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“No rush, but I picked up dinner if you want to eat.”
“I’ll be right there.” It seemed like ages since she’d had lunch with Jaxon… and overstepped.
Time to come clean.
“Jaxon messaged me, so I picked up a couple of dishes to go from the restaurant. I hope you like chicken pad Thai,” Nick told her when she arrived in the kitchen and took a stool at the breakfast bar where he’d set out their dinner. She’d pulled her long, dark hair into a messy bun, and dressed in a pair of pajamas since she didn’t want to re-dress after her bath. She had deliberately chosen the least sexy ones she had so nobody got the wrong idea, and now she worried that she looked a little too underdressed in her red and green tartan Christmas pjs with little printed bears wearing Santa hats on them. Especially since Nick was dressed in his customary suit.
Oh well, too late now.
“Mmm… it smells amazing. If it’s anything like the dinner I had the other night, I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.”
“You can pretty much guarantee that anything Jaxon cooks will be delicious,” Nick told her, and Holly almost choked on her noodles.
“Jaxon’s a chef?” she exclaimed. “Oh my Lord, I thought he was a kitchen hand.” She covered her face with her hands. “I’ve probably made some really stupid comments because of that assumption. I can’t believe I told him about my pastry-making classes.”
Nick quirked an eyebrow, a half-smile tilting his lips. “Would this be the time to tell you that Jaxon actually owns the restaurant as well?” he asked, his voice laced with humor.
“Oh wow!” Holly groaned. “He must have thought I was a right idiot.”
“Actually, I’m pretty certain he enjoyed the fact that you wanted to spend time with him for no other reason than you like his company.”
“Umm… yeah, about that,” Holly stared into the dish she’d almost finished. “I owe you an apology, and I want to preface that by saying it was all my fault. Jaxon was in no way complicit.”
Nick frowned and tipped his head to one side. “Go on,” he rumbled in his smooth as velvet voice.
Don’t get side-tracked, hussy!
“Well, I kind of... ah...” God, this was difficult. “Well, I err...”
“Pretty sure you said that twice now,” Nick chuckled as he picked up their empty dishes and walked over to the dishwasher.
“I kissed him,” Holly blurted out, standing by her stool and wringing her hands together.
There was a clatter of cutlery and the chink of china as Nick continued to stack the dirty dishes.
Was he angry?
“I’m really sorry. It was unforgivable, I know. I’ll understand if you want me to move out.”
Nick moved back to stand in front of her, and lifted her chin with his finger when she was unable to meet his eyes. “Holly, why would you think that’s a problem? I’m not Jaxon’s keeper. It’s up to him who he kisses.”
Holly shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand. Don’t you care if he cheats? What about your relationship?”
Nick’s eyebrows shot up, his eyes wide. “Our relationship? Holly, just what sort of relationship do you think Jaxon and I have?”
Holly frowned, suddenly unsure. “Well, you’re involved, aren’t you? You live together.”
Nick chuckled softly, his lips quirking in amusement, devilment shining in his dark brown eyes. In fact, the way his lips were twitching, he looked like he was trying not to burst out laughing.
He took a moment and rubbed his hand over his mouth like he was trying to cover his amusement. "Holly... how can I put this? Yes, we live together, but we're not involved in that way, not romantically involved. Jaxon is like a brother to me. That’s all there is to it.”
"Really?" she asked, not wholly convinced. "It doesn't seem like a regular thing for men your age to be living together."
They were what? Both into their thirties, certainly.
Nick shrugged like he didn’t really care what anyone else thought of their living arrangements. “We’ve been friends since we were kids, and since building land is at a premium here in Leavenworth, we decided to pool our resources. Jaxon had a plot of land he inherited, and at a time when he was pouring all his money into establishing the restaurant, I had the resources to build on it. And, of course, Kris needed..."
"Kris lives here too?" Holly squeaked, feeling her stomach bottom out.
