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She’d made a mess of things, and she knew it. George had wanted her to stay, but she’d walked out on him, needing to put distance between herself and the situation. What must he think of her now?

And more importantly, what was she going to do about it?

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“I think I’m actually getting good at this,” Nicole said, carefully clipping another strand of lights to the gutter. From her perch on the ladder, she had a perfect view of Main Street, where the shops were glowing with warm holiday cheer. “You might want to watch out, Henry. Give me another week and I’ll be putting up these elaborate light displays all by myself.”

Henry’s laugh drifted up from below, where he was feeding her more of the LED string lights. “Is that so? Because I seem to remember you asking me what the difference between two types of bulbs was just an hour ago.”

“Minor details,” Nicole said airily, waving a free hand as she reached for the next section. “The important thing is that I’m mastering the art of not tangling myself in the lights. That’s real progress.”

“I’ll give you that,” Henry said, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “You’ve only gotten tangled twice today. That’s a significant improvement.”

Nicole looked down to give him a mock glare and immediately regretted it. The ground seemed much farther away than it had a moment ago, and the ladder suddenly felt less stable. She grabbed for the gutter as she lost her balance and missed.

For one heart-stopping moment, she felt herself tipping backward, the world tilting at a sickening angle. The strand of lights slipped from her other hand, and she heard herself gasp as she felt herself start to fall.

The next moment, strong arms wrapped around her, steadying her and catching her against a solid chest. Henry set her down gently, but he didn’t let go of her immediately, his hands staying on her waist until he was sure she had her footing.

“I’ve got you,” he said, his voice close to her ear. “You’re okay.”

Nicole’s heart was hammering so loudly she could hear it in her ears. She looked up and realized how close they were—close enough that she could see the exact color of Henry’s dark eyes, the wisps of gray in his brown hair and flecked in his stubble… which she liked, she realized. Carl had always been clean-shaven, and secretly she suspected he’d been dyeing his incoming grays, but she liked Henry’s silver-flecked hair and the rustic appeal of his stubble. And she was close enough to smell his cologne too, she realized—something salty and woodsy that reminded her of a rocky New England beach.

Had he always worn that? Why hadn’t she noticed before?

“Thank you,” she managed, her voice coming out breathier than she’d intended. “That was… that could have been bad.”

“You’re safe,” Henry said, his hands were still at her waist, steadying her. “Are you okay? Do you need a minute?”

He had a small scar above his eyebrow, she noticed. His hair had a slight wave to it when there was going to be damp weather, like today. How had she not noticed how much she liked those features before?

She’d seen him every day for the last couple of weeks, but somehow in this moment, with his hands on her waist and his eyes searching her face with concern, it all felt different.

“I’m okay,” she said quickly, although her hands were trembling slightly. “Just startled. And maybe a little embarrassed about all that bragging I was doing right before I nearly fell.”

Henry chuckled. “Well, in your defense, you really were doing well up until that point.”

“Well, let’s get back to it so I can make up for that misstep,” Nicole said with a nervous laugh, and began climbing the ladder again, determined to focus this time. To her relief, they fell back into their rhythm quickly, and in no time, the edge of the house was wreathed in strings of lights.

They worked together to pack up the supplies, falling into the easy flow they’d developed over the past few weeks. The sun was beginning to set, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. Nicole pulled her coat tighter around herself, grateful for the thick knitted scarf wrapped around her neck—one of her own creations from earlier in the fall.

“So,” Henry said as they loaded the last of the equipment into his truck, “how are things going with your projects for the holiday market?”

Nicole felt a flutter of nervous excitement in her stomach. She’d been working on her pieces nonstop when she wasn’t at work with Henry, and sometimes even while she was—on lunch breaks and during slow points in the day back at the shop—pouring her heart into each stitch, but she hadn’t shown them to anyone yet. The thought of revealing them still made her anxious.

She took a bolstering breath. “They’re coming along really well, actually,” she said. “I’m pretty happy with how everything turned out. Would you…” She paused, gathering her courage. “Would you like to see them? I have everything up at the B&B.”

Henry’s face lit up with genuine interest. “I’d love to see them. I’ve been curious about what you’ve been working on.”

“Then let’s go,” Nicole said, surprised by how much she wanted to share this with him. “Fair warning though—I have a lot of opinions about different yarn weights and stitch patterns, and I might subject you to all of them on the drive over.”

“I’m prepared to be educated,” Henry said with a grin.

They dropped off the equipment at the shop and then headed over to the B&B. Nicole took in a long look at it as Henry parked, feeling as if she’d never quite get over how perfect it looked. At this time of day, there was warm light spilling from the windows, and she could see the Christmas tree twinkling in the living room.

Inside, the front room was even cozier than it had looked from the outside. A fire crackled in the stone fireplace, filling the air with warmth and the pleasant scent of burning wood. The room was empty except for them, most of the other guests apparently out enjoying the evening. Nicole soaked in the warmth, happy to be inside after a day out working in the elements.

“This is perfect,” Nicole said, gesturing toward the comfortable chairs arranged near the fire. “Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll run upstairs to grab everything?”