Tempting Love on Holly Lane (Island County Book 5)

by Karice Bolton

“I’ve been thinking,” he started, and I froze.

  “Don’t do that.” I shook my head. “We need to just go with the flow.”

  He laughed and pulled me into him.

  “I’ve been thinking that I’d like you to come over to my house tonight. You’ve been cooking nonstop for me since the Polar—”

  “That’s because you spent a thousand dollars. I feel bad. I want to make it up to you.”

  “I donated a thousand dollars, and the library can always use it.”

  “Still, I thought you might toss in a fifty. I never expected to have so many bidders. Who knew I was such a catch?”

  “I did.” He laughed and nuzzled his nose against mine. “I did.”

  “Okay, so a date tonight?” I glanced at the clock.

  I had twenty minutes until I needed to be at the store. Not enough time for the things running through my head.

  “What time?” I asked.

  “As soon as you get off.” He gave me a tender kiss, which only stirred up more emotion.

  “You make it very difficult to earn a living,” I whispered, giving him one more kiss.

  I grabbed my bag and he followed me out of the house.

  “I’ve got a huge order I need to get done today, so I might not have my phone where I can reach it,” he told me.

  “Okay,” I said, giving him one more kiss before I hopped in the car.

  Maddie had taken yesterday off. She didn’t tell me why, but I had my suspicions after seeing Chance show up at the Polar Bear Dip.

  I cranked up Madonna singing Santa Baby and pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road. The clouds above had turned from a frothy gray to a crisp white, and something told me a white Christmas was on the way.

  I found a parking spot across the street from the tea shop and saw my sister already inside the store, turning on the twinkle lights and flipping the sign to Open.

  The road was still pretty empty at this time, so I didn’t bother with the crosswalk and got inside in record time.

  “Good morning, happy sister,” I called into the store.

  She poked her head out and smiled. “Good morning.”

  “Did you see that giant order that came in for January?” I asked.

  “I did. I’ll place the order for the herbs this afternoon.” She wasn’t really making eye contact, which intrigued me.

  “So how’s Chance?” I asked.

  “What?” She blushed.

  “Jake’s brother? How’s he doing?”

  “Fine.”

  “So I think I know why Hildie wants us to visit. Us really meaning you.” I chuckled.

  “Doubtful.”

  I shrugged. “We’ll see.”

  “So I’m guessing you and Nick got over that friendship hurdle?” She was definitely changing the subject.

  “We did, and it only made things better. He’s making me dinner tonight at his house.”

  “I don’t know how to bring this up, so I’ll just say it.”

  The way her tone changed, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to hear anything.

  “Is it about Nick?”

  “It’s about Christmas.”

  “What about it? I was thinking we could do it at my house. Nick will probably—”

  “Hildie invited me to the farm. I guess they have a huge celebration that begins on Christmas Eve and goes until the 26th.”

  I stared at her in surprise. “Yeah. Totally.”

  “I mean, I think it would be good for business relations. She’s been after us to come over for so long.”

  “Oh, absolutely,” I nodded, trying to keep the smile off my face. “Definitely should do it for the sake of the tea shop.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “I’m serious.”

  “I know you are, which makes it even cuter.”

  She rolled her eyes, but a smile crept over her lips. “Her son is pretty good-looking, and he seems so passionate about what he does for a living.”

  “And so do you.”

  She smiled. “Do you mind covering for me on the 26th?”

  “Nope. It’s my job to make your life easier.” Just as I turned around, the first swarm of customers came in, and it never let it up until quitting time.

  I was fully exhausted and looked like I’d just been through a tornado. My sister didn’t look any better. Most of our teas ran out, which meant we’d be coming in early to make more. I always heard about the Christmas madness, but I guess until a person works retail, they just wouldn’t understand.

  The thought of seeing Nick tonight was both exhilarating and worrisome. I was exhausted and I didn’t know what he had planned. Actually, that thought was kind of invigorating.

  “Why do you have such a dopey look on your face?” my sister asked, tossing me my purse.

  “I don’t.”

  “Whatever you say,” she joked.

  I locked up the store and walked across the street. There were several restaurants along our road, and all of them were packed. I absolutely loved the week before Christmas. It was like the world went into slow motion and people stopped to enjoy one another’s company.

  By the time I pulled into my driveway, all my worry about being too tired was swept to the side and I couldn’t wait to see Nick. I ran inside my house, showered, put on a cute pair of jeans and a red cashmere sweater, and quickly made my way over to his house.

  I knocked on the door, but he didn’t answer so I rang the bell.

  Still nothing.

  Maybe he was out back. I peered into one of the windows and saw only a faint glow coming from the back of the house. I tried the door and it was open.

  The second I stepped inside, my heart literally skipped a beat.

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing as I walked into the foyer and listened to Asia’s Heat of the Moment roll through the air. I followed the music into the family room, where he was sitting on the couch, waiting for me with a pair of Ray Bans on.

  I started giggling and shook my head.

  “You know you’re inside, right?”

  He stood up and slowly walked over to me. My smile only grew when I saw him in a pair of stone-washed acid jeans with rips all over and a tattered bomber jacket.

  “I wasn’t sure if I should go for the Miami Vice look or . . .” his voice trailed off and I glanced at the screen, where The Breakfast Club was playing.

  “You did all this for me?” I asked.

  He bent down and grabbed something off the coffee table.

  “Appetizer?” he asked.

  I looked down to see packages of strawberry Pop Rocks.

  “No way.”

  “Yes, way.” He slid back his sunglasses as I ripped open a packet and sprinkled the candies in the back of my mouth. The popping and sizzling made me way too excited for my own good, and I let out a soft moan.

  “I’ll have to remember these in the future.” He smiled. “I have pizza rolls in the oven.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “I had to make it authentic. I grew up on Smurfberry Crunch, but I couldn’t find it.”

  “I loved that stuff. There’s so much eighties awesomeness that went away with the decade, but I can’t believe you went to this much effort.”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.” He laughed as the music looped, and I threw my head back in laughter. “Right this way.”

  He led me up the stairs and into his bedroom, where there were several wrapped packages.

  “I can’t be the one to have all the fun.” He motioned toward his clothes and slid the first box toward me.

  “Are you serious?” I asked, sliding my finger under the giftwrap.

  I lifted the lid off and couldn’t keep in my glee at the hot pink pair of leg warmers and matching fingerless gloves.

  “You like?” he asked, kneeling next to me and shoving another one over to me.

  “Love.” I opened the next one that had at least a hundred black jelly bracelets, an oversized gray sweatshirt, and a pair of l
eggings. “No way.”

  “I have a confession.”

  I moved my gaze slowly to his. “What’s that?”

  “I loved the eighties too. I have Top Gun and can recite most scenes. I didn’t have to go out to buy The Breakfast Club or Sixteen Candles. I had them both. One of my favorite Christmas movies is Gremlins, right along with National Lampoon. I think the best action movies to exist were made in the eighties. You can’t beat Rambo or Die Hard.” He let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s a dirty little secret of mine.”

  “It’s not dirty.” I shook my head, looping the jelly bracelets over my wrists. “It’s perfection.”

  His eyes stayed on mine.

  “But if you had told me this when we first met, I would’ve blown right past friendship to—”

  “Then it’s good I didn’t tell you. I wouldn’t want to change how we came to be for one second.”

  “Really?”

  The swell of emotion was overwhelming. I was falling in love with this man.

  The oven dinged.

  “I’ll meet you downstairs?” he asked, and I nodded.

  To have found a guy who was this considerate was mind blowing. The closest I’d ever gotten to romance and thoughtfulness was a boyfriend remembering I actually had a birthday. For someone to go to this much trouble for no reason was absolutely amazing.

  I glanced at my new jewelry and smiled. Yeah. Sometimes, things were meant to be.

  How else could I explain moving into a cabin across the street from the sexiest and most notorious bachelor on the island? Yet, with all of his rules and all of my hang-ups, we managed to get here, a place where we belonged.

  I stood up in a trance, stripped my sweater off, pulled the sweatshirt over my head, tugged off my pants, and pulled on my leggings. The final touches were the leg warmers and gloves. The fact that I didn’t care what I looked like spoke volumes as I traipsed down the stairs to see him mixing a salad as the pizza rolls cooled off.

  “You look sensational,” he said, his eyes running along my leggings.

  “Why, thank you.” I walked into the kitchen and snagged a pizza roll off the tray.

  “I can’t wait to strip you out of them. I have an entire playlist ready and waiting.”

  “You really know how to make a girl feel special.” I chuckled, walking over to him.

  He turned around and slowly moved me away from the hot tray.

  “Dinner can wait,” he said. “Seeing you in these . . .”

  I laughed, looping my arms around his neck. “I honestly think the eighties need to make a comeback.”

  “Well, tonight they will.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Take good care of her,” I told Jake.

  “Will do.” Jake smiled and pulled Jewels into him as my sister sat in the helicopter. She was terrified, but the ride was purely for the sake of the business.

  “And if the snowstorm comes in like they expect—” I began.

  “We’ll all be staying on Hound Island.” Jake winked.

  I nodded and sucked in a nervous breath. It was Christmas Eve, and a snowstorm was set to arrive in the morning.

  There was a lot left to learn about Jake Harlen, but finding out he had a chopper was certainly unexpected.

  My sister blew me a kiss, and I waved as Nick roped his arms around my waist.

  “The sooner you let them go, the better,” Nick whispered, and I nodded.

  “Well, Merry Christmas, and please tell your mom thank you for hosting my sister.” I smiled.

  “I think there are some ulterior motives there, but who am I to stand in the way?” Jake laughed, throwing up his hands.

  Jewels gave me a quick hug. “We’ll take good care of her.”

  I watched Jewels climb into the helicopter, and Jake shut the door before he walked around and climbed in on his side.

  “Let’s move back,” Nick said, squeezing me tightly. “She’ll be fine. Jake is an expert pilot. You should hear about some of his adventures.”

  I froze. “Not what I want to hear.”

  Nick chuckled, and we walked toward our car as I heard the helicopter roar to life. I glanced behind me. The swooping of the blades made my stomach clench.

  “Promise me you won’t take that up as a hobby,” I muttered.

  “You’ve got my word. That’s some crazy shit.” He grinned, and I crawled into his truck as the chopper lifted off the ground. They were pointed in the opposite direction, but I still waved until she was out of view.

  “It’s kind of weird not having my sister around for the holidays. Same with my parents.”

  He turned on the engine and glanced over at me. “I was worried that might happen.”

  My phone buzzed, and I saw a text slide over from my parents.

  Wishing you a Merry Christmas! We miss you and

  hope you’re having a wonderful time with your boyfriend.

  I showed Nick the text.

  “I like how that looks.” He pulled down the drive, and I immediately felt better. We may not all be in the same spot this year, but we were still family.

  I glanced at Nick and my insides warmed. I had a lot to be grateful for this year.

  I began texting back.

  I miss you! Maddie is on her way to Hound Island. Nick and I are on our way back home for a cozy night. Love you and Merry Christmas!

  My mom texted back.

  Love you and I hope you like your present.

  I glanced at Nick. I wondered what she was talking about. Come to think of it, nothing actually arrived from my parents, which was odd in itself.

  Jake’s house was on the far end of the island, so by the time we got back to the house, it was almost dark, but my cozy cabin was blazing in Christmas lights.

  Nick parked in front of the house, and I couldn’t imagine a better Christmas Eve. Life just felt right.

  We had a pork loin in the oven, presents under the tree, and new beginnings to last a lifetime.

  “Holly,” Nick said, turning to face me.

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “I just want you to know that you’ve made my dreams come true.”

  “Dreams?” I asked.

  He nodded and glanced at my cabin.

  “Fireweed is my favorite place in the world. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, but there was always something missing.”

  “What was missing?”

  “You.” He moved closer, his lips moving to mine. I felt the intensity behind his kiss, and I knew we’d both finally found what we’d been looking for.

  Each other.

  When our fingers were cold and our lips numb, Nick’s kisses slowed, and I took a deep breath, looking at him with a dopey expression.

  “Now, you have to close your eyes,” Nick instructed.

  “What? In the car?” I asked.

  “You can get out of the car, but then you have to close them.”

  I glanced around the yard.

  “Are you sure about this? I might trip.”

  “I’ll make sure you don’t.” He smiled and slid out of the truck, and I clamped my lids shut. He opened my door, and I felt him secure his hands around my waist and lift me to the ground.

  A man of his word, he got me to the front door, unlocked it, and led me safely inside.

  The smell of pork loin and apples filled my tiny space.

  “Can I open my eyes?”

  “Nope.” He began leading me through the family room and down the hall to my bedroom. “Okay, keep them closed,” Nick whispered, anchoring me in place.

  He let go, and I heard his footsteps leave and scurry back.

  “Okay, Holly Wildes. Merry Christmas.”

  I blinked my eyes open to see my bedroom completely transformed.

  The sleigh bed he’d been working on in his workshop was by my window with a matching bedside table on each side, and a wardrobe in the corner. A white fluffy goose down comforter was draped over the bed, and layers and layers of red and white
pillows were piled on top.

  I was in shock. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the time it took him to complete all these pieces.

  “Do you like it?” he asked, and I realized I hadn’t moved a muscle or said a word

  “I’m completely awestruck,” I whispered, pushing down the lump in my throat. “I can’t even believe it. This is the most beautiful bedroom ever. This is the most special present ever.”

  “I love you, Holly. I wanted our first Christmas to be special.”

  “Just being with you is special, Nick. This is spectacular.” Nick drifted over my way and brought me into him. “I love you, Nick. Everything about you. How did you even do this? My room was empty just a couple of hours ago.”

  “Well, I think your friend list is growing. Sophie, Anthony, Cole, and Natty all rushed over to make it happen while we were gone.”

  “Are you serious? They moved furniture on Christmas Eve for you?” I stood in shock.

  “No, Holly. They did it for you. Welcome to Fireweed.” His eyes glinted with satisfaction.

  “I’ll never leave,” I whispered, shaking my head.

  “That’s music to my ears.”

  I noticed an envelope on my bed.

  “Is that from my parents?” I asked, recognizing the penmanship.

  Nick sucked on his lip.

  “Now this is where it gets interesting.”

  “How so?”

  We walked over to the bed, and I snatched the envelope up and glanced at Nick. He had a worried expression on his face.

  “Should I be as worried as you look?”

  “It depends.”

  I slid my finger along the edge, pulled out the card, and opened it up.

  There was a photo of a home overlooking the water.

  “I don’t get it.” I glanced at Nick.

  “Flip over the picture.”

  My eyes fell to the writing.

  “My parents bought a house on Fireweed Island? They’re moving here? Oh. My. Gosh.” I looked over at Nick, who was trying to gauge my reaction. “Is Muppet coming?”

  “I think that’s the plan.”

  “How long have you known about this?” I asked, smiling.

  “They wanted to surprise you and your sister, so they’ve been working with me and a realtor I know to find this place.”