The Christmas Sneak: Hope’s Turn Holidays

by Marie Harte

  “No, but he threatened an awful lot. I didn’t get this big until college, so it wasn’t like I could take on the old man if he started swinging.” Deacon grinned at his mom.

  Brenda Flashman shook her head, her silver bangs ruffling. “Don’t listen to him, Nora. Lee never raised a hand to our boys. Though plenty of times I wouldn’t have been opposed. Fortunately, my boys were easy. Put Mitch in the corner and he lost his mind. Take Deacon away from sports practice and he was miserable and soon begging for mercy.” Brenda sighed. “Ah, the good old days.”

  “Mom.”

  “Really?” Nora would love to see Deacon begging for anything.

  He must have read her mind, because he chuckled. “Great, Mom. Now you have Nora out for my blood. Don’t believe her,” he said to Nora. “I only pretended to be afraid so they’d quit harping on me to clean my room.” He mock-cringed when his mother neared. “I’m just teasing, Mom. Please. Don’t beat me again. At least not in public.”

  “Really, Deacon. I know how not to leave a mark.” Brenda winked at Nora. “Dealing with children all day long gave me the gift of tolerance—and a love of vodka.” Brenda left, laughing.

  Nora chuckled. She really liked the Flashmans. Brenda had a warm sincerity that immediately put one at ease. She corralled her grown sons and husband like a pro, the retired teacher in her apparent. And Nora could see where Deacon and Mitch had inherited their manly charm. Their father sounded gruff, but his eyes shone with pride, and he treated Becca and Simon with more than kindness. He’d accepted them right off, including Nora and her parents in his goodwill.

  So why had Lee’s oldest son turned into such a jerk?

  She lifted a fork near her, seeing the silver glint under the lights, lost in thought.

  When she’d first met Deacon, she’d done her best to hide a huge crush. He had to be the most attractive guy she’d ever seen. Not that he was classically good-looking; his features were too overpowering for that. But he had the tall, dark, and handsome thing going on. Hmm. More like tall, dark, and menacing—until he smiled. Deacon radiated kindness while wearing sarcasm like a second skin. He fascinated her on too many levels. So, she’d played it cool, pretending she hadn’t noticed him checking her out and loving the fact he had.

  Then they’d had that date that had gone nowhere…

  “Why are you looking at me like you plan to stab me with the fork you’re holding?”

  She clutched the silverware tightly before setting it back next to the plate. She smoothed out the tablecloth and smiled at him through her teeth. “I’m going to see if they need anything else.”

  Did he seem relieved she was leaving his presence? She couldn’t tell.

  He gave her a bland smile back. “Sounds good. I’ll go see if Mitch needs anything.”

  Unfortunately, Brenda needed another bag of stuffing mix. Nora’s mother needed more whipping cream and a bag of apples for “a surprise and never you mind.” Lee wouldn’t mind more olives and snacks; he had a fondness for chips and cookies that his wife kept stealing, leaving him hankering. Mitch had decided they needed more dog food in case the storm that had been circling overhead hit earlier than expected, and would she mind taking Deacon with her so he could help her carry supplies? Heck, they might as well take Deacon’s SUV since it had new tires and more room for everything.

  So much for getting some freakin’ space.

  “You sure you’re okay with me driving?” Deacon asked as he fiddled with the radio on their drive back into town.

  They hadn’t encountered much traffic coming down the mountain, though she was sure the crowds would pick up as the day waned, with people eager to hit the ski lodge for the weekend.

  “Oh, sure. Fine.”

  “Fine.” He repeated, a half smile on his face, and turned up the music.

  Minutes passed.

  They hadn’t yet reached the grocery store when he shocked the heck out of her by apologizing. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?”

  “Um…” She paused. “For what, exactly?”

  He scowled at her before concentrating once more on the road. “For the awkwardness between us.”

  Nora refused to accept his remorse. Yep, that’s me. Graceless. “Oh? I hadn’t realized there was anything wrong with the way we deal with each other.”

  He gripped the wheel tighter. “Gimme a break. When we first met, we laughed and got along. Now, I can barely be in the same room with you before you’re sniping at me for something.”

  She raised a brow and said nothing.

  “I mean, so we had one date. I thought it went well. Then you started acting funny. You ignored my texts and got weird anytime we were in the same room together. And hell, you still act weird.”

  She blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” He sounded grim. “I think you’re hot, and you’re funny. I asked you out because I thought we might have something. Then you got all cold and never talked to me again.”

  “Oh my God. Seriously? Deacon, we dated once. It was a lot of fun. I agree. The next day you left on business and never talked to me again. Oh wait, you did…way back in February. You texted me that Becca needed me to pick up Simon from school. That was it.”

  “That’s not true. First of all, I let you know I was leaving and that I’d call you when I got back.” He shifted in his seat. “I called you more than once. Hell, we talk all the time.”

  “Are you being deliberately obtuse or are you just stupid?”

  “Oh, that’s nice.”

  “Seriously.” She folded her arms over her chest to keep from reaching for his throat. “We had a great date. You made me laugh, and I was attracted. We had chemistry. Then you spazzed when you left, went out of town for a month—”

  “Two weeks on business.”

  “—and came back with a girlfriend. You never answered my message about anything being wrong. You just came back to Hope’s Turn with a significant other. Then you want to be friends and act like nothing’s wrong?” Flabbergasted, she just looked at him. “Really? You ghosted me to my face, which shouldn’t even be a thing.”

  “That’s not how I remember it.”

  “Oh?” She turned in her seat to stare at his stubborn profile. “Do tell, Deacon. How do you remember it?”

  * * *

  Deacon focused on the road, wishing he’d never brought up the subject. “I remember having a great time on our date. I never spazzed.” Well, maybe. He could still remember how sweaty his palms had been and how his heart had raced when they’d come to the end of the date. How badly he’d wanted to kiss her, and how worried he’d been that he’d screw up a good thing. So, he’d left her with a smile and a promise to call again. “I did call you, you know. After our date. And not about picking up Simon.”

  “To tell me you were going out of town, which I already knew? Gee, thanks, Deac.”

  A glance at Nora showed her just as vibrant, beautiful, and sarcastic as always.

  “I never ghosted you.” The dating practice of simply fading away and ending communication instead of telling a date goodbye had always bothered him.

  “No. You made it seem like we had the potential to have a relationship then came back to town with a woman on your arm as if we barely knew each other, no explanation whatsoever.”

  He huffed. “I think you’re making too much of it. It’s not like I was cheating on you with someone else. Damn, Nora. It was one dinner.”

  Yet it had been so much more than that. He’d found in Nora someone he liked and desired, and her impact had left him breathless. And anxious. He’d needed to slow things down, and then somehow, he’d met Michelle on the plane back to town and found in her someone who was fun, sexy, and not at all threatening.

  Nora’s reactions upon his return had been eye-opening, though. That passive-aggressive silent treatment she’d subjected him to had been something Rhonda would have pulled, reinforcing the notion he’d been right to take a break from the sexy brunette.

 
; Nora glared at him and said something that sounded uncomplimentary under her breath. In a louder voice, she asked, “If you just wanted a platonic dinner date, why did you take me to a fancy restaurant and act like you liked me as more than a friend? Why act as if you wanted something more?”

  He shrugged, unwilling to admit the truth to her when it still bothered him to think about it. “I wanted to take you somewhere nice. Not sure why that’s such a bad thing.”

  She studied him. He could feel her gaze like a burn, trying to tear through his thick skin to see the heart of him. But she’d never get past the walls that kept his heart safe.

  “You really are incredible, you know that?”

  He eyed her before watching the road once more. “Well, thanks.”

  “That’s not a compliment, dumbass.”

  He bit back a grin, preferring her anger to wounded silence. “I think you’re pretty incredible too.”

  “I honestly have a hard time reconciling how you and Mitch can be related. He’s so kind and handsome. And you’re…you.”

  He ignored the familiar tinge of jealousy. He’d grown used to being the screwed up one in his family, so Nora’s comments shouldn’t hurt so much. “I’m the taller, bigger, better-looking Flashman, is that what you mean?”

  She blew out a loud breath. “Yep, there’s that ego again. I can’t believe I ever went out with you.”

  They finally pulled into the grocery store parking lot. Thank God. He turned off the engine and swiveled to face her. “So why did you go out with me, then?”

  “What?” She looked off balance.

  “If I’m such a loser, why go out with me at all? For my money?” Where had that come from? He’d never thought that about her. At least, he hadn’t been consciously aware of thinking it.

  Nora didn’t take offense, as he might have expected. Meghan sure the hell had when he’d asked her why she was so interested in his finances.

  Nora laughed him off. “Money? I doubt you’re better off than I am. You seemed nice, though. So I thought, why not?” She gave him a pitying smile that irritated the hell out of him. “Why not throw the sad brother a bone and accept his invite to dinner? You’re not a bad looking guy.” She looked him over and shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Uh-huh.” Deacon might be a lot of things, but he knew his looks had always appealed to women. He might not be in the NFL anymore, but he continued to keep his body in top physical condition. That Nora was trying to convince him she might not like his looks was…interesting.

  “Well, what can I say?” Nora shrugged. “I thought the date would go better than it did. And it didn’t.” Her expression didn’t sit well with him, because she looked both disappointed and hurt. “But hey, you live, you learn.”

  “And what exactly did you learn?”

  “That Becca and Mitch might have found something special, but you and I did not. Period. End of story.” She shot him a bright smile. “Heck. It’s the holidays. Let’s put all that behind us. Sure, Deacon. I accept your apology. You don’t need to keep avoiding family gatherings, and I’ll try to be nicer, okay?”

  “O-kay,” he said slowly, not sure why her acceptance made him feel worse and not better. He’d screwed up again, apparently. And this time by trying to do the right thing. “So, friends?” He held out a hand.

  She stared at him. A flash of something came and went in her eyes. “Sure.” Her handshake was there and gone in an instant. Then she left the vehicle, talking at him with a pleasant if aloof smile. At him, not to him.

  He sighed, wondering how he could keep doing the wrong thing around Nora when he only wanted things to be right.

  Chapter 4

  Deacon wished he’d never opened his stupid mouth in the car. Nora was acting fake, and he hated it.

  From other people he expected platitudes or false compliments. But not from family. He much preferred Nora’s condescension and teasing than this pretend-happy crap. But at least she was talking to him, so he did nothing to try to remedy the situation.

  At the register, they waited while the clerk rang them up, and he noticed Nora sneak a candy bar onto the conveyor belt. The woman had a definite sweet tooth.

  When she tried to pay for everything, he glared. “I got this.”

  “Gee, thanks, Deacon.” Her thanks grated, because he couldn’t tell if her appreciation was genuine.

  “You’re welcome,” he growled and paid the cashier.

  On the drive back, she sat staring out the window.

  “Not eating your chocolate?”

  She gave him a side glance before turning her attention back to the road. “It’s for later.”

  Silence filled the small space, but having failed before, he was determined not to say the wrong thing again. He turned on the radio, and they listened to alternative rock as they drove back up the mountain. Dark clouds overhead turned the bright sunny day gray, and the large pines along the road swayed in the wind as the first snowfall trickled over the SUV.

  “Let it snow,” Nora muttered.

  “If we’re lucky, we’ll just get a little bit. It’s only supposed to be a few inches. The real heavy stuff should hold off for a few weeks from what I heard on the radio.”

  Deacon pulled into the long driveway which looped in front of the house. The stonework and natural foliage had been brightened with potted mums that had survived some unseasonably warmer weather for Central Oregon at this time of year. But with the oncoming storm, he didn’t think they’d survive much longer.

  A glance at Nora had him wondering if he’d survive…Thanksgiving.

  He cleared his throat, and Nora glanced his way. “Do you ever wish you lived in a house this big?” He knew she lived on the same side of town as him, but he’d never been invited to her home. Or was it an apartment? He had no idea.

  “It’s nice, but it’s too big for me.” A strange look passed over her face. “I like my place.”

  “Did you buy or are you renting?”

  “I’m renting. It’s easier that way.”

  “Easier?”

  “To get housing. Anymore, getting a home loan is no joke, especially if you’re self-employed.”

  He nodded. “You edit for a few magazines, don’t you?”

  She shot him a sharp look. “I freelance edit for a few e-magazines and run social media content for some businesses in town.”

  “Nice. Lets you be your own boss.”

  “Yep.” Her full lips quirked into a smile, captivating him with ease.

  Hell, he’d noticed everything about her from day one. Sadly, his mind kept returning to how amazingly she filled out a bathing suit when they’d met at Mitch’s for a pool party nearly a year ago. Nora had an average height, but she had curves in all the right places, every part of her in perfect proportion.

  He loved her brown hair and brown eyes, features he’d overheard her complaining about as boring, yet Deacon always felt hard-pressed to look away from her.

  “Something on my face?” she asked. “You’re staring.”

  He hoped he didn’t look as red as he felt. “Um, you had some fuzz on your hair, but it’s gone now.” I am such an idiot.

  She ran a hand over her mink-dark hair, and his fingers itched to do the same.

  Nora glanced at his mouth and frowned, her own cheeks turning pink.

  The front door opened, and his mother poked her head out and waved. “Oh good. You’re back!”

  Nora darted from the vehicle with a grocery bag in hand and disappeared inside. Deacon took a moment to compose himself before grabbing the rest. He dumped the groceries in the kitchen before darting away to check on Simon.

  After a quick peek at the teenager and his girlfriend playing video games in the game room, Deacon escaped to a quiet area in the back of the house, where a fire had been lit and a bouquet of fall flowers decorated a table in the center of a room with a very tall ceiling, the walls lined with bookcases.

  Deacon’s brother, the book nerd, had always been into
reading, mostly history and other dry nonfiction. Mitch had been happy to shelve Becca’s novel collection with his own, Deacon could see, unless his brother had suddenly started reading mysteries and romances. Hell, with Mitch, who knew? The cozy room had floor-to-ceiling shelves complete with a rolling ladder, the kind that libraries and bookstores used. Or, you know, rich people with too much money to spend.

  Deacon could only shake his head and stoke up the fire, sitting on a comfy sofa while he ignored words on paper and stared into the flames. Oreo trotted inside and jumped onto the couch she wasn’t supposed to sit on.

  “Are you allowed in here?”

  Oreo sighed and curled up next to him. She put her muzzle on his lap, and he shook his head. “Neither of us belongs here, do we, dog?”

  They sat together, staring at the fire. It crackled and put out heat, and Deacon let himself drift, trying to relax, to not care so damn much about every damn thing.

  Damn. He’d been trying not to swear so much.

  He petted the dog, letting her silky pelt ease his worries, and tried to figure out where he’d gone so wrong with Nora.

  Probably agreeing to that first date.

  The dog left him a few minutes later. Then Simon darted his head in and waved.

  “Hey, slacker.” Deacon yawned. “Man, it’s cozy in here.” He shifted on the couch and tugged a throw over himself. “Think I’ll take a little nap.”

  “I’m supposed to find you and remind you to take Oreo out.” Simon grinned. “But since you’ve been covering for me today—”

  “No shit.”

  Simon’s grin widened. “Jenna and I will take out Oreo. And I won’t tell anyone you’re in here. I swear.”

  “Good. You owe me.” He didn’t know why he had to say it. “Your aunt was needling me again. She’s so mean to me.”

  Simon nodded. “She is mean. I told you that a long time ago.” The boy laughed. “She says I’m just like my mother, but Mom says I get my sarcasm from Nora.” Simon studied him, looking for what, Deacon had no idea. “Anyway, you did me a solid. I’ll do you one back. You can hide in here until dinner.”