Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Holiday
Istood in front of the full-length mirror in the corner of my bedroom, examining the dress I was wearing and trying my hardest to keep my nerves at bay. Those bastards had been driving me crazy all day long, and I felt like I was going to spiral into a panic attack at any moment.
“I cannot believe I let you guys talk me into this,” I said into the mirror, aiming my glare at my friends who were gathered in my tiny bedroom.
When I bought this building for my bookstore, I was excited to find out there was an apartment upstairs.
It wasn’t the biggest space, and the fixtures and appliances were pretty dated, but there was no beating the commute.
Plus, it was only me and my cat, Yoda, so I didn’t need too much space.
However, with most of my friends crammed inside, I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic.
Something that wasn’t helping my nerves one bit.
My sister Sunny was sitting on the foot of my bed with her bestie and our recent sister-in-law, Blythe, both of them fishing through my jewelry dish for what they considered the perfect pieces.
A very pregnant Rae was propped up against my headboard, eating the bowl of ice cream she had balanced on her belly as she okayed or vetoed the clothes Merritt and Ivy were pulling from my closet.
Naomi was stretched across my bed beside her, lying on her stomach with her feet kicked up in the air.
She grinned unrepentantly at my reflection in the mirror. “Oh please. You’re going to have the best time, and you know it. If you’re mad at anything, it’s that you know I’m right and you can’t stand it.”
I tugged at the high neckline of my dress, my top lip curling into a sneer.
This absolutely wouldn’t work. “I never should have let you talk me into going on this date,” I grumbled.
But the truth was, it wasn’t Naomi’s pushing that led me to agreeing to go out with the walking, talking sex on legs.
We’d actually been texting a little since Naomi gave him my number without my permission, and he honestly seemed like a nice guy.
He’d made me laugh and genuinely seemed excited to take me out.
The problem was, I didn’t trust my own judgement when it came to men. Time had proven over and over that I was a shitty judge of character, and I couldn’t help but question the instant draw I’d felt toward him when he walked into One More Chapter the day before.
“I should text him and cancel. Make up an excuse, like I came down with scarlet fever or something.”
My room erupted with shouts of objection. Naomi knew me too damn well. She knew I’d probably chicken out of tonight, so she’d called in reinforcements in the form of pushy friends and sisters. With them here, there was no way they’d let me back out of this date.
The sound of my apartment door opening pulled me from the doubts swirling around in my head.
“I’m here! I’m here.” My friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law, Lennix, came rushing into my bedroom, making the space more cramped.
“Sorry I’m late. Toby came home with a kitten he found in the barn by the lodge, and you know how that goes. ”
“Of course we do,” I answered with a smile.
“You’re obsessed with all things furry.” My bestie could never turn a blind eye to an animal in need and had a whole mess of rescue animals she’d saved over the years.
I had no doubt that kitten was going to be the newest member of her menagerie.
The only thing she was a bigger sucker for than animals was her and my brother Raylan’s new foster son, Toby.
My big brother had started mentoring the boy shortly after he came to live at Hope House, a safe, thriving group home for foster children.
Toby had lost his parents in a tragic accident, and my brother had bonded with the kid instantly.
When Lennix came into the picture, she fell in love with him too.
It was easy to do, seeing as he was one of the greatest kids on the planet.
With the help of her parents, Lennix and Raylan made it through the process to become foster parents and didn’t hesitate to move him into their home.
It was only a matter of time before they adopted him and made it permanent.
“Nothing so far,” Rae said around the spoonful of ice cream she’d just shoved into her mouth. “We’re still trying to figure out what she should wear.”
Lennix looked me up and down. Her face pinched up and she shook her head at what she saw. “Well, that dress sure as hell isn’t it.”
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked, pinching the sides of the skirt and lifting them outward. I knew she was right, I just couldn’t put my finger on why.
“You look like you’re heading for jury duty and desperately want to make a good impression so they’ll pick you.”
Blythe snapped her fingers and pointed in my direction. “That’s it! That’s exactly what she looks like.”
“Really?” Merritt stepped out of my closet to study me, her head canting to the side. “Because I thought she looked like one of those Mormons that go door to door trying to teach you about Jesus.”
Everyone burst into laughter at her dead-on description. Even me.
“Did he say where he was taking you?” Ivy asked. “That would really help us decide what you should wear tonight.”
I raised a shoulder in a helpless shrug.
“He didn’t say. And when I asked if I should wear something in particular, all he said was to dress comfortably.
But I seriously doubt he meant sweats, or leggings and a baggy T-shirt.
” I threw my arms in the air and let myself fall back on my bed beside Rae’s legs.
I drew my hands over my face on a groan.
“This is going to be a disaster. This guy is way out of my league. I never should have said yes.” Though, as those words came spilling out, a tiny voice in my head screamed an objection.
For as much as I complained, and as nervous as I was, there was also a part of me that was incredibly excited.
Tanner Fine was just that . . . fine. And the way he’d smiled at me yesterday in my bookstore had lit me up inside.
Sure, I’d appreciated his good looks when he’d visited before, especially the way he wore that suit at Rae and Zach’s wedding.
I mean dayum! But that was from a distance, from the outside looking in.
It was nothing compared to the up close and personal.
Then when he smiled the way he did? It was game over.
I wasn’t sure there was a woman on the planet who would be immune to that.
“Hey, knock that off.” Ivy grabbed my wrists and pulled them away from my face, using her hold to jerk me up to sitting. “First off, you are not out of anyone’s league, you hear me?”
“Amen to that!” Lennix declared loudly while everyone else let out sounds of agreement.
“Second,” Ivy continued, using her newly minted mom voice, “you have absolutely nothing to be nervous about. I know Tanner’s this big deal in the hockey world, and the man has more money than God, but he’s just a regular guy. He’s down to earth and really sweet.”
I gave her a flat look. “You say that now, but have you forgotten my track record with men? If he really is a sweet guy like you said, then whatever curse I have will most likely rub off on him and turn him into a prick, just like the rest of them.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Sunny scooted in next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “You aren’t cursed, Holls. You’ve just picked shitty men in the past.”
“Because my dick-head radar is broken.”
She smiled pityingly. “No. Because you want to think the best of everyone. Even people who don’t deserve it.
It’s not a bad thing . . .” She trailed off, squinting her eyes in thought.
“Well, it’s not always a bad thing. But you can’t let past experiences jade you, or you’ll miss out on something pretty great.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t be cautious.
Just don’t say no to new experiences because you’re scared. ”
“She’s right, Holly,” Lennix said. “Raylan kind of thought like you do, and because of that, he nearly messed everything up and lost the best thing that could ever happen to him,” she said jokingly and waved a hand down her side to indicate herself, making me smile.
She wasn’t being conceited, she was speaking the truth.
There was no woman on the face of the earth better for my brother than Lennix.
“The fact that you don’t see exactly how amazing you are in every single way makes me sad.
You aren’t out of anyone’s league, they’re all out of yours, and it’s long past time you realize it. ”
“Did you not see how Tanner was staring at you the whole time he was in your shop yesterday?”
I would have been lying if I said that didn’t perk me up just a little bit. “He was staring?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Like a starving dog eyeing a T-bone steak. He barely looked my way, even when I was talking directly to him. Couldn’t pull his eyes off you.”
Rae picked up the conversation, rubbing my back comfortingly. “Not all men are like the ones from your past.”
Sunny gave me a jostle. “Not all men are like the sperm donor who had a hand in creating us.”
“Besides, you aren’t looking for something serious, right?
” Naomi reminded me. “You said you didn’t want to date anyone, so look at tonight as what it is, the chance to have fun with a sexy hockey god who will hopefully show you a fabulous time.
” She waggled her eyebrows to really drive her innuendo home.
“She’s not wrong,” Lennix added. “I mean, a man that size has to be big everywhere, right? Unless he did something to seriously piss the gods off and they decided to punish him.”
I couldn’t imagine that was the case. Naomi’s suggestion had sprouted roots in my brain and was growing like crazy. This didn’t have to be a serious thing, and I was sure every woman in the country would give anything to trade places with me.
“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. This could just be . . . fun.”
“Right?” Naomi patted my shoulder. “This could just be a fun little fling. It’s not like he’s here to stay. He’s just on vacation.”
“But before any of that can happen, we really need to find you an outfit that doesn’t look like it belongs on a 1950’s housewife,” Rae announced.
We got back to work, and thirty minutes later we’d collectively decided on something I felt stood firmly in the middle between casual and dressy.
The fleece-lined leggings had a pattern up the sides that made them a tad fancier than the throw-around leggings I wore at home.
I matched them with a pale pink sweater that draped off one shoulder and had a built-in camisole with lace straps.
Instead of flats, I went with a pair of ankle boots that sported a chunky three-inch heel.
The pieces of jewelry Blythe and Sunny had picked out were delicate but understated, nothing overly flashy or chunky, and to finish it all off, I wore my hair down, having let it air dry into its natural waviness.
My girls all assured me that I looked perfect, and that tonight was going to be fun, and I tried my hardest to hold on to their excitement and not let my nerves run amok as they shuffled out of my apartment with less than five minutes to spare.
“What do you think, Yoda?” I asked my little buddy as he sat in the middle of my bed. “Do you think this works?”
He let out a series of short meows and mewls that sounded like he was trying his best to form words until the buzz of the intercom interrupted him.
“Well, guess it’s too late to do anything about it now, huh?
Wish me luck.” I leaned down to press a kiss to his head and gave him a little scratch beneath his chin that set off his purrs.
Then, with no other reason to delay, I pulled in a fortifying breath and headed for the door to buzz Tanner up.