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“You’re happy,” Hadlee notes, reaching for one of the gingerbread cookies cooling on the counter. I smack her hand, but I grin despite myself. “I’m glad you’re finally smiling again.”
“What are you talking about, ‘smiling again’?” I ask as the timer goes off. I spin on my heel, turning the oven off and pulling the last batch out. “I’m always smiling.”
“No, this is different,” she says, her mouth full. I turn back to find she’s bitten the arm off of one of the cookies, and she smiles sheepishly when I glare half-heartedly at her. “You’re actually happy.”
“So?”
“So?” She scoffs. “So, you haven’t been this kind of happy in ages, Jana, and it’s not just happiness. It’s…it’s love.”
Love?
“Don’t be silly,” I say with a laugh. I shift the cookies to a cooling rack before dumping the hot pan into the sink. “I’m not in love with anyone.”
“Think about it, J.” She takes another bite of the cookie and sighs out a moan. “These tastejustlike Mama T’s.”
“That’s because I used her recipe,” I say, brushing off the ‘love’ comment.I’m not in love with Alex. That’s just ridiculous. “Could you please clean up the Christmas boxes? Alex and the girls will be here any minute.”
“Alex and the girls,” she mocks, but I simply smile and roll my eyes. Hadlee takes another bite from the stolen cookie and saunters around the couch. “Sorry that I won’t be here for movie night with the girls.”
“It’s fine, Lee,” I say, reaching for a piping bag. My hands shake, and I lift my gaze to Hadlee. She’s busy cleaning up her mess, so she doesn’t see the way her words have shaken me.Love isn’t in my plans here. Alex is just a friend, nothing more…right?
Hadlee leaves a few minutes later, calling over her shoulder, “Don’t wait up!”
The door slams shut, and silence settles around me. Sighing out a breath, I steady my shaking hand with the other one and focus on decorating the cookies. I appreciate the peace as I pipe out the eyes, but my mind keeps returning to her comment.
It’s been years since I was single. I had one boyfriend in junior high, but that ended horribly just before graduation. It wasn’t until I went to Columbia that I met Jonathan. Three years ended with him in bed with his TA, me with a broken heart, and then there was George.Oh, George.
I need a break from love and dating.
I came back to Harmony to get over George, not to find myself a new beau. Is Hadlee right? Am I throwing myself headfirst into a new relationship where I thought I was creating a friendship?
I don’t know.
I pipe buttons and bows onto the gingerbread men, gnawing on my bottom lip as I go.
I wasn’t looking for anything, but somehow, I’ve ended up here. My friendship with Alex has been nothing short of beautiful, and I have no intention of ruining that. Falling in love is not in the plans.
Would it be so bad?
No. Loving Alex would be easy.Too easy.
There’s a knock on the door, startling me. My hand slips, and the buttons I was piping turn into a messy squiggle across the gingerbread man’s chest.Dammit. I blow out my breath and set the icing down. A soft, scattered knock sounds again, and I can’t help the laugh that seeps out.
Morgan and Maddie stand on my porch in matching pajamas, boots, and big pink coats. I grin as I usher them inside, my heart warming.
“What movie are we watching, Miss Jana?” Maddie asks, already shedding her winter gear. The door clicks closed, and I feel Alex’s presence at my back.
“I have two movies to pick from,” I tell her, enjoying the way her face lights in excitement. “Why don’t you and Morgan go pick which one we watch first?”
The squeals of excitement bring goosebumps to my skin, and I smile, watching them rush into the living room. Alex’s warm breath on the back of my neck sends heat down my spine and causes my pulse to skyrocket.
“Thanks for having us over, Jana,” he says, his breath caressing my ear and neck. I swallow, trying to pretend I wasn’t literally just thinking about how easy he would be to love.
“Of course. I love having the girls over,” I say, turning around quickly. It’s a mistake.
Alex is so close, our chests brush, and I can see his Adam’s apple bob when he swallows. I stumble back a step, lifting my gaze to his as his hand shoots out to rest on my hip, as if he’s worried I’ll fall over in my retreat.
“Just the girls?” he asks, his voice low. There’s something in his expression that has me moving closer without thought. My hands rest on his chest as he lifts his free hand to brush a stray curl from my eyes, the pads of his fingers rough as they skim over my cheek.
