Chapter Four
Cole
The streetlamps on Main Street glow in the hazy light of the storm. Most of the shops are dark with closed signs flipped over front and center, but the diner still shows signs of life.
“See,” I squeeze her hand as I reach for the door above the faintly buzzing neon sign, “I told you. The diner doesn’t close for anything.”
She shakes her head, but I catch the corner of her mouth twitching. I think I might have won a point or two, but the jury is still out.
“This doesn’t prove anything. What we really need is the hardware store, and they’re closed.” She nods toward Nichol’s, where the light is indeed off. “We can’t fix a heater with milkshakes and french fries.”
“Nope, but we won’t need to. The general store is open. I’m sure they have something I can use to fix the heater, at least through the weekend.” I pull open the door, sending a rush of warmth around us. “We should get food first. I’m starving.”
It’s been a while since I’ve been in the diner, mostly because I’ve been lying low since I got back into town.
Seems now’s a good time to break the seal and head back into the belly of the beast, given there aren’t many folks out.
Plus, a Christmas without the lumberjack special really isn’t a Christmas at all.
The bell rings above the door, and the familiar scent of fried onions and coffee welcomes us in.
I pause inside, scanning the room for familiar faces, but it’s just us and a family in the back wearing festive Santa hats.
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, the only face I recognize is Brelynn’s. I didn’t know she worked here.
“Hey guys!” Brelynn’s tone is bright and sing-songy, bordering on annoying.
Tess shakes the snow from her hair and stomps her boots on the mat by the door as though she’s as annoyed as I am.
“Hey, Brelynn,” I say, trying to sound kind. “Thought you were heading home.”
“Oh, I was… but we got that road closure alert and I figured it was safer to stay in town, so I let Marge head home early and snatched her shift up.” Brelynn grins.
“I need the money. I’ve done way too much Christmas shopping this year!
My dad wanted this new pair of boots, and my mama needed a new pie pan.
Plus, I’ve got four nieces and nephews, and every single one of them has a list a mile long, and my brother lost his job this year, so ya know. ”
As she searches for a few menus, I hope she’s tired herself out. Youth is such a wild thing. All that energy with nowhere to put it.
“For the boys, Lyle and Mitch, I got them new trucks and a few of those toy tool sets, and my niece, Debbie, wanted a new doll.” She scrunches up her nose.
“Not just any doll. The kind that wets itself and really drinks. Those things are expensive, and I had to go all the way to the Springs to snatch one up.” She sucks in a deep breath. “Oh, and my other niece—”
“That sounds like a lot of gifts. Good thing you picked up the shift,” I say, grabbing two menus from under the podium myself. “Otherwise, Santa would’ve had to take out a loan.”
She laughs too hard and guides us to the best table at the diner.
I’m not sure everyone would agree but I love it.
You get a perfect view of Main Street, and I get to keep an eye on the entire place, the front door included.
Granted, no one is on the street and there’s only one family dining, but still, it’s the best table.
Tess pulls her jacket off and hangs it on the hook outside the booth before sliding inside. She’s so beautiful, but given her reaction to me so far, I gather she’s not as interested as I am. It’s a shame. I think we might balance each other out well, if she’d let me.
I take my seat across from her, the vinyl creaking under my weight as Brelynn keeps talking. “So,” she grins, “you two on a date?”
“No,” Tess snaps. It’s the first time she’s spoken since we got here, and her tone is clipped with frustration. It’s almost as though she may have lied about her lack of jealousy regarding Brelynn’s little schoolgirl crush. “We’re just hungry. Do you mind if we look at the menus for a minute?”
“Not at all.” Brelynn taps her pen against her pad of paper as a Christmas tune hums in the background. “Take your time. I was just wondering if you two were dating ‘cause then I’d have felt bad about asking Cole out earlier.”
“Oh.” Tess forces a grin, her lips tight. “Nope. Not dating. Maybe you should ask him again. He was probably just caught off guard earlier, being you’re so pretty and all.”
The blonde beams, oblivious to Tess’s sarcastic grin.
“Really? Aren’t you such a sweet thing!” She glances toward me.
“What do you say then, Cole? If you’re too busy to make the rodeo, we could hang out after Christmas.
Maybe dinner in the Springs? I hear there’s a new Italian place that’s themed like Italy.
They even have one of those boats inside that you can get pictures in. ”
Tess’s eyes flick toward me, sharp and amused, and her mouth twitches like she’s holding back a laugh.
“Wow, that’s really creative. A boat inside a restaurant,” I say slowly, burning time.
Brelynn nods enthusiastically, ponytail swaying. “Yup, sounds super romantic. It’s just like going to Venice, or one of those hotels in Las Vegas, except here in Colorado.”
Tess’s eyes gleam with mischief as holiday music continues to play.
“Well, I appreciate the offer Brelynn, and I think you’re great, but our age difference is a little much for me.”
“Young for you?” Brelynn’s kind demeanor melts off her face, and a gremlin takes over. “I’m not young, Cole. I’m a grown woman.” Her hand hitches onto her hip. “Ya know, maybe my daddy was right about you.”
I narrow my brows. “I don’t even know your daddy.”
“He knows you, Cole Maxwell. I talked to him after you turned me down for the rodeo. He told me not to lose sleep over you. That you’re like a rooster in a hen house. Just for crowin’, not for keepin’.”
The lights flicker and someone hollers from the kitchen saving me from whatever hell this conversation is. “Oh, shoot.” Her shoulders fall. “I’ll be right back to get your order.”
Thankfully, Brelynn disappears into the back, but I’m left remembering why I prefer the quiet company of my own four walls. Everyone in this town thinks they know everyone.
There’s so much good to be had in a small town, then there are things like this where you run into the same people over and over and there’s seemingly no good way to escape.
Tess glares at me, her brows narrowed as she fights with a smile.
“There are so many things to unpack here. First off, how dare you tell that girl she’s too young for you?
I thought old men were the answer to everything.
You’re cheating her out of a mature, stable relationship.
Second, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone compared to a worthless cock!
” she says, laughing so hard she tips over in the booth.
“A woman scorned,” I laugh.
“Oh,” she chuckles, “is that what this is? Brelynn was so hurt by your rejection that she’s making up stories about you now?”
I shrug. “I don’t claim to understand women. I just—”
“Love the chase, apparently.”
I hold my palms up. “I told you. I haven’t dated in years.”
“Years?” She tilts her head to the side. “You expect me to believe that a man who looks like you… hasn’t dated in years?”
I laugh. “I like that you’re finally admitting you like the way I look.”
“Oh God. Don’t start.”
“Too late.” I grin, leaning back. “The truth is out. You think I’m cute.”
“I’m pretty sure I should just leave now. Something tells me you’re not going to let me live this down.”
I shrug. “Good luck getting away from this dream boat.”
She rolls her eyes. “More like a tugboat with abs.”
“I’ll take it.” I chuckle and glance out the window as the snow piles up outside. “You’re not going to miss any of this? I mean, outside of Brelynn?”
She shakes her head and bites back a smile. “No. I mean, I’ll miss the bookstore here and the girls I’ve met, but I was a librarian back in the city, and I miss that too.”
“I don’t know why I pegged you for the marketing type. Maybe it’s because of all the promotion work you’ve done with the bookstore.”
“I was a dual major in college. My first degree was in marketing. My second is in Library Science. I was involved in the outreach for the biggest library in New York City. Fundraising, community events, things like that. I loved it. There were days when I worked fourteen hours and none of it felt like work. I was stupid to leave.”
I glance down at the table and up again. “I’m sorry your mountain love story didn’t work out.”
“I learned a lot about myself. That’s worth something.”
Wind rattles through the diner windows as Brelynn returns with an inauthentic grin slanted sideways on her face. “Sorry about that. We’re shorthanded and apparently the fryer is acting up.” She glances toward Tess. “What can I get you two folks who aren’t on a date?”
Tess bites back a grin as she scans the menu. “I’ll have a grilled cheese sandwich and a peppermint milkshake.”
The short blonde jots the order down on her pad then glances toward me. “And for the player?”
I’ll never get over how quickly a woman can flip the script when she’s angry.
“Lumberjack special with fries. Thanks.”
She doesn’t linger this time, thankfully.
“Man,” Tess leans in and laughs, “I think she might spit in our food. You should agree to a date just to keep the botulism at bay.”
“I think I’ll risk the food poisoning. Sorry.”
Tess rolls her eyes. “Some protector. What’s the lumberjack special?”
“I’m protecting you from starvation right now.” I fake a serious tone as I say, “The lumberjack special is gingerbread pancakes, hashbrowns, thick cut bacon, eggs, and a cinnamon roll.”
“Oh damn. Sounds like you’re saving yourself from starvation too.” For the first time all night she holds a genuine grin, and it does me in.
Why the fuck does it affect me like this?
Why the fuck do I want more. I never want more.
I’m always the first one to run, and this time, I know how it plays out.
I know she’s going back to the city. I know I’m going to jail.
I know there’s no world where a woman like Tess would ever want a man like me.
And though she’s older than Brelynn, she’s still so young.
Much too young to get serious about someone like me.
That said, I can’t stop myself from wanting to know more about her.
“You could stay another year,” I say the words in jest, though I mean them. “You can get the lumberjack special year round. It changes with the seasons, ya know. You can’t beat that kind of excitement… even in New York.”
She glares at me. “Yeah… but you can. There’s this bakery around the corner from the library where we’d have the biggest slices of cheesecake delivered at least once a week, and this bagel shop that was like, ugh, so good!
” She shrugs. “No seasonal updates, though. No wait! At Christmas time the cheesecake does come with a green and red swirl on top. I guess that means that New York wins.”
I smile, though it’s tighter than before. “So you had all this great food, a great job, the perfect life… why leave? You’re a smart girl. No way you really gave up all that for some Hallmark fantasy.”
She shrugs, deflecting again. “Well, I did. So… guess I’m not that smart after all.”
The words have barely left her mouth when the lights flicker once more and the youngest of the two children in the family across from us grabs his throat and whimpers.
Shit!
The child’s mother screams and stands, spinning in circles, panic drawn onto her face as the kid leans forward, still gripping his throat.
I slide up from the table without thought and grip him from behind. “Easy,” I murmur. “You’re okay.” I give the boy a quick squeeze, sharp and practiced.
A cough rattles through him, then another, and suddenly a piece of candy shoots from his mouth, skittering across the linoleum.
The kid gasps, sucking in air, and his mother pulls him into her arms, tears streaking her cheeks. “Thank you,” she whispers, clutching him tight. “Oh my God. Thank you so much!”
I nod, stepping back, my pulse still hammering as the music from the jukebox floods back into the room.
Tess stands before me, face pale, her gaze locked on mine before the lights flicker a final time, plunging the diner into the shadows.
The storm howls against the glass and we’re in darkness, but I feel Tess’s eyes on mine, wide and searching, softer than before.
“You just saved him,” she says, nearly a whisper.
“Yeah,” I nod, “I guess I did.”