Snow Days (The Hope Falls Series)

by Shawn, Melanie

“It might even be fun. And listen, it’s not a real ‘date.’ Just something to restore your faith back in the practice of dating. Think of it as one friend helping another out,” he said encouragingly. He was surprised at how much he wanted her to say yes.

  “Are you asking because Eric wanted you to keep an eye on me?” she asked hesitantly.

  Hell no.

  Matt tried to keep his tone light. “No, I just thought it might be fun.”

  “Okay,” she finally agreed. With those words, the air around them changed. It felt different, like it had just become electrically charged.

  “Friday?” he asked quickly before she changed her mind.

  “Okay,” she nodded.

  “Eight o’clock?”

  “Okay,” she repeated just as the bell sounded, ending lunch.

  As they headed back to the main building, Matt tried to figure out how he felt about what had just transpired. He had a date. And it wasn’t one that he was going on just to make his family and friends happy.

  He could rationalize that he’d only asked Amy out as a friend. That he didn’t want her to end phase one on such a bad note. But the truth was he wanted to go out with her, see her outside of school. The more time he spent around Amy, the more time he wanted to spend with her.

  “See you at prep,” Amy said sweetly as she turned down the corridor toward her homeroom.

  “See you then.” Matt was already counting the minutes.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Amy looked around nervously as she practically bounced off the seat of the cab in Matt’s truck when he went over a speed bump while they drove down the middle of Main Street. It didn’t seem like anyone was taking particular notice of them. The street was fairly quiet for a Friday night. There were several couples huddled together as they made their way into the various establishments that lined the street.

  Still, Amy’s gut told her that she should have insisted to meet Matt at the restaurant. If anyone saw them together, it would not only be all over the school but the entire town as well. He had just been so adamant about picking her up so that she could have a true “date” experience that she hadn’t been able to stick to her guns. She’d only made the rule in the first place because she normally met her dates in Tahoe and didn’t want a bunch of random guys knowing where she lived.

  “So you grew up in Hope Falls, right?” Matt asked.

  “Yep.” Amy knew that she was definitely not holding up her end of the conversation and being the best “date.” She was honestly trying her best, but she was so nervous she thought she might throw up. She knew she wasn’t responding or behaving normally, but she wasn’t sure how to calm her nerves. Sleep deprivation might be another issue she was dealing with. She’d hardly gotten a wink of sleep this entire week in anticipation for this night.

  Matt, she’d noticed, seemed a little off as well. If Amy didn’t know any better, she would say that he was just as nervous as she was. But that was ridiculous. He was probably just tired from a long week. He just wasn’t talking like he normally did. He had been fairly quiet so far, except for complimenting her on her dress, which had made her insides melt into a puddle of mush.

  It wasn’t just what he’d said, it was the way he’d said it. The look in his eye. The sound of his voice. They both had been filled with pure, unadulterated appreciation.

  Amy had purchased a new ‘little black dress’ and a pretty underwear set for the occasion. She’d also bought by far the most daring pair of high heels she’d ever owned. And they were fire engine red. After straightening her hair, applying a coat of mascara and lipstick, and slipping on her flirty dress and sexy high heels, Amy had barely recognized the woman staring back at her in the mirror.

  So much so that she’d almost lost her nerve to wear the outfit that was so far outside of her comfort zone. She’d been just about to change when the doorbell rang. The second she’d opened the door and seen Matt’s expression, she’d known beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had been right on the money in her choice of attire.

  The entire week she’d been more excited about this ‘not real date’ than any real date she’d gone on previously. Heck, she’d been more excited about this ‘not real date’ than she’d been about pretty much anything else in her life. Which was not really that smart, and if Amy prided herself on one thing, it was that she was normally a smart girl. She always thought things through, made rational, not emotional, decisions. Making more out of this ‘not a real date’ was definitely not a particularly smart thing to do.

  Although the rational portion of Amy’s brain reasoned that she didn’t really have a choice in the matter. What girl wouldn’t lose sleep, buy a new outfit, and be in a constant state of butterflies in anticipation for a date with Matt Kellan?

  It wasn’t just his physical appeal, which was off the charts. Or his smell that Amy was quickly getting—she feared—addicted to. The days she went without seeing him, smelling him, she started having withdrawals.

  It was also just him. How he related to the kids, his easygoing demeanor, his sense of humor, his unique insights. He was amazing.

  Still she had to admit she might be a little shallower than she had originally thought because most of the time she spent thinking about him it was his eyes, his lips, his smile, his dimples. It was not his personality dominating her mind.

  “Do you ever get immune to it or is it still just as breathtaking?” Matt’s deep voice startled Amy out of her contemplative thoughts.

  “I’m sorry?” Amy had no idea what he was talking about. She hadn’t said anything about him out loud. Had she?

  “Hope Falls.” He nodded out the window at the quaint town they now looked down on as they drove up the side of the mountain to The Cove, which was an upscale restaurant that overlooked the valley in which Hope Falls was nestled.

  “Oh.” Relief washed over her. She had not made the faux pas of voicing aloud her inner thoughts. Whew. “No, it still gets me every time.”

  Briefly he glanced over at her and Amy felt the intensity of his gaze even in the darkened truck cab. “I know the feeling.”

  Oh lord. Amy’s skin tingled with warmth from simply a glance and a few words that she would love to believe were directed at her but couldn’t be sure. That got her to thinking about what it would feel like to actually touch him. Or be touched by him. Kissed by him.

  No, she cautioned herself. She couldn’t go there. It was bad enough that she had a colossal, mountain-sized crush on Matt. If she allowed her mind to start lusting after him, wanting things she knew she’d never have, then she was pretty sure she’d be ruined for other men. There was no way any other man could stack up to her fantasies of Matt.

  He pulled into the drive of The Cove, and as they stopped at the valet station, his arm wrapped around the back of the bench and he leaned towards her. Amy’s breath caught and she froze. For one beautiful, perfect, all-too-brief moment, she thought Matt was going to move the few inches that separated them and press his lips to hers. Instead he rested back in his seat, her coat now in his hands.

  Disappointment flooded her, but she desperately tried not to let it show on her face. She smiled as brightly as she could manage as she placed her arms in her coat. Before the valet came to open her door, Matt smiled back, his dimples in full effect. “You ready for a not boring, not embarrassing, not disastrous night?”

  Amy shook her head a little as her eyes widened, teasing, “Don’t jinx it.”

  He laughed as they both climbed out of his truck, reminding her of just one more thing she found irresistible about him—his laugh.

  --- ~ ---

  “Would you like to see the dessert menu?” The young waiter rested the embossed menu on his forearm the same way he had displayed their bottle of wine.

  Matt turned to Amy and asked, “Do you want to split something?”

  “Sure,” she immediately responded, her face lighting up even brighter than it already was.

  “What’s your pleasure? Chocolate
? Something fruity?”

  “Chocolate. Definitely chocolate,” she said without hesitation.

  Matt grinned. He liked when a woman knew what she wanted. “What do you recommend?” he asked the waiter.

  “Our chocolate decadence cake comes with vanilla bean ice cream and is drizzled with hot fudge, topped with whipped cream and a raspberry.”

  Matt’s eyes met Amy’s as she smiled, enthusiastically nodding her head. He couldn’t get over how her smile made him feel. It was like he lived in a world of gray and the second her lips turned up, revealing her perfect bright white teeth, the clouds parted and the sun came out. The world seemed brighter, sunnier, happier, filled with endless possibilities when Amy smiled.

  “Sir,” Matt heard the waiter say.

  Glancing up at the young man, Matt nodded once. “That sounds good.”

  As the waiter left, Matt felt the softest touch on the top of his hand. Looking down, he saw that Amy had reached across the table and rested her delicate hand on top of his.

  “Thank you,” she said softly. His eyes moved up to meet hers and he could see a sea of emotion just beneath the surface of her stare.

  “For what?” he asked, not having a clue what she was referring to that held such depth of emotion for her. Unless she just really liked chocolate decadence cake topped with whipped cream and a raspberry.

  “For this.” Amy removed her hand from his and he immediately missed the connection. She turned both hands up and motioned around the room. “For bringing me here, being an amazing date, asking if I wanted dessert, just everything. You have definitely proved that this does not have to be painful. You have officially restored my faith in dating, so thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me, Amy. It was my pleasure, honestly.” He meant it too. This night had been perfect. From the moment she’d opened the door until right now. It was like he was living a dream. He never wanted this night to end.

  A small grin appeared on Amy’s face as a pale pink shade crept up her cheeks. She turned towards the fireplace that sat beside them and Matt felt a tightening in his chest. She just looked so unbelievably, heartbreakingly beautiful as her face was lit by the flickering flames of the roaring fire.

  But he knew it wasn’t just her outer beauty that was causing this reaction. Amy was probably the sweetest, kindest, purest person he’d ever met. Matt knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was a one-in-a-million girl.

  He also knew that restoring her faith in dating meant that she might continue to put herself out there. Meet more eligible men. And why shouldn’t she? They weren’t a couple. This wasn’t a real date. Even though the thought of her going out with other men made him want to hit something, realistically, the most he could have with her was a friendship.

  The waiter set the sinful-looking chocolate concoction between them with two long-handled spoons on either side. They both picked up their respective utensil and dug in.

  Matt watched as she scooped up a spoonful of cake, ice cream, and a little dab of whipped cream and brought the treat to her mouth. Her lips pulled and sucked the dessert off her spoon as her eyes closed, moaning softly.

  He grew hard watching her enjoy the chocolate treat. Flashes of what her lips would look like sucking him, licking him, moaning as he drove deep inside of her started playing in his head.

  “Mmm, this is heaven,” she sighed as she took her second bite, completely oblivious to the fact that he was about to come in his pants from just watching her.

  Knowing that if he didn’t start talking and distracting himself from the porno that was playing in his mind he might just drag her over the table and take her right here in the restaurant, he asked, “So what is phase two?” He’d been wanting to ask her all week and he figured this was as good a time as any.

  Her eyes flew open and the look of ecstasy evaporated instantly. “What?”

  “You mentioned that there were three phases to your project. I was just wondering what phase two is.”

  “Well… Um…” He noticed as Amy swallowed hard that her eyes were wide, and he could practically hear the wheels spinning in her head.

  He waited her out. Over the past few weeks, he’d gotten to know her, and he had noticed that she had to process things and work things out completely in her own head before she gave an answer, an opinion, even a suggestion.

  He really liked that quality. It meant that, when she said something, it meant something. Thought was put into the words she spoke. He couldn’t stand when people talked out their asses.

  She set her spoon down and folded her hands, setting them primly in her lap. Her eyes were cast down, and he thought maybe he should just tell her not to worry about it. He’d obviously caused her to not even be able to enjoy her dessert anymore. Some date he was.

  Amy lifted her eyes and he saw a steely determination there that he hadn’t ever seen before. If it were possible, it made him even more curious about what it was she was going to tell him.

  “Phase two is the physical phase.” Her voice shook slightly when she spoke, betraying the strength she showed in her gaze.

  “The physical phase?” he repeated, leaning toward her like he was being pulled by a magnetic force.

  A small smile played across her lips, and she lowered her voice, inclining her head closer as she continued. “Yes. Phase one was designed to vet a viable candidate to continue on to phase two, where I’d hoped to mutually explore sexual experiences with the ultimate goal of reaching climax. Passion.”

  Matt’s entire body filled with need as he sat listening as Amy so clinically described the phases of her project. He’d thought that phase two might have had something to do with sex, but to hear Amy lay it out there like that and without even the slightest blush on her cheeks had actually rendered him speechless.

  He had no idea what expression he wore on his face, but he did detect a gleam in Amy’s sky blue eyes as she picked back up her dessert spoon and resumed eating the sweat treat as if to say, “Checkmate.”

  The waiter returned with their bill, and Matt knew that if he didn’t stop the loop of Amy saying ‘mutually explore sexual experiences with the ultimate goal of reaching climax’ that was playing in his head he was going to be walking out of this upscale establishment with a very embarrassing, very noticeable, very uncomfortable hard-on.

  Taking his card out of his wallet, he tried to think of sports statistics, movies, books, anything that would cause the blood to leave his groin and disperse into other areas of his body. He set his credit card down and noticed that Amy was pulling money out of her purse. “I’ve got it,” he said.

  It hadn’t even crossed his mind that she would think she’d have to pay. He knew that he might be a little old-fashioned, but if he took someone out, he paid. Period. End of story.

  “No, it’s fine. I don’t mind,” she said, reaching across the table to place her money on top of the check.

  “Amy.” His voice sounded harsher than he’d meant it to. The arousal coursing through him like lightning in his veins had put him on edge.

  Her huge blue eyes met his, and the look of confusion caused his heart to break a little. He knew that she’d been out with douchebags, but damn.

  “Put your money away.”

  “No, Matt.” She shook her head and continued to hold out her money. “This isn’t even a real date.”

  Hearing her say those words hit him right in the solar plexus. He knew it was ridiculous. He had been the one to place them going out in the context of it being not a real date. But damn, he didn’t like hearing her refer to it that way. Deciding now wasn’t the time for self-introspection or to correct Amy and say that this was a real date, he moved on to solving the problem of Amy trying to pay for her portion of the meal.

  Taking a page out of his little sister’s ‘book of dating’ rules, Matt changed course. “Listen, I asked you so I should pay.”

  He could see that Amy didn’t like his reasoning, but after a few moments without being able t
o come up with a credible argument, she placed her twenties back in her purse and looked up at him with emotion brimming in her eyes. “Thank you.”

  “Like I said before, it’s my pleasure.”

  It bared repeating because damn, it really was.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Amy clicked her front door shut and fell back against its sturdy surface, sliding down until her rear end hit the floor of her entryway. The second it did, Scooby and Scrappy were all over her, saying their hellos in the form of kisses and whimpers. Amy felt like she was floating in a cloud of bliss as she loved on the two dogs.

  Tonight had been perfect. Well, it would have been if it had been a real date. Oh, and if she’d gotten a goodnight kiss, then it would have been perfect.

  But as far as fake dates went, Amy would not have changed a single moment. Not even the part where she’d told Matt what phase two was. It had taken every ounce of courage she’d had not to just change the subject or say that she didn’t want to talk about it. But she had answered him. She was proud of herself.

  Both doggies were making it very clear that they needed to do their business so Amy pushed off the ground and let them out the back just as there was knock at the door. Her heart slammed in her chest.

  Matt.

  Maybe she would get a goodnight kiss after all.

  She rushed to the door while she tried to keep her breathing under control so that she didn’t seem like she’d rushed to the door. Just as she reached for the doorknob, it opened and Nikki walked in.

  “Ames!” Nikki clutched her chest, startled by Amy, who was standing in the entryway. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry,” Amy said, reaching out to hug her sister. Amy tried her best to disguise the disappointment that instantly had replaced the bubbling excitement she’d just been feeling. It wasn’t her sister’s fault that she wasn’t Matt.

  Nikki briefly hugged her before pulling back suddenly. Grasping Amy’s upper arms, Nikki spun her from side to side as she looked her up and down. “Holy shit! You look so hot!”