Page 20 of Christmas In Love

“Why? Because I’m a girl?”

“No. Because we were dating then. Now I’m just your ride. The equivalent of your uber driver.” Of course, he would have helped her this time if she had been driving the truck, but he didn’t say that part.

She didn’t say anything for several seconds; all he heard was her puffs of air as she dug at the wheel. Then, quietly, she said, “You’re not just an uber driver, Cade.”

There was something to that declaration. More than just niceties. More than a simple statement. There was feeling behind it—he just didn’t know what feeling.

He peeked over at her. She was knee-deep in snow, her nose and cheeks flushed from the exertion and the cold. As he watched, she glanced over. Their eyes caught.

In her gaze, he saw their history. All of it. It had been good.Theyhad been good together. Why had she gone and put an end to things? He straightened up, stomping down on the cleared snow to pack it tighter, but he didn’t look away.

“Do you know what today is?”

Her eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head. The snow around her wheel was almost cleared too. She bent to keep working at it.

“It’s the day you broke up with me.”

She froze, staring at the ground for several long seconds. Then slowly resumed digging at the snow, eyes averted. “Not the best anniversary to remember.”

The words were muttered, but he heard them. She hadn’t shut down the conversation yet.

“Hard one to forget,” he responded. “Nat, why—”

She straightened. “I’m going to work on the front wheel.”

He would have followed her and pushed for answers, but just then, the sound of an engine slowing caught his attention. Another truck was slowing down, coming to a stop on the side of the road to help them.

Cade couldn’t stop himself from thinking it would have been more helpful if they’d just kept driving.

“Oh, hey Cade.” April saw him first when he walked into the hotel’s event room to help for the day. He’d much prefer to help Nat in the way he had yesterday—with some alone time to break through her walls in hopes of getting answers to his many,manyquestions—but this would have to do. She’d shut down yesterday anyway, and had stuck to very shallow, stilted topics once the truck had been freed from the snow.

“Hey, guys, what do you need help with today?” He stopped before them and noticed how Nat didn’t quite meet his eyes.

“Depends. How good are you with a hammer?” April asked when Nat didn’t say anything.

“Better than I am with a recipe.” He’d tried to make some of his family lunch that afternoon and had nearly caught his mom’s kitchen on fire. Which was exactly what they needed. A basement flood and a kitchen fire. They were never going to want him back. Luckily, he’d had a ready excuse to leave—needing to come here.

April raised her eyebrows as if recognizing there was more of a story there. “Well, hopefully that means you're good enough for what we need. And… uh… how strong are you? Do you lift weights and stuff?”

What was with the twenty questions? And could Nat just look at him? “Well, I haven’t been to the gym in months, but I should be able to help with whatever you need.”

April got a funny look on her face. “Natalie, did you hear that? Cade doesn’t go to the gym.”

Nat glared at her friend, who ignored her and looked at Cade. “Natalie had a bad run-in with a guy on a dating app. She has sworn off conversations with guys who go to the gym now. So, for your own personal safety, I’m happy to hear you don’t frequent the hall of sweat.” April nudged Natalie with her hip.

What sort of run-in? What had the guy done?

And she had a dating app?

“Well, I’ve never been prouder to say I don’t work out, then.”

Nat finally looked up at him with narrowed eyes. Her gaze flicked to his shoulders, lingered a breath, then jumped back up. She muttered, “I seriously doubt that.”

The moment the words were out of her mouth, her expression blanched. He noticed April inching away from them with a grin on her face.

“Come on, you know I spent more time in the library than the gym in college.” It was dangerous ground to bring up their dating years again. Walking over his nephew’s Legos dangerous, but he was feeling brave after that appreciative gleam when she’d checked out his shoulders.

“Yeah, I also know that was only because you were studying for your classes. Plus, I distinctly remember you trying to drag me out on a run more than once.” She shuddered theatrically.

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