He’d have to be careful. Keep his distance. Play it safe.
He had, though… hadn’t he? He hadn’t sought her out. Not this time.
He’d just been trying to deliver the damn Christmas tree, and the next thing he knew, she’d jumped up into his truck, offered to lend a hand, and look where that had landed him.
He shook his head.
This time wasn’t his fault.
He’d just have to make sure there wasn’t a next time.
Liam picked up his pace, weaving through the growing crowd, and joined Zach, who was just finishing securing the tree in the stand.
“Cassidy okay?” Zach asked, standing up from underneath the tree.
“Yeah, she’s great,” Liam said a bit too quickly.
He put his gloves on and tried to casually survey the scene, which meant hewascasually surveying the scene. There were kids bundled up in puffy coats, throwing snowballs while parents stood off to the side, keeping an eye on things. One tyke in particular tried to break free and scale the tree Liam had just delivered. The kid shrieked as his parents ran after him.
Liam smiled.That’s better, he thought, because if Zach had seen his earlier expression, he’d know Cassidy had him all torn up inside.
Liam couldn’t give him the satisfaction.
After all the shit Liam had given Zach over Madison, he knew he deserved it. He just couldn’t listen to it. Not right now.
And Zach wouldn’t hold back. That was just how they were.
“Hey, guys, did you get the lights?” Madison asked, joining them. “The crafting club said they left them in the gazebo yesterday,” Madison said. “They were all labeled and ready to go.”
Liam strode around to the back of the gazebo, his boots crunching over fresh snow. A second later, his angry voice cut through the chatter.
“Found them,” he called. “Or what’s left of them.”
Madison rushed over, Zach following behind. The large plastic bin was cracked open down the middle like someone had forced it apart. Shattered pieces of the lid were buried in the snow, and inside, the contents had been ransacked—some lights were still tangled around broken bits of garland, but half were missing entirely. A handful of crushed ornaments were scattered on the ground nearby, as if someone had stomped on them.
“Looks like the Gingerbread Jerk has struck again,” Zach said.
“Everything okay?” Cassidy asked, walking over to join the group.
Liam hadn’t even seen her approach. But the second he saw her, every nerve in his body, nerves he’d fought hard to control, jolted back to life.
She’d switched her coat out for a deep green one that shouldn’t have been sexy, but something about the way the wool hugged her curves made him fight not to stare.
He caught her eyes. They were bright, excited for the evening’s festivities. She looked like Christmas come to life.
“Are you okay?” Madison asked, instinctively reaching for Cassidy’s arm.
“Yep. Totally fine. I put some cream on it and changed my sweater. The rash is probably gone by now.” She smiled. “What’s going on?”
“The Gingerbread Jerk struck again,” Madison explained. “We have forty-five minutes to get the tree strung, and no lights.”
“What? No!” Cassidy looked over at the broken-bulbed mess and Liam could swear he saw steam coming out of her ears.
“I have a bin of Christmas decorations upstairs in my bedroom,” she offered. “I don’t know if I have enough lights, but it’s something.”
Madison turned to Liam. “Why don’t you run back and help her grab it?”
The question was innocent enough, but God help him, he couldn’t do it. The thought of being upstairs, in Cassidy’s bedroom—where she slept, where the scent of her would linger in the air, on the sheets, in every corner of that small space…
