Page 16 of Snowed in with My Pucking Ex
My eyes are the size of saucers as I watch, with my mouth slightly ajar in surprise. He rounds the truck and begins messing with stuff. His big clunky snow boots leave a trail behind himthat I want to follow while asking a million questions, but I manage to remain rooted in my spot, transfixed. I’m not an excited puppy or anything of the sort, no matter how overjoyed seeing my car in my parents’ driveway makes me feel inside.
“This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me. Seriously. I was just worrying over my car earlier, hoping no one would hit it while out snowplowing in the dark.”
He shakes his head, “I wish I could take credit for this, but it wasn’t me. A secret Santa brought it to my shop a few days ago. Pulled it in himself with his truck. He must’ve been going ten miles an hour the entire way to make it happen. I’d have had it to you sooner, but he insisted I order you some new tires and put some chains on for you. I thought I had everything in stock, but he kept calling and adding things for me to do, so I didn’t. I was finally able to get all the parts in yesterday before the snow hit again.”
“A secret Santa?” I mumble to myself, as Dad’s curious stare pings between me and our unexpected delivery.
Doug continues,” Anyhow, the car is good to go now. Stick to running errands while the snow is deep. You know how it is, no tire and chain can prevent a serious accident if the ice is bad enough, that’s all on Mother Nature. And just so we’re clear, I didn’t tell you who your secret Santa is.”
“Who is it?” My chin raises with the question. My hands land on my hips as I ready myself to wear him down into a confession if needed.
“Sean. But like I said, I’m Ft. Knox over here.” He mimes zipping his lips shut, and I nod, still promising nothing but giving the illusion I’m as secretive as an elf on double list duty.
Dad whistles lowly, pulling my attention back to the porch. His brows are sky high, nearly in his hairline, as he shoots me a pleased look. I don’t need him to say anything out loud; I can read the approval written all over him from a mile awaywhile he proudly wears his fluffy Santa hat. Everything about his expression conveys that Sean Spruce is a top-notch provider in his book. He’s basically on marriage-level at the moment, with taking care of his daughter by making sure I have my car and can safely drive it. I refrain from rolling my eyes, but it’s not easy. I’m on to Dad and his not-so-subtle nudge in the hockey player’s direction.
Doug gets my car lowered to the ground and unhooked, then puts the rest of his equipment away before he stops in front of me. He holds his hand out, my key dangling in front of my face, “Here you go. I changed the oil, filters, and topped you up on your fluids. You’ll probably need a new belt or two soon. Nothing wrong with them, they’ve just been known to go over time with the weather and wear and tear. If you’re in town when they snap, give me a call and I’ll have it fixed in a jiff. Sean put a credit on file for you in case the car needs any work done.”
I’m stunned speechless, and a lack of words is typically not something I’m used to having an issue with. I can’t believe that crazy man did all of this for me, and I had no idea. I take the key, offering a wobbly smile while noticing he has a bit of grease smudged on his cheek now. It’s endearing, so instead of letting him know, I keep it to myself. Not very Christmassy of me, but I’m sure some lonely woman in town will appreciate the‘in’I’ve just given her.
“We appreciate your help, young man. Whether Sean paid you for it or not,” Dad calls, his face pink from the cold and standing on the porch without his jacket this entire time. He’s practically beaming from ear to ear after hearing Doug’s spiel on everything he’s fixed.
I nod. “Um, he’s right. Thanks, Doug. I appreciate you doing all of that car stuff you mentioned, truly. I honestly thought I probably wasn’t going to have a vehicle until spring at this rate, so it’s a great surprise.”
He grins. “I’m glad. Okay, I’m out of here. See you at the festival and Merry Christmas!”
“See you there,” I respond, wearing a smile. It hits me right then that he’s just given me my car key. The same key I had inside with me this entire time. Or so I thought. “Wait, how did you get my car key?”
He pauses for a second before stepping up onto the side step of his truck. “Sean brought it to me Thursday night. He mentioned he’d just had dinner over here with you all and was taking his mom home. Have a good one.” He calls, then he ducks inside his tow truck and carefully turns the oversized vehicle around to drive away.
Oh, that sneaky, sneaky nutcracker! Sean was plotting the entire time!
I knew the Thanksgiving cappuccino he’d brought to butter me up with had ulterior motives behind it. He must’ve grabbed my car key when he hung up his jacket, and I never had the slightest clue. How could I when he so easily distracted me the entire day?
He showed up with my favorite drink, going so far as to remember the whipped cream and holiday cheer on top. Then, he flirted in his own Sean sort of way, and nearly kissed me when we were supposed to be setting the table. Later, he came outside all growly and bossy, which did nothing but stoke the flames to my libido, making me want him even more, just to end up having a dinner I’ll never be able to forget. It looks like I never stood a chance against his plans, and for some reason, it only makes me want to challenge him further.
Dad goes back in the house now that the excitement is over, taking the basket of fresh eggs with him, leaving me in comfortable silence. I pull out my cell, glancing at the screen. I know I should at least text Sean and tell him thank you, but my nerves right now are getting the best of me.
With a huff, I stuff my phone back in my coat pocket and head for my car. I glance through the driver’s side window as I hit the unlock button, only to find a small wrapped gift box on the dashboard. Of course, it spurs me on to hurry up and hop inside. There’s no tag or anything, just a small box wrapped in hunter green paper with lighter green trees and white snowdrops all over it. It’s finished off with a thin white ribbon tied into a bow. My stomach flips with excitement over the unexpected present. Nothing says I can’t open it right now, so I carefully pull the ribbon and tear open the paper. I open the box and peer inside.
Tucked amongst some tissue paper is a keychain. It has a silver ‘W’ that has my birthstone gem on each peak of the letter; there’s a snowflake hanging on one side, and on the opposite side is an angel. I turn it over, noticing script on the back of her dress.
May this angel watch over you and keep you safe. Travel slowly, so her wings can keep up.
I softly rub my thumb over the words, feeling my heart thawing a touch toward the gorgeous, thoughtful jock. He wants her to keep me safe. It’s seriously the sweetest thing. Something so small can suddenly mean so much, and make the fact he’d swiped my car key in the first place disappear.
I replace my old keychain with the new key ring Sean got me, then tuck it safely in my coat pocket and get out of my car. With an unsteady exhale, I stride toward the barn. I have lots of bins to get out, and right now, I’ll take any distraction I possibly can from thinking about the hot hockey player and how hard he’s making it for me not to fall for him.
Chapter Ten
Sean
Thankfully, the red-eye flight after my last game was quick, and I was able to get back to Noel Falls without any issues. There was more snow on the ground when I arrived than when I left a week ago. Luckily, I had my truck at the airport, so I took it slow on the mountain.
Mom was there to greet me as I walked through the door of my family home, waiting to tell me how proud she was of my playing. While I appreciate her compliments, my playing well still wasn’t enough to clinch the win for our last game. We won our first game, only to turn around and bomb the next with the Leafs. For some reason, our line wasn’t gelling together like we usually do, and when Coach started switching us out, it only went downhill from there. Royce, our Captain, attempted to pull us together, but even he didn’t possess the magic touch we needed at the time to make a solid comeback. Anyhow, I crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow after such a long day.
When I woke up today, however, thoughts of the game were no longer at the front of my mind. The only thing I seem to be able to think about at all is seeing Winter. The aches and pains that come from playing such a brutal sport back-to-back can’t even keep me away, so I sat in Mom’s oversized tub with some ice. Teeth-clenching and all, I waited until my body was numb enough that I could make it outside to the hot tub. After twenty minutes or so of soaking out there, my patience ran thin, and in the next blink, I was dressed and hurrying out the front door.
I pull up to the farm, my stomach already swirling with anticipation of seeing her. As soon as I shift the truck into park, I open my door, hit the ignition button, and jump out. I grab the two cups I got from Tasty Sip before closing my door. Her car is parked next to mine in the driveway, and I’m glad to see it was already delivered. Hopefully, she won’t be too pissed off over me having the new tires put on without her permission. I’msure she’ll demand to pay me back, or else be furious that I took it upon myself to make decisions without asking her first, but we’ll deal with that when it comes time. I know one person who’ll appreciate me looking out for his daughter, and aside from Winter, I have a feeling David’s who I need to impress around here the most.
