by Nina Singh
CHAPTER TEN
JUSTIN WANTED TO kick himself. He hadn’t meant to get into the whole sordid story of his childhood and what had led to him and James growing up on opposite coasts. But he’d just been so struck and so touched at how she’d gently dealt with Ray just now. Plus, it was so easy to talk to her. He’d be hard-pressed to say why that was. Never before had he divulged so much of his past to anyone, let alone a woman who he’d essentially just met.
He was usually much more restrained, more in control. But what little of it he had snapped like a stretched rubber band when she wrapped her arms around him and held him against her. This felt right; she felt right. He could smell the perfumed scent of her soft, delicate skin. Mixed with the hint of sweetness in the air, it shook his senses.
He had to taste her again.
Lifting her chin, he watched as desire shaded her eyes. She had the longest lashes. Her lips were lush and beckoning. He knew what he was about to do wasn’t wise. He was technically in this town as her boss on a project. He had no business kissing her. Even as that thought ran through his head, he reached down and took her lips with his own.
She tasted as good as he remembered. No, even better. Like honey and forbidden fruit. He thought he might lose his mind when she responded. With a soft sigh against his mouth, she molded herself tighter against the length of him.
Unlike in the square, this time they were alone. The knowledge brought a heady sense of excitement that he found difficult to clamp down on.
Placing his hands against the small of her back, he pulled her even closer. He wanted her to feel his full reaction. She had to know how attracted he was to her. More than he’d felt for any other woman. Inexplicable on every logical level, but there it was.
But it was more than a physical attraction. He’d just opened up to Carli Tynan like no one else before. Her response had been to try to comfort him, to reassure him with both her words and her touch.
Her hands went up to his shoulders and she gave him a small nudge back, and he pulled away from the kiss.
“We really shouldn’t be...” she whispered against his mouth.
“I know.” But he guided her with his body up against the counter and kissed her again, deeper. She gasped in shock but didn’t try to stop him.
If anyone had told him last week he’d be standing in a rustic New England kitchen kissing a Hammond employee, he would have laughed in their face.
The wisest thing to do would be to pull away. On top of everything else, they were in her parents’ kitchen for heaven’s sake. That reality was driven home when they heard the water turn off upstairs just as someone walked in through the front door of the house.
Carli jumped back and jerked out of his arms. She ran around to the other side of the kitchen island, clearly putting distance between them. Rubbing her lips, she averted her eyes.
Justin ran a hand down his face. How had things between them gotten so heated, so out of control? He’d just barely delivered an apology for the first time he’d kissed her.
“I don’t know how that happened,” he began before Carli held up a hand to stop him.
Her sister Tammy entered the kitchen at that very moment. She stopped in her tracks as soon as she took in the scene. Justin tried not to groan out loud as Tammy’s gaze traveled from her sister to him, then to the mess in the kitchen before landing back on Carli’s bewildered face.
“You have some ’splainin’ to do,” she addressed her sister.
“Yes, she does,” another voice chimed in as Carli’s mother walked in. “Carli Tynan. That food coloring is going to leave permanent green stains on my counter. Why in the world have you two not cleaned it all up yet?” she demanded to know and then gave Justin a scolding glare for good measure. He squelched an urge to actually step back.
And now he was standing in that same style kitchen being reprimanded by the Hammond employee’s mother. The whole scenario could be straight out of a sitcom.
Carli looked like she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He felt pretty torn himself.
“This is all my fault.”
Carli actually stomped her foot. “No, it’s not. It just happened. Ray spilled the food coloring by accident. No one is at fault.” She emphasized the last word.
Tammy gasped while Carli’s mother tilted her head. “I must not have made myself clear,” Louise said. “All I care about is that it gets cleaned up. Now.”
“Yes, ma’am,” they both said in unison. Tammy’s sisterly smirk was undeniable as she followed her mother out of the room.
Carli let out a deep sigh as she watched the other two women leave. Grabbing the paper towels off the counter, she tore off a bunch before throwing the roll to him without warning. He caught it as it landed on his chest.
“Justin?”
“Yes?”
“You are really bad at making cookies.”
* * *
Forty-five minutes later, Carli pulled the final tray of cookies out of the oven and set them on a rack to cool. They were definitely the greenest sugar cookies she’d ever seen.
Justin leaned over and gave them a long look. “They don’t look like sugar cookies.”
She didn’t care. She just wanted this whole afternoon to be over. Also, she wanted to stop dwelling on the way Justin kissed.
“They look more like mint cookies,” Justin added. He was right.
“Or perhaps spinach,” she said, and earned a snicker.
They’d worked mostly in silence as they’d baked and cleaned. Everyone else seemed to have left. Traitors. No one had wanted to stay and help clean the mess. Not that she could blame them. Her mother’s counter and a good portion of her floor tiles still held a greenish hue.
“All that matters is how they taste,” she told Justin, poking one of the star-shaped cookies. Though it was still hot, she gingerly picked it up and tasted a small piece. “See, they taste great.” She held it up to him. “Try it.”
Justin’s reached to take it from her. The touch of his hand on hers triggered another fiery tingle along the edge of her skin. Dear heavens, she was a fool. She had to fight this crazy attraction. He would be gone from New England and out of her life within a week. She worked for his family business. What was she doing kissing the man and then fantasizing about it afterward?
She had to get out of here.
“We should head to the store,” she blurted out.
“The store?”
“Yeah, Hammond’s Cape store. The reason you’re here in town.”
He gave a quick nod. “Of course. I was hoping to stop in there a bit today.”
“It’s a good time to go. Sundays are crafts days. Mr. Freider always has some kind of activity set up for the kids. I think it’s gingerbread houses this time.”
“Sounds fun. As long as it doesn’t involve any baking,” he quipped, then frowned as if realizing the lameness of the joke.
“I know Ray’s been looking forward to it. We’ll bring him with us. He should be up from his nap soon.”
And he’d also make for a useful buffer between her and Justin, she added silently. They’d been in way too close proximity for the past several hours.
“Great idea.”
Carli was right. By the time they got to Hammond’s with Ray, the little boy had completely forgotten about the epic baking disaster and was back to his regular bouncy self. The prospect of decorating a gingerbread house proved an effective distraction.
If only Carli could find a distraction for herself. She was all too aware of Justin still. And all too quick to recall his kisses. Subconsciously, she ran a hand over her lips.
Stop it.
“This is a great crowd—” she made sure to point out “—despite the prospect of a major snowstorm that usually keeps people indoors.”
>
“Point taken,” Justin acknowledged.
She smiled with satisfaction. At least she had that much going for her, despite the circus that this visit was turning into.
Ray saw a little friend and immediately ran over to where the other child was setting up his craft area. He tugged Justin along with him.
“Hi, Josh,” he said to the other boy, pronouncing the end of the name with a “th” sound. “This is my friend Justin,” he added, and pointed up. “You know, like just in time.”
Josh giggled and Ray looked pretty proud of himself. Justin crouched to both boys’ level. He stuck out his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Josh. I’m a good friend of Ray here. You know, like ray of sunshine.”
He said it with such a straight face that Carli had to laugh. Now both boys were giggling.
“Do another one,” Ray demanded.
“Sure, ray-nee day.”
The two boys collapsed on each other in a fit of giggles now.
“Your friend is funny,” Josh proclaimed, and laughed some more. Justin was so naturally at ease with children. No wonder Ray had grown so fond of him in such a short time. Carli’s eyes suddenly stung as she watched the three of them. It broke her heart that Justin had never been afforded the opportunity to be that carefree when he was little.
So different from the way she’d grown up. The Tynan girls had been pretty fortunate as children. Things were often crazy and hectic when you had four other siblings. It was a fact of life that things could get very competitive with five girls under one roof. Her younger twin sisters were constantly trying to better each other.
But she’d truly been blessed with a caring family unit and loving, doting parents. She couldn’t deny that, no matter how betrayed she’d felt last year. Not only by Janie and Warren, but by the way her family had reacted in response. Carli tried not to bristle at those thoughts. She loved every last one of her family members, she really did. With all her heart. But not a single one of them had shared in her outrage. Not even Tammy. Essentially, they’d all just expected her to accept it and move on. For the sake of family harmony, no doubt. No one bothered to try to put her feelings first. The betrayal still stung, even after all these months.
“Hello. Earth to Carli. Come in, Carli.” She looked up to find Justin waving a hand in front of her face.
“Sorry, I was just admiring all the kids’ handiwork.”
He nodded, then glanced around the store as the boys continued. He had to be noticing the numerous people in the aisles and line leading up to the checkout area. He had to see how well the store was doing. She just had to make him realize that it had the potential to be this way throughout the year. She knew Mr. Freider could pull it off. Carli would do whatever she could to help.
She turned to Justin to tell him so, but just right then he leaned over Ray to help him mount the base of his gingerbread house. Her nephew’s smile widened with appreciation. And she knew no matter Justin’s thoughts on the store, she was glad he was here with them.
* * *
Ray’s gingerbread house was a complete failure. Between that and the baking fiasco earlier, Justin had to admit that he didn’t possess a creative cell in his whole body. It didn’t help that Ray kept popping the candy corn and gum drops into his mouth rather than using them as decorations.
“Your parents are here,” Carli said to Ray, then took him by a sticky hand toward where Tammy and her husband, Raymond, had just walked in. Tammy gave her sister a hug. Her brother-in-law did as well, then turned to shake Justin’s hand.
“Thanks for taking care of the little tyke,” he said to them both. “We saw the cookies at the house. Decided to make mint ones this year, huh?”
Tammy laughed out loud, and Carli gave her a useless punch on the arm.
“What did I say?” her brother-in-law asked.
“Nothing. Never mind.”
He shrugged and picked up his son. “Guess we’ll see you all tomorrow then. Unless this storm has everybody housebound, that is. Looks like a nasty one.”
Justin watched as the three of them left the store. Tammy hooked her arm inside her husband’s as he carried their son. It was such a touching domestic scene. So simple. So pure.
For an insane moment, Justin thought about himself as part of such a picture. An image of him and Carli walking arm in arm the same way sprang into his head. He shook it away.
Hammond men didn’t do the whole family thing. Look at what a fiasco it had been when his parents had tried.
“We should get going,” Carli said, interrupting his thoughts. He was reaching for his coat when Mr. Freider came rushing out to them. He held a framed photo in his hand.
“Wait. Justin, I have something for you.” He held out the frame.
Justin reached for it, unsure what he was looking at. Then an unfamiliar sensation settled across his chest as he realized what it was.
“I don’t understand.”
“After you left yesterday, I remembered I had it. Thought you might want it as a memento.”
“What is it?” Carli leaned over her arm to look.
“It’s a newspaper clipping. Of a photo of me as a little boy.” He held a toy truck in his hand, a big grin on his boyish face. He couldn’t have been more than the age Ray was now.
Mr. Freider smiled. “That was the day of the store’s grand opening. Your whole family came to cut the ribbon. This is from the write-up in the local paper.”
Now that he studied the picture, Justin vaguely remembered the day. Even at that age, he could tell that his parents were simply going through the motions. But he and James had been excited nonetheless.
Unfortunately, the memory of it all had been overshadowed by the stinging fight that occurred within hours of them getting home. No wonder he’d blocked it out.
Until now. Justin found his mouth had gone dry. “I don’t know what to say, Mr. Freider. This is such a thoughtful gesture.”
“Nonsense. We picked up several copies of that issue all those years ago. Of course, the paper it’s printed on has yellowed a bit. But not bad for twenty something years, huh?”
“No.” Justin choked out the word over an achy lump that had formed in his throat. “It’s not bad at all. I can’t thank you enough.”
Mr. Freider’s smile grew wider. “Like I said, it wasn’t that big a deal. Just thought it might recall some happy memories.”
But it was a big deal. Bigger than Mr. Freider would ever know. He tucked the picture under his arm and went to shake the older man’s hand.
But Mr. Freider had other ideas. He embraced Justin in a big bear hug. “You two have a good night now. That snow’s about to come down at any minute. Much earlier than they said.”
“You, too, Mr. Freider.”
Out on the sidewalk, Justin couldn’t help but glance at the picture once more.
“You were a very cute child,” Carli said.
“Think so?”
She pointed to the frame. “No doubt about it. Look at those big round eyes, the thick wavy hair. Very cute.”
It was childish, but her words pleased him to a ridiculous degree. “That was very nice of him.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Carli agreed. “He’s one of a kind.”
So are you. The words hovered on his tongue but he knew not to speak them out loud.
“No one’s ever done anything like that for me before.”
Carli looked up and studied the air. “He also seems to have been right about the snow.” A big fat snowflake landed on her nose. He had to clench his fist to keep from brushing it off with his finger. Then kissing the spot where it had landed.
There were plenty more to follow. Suddenly, a flurry of white flakes blew like confetti all around them.
By the time they reached the inn, the snow
was blinding. He couldn’t believe the speed at which it fell, accompanied by a blinding cold wind he could feel down to his bones.
“Well, looks like you’ll be snowed in at least for the night.” Carli stopped in front of the glass door. “I’ll call you later tomorrow. Make sure to charge your cell phone as soon as you get in. We’re likely to lose power at some point.” She turned to walk away. “I should be getting home.”
He gently grabbed her by the arm. “There is no way I’m letting you walk back alone to your house.” He could barely see her face in front of him for the white cloud of snow between them. “Not in this mess.”
“I’ll be fine,” Carli assured him. But he wasn’t buying it.
“No way,” he insisted. “I’ll come with you.”
“And then what? You’d have to walk back here. And this is just going to get worse. Something tells me you won’t be comfortable on my mom’s lumpy couch all night if you get stranded there.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
She looked ready to argue some more when Betty stepped outside. “What in the angel’s name are you two doing out here? You’ll both catch your death of a cold.”
Without waiting for an answer, she physically ushered them both into the lobby. Carli looked ready to protest, but Betty stopped her with a no-nonsense look and thrust her hands on her hips.
“Carli Tynan. What kind of neighbor do you think I am? If l let you walk the rest of the way home in that?” She jutted her chin toward the window to indicate the snow.
“But Bet—”
“But nothing. I have plenty of extra rooms. You are staying here tonight. You can borrow something Leddy left here before heading away to college. And I don’t want to hear another word about it. Now call your folks and let them know.”
* * *
Another sleepless night. Despite all the homely comforts of the Sailor’s Inn, Carli was getting no more rest tonight than she had the one before. The loud whooshing of the wind outside her window did not help the situation.
Sighing, she pulled off the covers and got out of bed. One more insomnia-laden night meant she was going to be a total wreck tomorrow. Warm milk. It had never worked for her before, but it was worth a try. Betty wouldn’t mind if she checked the kitchen fridge and heated some for herself. Things were getting desperate here.
