Page 21 of There's Only One Sleigh
“I guess I’ll head back to the inn before the snow starts,” I say, getting to my feet. “Are you sure you don’t want me to do anything for you before I go?”
“I’m sure. My parents and Sam will be back any minute. The best thing you can do for me is get back to the inn and stay there. Donovan’s said many times he’s not sure what he would do without you. And Rob says he might have given up on the whole fair thing if he didn’t have you, so we’ve got to keepyousafe.”
My skin warms with pleasure at the compliments, and after saying goodbye, I think about Natalie’s words while driving to the General Store.
I should be dwelling on the endorsement from my boss. Rob was talking about a one-day celebration that, no matter what he said, he wouldn’t give up on. Donovan owns the company I work for and his opinion of me directly impacts my career.
But, just like when I’m alone in bed or just alone in general, it’s thoughts of Rob that keep me company as I head to the General Store.
Chapter
Sixteen
Rob
“We’ve got this under control if you want to check on your family, Chief.”
I look at Kevin—the youngest member of the crew—over the crumpled hood of the car that got punted into a tree by an SUV that lost traction. No injuries, thankfully, but now we’re standing around waiting for the tow truck.
“What do you mean?” I ask. “I don’t think any of my family’s there right now.”
“Oh. You keep staring at the inn, so I figured they were.”
I don’t want to tell him I thought I caught a glimpse of Whitney through a window earlier, and I’m hoping for another. Of course, it was just my luck that, after countless hours of trying not to think about her, we got called to a minor accident right in front of the inn.
Unfortunately, the exchange catches Tim’s attention, and my lieutenant gives me a knowing look. “No reason you can’t pop in and make sure that city girl’s got everything she needs.”
The phrasecity girlgrates on my nerves, and I give him a hard stare meant to let him know the innuendo was neither lost on me nor appreciated.
The worst part is how I’d been thinking about just that. There was no reason I couldn’t take a minute and cross the street to check on Whitney. She’s probably not used to being stuck in a strange house by a snowstorm, and she’s been helping me with the Christmas fair. Running over to see how she’s doing would be a neighborly thing to do.
But now that Tim opened his mouth, going out of my way to see Whitney would open the door to a lot more teasing and innuendo.
Approaching blue lights save me from having to make a decision. The SUV with the Charming Lake Police Department logo on the door finds a safe place to pull off, and I’m not surprised when Officer Jason Carlisle steps out.
Or Jace, as we call him. Or used to, for some of us.
It’s tough, when you grow up friends with a guy and then you have to adjust to him dating your sister. It gets even worse when he cheats and breaks her heart.
So here we are, in a weird place where we were once almost as close as brothers, and now we barely speak. We’re thrown together often because Charming Lake is a small town. He’s with the PD and I’m with the FD and our paths cross. There’s always an instant where I want to greet him like the lifelong friend he was, and then I remember.
He crossed over the line and, as far as the Byrne family is concerned, there’s no crossing back.
“Good of you to show up,” I tell him in a flat voice. “I have the contact info for the drivers. It was all very amicable and clear-cut, and the driver of the mostly unscathed SUV gave the guy driving the car a ride home, so you can get in touch with them for your report.”
A familiar shadow crosses his expression at my curt tone. The man is a walking billboard for regret, but we take our lead from Erin and until she’s forgiven him, this is where we are.
“The tow truck’s almost here,” he says, mirroring my tone as he nods toward the flashing yellow lights in the distance. “I’ll go stop traffic so people don’t come around the corner and slide into him while he’s loading.”
Loading up a vehicle in bad weather is something we’re pretty good at, so before long the tow truck, the police cruiser and the fire truck are heading out.
With Tim gone, I could probably stop in at the inn for a few minutes without attracting his ridicule. I’ve been standing outside in the snow for quite a while, so begging for a hot coffee from Penny wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. And if I happen to see Whitney…
A familiar squawk from my radio ruins that plan, and a moment later, I’m buckling my seatbelt to rescue yet another driver who doesn’t grasp that two-wheel-drive versus four-wheel-drive is a moot point if the road is coated with ice.
As I turn my SUV around, though, I can’t help glancing at the inn one more time. The downstairs windows are empty, but I glance up and see Whitney smiling down at me from the window in her room.
I smile back, lifting my hand in greeting. She presses her hand against the glass as I drive away, humming a jaunty Christmas song under my breath.
