Holiday Hook Up: (Bachelors of Buttermilk Falls Book 4)

by Robyn Neeley

  The way it worked: singles would spend the evening mixing and mingling, wearing fun masks to conceal their identities. Toward the end of the night, the Holiday Hook Up would begin where men and women paid to pair up and go on dates between Christmas and New Year’s. Proceeds were donated to the charity selected to benefit from the fundraiser.

  The pairing all but guaranteed you had someone to smooch on New Year’s.

  Adam wrapped his arm around his neighbor’s shoulders and squeezed. “I agree with Bethany one hundred percent. The Holiday Hook Up is a much better plan than relying on me at the moment.” He turned to Pauline. “And Pauly, I promise, whomever you choose, I’ll practice in fresh batter to see if he’s your soul mate.”

  Pauline’s face brightened at that suggestion. “You promise?”

  “You have my word. We’ll see you all tomorrow.”

  “Okay then. You two, enjoy your evening.” Pauline turned to the group. “Let’s go ladies. We can test out my new makeup for tomorrow night.”

  “That she uses on dead bodies . . .” Adam muttered, relieved that the women had followed their ring leader across the street and his head was still attached.

  “Stop it.” Bethany slugged him. “You’re bad.”

  He turned back to the woman who had saved his hide. “And you’re amazing. Thanks for your help. The Holiday Hook Up suggestion was brilliant.”

  “It was, wasn’t it? It’s the perfect place for all of them to meet eligible bachelors.”

  “Plus, it will buy me some time. Thanks again. We’ll grab that burger soon.”

  “And the vanilla malt.” She laughed, and he couldn’t help but notice how cute that sounded.

  “With extra whipped cream. You got it.” He motioned over to the fire station. “I’m going to stop in and see if Will wants to grab a beer. Thanks again for being a good sport.” He reached over and adjusted her scarf, his fingers accidentally touching her neck. “Want me to walk you to your car?”

  “No need. It’s right over there.” She pointed to the black Nissan. “See you, Adam.” She gave a final wave and walked toward her car.

  “See you,” he repeated, while rubbing his fingers together.

  Why were they tingling?

  Chapter 2

  Bethany straightened her pine green sweater over her dark jeans and maneuvered through the Christmas Corner, stopping for a second to fiddle with a satin red ball ornament on the shop’s decorated six-foot Christmas tree while humming “Jingle Bell Rock.”

  It was going to be another busy day bustling with holiday shoppers once she unlocked the door, and she was in a particularly festive mood.

  But it had nothing to do with the holidays.

  Since she had a few minutes before she needed to flip the closed sign over, she picked up her camera bag and headed to the back, her black boots clicking on the dark wooden floor. Her dad had renovated a portion of the shop’s inventory space last summer into a small photography studio.

  Bethany had always loved taking pictures and had been a photographer for both her high school and college newspapers. After completing her degree at the University of Rochester, she’d returned home to Buttermilk Falls where she helped her parents run the family shop while starting her freelance business.

  And she’d done okay, making a small name for herself. It wasn’t enough work to sustain a full-time business, but she’d been branching out recently, adding a number of new clients in Buttermilk Falls and surrounding towns who needed a photographer for weddings, senior pictures, and the occasional shoot for local nonprofits.

  Those charity gigs were always a blast and gave her some great shots to add to her portfolio. She smiled at the calendar tacked up on the wall behind her desk. Case in point. The local animal shelter had asked her last year if she’d take pictures for a Frisky Felines calendar, in which adorable kittens were shown cuddled up in the arms of half-naked men. Of course she’d said yes, because who wouldn’t want to see some of the hottest guys in Buttermilk Falls almost baring it all?

  Her eyes locked with those on Mr. July.

  So what if it was December. It could stay July forever as far as she was concerned.

  When her mom turned the calendar to August, she’d immediately flipped it back, saying she’d fallen in love with the adorable gray and white kitten with the pretty green eyes.

  That admission was half right. She had fallen in love—or at least a very strong like.

  She shot her regular morning smile over to a shirtless Adam wearing only his fireman’s yellow pants with red suspenders while cradling the sweet kitten in his arms. She’d been keeping her feelings for Mr. July a secret for a very long time. Admitting them wasn’t going to happen.

  It would ruin everything.

  Adam Reed was her pal. Nothing more, nothing less. Sure, she’d sported a crush since she’d first laid eyes on him at Ralph’s Pizzeria when she moved to town at age fourteen, but they’d always been friends.

  And then senior year happened, and Adam had sauntered into first period that September with a hot tan and noticeable muscles courtesy of working construction for his dad that summer.

  Bethany wasn’t the only one to notice his new looks. Her best friend, Rachel, also liked how Adam had spent his summer vacation and immediately set her sights on him.

  And that pretty much ended any hope Bethany had of her getting Adam’s attention. While Rachel was outgoing and competed with Caitlin and all the other popular girls to be the center of attention, Bethany was more reserved, a bit shy, and embraced her role as best friend to Rachel, having spent most of their friendship in Rachel’s shadow. It was a comfortable, safe place to be. Bethany didn’t need any attention. At least that’s what she’d always told herself.

  Bethany had kept her schoolgirl crush on Adam a secret because a guy as cute and funny as Adam Reed would never give her the time of day.

  It didn’t take long for Rachel to lean over one night on the cheerleading line and whisper to Bethany that she thought Adam was really cute. Bethany had masked her disappointment with the widest, supportive smile only a best friend could give.

  She’d encouraged Rachel to ask Adam if he’d like to grab pizza after the game because she knew firsthand how much he loved a sausage and mushroom pie from Ralph’s Pizzeria.

  He’d said yes and the rest was history. Rachel and Adam had been the Buttermilk Falls golden couple throughout high school and well into adulthood.

  And then the unthinkable happened. Last year, Rachel dumped Adam, swearing that his inability to get engaged meant they had no future.

  Even after Rachel broke things off with Adam, it didn’t seem right to consider the handsome construction worker as fair game. There were universal friendship rules about that sort of thing. Don’t get involved with your best friend’s ex.

  Bethany couldn’t help but wonder recently if that rule couldn’t be broken. She scooted around her desk, setting her camera bag down. Now that Rachel seemed to be genuinely happy dating other guys, maybe Bethany could start flirting a little more with Mr. July. I mean, he did have his arms around me last night.

  She sighed. But that was in his blatant attempt to save his butt from Pauline and her friends, and she was one hundred percent certain that’s all it was. Her gaze rested on Adam’s strong, tanned biceps. Having them around her even if only for a brief moment had been incredibly awesome.

  When he’d moved into the cottage beside hers last fall, she wasn’t going to lie. She’d done a silent jig.

  Unfortunately, they didn’t run into each other much at first. He was always at Caitlin’s helping her with her triplets or working with his dad on the Majestic Theater renovations that Caitlin had hired them to do.

  Word soon spread around the Spring Curls salon, the Star Lite diner—really everywhere—that Adam and Caitlin were dating. Thank goodness that rumor wasn’t true. She was relieved to learn that Caitlin only had eyes for Josh Stevens.

  And once Caitlin and Josh had gotten together
, Adam began to spend more evenings hanging out at his cottage. Several times after work, he’d invited her over for a beer on his deck, and they’d gotten comfy in his big white wicker chairs while watching the sun set over Buttermilk Lake. Sometimes he’d invite her to watch television and they’d move to his couch, but it was always platonic.

  She maneuvered around the tight space to the small kitchenette, deciding to make her favorite peppermint hot chocolate this morning to pass out to shoppers. It always put her customers in a merry and bright mood to sip on a warm, velvety drink while browsing the store.

  A few minutes later, she brought the full carafe to the front counter and unlocked the door for Danny, the FedEx guy.

  “Mornin’, Bethany.”

  “Good morning.” She eyed the boxes he’d unloaded from his van. “I didn’t realize my parents had ordered such a large shipment.”

  “Yep, eight boxes total.” He nodded down to the dolly stacked to the top. “Where would you like them?”

  “You can set them off to the side.” She pointed to a clear area to the right of the Christmas tree. If they were ornaments, she could hang as many as she could once she tagged each with a price tag. What were her parents thinking ordering such a large shipment to come in days before Christmas? They had plenty of inventory already and would probably have to mark a good chunk of it down after the holidays. “Thanks, Danny.”

  “No problem.”

  While Danny set the boxes next to the tree, Bethany moved behind the counter and bent down, grabbing her stash of paper cups. She filled one with hot chocolate and offered it to him, in exchange for the clipboard he handed her to sign.

  She scratched her signature and gave it back.

  “Thanks for the hot chocolate, Bethany. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “See you.” She smiled. Danny had the biggest crush on her, and her mom had tried on numerous occasions to get them together. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had a delivery for her every day of the week and even after Christmas.

  She laughed and slid on her red apron with white snowflakes, grabbed a box cutter from behind the counter, and selected the biggest box to open. She sliced into it, pulling back the flaps.

  What on earth? It was full of cream tissue paper. She removed the top layer and pulled out a handful of white and gold stranded beads, holding them high in the air. “Why would my parents order these?” Maybe they were looking to redecorate the store’s Christmas tree. That seemed odd to want to do days before Christmas.

  She scooted over to the second box to see what was inside. Slicing it open, she shook her head. It was full of small silver and gold tiaras. She pulled one up, examining the sparkling rhinestones.

  “This has to be a mistake.” Folding back the flap, she checked the label. The return address only read MR Wedding.

  “How strange.” She did a double take at the label and then inspected the other seven. All of the boxes had been addressed to her and not the shop.

  Maybe since her parents were out of town for a few weeks, her mom had requested that Bethany’s name be on the order. Although, what were her parents planning to do with boxes full to the brim with tiaras and beads? Were they expanding their business to include a costume supplies store during the Christmas offseason? If so, that was news to her.

  She stood and stepped around, ready to see what was in the third box, when the door chimes signaled her first customer.

  Jason Levine strolled in in a red and green flannel jacket and faded jeans. She couldn’t help but laugh. The handsome former big city reporter known for his preppy buttoned-down shirts and khakis was finally wearing the dress code of rural Buttermilk Falls. Perhaps his girlfriend, Emma Stevens, had helped him tone down his J.Crew look.

  “Getting a late start on your holiday shopping?” she asked, moving behind the counter and grabbing the carafe. She poured some of the peppermint hot chocolate into a paper cup, handing it to him. “On the house.”

  “Thank you.” He took a sip and then another. “Actually, I wanted to stop in and see you.”

  “Me? What’s up?”

  “I thought I’d do a story on the Holiday Hook Up happening tonight. You’re going, right? I’d love it if I could hire you to take a couple shots for the Buttermilk Advocate.”

  She poured her own cup of hot chocolate, savoring the rich, velvety peppermint. “You know, I was actually going to sit this one out.”

  She’d been absolutely right last night when she’d told Pauline and her friends that the Holiday Hook Up was the perfect event to find a date for this time of year. However, there was only one guy she wanted to be with, but there was no way she’d ever suggest to Adam that they pair up.

  Jason adjusted his metal frame glasses. “I don’t blame you. I find this town’s attempt to help everyone find true love a bit over-the-top.”

  “Yeah, right.” She gave him a side eye. “This coming from a man who is now with the woman who purchased him at the Summer Fling auction.” That event was similar to the Holiday Hook Up but took place in July. Emma had paid a few pretty pennies for her handsome fling.

  “I would have found my way to Emma with or without that silly event.”

  “Jason, I didn’t realize you were such a romantic.” She played with the silver tinsel roped along the glass counter.

  “I watch the Hallmark Channel,” he joked. “So why don’t you come and hang out with Emma and me? We can take bets on all the pairings. I just need one or two pictures in the beginning and then maybe a few shots once the pairs make the big announcement that they’ll be dating exclusively for the next two weeks. In addition to running a local story, I’m going to send it down to my former editor.”

  Bethany bit her lip. Jason’s former editor was at the Miami Herald, and he’d done a few freelance pieces for them this year. It would be cool to have a photo byline with her name in the prominent paper.

  And getting dressed up and spending her evening with friends at the Lakeside Inn wasn’t the worst idea. She did love the event.

  Last year, she’d paired up with Rodney Flanagan. Her Holiday Hook Up with the mechanic hadn’t really gone anywhere, but it was nice to have someone to hang out with and a date for New Year’s.

  “Can you give me a couple of hours to think about it?” she asked, while refilling his paper cup.

  “Sure. I’ll be at the newspaper all day. Give me a buzz or stop in.” He zipped up his jacket and tipped his cup. “Thanks for the hot chocolate for the road.” Jason headed out the door right as Rachel sauntered in. “Hey, Jason.”

  “Nice to see you, Rachel. Talk to you later, Bethany.”

  Bethany waved good-bye and turned to greet her best friend. “What brings you in this morning?” She admired Rachel’s chic fashion sense even in the dead of winter. Where Bethany went for warm and functional with her classic black down jacket when the temperature dipped below thirty degrees, Rachel had on a beautiful red wool coat with shiny black buttons, her long blond hair pulled off her face in a sleek bun.

  “I’m working on Brandon’s order for the Holiday Hook Up. Abby called yesterday to see if I could put together a few Christmas-themed arrangements to place around the inn. I’m hoping to grab some red bows for the vases if you have twenty or so.”

  “Of course.” Bethany dashed into the back, returning with a box of bows. “You can use what you need and return the rest. I’ll charge you then.”

  “Thank you.” Rachel held the box in her arms. “I wish you’d change your mind about going tonight.”

  Bethany had shared earlier in the week that she was probably going to pass on the event. “Well, Jason did ask me to take some photos tonight for a story he’s doing.”

  “Then you’re coming.”

  “I don’t know . . .”

  Rachel turned her back and leaned against the glass counter. “Well, I guarantee the town will want to see a photo of me with the man I plan on hooking up with.”

  Bethany couldn’t help but raise a curious eyebr
ow at that news. “Who do you want to hook up with? Carter Manning?” During their last gab fest, Rachel had mentioned that she’d had dinner twice now with the town’s hunky veterinarian and enjoyed his company.

  Rachel picked up a tiny snow globe and shook it, watching the sparkly silver flakes fall to the bottom. “Well, Carter’s great and all, but I think there’s another guy I’m going to try hooking up with, and I’m pretty sure when I suggest it, he’s not going to turn me down.” She giggled and pushed off the counter. “Guess who?”

  Bethany pulled her long wavy hair to the side. She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like this. Please don’t say Adam. Please don’t say Adam.

  “Adam.”

  Nooooooooooooo!

  “Really?” Bethany straightened, trying to pretend that news didn’t completely jolt her off her axis. “You want to get back together with Adam?”

  Rachel gave a shoulder shrug. “No. I mean, I don’t know. Maybe. I just . . . I’ve been thinking a lot about him lately. We were a couple for so many years, and we were good together. Maybe I overreacted by giving him an ultimatum. Perhaps we deserve another shot.”

  “Another shot,” Bethany repeated as the hope-filled balloon her heart had been carrying burst inside her. “Right.” She took a deep breath and pasted on what she was sure was the same smile she’d worn the first time Rachel had declared her interest in Adam that night on the football field all those years ago. “Well, if that’s what you want, I fully support you.”

  Rachel set the box down and gave Bethany a huge hug. “Thank you. You really are my best friend. Maybe I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Maybe,” Bethany said, with a little sadness in her voice that Rachel didn’t pick up on. She watched as her best friend breezed out the door, a giant knot in her stomach twisting tight.

  Tonight, Rachel and Adam could be taking the first step in reuniting, and once again, Bethany would be the supportive friend on the sidelines.

  Unless Adam wasn’t interested in getting back together. She moved behind the counter and picked up a pen, tapping it on the glass counter. Her gaze resting on her cell phone.