Chapter 7 #2
We spend our meal talking about the positive steps his grandpa is taking toward recovery, as well as Burk getting to know his grandma and extended family again.
I’m sure it’s weird being back here when you lost so many years and have hardly spoken to any of them.
I couldn’t imagine not having my parents right there—literally and figuratively.
And Eve? The thought of not being close to my sister makes my stomach drop.
By the time our bellies are full, it feels so comfortable and familiar to be sitting with him at the table that I wish I could start the meal over and do it all again.
This is exactly when I realize asking him to help me decorate my Christmas tree was the right move.
It’s an incredibly personal and slightly intimate gesture, sure, but more than that it feels like I’m sharing a piece of myself with my best friend.
“So, what do you say? You ready to help me decorate that tree?” I ask the moment the leftovers are placed into two plastic containers and slipped into the refrigerator.
He props his hip against the counter, his eyes smiling with mirth. “Are you going to boss me around and tell me I’m doing it wrong?”
“Absolutely,” I confirm.
Burk barks out a laugh and claps his hands together. “Well, I do love it when a gorgeous woman gets a little bossy.”
My heart flutters in my chest, and I feel my cheeks blush.
My brain crosses the invisible line in the sand that separates appropriate from inappropriate, and it doesn’t seem to bother me one bit that I’m standing on what is probably considered the wrong side.
All I can think about is being intimate with him and throwing out a few bossy demands.
I don’t hate the idea.
Not to mention the fact he called me gorgeous. It’s not the first time he’s flattered me with a compliment, and I’m praying it’s not the last. Will that add to my confusion? To the blurred line between friendship and more than friendship? Absolutely. Do I seem to care or want it to stop?
Nope.
“Come on, Burkey Turkey. I have totes upon totes of the good stuff,” I tell him, walking past where he stands and moving into the living room side of the open floor plan.
That’s when I feel his eyes on my ass.
Unable to resist, I glance over my shoulder and confirm my suspicions.
Burk’s eyes are glued to my backside as we make our way to where my naked tree awaits.
So what do I do? Add a little extra swing to my hips, and when he glances up, his brown eyes are a bit darker and filled with something that resembles lust. I go ahead and wink, letting him know I not only caught him, but I’m A-OK with it.
“Holy crap, all this goes on your tree?” he asks, turning his attention to the four large totes stacked on the floor.
“Sure does.”
He runs his hand down his face as he gapes at the mountain of holiday décor. “How? I mean, that’s enough for five or six trees, Easy-Bake.”
Grinning widely, I respond, “Well, Burkey Turkey, watch and be amazed.”
I pull my phone from my pocket and turn up the volume on my speaker.
The room fills with the classic holiday hits I love so much, and even though I’m already in a spectacular mood, it just seems to lighten even more, and the beat washes over me and moves my hips.
Just like it does downstairs when I’m prepping and baking, because when the music washes over me, it makes me happy.
And happy people dance.
I open the top tote and smile at the strings of twinkling white lights inside. Burk moves behind me, his body hovering very close to my back and I can feel his heat. His head appears over my shoulder as he gazes down into the tote. “That’s a lot of lights,” he murmurs, almost to himself.
“Twelve hundred,” I announce proudly.
He whistles his shock. “How do you not start a fire?”
I chuckle and start pulling the light wheels out of the tote. “Well, I don’t leave the tree on when I’m gone, and I make sure it’s well watered so it doesn’t get too dry. Plus, they’re LED.”
He exhales slowly, his warm breath fanning across my neck. As he steps back, he claps his hands and rubs his palms together. “Well, I love a good challenge. Let’s do this.”
We start at the top and he follows my lead as I begin sliding the lights between the branches. We work side by side for several minutes, inserting the first two strands of white lights and listening to Christmas music.
“Can I ask you a question?”
I glance over to where he’s concentrating on making sure every strand of lighting is in the perfect placement. “Of course.”
“How come there’s no Mr. Easy-Bake?”
I shrug, feeling the shift of his gaze from the tree to me. “Haven’t really found ‘the one,’ you know?”
He nods in understanding. “Me neither.”
My throat is thick, but I can’t help but ask, “Have you ever come close?”
Burk pauses before finishing placing the rest of the strand in his hand. “Once.”
My interest is piqued now. “Really?”
He shrugs and rocks back on his heels. “Yeah. Someone I met in my early-twenties.”
“What happened?” I find myself asking, even though I’m not sure I want the answer.
“We just weren’t as good of a match as I thought we were. She didn’t want kids, and I did.”
He doesn’t elaborate, and I know I’m not going to get any more information.
Not that I’m owed it, because I’m not. It’s his past, his life, and he doesn’t have to share it all with me.
I’m just a friend, someone from a former life before he moved to South Carolina, and I’m not privileged to every single detail of his life, dating or otherwise.
After a few seconds, he adds, “She didn’t like what I did for a living.”
Okay, I wasn’t expecting that…
“What? Why?” I’m completely confused about why someone wouldn’t find value in what he does.
“Her father was a banker, and she thought I would make more money going into her family business.”
Confusion washes over me. “That’s…dumb. Has she not seen your work? I got online last night and found your social pages and website and saw even more photos. Your work is beautiful; that’s the only way to describe it.”
He cracks a cheeky grin. “You social media stalked me?”
I open my mouth, but all I do is stick my foot in it. “Uhhh…”
“It’s okay, Easy-Bake. I social media stalked you too.”
“You did?”
He shrugs. “That first night after I dropped by the bakery. Gram was still at the hospital, so I did a quick search of your bakery.”
“Oh.” Knowing he searched me out and saw my social media pages makes me a little giddy, and if he weren’t staring at me right now, I’d probably do a little happy dance.
“Didn’t see any guy pics on your socials,” he states, not as a question.
I slip the rest of the final strand of white lights onto the tree and step back. “No, no guy pics anywhere.”
He moves to stand directly beside me. “Good.”
Curiosity gets the better of me, and I turn to face him. “Good?”
He shrugs. “That just means there’s no one in your life right now I need to worry about.”
My heart is beating so hard, I’m sure the Grinch could hear it all the way up at Mount Crumpit. “Worry about?” I whisper, trying to get my bearings.
He just grins before reaching out and swiping a lock of hair from my forehead. His fingers leave a trail of heat in their wake as they brush across my skin. “It might make me an asshole, but I’m a little relieved you’re not dating anyone.”
“Why?” The voice asking the question doesn’t even sound like my own.
“Because that means I don’t have to share you with anyone else while I’m here. I get you. All of you.”
Well, okay then.
He seems to find humor in my lack of words and smiles so brightly you don’t even need the lights on my tree to brighten the room. His smile alone does the job just fine.
“Come on, Easy-Bake. Let’s decorate.”