Chapter 16
WYNTER
The world seemed brighter.
The lights were more vibrant. The reds and greens drew the eye. Even the smell of Christmas seemed heightened.
And all it had taken was allowing herself to let go.
Wynter had always loved Christmas. It was something she looked forward to every single year until that fateful day when she’d made the mistake of kissing Marcus under the mistletoe. After that, she’d felt a little queasy as the holiday neared.
Not anymore.
She pushed her hands into her pockets as she wandered down the sidewalk toward the café.
Rose and Morgan wanted to meet for lunch before they planned an outing later this week.
Wynter was leaning more toward ice skating, but if she knew Morgan like she thought she did, the girl was going to insist they go to a park and have a snowball fight.
Either way, Wynter would go along with it. Life was good.
She pushed through the doors to the café that Jason managed and immediately looked for him.
When she didn’t see him, she settled on a chair in the corner of the small shop and waited.
The smell of freshly baked sourdough permeated the air.
Along with it was the scent of pastries that made her stomach gurgle.
Laughing quietly to herself, she placed a hand to her stomach. Maybe she’d pick up a croissant for Grams. One that had chocolate filling.
Minutes later, the door burst open, the bell quieter than the loud voices of her friends.
“You’re kidding. Please tell me you didn’t.” Morgan gave Rose a little shove. “You know you shouldn’t egg him on, right? He’s got enough reason to hate you.”
Rose snickered. “I can hold my own. Your brother doesn’t scare me.”
“Yeah, well, maybe he should.” Morgan’s eye caught on Wynter, and she beamed. “Hey, Snowflake. I thought for sure we’d beat you. How’s work going?”
Wynter smiled at her friends. “Great, I guess. Just keeping up on things in between spending time with Grams.” And Marcus, but they didn’t have to get that information right out of the gate. “What about you?”
Morgan motioned to Rose. “This one is trying to start a war between our two families. Again. I keep telling her that she needs to leave Lincoln alone, but apparently she’s having too much fun poking the bear.”
“Uh-oh. What did you do this time?” Wynter laughed.
Rose’s expression morphed into one of innocence.
“Oh, you know. Let one of our goats across the fence so he could experience the exceptional grass that the Meyers’ farm had to offer.
” Rose rolled her eyes and gave Morgan an almost apologetic look.
“I’m sorry, but your brother is nuts if he thinks his grass is greener just because it’s on his side of the fence.
News flash. Everything is practically dead in December anyway. ”
Wynter’s eyes widened as she glanced at Morgan. “And you’re not mad?”
“It’s not really that big of a deal. It’s not like we’re growing anything important right now. Planting season is around the corner, and we’ll be tilling up the space anyway.” Morgan looked thoughtful. “And Rose has a point. My brother has always been a little…” She tapped her chin with her finger.
“Stubborn beyond belief?” Rose offered. “Too big for his britches? High and mighty?”
Wynter and Morgan laughed in unison.
Rose joined in. Wynter hadn’t realized how much she’d missed the friendships she’d had in college.
Back then, they’d commiserated on grades and how terrible this professor was compared to that one.
Every so often, Wynter would give up a little more information about Marcus, but she’d always brushed off her feelings.
Now, it was impossible to sweep those emotions under the rug. Her friends might not know her as well as they could if she’d let them in, but they knew her enough to see she was working through something heavy.
Rose narrowed her eyes. “Okay, spill. What’s got you all hot and bothered?”
Wynter snorted, nearly choking on the water she’d taken a sip of. “I am not hot and bothered.”
Her friend wagged a finger around her face. “You’re blushing. What are you thinking about?”
Morgan nodded. “She’s right. You are a little pink.” Her expression was contrite over picking sides, but her eyes sparkled with proof she felt otherwise.
Wynter stifled a groan and covered her face, but the damage was already done. There was no use hiding it. Her friends could sniff out anything. “I might have… kissed him.”
Both women went still, all except their slackened jaws. Eyes bugged out, and Rose leaned over the table with a hushed voice. “Please tell me this is about Marcus.” She slid her eyes to Morgan, who had yet to change her expression. “The one who got away.”
“You mean the one she got away from.” Morgan shot her a pointed look, apparently in shock over what Wynter had revealed.
Wynter sighed. She wasn’t going to hear the end of this. She should have known this was how it would go. Her friends were going to read far too much into this.
Even though they were likely right.
They didn’t have to know any of that.
“How was it?” Rose hissed, all smiles. “You can’t drop a bomb like that and not give us the details. I have to know. We have to know.”
Morgan merely nodded.
Wynter could have told them that it was amazing and everything she’d known it could be.
But she also understood her friends well enough to know they’d run with that confession and tell her she should go for it.
Clearing her throat, she offered a small smile.
“It was good. Better than good. But it’s not something that’s capable of changing my mind.
” She stared pointedly at each of them. They’d all been over this.
Nothing was going to keep her from moving back to California for the job she loved.
Well, maybe not loved. The job she liked.
Morgan pouted and cut a look at Rose, who scowled.
“Why not?” Rose huffed. “You’re clearly in love with him.”
Wynter snorted. “Love? Hardly. Do I like him? Of course I do. We were best friends for years. Am I attracted to him? Well, duh. Just look at the guy. But love?” She shook her head.
“Nope. Honestly, I think all the kiss proved was that we could have some fun while I’m here.
And I’ll be careful. I won’t let my emotions get the better of me like I did last time. We’ll stay friends.”
Rose lifted a brow, folding her arms as she leaned back. “Friends,” she said dryly. “That’s what you want?”
No. Not really.
But Wynter knew better. She understood her limits, and falling for someone only to lose them was not something she’d be able to handle. She could pretend she was strong enough for it, but the truth of the matter was the opposite. Nodding, she forced a smile. “Yes. That is what I want.”
Rose glanced at Morgan, who shrugged. Then she sighed. “Okay.” She didn’t sound convinced at all. “Whatever you say.”
“They’re called hot chocolate bombs.”
Wynter shot Marcus an incredulous look. “I never took you for the kind of guy who wanted to make desserts. Jason must be rubbing off on you.”
Marcus laughed. His eyes sparkled with mirth she hadn’t seen in a long time. Across the room at the table, Grams was carefully pouring melted chocolate into half-ball molds. There was a smile playing on her lips as well. As if she knew what was going on between the couple.
But that wasn’t possible, was it?
Wynter bumped her shoulder into Marcus, craving any sort of contact she could get without it being a blatant PDA. Then she moved to the table with her crushed candy canes, hot cocoa mix, and sprinkles.
Grams looked up at her and smiled warmly. “These are about ready to go into the freezer to set. Then we can fill them up with what you’ve got there.”
Wynter nodded and accepted the mold from her grandmother. As she walked away, Grams called over to Marcus.
“There’s a loose shelf in the barn and a workbench that could use some work if you’re up for it.”
Wynter shared a look with Marcus. He’d take any excuse he could get to come visit. And the fact that he’d started to thoroughly enjoy the maintenance work he’d been assigned was a cherry on top.
He winked at Wynter, and her heart stumbled. If Grams saw it, she’d definitely say something. She hadn’t exactly been subtle when it came to what she thought about Marcus.
Wynter’s cheeks heated to abnormal levels, and she had to duck her head to prevent Grams from witnessing her reaction. This whole sneaking around thing was going to be more difficult than Wynter thought it would be. And yet they had to keep it up.
She wasn’t dating Marcus. Not really. And whatever it was they had wouldn’t be lasting past their prearranged end date. In order to prevent Grams from disappointment, they’d have to be more careful.
When it came time for Marcus to leave, Grams had already gone to bed. Wynter walked him to the door, but before she could open it for him, he spun her around until her back bumped against the wood.
A gasp whooshed from her chest, and she stared up into the intense eyes of the man she could easily fall for if she wasn’t careful. “Marcus,” she whispered.
He hooked a finger beneath her chin and tilted his head slightly. “You have no idea how much I wanted to do that tonight. It’s been torture.”
She bit at her lips to prevent herself from smiling. Then she gave his chest a little shove. “You almost gave us away, mister.”
Marcus didn’t budge an inch. Instead, he moved in closer, caging her in when he placed his palms against the door above her shoulders. “Pretty sure people have to be blind not to see the attraction between us.”
Her stomach knotted. “Marcus…” she warned, but he only chuckled.
“Relax, bestie. I’m only teasing.”
It didn’t feel like teasing. What it felt like was Marcus admitting his feelings ran deeper than they should. They’d agreed. He’d said he’d take her however he could get her. And she didn’t want either of them to get hurt unnecessarily.
Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She could do this. Friends. They’d been friends before. They could keep being friends. Just because they had chemistry didn’t mean they had to cross that line.
When she opened her eyes, she found him studying her, his mirth completely gone. Instead, his brows were creased. She nearly expected him to say something, but he didn’t. Marcus pressed a kiss to her forehead, then whispered against her skin, “See you tomorrow?”
She nodded, chills racking her body. There was disappointment in his voice. Resignation. She was doing that to him, and he was being a sweetheart by not asking for more.
It’s what she wanted.
So why was she feeling so lost?
Marcus shifted, allowing her to step out from beneath him. He tossed her one last fleeting smile and ducked out of the house.
Wynter closed the door and leaned against it. She counted to ten, allowing her breathing to return to normal, and then she headed for her room. On her bed was a letter, and she frowned. Grams hadn’t said she’d gotten anything today.
It was from the company she was working for. A letter from the HR department. That was strange. They had her number. In fact, they could have emailed her.
She tore into the envelope and pulled out a letter. Her eyes scanned the document once. Twice. Then she lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, easing the tension from her shaking legs.
The HR director was old-fashioned. And he was offering to extend her temporary position into a permanent one. With a raise. And benefits.
Wynter had one more reason to stay.
And the silly thing was that some part of her really wanted to.
This decision wasn’t going to be easy. She grabbed her Bible and started to pray.