Page 26 of Love in the Details

“My grandma loves Christmas in general. She would love ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ idea, but I think you would much rather go in the direction of bells. She would love something different too.” He raised an eyebrow and gave her a cockeyed smile until she grinned and chuckled a bit.

“You’re right. It was actually first on my list, but I took it off.” She bit the inside of her cheek, her gaze darting down the aisle.

Dustin waved at the selection of bells in front of them. “I think it will work out well. Trust your gut.”

“Okay,” she began, pulling a few bells off the rack in front of them, sticking them into the small basket she’d picked up. “New plan. I’ll just have to transform some of the other ideas I’ve already planned out, but that won’t be too hard. Pivot and move forward.”

With the basket nearly filled already, Dustin stepped away and called over his shoulder, “And it looks like we’re going to need a cart.”

Pivot and move forward. Wise words from the girl who was more interesting to him at the moment than all the business he thought he needed to survive.

Chapter 15

This whole day was surreal.

Granted, Dustin probably thought Kassidy had been freaking out when she’d nearly screamed in the car, holding on to the “oh crap” handle with all the strength she had in her, as if that would magically allow her to take over the steering wheel from the passenger seat. But in those moments, flashbacks of an accident she’d been in several years ago took over her vision. The collision had nearly killed one of her good friends, and she hoped to avoid going through that again.

But then he’d been helpful, nice even, when they discussed options for the gala’s theme. Why couldn’t she just go back to being frustrated with him? Then Kassidy could keep telling herself that a relationship with him was pointless to pursue. Her brain knew it wouldn’t work out no matter what, but her heart kept betraying her every time he was around.

The Maserati was packed with boxes and bags, allowing her to feel some measure of comfort. Dustin kept saying she still had over two weeks to pull this off, like that could equal a year’s worth of preparation. He didn’t get that there was a lot more to do than just buy ornaments. But at least they’d been able to help out Carla, the Christmas shop owner, with more sales than she’d had in the last six months combined.

A few days passed, and she was surprised to get a few texts about random things from Dustin. He tried to be so tough and unreachable, but Kassidy was beginning to think it was his defense to keep people out. What made him afraid of getting hurt?

The two of them had talked here and there throughout the week, but only about basic everyday things, nothing deep or intrusive, which Kassidy appreciated.The last thing she needed was someone to get attached to and then have him leave without a thought of what she wanted.

“Do you want to grab some dinner tonight?” he’d asked that Friday morning.

“Sure. What’s the occasion?” It had been a long, long time since a guy had asked her out to dinner, and since they weren’t dating, she was more than curious.

He’d chuckled a bit. “You’ve been working a lot, and you said you needed to get some things from Jackson for the gala. Why not make it a trip together?”

He picked her up a few minutes early, but she’d made sure to be ready and walking up the long driveway to the road when he came by. The cold was worth it to not hear her brother’s remarks for the next week about her dating her boss…again.

They were heading up to Jackson in his car, and this time he made sure to drive much safer, keeping his eyes on the road. It eased the anxiety she’d felt the first time around.

Once they walked into the restaurant, she knew she was underdressed in her dark blue jeans and the nicest blouse she owned. If she’d known they would be going to a fancier restaurant, she would have broken out one of her Sunday dresses to bridge that gap even a little.

“What’s wrong?” Dustin asked once their food arrived, unrolling the napkin from the silverware and placing it across his lap.

“Um, you’re in a suit, as per usual, and I’m looking like I’d be better off at the grill across the street.” She jutted her thumb in the direction of the door and let her eyes give him a fair warning of how on edge she felt.“Grab dinner” was like going to a diner or fast food restaurant, definitely not fine dining.

Not only did she feel undressed, but she was also nervous about what dinner might mean. She did need to get a few things from one of the stores she’d ordered from, but inherbook, friends didn’t go to super nice places to eat. The prices weren’t even listed on the menu. She’d have to sneak into the bathroom and check her banking account to see if she even had money to pay for this.

Were they supposed to talk about work stuff? Or had he invited her because he was bored again, like when he’d followed her shopping?

“You’re fine. It’s just nice to have someone with me instead of eating alone.”

Well, there was her answer to that question. He didn’t think about her more than just a placeholder for his own ego. That was rich. If it weren’t another hour to get back to Coldwater Creek, she’d have headed out and found herself a cab or Uber to take her home. The price tag on a nearly forty-mile-ride back was more than she could swing right now.

“I mean, I usually eat out by myself and get looks from people who either pity me for being alone or recognize me and then start whispering, trying to figure out a way to ‘casually’ come talk to me.” He began cutting into his steak, but Kassidy caught a vulnerability there that she’d never noticed before.

Guilt pricked at her chest. She shouldn’t have judged so harshly. With a quick chuckle, she said, “I have no idea how that feels, actually. But it sounds rough.”

He smiled, taking a sip from his water glass and setting it down. “I enjoy your company as well, so that helps.”

Was that a compliment from Dustin Wakefield? He’d been so blunt about her ornament choice a couple of weeks ago, and she’d waited to hear something similar every time she was with him now. But after several encounters together, she realized it was because he had to speak his mind. Now it was a welcome relief to be around him because she knew what he said was the honest truth, not something to try and make her feel better through false pretenses.

“Thank you. You’re not bad yourself, when you pull yourself away from that computer.”

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