Page 55 of Jam and Jingle Bells
I shook my head, biting my tongue to make sure I didn’t say something I couldn’t take back. “No, I don’t know the answer. Rumors aren’t always true, Ellis.”
“Well, in this case, they are.” He slumped against the reception desk in despair. “There are zero rentals in this town. Like zero. I lived at the campground all summer, but it’s getting a little cold for that now. I have a cot I sleep on in my office, shower in the locker room here, and cook in the trailer. It’s working okay for right now, but I have to come up with a better plan soon.”
I sidled up to him and put my arm around his waist, laying my head on his shoulder. “I’ll help. It can’t be good for your heart to be constantly worried about where you’re going to live.”
He nodded, resting his chin on my head. “I know I’m breaking the lease by staying here, but there isn’t even a hotel to live in. I’d have to drive twenty miles a day each way. I can’t be that far away from the studio, especially after the break-in.”
“It’s true, the motel burned down last year. Bells Pass isn’t known for its rental properties, but we will find you a place for the winter. I know people, so let me ask around. In the meantime, you can stay with me.”
He shook his head, his eyes rolling around. “No, Addie. Thank you, but no.”
I sighed. “Let me guess, your mother wouldn’t find that acceptable.”
He laughed then and it was so good to hear him laugh at something after the tense ten minutes we’d had. “I’ve stopped worrying about what my mother would think was appropriate. There’s a certain woman in this town who reminded me that I’m the one who has to live my life.” He leaned down and kissed me, his lips warm against mine and I melted into him, my knee braced between his. I whimpered, the sound loud in the quiet studio.
He bit down on my lower lip and then licked the sting away. “She’s an incredible woman, actually.”
“Then why won’t you accept her offer?” I asked, my hand stroking his jaw.
“Mostly, I’m afraid if we’re under the same roof I won’t be able to keep my hands off her,” he admitted. “Besides, I don’t want to get in her way.”
“You wouldn’t. We both work crazy hours, so we’d rarely see each other. I have a private entrance, which means you can come and go as you need to. The bathroom might be a problem since you have to use the one in the salon. I guess you could come here and shower if I had a client.”
He grasped my cheek and kissed my lips again. “I’ll consider it if we can’t find anything else. We don’t want the old ladies’ lips to flap more than they already are.”
“Mmm, as far as I’m concerned, they can flip, flap, and floodle. I don’t live my life by the opinions of the knitting club.”
“Floodle? Did you just say floodle?” he asked, tickling my ribs. I squealed and jumped away and he fell to his knees, one hand on the floor to keep from falling on his face.
I sat without blinking and grasped the arm he was using to hold himself up. He rolled over onto his hip and lay back on me, his forehead covered in sweat. “Ellis, what’s going on?”
He coughed and his voice was unsteady when he answered. “Take my pulse.”
I did as he ordered, counting it out the way my mom taught me years ago when we played nurse and patient. “Jeez, Ellis, your pulse is racing.”
He was slumped against me and rubbing his chest with one hand. “I’ve been shocked five times since we got here and three times in the sleigh. I should have called the doctor after the first three times. I think I need to go to the hospital.”
I pulled my phone from my pocket. “I’m going to call an ambulance. Just hold tight.”
He grabbed the phone and shook his head. “I can’t afford an ambulance. Can you drive me? It’s only a couple of blocks away.”
I took stock of him for a heartbeat and knew it was the absolute wrong thing to do, but I relented and put the phone away. “Let’s get you up and to the car,” I instructed, holding him in place while I stood, then I helped him up. He put his arm around my shoulder and leaned on me, his body trembling. I shut down the lights and got him into my car, then ran back and locked the door before jumping in next to him.
I turned the ignition over and glanced at him. He was gray and sweating profusely. I pulled onto Main Street and pushed the gas pedal down, headed toward Lakeside Hospital.
“Addie?” he asked, his head resting on the seat.
“Yeah, Ellis?” I stopped for a stop sign, impatiently waiting for my turn to go.
“Just in case something happens to me, I want you to know I’ve had a colossal crush on you since I moved to town.”
I smiled and shifted my eyes to him for a second. “The feeling is mutual, but nothing is going to happen to you. You promised me dinner and a movie and I’m going to hold you to that.”
He nodded and swallowed, but I could see how fast his heart was beating by looking at his neck veins. “Okay, but just in case, I want you to know I think I love you. I hope you don’t get sad if something happens to me. I’d want you to be happy we spent time together, not sad it was over.”
He jerked and then passed out in the seat next to me. I reached over, shaking him as I yanked the wheel into the parking lot for the emergency room. My fingers felt for his pulse and I screeched to a halt at the ER entrance. His heart was beating a little bit slower, but he was out cold.
The doors swooshed open and I was already screaming at the attendants. They wrestled him out of the car and I gave them the specifics before they ran with him to the ER, leaving me standing by my car, my own heart racing, and tears in my eyes.
