Chapter 2 #2
“What have I missed, darling?” he asked, flashing her an affectionate smile, and Rose could only stare back at him, surprised.
Darling?
Nick Sterling wasn’t quite sure what happened. One minute, he was about to go investigate the mulled wine stand—and, perhaps, the shapely blonde dishing it out; the next, he was drawing Rose closer, one hand curled around her waist like it belonged there.
“Scottie, my man,” he said loudly. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“It’s just Scott,” the other man corrected him, annoyance flashing on his face.
Nick hid a smile. “My mistake.”
He didn’t like the guy. Never had, to be honest. He’d been stuck beside Scott at the pub one night and forced to listen to the man opine at length about…
Nick couldn’t even remember the details, he just knew, Scott hadn’t paused for breath in an hour.
Why Rose seemed to think he was God’s gift to man—and literature—was beyond Nick.
But she was clearly still nursing a broken heart, and Nick would be damned if he’d let Scott have the satisfaction of knowing it.
“Here to buy a holiday wreath?” he asked blandly, still keeping Rose tucked against him. “They’re all handmade, by a very talented florist. Talented, and beautiful, too,” he added, squeezing her shoulders.
Rose gave him a look, clearly asking what the hell he was playing at, but Nick knew she’d catch on fast. Smart woman, that one.
Aside from her terrible taste in men.
“You make these?” the woman beside Scott asked, screwing up her nose. “How… Adorable.”
“This is Becca,” Scott piped up. “She’s visiting from New York. She’s a journalist,” he added.
“How nice for you,” Nick replied.
“Welcome,” Rose added, elbowing him lightly. “This is a great time of year to spend on the Cape.”
“Mmmm,” Becca replied, with a dubious look around. “It’s all so… Quaint.”
Nick regarded the pair. This Becca was pretty enough, he supposed, but she didn’t have Rose’s lively sparkle or quick wit.
There was really no accounting for taste.
“Well… It’s been great catching up,” Rose said brightly, almost sounding sincere. “But we should get back to work. The scavenger hunt kicks off soon.”
“You’re kidding me,” Becca laughed. “A scavenger hunt?”
Scott laughed along with her. “This town loves its little traditions,” he said, dismissively.
“Well, we certainly enjoy it,” Nick said, looking down at Rose. “Don’t we, babe?”
“You’re competing together?” Scott looked back and forth between them, seeming to register their closeness for the first time.
“Sure are!” Nick announced. “We’re the dream team, aren’t we, babe?”
Rose coughed. And he was pretty sure it was hiding a laugh. “Right. Babe,” she echoed faintly.
“We’ll see you there then,” Scott said, sizing Nick up. “May the best man win.”
“Oh, I will.” Nick replied pleasantly.
As soon as they were gone, Rose stepped away from him, and the warmth from her touch was suddenly a cool, empty space again. “You don’t have to do that,” she said, looking flustered. “Partner up for the scavenger hunt, I mean.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Nick said, surprised to find himself volunteering for what would surely be an evening of maximum holiday cheer.
Rose looked at him, puzzled. “You’ve never competed before.”
“Only because I’ve been missing a capable partner.” Nick grinned down at her. “Besides, only teams can enter, right?”
She nodded.
“And you wouldn’t want Scottie Boy to waltz through without any competition, would you?”
She shook her head, looking determined now. “He only wants to prove he’s better than everyone,” she admitted. “He’s always rolling his eyes at town events.”
“Pleasant fellow,” Nick said, disliking him even more. “Never understood what you saw in him.”
Rose sighed. “Not you too!”
He raised an eyebrow, and she explained: “Now that we’ve broken up, it seems like everyone and their aunt is crawling out of the woodwork to tell me how I’m better off without him.”
“Well, you are.” Nick was baffled she couldn’t see it so clearly. Rose was beautiful, smart, funny… How she’d spent the past few years pining after that dolt was beyond him.
“He’s not like this all the time,” she said defending Scott. “He can be very sweet, too.”
Nick wasn’t going to argue about the man’s merits when, as far as he was concerned, he had none. “When does this grand holiday hunt kick off?” he asked instead.
“At five. Outside the town hall.”
“Then I’ll see you there, partner.”
Nick strolled away, feeling strangely upbeat for a man who was going to spend the evening crashing through the snow rather than sipping some fine scotch in front of a roaring fire, the way he liked to spend his winter nights.
Usually with company. Then again, his anti-holiday stance was getting harder to hold onto with every year he spent in Sweetbriar Cove.
He hadn’t meant to wind up in a place that probably had a trademark pending for Most Charming Small Town Around, but life had taken some unexpected turns.
He’d first visited a couple of years ago from London, considering a takeover offer for his family’s luxury watch business.
He’d made the deal, and found himself sticking around to consult, tickled by the small-town community and endless schedule of quirky festivals.
Now, the business was running well enough without him, he’d been feeling like he needed a new challenge. Some reason to roll up his sleeves, and really be a part of things, instead of just another tourist, passing through.
A town scavenger hunt wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind, but Nick would take it— for now. And if it meant getting cozy with Rose, well…
He remembered the taste of her lips; like sweet, tart cherries…
That kiss had come out of nowhere, and just about knocked him off his feet.
Sure, he’d been flirting, but he always flirted.
That was par for the course with them: He flashed a seductive smile, Rose tossed back a cutting remark, they quipped and bantered like nobody’s business; a regular Grant and Hepburn.
But nothing actually happened between them, that wasn’t on the menu.
And then the other night, all that changed.
Nick shook his head, still not quite believing Rose had taken those five steps across the room, reached up, and pressed her lips to his. She must have been hurting more than he knew, to go to such extreme measures to get Scott off her mind.
But he wasn’t complaining. A kiss like that… He would happily help distract her from heartache a dozen times over if it meant the feel of her body pressed, hot in his hands; mouth pressed, searching…
And if this holiday scavenger hunt required his services for any more distraction?
He couldn’t wait.