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Erin clapped her hands together like a camp counselor gathering her girls. “We need to get going.”
No argument here.Brock was more than ready to hunt up the coffeepot and fish the bag of coffee out of the welcome basket and put them both to use. At least something good would come out of their unwelcome surprise. If Erin was looking for feedback—which she clearly wasn’t—Brock would say little Miss Hospitality needed to work on her hospitality skills. “That’s too bad,” he said dryly.
Liza patted Brock’s chest on her way out the door. “Be sure to tell your pawpaw I hope to meet him at the neighborhood Christmas party next week.”
“Christmas party?”
“It’s at the clubhouse,” Liza said. “Erin’s one of the co-hosts.”
“Of course she is.” Whoops. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “We wouldn’t miss it.”
“We?” Erin asked. “You’ll still be in town?”
“Disappointed?”
“Everyone’s invited.” Her voice turned saccharine sweet. “Just gathering a head count.”
“Count me in,” he said before he could rein in his runaway tongue. What was he doing? He’d planned to get Pawpaw settled and hit the road by Sunday.
“Great. Fabulous. See you then, Brick.”
He licked his teeth, flaring his nostrils like a bull ready to charge. “It’s Brock, actually.”
“Whatever,” she said and led her troop out the door.
Brock stood scowling at their retreating backs, chiding himself for getting goaded into a spat by some snot-nosed brat who lived with her grandmother. “I need caffeine,” he muttered, shutting the door. “And a lobotomy.”
ChapterFive
“I can’t believeyou invited him to the Christmas party,” Erin said to Liza as she strode down Brock’s driveway and passed his fancy, too-fast car. She had to physically stop herself from kicking snow onto his tires.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Liza asked, the picture of mature innocence. “He’s new to the neighborhood, and we’re the welcome committee. I thought that was our job.”
Erin stopped short and turned back to face her neighbors. She’d been in such a snit she’d nearly left them in the dust. “He’snot new to the neighborhood. His pawpaw is new to the neighborhood.” That wasn’t disappointment she felt worming its way under her skin. No way. Things in CCR were perfect just the way they were. Having another resident closer to her age wasn’t appealing in the least. “Why would he want to come?” she asked. “I didn’t even thinkyouwanted to come.”
“Well, I’m coming now,” Liza said with a dramatic lift to her shoulder, reminding Erin of her theatrical past. How had someone as vivacious as Liza never made it past their community playhouse? “Go ahead and count me in.”
Erin fumed, squinting against the giant ball of sun cresting the mountains in the distance. Most days, she took the time to appreciate the stunning beauty of Cherry Creek, nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. But after her run-in with Brock, all she could see was fire. “This is ridiculous. Can you actually see him standing around the clubhouse sipping eggnog wearing an ugly sweater? Chatting with residents without making them feel old and useless?”
The Christmas party was supposed to be an enchanting celebration of the season, not a stress-filled event where Erin spent time saving residents from Brock’s putdowns and dodging his accusing stares.
“I think we should give him some grace,” Mrs. Granger added. “We woke him up. Maybe he’s not a morning person. Mr. Granger is a bear in the morning until he’s had his coffee.”
Erin couldn’t believe that after the way he’d treated them, they were actually coming to his defense. “I think we could have knocked on his door any time of day and he’d have been rude.”
Liza donned a cat-who-ate-the-canary grin. “But we would have missed seeing him in his skivvies.”
Erin’s treacherous mind flashed back to Brock in his underwear. His broad chest lightly dusted with golden brown hair, his strong muscular legs, and his tantalizing tapered waist had sent Erin’s libido into overdrive. She hadn’t seen that much muscled male skin since her college spring break trip to Florida. His sexy mop of bedhead and five o’clock shadow was icing on her lady parts cake. Was it any wonder she’d been less than welcoming? “Just because he’s handsome doesn’t mean he’s nice.”
“Speaking of rude …” Mrs. Granger looped her arm through Erin’s and led her back down the sidewalk. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you be so short with someone. Is everything okay? Did something happen to Louise?”
Erin sighed through the sting of being called out for her immature behavior. “Gram is fine. I’m sorry. You’re right. I wasn’t very welcoming. He went speeding through the neighborhood the other day and almost hit me and Fluffy. It set me off.”
“I think the lady doth protest too much,” Liza said with an annoying wink. “Did you read the book? Maybe Brock is your Christmas wish come true.”
“What book?” Mrs. Granger asked.
Erin continued her childishness by rolling her eyes at Liza. Shehadread the book and every single comment in the margins. During the night, she’d considered the book’s appeal might be more than just a tale well told.
