Page 24 of The Christmas Blueprint

“It’s cavernous,” he said determined to take his own advice. With Sophia so close and the confusing mix of feelings and longings that her presence had woken like some fairy-tale beast, Killian was struggling to look at the space objectively.

And he had a feeling that Sophia—bouncing on her toes, eyes shining as she stood next to him, her gaze absorbing the building’s scope—had more than a jump start with ideas.

They didn’t speak for longer than should be socially comfortable, but instead, Killian found his mind—racing since Hunter had first reached out to him with the desperate ask—finally stilled, and he could look at the building as an architect and a planner. And something unexpected happened.

Curiosity and a dose of enthusiasm rose up from somewhere—his soul maybe or his brain, but his interest flared.

“But spectacular,” he breathed. The ever-present ennui that had dogged him when he’d realized he had to pack up his life and return to Bear Creek dissipated.

“Wow.” He turned in a circle, much like last night, absorbing the space. The wide warehouse-style doors on both ends were ugly and needed to be replaced. Light poured through the large upper windows on one side of the building—why not on both? There was still a loft with wood doors at one end where the grain could be poured down into waiting trucks. “Wow.”

“I know, right?” Sophia’s face beamed her excitement like a beacon. “It’s perfect.”

He looked at her. She was talking about the building, but he could easily say the same thing about her.

Eyes on the prize, Flanagan.

And it couldn’t be Sophia. Bear Creek was small and very temporary, but the chance to develop a master plan for this building, and to potentially work with Zhang Shi on the rest of the complex and find a way to connect the old mill to the historic downtown was not something that urban planners often had a chance to do solo.

Well, he wouldn’t exactly be solo anymore as he threaded the needle between Jeffrey Bane’s tyrannical desire to control everything and a bored and rubber-stamp planning commission and his collaboration with Sophia. Then he had to factor in leashing his attraction to Sophia along with the possibility of standing in for Hunter. He’d definitely bitten off more than he’d anticipated.

Good thing he was hungry.

*

Sophia could seethe exact moment Killian’s imagination caught fire.

It was good but daunting. He had so much education in this area. But she knew the town and what it needed, and she had no intention of being left out.

“No one can get beams like this anymore.” She swept her arm out, deciding to play tour guide so that Killian could see the building through her eyes. The light pouring in made her job that much easier. “And the trusses holding up the back part of the building would be astronomical to replace.”

Sophia tugged on his arm to pull him farther into the building. “The upper windows have all been replaced, along with the roof, but I think we should install more windows in the side of the building for more light and connection for the outside. And I’d love one of those glass garage door things we can roll up, weather permitting, for events or dining in or out. More openness will create a more marketplace feel.”

“Marketplace? We?” he repeated feeling like he’d come into the middle of a conversation.

“I told you. While Les and Bruce might not be willing to work over the holidays, I am,” Sophia said tartly. “I have a lot of ideas to share. I know how the town works, and I’m confident that we can get Les and Bruce and Steve on board.”

“I feel like Chase is reasonable, but I don’t get a strong read on him.”

“Definite dark horse. But if we feed information in the right pieces to the right people—and I—” she stabbed her chest with her thumb “—am the right person for that—we’ll get local merchants and locals on board with the idea of the Mill Market so that Bane can’t shut us down.”

Us. We. Her eyes alight with a fire. His thoughts, so carefully harnessed, once again galloped off.

“The Mill Market,” he repeated liking the sound, but not sure what she meant. And shouldn’t he be the one leading the discussion?

Yes. But no. Sophia was deeply entrenched in the Bear Creek business community. And normally he loved working collaboratively, but he was a big enough person to admit that he felt pressure to perform well, especially in such a small town with a part-time job. He felt he had to justify the pay and career cut.

But isn’t being here for Hunter and Harlow enough?

“Sophia,” he said, keeping his voice gentle and—please, God, help me with this part—nonjudgmental. “I am looking forward to working with you.” The others not so much. “I am,” he stressed just as her eyes narrowed and sparked.

“And here is the giantbut.”

Busted.

“But I want to make sure you’re okay. How are you, Soph, really?”

“Fine.” She crossed her arms and tapped her toe. “Let’s just get this part over with. Are you disappointed I’m not shredding my clothes and howling up and down Main Street about the capricious cruelty of the Fates? Or should I be sobbing on my knees in the church pew asking God why I’ve been forsaken? Questioning his wisdom in taking Enrique from me?”

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