Asher laughed with delight and Maisie was struck with a bone-deep desire to one day have her own family. Her own version of what Nat and Kyle, Jake and Colt, Lexi and Will, or even her parents had.
Looking at Nick, seeing he was watching her, didn’t help her fluttery emotions.
“Your turn,” Maisie said before busying herself with putting everything away.
Nick lifted the snowman cup she’d decorated and took a drink. When he lowered it, there was a bit of smoothie on his top lip. Staring at her as his tongue swiped across the spot, he pressed his mouth closed, made anmmmsound.
“Delicious,” he said. “What other secret skills are you hiding?”
Her mom and his sister laughed, maybe missing the innuendo she heard in his tone. Maisie bit the inside of her cheek, willing her face to not turn red as heat spread over her skin.
“None,” she squeaked out, grabbing a snowman smoothie for her sister. He knew all of her secrets. He’d gotten her to spill more of them in one night than other men had managed in months. She’d have to work a little harder to keep her feelings wrapped tighter or she’d fall right back into wanting him. Her future was in Seattle and his was… everywhere. It was just some holiday-induced hormones. Plus, she’d already fallen once. Twice would make her a fool.
Chapter Seven
THIS LIST WAS ABSOLUTELYridiculous. Nick stared at his phone the following morning, doing his best not to toss it in the snow. He was a good sport. Mostly. Especially off the rink and when he was with Asher, whom he wanted to be a good role model for. This was about fun and Christmas memories. If, in the process, he happened to show Maisie that there was more to him than he’d shown her that night, all the better. Well, actually, he’d shown her more of himself than he had any other woman. What he really wanted was to show her he wasn’t the man he’d shown heraftertheir night together.
If it weren’t for Asher jumping up and down, all but vibrating with excitement, Nick might have complained out loud. Instead, he was standing in a semicircle with Kyle, Colton, Jacob,andAsher trying to decide where to start.
“What’s Seek and Share?” he asked, reading Maisie’s group text.
“It’s a scavenger hunt app. We don’t all need it. I’m logging in now,” Colton said, tapping his phone.
Nick continued to stare at the list, keeping his thoughts to himself.
Tree Farm Scavenger Hunt: You must find or do all the things on the list and upload your photos to Seek and Share. Your whole group needs to be in the photo.
3 snow angels in a row
A Douglas fir
A tree lot employee next to a tree
A strand of twinkle lights, lit up
Footprints in the snow
A sign that says Christmas
Tire tracks
A hot, to-go beverage
An axe
The rings of a tree stump
Nick held up his phone. “How the hell are we supposed to know which ones are Douglas firs?”
“Bad word, Uncle Nick.”
Nick rolled his eyes but patted his nephew’s shoulder. “Sorry, bud.”
“We can ask Bob,” Asher said, taking Nick’s hand.
The five of them started walking out of Ellie’s yard and toward the tree lot.
Nick thought about who he’d met on Ellie’s staff yesterday. “The farm manager?”
