Chapter 10
Lauren
“Admit it,” I say in a singsong voice and tug at the sleeves of Caleb’s shirt. “It’s cute!”
Time runs by in the blink of an eye when you are having fun. And boy, did I have fun.
By the second- to -last garland, the frown even slipped off Caleb’s face.
I’ll pretend it wasn’t because my rendition of ‘Santa Claus is coming to town’ was particularly bad.
Now there are fake pine garlands over his door, along his windows, and over the chalkboard menu behind his counter, decorated with the occasional red or golden bauble and ribbons.
I did bring fake snow spray for his windows, but after a murderous glare from him, I put it right back and instead added some scribbles to his menu board instead to keep busy.
Mistletoe is surprisingly tricky to draw with chalk, and it turned out a little wonky, but the little snowman in the lower left corner makes up for it!
There’s only one thing that is still missing.
I rush over to the last box, and Caleb groans. “Seriously? I just put away the ladder.”
“That’s okay. You won’t need it.” I grin and pull out a wreath, holding it up proudly. “Here. It’s handmade with smiles, sweat and tears.”
I collected real fir branches from the trees in Nic’s and my garden, meticulously bound them around a straw wheel with wire 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 a big 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.”
“It also means I have to shovel the sidewalk in front of my store,” he says gruffly, and the frown on his forehead deepens.
“It also makes people want to enjoy a hot beverage and cozy snack,” I point out and poke him playfully. “Look at the bright side.”
A string of clustered fairy lights is strung along the gazebo.
I steer him over there, wanting to see the fairytale vibes up close as we walk past it to my car.
God, that sparkle, that shimmer — it’s so magical.
As if snow fairies are about to pop out between the branches of the pine trees surrounding it.
“Did you mean it?” Caleb blurts out. The muscles beneath my hand go taut, like he’s bracing himself for my answer.
“I tend to mean what I say, yes.” My eyebrows furrow in confusion, and I tilt my head, turning my head to him. “But what exactly do you mean?”
“Are you really here?” He’s trying to sound nonchalant, but there is more in his voice. A concealed pain that makes my breath hitch. “Are you staying here?”
I pull him to a stop. After letting go of his arm, I cautiously step in front of him, trying to catch his gaze, but it's firmly fixed on the ground.
“Yes, I’m staying here,” I assure him. Where did that come from?
But when he lifts his head to finally meet my eyes, there’s a coldness in them.
“Snickerdoodle,” he whispers. I lift my eyebrow, confused.
“Snickerdoodle! Yes. I’m staying here. What makes you think I wouldn’t?”
“I overheard you talking to Nic about leaving,” he admits, his demeanor shifting and his tone turning accusatory.
“Is that what today’s-” I make a vague gesture “grumpiness was all about?” I take a step back and take a deep breath, which turns into a white cloud in front of my face as I exhale.
“I’m going back to L.A. temporarily.” I shake my head. “I finally found buyers for my apartment and have to clear out the last of my stuff. I’ll be gone for a whole day or two, depending on how long that’s going to take me.”
I could be imagining it, but he suddenly seems lighter, like a wave of relief rolled over him.
“I’m coming back.” Then I crouch down, pick up a handful of snow, ball it up and gently chuck it at him to release the tension. It lands on his shoulder, dissolving as soon as it hits him. His eyes narrow to a glare. “What makes you think I could survive without your coffee anymore?”
A twitch in his jaw tells me he wants to be annoyed, but the corner of his mouth lifts, nonetheless.
“Though I mean, they do have pumpkin spice and gingerbread lattes where I’m going. Just saying.” My lips stretch into a cheeky grin.
“Yeah, forget about it,” he replies gruffly, but the corner of his mouth twitches. “I’ve stopped complaining about you bringing the stuff, but I’m absolutely not putting it on the menu.”
“It was worth a try.” I shrug and step closer to him again, linking my arm with his. We continue walking in silence until we step out of the park.
“I’m glad you asked me,” I admit softly as we approach my car and glance up at him. “Are we okay?”
He fixes me with a stern look, his expression unreadable. “Yeah,” he finally answers in the same soft tone.
“Good. I’m glad.”
He remains next to the car as I unlock it and open the door, watching me as I climb inside and tap my feet against the metal frame to keep the snow out of my car.
Snowflakes are catching in his hair that peeks out under his beanie, one of them melting on his eyebrow.
“I had a lot of fun today, Caleb,” I tell him, trying to sound steady as he leans on the car door, one arm draped over the frame, his face half in shadow, half in the glow of the streetlight. “Thank you for indulging me. We should do that again.”
“Maybe,” he says gruffly, but his face has a certain softness, his voice not tinged with the usual bite.
Our eyes meet, the air between us humming. His gaze dips to my lips, and for a heartbeat, I forget how to breathe. How to think. The universe and Amanda’s cards might tell me to be patient, but I’m running out the stuff faster than the last minute of an hourglass.
Then suddenly the headlights of a passing car flash across us, and within the blink of an eye, the moment is gone. Poof, just like that. Within the blink of an eye.
“Get home safely,” Caleb whispers, then clears his throat. “Drive slowly.”
“Will do,” I assure him, gulping down all the other things I want to say. For example, ‘Why the fuck aren’t you kissing me?’
He closes the driver’s door for me gently. I watch him as he makes his way back to the Main Square, where he stops, waiting for me to pull out of my parking space and drive off at what can’t be much faster than snails trying to race.
And as I drive home with my cheeks flushed and a grin splitting my face in half, I can’t help but replay today in my head over and over again.