Chapter 2
Jack
“I am not telling Gran you can’t make it! I’m not going to be the one to disappoint her like that,” Harrison said.
I relaxed further into the comfortable chair I’d settled into at the coffee shop. “Man, I have this deadline hanging over my head.” A grin threatened to tip up my lips as I lied through my teeth.
Not about the deadline. It was in fact looming, but I had time to finish my latest novel. Torturing Harrison was my favorite pastime, so it was only fitting I’d call him to lie about not making it to the sleepy town his family was planning on spending Christmas at.
“You and your fucking deadlines! These plans were set a month ago!” Harrison shouted into my ear.
I pulled the phone away and shot the cute barista an apologetic shrug. Sorry! I mouthed.
“Hare,” I said, but he couldn’t hear me past his tirade.
“Did you know my parents aren’t coming? They are impossible! You can’t bail too!”
“Harrison!” I tried louder, but the man was as impossible as his parents.
When louder didn’t work, I ended the call and brought my black coffee to my lips, twisting my wrist to take note of the time.
I ignored my laptop on the side table, where my manuscript urged me to return to describing the feel of a woman’s silky thigh.
Harrison would call me back. I just didn’t know how long it would take the dumbass to realize he’d been hung up on.
Exactly two minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, my phone buzzed against my thigh. I looked down and shook my head. “When exactly did you realize I hung up?”
“You’re such a bastard!”
“And you don’t know when to shut the fuck up. So there, now we’re even.”
“Even? You—”
“Cease and desist, Council!” I said before he could return to his tangent.
Harrison groaned. “That’s not even a thing!”
“But it got you to shut up for two seconds. I’m at the Perky Bean in town. When are you getting here?” I asked.
Harrison chuckled in my ear. “You’re such a fucker.”
“That I am. Sorry about your folks bailing.”
“I should have known. At least Kennedy will be there. You two should get—Wait, look around. She might be there. I swear she’s replaced her blood with coffee.”
The affection lacing Harrison’s words made me reach into my bag for my notebook. I found a blank sheet and jotted a few notes to myself.
“Jack? Is she there?”
I shook free my thoughts and looked around the place.
A middle-aged woman sat on another cushioned chair, her legs bent and under her, a paperback in her hands. Two young moms with babies strapped to their chests were chatting on a loveseat in the corner.
“Unless your sister has a baby or is a cougar, she’s not here,” I said, the older woman raising her eyes from the book to meet mine with surprise. When she flashed me a saucy wink, I grinned before grabbing my notebook.
“She must be at the house then,” Harrison said, unaware of the exchange that had just occurred.
Flipping through the pages, I found my running list of novel ideas. I scribbled sexy cougar on the next line and told Harrison, “But you still haven’t told me when you’re arriving.”
The bell on the door announced a new customer. “That’s because you were too busy being a dick and lying about bailing on me.”
Rolling my head back at the voice, I lowered my cell as I laughed. “And you’re clearly not over it.” Pushing to my feet, I tossed the notebook back on the table and met my pain-in-the-ass friend.
“Nothing a drink at Gran’s won’t fix,” Harrison said, pulling me in for a quick, back-pounding hug.
I chuckled. “Are you trying to butter me up so you can get into my pants?”
“Are you sure it’s not the other way around?”
Shoving my things into my bag, I laughed. “Because your ass is puckered way too tight with your motions and pleas to live a little.”
“Damn, brother, at least I’m talking to real people and not imaginary ones.”
“Fuck off—”
Someone cleared their throat, and I found the barista shooting us a disapproving glare. “Harrison Baker, do I need to call your Granny and tell her that you and this gentleman need your mouths washed out with soap?”
I watched everything but Harrison’s eyes freeze at the threat.
His reaction was entertaining, but seeing him check out the woman was comical.
After the initial widening, his eyes took her in a slow perusal, starting at her strawberry-blonde hair, pulled back into a bun at the top of her head, to the apron hiding her curvy body.
“Dixie?” Harrison asked with surprise.
“The one and only.”
Harrison peered back at me before ambling up to the counter.
Their voices lowered some, and I took the time to finish packing up my things.
With my bag’s strap over my shoulder, I glanced around to confirm I hadn’t left anything.
As I took a step toward the two chatting, my attention snagged on the cougar licking her lower lip as she lowered the paperback in her hand. I recognized the author and grinned.
Noting the way Harrison was leaning in toward Dixie, I paused by the woman. “Enjoying the book?”
She nodded. “It’s really good.”
“Mind if I take a quick picture of it?”
Her eyes rounded in surprise. I knew it wasn’t common for men to take notice of a romance book, but I knew my online friend would be thrilled to see it out in the wild.
“Sure,” she said, pulling it to her midsection and pushing out her breasts.
I bit back my chuckle, not wanting to insult her. She clearly thought I was trying to get a picture of her under the guise of the book. “Thanks!”
“Would tomorrow night work?” Harrison asked as I escaped the woman visually undressing me.
Dixie’s sparkling eyes flit from Harrison to me and back. “Sure, but don’t you go falling in love with me, Harrison Baker. I’m not leaving Creekside or this coffee shop.”
Harrison dialed up the voltage on his smile. “I can’t make any promises, darlin’.”
My brows shot up at his excessive charm, and I shook my head. “What have you done to my friend?”
Dixie shrugged. “Be careful. Men can’t fight my wily charms and the smell of a dark roast.”
I chuckled. “Duly noted.”
“Hey! Find your own. I’ve already claimed this one for tomorrow night,” Harrison snapped.
Dixie’s hand slammed onto her hip as she cocked her head at Harrison. “I suggest you walk that back, lest you find yourself claiming only the snake in your pants.”
“You’ll have to excuse him, miss. He’s clearly spent too much time with the criminals he defends. I’m sure he’ll find his manners in time for your date. If he doesn’t, I’m sure Mrs. Betty would love to hear about his archaic treatment of women.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“I would.”
“Hmm... I like you,” Dixie replied with a chuckle. “Before this one finishes inserting his foot into his mouth, I have something for y’all to give Kennedy.”
Harrison shoved me the moment Dixie’s back was turned. What the fuck, man? he mouthed.
Dixie returned with a cup in hand. “I’m sure by now the girl’s hankering for another fix.”
“Another fix?” I asked.
Harrison pulled a card out of his wallet and handed it to Dixie. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said coffee ran in her veins. Go ahead and cover whatever she owes you and another hundred.”
“Your sister will drink a hundred dollars in coffee in the week we’re here?” I asked.
Dixie and Harrison burst into laughter.
My eyes widened at their reaction. “What’s so funny?”
“That girl will drink that in two to three days, tops.”
“Thanks, Dixie.” Harrison put his wallet away and raised the coffee in the air. “We better go before this gets cold.”
I followed him out and spotted his two-door Jaguar down the street. “I’ll follow you.”
The ride to the cabin was idyllic. My mind turned over the idea of setting one of my future novels in a place like Creekside. We drove up a winding path, snow covering the sides of the road and tree branches. The sky above darkened with each passing minute as the waning moon rose above.
It could have easily been the location for a meet-cute holiday romance. Girl meets boy as they ski a black diamond. Boy underestimates girl. Girl not only outshines the boy on the mountain pass but dumps hot coffee over his head.
At the thought of coffee, my mind flitted to Harrison’s intriguing sister. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around anyone consuming that much caffeine.
When we pulled up to the two-story wood cabin, I set my rental to park and leaned forward. Two empty rocking chairs sat on the front porch, and I knew it’d be one of the places where I planned on sitting and writing.
Harrison removed a carry-on suitcase from the back of his Jag and urged me to hurry with a wave of his hand. I cast one more glance at the beautiful home and grabbed my things.
“You fell down another rabbit hole, didn’t you?” Harrison asked as he pushed open the door with one hand and held onto his sister’s coffee in the other.
The scent of apple spices and baked cookies assaulted my senses the moment we stepped inside. “Hazards of the job.”
“Gran!” Harrison called.
The cabin was as inviting and cozy on the inside as it was on the outside. A fire blazed in the corner of what I suspected was the living room. I spotted a wing-back chair in front of the fireplace and knew it was another place I’d work after some time in the rocking chair.
“This place is amazing, Harrison!” I said.
“Told you. Just leave your stuff there until we see what rooms Gran has us in,” he said, pointing to the right of the wood stairs leading up to the second floor.
I padded behind Harrison into the kitchen. We found it empty, but the delicious smells were much stronger in there.
“Jackpot! Gran’s famous cookies!” Harrison said, hurrying to the cooling racks. “You’ll never have any better than Gran’s.”
My mouth watered at the aroma as I accepted the cookie Harrison offered.
The moment my mouth wrapped around the decadent treat, I knew if she made any more, I’d greedily hide them in my room.
This was already turning out to be the best Christmas since my mom passed.
It’d been five years, and I still missed her every day.
She was the last family I had to celebrate with.
“These are fantastic!” I said.
“Happy, is that you?” a familiar voice asked.
We both turned in time to find the moaning woman from the coffee shop.
Except this time she was in a tank top, which highlighted her perky nipples, and long sleeping pants that clung to her hips.
Water droplets from her damp hair rolled down and made the fabric at the swell of her cleavage darken.
My mouth watered for an entirely different reason as she covered her breasts.
“If it isn’t our elusive A-town girl.” Harrison teased. “Glad you could tear yourself away to join us.”
“This coming from the Big Music City lawyer.” Jack laughed.
“It’s you!” she snapped, her two pointed tips no longer in view.
My cock twitched, equally annoyed at having the view obstructed.
“Kennedy Lee Baker! Is that how we welcome a guest in our home?” Mrs. Betty snapped as she entered the kitchen behind the beauty. “We didn’t expect you until at least tomorrow. This is a wonderful surprise!”
“A guest?” Kennedy asked, her eyes moving from mine to Harrison’s and then her granny’s.
“Kennedy, this is Jack. I told you he was coming up.”
Her mouth pursed in thought, and I wondered how soft her lips were. I mentally slapped myself. This was Harrison’s sister, and pursuing her wasn’t the reason I’d followed him to Creekside—assuming he didn’t kick my ass for finding her sexy as fuck.
“Huh?” she asked.
Harrison sighed and passed her the cup Dixie had sent. “Here, drink this.”
She raised it to her lips without question, and within thirty seconds, I guessed half of the liquid was gone. “Jack?”
“Mhmm...” Harrison replied, then raised a finger when I opened my mouth to speak. “Give her a second.”
“Like your college buddy Jack?”
Mrs. Betty sighed. “I swear the girl’s bright, but there are times even I don’t believe it.”
“Gran! That is not nice,” Kennedy said.
Mrs. Betty rolled her eyes at Kennedy before flashing me a sweet smile. “I’m so glad you accepted my invitation to join us, Jack. I put you in the blue room, and, Harrison, you’re in the pink room.”
“Pink room? Where the h—where is Kennedy staying?” Harrison asked, taking a step back from his granny.
“She’s in the red room, brat!”
“Thank you, ma’am—”
“Ma’am?” Mrs. Betty asked, shaking her head as she ambled up to my side. “Oh no, don’t you ma’am me. Call me Gran or Betty.” She cupped my cheeks with her soft hands. “I’ll see you kids in the morning. It’s time I go relax before bed.”