Page 73 of One Kind Soul

She’s staying.

He was utterly shocked that a simple offer to pick up Tessa’s best friend had landed him here. He’d said I love you to Nicole. That was huge. He’d never been with another woman long enough to consider saying those words, let alone actually feel that way. His long streak of being friends was over. He had something real, something deep, something soul-filling with Nicole now and his life was going to be so much better with her in it.

He was eager to help her find work in town. Maplehaven had lots of possibilities and he knew a ton of people so he was certain he could connect her with someone looking for help. Nicole had mentioned doing something other than waitressing or bartending and he wondered what other skills and interests she had. What jobs had she had before finding employment at The Nalu Resort? She’d said she’d grown up in California, but other than her sister’s terrible treatment, he didn’t know a ton about her past. Now that she was staying in Vermont, however, he had plenty of time to ask questions and fall for her even more.

She probably had questions about him too, not that his past was all that mysterious or interesting. He’d lived in Maplehaven his entire life, had gone to Ireland several times to visit his parents, worked odd jobs always outside, then he’d landed the manager position at Shepherd Orchard and Farm before inheriting the place. He had his family and his friends and little luck in the love department until Nicole had come into his life.

Now his future would have love and he was ready to give Nicole the best of him.

Christian checked the time on his phone. Hopefully Nicole was on her way back from seeing Tessa and when his brothers returned from a supply run at the hardware store, they all could work on the porch together. He knew Nicole wouldn’t mind pitching in. She’d proven that with the store cleanup.

He continued sanding the banister, flaking off loose paint and smoothing the wood so he could repaint it. He couldn’t wait to plant shrubs and flowers in the beds on either side of the stairs and give the place a friendly, welcoming feeling. He bet Nicole had some ideas for sprucing up the house’s landscape and he was open to her suggestions. He wanted this place to be hers too.

A car door sounded from the driveway and he figured it was his brothers, but when he turned around, he was delighted to see Nicole instead.

“Hey, Nixen. Was Tessa excited to hear you’re staying?”

As Nicole closed the distance between them, he noticed two things. The first was the not-so-happy expression on her face. The second was a large manila envelope in her hand.

“What’s up, baby?” He put the sander down and brushed chips of paint off his T-shirt.

She smacked the envelope up against his chest and his hands came up to grab it. She let go and marched past him. “The words I love you don’t mean anything to you, do they?”

“What? Of course they do.” He looked at the envelope which had no markings on the outside.

“Okay. Maybe they mean something different to you than they do to me then. Or do you say them to all the honeys so you can get into their pants?”

“Hold on a minute here.” He was shocked by her tone and the . . . the rage swirling around her. “What is happening? What’s in here?” He held up the envelope, somewhat afraid to open it.

“Oh, that? That’s proof Tessa was right to warn me about you. You don’t do serious relationships. I thought I made you feel something, Christian. Something you haven’t felt with anyone else.”

“You have,” he said. “You absolutely have. I’ve never told any other woman I love her. Just you. I only want you, Nicole.”

“Well, who the hell are they then?” She thrust her hand at the envelope still in his hands.

He flipped up the flap and peeked inside. Photos. Christian pulled them out and clenched his jaw. Staring back at him were the twins from yesterday. He didn’t remember their names, but the pictures sure looked as if all three of them were . . . close.

“I met these two yesterday.” He flipped through the photographs, each one looking more suggestive than the next. “They bought me a dessert at Mountain View Pizza, but I didn’t eat it. I went over to tell them I wasn’t up for grabs, Nixen. I swear to you.”

“You all look pretty cozy in those pictures.” She folded her arms across her chest, but he had to believe the fact that she wasn’t marching away was a good sign. She was willing to listen to him.

“We do. I’ll grant you that, but I politely told them no thanks because I was taken.” He gestured to Nicole. “By you. Then I asked Kyle, the owner, to hook them up with a dessert or a drink as a welcome to Maplehaven. After that, I walked away. Honest.”

“Why does one of them have her leg against yours?” Her foot tapped impatiently.

“Because she was presumptuous. They both were. They actually offered me a threesome, but I stayed firm in my refusal.” He tossed the photos and the envelope onto the porch, not wanting to look at them anymore.

“I quit my job, Christian. To stay here with you. I never would have done that if we didn’t have something here.” She flipped her hand between the two of them.

“We definitely have something here. I didn’t hook up with them, Nicole, because I love you, like I told you. I wasn’t only saying it because I was supposed to say it or because it was what you wanted to hear. I said it because it’s true. It’s the truest thing I know.” He took a few steps closer, noting her tense stance had loosened a bit. “I love you.” He motioned to the photos. “No set of random redhead twins I’ve never met before is going to change that.”

“You’ve never met them before?”

Christian shook his head.

“Never seen them around town?”

“Nope. They said they’d just moved here.”