Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Poplar Square
Downtown Granite Falls felt like something out of a holiday movie with lamp posts wrapped in ribbons and bows, storefront windows draped in decorations, and classic Christmas music drifting from hidden speakers around the square.
The air was rich with the mixed scents of roasted chestnuts, pine, and snow, and though the bright, late morning sunlight did little to cut the bone-deep cold, nobody seemed to mind.
As she and her friends strolled along Highland Avenue, Zuri pulled up the zipper on her puffy, jet-black ski-jacket, the memory of Kyree still sharp in her mind, making her pulse quicken even in the biting air.
His strong, yet gentle touch, the warmth that had radiated through her chest as he’d kissed her, the way he’d whispered her name, and that profound moment she was too scared to confront…
What did it all mean? Had she imagined it?
Had he felt it, too? And who was he, really? What did he really––
“I am so in love with this town,” Soleil said, clutching her shopping bags to her chest as they crossed Oak Street.
Zuri snapped back to reality, grateful for the interruption to keep her from going down the rabbit hole.
“You’ve said that, like, five times already,” Thao pointed out, her braided ponytail swaying behind her.
“And I mean it more and more every time.”
They had just left Libertie Belle, an upscale vintage clothing store with hidden treasures at every turn, owned by Libertie, a French-Canadian woman originally from Montreal.
Soleil had picked up two vintage Hermes scarves, a silver Tiffany broach for her grandmother, a pair of red leather gloves she didn’t need but apparently “had” to have, and secured an interview with Libertie for her podcast, after the New Year.
“That woman is the most fascinating person I have ever met… Did you hear her say she’s been married four times?” Soleil had whispered as they’d left her store. “One of her ex-husbands was a French circus performer!”
They’d been shopping for the past two hours—hitting clothing boutiques, a bookstore, and the artisanal chocolate shop that had supplied the decadent whiskey-cream chocolates to L’Antra.
Zuri and Thao had practically cried with pleasure while eating their salted caramel truffles and trying to calculate how many kilograms they’d need to take home to last them through Valentine’s day.
Now, laden with shopping bags, Zuri led the pack to Herons, a bistro that Avery’s boyfriend, Alessandro, had recommended to Zuri last summer when her family stayed on Crystal Lake.
The Head Chef had gone to culinary school with Alessandro, and now his restaurant was turning heads all over the country.
The memory of Herons’ rosemary-honey roasted quail––tender, fragrant, and kissed with sweetness––made Zuri’s mouth water.
“How much farther is this place?” Avery pulled up the collar of her blue and yellow quilted coat.
“It’s the next block down,” Zuri called over her shoulder. “Just past the movie theater.”
“I just want a hot cup of French onion soup and some garlic bread.” Soleil walked beside Zuri, their arms looped around each other, just as they had done twenty-years ago on the playground in kindergarten.
“Ooo, that does sound good,” Thao beamed. “But I’m leaning toward the steak frites. Avery, you want to split a soup to start?”
“Noo-oo, I do not.” She shivered without breaking step with Thao. “Thank you ver-ry much.”
“Thao, when has Avery ever wanted to share food?” Zuri asked, as they entered the bustling Poplar Square.
“Historically speaking, not very often,” Thao admitted, “but the menu looks so good. I feel like ordering one of everyth––”
“Zuri!”
Zuri stopped mid-stride, her looped arm jerking Soleil to a halt and causing Thao to walk straight into her back.
“Hey, what the hell––”
“Did you hear that?” Zuri glanced up and down the sidewalk.
“Hear what?” Soleil asked.
“I can hear my stomach,” Avery quipped, her voice dipping with dramatic inflection.
Zuri searched the faces around her––people window shopping and hurrying along the busy sidewalk––but she didn’t recognize anyone. A trick of the wind, maybe. “Nothing, I just thought I heard my––”
“Hey, Zuri!”
This time, the call was clear, distinct, and unmistakably Kyree. They all looked toward Poplar Square in unison.
And there he was––his red-beanie visible above the sea of skaters––devastatingly handsome in a dark parka and jeans, standing at the edge of the crowded ice-skating rink, waving both hands above his head to get her attention.
Soleil gasped, gripping Zuri’s arm. “Well, well, well,” her voice was dripping with amusement. “Just look who it is.”
Despite the cold, heat flooded Zuri’s face––a sharp mixture of excitement at seeing him, lingering embarrassment over her unceremonious exit from his room the other night, and searing uncertainty as to how he felt about what had happened between them.
“Looks like he’s coming back for round two,” Thao teased.
He was coming for something,” Zuri thought, watching as Kyree strode across the square toward the pedestrian crosswalk and waited for the flow of traffic to stop, his eyes trained on her face as if she might disappear if he blinked.
“Excuse me please, ladies,” a middle-aged woman juggling a tray of coffees, said sweetly, trying to weave past them on the crowded sidewalk.
“Oh, we’re so sorry,” Soleil replied, as they all stepped back against The Winterberry Café’s red brick facade, where wreaths hung in the windows, and the scent of fresh pastries and spiced cider wafted out onto the street.
“Ooh, I can’t wait to meet the man who put you back in the saddle!” Thao grinned, rubbing her red-gloved hands together with barely contained glee.
“I can’t wait to get somewhere warm,” Avery grumbled, visibly shivering, her hands shoved deep in her pockets, her shoulders hunched high, while Soleil just observed quietly, her gaze tracking Kyree.
Zuri’s heart pounded like she was sixteen again waiting to meet her crush after school. This time, the difference was that she’d already experienced something utterly amazing and ethereal in his arms––and yet she knew absolutely nothing about him.
She’d tried to rectify that when she’d knocked on his door the following morning on her way back from the gym––wearing her cutest spandex pants and sports bra, ready to talk––or whatever––and again on their way out to Crown Peak Resort later that morning.
She’d been so nervous both times––not really knowing what she would say to him, or if he’d even want to talk.
For all she knew, it might have been just a hot roll in the hay.
But the fact that he’d just called out to her from across the street, and was now making his way toward her. .. It had to mean something. Didn’t it?
To calm the fire rushing through her veins, she eased down her jacket zipper and let a sharp ribbon of cold air slip inside.
Finally, Kyree crossed the street and closed the distance between them in three long strides. “Hey,” he said, just a tad breathless.
Even though his voice pulled her right back to the dizzying moment when she’d lost herself in his arms, Zuri kept iron-clad control on her composure. “Hey, Kyree. How’s it going?”
“Better now that I’ve seen you,” he said unabashedly. His gaze flicked over her friends, standing in a semi-circle, and watching him with open curiosity. “I see you ladies are enjoying some shopping.”
“Yeah, just picking out a few last-minute gifts. Kyree, these are my friends, Soleil, Thao, and Avery.” She introduced each of them in turn.
“Nice to meet you all.” He stepped forward, just enough to shake their hands.
“So, what brings you to Granite Falls, Kyree?” Soleil asked, always one to drive the conversation.
“I’m spending the holidays with my cousin.
Actually, I was supposed to be staying with her the other night, but there was some kind of drama going on at their house.
That’s how I ended up at the hotel––just for the night.
” His smoldering brown eyes landed on Zuri, as though he were explaining her unasked question.
So that’s why there was no answer when she knocked on his door.
“What about you ladies? What brings you here?”
“Just a girls’ trip for us,” Zuri explained. “A week of skiing, shopping, and good food before we all head back to Connecticut.”
“Are you from New Hampshire?” Thao asked.
“No, I grew up in Philly, but I’m in Boston now for work.”
Avery’s heeled boots tapped on the pavement as she bounced in place. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but guys, if I don’t get inside, I’m going to turn into an icicle.”
Zuri rubbed her hands along Avery’s back, trying to generate some warmth. “Why don’t you all go on to Herons. Order the quail for me. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“You two have fun now.” Thao wrangled Zuri’s three shopping bags from her hand, smirking like she already knew that one minute with Kyree wouldn’t be enough.
Zuri rolled her eyes. “Just go.”
“Kyree, it was really nice meeting you, and I hope we get the pleasure again soon,” Soleil said, before they took off down Highland and disappeared into the flow of pedestrians.
Zuri forced her feet to stay planted on the pavement, fighting the magnetic pull that made her want to close the small, tempting distance between them and melt into his arms. “So what exactly do you do in Boston?” she asked, adjusting the leather tote straps that kept sliding down her slippery coat.
“I’m a mechanical engineer at New Blue Horizon.”
Mmm, sexy and smart, too.
“It’s a marine research institute. I specialize in underwater robotics.”
“Robotics?” A faint smile played on Zuri’s lips. “Are you being serious?”
Kyree pressed a gloved hand over his heart, his eyes widening in exaggerated mock offense. “Of course I’m being serious. You think I would lie to you?”