAPPED ON MAIN, with a list of preorder numbers underneath. I carried it up the steps and through to the mudroom.
“What’s in that one?” I asked.
“Customer orders.”
“Then it probably should stay dry.”
Her expression softened. “Thank you.”
I went back for the next box. “Don’t make it weird.”
“All I said was thank you.”
“Exactly.”
She rolled her eyes. “Your people skills are outstanding.”
“My people skills pay the bills.”
“Your hauling company pays the bills.”
“Same difference.”
“Not even close.”
By the fourth trip, a thick layer of ice covered the porch railing. I set the last box inside and looked at what was left of the crate.
Emmy stepped closer to the doorway. “What about the tree?”
Damn. I wrestled it out of the huge crate and got it just inside the door. Then I stomped the ice off my boots and peeled off my wet coat. When I looked up, Emmy was watching me.
Her gaze dropped to my chest, then snapped back to my face.
Interesting.
She stared into her coffee like it had suddenly become very important. I pretended I hadn’t noticed. That was easier than dealing with how much I liked knowing she’d been looking at me.
“You hungry?”
She glanced toward the kitchen. “Maybe.”
“I’ve got chili.”
Her face lit up. “With cornbread?”
“No. With crackers.”
She smiled again. I needed to stop making that happen. I pulled the pot from the fridge. Behind me, her boots crossed the floor.
“Cole?”
I looked over my shoulder. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for not letting me drive.”
The joke was gone from her voice. She meant it.
I leaned a hand on the counter. “You’d have made it to the first curve.”
