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Blaire smirked at me knowingly, probably remembering the same thing I was—how our initial meeting with Rick had gone over the summer—but surprisingly she didn’t fight me on it. Even if we were pretending it hadn’t happened, I definitely couldn’t stand the idea of watching Rick and his whole Blaire Bear routine after knowing how perfectly Blaire Bear and I fit together.
“Thanks, Cole, that’ll be a big help. I’ll pop over once the lamppost situation is sorted.”
With that, she and Todd walked away toward a small crowd of people gathered around some big plastic tubs next to a light pole in front of the town post office. I watched her grab her clipboard out of her bag and go over a few other things with Todd on the way, and I had to once again admire her organization and that she was just damn good at her job.
All at once I realized I was standing still, in the middle of a Christmas festival, holding a Christmassy-themed drink and headed to talk to a man about a temporary ice rink.
Only for Blaire Greene, I thought to myself, heading over to the parking lot where the Ice, Ice Baby Rinks trucks were parked.
Blaire
It was one thing after another that needed my attention that morning.
After the lamppost decorations were sorted out—the fuse in the light strings just needed to be replaced—the Christmas Market vendor stalls needed to be signed for, Susie needed a taste test on the final recipe for the cookie-decorating contest—anytime Susie, anytime—and a million other small details flowed my way. This was honestly what I lived for, the final days before a festival opened, when months of planning and hard work seemed to come together.
What was different this time was the awareness I had of where Cole was the entire morning. I wasn’t even entirely sure why he was here, but what I was sure about was the way I felt my heart flutter in my chest when I saw him standing there in my town square, gazing at that Christmas tree. Oh sure, I knew what sort of professional affect I was projecting, but it was only my love for this town and this festival that was keeping me from melting into a pile of goo over memories of that night on a regular basis. I prided myself on being a woman who put herself and her career first, which is why I had put forward the suggestion that we leave those wonderful, mind-blowing, orgasmic activities behind in that room. But Cole was testing all my pre-existing rules and patterns. And when I looked him in the eye as I handed him my extra peppermint mocha? It certainly made me wonder if he was just projecting his professional outward appearance toward me as well.
I couldn’t help comparing Cole to Mason, the government official I had dated in one of my previous towns. He would never be caught dead outside in temperate weather working on festival setup, let alone on a cold day like today. Now that my rose-colored glasses were removed, Mason was only interested in being around the festival when he could interject in front of someone important, whether it be the mayor or the press, to take credit for my work and my accomplishments. Even though the next job I took was only in the next county, my usefulness to Mason ended when my contract did and he unceremoniously dumped me for one of the reporters who had always been making eyes at him during our press conferences.
I’m not sure I would admit it to Cole’s face anytime soon, but it was honestly a huge help to have him around. He knew the schedule and the details almost as well as I did, so since I couldn’t be in more than one place at a time, it was comforting to know he was in some of those places for me instead. And I was surprised to find that I trusted him to stand in for me; while Cole might not get Christmas, he does get organization and details, so I knew he wouldn’t let anything slip through.
After he was done overseeing the ice rink unloading—Rick wasn’t scheduled to be here today, but I didn’t let Cole know that ahead of time. I may trust him with my festival schedule, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun, right?—Cole migrated back to where the vendor stalls were being unloaded and was helping the Merry Market crew space out the stalls according to the diagram I had worked up. Occasionally, when I found my gaze wandering toward him, I found him looking back at me as well. Seems like I wasn’t the only one who was aware of my surroundings today.
We danced around each other in the town square all morning, until I had to go into the community center to meet with the volunteers that would be manning the festival headquarters over the next few weeks. We went over frequently asked questions, first aid and emergency procedures, and then ran through the brochure I had produced to hand out to visitors and guests. I was fielding questions from the volunteers when I noticed Cole standing in the back of the room, paper bag in hand. I caught his eye and raised my eyebrow in question to him, which he answered with a small wave, leaning his back against the wall, and pulling out his phone, indicating he was planning to wait there until I was done. Wrapping up with the volunteers, I left them with the sign-up sheets for coverage shifts and made my way back toward Cole.
“I noticed you hadn’t stopped for anything to eat and it’s well past lunchtime, so I went into Jitters, found Susie behind the counter, and asked her what your favorite sandwich was and had her make you one. Actually, I had her make two and I can see why you love the chicken salad croissant so much. It was delicious.”
“That’s two instances of Holly Ridge food and drink in one day, Thomas. You going to be okay?” I teased as I grabbed the paper bag from him.
“But thanks for doing that. You’re right, I’ve just been going, going all day. I hadn’t realized how hungry I had gotten and may not have stopped to grab something if I was left to my own devices.”
His mouth curled into a soft smile, the corner of his eyes crinkling to cap off the pleased look on his face.
“You’re welcome, Greene. I guess I’m open to trying out new things recently.”
The innuendo sat between us like a roaring fire, trying to melt the ice wall we had built between us with all the reasons and circumstances we couldn’t act on this attraction that was becoming impossible to ignore anytime we were together. As much as I wanted to stoke it, the room full of Holly Ridge residents around us and the official roles we played for the festival were too present in the room to allow me to do so.
“Well, my stomach appreciates it. Passing out would not be a good look for a festival planner.”
The light in Cole’s eyes dimmed slightly when I didn’t grab at the chestnut roasting stick he had metaphorically offered me, with an expression of resigned understanding passing over his face. Then it was back to tight-ass-Cole demeanor, very official and distant.
“I’ve got to head back to Winterberry Glen to get ready for dinner with my mom. I’m telling her about the job tonight, so figured I would actually cook something tonight instead of picking up food. That shouldn’t tip her off or anything.”
Apparently, the Cole in front of me was not as distant as appearances would have me believe. I was glad that even though I had shut down the flirtation avenue moments ago, Cole was still sharing with me.
“Good luck with that conversation, and with the cooking. I guess I’ll see you around?”
He nodded and started walking backward out of the community center, hands in his pockets and eyes on mine.
“I’ll probably be back to check on setup again sometime this week. Let me know if anything comes up you need me for.”
I lifted the hand not holding the paper bag in a wave before he finally turned around and pushed out the front door, realizing for the first time the truth in the statement “I hated to watch him go, but loved to watch him leave.”
Chapter 21
Cole
I stood at the stove in my mom’s kitchen, mindlessly stirring the sauce that was simmering along, while the noodles cooked in a boiling pot on the next burner. Yes, cooking for me often meant pasta, but the sauce was made from scratch with my mom’s family recipe, so it was technically homemade. I hadn’t had much call for learning how to cook as an adult, eating dinner on my own most nights, so I took pride in my sauce making. Mom told me it was even better than hers, but I think that might have been her mom-goggles talking.
