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

by Robyn Neeley

  “No.” Bethany slid off the stool and reached for her coat and purse. “I think I’m going to go home. I’ll see you later, Adam.”

  “Wait.” He glanced over at Sheila who gave him an encouraging nod to follow her out.

  “I’ll go with you.” He hadn’t grabbed his jacket still hanging on a hook in the kitchen, but he didn’t care. He needed her to know what had happened was one hundred percent wrong, and it most certainly didn’t change the growing feelings he was having for her.

  He followed closely behind as she pushed through the crowd. A young redhead he recognized as a beautician from the Spring Curls salon grabbed his waistband and asked if she could be the next bachelorette. “Um . . . maybe,” he said politely, and excused himself.

  Bethany was outside already. He needed to catch up with her before she got too far down the street. Flying out the front door, he saw her standing at the corner. “LB, wait up.”

  She spun on her heels, her long hair blowing in the bitter wind. “Adam, it’s cold. It’s been a really long day, and you shouldn’t be out here without a jacket.”

  “I’m fine. Let me walk you to your car or take you home. Whatever you want.” He pointed behind him. “My truck’s in back of the bakery.”

  When she stood for a few seconds without moving, he knew it wasn’t the weather causing her desire to call it a night. He needed to explain.

  Although, he didn’t really understand why his name had appeared in Rachel’s batter. He only knew what he felt in his heart. “Why don’t we go to your place and talk?” He paused and added, “Rachel’s not my soul mate.”

  There. He’d said it, and he meant it.

  “I know.” She pulled her lavender scarf tight around her neck. “I know she’s not your soul mate.”

  “Do you?” She didn’t have the tears in her eyes that she’d had earlier. That gave him a little confidence to step closer into her space. He put both hands on her shoulders.

  Tell her now how hard you’re falling for her. He moved one hand up and stroked her cheek with his knuckle.

  She brushed off his hand and looked away.

  “I’m sorry.” He wasn’t quite sure what he was apologizing for, but he took her cue and stepped back.

  “Adam, there’s something I need to tell you.” She shoved her hands in her coat pockets, her eyes locked with his.

  “What is it, LB?” Was this the part where she told him she’d been doing some thinking and maybe they shouldn’t do anything to ruin their friendship? “If it’s about us, we can go slower than slow.” He sighed. “Or stop.”

  “Maybe we should stop.”

  Wrong answer. And why had she said it without hesitation? Had he misread her signals from the other night? “Okay,” was all he could say, but he didn’t mean it.

  “Okay, then. Great. Good-bye, Adam.”

  He stood stunned as she started down Main Street. Was it really over just like that? How could it be? No. They’d almost kissed three times, and it was not all one sided. She felt something for him, too. He knew it and wasn’t going to let her off the hook. He cleared his throat and called out, “You’re afraid, Bethany Wilson.”

  “What?” She spun around. “What are you talking about?”

  He took quick steps to reach her, his heart racing. “You’ve been afraid your whole life. Always standing in Rachel’s shadow. Not going after what you want. Why haven’t you opened up your photography studio? Why won’t you take a chance on me? I’ll tell you why. Getting what you want scares you.”

  That was exactly what it was, so he continued, “I have no doubt that you want to explore this connection between us just as much as I do, but you’re scared to take a leap because what if it doesn’t work out. You’re a coward, Bethany, and we might lose out on something really great because you won’t take a chance.”

  “Is that what you think?” she asked with a lot of agitation in her voice.

  “Yeah,” he said, not feeling as confident as he was a moment ago. Maybe he shouldn’t have called her a coward.

  “Is that so.” She stepped closer, into his space.

  If her eyelids weren’t narrowed, he’d pull her close and wrap his arms around her, but he was pretty sure she’d slap him.

  “Maybe I was having feelings for you, but when you agreed to go slow, I didn’t realize that you kissing your ex-girlfriend the same night you made that agreement to me was your idea of going slow.” She pointed her finger directly at him. “And that, Adam Reed, doesn’t make me a coward. It makes you a jerk.”

  She knew about the kiss? Oh, God. He was a jerk. “How did you hear about it? Did Rachel tell you?”

  She pinched her lips and looked away. “She didn’t have to.”

  Adam shoved his cold hands in his jeans pockets. This didn’t make any sense. “Then how did you find out?”

  “It’s about the spell.” She looked over at the bakery for a split second and then her gaze met his. “Adam, the reason I know that you didn’t do the spell correctly tonight is because I realized last week that you’re not predicting soul mates.”

  His eyebrows furrowed at her confession. “I’m not?”

  “No.” She shook her head.

  “But a name always shows up in the batter.”

  “You’re outing last kisses.”

  Outing last kisses? “What do you mean by outing last kisses?”

  “I only figured it out last week. The name that is appearing is the last man the woman kissed. Wendy made out with Tony, Annie was sneaking around with Scott, you kissed Pauline a few weeks before you did the batter on her. Apparently, she hadn’t kissed anyone else.”

  “Wow.” What she was saying did make sense and certainly was the only logical reason that his name would show up in Pauline’s batter. “And Zoe kissed Will.”

  “Zoe kissed Will,” she repeated, and they stood on the corner for a few awkward seconds.

  “Well, there goes my admission into Hogwarts.” He smiled down at Bethany, but she didn’t seem to think his joke was funny. “LB . . . It’s not what you think.”

  “But you kissed Rachel the same night we admitted there was something between us.”

  “Yes, and I’m so incredibly sorry. I wanted to respect your desire to take things slow, and I was at her house and we—”

  She put up her hand, signaling for him to stop talking. “Again, going slow doesn’t constitute one of the parties kissing his ex in my book.”

  “It wasn’t like I planned it. It just happened. I mean . . . Rachel and I have a lot of history. You’re her best friend, so you know.” He was grasping, but he had to make her understand.

  “Right,” she said sarcastically. “She asked you to go out for a sausage and mushroom pizza and the rest is history—your history.”

  “Bethany . . .”

  “You know what, Adam? All of this is a mistake. You and me—we should have never let whatever is going on happen. We were friends. It was obviously silly to think we could start anything that would be even close to what you and Rachel had. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m a coward, but I will never feel second to anyone.”

  She brushed past him but spun around, jabbing him in the chest with her finger.

  “And one last thing. Tell your meddling ghost of a distant cousin to leave me alone!”

  His heart grew heavy as he watched her storm away. Had he really ruined things with Bethany before they had even begun?

  And what did Mary have to do with any of this?

  Chapter 16

  Bethany entered the Lakeside Inn and glanced around for her breakfast companion. Abby had sent her a text an hour earlier asking if she wanted to have breakfast. Since her parents insisted she take some time for herself and close the Christmas Corner for both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, Bethany had accepted Abby’s invitation.

  She suspected her friend was worried about her after what had gone down earlier in the week at the Sugar Spoon.

  It had been four days since she�
��d spoken to Adam. Four long days.

  She wanted to talk to him. Even thought about whipping up some chocolate chip cookies because she knew those were his favorite and knocking on his door, but she couldn’t bring herself to bake the cookies let alone go over to his cottage. Really, what was the point? The fact was he and Rachel had kissed. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he must still have feelings for his ex-girlfriend somewhere.

  His calling her out for being a coward had stung because deep down she knew he was right.

  She had been scared for most of her life: walking around in Rachel’s shadow, staying in the safety of her parents’ shop and not branching out on her own with her photography, not fully admitting the feelings she had for him . . . She thought things were changing. Maybe she hadn’t moved at a pace he was used to, but she’d thought they were moving in the right direction.

  But then he had to go on and kiss Rachel, and yes, she’d admit it. That set her back. After she saw his name in the mixing bowl, all she wanted to do was run home and cower underneath the covers and never be seen again—at least not by him. She’d spent the next few days hibernating in her cottage and coming in and out the side door as to not be seen.

  She’d thought about what had happened a lot. If they’d explored their feelings, what if she didn’t measure up to what he once had with her best friend? Maybe he and Rachel had gotten together on a bit of an exaggerated stretch of the truth orchestrated by Bethany, but the relationship they built together, she had nothing to do with. They’d been totally in love for years, and it had moved beyond favorite pizza toppings.

  “Hey, Bethany.” Brandon jogged down the stairs and greeted her on the landing. He was dressed casually in jeans and a warm flannel shirt, a small yellow toolbox in hand.

  “Hey, Brandon. Happy New Year’s Eve.”

  “Back at you.” He held up the toolbox. “I’ve been trying to get some work done around here so Abby and I can enjoy ourselves tonight at the First Kiss Ball.” He winked. “Maybe have our first smooch before midnight.”

  “I think it might be a little late for that.” She laughed. “You do remember she’s pregnant with your second child?”

  “That I do.” He nodded to the door. “Speaking of their mother. She had to run out. Jackie had a bit of a tumble and twisted her ankle coming out of the supermarket last night. She didn’t tell Abby and Josh until this morning.”

  “Oh, no. Is she okay?”

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine, but Josh had some appointment in Syracuse so Abby had to drive her to the doctor’s. She told me to tell you she’d be a few minutes late. Would you like some coffee?”

  She’d had a cup before she came so she could hold off. “I’m good right now, and you don’t need to entertain me, so go on and do what you need to do so you can get to that kiss.” She reached in her purse and pulled her phone out. “I’ve got a bunch of e-mails to respond to.”

  “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be in the kitchen fixing a door handle if you need me. Josh gets cranky if his makeshift makeup lab isn’t locked at all times.” He lowered his voice. “Makeup spies and all.”

  She grinned and wiggled her fingers that were, in fact, coated in Make Men Blush red. “We can’t have anyone sniffing around for the secret ingredients in Kiss and Makeup nail polish. Go on. I’ll be fine.”

  Once alone, Bethany walked over to the couch and took a seat—the exact spot she was sitting in when she and Adam had almost kissed. That night had been near perfect. If only she had told him then how she really felt.

  There was one time she hadn’t been afraid to show Adam her feelings, and that moment had been amazing. She sprung up from the couch and crossed the room to the corridor leading to the back door, stopping at the very spot that their lips had actually met. “Adam, if you only knew how much I want to be with you,” she whispered, and leaned against the wall.

  Her thoughts flew fast to the night of the Holiday Hook Up. Josh had told her to not let the past hold her back from getting the life she wanted.

  Was it that easy when she’d spent all her life playing it safe, putting her own feelings aside for those of her best friend, and never telling the one man in this town who she had feelings for that she’d had them for a very long time?

  Walking back into the main room, she stood at the foot of the stairs and rested her hand on the banister. Maybe Josh was on to something. He hadn’t let his past relationship with Caitlin—that was anything but romantic—stop him from getting what he wanted. He wasn’t frightened, and that man had plenty in the beginning to be scared of, learning he was going to be a father to not one but three babies.

  Here was a man who gave up the only adult life he’d ever known in Manhattan to be with Caitlin and his kids.

  His response that night to her asking how he did it played in her head.

  I took a step.

  She inhaled and lifted her brown boot as she exhaled, setting it on the first mahogany step. That wasn’t so hard. Now, she needed to make it count.

  Her heart pumped, as she hoisted her other leg up. She rummaged in her purse for the worn receipt that she’d scribbled the name and number of the realtor on Christmas day.

  She took another step and two additional more while she tapped the number into her phone.

  Calling the realtor and setting up an appointment to see the vacant office space next to the fire station would be the first step in her acknowledging she was ready to stop hiding in the Christmas Corner’s back office and shout to the world she had a full-time photography business. She tapped in the seven digits and a few minutes later had an appointment to meet the realtor in three hours. She’d done it!

  Keep taking steps. Go after what you want.

  She glanced down at her phone. If she was going to admit her true feelings to Adam, she first wanted to admit them to someone else whom she cared about. With one swipe, she had Rachel on the other end. “Hi,” she said into the phone, frozen on the stairs.

  “Hey, Bethany.”

  “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  “No. Hold on for a second. Donovan, get your butt in here and watch your pancakes. I’ve got a phone call. Sorry, Bethany.”

  “Donovan’s still with you?”

  “That would be a yes. Oh, you haven’t heard the latest. He’s moving home.”

  “Really? What about his restaurant in Colorado?”

  “Selling it. I don’t know what’s gotten into him, but he made the announcement last night to the family at dinner.” She laughed. “And I’m sure this town will never be the same. So how are you doing?”

  That question caught Bethany by surprise. Not so much the words but the sincerity in her tone. She took a deep breath. “That’s great about Donovan. I’m doing okay. I’m sorry I rushed out of the bakery like I did.”

  “You have feelings for him, don’t you?”

  Bethany knew Rachel wasn’t talking about her brother. She took a deep breath. “I do.”

  “I knew it. I could totally tell by the way you two were looking at each other. Adam couldn’t take his eyes off you. Bethany, I think it’s great.”

  “Really?” Bethany pulled the phone away from her ear for a second and took one step down, because she had to be hearing things. “You really think so?”

  “Are you kidding? You two would make the cutest couple, not to mention you’ve known each other for years.”

  “He and I have been friends for a long time,” Bethany agreed.

  “I think you’d be super cute together. You have my blessing.” She paused. “Is that why you called?”

  “Yes. I wanted to ask you first.” She stepped up, raking her fingers through her hair. She didn’t need Rachel’s permission. She took two more steps. “I mean . . . talk to you first. He and I have been spending some time together and flirting, but I haven’t been fully honest with him.”

  “Well, get to it, girl.” She laughed. “Adam and I are just friends. It took us awhile to get there, but I do think we
are now. You have my blessing, although you don’t really need it.”

  Bethany knew she couldn’t end the conversation without bringing up what happened between Rachel and Adam earlier in the week. “But you two kissed.”

  “He told you?”

  “It sort of came out.” She didn’t want to admit her theory on what spell Adam was casting with the batter. “He said it just happened.”

  “He’s right, and let me tell you, that was a mistake. I got caught up in the moment and kissed him. I was drunk from Donovan’s margaritas and probably light-headed from the smoke fumes. The thing is: Adam pulled back. He stopped it. And now I know why.”

  He stopped it. Bethany smiled to herself, relieved to hear Rachel’s confession.

  Rachel went on, “And thank God he stepped back because it was awful. I mean . . . For you, it would be wonderful . . . um . . . romantic.”

  Bethany chuckled. “I think I know what you mean. So, if Adam and I ever do get together, you would be totally fine with it?”

  “Totally. Although, if you’re having doubts, I’d be happy to share with you all his bad habits, and trust me, like any man, he has several. Like his terrible routine of leaving his boxers everywhere, or the fact that he is a blanket hog. I mean serious cover takeover. I froze most of the time we were together. You might want to invest in a bunch of footy pajamas like I did.”

  Bethany couldn’t help but smile, envisioning herself snuggled up to Adam in bed in her red velvet ones. “Noted.”

  “Bethany, I’m cheering for you two. Go be happy.”

  Wow, and there it was. Just like that, they had traded roles. Rachel was in the background cheering her on. “You go be happy, too,” she said, because some things would never change. She’d always be rooting for Rachel.

  “I’m working on it. Now I’ve got to go make sure my brother doesn’t burn my house down. My twin loves to play with fire. I’ll see you tonight at the ball, yes?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Well if you’re there, you can help me keep my brother in check. The guy is seriously ready to hook up, and who knows who will be his target.”