Chapter 8
Beck
I enjoyed messing with her. She'd clearly decided that nothing was going to happen between us again. At least that was what she wanted me to think. I wondered if she was protesting so loudly because she had something different in mind.
I wasn't sure what to do in this situation. If she thought I had a game plan, she was wrong. I was taking things as they came. I was curious about her. And the more time I spent with her, the more I wanted to know.
My impression was that she was a people pleaser.
She could have told her mom no when she told her to take me on a tour, but she hadn't.
She could have said she didn't want to run her grandmother's store, but she hadn't.
Yet she was clearly unhappy with her life.
She wanted something, and I wondered if I could give that to her.
Or if our night together was her one act of rebellion.
I liked the challenge of getting her in bed with me again. But was that what I wanted?
There was her brothers' reaction. The guilt. And I had a rule of not hooking up with business partners. In this case, it could get messy even if I wasn't working with her directly. I was already sensing that the family didn't agree on everything.
"You go out in town often, or do you normally head home after work?"
She rested her elbows on the table. "I usually go home. But occasionally, I'll go out with a few of the other shop owners. We either meet at Belle's or the bar."
I raised a brow. "You have a bar in Christmas Town?"
"It's the bar that has no name. Everyone just calls it the bar. It's across from the bakery. Mainly locals know about it. Tourists go to the bar at the inn."
That was interesting. "I'd like to see it."
"I'm not sure we're going to have enough time to see everything if we're eating dinner and then going to the bar."
I smiled, knowing this would annoy her. "You'll just have to take me out again."
She waved her finger at me. "This was a one-time thing."
"You know if I tell your mother that we didn't get to everything—"
Her eyes widened. "You wouldn't—"
A smile spread over my face. "Oh, but I would."
She sniffed and looked away. "I'm not sure I like you."
My cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much. I couldn't remember when I had a better time with a woman. "You liked me well enough the other night."
Her cheeks turned pink. "If we want to keep that a secret, you have to stop talking about it."
I leaned close. "See, that's a problem for me."
"Not talking?" she asked sassily, and I wanted to kiss that look off her face.
"Thinking, talking, and reminiscing about that night. Because it was epic." I let that last word settle between us.
She pursed her lips and looked away. "I have to pick my one-night stands better."
"We both know I was your only one-night stand. You're not built for them. Which is why we need a second night. I'd like to see if it would be better now that we've talked and gotten to know each other."
She laughed nervously. "You can't be serious."
I thought back to that night when I first saw her on the sidewalk, how her hair had shone in the light, the flash of a challenge in her eyes.
Then to her getting on the back of my bike and riding with me to my cabin.
How exhilarating it felt to take off with a beautiful woman dressed as if she'd just come from a ball, because she had.
How hot we were together. The way she trusted me with her body.
Hell yes, I wanted another shot. "If I forget about all the reasons why we shouldn't, then yes I'm all in. "
She scoffed and looked away. "Exactly. It's a bad idea."
"Is it though? Neither of us wants anything serious." I was assuming this was the case with her too. "We can keep it quiet, and when I'm gone, we cut it off." I wasn't built for commitment, so this was the perfect scenario for me. Really the only one.
She met my gaze, her eyes brimming with uncertainty. She was on the edge of saying yes. "I can't believe we're even talking about this."
I smiled. "You're right. We do better when we're not talking."
The server placed a stand on the center of the table and set the steaming-hot pizza on it. Then he plated one slice for each of us. "Can I get you anything else?"
I kept my gaze on Clara. "Not for now."
The server left, and Clara shook her head.
I looked around the place with its red-and-white checked curtains, red leather booths, and worn wood tables. "I love places like this. I bet there's only one. It's not a chain. It's family owned. Probably been here since the town started."
She lifted her slice. "You'd be right about that."
"This is my favorite part about a small town. You can't beat a small, family-run business. The food is usually good, the ingredients quality, and the atmosphere is cozy and welcoming." I took a bite of my pizza, the flavor of the basil leaf exploding on my tongue.
"You sound like an advertisement."
"I like to support small businesses."
"I do too. I run one after all," she said, taking a dainty bite.
I ate my first slice and went for another. I had a feeling I'd polish off the entire pie if it wasn't for Clara.
Her eyes closed as she savored the melted cheese and marinara sauce. "This is good. I haven't been here in way too long."
"You never order pizza to go?" I asked, wanting to know more about how she spent her nights.
She shrugged. "It's just me. I can't eat a whole pizza. I'd get tired of it before I ever finished it."
"You never lived with a guy?" I asked, wishing I could take back the question as soon as I asked it. I shouldn't care about her past dating history.
"I lived with my last boyfriend. Toward the end he was between jobs. When he finally found one, it was in Arizona."
"Did you break up when he moved?"
"We didn't right away. He wanted to try long distance."
"It didn't work?" I asked, genuinely curious about her past relationship, even though it had no bearing on what I wanted to do with her now.
"It's hard to maintain a relationship when you're that far apart.
I ran a business that I couldn't exactly walk away from, and he was just getting established in a new position.
Neither of us could travel. We tried to make it work, but it wasn't realistic.
When I asked him what he wanted—marriage, a family—he said he didn't want that. "
It made me feel uncomfortable that she'd been that serious about someone, which was ridiculous because I wasn’t even interested in a relationship. "Did you love him?"
"At one point, yes. But then we fell into a comfortable existence. By the end, we were friends more than anything else. When we finally made the decision to end things, I wasn’t upset. But I wonder if long-term relationships are realistic. Or do we just lose interest eventually, grow apart?"
He wouldn't have left if there was something there.
I didn't want to say that to her because I had a feeling she'd take it as a rejection when that's not how I meant it.
There wasn't any chemistry between them.
There couldn't be. Not like what I experienced with her.
"I'm glad you're free of him. He sounds boring. "
She laughed, more carefree than she'd sounded all night. "That's what he said about me."
I paused, the pizza slice halfway to my mouth. "He said you were boring?"
She nodded. "I live in my grandmother's house complete with doilies on the end tables, and her yard sale collection in the garage. I run her Christmas store. I'm the definition of boring."
"You are so much more than your house or your store. That's not even in the description."
This time she rolled her eyes. "And what do you see?"
I considered her for a few seconds. She seemed to be holding her breath. The overhead light was dim, and it felt like we were the only two in the restaurant. "A beautiful woman who's just bursting for excitement. An adventure even."
Her eyes widened. "I definitely haven't experienced an adventure yet."
"What are you looking for?" If it was a hot fling with a man who was only in town for a short time, I could deliver.
"That's the problem. I have no idea what I want. I know I'm bored with the status quo. I have been for months now. My friends suggested a vacation, but even that doesn't excite me."
"I think I know exactly what you need." She needed an adventure in the form of a man who'd put her needs above everything else.
She rolled her eyes. "You think I need sex."
I raised a brow, daring her to disagree. "You felt good after our night together, didn't you?"
She considered my words for a few seconds. "Yes."
"Until you saw me at your family's dinner table."
"That definitely killed the high vibes," she agreed.
"I think we're going to figure this out."
She laughed. "If you say so."
She didn't believe me, but I'd help her get past whatever malaise she was feeling.
That night with her had supercharged me from the inside out, and I'm sure it had done the same for her.
I wasn't exactly sure how to help her yet.
I had a few ideas, but she'd shoot me down if I suggested them.
Another ride on my motorcycle. A tour of my cabin, starting with the front door, the kitchen counter, and then the bed, if we made it that far.
We finished the pizza, and the waiter dropped off the bill. I grabbed it before Clara could think about offering to pay. "But first we have a tour to finish."
She sighed heavily. "I almost forgot about that."
I smiled as I checked the bill. "So far, it's the best tour I've ever been on."
I threw more than enough cash to cover the total on the table and stood, holding my hand out to her. "Are you ready to continue our evening?"
To my surprise, she put her hand in mine. "If we must."
"I've never had better company."
She laughed as we wound our way through the restaurant. Once we were on the sidewalk, I realized it was colder than before, the winds gusting.
"You're charming when you want to be."
"How else would I have gotten you on my bike?" I quipped easily.
She frowned, considering me. "Why would you think that I wouldn't get on your bike?"
"Well, let's see. You're a gorgeous woman who'd just come from some kind of fancy event. You were wearing a sparkling dress and shoes with a tiny purse clutched in your hands that wouldn't have even held a cell phone, much less a wallet. You screamed classy and hands off."
"You got all of that from a first impression?"
"I knew that you didn't pick up random men ever. That you wouldn't have gotten on the back of my bike if it had been any other night. That I caught you at the exact right moment, and I'd only have one chance to convince you that a night with me was worth your time."
"That's a lot."
"You made an impression on me. I knew what I had when you agreed, and I wasn't going to take it for granted."
"Would you have done anything different if you knew who I was?"
I tucked her hand in my elbow so she could be warmer. "I think you know the answer to that."
She glanced up at me, and I couldn't help but think about how I'd feel if this was a real date. My heart contracted at the idea of having this woman on my arm for real.
"You would have stayed away from me."
I gazed at the sidewalk in front of us. "I value my relationship with Malcolm."
We were silent for a few beats, and then she gestured at a nearby storefront. "It's a puzzle shop that's popular with locals and tourists. The owner's been around forever, and he's resistant to change, but his collection is impressive."
"I actually love puzzles." I glanced through the window stacked with various puzzles, both 2D and 3D.
She paused and looked at me. "You do?"
"Can we take a look?" I asked her, my gaze on the colorful options in the display. It didn't seem like it was arranged with any kind of theme in mind.
"Sure," she said easily.
I opened the door for her.
I followed her as she weaved between the displays. "What kind of puzzles do you like? Scenery, busy ones with a lot of things to look at, or funny ones?"
"I love all of them," I said, my gaze still on her.
She was dressed for a day at work, but she looked the same as she had that night when I first met her.
She was put together and classy. The kind of woman who would never settle for a guy like me.
Not that I cared. This was a temporary thing.
I was just enjoying her company for the night because this was the last time it would be socially acceptable for us to be seen together in public.
"Do you think you'd do it at your cabin? If so, you'd probably want something smaller, like three to five hundred pieces." When I didn't answer, her gaze flicked to me. "Beck? What do you think?"
I swallowed over the lump in my throat. "That sounds good."
She pulled down a box with a winter scene, a cozy cabin with smoke coming from the chimney, and the trees and the ground were covered in snow. "This one is cozy."
It said it was five hundred pieces. "I'll get it." It would remind me of the time we spent in the cabin.
She followed me to the register where an older gentleman checked me out without any small talk. I'd come to expect a little bit of conversation in small towns. But this man was gruff and to the point. I didn't bother asking him any questions about his shop or the town.
"I'll show you the bar next."
I'd caught the faint whiff of the bakery across the street. It was closed for the night. I'd have to sample the wares during the day.
She opened the nondescript door, and I walked inside. There wasn't a sign or any indication that this was a business. You'd only know about it if you were local. I loved hidden gems like this. My heart rate picked up as I perused the space. "You come here often?"
She shrugged. "Sometimes with the girls. But I don't stay long."
I flashed her a grin. "You turn into a pumpkin at midnight."
She smiled. "Something like that."
It was actually the opposite. She was a passionate woman who gave as good as she got, and I wanted another night with her.
The realization hit me hard. I knew all the reasons why I shouldn't be involved with her. But I hadn't felt this alive in forever. And from what she'd said, she was looking for some fun too. I couldn't give her much of anything, but I could show her more of what we'd shared the other night.
The question was, would she want another night with me?