Nine | Jasmin
Nine
Jasmin
I woke up to the smell of coffee floating through the air. I had slept better than I imagined, though I had gotten up a few times, restless about being stuck sleeping beside a stranger.
Brody seemed nice enough not to try to murder me in his sleep, but then again, he was irritated enough with me that I wouldn’t blame him for trying. I wasn’t trying to be difficult, but I hadn’t expected to be put in the situation to begin with.
I got up and used the restroom, secretly thankful that he had been thoughtful enough to give me that side of the bed. I had been up a few times throughout the night, and it was nice not having to go far since I didn’t know my way around his house yet.
He was in the kitchen, sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in the other. For whatever reason, it shocked me to see him sitting there, reading for pleasure. He didn’t strike me as the type that found pleasure in much.
“Good morning,” I said, trying to muster as much friendliness to my tone as possible.
“Morning.”
I pulled my shoulders down, trying not to start the day with more tension than there already was.
I debated whether or not to help myself to the pot of coffee that was calling my name. There was a cup sitting on the counter beside it, which I assumed meant it was for me, given he was already drinking his. But still, I wasn’t ready to come in and make myself at home.
“Coffee is ready, and breakfast is on the island. Help yourself,” he said as if reading my mind without looking up from his book.
“Thank you.”
I took a few minutes to fix myself a cup of coffee, hating that nothing would compare to one of Sam’s lattes right now. I was officially addicted to Sugarplum Lattes, just like everyone else in town. Sam denied putting anything in there other than the basic ingredients, but I was convinced he used some sort of drug to keep us needing our fix.
There was a plate sitting on the island beside the trays of food, which felt oddly thoughtful for the grumpy man sitting at the table. I picked it up and added some scrambled eggs and a few strips of bacon to my plate, not wanting to take too much.
“I’ve already eaten. Take what you want.”
How the fuck was he doing that? Did he have eyes in the back of his head, or was he somehow infiltrating my brain?
I added a few pancakes and a piece of toast, smiling when I realized it was more than what I typically ate for breakfast. Most days I was busy from the moment I opened my eyes and didn’t have time for much other than stuffing a protein bar down my throat in between meetings.
I grabbed my coffee and plate, then stopped, not wanting to invade his space at the table.
He closed his book and stood up, pushing his chair back under the table before giving me a nod and leaving the room. This man was more confusing than eleventh-grade algebra. For me being in his way and making things harder for him, he sure was going out of his way to make me comfortable in his home.
I sat down on the other side of the table and took a sip of coffee. It was quiet, which was surprisingly peaceful compared to the constant noise and stimulation I was used to working at the mall. Since Sugarplum Falls was such a small town, we hosted the majority of our events at the mall because it had the space we needed and helped to boost sales at the stores by driving more traffic there. And since I was the town’s event planner—including Frosty Fest—it just made sense that my office was at the mall, where all the action took place.
As I ate, I scrolled through my emails on my phone, deciding which ones needed my attention first. It was still technically a workday, even if I was stranded in the middle of nowhere until the stupid storm passed. With less than two weeks away from Frosty Fest, my to-do list was overflowing with stuff that I needed to get taken care of.
I replied to a few emails and marked some as urgent so I could focus on them as soon as I got back to town. I had no idea how long it would take for the storm to pass, but given the amount of snow that fell last night, I wasn’t feeling too hopeful that it would be soon.
I finished my food and put my plate in the dishwasher before packing up the rest on the island and putting it in the fridge. I hadn’t seen Brody in a while but didn’t want to be in his way any more than I already was by asking him what he wanted to do with the leftovers. I also didn’t want to just make myself at home, so I went back to the table and decided that would be where I would work from for the day. I grabbed my purse, dug out the notepad and pen I kept on me at all times, and started going through my list for the day.
Before I could get through the first few items, my phone rang.
“This is Jasmin,” I answered, tucking the phone between my ear and shoulder as I made another note on my pad about doubling the cookie order I was placing with Andi.
“You don’t even look at your caller ID before you answer it, do you?” Sam teased, bringing a smile to my lips.
“I just went into work mode, so I have blinders on already.” I laughed, leaning back in the chair as I looked around the room, wondering where Brody was. “What’s up?”
“Well, you didn’t come in for your morning fix, so I was calling to check on you. I know you usually get the brunt of the storm where you live, so I wanted to see if you needed help getting out today. It’s been slow this morning, so I can jet over there and clear your driveway if you need me to.”
“Thank you for the offer. That’s very sweet of you, but I’m not at home.”
“Oh. Yeah, no worries. I just thought since you hadn’t been in yet...”
“I’m actually stuck at Brody’s ranch.” I lowered my voice, making sure to speak directly into the phone so Sam could hear me.
“I’m sorry—you’re where?”
“You heard it right the first time. I came by yesterday to try to get him to change his mind about the reindeer and ended up getting stuck to a fence post—which is a long story I don’t want to get into right now. But the short story is that the storm moved in before I could get out, and he’s acting like an uncivilized caveman who is forcing me to stay here until it passes.”
“I’m not sure what to do with all of that,” Sam said with a laugh. “I feel like we should get Aiden on the phone since this is definitely heavy cocktails bar talk level of gossip.”
“Trust me, it’s anticlimactic. I mean, he did have his head between my legs for a few minutes, but neither of us got any pleasure out of that.”
I winced when I realized my words after I said them. But that was the thing about Sam; he was like talking to your closest girlfriend and didn’t care how raunchy the conversation ended up being. He never crossed that line with our friendship or made it uncomfortable.
“Yup, this is definitely bar talk that we’ll need to save for Aiden. How long do you think you’ll be out there?”
I glanced out the window, noticing that the snow had started again.
“I have no idea. I can’t see my car at this point, and crotchety ass Mr. Caveman won’t let me go try to dig it out.”
“That’s because I don’t feel like having to save you again, Princess ,” Brody said from behind me, scaring the shit out of me.
“Holy shit! Where did you come from?” I asked, covering the mouthpiece of my phone with my hand as Sam laughed on the other end.
“This is my house and I do live here.” He looked at me over his shoulder as he strolled past the table and refilled his cup of coffee.
I shook my head and gave him a dirty look before returning my attention to Sam.
“Thanks for checking on me, Sam. I appreciate it.” I made sure to say his name loud enough for Brody to hear—just in case it might make him worried that I was talking to another man. It wasn’t like Brody was attracted or interested in me, but still, it didn’t hurt to have him know that someone else cared enough to check on me, just in case he decided to kill me after all. And if I had to bet on it, Sam could whoop Brody’s ass. “I need to get going but I’ll let you know when I’m able to get back to Sugarplum Falls.”
“Sounds good, though I’m sure it’ll be obvious when you’re knocking people down in line to get your gingerbread latte.”
“That was one time,” I hissed. “And those tourists wouldn’t move to the side while they looked at the menu. It’s just common sense to move aside for those who actually know what they want.”
“Well, be sure to keep that in mind while you’re stuck there. It also doesn’t hurt to allow yourself to be open to other things you may not realize you want.”
“Sam,” I said with a heavy sigh. “It is way too early in the morning for your metaphorical riddles.”
“It’s not a riddle.” He laughed. “I’m just saying, you know what you think you want, but don’t be so close-minded that you don’t allow yourself to be open to things you didn’t know you wanted.”
“It’s all about the reindeer. Got it.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Well, I guess I’m choosing to hear what I want to hear.”
“Sounds about right. Take care and if you need anything, call. Aiden and I will figure out a way to come rescue you.”
“You make it sound like you’re both some knights in shining armor,” I teased playfully, only looking up when I felt Brody’s eyes on me from across the room.
“I guess that would make you the princess who needs saving,” Sam offered.
I felt my skin prickle as I thought about how much I hated it when Brody called me that. It was going to be a long, trying day being stuck here with him.