Page 52 of Tinsel & Tools
I didn’t look at the tree. “Yeah. It is.”
I hadn’t bothered with a tree last Christmas. With everything from the divorce still raw, it felt pointless. My parents had theirs, my sister had hers, and I spent plenty of time in their homes. But here, in my house, there had been nothing; no lights, no tinsel, no reason to put one up.
Now the tree filled the corner, shining bright, and Gavin stood beside me. For the first time since I’d been back, the place felt like more than just four walls. It felt alive again.
Before I could think better of it, I leaned in and kissed him. He kissed me back, and it hit me that I hadn’t missed having a tree. I’d missed having someone to share it with.
And standing there in the glow of the lights, I knew it wasn’t about the tree at all. It was him.
20
Gavin
We enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning, spending hours tangled together in bed until hunger forced us to get up and find something to eat. For the better part of the day, we did the bare minimum and watched a movie together.
In the late afternoon, Cole headed over to his parents’ place for dinner, and I stayed behind. A quiet house with a twinkling Christmas tree provided the perfect backdrop to get some words in on my still-untitled manuscript. Over the past week, I’d made a lot of progress, and at this pace, I’d likely have a third of my first draft done within a few days.
I settled onto the couch, opened my laptop, and watched as my fingers danced across the keyboard. In my head, I pictured the scene:
Zach was standing at the far end of the bar after a long day of repairing the gazebo in the middle of town. He wore a red Henley instead of his usual work flannel. The moment he walked inside, Nico couldn’t stop staring at the way his faded blue jeans clung to him.
When he finally looked up, their gazes locked, and it felt as though an invisible wire was pulling them toward each other. Zach pushed off the bar top and crossed the room in long strides until he stood in front of Nico.
“Dance with me,” he said, wrapping an arm around Nico’s waist.
Nico’s brows lifted. “There’s no dance floor.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Zach pulled him out to an empty space between a couple of tables. The song playing from the jukebox changed to “I’ll Be,” and Nico’s chest tightened when Zach began singing in his ear. As they moved in a slow circle between the tables, Nico laid his head on Zach’s shoulder.
I read the scene back twice, smiling as I remembered watching Cole on stage, singing that very same song. I’d changed some of the details, but there was no denying who Zach and Nico really were. Hell, in the story, Zach was a handyman. The only real difference was Nico had inherited a hardware store instead of an inn, so I had made that the backdrop of their meet-cute.
I tried to convince myself writing this story was just my job, but deep down, I knew better. The kind of love I was writing for Zach and Nico wasn’t just fiction; it was the future I secretly wanted with Cole. I just didn’t know if fate had brought me to Brookhaven for that exact purpose.
Just as I was about to start typing again, a text notification dinged on my phone. Picking it up, I saw the message was from Allie:
I’m at the inn. Where are you?
My brows furrowed. At the inn?
You’re in Brookhaven???
Surprise! I gave you plenty of time to report back about the tree lighting. My patience is gone
So you traveled over 4 hours to talk about it instead of calling me?
Will you just get your ass over here?
A few seconds later, another message from her came through:
Unless you’re too busy doing something else
Several smiling purple devil emojis followed.
Give me a few minutes and I’ll be there
When I pulled into the B&B’s parking lot, anxious to find out the real reason my best friend was in town, I spotted Ryan’s truck. I turned off the engine and slid out of my car at the same time that Allie hopped out of the passenger seat of the black Toyota Tundra.
She launched herself at me. “I missed you.”
