Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
SYANNE
“ T hanks for having me over for lunch, Ms. Nicholson.” I pass my empty plate to Reid, who’s gathering our dirty dishes.
“You’re welcome, dear. But call me Nanna.”
Reid stiffens at her suggestion but doesn’t make a comment. I understand why he doesn’t want me to get cozy with her, though I’m starting to wish he felt differently.
Turns out the two of us worked together like a well-oiled machine when he joined in the cookie-making at my cabin. All the while, he kept me in stitches with stories about him and his brother as teens getting into mischief.
I suspect he hasn’t talked about his sibling in years, and it seemed to be cathartic. I hope so—I can’t imagine the pain of losing your whole family at once.
“Can we have cookies for dessert, Syanne?” Reid stands, retrieving the dirty silverware.
“Absolutely,” I say. “Bring the whole container.”
When he disappears into the kitchen with his load, I lean close to Nanna and lower my voice. “You don’t happen to have the recipe for the mint brownies his mom made every Christmas, do you? Reid mentioned them, and I’d love to surprise him with a batch.”
“Hmm…” She scrunches her face, then her brows arch high. “You know, Shari’s recipe might be in the St. Nick’s Cookbook. Let me see.”
She shuffles to a side table, covered with a plethora of Christmas decorations she’s added since I saw it last night, and snags a small spiral-bound book from the drawer. Flipping it open, she scans a page near the front and smiles. “It’s right here—listed as Chocolate Mint Brownie Bars. She always used red and green food coloring in the mint layer to make them festive.”
What a stroke of luck that his mother used a recipe from a book instead of one scribbled on a note card.
“Thanks! I’ll make these tonight and surprise him tomorrow.”
“Shari liked to keep them frozen.” Nanna whispers, glancing toward the kitchen door. “They’re good right out of the freezer, and you cut them with a warm knife.”
I tuck the book inside my purse just as Reid returns with the cookies. Finally, I have a way to pay him back for everything he’s done for me. But for his intervention, I might still be in Houston. I couldn’t have handled a four-hour flight sitting next to Grant.
I munch on a Peanut Butter Blossom, grinning as Nanna teases Reid about needing a shave. Personally, I love the scruffy look, but I keep my mouth shut.
Though Reid’s gone a long way toward restoring my faith in men, I wish I could find something wrong with him. He’s so hot he could’ve stepped off the cover of a romance novel. Add in rescuing me from Grant and his sweet demeanor with his grandma, and I’m practically falling for him. But that can’t happen—at least not now. After Grant’s emotional abuse, I need time to heal.
Don’t I ?
“These Ginger Crinkle Cookies are delicious,” Reid says. “I love chocolate, but these may be my favorite.”
“What do you two have planned for the afternoon?” Nanna wipes her fingers on a napkin.
“Reid promised to help me build a snowman.” I bounce in my seat. “I’ve never made one before.”
“Never?” Nanna exclaims the same way Reid did when I told him.
“We don’t get much snow where I grew up in Texas. And the one time it snowed enough to build one, we were visiting cousins in Florida.”
“Do you want to come, Nanna?” Reid asks.
“No, dear. I’ll stay here by the fireplace. But I’ve got some old hats and scarves you can use. And carrots in the fridge.”
Fifteen minutes later, I’m bundled up helping Reid roll snow into a ball. Pushing the ever-enlarging snowball with the sun beating down on us, I find myself shedding my heavy coat, despite temperatures in the twenties. By the time the second section is formed and we’re trying to lift it onto the base, Reid is down to a short-sleeved shirt, his muscles straining against the fabric in an enticing display.
The temptation to gawk is too great, and Reid catches me slacking. “Are you lifting your end?”
“Sorry.” I concentrate on the task, grateful for the cold as an excuse for my reddened face.
“It’s been so long since I made one of these. I think my brother Tanner and I were in college.”
“You two were close in age? ”
“Three years apart.” Reid takes a few steps back and wilts against the stair rail like he barely has energy to stay upright. “Tanner was always cutting up—never serious about anything. I lectured him all the time to remember what was important. Turns out I had it all wrong. Those things I thought were important—I’d have traded them all for one more day with my family.”
The pain in his voice is killing me. I don’t know what to say, so I take my place beside him, a few inches away, both of us staring silently at the unfinished snowman. If Reid has to suffer, he doesn’t have to do it alone.
After a few minutes, our shoulders are somehow touching. Then his arm is around me, tugging me even closer, and a shiver ripples down my spine. How can a hug affect me like that, through multiple layers of clothes?
I tilt my head to rest it against his chest, reminding myself that this doesn’t mean anything. He’s simply mourning his loss. And I’m simply here to comfort him. We’re friends—nothing more.
Then he shifts in front of me, and his hands—somehow gloveless—are lifting my face toward his. And the heat shining in his hazel eyes looks way beyond friendly.
My heart thuds so hard I’m sure he can hear it.
He lowers his mouth until it’s brushing my ear. “Syanne,” he whispers, “can I kiss you?”
The answer should be no . It must be. I open my mouth to say it.
“Yes, please…”