Page 24 of Tinsel & Tools
Holly finished her song, and the KJ took the mic back. “Okay, let’s hear it for Holly.” Several patrons clapped despite the pitchy singing. “We’re going to take a short break and play some music from the pros for a bit, but when we come back, our next performer will be Cole Maddox singing ‘I’ll Be’ by Edwin McCain.”
The place erupted in cheers, and I lifted a brow. “You sing?”
He took a long pull of his beer and shrugged. “Sometimes.”
“Don’t let this guy fool you. He’s got the voice of an angel,” Ryan teased.
Cole snorted. “Shut up.”
The KJ began playing an eighties rock song, and Ryan leaned toward Allie. “You wanna dance?”
“Absolutely.” She slid out of her chair and let him take her hand, leaving me alone with Cole again.
For a few moments, neither of us said anything. Since I hated awkward silences, I decided it was a good time to tell him what I’d be doing for the next few days. “Just so you know, I’m leaving tomorrow to drive Allie back to New York, so I won’t be around at the inn.”
He lifted a brow. “You’re coming back though, right?”
“That’s the plan, but will I be in the way when you take down all the walls and stuff?”
He thought for a second. “We can leave the kitchen and the bedroom you’re staying in alone until the end. That way you have a place to eat, sleep, and work.”
I nodded. “Okay. I’ll be back on Saturday. That’ll give me enough time to take care of a few things since it looks like I’ll be staying here for a while.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “You’ll also make it back for the annual tree lighting.”
“Tree lighting? Like the one they do in Rockefeller Center?”
Allie and I always made it a point to play tourist for a day every Christmas and do things like take a picture in front of the giant tree and check out all of the window displays along Fifth Avenue. So I was curious how a small town would measure up.
“Nothing quite on that scale.” He smiled. “Our tree is about a quarter of the size and our crowd’s even smaller, but we enjoy it.”
The song ended, and the KJ called Cole’s name. Once again, everyone cheered, and I could see a hint of red on his cheeks. I didn’t understand how a guy could look so confident yet surprised by the reaction he got from the crowd.
“Break a leg,” I told him, grinning. “Actually, don’t do that. I don’t want to have to search for another handyman.”
“I see how it is. You’re just using me for physical labor.” He winked.
“Not just for that.” It was my turn to blush. Before I got carried away imagining exactly the sort of physical labor I wouldn’t mind using him for, he turned to walk toward the stage.
He grabbed the microphone as the music began to play. It turned out Ryan wasn’t joking about Cole’s singing abilities. I sat there frozen as his deep, smooth voice filled the entire bar, and all conversations stopped. He was singing about being the greatest fan of someone’s life, and it wasn’t just the lyrics that captivated me. It was the way he owned the stage while making it look effortless. Every time his eyes swept the room, I caught his gaze for a second before he moved on.
Around me, couples danced, but my attention stayed on him, and for a moment, I could almost pretend he was singing only to me.
Much too soon, the music came to an end, and Cole set the mic back on the stand. People patted his back and gave him high-fives as he weaved through the crowd on the way back to the table.
I lifted my glass when he sat back down. “Not bad,” I deadpanned.
His brow arched. “Not bad?”
“Fine.” I leaned in. “You sounded amazing. I just didn’t take you for a guy who needed their ego stroked.”
“Didn’t say I needed anything,” he teased. “But I didn’t miss you watching me intently.”
Guess Allie was right; I wasn’t very subtle.
“The lights in here must have been playing tricks on you.” I grinned. “I barely noticed you up there.”
He took a long pull of his beer. “Sure. You keep telling yourself that.”
