Chapter Six
Emma jolted to awareness at the sharp ring of her phone. Service was spotty here—she’d already gotten used to holding her phone to the ceiling, hoping to catch service.
Aniyah’s name appeared on the screen. Emma sat up and answered the call. Before she could speak, Aniyah said, “Where are you?”
“The treehouse lodge I told you about. In the Blue Ridge Mountains?”
Aniyah chuckled. “You got Davis to go along with that? Wow, I’m surprised.”
When Emma didn’t reply, Aniyah spoke again. “Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. Davis isn’t, though.”
The connection remained constant as Emma recounted what transpired since yesterday. Without thinking, she’d mentioned the lumberjack, er…Caleb.
She had to stop calling him that.
“Wait, so you’re telling me there’s some hot guy that works there who’s been giving you the woo-woo eyes, Davis saw and got jealous?”
Emma managed a dry laugh. “Yeah, I wondered if he would pee on me to mark his territory.”
Aniyah snorted out a laugh. “Well, you know he’s always been insecure. I didn’t imagine that would be the thing that had you breaking things off for good.”
It was true that even though Davis was handsome and polished, growing up in a cold family that only pointed out his flaws hadn’t exactly made him the most secure man in the world. If there was one argument in their relationship, it was over any perceived male attention she received.
“I can’t say that it was. I think we both know this was a long time coming.”
Aniyah only murmured in response. “So, do you want to come out here for Christmas? We’d love to have you.”
Emma’s smart watch buzzed with an alarm. The lunch and learn began in fifteen minutes.
“I think I’m going to stay here until Christmas. Maybe a little longer, I don’t know. I need a break before I re-enter the real world.”
She could hear the smile in Aniyah’s voice. “Keep me updated on the lumberjack situation.”
Emma groaned. “I ended my engagement less than twenty-four hours ago.”
“Em, we both know said engagement has been on life support for a long time. I appreciate that you gave it your best effort, but nobody is surprised by this outcome. Have yourself some fun while you’re on this vacation from reality.
I’m decreeing that you shall squeeze in all the fun you’ve missed out on this year, into the last two-ish weeks of the year. ”
“Okay, okay. But remember, your idea of fun is clubbing in Miami, and mine is less flashy.”
“Sounds like you’re in the right place for it, then.”
She supposed Aniyah was right. She’d expected to feel…something at the dissolution of her engagement. Perhaps the sadness would come once the shock wore off. For now, she only felt numb. Not quite ready to run into another man’s arms, but….
“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” Aniyah teased.
“I think our connection is cutting out,” Emma lied.
“We both know it’s not, but I’ll let you lie to me just this once. Have fun and remember not everything has to be forever. You deserve it.”
* * * *
After thirty-plus years, Caleb had learned to tune out the biddies’ chatter. A skill he’d had to develop for his own sanity. So, it was no surprise when it took a sharp shove at his shoulder to bring his attention to Babs Dodge.
He’d been attempting to get the lunch and learn prepared.
According to Sabrina, they usually only got a handful of people at these events, so they set them up in the back bar.
It was lovely at any time of the year, with dark wood and brass finishings.
Traditional Christmas decorations hung from the stained-glass lighting fixture hanging over the wooden bar.
“Caleb, I know you see me.” Babs poked him again.
“I was hoping you’d take the hint and move on, Babs.”
She exhaled a sharp laugh at that. “You know me better than that. Listen, I have some hot goss.”
He returned to ensure that the video screen behind the bar was in working order for the presentation.
“Setting up for trivia?” Babs asked.
Normally, that was the primary purpose of the video screen. That or bingo. But the speaker for today had requested a screen for their presentation.
“We both know you don’t care about that, Babs. Get to the point.”
“Okay, fine, ghost of Christmas pain in my ass,” she grumbled. “We’ve had our first breakup of the season. That pretty girl who helped you find Daisy yesterday? Emma? Her fiancé stormed off, ring in hand.”
An unfamiliar feeling flushed over him. Heartbreak for the lovely Emma, but oddly a strange glimmer of hope? No, that was stupid. He brushed it to the side before it could settle.
“Hmm,” Babs murmured. “I thought you’d find that news interesting.”
Thankfully, she wandered off before he could come up with a reply.
He moved over to the back of the room, welcoming guests in as they arrived. Sabrina and Brandon stood on either side of him, not ready to let him go on his own just yet.
“So,” Sabrina said between guests, “we were hoping you could spend the night up here for the next few days. Since the day starts so early, you know. Tomorrow’s first activity starts at six o’clock with a pre-breakfast fireside chat.”
That didn’t sound very good to Caleb. “What do people talk about at six in the morning, anyhow?”
“Oh, we have lots of early risers. You’ll make sure the fire is roaring, coffee is bountiful, and have the dailies printed out.
That way, the guests are aware of what activities we have on offer.
We have a few paid excursions planned for tomorrow, so it’ll be a great time to encourage people to sign up for those events. ”
“Who will be staffed by…me, I presume?”
Sabrina chuckled. “No, silly. You must see them off. We’ve arranged those trips with outside vendors. You need to make sure everything goes according to plan.” She parroted the voice she used with his kids.
He groaned. “You’re saying you don’t want me to wallow at home? So, the solution is getting up at the crack of dawn to upsell your guests?”
Sabrina ignored the jibe. “We were more concerned about you getting here in time, given the weather forecast this week. We want one of us up here just in case the weather turns bad.”
The forecast did call for snow over the weekend. “I’ll stay, it’s no big deal. The drive is long, and I’d rather stay here anyway. Especially with the fireside chats starting at the butt-crack of dawn.”
December was the darkest period of the year, so it was dark when he left and dark again well before the day was over. All that trouble to return to an empty apartment was simply a reminder that his girls were gone, and he wouldn’t see them until after Christmas.
“Good,” Brandon said. “Sabrina packed a duffle for you and left it in one of the staff rooms upstairs.”
Caleb could have remarked about the invasion of privacy caused by his younger sister rifling through his underwear drawer, but he let the moment slide.
Mainly because his attention was drawn elsewhere. Emma Dale slipped through the crowd, towards the bar. She wore a buffalo plaid jacket and a white hat that sat back on her head. How was she adorable and sexy all at once?
“Hmm,” Sabrina muttered to herself. “Look who’s showing up to lunch minus one annoying fiancé.”
“Okay, biddie-in-training,” Caleb snapped. It was unlikely that Emma’s stay would be very long—if she was truly alone.
Emma approached them.
“Hello, Miss Dale,” Brandon said. “Are you ready to learn about Appalachian Christmas traditions?”
“The chef has also cooked up an amazing meal,” Caleb said.
Emma’s gaze turned toward his. Her cheeks were stained pink, probably due to the sub-freezing temperatures outside. A smile reached her eyes. “Yes. I’m starving, so I’m probably more excited for lunch right now.”
Caleb cleared his throat. “Can I take your coat?”
He stepped behind her before she could answer. She drew her long brown hair to one side as his hands hovered above her shoulders. He tugged the fabric away and down her arms. A wave of static electricity skittered down her sweater as he moved to hang up the coat.
“Oh, where’s a dryer sheet when you need one?” Emma joked as she rubbed her hands down her hair.
Caleb found the perfect place for her coat on the rack.
And an opportunity to fix his face. By the time he’d turned around, the speaker had approached the microphone. Brandon and Sabrina moved forward to show Emma to her seat.
The moment was gone.
* * * *
She was the only singleton at lunch. It was hard not to feel like a loser. Most of the surrounding tables consisted of elderly couples, with the occasional family. They’d even placed her in a booth in the back corner.
Or maybe that was just her being overly sensitive. After all, the Blakes had been nothing but welcoming. And the sexy lumberjack…
Caleb. That was his name. The static electricity at his touch had been a product of the dry air, but she couldn’t deny the internal electricity that tingled throughout her body as his fingers had draped down her arms.
It was horrible to say—but she hadn’t felt like that in ages. So much so that she’d wondered if she was, at best, complacent or, at worst, just not attracted to Davis anymore. It wasn’t as though she tended to find random men attractive. People blurred together for her for the most part.
Somehow, Caleb stood out.
She knew she should be mourning the end of her three-year relationship.
It felt like she’d been doing that since Davis had placed the ring on her finger.
Besides, it wasn’t as if she was jumping into a new relationship or anything.
She had a crush on a guy. The kind of silly butterflies in her stomach that usually died before they led to anything serious.
She wouldn’t feel guilty about how she felt.
After the presentation concluded, she gazed around the room. A few guests had cornered the presenter in conversation, and most of the others had left.
Caleb stood at the rear of the room, tapping away on a tablet. He looked as out of place as she did. Somehow, he didn’t strike her as the holly jolly Christmas type.
He looked up and caught her staring. She quickly jolted from her seat, so fast that it sent an empty glass tumbling to the ground. She groaned as she captured the crowd’s attention.
She righted the cup and pulled on her jacket. Her stomach erupted into a flurry of butterflies as he approached.
Again.
But like the coward she was, she sidestepped the group and made a beeline for the side exit.
She’d had enough excitement for one day.
Unfortunately, the message didn’t quite reach from her brain to her limbs. Because as she opened the door, she tripped on the threshold and ended up ass over teakettle on the brightly patterned carpet.