Tempting Love on Holly Lane (Island County Book 5)

by Karice Bolton

  So he and his truck were getting pizza tonight.

  I let out a huff. “Well, he’s the only one who can change that.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” Tori nodded. “Mason always says you’re either a pelican or a pelican’t.”

  My gaze flashed to Sophie and she stifled a laugh. “There’s a reason they’re together. None of the rest of us find it amusing.”

  “Maybe the holidays are getting him down. Did you know he helped revive my parents’ love connection? He planned a whole boat trip and paid for it and everything for them. I left a check on his porch, and he left it torn up on mine.”

  Sophie and Natty traded looks.

  “What?” I questioned.

  “You know, his parents split around Thanksgiving,” Natty informed me.

  “I doubt that would bother him after all these years,” Tori argued. “He’s never been down before during the holidays. Why now?”

  Natty eyed me. “He’s never had a Holly before.”

  “Well, all I can say is that I’d rather at least have a friendship with him than nothing else.” I looked out the window and my reflection bounced back. “That’s what I’ve been telling him all along. I don’t want to screw up something so amazing.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Who knew two screwed-up people could find each other so easily?”

  “I’m not screwed up.” I frowned.

  “Not screwed up, but possibly full of mixed signals,” Natty offered.

  “If Nick’s trying to sort out which category Holly falls into, his head’s going to explode,” Tori added.

  “I’m not that bad.” I pouted. “He’s the one who only sleeps with women in Seattle.”

  “Apparently, not any longer,” Tori teased while Sophie and Natty’s eyes widened.

  “I—” I stopped, realizing she had no idea. She was just throwing it out there. “Not even.”

  “I know,” Tori teased. “Or you’d be even more screwed up than I imagined.”

  Not even slightly funny.

  The doorbell rang, and Sophie dashed through the kitchen. “That’s either Jewels or your sister.”

  I didn’t think I could handle four against one so I really hoped it was my sister.

  My sister’s voice rang through the home. “I tried to make Russian tea cookies, but all the powdered sugar melted.”

  “They’ll be delicious,” I assured her as she set the tray on the counter.

  “We were just discussing the Nick and Holly debacle,” Sophie said with a rueful look. “I really thought we had a match.”

  “I did too,” my sister confessed.

  “What?” I asked, my hands whipping to my hips.

  “You heard me.” My sister winked.

  “Continue.”

  “I thought it was a match made in heaven. You seemed perfect for each other, and I swear, the chemistry. Wow. If only I could find that.” My sister dropped her shoulders in disbelief.

  “Can I just say that I feel really weird making this cookie exchange all about me?” I stood up and mixed another drink. The Fireweed Taxi service was going to be getting a call tonight.

  “You didn’t. We did,” Sophie said just as the oven dinged. “I thought we might like some spinach dip too.”

  “Spinach dip and cookies. The absolute best Friday ever.” Natty’s phone buzzed, and she picked it up from the table.

  “Someone’s ears must have been ringing.” She glanced up from her phone. “He convinced all the guys to go to the Mudflat Tavern.”

  I’d never been, but I knew right where it was and had a sudden itch to check it out.

  “I smell the best mix of booze and sugar,” Jewels said. I recognized her voice from my sister’s house. “And a hint of . . . spinach?”

  She bounced into the kitchen with not one but three trays of cookies.

  “I just dropped Jake off at Mudflats. What the heck has gotten into Nick? He looked like a train ran him over.”

  My heart sank.

  How in the world did we turn something fun and harmless into something overly serious? This had to change. I was fun. He was fun. I was cute. He was cuter. I didn’t care what he was moping about. He was the only one who could fix it.

  I marched over to Jewels’ cookie trays and glared at them.

  “What did they ever do to you?” she teased.

  I chuckled. “Nothing. I was just thinking how best to snap Nick out of his funk.”

  “I bet all it would take is that lacy red bra,” my sister threw out there.

  “That made quite an impression,” Jewels agreed.

  “You heard about that?” I asked indignantly.

  “From your sister.” She laughed.

  “But I heard about it from Nick.” Sophie’s smile grew far too large for her face.

  “And so did I. Quite the impression. It made him watch Flashdance.” Natty stood up.

  My gaze shot to hers. “No, it didn’t.”

  “Yeah. He watched it twice.”

  I groaned. “Are we as hopeless as we sound?”

  “I’d say you’re on the border.” Amusement crossed my sister’s features before she took one of Jewels’ pizzelle cookies and snacked on it. “It melts in my mouth.”

  “Do you think we’re going to have any cookies left to exchange?” I grabbed a pizzelle and had the same reaction as my sister.

  “A few.” Sophie hummed as she took the spinach dip out of the oven.

  I wanted to round up as many cookies as I could to take them to Nick in the morning.

  Who was I kidding? I wanted to deliver them tonight to his house. Why wait? Maybe I’d take them to Mudflats.

  The rest of the night at Sophie’s was a fun mix of celebrity gossip, since Natty and Sophie had the inside scoop, and island chatter. Time flew by, and I barely thought about Nick until I called the cab. As I put my platter of cookies together, Nick really crept under my skin. I wasn’t going to go straight home. Nope, I was going to pop by the tavern and deliver cookies. After I said goodbye to everyone, I climbed in the cab and my nerves got the best of me. Maybe a surprise visit wasn’t the best idea.

  When the cab pulled up slowly to Mudflats, I saw the door swing open and my heart jumped a bit. Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure what I’d find behind that door, and that worried me. He could be back to his old ways. I shook my head as I handed a twenty to the driver and asked him to wait.

  I took in a deep breath and grabbed the platter of cookies I’d put together for him.

  I might be a little foggy from all the festive drinks, but I knew I wasn’t one to become easily swayed, confused or bamboozled.

  I wasn’t about to start now, not with Nick.

  He liked me.

  I liked him.

  Besides being one the hottest men I’d ever met, he was one of the nicest, and I wasn’t going to give up quite so easily. The more I thought about what we experienced, the more I became certain that we needed to let whatever was between us run its course. The worst thing to happen might be that I’d have to plant some extra-tall trees at the edge of my property.

  End of story.

  I hopped out of the car and paraded to the front door of the tavern. The Christmas lights made the place seem a little less intimidating, but the music rolling out the door every time someone opened it didn’t.

  As someone pushed open the door, I jumped out of the way, balancing my cookies, and convincing myself this was a good idea.

  What I didn’t expect was to see Andrea right in front of me.

  I’d only seen her once, but it was enough of an interaction to get engrained.

  Why in the world was she here? Thanksgiving had long since come and gone.

  “Hey,” she slurred. “You’re the tea girl.”

  I stared at her, and she wobbled a little when her eyes landed on the cab.

  “Cab’s here,” she hollered, and everything in me froze.

  Who was she hollering to?

  “Actuall
y, that’s my cab,” I informed her.

  And that’s when I heard his voice, and it felt like my world crumbled.

  Just a little bit.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Can you help her to the cab and make sure she gets on the ferry back to Seattle?” I heard Nick’s voice, but I didn’t know where he was or who he was talking to until Anthony walked outside. I held the door open with my toe.

  “Come on,” Anthony said, guiding Andrea to my cab.

  At this point, she could have it. Anything to get her away from Nick. I waved at the driver and he nodded. I think there were only two cabs on the entire island, so who knew how long it would take for the one she ordered to show up.

  “Hey, Holly.” Anthony grimaced as Andrea tripped over herself and into the cab. “Nick’s inside.”

  “Thanks.” I cleared my throat, trying to act nonchalant as I slid through the door into the bar.

  I saw a blinking Christmas tree in the corner and scanned the area. My eyes fell to Nick sitting with a group of guys across the room. My heart rate picked up as I made my way over and thought about what I was going to say.

  Nothing very clever came to mind by the time I made it to the table. Three sets of eyes turned to me, but one stayed staring at the table.

  “Surprise,” I said, holding up the tray of cookies.

  Nick immediately lifted his head, and the three other men shot up from the booth.

  “You guys don’t have to leave,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Tori texted that she’s on her way home,” one of them told me.

  “So you must be Mason.” I smiled.

  “In the flesh.” He grinned, and I could perfectly imagine him sliding the one-liner about pelicans to Tori.

  “I’m Jake and that’s Cole.” Jake pointed at the guy next to him. They were all attractive guys, but nothing like Nick.

  Nick was just perfection.

  Even the way the Christmas lights twinkled off his face made me enamored. He was purely hard to ignore.

  “All the girls did an amazing job,” I told them. “You’re going to love the cookies.”

  I felt Nick’s gaze on me, but he still hadn’t said anything.

  I turned to look at Nick, and happiness squished into me merely from being around him.

  “I don’t doubt it.” Jake’s lip quirked up slightly as he led me into the booth, taking the tray of cookies and setting them on the table.

  Anthony punched Nick in the shoulder. “Good luck, man.”

  Good Luck?

  I glanced at his beverage.

  “Water?” I asked, smiling.

  “Surprised?”

  “Well, you’re at a bar.” I wiggled my brows.

  “And you were at a cookie party.” He grinned, looking at the cookies. “And who’s the one with the googly eyes?”

  “My eyes aren’t googly.” I sat back in the booth and squirmed against the leather seat.

  “How’d you get here?” he asked.

  “A cab.” My stomach sloshed. “The same cab Andrea left in.”

  Nick let out a groan.

  “Has she decided to move here?” I teased.

  “I hope not.” He shook his head.

  “Me too.”

  “Most women would be tearing my head off right about now.” Nick laughed.

  “I thought we established that I’m not most.”

  “That’s an understatement.” He nodded.

  “But I am curious what brings her here.”

  “That Polar Bear Dip I mentioned?” he asked, and I nodded. “Well, when she was last here, she signed up her company to sponsor it.”

  “Another way to pay a visit?”

  “I suppose.”

  I didn’t like that she was at the bar with Nick and I wasn’t, but I was relieved that it didn’t appear he fell into his old ways.

  “So what brings you to Mudflats?”

  “Well, prior to running into your girlfriend, I was ready to let you have it.” I was tempted to order a hard cider.

  “And after?” he asked.

  “I’m still ready to let you have it, but for a different reason.”

  “Well, there you go. Let me have it.” He cocked his head and waited.

  “I can’t.”

  “Why’s that?” He snuck his finger under the plastic wrap and snagged the raspberry thumbprint cookie I’d made. “My favorite.”

  “Of course they are, and that’s precisely why I can’t let you have it. We are perfect for each other.”

  “You’ve totally lost me.”

  “As I was eating cookies and talking endlessly about you with your best friends, I realized we were both doing the same thing, just in different ways.” I snuck a cookie too. “We’re both trying to find a reason to delay the inevitable.”

  “What’s the inevitable?”

  “You tell me.”

  “If only I knew.” He laughed. “Before you moved in across the street, I had life figured out.” He bit his lip, and I cocked my head, studying him. His eyes held a darkness that made my body tense. “I love what I do for a living and I have a great group of friends. Life is good. It’s entertaining, interesting, never dull.” He ran his fingers along his cheek, highlighting a day or two of missed shaves.

  “So you liked your life better before I moved to town?” I gave a nervous laugh. “This conversation is off to a great start.”

  His eyes flashed to mine.

  “My life was a perfectly played habit, a continual loop always landing me in the same predicament with the same problem. I knew that with you, I was going to go about things differently.” He shook his head and a wry smile crossed his expression. “And then I screwed it up.”

  I didn’t like thinking that what we’d experienced at his workshop was a habit, but I also knew we both didn’t live in a monastery.

  “So I’m not the first?” I pretended to act shocked.

  He ran his teeth over his bottom lip, and desire washed over me so I looked away.

  “I think I get where you’re coming from, but you let Andrea walk out.” I slid a sideways glance in his direction. “That could have been an easy—”

  “I had her escorted out,” he corrected.

  I had to admit I loved hearing that. Asking him to repeat it probably wouldn’t be very mature.

  “This is the deal. I like you. You like me. I’m over my stuff and am willing to take a chance. You, however, are getting more complicated by the second.” I shifted on the bench. “What changed so instantly after . . .” I didn’t want to finish.

  “Seeing how perfect you were in that moment.” He drew a breath. “I knew I was falling in love with you.”

  The words rocked the world around me as I stared at Nick.

  “Why would that make you pull back?” I questioned.

  “You’re not even close to being to that point, and I’ve never been there before.” He groaned. “I thought being around you was better than not, but I realized I was wrong.”

  “You’ve never been in love before?” I asked.

  “Never.”

  “By design,” I told him, realizing why Tinder played such an intense part of his social life. “You wouldn’t allow yourself to fall for anyone.”

  “Until you.”

  I shook my head. “Except you’re still not letting yourself fall or you wouldn’t have pushed me away.”

  “I don’t want the love to run out.” He sucked in his lip and glanced over at the Christmas tree.

  “So it’s easier not to love in the first place. Is that why you helped with my parents?” I asked.

  “Any couple whose biggest problem is a bird coming between them still has a shot. There’s still love there. It just needed to be brought to the surface again.” He grinned.

  “How do you know these things? Aren’t you a man above it all?” I asked.

  “I saw it with my parents. They ran out of love.” He sucked in a deep breath, but he didn’t let it out.
<
br />   “My parents had such a passionate relationship when I was a kid. They had so much fun together.” He smiled. “But by the time I reached high school, it was like it had all drained from them. They were two miserable souls by the end of it. I still don’t understand what led either of them to behave as they did.”

  “That’s what makes you so skeptical about love?” I asked. “You don’t think it will last?”

  “I suppose.” He shrugged. “I never gave it much thought until you. That’s why I visited my dad. That’s why I got so pissed off that I couldn’t control myself around you.”

  “I don’t want you to control yourself around me.”

  He let out a low growl.

  “Don’t you ever wish we could turn back time?” I asked.

  “Like to the eighties?” Nick teased.

  I liked the spark surfacing in his gaze again. This was the Nick I’d come to know and love.

  “Maybe.” A smile slid on my lips.

  “What do you love so much about that decade?” he asked, stretching in the booth.

  I pressed my lips together and thought hard about it.

  “I was in grade school.” I smiled.

  “That’s it? You just love the eighties because you were in elementary school?”

  “No.” I bunched my face to hide whatever emotion might flicker across it. “I liked it then because I didn’t bother to recognize things that annoyed me. I just bounced from one happy event to the next. I didn’t have time to overanalyze and second-guess life because I was too busy watching Fraggle Rock or playing with Barbies. Basically, I was too busy enjoying life. I liked that version of myself the best. The music, the movies, my friends, family—it was all a focus in that era. It’s not like the third-grade me was like, oh wow, how can I learn to create stock portfolios for people so they can have a solid retirement? Yet, that’s what my life turned into. Probably doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It makes perfect sense.”

  I shrugged. “So that’s the version of myself I hope to get back to someday.”

  “That’s the version I see in you already.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “You’re such a free spirit, Holly. I’ve never met a woman who is so quick to take a bet, to strip into a hot tub, to sing and dance in her—”

  I held up my hand. “Point taken.”