“Yeah. I mean . . . I thought he didn’t really date, and Andrea made it sound like they were in a relationship.”
“Maybe it was a non-relationship that was long-term,” my sister offered.
“I’m sure that’s it. But it doesn’t matter. I know nothing is going to come of this whole thing.”
“You don’t know that.” She grabbed the tins and took them back over to the shelves. “Don’t let those groupies get you down.”
I laughed. “Not even in the slightest. Should I warn Nick?”
“I wouldn’t touch the topic with a ten-foot pole.” My sister shuddered. “Literally. No matter how you start the conversation, it’ll come out sounding bad. Like either you’re the crazy one or jealous or nosy. The list is endless.”
“Great. And I’m all of the above.” I chuckled, feeling tension in my entire body. It was like I had a sudden urge to get to Nick before the blonde bobblehead jumped out in front of him.
“Did you notice she looked kind of like a bobblehead?” my sister asked.
“I totally noticed.” I could always depend on my sister to lift me up at the expense of others, but she’d always put me right in my place at the same time.
“A good reason to be grateful for these manly shoulders we have. Our heads always look firmly in place.” Maddie bobbed her head to the side and I groaned.
“At least we don’t need shoulder pads.” I glanced at the clock and noticed the shop was supposed to close ten minutes ago. It was nice to have a job where I wasn’t on pins and needles waiting for the second hand to tick by.
That being said, I was really excited to go home to see the progress on my cabin.
And possibly one of the men who was making it happen.
“Do you want to come with me to the house?” I asked my sister.
“I thought you wanted to wait?” Her brows rose.
“Nah. I’m dying to see what it looks like without the paneling.”
“Paneling has its place,” Maddie informed me.
“Yes, it does, but I just didn’t see it for the look I was going for. I plan on growing old in this cabin, so I might as well make it how I want.”
Maddie untied her apron and went to the back room while I saved what I was working on in the computer.
It was already dark outside, but that didn’t matter. Everything I was looking forward to seeing was on the inside.
“I think I’m gonna go to Sophie’s tomorrow after work. I’m not trying to get the whole place furnished by the time Mom and Dad arrive, but a couple of things might be nice. Sophie said the finish on the walls will be done by Monday.”
“You’ll fall in love with her store. Once I step inside, I never want to leave. I’d offer to come, but I’m going to the library. That guest speaker about matchmaking and relationships is going to be there tomorrow, and I volunteered to help Jewels with the setup.”
“Ooh, maybe I’ll stop by after. Wasn’t it about navigating the dating world through social media?” I laughed. “I could learn the psychology behind Nick.”
“Doubtful,” she teased, turning out the back room light. “Ready?”
I gave a quick nod and grabbed my purse.
“You really did figure out a wonderful way to spend your time,” I told my sister as we walked outside. She stopped to lock up the front door, and I rearranged the burnt orange chrysanthemums and propped up one of the pumpkins that took a tumble.
“Why, thank you.” She chuckled and glanced toward her car. “I’m gonna run to the store before stopping by your house. Do you need anything?”
“Nah. I’m all set.” I gave her a quick hug and she marched across the street. I’d parked down the road, and the walk to my car was quick, especially with the cold sea breeze winding up from the water.
I climbed into my Fiat and blasted the heater all the way to the house. It wasn’t until I turned into my driveway and saw Nick hanging out on the porch that my stomach did an all-out gymnastic routine. The flutters only worsened once I parked and hopped out of the car to blaring music.
“Dear God. What is that sound?” I chuckled as Night Ranger’s Sister Christian pumped from my house and Nick stood grinning under the porch light.
“The good eighties stuff.” Nick’s lips tugged into a half-smile.
Anthony walked outside and waved.
“Place looks a million times better inside.” He bent over, but before he reappeared, white lights blinked on all around my house.
“What the heck?” I asked, in complete awe of the twinkling glow around the door, each window and the eaves.
“It sounded like the more sparkly distractions we could put around your house, the better for your parents.” Nick hopped down the steps and made his way over. “We have to make you look settled and well-adjusted, after all.”
I couldn’t believe he remembered what I’d said.
My sister’s car pulled into my driveway and I glanced behind me. The headlights nearly blinded me as I raised my arm. She turned off her car and climbed out, jaw open as she walked toward me.
“Nick surprised me,” I said in a near-whisper.
“I see that.”
I turned back to see Nick motioning for me to come inside. He turned down the music, and the instant I stepped inside, I was nearly speechless. Even without whitewashing the clapboard, the place looked amazing, even better than I imagined.
“You guys are amazing. I think I’ll be making you dinners for a year. I can’t wait to go to Sophie’s tomorrow after work. There’s hope for my tiny cabin.”
“Let me take you there,” Nick said. “I have a truck.”
Maddie couldn’t hide her amusement, and I wondered if maybe she was noticing that Nick had several sides.
“I’d love that.”
Nick squeezed me, and Anthony threw his signature smile in my direction. “Sophie can’t wait to get her hands on this place. I’ll tell her you’ll be at the store. I know she’ll want to be there.”
“You guys are just incredible.” I sighed just as a set of headlights lit up my house. I turned and craned my neck to see a car backing up into Nick’s driveway.
“That’s weird. I’m not expecting anyone,” he grumbled.
I shot Maddie a look, and her gaze went to the floor.
“I think Andrea’s hoping to make her holiday dreams come true.” I half-laughed.
Nick’s arm dropped from my waist and he froze.
“Andrea?” he asked, surprised the name rolled from my lips.
“That was her name, right?” I looked at my sister and she nodded. “Yeah, it almost sounded like this vacation was solely built on running into you, or apparently, pulling into your driveway.”
Nick let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
“She came into the tea store today. Mentioned she had an old boyfriend here. Once she said it was Nick—” My sister stopped talking when she saw the pained look on Nick’s face.
“Maybe you should stay here at Holly’s until the car leaves,” Anthony offered, glancing in my direction.
My hope was that Nick would agree.
He didn’t.
“Nah. I need to go face whatever’s going on.” He looked down at me and grinned, knocking my shoulder with a fist that clearly landed me back into friend zone. “I’ll pick you up at the shop tomorrow after work.”
“Okay.” I nodded and watched Anthony and Nick walk out of my house before letting out a long groan.
“It’s probably for the best,” Maddie said, but I knew she was as pissed about it as me.
“Yeah, totally.” I twisted my face into a look of annoyance. “Amazing how easy it is to misjudge a kind gesture from the opposite sex. I totally took the Christmas lights as a shout out to get busy later tonight.”
My sister laughed, but neither of us could ignore the truth in that statement.
“At least I got the walls stripped. I mean, that in itself is pretty cool. Totally worth the downgrade from dating material t
o friend material.” I nodded, trying to persuade myself.
“Exactly, and way less hassle,” she agreed.
I kept looking out the window, hoping to see Andrea’s car pull away because he chased her off, but all I saw was Anthony drive away, and I knew the best thing to do was not look out the windows until morning.
Chapter Nine
“And so it begins.” Maddie sighed, holding the back of her hand to her forehead, pretending like she’s going to faint.
“What?”
She slid her phone across the counter, and I glanced down at the chain of texts from mom.
Should we stop on the way to your house to grab anything? Sheets, pillows, shampoo, conditioner, soap, nonfat milk, chocolate chip cookies?
I brought my eyes to my sister’s before continuing to read the texts.
“That is so passive-aggressive.” I started laughing.
“I know.” My sister chuckled. “Why not just tell me this is what you want at the house before you arrive? And like I wouldn’t have sheets for them, or pillows? We’re how old? Just wait until you get to the bottom message.”
I looked back down at her phone and began reading the text messages aloud.
Have you had time to order an arrangement for the table?
Are we doing turkey and also ham this year?
Do you need Aunt Hillary’s Jell-O recipe?
Can I bring Muppet? The pet lodge is full.
I brought my head up slowly to see Maddie’s perplexed expression.
“She wants to bring her cockatoo?” I asked. “I didn’t even know you could bring birds on planes.”
“Learn something new every day.” She rested her head in her hands. “It’s not like I can say no.”
“I just feel so sorry for the people on the plane with Muppet. It’s an angry bird. Nothing makes it happy. Can you imagine what it’s going to do when Mom stuffs it in a cage and puts it under the seat in front of her?”
I started flapping my arms and making bird noises, and Maddie started laughing.
We were in this together.
“So tea drinkers do have all the fun,” a woman’s voice said from the front of the store. I turned around, horrified, to see a brunette dressed in an apron, smiling at me.
My sister and I were having so much fun, we didn’t even hear the jingle of the bell.
My cheeks flamed and I slid my damp palms along my pants.
“Hey, Natty,” my sister said, waving.
“Natty?” I asked, snapping my head back to my sister.
“Yup. That’s me.” Natty grinned, holding an empty mug. “I was hoping to order some tea for the shop and also get a cup to tide me over. I have a huge floral order I need to get done before I can go home.” Natty grinned, her eyes settling on me. “I had no idea I’d get a show though. Are you Holly?”
“I am.” I nodded, hoping to erase the embarrassment from seconds before. “I was just mimicking our parents’ bird. I don’t usually look like I need to be committed.”
“Long story,” Maddie added, and Natty laughed.
“I’ve heard so much about you.” Natty came in for a hug, and I looked over at my sister, who was shaking her head as if she had no idea what Natty was talking about. “Promise me you still have the holiday teas.”
“Absolutely,” Maddie said, coming around to grab Natty’s mug. “What are you thinking about for your store?”
“Don’t you own the floral shop?” I asked, remembering what Nick said about her.
“She also has a coffee stand inside,” Maddie informed me.
“And I can’t keep the gingerbread tea in stock,” Natty said, wandering over to the shelves.
I glanced behind me at my sister, who couldn’t keep her smile hidden. So my sister knew all of Nick’s best friends. I guess it would make sense, considering the island’s as small as a postage stamp.
I walked over to Natty and reached for the newest batch and our latest concoction. I lifted the lid and sniffed it.
“This is sugar cookie. It’s my total favorite now. It reminds me of the Strawberry Shortcake dolls, for some reason.”
Natty grinned and took the canister. “Oh. My. Gawd. It totally does. This has to come back with me.”
“I’d be hooked up to the stuff if I could.” I nodded in agreement. “I can’t wait to come see your floral shop. I’ve been so focused on getting my little place done that I haven’t had much time for exploring.”
“Anytime. I also have pastries I always mark down this time of the day.”
My brows shot up. “Really? I’m all about the sweets.”
“Me too.” Natty began trying out other teas, and I wandered to the back room. Nick might be here any second . . . or not.
I was hoping our plans were still on, but after Andrea’s surprise appearance on the island, I had no idea what was going on in the Nick department.
“Did you hear that?” My sister asked, poking her head into the back room.
“No. Hear what? Is Nick here?”
My sister smiled and shook her head, motioning for me to come back out into the shop.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Tell her,” Maddie said, eyeing Natty.
“Tell me what?” I sat on a stool and took a sip of the sugar cookie tea.
“You know that huge snowstorm we had?” Natty asked.
I nodded.
“Well, my fiancé, Cole, was out of town and the power went out. Next thing I knew, Nick was at my door.”
“Nick?” I said softly, trying to amp the volume.
“Yup. Anyway, he brought me back to his house. Since he has a generator, he wanted me to be warm and snug.” She was watching me carefully for a reaction.
“Did he tell you to say that?” I asked.
“Nope.” She grinned. “I tried to convince him to have you come over, but he said you were too independent and would probably get offended.”
I laughed. “Yes, I always get offended when it comes to hot water and heat.” I fiddled with a pad of paper on the counter. “Although, I probably do confuse the hell out of him.”
“You?” My sister laughed. “Never.”
Natty’s expression brightened and she sat a couple more canisters on the counter.
“So it was you that night?” I swallowed down the excitement and tried to sound calm. “In his truck?”
“Indeed it was. Does that change things?”
“Now that Andrea’s back on the island, I’m not sure it does, actually.” I scowled.
Natty let out a gasp, and her face scrunched as if she’d just eaten a lemon. “I didn’t hear that news.”
“It just happened yesterday,” Maddie informed her. “She stopped by with a group of friends.” She leaned across the counter. “And then last night, when I was at Holly’s with Nick and Anthony, the chick had the nerve to show up at Nick’s house.”
“You’re kidding.” Natty sounded disgusted, and I suddenly liked her even more.
I shook my head. “It’s true. Not that it’s any of my business, but I thought he didn’t do relationships.” I stared at Natty, hoping for some insight.
“He doesn’t. At least, not relationships that work out well. Andrea was one of the few women he’d dated for a brief amount of time. We all despised her.”
I hated that my heart smiled at that revelation.
“She was beyond demanding. To be honest, I didn’t even think she liked him. She just used him. I was so relieved when they broke up. I can’t imagine why she’s back here.”
My body relaxed, which was crazy because it wasn’t like I was invested in Nick or any of his relationships. It wasn’t my business.
“She seemed to think he would do her body good,” Maddie grumbled, and Natty laughed.
“Poor Nick. It’s a blessing and a curse.” Natty seemed tickled to reveal that bit of information. “Not that I have firsthand knowledge, but it’s one of those things that doesn’t stay quiet.”
“Ha.”
I kept my gaze in front of me. “No man is that good. What was it Andrea’s friend said though? Nick ruined her for others?”
“Probably true.” Natty chuckled. “You know how he is a really kind and generous neighbor?”
My face burned and I didn’t offer a reply.
“Well, from what I’ve heard, he’s that way through and through.”
My sister looked at her phone and groaned while I stood dizzied with the thought of living across from a man who was not only good-looking but magical in bed.
Ugh.
“What’s wrong?” Natty asked, turning her attention to my sister.
“Our parents are coming for Thanksgiving,” my sister muttered. “Which reminds me. I need to order an extravagant-looking Thanksgiving arrangement for our table.”
Natty’s brows shot up in surprise. “Okay. That’s an unusual request.”
“The bigger, the better.” My sister rolled her eyes.
“Yes, if you could make it gaudy, that would be perfect,” I added. “Maybe even incorporate a birdcage.”
My sister laughed and shook her head. “Please don’t.”
Natty looked puzzled but happily agreed. “Do you want me to drop it off on Wednesday?”
Maddie nodded. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“Absolutely. But you have to tell me what’s up with the bird references.”
“My parents are bringing their pet bird for Thanksgiving,” I answered.
“You can do that?”
“Yep. I just need to make sure I don’t cook the wrong bird.”
“You wouldn’t.” I laughed.
“Depends if the thing squawks all night or not.”
Natty laughed, and I slid off the stool. I forgot I had a few items left to put away in the back before I could take off to Sophie’s with—or without—Nick.
“Well, don’t worry about Andrea. I’m surprised he didn’t mention it to me, but I’m sure he put her in her place,” Natty said loudly so I could hear. “That relationship, if you could call it that, is a thing of the past.”
Except that the car didn’t leave for hours. Not that I was spying or anything.
Tempting Love on Holly Lane (Island County Book 5) Page 8
