Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kenny
I t’s not a date. Not a date. Not a daaaaate.
I’d been chanting this to myself as I woke, ran on the treadmill, lifted, showered, dressed, and parked at the Saint building. No sense in taking up street parking during tourist season, especially on a snowy day when they’d need to plow regularly.
Liz exited the building where she was staying right as I crossed the street to her block. My stomach clutched as I took in her boots, jeans, and a puffy coat. She tugged a hat over her head and shivered when a gust of wind blew past. She looked so comfortable and normal… and cold.
“Let’s get moving and get you inside,” I said by way of greeting.
She tucked her arms around her waist and dipped her chin into her jacket. “Works for me. I didn’t realize it was this cold today. ”
The sky was gray and the light on the flat side. Often, the bluebird days could be colder, but this one felt almost like an Eastern cold despite not having any humidity to drill down to your bones. “We’ll let Elise’s dough babies warm us from the inside out.”
We shuffled along the sidewalk past storefronts, past the lure of espresso in Joe— I’ll be back for you, my love! —and into the bright pink door of Glazed.
A bell jingled overhead, and we heard a cheery, “Welcome in,” from somewhere up front, though I could barely see the counter because there was a line six people deep.
“This place is… wow.”
Liz’s gaze traveled over the bright pink walls, the white tables and chairs, and the neon sign that said Get Glazed . The menu ahead was an old-fashioned letter board with donut flavors and pricing per single, half dozen, or dozen. It had an effortless feel to it despite how trendy and bright it was. Somehow, Elise had managed to create a store that said, “Welcome to this cool place you want to hang out, but literally all we sell is donuts.” No coffee at all. They did have water and milk for sale, but otherwise, she happily directed patrons next door to Joe.
“It is. Just wait ’til you get your mouth on one of those babies.” I nodded toward the display case, then froze.
Slowly, I turned to her.
Her eyes were wide.
I cracked up. “Yeah, I hear it now. Sorry.”
A smile broke free on her face and she laughed. “Thank God you heard it, too, and better yet, you didn’t mean to sound like a creep.”
I held up my hands, pure innocence. “I didn’t. I swear. I just mean, when you taste the donuts, you’ll be even more impressed. ”
“Fair enough.”
We settled into a comfortable silence between us, but the buzz of the place brought plenty to observe. Quite a few of the people seated at tables were tourists or people I didn’t know, but Jamie Morris strode in to grab a box and shook my hand as he exited, and then two others said hello before Aidan Wallace requested I tell Wilder hello.
“First, was that Jamie Morris? And second, do you know literally everyone in this town?” She watched Aidan exit the store.
I grinned. “It was indeed. He’s a good dude. And no, I don’t. But I do know a lot of people.” I shrugged. “I’m a friendly guy.”
“You are that.”
“Hey, guys, glad to see you! Kenny, thanks for bringing Elizabeth in for her first visit!”
Elise stood behind the register, a bright pink apron on and her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She looked fresh-faced and happy, and I wanted to give her a high five for finding her passion. Glazed hadn’t been open all that long and she’d been killing it. There was nothing better than seeing someone do what they loved.
“My deepest honor,” I said, pressing a hand over my heart. “Dailies?”
She pointed to the smaller board behind her, the letters bright pink over the white background in contrast with the black and white of the main menu.
“Maple bacon. Not my favorite, but it seems to be a crowd fave.” She smiled. “If you’re not into toppings, I suggest a classic glazed or one with vanilla or strawberry frosting. The classics.”
“I’ll take a glazed, a maple bacon, and a Mexican chocolate.” I would likely have a sugar crash, but later Kenny could deal with that.
“And you?” Elise asked while another employee slotted my donuts into a wax-coated bag.
“I’d love a glazed and a strawberry frosted,” Liz said, eyes still roving over the case full of delectable offerings.
“Perfect. Anything else for you guys?” She rang us up when I said no, and then we stepped aside. Once we had our donuts in hand, Elise waved.
“Hope to see you again, and Liz, let’s get lunch sometime or something!”
The crowd had only grown while we ordered, so after Liz acknowledged Elise’s suggestion, we slipped out.
But not before Cookie snuck in. I instantly turned to see if Elise had noticed. Little spots of color burned her cheeks, and she had her head ducked, but I’d bet a hundred bucks she’d seen him slipping in.
“Hey, this is practically my home away from home since it’s basically Barbie Land in there. What’s your excuse?” I asked Cookie.
He just narrowed his gaze and said, “Hungry.”
I raised a brow. Mmhmm. I just bet you are.
We walked the few steps between Glazed and Joe. “On to get coffee, and then we head to our breakfast spot.”
“We’re not eating here?” she asked as we slipped into Joe.
“Nah. I feel weird eating donuts here since they have their own delicious breakfast offerings, plus, my goal is to help you fall in love with Silverton and I don’t know how long you’re going to give me, so I’ve got to make a good showing.”
“Very strategic of you,” she said with a soft smile.
Ethan Carter was ringing up at the register settled on the dark wood counter in Joe and he sent a wide grin to Liz. “Well, hello, Elizabeth. Kenny.”
The guy was charming and handsome and had one of the best brothers on the planet. I considered him to be a friend. He was also looking a little too happy to see Liz and I didn’t like the way his eyes were lit with interest.
“Hey, Ethan. Good to see you again.”
I almost made the idiot mistake of asking how they knew each other, but she must’ve met him on her last visit. Plus, her sister was marrying his brother.
They were basically family so them dating was essentially incest, right? Like, hello, taboo .
“Likewise. I hear you’re in town for an extended stay this time,” he said, still hitting her with his perfect smile.
Ugh. Why did the Carter men have to be so handsome and nice?
Actually, no. I didn’t like that thought. My dudes were handsome and smart and awesome, and if Liz was interested in Ethan then…
Well, she could go right ahead. Because this wasn’t a date, and I wasn’t looking for anything from her, and I knew darn well she wasn’t looking for anything from me. She had, what? Maybe two months here anyway? What kind of future with someone was that?
So I needed to stop getting all bent out of shape about this and be a real friend to both of these human beings.
“Yep. A month or two at least, probably a while longer.”
So maybe a little more than two months? My heart leaped before I crushed the thought.
She glanced at me and I ignored the swoopy feeling in my chest. “Should we order?”
Ethan took our orders and we paid. A few minutes later, we retrieved our drinks and got out of there with another wave to Ethan, and not without him giving me a meaningful look.
Once outside, we moved quickly down the street to the Saint lot and slipped into my car. The wind had stopped, but after being inside surrounded by the coziness of the coffee shop and its warm lighting and espresso scent, exiting into the bitter day was brutal.
Fortunately, the drive didn’t take long, and soon, we were parking. I grabbed a pack and strapped it on, then took our donuts and my coffee.
“I promise you this is worth going back out into the cold.” Maybe I shouldn’t have planned something so outdoorsy on such a chilly day, but if you waited for warmth in Utah winter, you weren’t likely to come by it.
She didn’t speak but followed me and didn’t seem too inclined to revolt. I was getting used to her tendency toward quiet. Two of my best friends tended toward not talking, and really, even Cookie’s default was not talking, whereas mine was the opposite, to say the least.
The bench I had in mind came into view around a corner and Liz’s slightly louder exhale behind me sounded like confirmation this hadn’t been a fool’s errand.
“This is stunning,” she said, her frozen breath rolling off her lips like fog on a lake.
A wanting hit me low in the chest. Good grief, I wanted to steal this very breath from her lips, to touch my chilled ones to hers and warm them up.
Not helpful. Not happening.
“It’s nothing compared to longer hikes but those aren’t great options this time of year. I wanted to get you outside and give you a scenic view, at least.”
In front of us was Silver Ridge Resort and the small town. We weren’t high up enough to make the people turn into ants or anything so grand, but we were at a different perspective. Most importantly, we were nestled next to a frozen river and to the right rose the mountains. We were just above the town, and sitting at the feet of the peaks.
“Thank you.” Her voice was nearly all breath.
We sat quietly, each sipping our coffees and savoring the view.
I wished I could reach out and hold her hand or do something to connect us. I needed that closeness sometimes and I’d been missing it. But more than a base need, it was the desire to connect with her . Right here, right now.
“Thank you,” she said again, a little bolder now, and I swore I saw her swipe at her cheek from the corner of my eye.
There it was. A glimpse at something soft inside her—the part of her that called to me in a way I couldn’t explain. It was dangerous and all kinds of stupid, but I wanted to dig and pry her open until I learned about that part of her, and every other aspect of the woman who was Elizabeth Malcom.