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“She sure does,” Liam responds instead. His eyes never waver from mine. Everyone else in the room suddenly fades away.
It scares me how he still has this power over me. My skin buzzes as my body comes alive. It’s exciting yet frightening. We were going to be one of the greatest love stories. Then our story just ended.
I look away and inhale slowly. There’s a sudden heaviness inside me, making it hard to breathe. So many buried emotions are surfacing, and I’m not sure how to decipher them. I want to wrap myself up in his arms and play out the next chapter in our story, but reality rears its head, ruining those childish ideas. I go back home soon. What happens to us then?
“Why the frown?” Liam asks softly as I make my way to him. Not realizing I have my emotions on full display, I shove my pending panic back down and muster up a playful smile.
Mom chimes in, saving me. “It’s nice to see you two together again.” Not what I expected her to say. My face turns the color of my maroon panties.
“Oh, we’re not—”
“Like old times,” Dad puts his unneeded two cents in.
“This isn’t—”
“Remember that one year it snowed so bad, we worried they were going to cancel the festival. . .”
“Okay! We’re leaving now. On our friendly walk to town.” I grab Liam and drag him toward the door.
“You two have fun,” Mom says, winking at me. I roll my eyes and pull a chuckling Liam out the door.
“I think she thinks we’re on a date,” Liam says, trying to keep up with me as I speed walk down the sidewalk.
“Well, she’s wrong. This is just two friends.”
“Two friends,” he repeats, humor in his tone.
I slap him across the chest. “Stop. I mean it. The second those two get the wrong idea, my mom will pull out her wedding binder and start the planning.”
“She still has that thing?”
I look at him. “You kidding me? She’s never lost hope.”
A group of kids jump out of the bushes, throwing snowballs at each other, then run off just as fast as they appeared. I turn to Liam. “Don’t even think about it.”
His mouth twitches. “Didn’t even cross my mind.”
“Lies,” I scoff, bringing my eyes forward. “Your lips always twitch when you’re lying.”
We walk the rest of the way to town in silence. Every so often, his hand brushes against mine. I pretend not to notice, but there’s no doubt my blushing cheeks give me away. Every house we pass is lit to the hilt with holiday lights and creative manger displays.
The first time my parents ever caught us in a compromising position was in our own manger display. My mom made me go to church the next day and apologize to God for disgracing the Lord’s house, then sat me down for a very long talk about the birds and the bees.
“Are you thinking about when your parents—”
“Of course not.”
Thank God we hit the edge of town. Turning the corner, the town square comes into view, full of bustling townspeople enjoying the festivities. The gigantic tree lights up the night sky. It sparkles brightly, tinsel glittering alongside the enormous ornaments and ribbons. I wave at Helen Grant, our next-door neighbor, and watch as her small children run across the street, holding miniature nutcrackers.
“Are we hitting up Mr. Garrison’s hot chocolate stand first or the funnel cakes?”
My stomach growls. “Definitely funnel cake. I need a solid base before my stiff hot chocolate.”
“You’ve got it.” He catches me off guard when he grabs my hand and pulls me toward Kinsley’s Candy Shoppe. A giggle falls from my lips as we zigzag through the crowd, Liam making comments like, “Sorry, we have a starved sugar freak. She bites when she hasn’t had sugar. Excuse us, manic sugar patient.”
“Hey, Mrs. Kinsley.” He stops at the food cart outside the candy shop.
“Liam Cody. I heard you were back. Been hearing all the good you’ve been doin’. Your father would’ve been proud.”
Liam’s smile falters a smidge at the mention of his dad. I remember getting a call from Dad telling me about the heart attack and how his father didn’t make it.
“That’s very kind of you to say.”
“And look at you two. Welcome home, Holly. Your mother has been telling the entire town how you finally made it home for the holidays. Funny to see you two together. You were always attached at the hip. Are you—did I miss something?”
“Oh, no, no. We’re just fri—”
“Just hoping we can get one of your finest funnel cakes,” Liam intervenes. Mrs. Kinsley’s face lights up, and she nods, grabbing a fresh plate and sprinkling on a heavy amount of powdered sugar. I can’t help it. I lick my lips. Liam chuckles as he reaches out and accepts the plate. “Looks amazing, as always. How much do we owe ya?”
