Page 20 of A Very Barrie Christmas
Nate yanked his hand away so swiftly it took her a moment to register what happened. And the mortified look on his face hurt far more than it should.
CHAPTER 13
NATE
Aguy in his midthirties wearing thick leather gardening gloves glanced between them, grinning at a situation he’d clearly interpreted as a besotted couple buying their first tree together.
Nate burned with embarrassment, as if he’d been caught living in a fantasyland. Holding Juliet’s hand had been the best three minutes of his life, but he’d indulged in the moment too long, letting his mind—andheart—run wild with impossibilities. Impossibilities like the two of them ever becoming romantically involved.
He needed to set the record straight, but before he had a chance to tell the guy they weren’t a couple, the man’s face brightened with recognition. “Juliet? Juliet Klein?”
“Reed Hollis!” Juliet beamed. “It’s been ages.”
“Too long.” He pulled Juliet into a side hug, and Nate stiffened, suddenly eyeing him in a new light.
With his thick brown hair and dark eyes, the guy was objectively good-looking, with surprisingly tan skin for the middle of winter.Aha!A wedding ring. Nate relaxed as the two continued to chat, then immediately chided himself for being ridiculous.
He had zero future with Juliet. Besides, holding hands had probably meant nothing to her, just a simple, friendly gesture.Don’t blow it out of proportion.
Despite his rationalizing self-talk, he couldn’t shake the feel of her soft skin, or the way their fingers fit so perfectly together. It had been so long since he’d felt that kind of connection, but he knew better than to indulge in a delusion. Why hadn’t he let her hand go sooner?
He blamed his weakened emotional state on the implicit flashback triggered by the Christmas tree—or was it the bow saw? Or the loud crackle and pop of the burning logs in the bonfire he’d barely heard on a cognizant level? He still struggled to understand the strange subconscious reactions—the intense feelings unaccompanied by a memory of a specific event—no matter how many times his therapist tried to explain the phenomena to him.
The intangibility of his PTSD, the way it could spring out of nowhere for no obvious reason, is what unnerved him the most. He could battle flesh and blood, but how could he fight something he couldn’t see?
At the end of the day, he may never know why he’d reacted the way he did at that moment. But hedidknow, regardless of the reasons, he was grateful to not take another life, even if said life belonged to something as inanimate as a tree. He’d seen too much destruction, too much beauty reduced to rubble. And somehow, it was as if Juliet sensed and understood that in a way no one else had before. At least, no one who hadn’t walked a mile in his combat boots.
“I don’t think we’ve seen each other since your senior year of college.” Reed’s comment dragged Nate from his thoughts, focusing his attention on the guy’s conversation with Juliet. “Are you here to spend the holidays with your aunt?”
“Yes, good memory. It’s my first time celebrating Christmas with Aunt Beverly since she married Frank. They roped us into getting the tree.” She flashed a good-natured grin. “I didn’t know you worked here.”
“Olivia and I bought the place from Sanders a couple years ago. We merged his acreage with my flower farm next door to create the Sterling Rose Estate. It’s a whole operation now. Christmas trees. Flowers. Apple picking. An event center for weddings and other special occasions. We do it all.”
“That’s amazing. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. You, too. I hear you signed an impressive publishing contract.”
Juliet blushed, and Nate recalled her confession from moments earlier. Did she really worry her debut novel wouldn’t be good enough? And why did he have a strange urge to assure her otherwise?
“I should’ve known Aunt Beverly would spread the news all over town. But it’s not a big deal, honestly.”
“It’s a huge deal, but I know better than to argue.” He grinned, then turned to Nate. “I’m Reed, by the way. Jules and I used to hang out as kids when she’d visit for Christmas and occasionally during the summer.”
“Nate.” He shook the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Your aunt never mentioned you were dating someone,” Reed teased Juliet, eliciting another blush.
“I’m not seeing anyone. Nate and I just met the other day. He’s—” She hesitated as if she didn’t know how to introduce him.
“I’m staying with Frank and Beverly for the week,” he interjected, coming to her rescue. He still wasn’t sure how much she knew about him. Except now, she knew he could freeze up over something as ridiculous as a Christmas tree.
“Oh, man. I’m sorry. I just assumed when— You know what? I’m going to stop before I dig the hole any deeper.” Reedchuckled. “How ’bout I get a hand truck and help you guys load the tree you picked out?”
“That would be great.” Juliet looked relieved to move on from the awkward conversation. “Thanks.”
Reed made small talk as they loaded the tree, but Nate couldn’t concentrate on anything the guy said.
How could he when Juliet’s words still echoed inside his head?
