Rekindled: A Holiday Romance

by Victoria J. Best

  I pulled the door open and stepped back so Bianca could enter first. The warmth of the small hall immediately enveloped us as we stepped over the threshold. It was a relief to be out of the cold evening. I immediately began to sweat under my heavy coat. Shucking my coat, Bianca did the same, and we walked across the room to where my mom and Bryce were still decorating the tree.

  “What took you so long?” Bryce began as he turned around, but when his eyes landed on Bianca, he froze, then shot me a questioning glance.

  I gave him an almost imperceptible shrug, trying to tell him without words that he shouldn’t make a big deal out of her being here. But I knew my brother, and I was certain he wasn’t going to pay any attention to my silent signals.

  “Bianca? Bianca Townsend? Is that really you?” my mother asked the words I knew my brother was thinking.

  “In the flesh,” Bianca said with a small, awkward wave.

  “Your mother didn’t tell me you were in town,” my mom added as she drifted forward to gather Bianca in for a hug.

  When I brought Bianca home after we became friends our senior year in high school, my mom instantly fell in love with her. Bianca had a way with people. She won my mom over the moment she walked in the door. After she left, my mom constantly asked me about her—if I knew where she went, if she still kept in touch—and I didn’t have any answers for her. I was sure my mother was more disappointed than I was that Bianca left.

  “Shay was the only one who knew I was coming,” Bianca said.

  Bryce gave me another questioning look at her response. I shook my head. Unless Bianca wanted to tell them, I didn’t think it was right for my entire family to know about Bianca’s family issues.

  My mom released Bianca from her embrace and stepped back to look at her. “I know it’s not under the best circumstances, but I’m so glad you’re here. You look beautiful. Garrett, doesn’t she look beautiful?”

  My mom gave me a pointed look and I cringed inwardly. Did she really expect me to answer that?

  Fuck it. “Yes, Mom, she does.”

  A slight flush rose to Bianca’s cheeks and this time it wasn’t from the cold. “Thank you.” She directed the response to my mom.

  “Bianca volunteered to help me decorate since I’m hopeless,” I said to change the subject.

  “Thank God.” My mom gripped her chest in relief. “Garrett is good at a lot of things but decorating isn’t one of them.”

  They all had a laugh at my expense. I could do nothing but shake my head.

  “If everyone is done making fun of me, can we get back to work?” I scowled at them as they continued to laugh.

  “Take it easy, Gare,” Bryce said as I walked away.

  Ignoring my brother, I stalked over to the table where I had left the box of Christmas decorations earlier. Everything was where I had left it. I tossed my coat onto a chair and began to pull more stuff from the box.

  “So, where should we start?” Bianca asked from my left.

  I turned to her, slightly embarrassed about what my mom said and still trying to shake it off. She was going to think I’d been holding a candle for her all this time, just waiting for her to come home.

  “I’m sorry about my mom,” I whispered to her as she reached into the box to help me lay out the decorations.

  Bianca chuckled, waving off my apology. “Don’t worry about it. Your mom is so sweet. I loved her English class in high school.”

  “Well, her and my brother have no boundaries. If they make you feel uncomfortable, let me know.”

  She waved her hand again. “It really didn’t. I swear.”

  Nodding, I let it go as we started to sort out the decorations. Bianca came up with a system, sorting everything according to the type of decoration first before we walked around to see where we could put things.

  “Are you sure you’re not an interior designer?” I asked her as we finished wrapping garlands around the poles and draping it from the doorways.

  Bianca chuckled. “I’m very certain. I’m a graphic designer.”

  “Oh. I remember you were really into art.” I looked away and winced at my response. Clearly, she was into art if she was a graphic designer.

  “I’m surprised you remember. It’s been a long time.” Something that seemed like regret flashed in her eyes and she looked away.

  “It’s a small town. Everyone knows everyone else’s business.”

  “That’s true. You could fart at the diner and someone out at Gandy’s Point would know within the hour.”

  We were both overcome with a laughing fit at her words. I laughed so hard my sides hurt. Doubling over with my hands on my knees, I wiped tears from the corners of my eyes. When I stood up, my brother was giving me side eye, which made me stop laughing as quickly as I started. I knew what he was thinking, he didn’t even have to say it. But if he didn’t say it, I could pretend it wasn’t happening.

  I could pretend I wasn’t falling for Bianca Townsend again after only an hour.

  5

  Bianca

  I was having fun. I was having fun with Garrett, and for the last hour I hadn’t even thought about my parents or the last words my dad had said before I’d run from their house. It suddenly dawned on me that maybe that was the reason he had asked me to come with him. Was he really that perceptive? For the moment, I wouldn’t look too much into it. We were having fun hanging out and decorating the hall. That was all.

  The looks that Garrett’s brother kept shooting him while we worked wasn’t lost on me. Looks Garrett was doing his damnedest to ignore. But I saw it and wondered what the purpose of it all was. Maybe I was reading too much into everything.

  Or maybe Garrett thought this was more than just two people who used to be friends decorating for Christmas.

  “What do you think?” Garrett asked me. My head whipped towards him as he snapped me from my thoughts.

  I looked around the hall with twinkle lights and garlands wrapped around and hanging from the walls, while little trees and trinkets decorated surfaces. It was festive, and for the first time in several years I was feeling the Christmas spirit.

  “Not to brag, but I think we did a great job.”

  Garrett chuckled. “I agree, and if that makes me vain, so be it.”

  There were a few decorations we couldn’t find a place for and we silently packed them back into the box. Garrett grabbed the box, disappearing through a back door while I gathered my coat and shrugged it on.

  Mrs. Alexander strolled over to me, gesturing around the room. “You two really dressed up this room. I had my doubts when I gave Garrett the task. It’s a good thing he found you to help him.”

  “I was happy to help.” I meant it sincerely. Though my homecoming hadn’t gone as smoothly as I’d hoped, this was the most fun I had in a while.

  “What are you doing for dinner?” Mrs. Alexander asked me.

  The question caught me off guard. For a moment, I couldn’t answer her but it wasn’t because I had plans. My parents weren’t going to ask me over and Shay was eating dinner with them. I was on my own tonight. I would likely end up with takeout in my room at the B and B.

  “Uh, not much, I don’t think. Why?” I had a feeling she was going to invite me over for dinner. I was ready to politely decline.

  She leaned in, lowering her voice, her eyes roaming around the room. “You should go grab a bite with Garrett.”

  I tried to hide my shock at her words, but I knew I wasn’t successful. One of my flaws was that everything I felt always ended up on my face.

  “Oh, uh, I don’t know. Garrett might have plans.”

  I wasn’t put off earlier when she asked Garrett if I was beautiful. Mothers sometimes said things to embarrass you. But now I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Not because I would mind having dinner with Garrett, if he asked, but because she assumed he didn’t have any plans. The last thing I wanted was for her to suggest it to Garrett and making him feel obligated to take me out, or worse, pity that I wa
s going to be alone tonight.

  “Oh, please. He doesn’t have any plans.” She waved her hand. “I won’t say anything to him, dear. Ask him yourself.” She walked away without looking back at me.

  “What’s going on?” Garrett asked, confused eyes trailing his mother as she walked away.

  I wiped my own look of confusion off my face as he turned towards me.

  “Uh, nothing. Your mom was just thanking me for my help.”

  And trying to play matchmaker.

  “She’s right,” he said.

  For a moment, I was perplexed, assuming he was admitting to having no plans tonight.

  “What?”

  “You were a big help. This place would have looked awful if I decorated it myself.”

  I breathed out a sigh. “Oh, right. You’re welcome. I didn’t mind. It was fun.”

  Garrett picked his coat up from the table, pulling it on before he turned back to me.

  “What are you up to tonight?” he asked me as we headed towards the door.

  “Nothing. I mean, I got in really late last night and didn’t sleep much. I’ll probably just turn in early.” I was completely unnerved in a way I wouldn’t have been if his mother hadn’t suggested asking him to have dinner with me.

  “Oh. I was wondering if you wanted some company for dinner, but if you’re tired, I’ll let you get some rest.” His face fell a little but he recovered quickly, schooling his features back to neutral.

  I wanted to say yes, to tell him I would love to have dinner with him, even if it was pizza straight from the box, but I wasn’t sure if he’d believe me now that I’d already made a case for being exhausted.

  “I’ll probably grab a pizza on my way back to the B and B, if you want to join me? Nothing fancy.” I watched his face as I spoke, the wheels turning. I hope he didn’t think it was a pity invite.

  “If you’re sure?”

  “I am. I’m pretty tapped out on small town encounters and everyone I’ve seen today recognizing me. That’s why I’m anxious to get back to my room.”

  I was being honest. Coming home to a small town after a long absence was exhausting. For years, I was mostly alone, minus the few friends and acquaintances I made in Florida. But it wasn’t the same as being here. No one recognized me on the streets when I was walking to work or the coffee shop. People ignored me and I liked it that way. At least, I used to.

  “Okay, let me say goodbye to my mom and Bryce, and I’ll meet you there.” He flashed me a wide smile and my stomach did a somersault.

  I was already in over my head with Garrett. Was it really such a good idea to invite him back to my room? But another thought whirled in my head as I walked to my car.

  What did I have to lose?

  6

  Bianca

  I placed the order for the pizza once I was in the car. There was only one pizza place in town, but it wasn’t busy tonight. By the time I got there, the large half-pepperoni I’d ordered was ready. After a short chat with the owner, who, like everyone I’d seen today, couldn’t believe I was back, I was on my way to the bed-and-breakfast. Exhaustion began to set into my body on the short drive to the edge of town. What I had told Garrett was true. I hadn’t arrived in Gandy’s Ridge until almost midnight the night before after a grueling almost sixteen-hour-drive. Anxiety over what my parents would say when they saw me kept me awake most of the night. The copious amounts of caffeine I consumed earlier in the day was wearing off. I was running on fumes.

  The small parking lot behind the old Victorian home was dimly lit but full. I hopped from the car, pizza in hand, and practically sprinted to the door to get out of the cold. I wasn’t sure how I had ever been used to this weather before moving to Florida. It seemed like I would never adjust now. The lobby area was deserted when I walked in, a sign next to a bell announcing the owners were only available upon request. Voices from the shared living space beyond the foyer caught my attention. I wandered towards them because it sounded like Garrett was already here.

  When I entered the small living room, Garrett sat with the two owners, a couple in their fifties who had run the B and B since before I left for Florida.

  “I thought I heard your voice,” I said as I held up the pizza to indicate I had it.

  “I was just shooting the breeze with Mr. and Mrs. Henderson until you got here,” he said.

  The way he said it made me smile. Garrett was always so helpful and friendly, which was what drew me to him before—the reason we became friends in high school. He wasn’t like any other guy I had met. Most were afraid to show emotion and that they cared about others, but not Garrett. He always helped out when and where he could around town. Though he was far from a saint. He and his brother were also known around town as practical jokers.

  “Ready for some pizza?” I asked him.

  My stomach growled as if I had asked it the question.

  “I guess you’re ready,” Garrett said with a wink as he stood, saying goodbye to the Hendersons.

  My stomach flipped over again. I smacked him playfully on the arm as we headed to the stairs. “You were supposed to pretend you didn’t hear that.”

  “And miss the chance to tease you? Never.”

  I threw a fake glare at him over my shoulder as we hiked up the stairs towards my room and was met with muted snickering. I turned right at the top of the stairs and we walked all the way to the end of the hall, where I slipped the key from my pocket and unlocked the door. The room was bigger than expected, with a little sitting area that held a table and two chairs and an en suite bathroom, unlike most bed-and-breakfasts. I set the pizza box down on the table and shucked my coat, tossing it over a small settee in front of the fireplace.

  “I wasn’t sure what kind of pizza you liked, so I got half pepperoni,” I said as we sat at the tiny table.

  The box took up the whole table, but since we didn’t have plates, it didn’t matter.

  “Any kind of meat would have been fine,” he said around a mouthful of pizza. He had shoved more than half of the large slice into his mouth.

  “So, you’re a meat and potatoes guy, huh?” I asked, grabbing my own slice and taking a huge bite.

  I closed my eyes and moaned. It wasn’t the best pizza in the world, but it was better than any pizza I’d had in Tampa. When I opened my eyes, Garrett was staring at me, the mouthful of pizza swallowed and a different kind of hunger in his eyes. My stomach did that flip again, the pizza settling in an uncomfortable lump.

  “What?” I croaked the words out.

  Garrett shook his head. “Nothing.”

  I quirked an eyebrow. “Okay.”

  We continued to eat in silence, my inane question unanswered. There was something else in the room now, something that crackled and electrified around us like a living being. I could feel it to my core, lighting me on fire in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.

  Not since that night in the back of Garrett’s truck.

  By the time the pizza was finished, we were both antsy in our chairs and unable to make eye contact. It felt awkward, but beyond that, it felt like I never wanted it to end.

  “What’s going on right now?” Garrett finally said. He was braver than I was to ask the question I was hoping wouldn’t have to be asked.

  “I don’t know. We haven’t seen each other in a long time, I don’t understand . . .” my voice trailed off as he half stood in his chair, his body angled towards me as his face closed in on mine.

  Though I was aware of what was happening, it still took my breath away when his lips touched mine. My breath whooshed out of me like a balloon deflating. The air was replaced with a different feeling, one that lit my whole body on fire in such a way that I forgot the frigid temperature outside the window. Nothing existed in the room besides Garrett’s lips on mine. My whole focus was on the feel of his lips pressed against mine as his tongue slipped between my lips and tangled with my own. I was still sitting as he leaned over the table towards me, which made it hard for me to r
each for him like I had the urge to. Instead, I planted my hands on the table to keep myself grounded in the room because the kiss threatened to propel me to the stratosphere. Just as I was losing myself, my body reacting to him in ways that it remembered doing so long ago, he pulled away.

  I looked at him, mystified. I wanted more but he left me hanging, panting, and sitting here as he pulled away from me.

  “I’m sorry,” he grumbled, remorse in his eyes.

  “For what?”

  His eyes met mine at my breathless response. His brown depths were filled with uncertainty.

  “Do you want this?” he asked, standing to move in front of me.

  I looked up at him and nodded before I stood up myself. “Yes.” I still had to look up to meet his eyes, even standing, because he was so much taller.

  “Even after all this time?”

  “Especially after all this time,” I said. After everything that had happened with my family, then and now, I didn’t want to lie to him. “You were never the reason I left, Garrett. I know we took our friendship to another level the night before I left, but that had nothing to do with why I left.”

  “There’s no way this can work, Bianca. You live thousands of miles away, I live here. Neither of us has any plans to move.”

  “Then how about we don’t think about that? How about we just let this be what it is for now? While I’m in town we can hang out, be friends with benefits.”

  Uncertainty lingered in his eyes. I could tell he wanted to say something else, add something more, but he closed his mouth and nodded.

  “Okay,” he said.

  As the word left his mouth, he wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him. He tilted my chin up with his other hand before lowering his mouth over mine again. Though he’d just kissed me less than two minutes before, I had the same reaction. It knocked the wind out of me. An electric current starting at our connected lips traveled down my whole body, planting itself firmly in my core where it came to life as a roaring fire. I wanted him in a way I hadn’t wanted another man in a long time, if ever. My body needed Garrett to take away the sting of pain my father’s rejection had left, to warm it against the icy winter night, and to calm the fear that maybe I had made a mistake ten years ago when I left him behind.