Page 56 of The Best Little Christmas Shop
‘Thanks for this evening. The meal and everything.’
‘You’re welcome. I enjoyed it.’ His eyes locked on to mine, darkening as they held my gaze. ‘Very much so,’ he added, his voice soft.
For a moment I thought he was going to kiss me. And right then, despite all my reasonings and the knowledge that it would bea Very Bad Thing, I wanted nothing more than for him to do exactly that because the truth was I had the feeling being kissed by Cal Martin would actually be a Very Good Thing.
And then he pulled back. Just a fraction. But the moment was gone. ‘You’d better go before that gets any worse.’
I nodded, unable to speak as emotions tossed around me. I adjusted my hat, and yanked on the leather glovesdangling from the ends of my sleeves. ‘Thanks again,’ I forced out eventually, my hand on the catch.
‘Hey?’
Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw that Cal had spread his hands. ‘We share a meal. You unwittingly initiate me into the blurt and blab club, and I don’t even get a goodbye hug?’
I turned more, leaning against the door. ‘Initiate you into the blurt and blab club?’ I laughed.
‘Seriously!What you got tonight is the equivalent of a full confessional in my world.’
‘Wow.’
‘I know. Believe me, you aren’t the only one who’s surprised.’
I dropped my gaze, focusing on my boots for a moment as I turned a thought around in my mind.
‘Are you sorry you told me?’
There was no hesitation as he shook his head. ‘Not for a moment.’
I smiled, happy that he felt relaxed enough to share somethingwith me.
‘Don’t get used to it though.’
I laughed. ‘I don’t think there’s any danger of me doing that.’
Cal put a hand on the catch, above my shoulder, and his gaze settled on me, but I couldn’t work out the expression behind it.
‘No. I don’t suppose there is.’
‘Cal –’
A heft of wind slammed into the door I was leaning against and the hall lit up as lightning split the sky. In the distance,thunder rumbled low and ominous.
‘Go on. Get yourself home before that gets any closer. And don’t forget to let me know when you’re back.’
‘It’s just down the road!’
Saying nothing, he fixed me with a look.
‘OK, OK.’
‘Thank you,’ he said, pulling me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him and, for a moment, just enjoyed the feeling of being close to him, feeling his arms holding me tightagainst his chest. And then it was over.
‘Drive carefully,’ he said, dropping a swift kiss on my cheek before pulling open the door onto what had turned into a decidedly foul night.
I nodded, and called that I would as I ran to the car, unaware if my answer ever got to him or was just cast away by the wind. Pulling open the door, I slid quickly into the seat. I yanked hard on the door to shutit against the wind. In front of me, broken twigs whipped up in the air, and soaked leaves whipped up into tiny little whirlwinds on the spot. I watched them for a moment as the headlights shone out and knew that, if I could see them, that was pretty much what my emotions would look like right now.
