Page 61 of Wrapped Up in Christmas Faith
Not taking her gaze off whomever had caught her eye, Morgan nodded. “Unless there’s two new buff guys in town.”
“Just the one.”
“One’s all you need.”
“I don’t need him. Or want him. He’s super annoying and I—hey, Zach,” she greeted when he stepped up to the booth. “This is Greyson’s mom, Morgan,” she prattled on, trying to cover her nervousness at seeing him and hoping her cousin didn’t burst into laughter at how ridiculous she was acting. Why did she feel so self-conscious talking to Zach in front of Morgan?
“Nice to meet you.” His hazel gaze turned toward Isabelle. “Hey, Blondie. Did you save me a banana bread?”
“Did you think I’d forget?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I knew you wouldn’t. You have your lists to keep you from doing that. I was more concerned that you just wouldn’t.”
“Well, lucky for you, since we sold out, I did put one back.”
“Good girl.” He winked, and Isabelle’s heart skipped a beat. “How much longer is your shift? Bodie tells me I have to try a bowl of Lou’s chili. I thought you might want one, too.”
“There’s no need to wait on me. Go ahead.”
“Grammy is who’s taking the next shift, right? Her and Gramps? They’ve taken Greyson on a sleigh ride. He was so happy that Ralphie the Reindeer remembered him. I told them I’d be here when they finished, so why don’t you go ahead? I’ll man the booth until they arrive.”
Zach grinned at her cousin. “I like you already.”
“There’s no need to do that, Morgan. I’m more than happy to wait on them.” Isabelle gave her a cousin a pleading look.
A look Morgan ignored. “Nonsense. We’re not busy now, and your mom will be back any moment. You two go, so you can properly introduce Zach to our On-the-Square Christmas Festival.”
“What if you need help?” Isabelle tried one last time.
“Sarah and Bodie are on the other side of the booth selling snowflakes. If I need anything before Grammy gets back, I’ll get Sarah. Besides”—Morgan gestured to the table—“we’ve almost sold out since those guys from the firehall wiped us out.”
Morgan refused to take no for an answer. Isabelle thanked her, then tightened her jacket.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t want to walk around with me,” Zach said when they’d stepped out of hearing range of the booth. “Afraid people will think you actually like me?”
“Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Just a hunch.” He grinned. “Hungry?”
Why did she feel so self-conscious walking around her hometown’s square with Zach?
“I had a snack.”
“Aw, so that’s why your bake sale inventory dropped by a good seventy-five percent,” he teased, looking way too handsome in his jeans, shirt, and light jacket.
“I ate one Christmas cookie,” she defended.
“I’m teasing, Blondie. It wouldn’t hurt if you had eaten your way across that table.”
“Other than the sugar high and bellyache,” she mused.
He grinned. “Yeah, other than those minor inconveniences.”
Sirens blared off in the distance. “Sounds like the parade has started.”
“You want to watch?”
She did, but… “I feel guilty watching when Morgan should be with Greyson and Andrew.”
