Page 36 of Big Package
“Go away.”
Janice clucked her tongue but headed back toward the refreshment table.
When the counter cleared, Cole came closer. “You’re busy.”
“Very.”
“That’s good.” His hand rested on mine for two seconds at most, and there was something easy about it that hadn’t been there before. I liked that even more than the kissing, which seemed dangerous.
“Have you eaten anything yet?” he asked.
I hesitated.
“Emmy.”
“I had half a cookie.”
“That’s not food.”
“That’s what Janice says about peppermint mochas.”
“Janice is right.”
“I don’t like this alliance.”
Cole held up a paper bag. “I brought you dinner.”
I looked at it, then at him. “You planned ahead?”
“You forget to eat when you’re busy.”
That took some of the teasing out of me.
Across the shop, Delaney caught my eye and tipped her head toward the back, letting me know she had the register covered.
A few minutes later, Cole and I stood in the stockroom with sandwiches and fries from Hog & Hickory while the noise of the festival filtered through the wall.
“How’s the tree?” he asked.
“Almost full. I haven’t read yours.”
“I bet you’ve thought about it.”
“Constantly.”
He seemed different tonight, settled, like being here wasn’t something he was fighting himself over. That made it harder not to ask what had been circling my mind all day.
“What happens after Christmas?”
Cole went still.
“With us,” I added. “I’m not asking for a five-year plan. I just don’t want to pretend this only happened because of the storm.”
“It didn’t.”
Relief loosened my chest. “I don’t know exactly what it is yet, but I’d like to find out.”
His jaw tightened. His gaze slid away from mine for half a second. The wall was going up. I recognized it now and wasn’t going to let him keep me out.
