Page 46 of About Last Christmas
His eyes widen, and a smile lights his face. “That’s great. I was thinking it’s a lost cause.”
“Bad news is you have to leave, like, now. Because he won’t hold it for you.” Which is fair, but still. Leo doesn’t know what to look for. There are many knockoffs, and I doubt Leo could spot a forgery. If only we could trade talents just for December. I could borrow his gift of spotting fake people, and he can have my skill in antiquing.
Or maybe we can strike a deal.
“Thanks for coming with me.” Leo adjusts his hand on the wheel and sends me a smile full of wonder as if I’d told him I spend my evening hours watchingSportsCenterand eating hot wings.
“Of course.” I keep my tone breezy like it’s no big deal to rearrange my entire schedule and recruit Tilly to tend the store. I caught her just as she was finishing up her shift at the café. Tilly has run the store for me on several occasions throughout the years. She knows nothing about antiques, but she can run a register and ensure nothing burns down. I for sure owe her one. “I haven’t been to Haviland in years. Gran used to go when I was younger. They had some great auctions there, and an amazing pizza place, if I remember right.”
He checks the GPS on his dash and takes the next exit. “This will be my first time going.”
“It’s smaller than Silver Creek.” Which he’ll see in a matter of minutes because we’ve been on the road for at least an hour, and I still haven’t worked up the courage to share with him about the deal I’d like to make. I grimace as snowflakes dot the windshield. “Though I think the town has its own charm.” I’ve been keeping the conversation surface-level because I’m inwardly freaking out. In the shop, I had a brilliant plan of asking Leo to help me with the Secret Santa stuff in exchange for my help searching for the antique. But I realize my stupid mistake, we’re literally on our way to get said antique. I have nothing else to offer the man, unless he wants to take sewing lessons. The last time I tried to teach someone, it was a Maverick’s great-granddaughter, who had a habit of pressing the sewing machine foot pedal every time my fingers were near the needle. I shiver at the memory.
“You okay over there? Cold?” He turns up the heat.
“I’m good. Just thinking.”
“About?” he asks with a wicked curl to his lips. “Unless you don’t want to tell me. I know you’ve got that habit of thinking about what I wear to sleep.”
“Yeah, it keeps me awake at night,” I say dryly. “And you were supposed to forget about that.” I swat his shoulder at his deep chuckle. This light teasing makes me see that I don’t actually know much about Leo. Yeah, I don’t need the details about his nighttime routine, but other questions remain unanswered. Like, who are these antiques for? He mentioned before that they weren’t for him. As a rule, I don’t get involved too much with my customers’ personal lives, but this is different, isn’t it? His grandparents passed, but what about his other relatives and family friends? I have no idea if he’s an only child or how he lived before coming to Silver Creek.
“You realize I’m at a disadvantage here,” I finally say. “You know more about me than I do about you. You told me you went to prep school, but after that, it’s a question mark. Did you go to college? Do you have a string of ex-wives? Any felonies?”
“Yes, no, and no.”
“Nope. You have to expound more than that, my friend. You’ve seen my eleven-year-old school picture.” Which I would’ve totally taken down had I known Leo would be at our house on Thanksgiving night. It’s hard to stay alluring when the man has an image of you with buck teeth, crooked bangs, and in a Big Time Rush shirt. “So yeah, I need more details and make it good.”
“I went to Florida State, despite my parents wanting me to attend an Ivy League school.”
“Major?”
“Finance.”
“Did you like it?”
“Not really, but it’s useful.” He flicks the windshield wipers, clearing away the specks of snow. “I lived in Florida for a bit, then moved around a lot. My parents said I was restless.” He shrugs. “Maybe I was.”
He drifted from place to place while I dropped anchor in Silver Creek. “How’d you become a firefighter?”
“I was a volunteer in Florida. When I came back to Silver Creek, I ran into Chief Todd. He told me the department was in need of more volunteers, so I signed on.”
Oh. He’s not in a permanent position. That’s good to know. “My Pap was a volunteer when he was younger.”
Leo nods. “He told me at Thanksgiving. He also said he knows fifty ways to make my death look like an accident if I messed with you.”
“He did not.” I bury my face in my palms. “Never mind, I can totally see him saying that. Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” His voice turns unexpectedly soft. “It’s nice to have people who have your back.”
I warm at his words because, despite Pap’s gruffness, he has a loyal heart.
“Any other questions?”
“Well, there’s always the dealbreaker ones, like your go-to karaoke song, your most embarrassing moment, and your stance on eating raw cookie dough. But those answers can kill a friendship, so I’ll give you time to think.”
He laughs. “I appreciate it.”
Okay, it’s time to dive into what I’ve been avoiding. I’m unsure if Leo will make a deal with me, but I need his help with this Secret Santa thing. “Since we’re better friends, there’s something I’ve been wanting to say.”
