Chapter 4
WILLA
Steam rises from my cup of coffee as I sit on the lone chair in the living room of Drew’s rental.
The little tendrils disappear into the gray light filtering through the blinds.
A heavy snow is falling again, and I’m glad today is one of my days off this week.
It’d be hard to get an uber up here to pick me up in these conditions.
Maya is stretched out in front of the gas fireplace, her paws twitching as she sleeps. I always wonder what she dreams about. Her mom and littermates? Playing catch? Eating cheese? Her eyes fly open a second before I hear a knock at the front door.
She beats me to the door, and I see Drew and Izzy as soon I pull it open.
“Hey.” He gives me a sheepish grin. “I have a few things to do upstairs, is it okay if I work for a bit?”
“Hi,” Izzy says, gripping her backpack straps as I step around her to close the door. “Can I pet Maya?”
“Yes, you don’t have to ask when she’s at home and not working.”
Drew smiles down at her, watching while she talks to Maya before turning his attention back to me. “I’ll bring her upstairs with me, so she doesn’t bother you. Today isn’t a school day for her.”
“She can stay down here with me.”
“Really? We don’t want to impose.”
“Really.” I look down at the sweet girl who is fully intent on spoiling my dog. “I don’t have anything going on, and it’s the least I can do for letting me stay here.”
“I will be able to get everything done quicker if my attention isn’t divided.” He looks away from me for a moment, perhaps weighing leaving his daughter with a stranger. “If you’re sure, it’s fine with me.”
“I’m totally sure.” I crouch down to be eye level with Izzy. “What’d you bring over in that backpack of yours?”
Her brown eyes light up with excitement. “My iPad, Go Fish, and some coloring books.”
“Go Fish? Who were you going to play that with?”
She shrugs. “It’s always in my backpack.”
“Well, I love a good game of Go Fish. Let’s do it.”
She struts past me and into the living room. “Bye, Daddy. No boys allowed.”
His lips part in surprise as he watches her go.
“Damn,” I say quietly. “She told you.”
“That she did. Thank you, I promise to work as quickly as I can.”
“Honestly, it’s fine. I really enjoy her, she’s got sass.”
He snorts. “You have no idea.”
I watch as he ascends the stairs, trying not to notice how nicely his jeans hug his ass.
It’s too hard to miss, though, when it’s perfectly framed by his tool belt.
He turns at the top of the stairs and catches me checking him out.
I don’t bother trying to hide it, not when he caught me like that.
Instead, I give him a short wave and walk into the living room, sitting down to play cards with his daughter.
We play countless rounds of Go Fish before my joints start to scream from sitting on the hard floor for so long. I stand up and stretch, and she watches me with those expressive eyes of hers.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” she asks.
“No, I don’t. Why?”
“You should make my daddy be your boyfriend.”
I chuckle. “Why do you say that?”
“He just has me. I think he’s lonely.”
Jesus, is she a preschooler or preteen? How does she even know what it means, let alone know how to apply it to her dad. And how the fuck do I respond?
“And you’re really pretty and nice. Plus, you have a dog.”
“Well, thank you. You’re very pretty and nice, too.” I look over at the dog in question. “Maya does earn me bonus points, doesn’t she?”
She wags her tail and walks over to sit beside Izzy.
“Do you want a snack? I could make cookies.”
Izzy jumps to her feet. “Yes, chocolate chip?”
“Of course.” I hold my hand out to her, and she slips hers in mine.
Warmth fills me. There’s something so endearing about her earnestness. It’s one of the reasons I love teaching kids how to ski. Teenagers and adults can be so jaded, but little kids just live in the excitement of the moment. If I could, it’s an attitude I’d live by every moment of my life.
I open the cabinet above the fridge and pull out the lone baking sheet in the kitchen, then grab the package of cookie dough. After I check the baking instructions, I set the oven to preheat. It’s nice that this kitchen is identical to theirs, but there are no stools to sit on at the counter.
“If I lift you up and let you sit on the counter, do you promise to be careful?” I ask.
“Yes. I won’t move.”
“Okay.” I lift her under the arms on the count of three and set her down. “You want to put the cookies on the baking sheet?”
She nods as I rip open the package. I help her spread each lump of dough out and then slide the cookies into the oven and set the timer. She holds her arms out to me, so I can help her off the counter.
“What do you want for Christmas?” she asks.
“I want to go home and see my family.”
“That’s it?” she asks, confused by my response.
“Yeah. I don’t have a lot of space for material things, so I like gifts from the heart.” I pat my chest. “And I live really far from my parents and brother. He has two kids, one of them is just a year or two younger than you. Seeing them is all the gift I need.”
As cheesy as it sounds, it’s true. I love my family with all my heart.
Occasionally, my mom and dad will come out and travel with me during the summer, usually coinciding with a break between guided trips, so they’ll swing for a nice hotel.
It’s always great to be able to stretch out and enjoy a full-size shower every once in a while.
“Well, I want a puppy and a canoe. And books.”
“Those are all great. Have you been canoeing?”
“Not really, but I see them on people’s cars during the summer, and it sounds fun. Have you been?”
“Yes, I have.”
Her eyes sparkle with excitement. “Can you teach me how to canoe?”
My chest aches at the thought of telling her no, that I’m not around here during the summer. But I also don’t want to lie to her. Luckily the oven timer goes off, so I’m saved from having to answer.
“Do I smell cookies?” Drew walks into the kitchen, looking more delicious than said cookies smell.
“Yeah, they’re just the take and bake kind.”
“A cookie is a cookie.” He lifts one from the cookie sheet and winces. “They’re hot,” he says as he bounces it back and forth between his hands.
“Daddy,” Izzy laughs at him.
“Generally, when you take things from a three-hundred-and-fifty-degree oven, they do come out rather warm.”
He feigns surprise. “Is that so?”
I bite back a smile and nod at him. His lips pull upward into a smirk right before he takes a bite of the cookie. Before I can say anything, my phone rings with a call from the mechanic. I excuse myself and walk into the other room to take it.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is Willow Baker available?”
“This is she.”
“It’s Matt from Holly Ridge Automotive. I have bad news and good news, which do you want first?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“The good news is that I can fix your van. The bad news is that the parts are on backorder and won’t be in until after the holidays.”
He drones on about specifics, but blood rings in my ears. That’s nearly two months. I have to dramatically change my plans for nearly half the season.
After hanging up with him, I walk back into the kitchen in a daze. Drew looks at me with concern on his face. He slides a cookie in front of Izzy before walking over to me. His hand splays over my waist as he gently guides me backward into the living room.
“What’s wrong?” he asks quietly.
“My van won’t be ready until after the holidays. The parts are on backorder.”
His body relaxes. “Oh, that’s fine. You can stay here as long as you need.”
“I can’t impose. It’s not that easy, either. I don’t have another car, and I can’t afford to take Uber to and from work. I’ll spend more than I make in a day. Fuck.” I rub my hands over my face as I spiral.
“You can use my Jeep.” He shrugs as if it’s that easy. “I have a truck, too. I’ll just use that.”
I drop my hands and look up into his eyes. “You barely know me. Why are you being so kind? Do you have a hero kink or something?”
He smiles and shakes his head. “No. I just don’t want you to worry more than you are. Especially when I’m in a position to help you out. But you can think of me as your hero, if you want.”
Is he flirting with me?
The warmth of his palm sinks into my skin through my thermal shirt. I didn’t even realize he was still touching me. His fingers flex against me, as if he’s having trouble pulling them from my body. My gaze wanders to his lips, just now noticing how full and pink they are.
What would they feel like against mine?
Is he following the same train of thought? Because when I tear my eyes from his lips and force them back to his eyes, I find him looking at my mouth.
“Are you going to have a cookie, Willa?” Izzy yells from the kitchen, breaking the tension between us.
“Yeah,” I reply, stepping around him. Heat sizzles through me when, instead of dropping his hand, he leaves it against my abdomen, his fingers ghosting over me as I slip past him. Desire pools low in my belly at the prolonged contact.
It’s obviously been too long since I got laid.
Izzy smiles at me, holding out a cookie in her chocolate-smeared hands. I accept the offering and take a bite. I moan at the warm, sweet flavors exploding on my tongue.
“That tastes so good.”
“Chocolate chip is my favorite,” Izzy agrees. “What’s your favorite?”
“Every Christmas my grandma used to make monster cookies. They’re still my favorites. They have a little bit of everything in them.”
“We should make those next.”
“We can do that. It looks like I’ll be staying next door as your neighbor until Christmas.”
“Really?” She launches at me from where she’s still perched on the counter. “Can we do all the fun Christmas things? Decorating and making cookies. Oh, and gingerbread houses,” she exclaims. “Daddy?”
“I’m okay with it as long as Willa is.”
My eyes meet his over her shoulder. “I’d love to.”
I take Drew up on his offer to borrow his Jeep, so I can drive into town and grab a few things I’ll need now that I know I’ll be living at his place for the next couple months.
Dog food and a new bed for Maya. A few toys for her.
Groceries and a few kitchen utensils that he’s missing in the sparsely furnished kitchen.
I’d offer to make them dinner if we had a table to sit at. He flat out refused to charge me any kind of rent. Maybe I’ll bake something to take over for them, fresh bread or something.
Baking has always been one of my favorite hobbies, especially around the holidays, but my lifestyle doesn’t really lend itself to that. Which is okay, I wouldn’t trade my nomadic van life for anything. Having the flexibility to do and go where I want is always going to be a huge priority for me.
His truck is gone when I get back home. It takes me several trips to bring everything inside and an hour or so to get everything put away and organized. I have every intention of leaving his rental better than I found it. If that means helping to fill it with items people will need, so be it.
The sun has long since set when I finish doing everything I want. I walk into the primary bathroom en suite and strip out of my clothes to shower. Soap suds cascade down my body as my fingers ghost over my stomach in the same place his did.
I’m oddly turned on by him. Just that simple touch had me internally panting for more.
It has to be touch starvation. Maya is the closest I get to any kind of physical touch, and as much as I love her, she’s just a dog.
As I turn the water off, I decide to turn those thoughts off as well.
Nothing good can come from lusting over the kind single dad next door.