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“Oh, that guy? I mean, he gets on my nerves, but I’m sure based on the need to keep his desk organized entirely in right angles that he’s such a meticulous driver that he’ll just keep silent with his hands at ten and two and not talk at all so he’s not distracted from the road. I’ll just review my presentation on the way up and listen to some holiday music playlists on my earbuds on the way back. Easy peasy.”
Gretchen raised her eyebrow, a move I wish I could pull off half as well, telling me she didn’t buy my nonchalance.
“You sure about that? You just get this look on your face sometimes when you talk about him. Like you’re trying not to think about Mom’s pumpkin pie when it comes out of the oven the day before Thanksgiving, because you know you won’t be eating it until much, much later.”
It was these kinds of observations that made Gretchen such a kick-ass lawyer. I decided to grab the olive branch she held out to me in the kitchen earlier and try something new: confiding in my older sister.
“We’ve had a couple of...moments over the past few months. We never talked about it afterward, but I’ve seen some new sides of him throughout this process. I don’t know, obviously it’s a terrible idea. He’s from Winterberry Glen. He has a major impact on the future of our town. He could totally swoop in and try to take credit for my successes, and, of course, there’s the whole any-type-of-personal-relationship-is-against-the-state’s-parameters thing. This will be the longest time we’ve spent together, just the two of us, well, ever, so I’m a little anxious about it. I’m sure he hasn’t given it a second thought though, so I’m going to try to not give it any more myself.”
“I know I haven’t been around you a ton while you’ve been an adult,” Gretchen started, a very big-sisterly look on her face. “But if someone can inspire a conflict of the heart in you months after one or two moments, that’s not something to overlook. The role he has in the festival oversight does make things a little messy, but him being from Winterberry Glen should really be a nonissue. That’s part of the future I think you could be a driving force of, B, starting a path forward between our two towns.”
For the second time in just a few moments, I was stunned into silence by my big sister. And then, for the second time this morning, I was saved from answering a question by Cole announcing his presence, this time with a knock on the front door that I could tell meant he was annoyed that I wasn’t immediately responsive to his car honk minutes ago.
Gretchen’s eyes lit up at the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Cole in person, and I rolled my eyes as I reached for the doorknob to open the door.
And suddenly, Cole Thomas was at my front door. I didn’t miss the way his eyes took in my boots, moving up my body until those brown eyes locked on mine.
“Your blazer won’t be enough for how cold it is out here. Don’t forget a coat. Also, we’re now behind schedule, so I hope that coffee cup doesn’t mean you’ll need extra stops on the way there.”
And with that gruffly spoken non-greeting, Cole turned on his heel and headed back to his black Jeep, which he had left running on the curb to keep the heat going. He stopped on the passenger side, opened the door for me, hesitated for a moment like he wasn’t sure if he should wait for me to get in, obviously thought better of it, and walked around the front of the car to the driver’s side.
Gretchen handed me my coat, delighted at the interaction she witnessed. “Well, here’s your coat, sis. You better get going. Your pumpkin pie seems antsy to get on the road.”
I could feel my cheeks redden from her teasing, but for once, I could also see that it was good-natured.
“Bye, Gretch. I hope Mom is picking out the loudest, most annoying toys for the twins as we speak.”
I could hear her laughing as I walked down the sidewalk toward the open car door, and as I looked back after folding myself into Cole’s car and closing the door, just to be enveloped in his scent, I saw my dad had joined her at the open front door, a knowing smile on his face.
Chapter 14
Cole
We had been on the road for half of the four-hour trip to the state capitol and Blaire and I had only spoken a handful of words, but I had snuck sidelong glances at her legs in that dress and those boots at least a dozen times. I flexed my hand on the steering wheel and focused again on the road ahead of me, reminding myself I should be grateful Blaire was buried in her meeting-preparation documents.
I learned that underneath Blaire’s love of brightly colored spreadsheets was a deeply analytical and organized mind that viewed festivals as the heartbeat of a small town’s economy and a way to see into the soul of a community. It wasn’t a passion I saw myself sharing any time soon, but I could see that she was great at what she did and there was a reason she had been so successful in all the towns she had worked in before.
I was cautious to keep more of my internal workings under wraps, especially after I had revealed so much of myself at the library, but there were times those blue eyes pierced me in a way that made me feel like she could see right through me. It was unnerving, but it was also just easier to pretend I was still as much of a mystery to her as I was the day we first met.
Suddenly, Blaire blew out a heavy breath of air.
“Okay, I can’t look at these spreadsheets anymore. I’ve been over this information a million times in the past week. I’m not sure there’s anything they can ask me I won’t be ready for.”
“I think you’re right. Everything you’ve sent me is incredibly detailed and I think they’re going to be pleased with the budgets, the presale numbers for some of the ticketed events, and how you’ve arrived at your projections for general attendance.”
I chanced a glance her way and was rewarded with a gorgeous smile on her face, her appreciation for my compliment evident in her eyes.
“Thanks, Thomas. Though I do have to admit that the updates you want every week have helped shape the direction I took with the presentation. I figured since you speak money, I should follow your instincts, since I’m more likely to speak in customer satisfaction, number of twinkle lights, and cups of hot chocolate served.”
“That’s selling yourself short, Greene,” I responded. “You had all of this information in your reports all along. I just helped you pull it out and group it together, but everything you track and plan for is integral to a successful festival as well.”
Blaire turned away from me to watch the scenery pass by as we sped down the highway so I couldn’t see her expression anymore, but her voice sounded pleased as she thanked me again.
I cleared my throat, nodding at a rest stop sign we were passing.
“Do you need a stop? Or are you all set for a little while longer?”
“Well, since you’re offering, I could probably use a stop now. You may have had a point about that extra cup of coffee and us keeping to a schedule, though we’re still set to arrive an hour and a half before our meeting, so I guess we have a decent cushion.”
