5. Margot
5
MARGOT
I leave the grocery store and get in my car, my feet aching from another long shift. Somebody dropped a bottle of wine just as I was about to leave, and the cleanup took longer than expected. I was due at the Christmas tree farm five minutes ago, and I step on the gas as I drive through the snow-shoveled streets of Cherry Hollow, my heart starting to thump.
It’s been over a week since I started working for Declan, and it’s getting harder to keep my distance. I assumed I’d be working alone most of the time, but Declan is nearly always by my side, and he seems determined to find out more about me. The fact he’s so interested fills me with warmth, but opening up to him is too risky. I don’t want us to get any closer, not when I’m already thinking about him every waking hour of the day. Whether I’m stacking shelves, comforting my mom through another breakdown, or getting coffee with Freya, Declan Thorne is never far from my thoughts.
Why did I have to end up with the hottest boss on the planet?
But it’s not just his handsome face that has me captivated. There’s just something about him…his intensity, his thoughtfulness. I’ve never met anybody quite like Declan before, and it’s getting harder to ignore the feelings raging through me every time I see him.
As usual, Declan is waiting for me in the doorway of the barn, holding two cups of cocoa. Heat pulses through me at the sight of his bulging muscles straining beneath his flannel shirt. The sleeves are rolled up, and I can see his tattoos more clearly as I head toward him, wishing I didn’t feel so darn flustered. I hoped the attraction would wear off eventually, but if anything, he seems to get sexier every time I see him.
“Sorry I’m late,” I say, thanking him as I take the cocoa.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Declan takes my coat and hangs it up for me, but when he sees what I’m wearing underneath, he frowns. I look down at myself, surprised to see that I’m still wearing my vest with the words ‘Cherry Grocery’ emblazoned on the back, my name tag attached with a clip.
“Shoot.” I unzip the vest and shrug it off. “Sorry, I was in such a rush when I was leaving.”
Declan meets my gaze. “I didn’t know you worked at the grocery store.”
My face warms as those chocolate brown eyes fix on me, and I take a sip of cocoa to avoid speaking. I don’t know why I didn’t mention my other job to Declan before. The fact I work at Cherry Grocery isn’t exactly a deep personal thing to open up about. Maybe I just didn’t want to admit to him I’m struggling financially…that working non-stop is the only way I can stay afloat right now.
“The barn looks great,” I say, trying to change the subject.
Declan has added a few things in my absence, and now the place is practically overflowing with lights, tinsel, decorations, and Christmas trees. It looks like something straight out of the North Pole. The farm is opening to the public in three days, and I’m sure the barn will be a hit.
“Thanks to you,” Declan says with a nod, but he’s still frowning. “So, what time did you start work this morning?”
“Five-thirty.”
He raises an eyebrow. “So by the time you leave here tonight, you’ll have been working fifteen straight hours?”
I nod, unsure of what to say. It sounds like a lot when he says it that way, but right now, I don’t have much of a choice. The silence between us stretches for a beat too long, and I suck in a breath, looking out toward the Christmas trees.
“So, now the barn’s done, should I get started on making some wreaths?” I ask.
“No.” Declan’s voice is so firm that I chance a glance at him, my heart stuttering at the intensity of his gaze. “You deserve a break.”
I blink at him. “But I just got here?”
“Margot, you’ve been working all day. You deserve to have some fun.” He looks out toward the window, then back at me, like he’s had an idea. “What do you say we go ice skating?”
“Ice skating?”
“You said you’ve never done it before.”
The fact he remembers this minor detail from our first meeting makes my stomach flutter, but this is a terrible idea. I can already picture it. Declan and me…alone on the frozen lake…his giant hands holding me, helping me balance, his warm body pressing against mine…
“My mom’s skates should fit you,” he continues, pulling me from my thoughts. “They’re in my cabin.”
I open my mouth to decline, but I can’t make the words come out. Ice skating does sound pretty fun, and the defiant glint in Declan’s eyes is melting my resolve.
“Okay,” I say, the word coming out with a whoosh of breath. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” Declan smiles beneath his beard, grabbing my coat and handing it back to me. “Wrap up warm.”
I do as he says before following him outside through the rows of Christmas trees. My brain is screaming at me that this is a bad idea. Ever since I met Declan, I’ve been doing my best to keep my walls up and avoid temptation. Now I’m walking straight toward it.
We reach the frozen lake, and I catch sight of Declan’s giant cabin once more, looking more beautiful than ever in the fiery sunset.
“I’ll be right back,” he says, eyes warm as he looks at me. “Don’t go anywhere.”
I watch as he hurries toward a wooden bridge that I didn’t spot before, striding across it and heading toward his cabin. He disappears inside before emerging a couple of minutes later, holding a pair of skates in each hand. I can’t stop staring at him. He looks so at home surrounded by trees and mountains. There’s a wilderness about him—from his overgrown beard to his hulking frame—and desire blooms between my thighs, hot and heavy.
Crap. Why did I agree to this?
Declan crosses the bridge and holds out a pair of ice skates toward me. “Here. Hopefully, they’ll fit.”
I sit on a nearby tree trunk and pull the skates on, tying them up while Declan does the same with his much larger pair. Mine are a little tight, but they fit well enough, and I gingerly push myself up into a standing position. The blades sink into the snow, and it feels like I’m trying to walk on stilts as I lumber gracelessly toward the lake, Declan at my side.
“Be careful not to skate too close to the edges,” he says. “The ice is thinner there.”
I nod, swallowing nervously as I reach the frozen water. It stretches before us like a sheet of blue glass, and I tentatively set one skate onto the ice. Then the other. I glide a couple of feet before lurching forward, my arms windmilling until Declan grabs me.
“Easy,” he says. “I got you.”
His arm is strong around my waist, and I lean into him, my heart pounding in my ears. We’re so close. I can feel his body heat warming me, setting my skin on fire, and it’s getting harder to breathe. Warmth blooms between my thighs, desire throbbing…but I need to focus. I need to find my balance.
“Take it slow.” He starts to move, gently pulling me with him. “Bend your knees a little. Shoulders back.”
I do as he says, stumbling forward a couple more times. Each time I think I’m ready to let go of him, I almost face plant the ice and he has to grab me again, his powerful arms looping protectively around me.
“Sorry,” I say, unable to suppress a giggle. “I have about as much grace as a hippo.”
“You’re getting the hang of it.” Declan smiles slightly, his eyes dancing with light as he slowly guides me to the center of the lake. It takes several more stumbles, but eventually I take a few steps by myself, waddling forward like a penguin.
“Nice,” Declan says. “You’re a natural.”
I can’t help laughing. “And you’re a liar.” He’s even taller in skates, hulking over me like a mountain as I say, “Will you show me how it’s done?”
With a nod, he starts to skate around in circles, dancing across the ice like a professional hockey player. He makes it look so easy, so sexy, and I watch in awe as he glides around a few more times before stopping effortlessly at my side.
“Okay, now I’m impressed,” I say. “You’re crazy good at this.”
“Just comes from practice. I’ve been skating on this lake my whole life.”
He reaches out his arm for me to take once more, and I grab it, letting him pull me along a little faster than before. It’s exhilarating, the cool air whipping against my cheeks, the lake like marble beneath my feet. Declan holds me tight, and I follow his lead, letting out a whoop of delight. I feel like I’m soaring through the air, like an eagle, wings outstretched. When he stops, I stumble against him, laughing.
“You were right,” I say. “This is pretty fun.”
It feels heady and dreamlike, skating with Declan as the sky burns pink and orange, the sun sinking in the distance. All my worries have dissolved, temporarily forgotten, and it’s intoxicating. I could stay out here forever, letting this handsome lumberjack pull me across the ice.
“You okay?” Declan asks, noticing my spaced-out expression.
I smile at him. “Yeah. I just…really needed this.”
Declan takes my arm and pulls me around slowly this time, our skates scraping softly as he says, “It can’t be easy for you, working so much. Anybody would be burned out.”
“Yeah, it sucks. My landlord put my rent up, so I don’t have much of a choice right now. I need the extra money.”
There’s a moment of silence. It’s the most I’ve ever said to Declan about my life, and he’s probably as surprised as I am. I never intended to open up about my circumstances, but something about being out here on the lake is loosening my lips.
“I’m sorry you’re struggling, Margot.” His arm tightens around me. “I’ll figure something out. Pay you more.”
The tenderness in his voice makes my eyes sting, and all at once I think I might cry. “You’re already paying me to skate around doing nothing,” I say, smiling to hide the emotion that’s welling inside me.
Declan makes a noise in his throat. “Your parents can’t help you?”
With a deep sigh, I let the words flow out in a rush. “They’re going through a messy and expensive divorce right now. I thought about moving back home, but I can’t deal with being in the middle of it all.” I shake my head, and Declan stops skating. “It’s all my fault, anyway. My best friend, Freya…well, she moved out to live with her boyfriend, and I should have tried to find another roommate right away, but I was so busy with work…and now it’s nearly Christmas, so nobody is looking for roommates, especially not in a small town like Cherry Hollow. But I don’t want to move away because I love this place, and I just feel like I…I should have all this crap figured out by now.”
I turn away from Declan and bury my face in my hands, taking a few deep breaths.
“Margot—”
“I’m sorry,” I tell him, shaking my head. “That was dumb. I didn’t mean to dump my stupid problems on you.”
Why did I say all that? God, he must think I’m nuts.
“Margot, it’s okay. You don’t need to be sorry.” His deep voice booms from behind me, solemn and assured, but I can’t bring myself to face him right now. I start to skate back toward the bank, wobbling awkwardly forward a couple of feet at a time. Declan follows, his feet scratching on the ice just behind me.
As I approach the edge of the lake, where our shoes are sitting on the snow, I feel my feet shift. A crack rips through the air. It echoes around the lake like a gunshot, and my breath freezes in my chest. I glance down to see a spiderweb of fractures spreading out around me. The ice groans. I stumble forward.
“MARGOT!”
Declan’s shout is the last thing I hear before I plunge downward into the freezing water. Every nerve screams at me, the cold wrapping itself around my lungs, squeezing tight. The muffled roar of water fills my ears, and there’s nothing but inky blackness as I sink like a stone, down, down, down…