Winter Love

by Kennedy Fox

“I know you’re busy up there, and I know you only do divorces now, but—”

  “Momma,” he said sternly. “What does she need?”

  She paused only a moment more before she said, “A lawyer, and she can’t afford to pay for one.”

  Not the first time he’d been approached with a plea for pro bono help, but the first time he’d known immediately he’d take the case. “Does she know you’re callin’ me?”

  “Yes, but she’s not real happy about it. She’s proud. You know how it is. Doesn’t want to take a handout.”

  Yeah, he knew firsthand how that was, having grown up with a single mom, working two jobs and refusing to let him drop out of high school to help her pay the bills. “I’ll figure something out to smooth it over with her. What’s her number?”

  After rattling it off, she sighed and said, “You’ve got such a big heart, Cole.”

  He used to, back before his life had been turned inside out. But somewhere along the way, he’d detached himself. For so long, he’d prided himself on being heartless. That was what he needed to be after he’d found his wife—the woman he’d been with nearly half his life—in bed with his best friend. And in the months and years following their betrayal, he’d found it was easier that way. Easier to work for guys like Travis and Alec, who were nothing more than pigs disguised as men and who always seemed to find him as sure as the sun rising each morning. Easier to demand their unnecessary requests fueled solely on contempt than it was to actually care. Sure, there were the anomalies who found their way to him—like Rory Haven just last year—but by and large, he served self-serving assholes.

  And he was tired of it. So fucking tired of it. He’d been feeling this way for months. But now that he had someone as bright and good as Sadie in his life—or at least in his bed—it made him want to do better. To be better.

  And this was exactly where he could start.

  Chapter Nine

  Sadie had no idea why the heavens had shone down upon her today, but it was clear she’d done something good. Or, more likely, Elise felt guilty for continually bailing on her, and that was why she’d shoved Sadie out the door that evening, saying she had everything under control.

  Sadie had been reluctant to leave, of course. Sip and Shop was a huge event in Havenbrook and for the businesses participating—Starlight included—but it would be mostly foot traffic for the inn tonight. The real business would come tomorrow and in the days and weeks following, when people called to book staycations or mini getaways thanks to their enticements tonight. Enticements like her lemon poppy seed and blueberry crumble muffins. But since she hadn’t been able to attend this the past three years—too busy trying to get their bearings at the inn—it hadn’t taken a lot of coaxing on Elise’s part to get Sadie to say yes.

  She strolled down the packed streets of Havenbrook, busier than usual. Or maybe Sadie had just forgotten what typical was. Willow had done such a fantastic job decorating the Square, and Sadie had little doubt her cousin had spent weeks ironing out the details. Lampposts lining the streets were strung with alternating white and red lights, their metal adorned with garland. Storefronts around the Square continued the theme, their archways and doors laden with twinkling lights, red bows, and enough mistletoe that anyone could get into trouble.

  What would Cole do if he were here? If they were strolling these streets together and they happened under a sprig of mistletoe? Would he kiss her when it wouldn’t lead straight to a bed? When there were people around…witnesses to their affection? It’d only been two weeks since their first kiss, but Sadie was wrapped up in this whirlwind as much as—more than—she’d been with her last long-term boyfriend of two years. Was she really that hard up for affection, or was there truly something there between her and Cole?

  It felt like there was. During the sex, obviously, but after, too. When they lay, tangled in the sheets and each other’s bodies, their breaths as uneven as her heart. It was during their whispered conversations about absolutely nothing of consequence that she wondered if there might be something more there between them.

  Tucking her hands in the pockets of her navy pea coat, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, loving that just the scents of the season were enough to make her feel at home. She’d never understood why her parents fled even farther south in the winter months. But as soon as they’d retired, they bolted to Fort Myers, Florida, each year with little more than a backward glance. They’d breathed a collective sigh of relief when they’d found out Nana Rollins had left the inn to Sadie and Elise.

  “So, you did look at them.”

  Sadie startled at the voice in her ear and spun around to find Nat’s smiling face. “Hey! I didn’t know you were comin’ back to town so soon.”

  “Asher talked me into it since I was still stateside and he was plannin’ a trip home. The things I do for that guy…” she grumbled, shaking her head as she narrowed her eyes at the Square and the happy, festive townsfolk, the Grinch come to life.

  Sadie snorted. “And to see your family?”

  Nat waved a hand through the air. “Yeah, yeah, that too.”

  “When does Asher get in?”

  “Tonight.” She pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen. “He already landed, actually, so he should be here anytime.”

  “And you think he’s gonna be able to find you in all this?” Sadie asked, gesturing to the throngs of people lining the streets, their laughter and voices ringing into the night.

  Nat wiggled her phone in front of Sadie. “That’s why we’ve got these neat little things.” She fell into step beside Sadie, bumping their shoulders together. “Speaking of, can I assume your fancy communication device suffered a premature death, and that’s why I haven’t heard back about those completely amazing and utterly hot pictures I sent a week ago?”

  “What completely amazing and utterly hot pictures?” a deep male voice asked.

  Nat spun around, squealing as she threw her arms around Asher, one of her two oldest and best friends. He returned the embrace, tucking his face into her neck and squeezing her tight to him. Sadie knew they were just friends. Which meant she was completely aware it was just her line of work that had her starry-eyed as she watched them reunite, the joy on their faces at seeing each other lighting something hopeful inside her.

  If Cole ever looked at her like that, she might believe they actually had something more than just sex.

  After several moments, they pulled apart, and Asher slung his arm around Nat, shooting Sadie a grin. “Hey, Sadie. How’ve you been?”

  “I’m—”

  “She’s bein’ an idiot.”

  Sadie huffed. “Excuse you.”

  “Well, you are. I mean, look at these!” Nat held up her phone for Asher to see. “Remember how Anne and her husband came down with the flu, and I thought I was gonna be completely fucked for that magazine spread?”

  Asher’s eyebrows lifted. “Yeah. How’d you figure your way out of that one?”

  “She suckered me into doin’ it,” Sadie said.

  Asher glanced over at her and flashed her a smile. “Bet she didn’t even have to sell her soul, did she? This girl could talk a chair into givin’ her its legs.”

  Nat shrugged. “I’m not even sorry. How can I be when this is the outcome?” She held the phone up a mere inch away from Asher’s face.

  He leaned back and plucked the phone out of her grasp, before glancing down, his eyebrows inching up his forehead. He whistled low and cupped a hand around his neck. “Damn,” he said with conviction, swiping his thumb over the screen to view the remaining images.

  “I know, right? Who knew strangers could have this much chemistry?”

  “I told you we weren’t strangers, remember? He was Alec’s divorce attorney.”

  Nat wrinkled her nose. “Wait…the asshole who got him all of y’all’s antiques?”

  Why did Sadie’s stomach clench at that descriptor? It’d been the same that she’d used for years, but somehow, now, it fe
lt troublesome. She swallowed down the uneasy feeling and tucked her hair behind her ear. “The very one.”

  But maybe this was exactly what Sadie needed at this point. A reminder as to why she couldn’t pursue anything with Cole—he had no interest in the happy ending, and that was Sadie’s endgame. Certainly, the only thing she’d be willing to put effort into while she struggled with the inn.

  “That just doesn’t make any sense,” Nat said, shaking her head. “When I showed Rory these pictures, she said he was her divorce attorney. And Rory wouldn’t put up with a complete asshole.”

  Asher laughed. “Actually, I’m pretty sure she’d enjoy an asshole, just so she could put him in his place.”

  “He’s not wrong, and Rory was more interested in findin’ Nash after she’d seen these than she was in talkin’ any shit about Cole.”

  Sadie’s face flamed at Nat’s insinuation even as she rolled her eyes. “Now you’re just bein’ a brat about it.”

  Nat held up her hand and laughed. “Swear! Well, I mean, after she got over the fact that the guy in those pictures was her same hard-ass attorney. She said he’s a good guy, if a little aloof. And he got her everything she wanted in the divorce.”

  Sadie’s brow furrowed. “But didn’t Rory’s ex get the house?”

  Nat shrugged. “She didn’t want it. Cole thought she was crazy for givin’ it up, but she wanted to make it on her own. So instead, he got her half the house’s value in IRAs or whatever for the girls’ college funds.” She turned to Sadie with glee in her eyes. “And he completely decimated Sean in court, which was, apparently, a delight to watch, according to my sister.”

  Dammit. This wasn’t what she needed. Not if she was intent on keeping Cole in the fuck buddy category—a category she’d never, in her entire life, used.

  “That doesn’t prove he’s a good guy,” Sadie said, though her voice was weak. “That proves he gets exactly what his clients want.”

  Case in point, the lying cheater holding their family’s antiques hostage for the simple reasoning that Elise hadn’t been willing to overlook his indiscretions.

  “Wait a minute,” Asher said, snapping his fingers. “Is that…Donovan or something? Guy moved here a couple years ago?”

  “Yeah, Cole.” Nat nodded.

  “My sister just told me about him. Called me last night so damn excited. I thought it was about me comin’ to town today, but nope. She’s good about keepin’ me humble. Apparently, he contacted the shelter yesterday and offered his services for any domestic abuse cases. Pro bono.”

  “No shit?” Nat asked, brows raised. “It doesn’t surprise me, considerin’ the tough spot he helped me out of. I fucked up his whole week, but he shuffled it around just so he could do the pics with Sadie. And thank God for that, because without him, I wouldn’t have these.” Nat wiggled her phone again, shoving it in Sadie’s face for good measure.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Sadie said. “I get it. The pics are great. Very…hot.”

  Nat snorted. “That’s an understatement. I’m actually glad to know the inn didn’t burn down.”

  “What?” Sadie snapped her attention to her cousin, panic gripping her. “Why would you say that? Why would the inn burn down?”

  Nat rolled her eyes and linked her arms through both Sadie’s and Asher’s, guiding them farther along their path. “Relax. I didn’t mean literally. I just thought, what with the combustible chemistry between you two, that you’d light it on fire the second you walked inside.”

  Sadie exhaled a relieved breath but otherwise schooled her expression. Except she’d never quite learned how to stop a blush in its tracks. Combustible chemistry was also an understatement. They did burn for each other whenever they were in the same vicinity. She’d left her post at the inn earlier and earlier each night, just so she could get to Cole faster. But could anyone blame her, when he sat in the common area, his shirt sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, and hair amiss? She felt his eyes on her so often, she was surprised he even managed to get work done. And when she closed down the computer for the day, he didn’t take them off her as he packed up his things and summoned her to his room with little more than a quirk of his eyebrow and a head tilt.

  And then… Oh, then, the real fun began.

  Her face flamed, and with the number of lights illuminating the Square, there was absolutely no hope of hiding it from Nat.

  Her cousin gasped and yanked her arm out of Sadie’s, pointing an accusatory finger at her. “I knew it! I knew something was happenin’ between y’all. There’s no fucking way two people can have that kind of intense chemistry and not be fucking.”

  “My best friend, always so tactful and timid,” Asher said dryly.

  Sadie’s gaze shot around to the passersby, worried who’d overheard her cousin’s declaration. Fortunately, the Havenbrook residents weren’t paying them any attention, for once in her life, and she’d never been more grateful.

  “Would you keep your voice down?” Sadie hissed. “Hell, Natalie. If I wanted the entire town to know, I would’ve told Edna.”

  Nat clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes sparkling above it.

  Sadie huffed out a breath and shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re so excited about. Whatever was happenin’ between me and Cole, we worked it out of our systems,” she said, absolutely lying through her teeth. She had no idea how Cole felt, but she was nowhere near getting him out of her system.

  “Why?” Nat asked, eyes wide. “Is he not good in bed? Tiny dick?” She shook her head in disappointment. “It’s always the hot, confident ones, you know? You think they’re workin’ with a lot, and…not so much.”

  “Please,” Asher said, his tone flat, “tell me more about all the penises you think about.”

  Nat rolled her eyes and blindly reached back until she connected with Asher’s face and then shoved lightly. “Don’t pretend like this is new information for you.”

  “It wasn’t either of those things,” Sadie admitted.

  When she offered nothing further, Nat said, “Okay, and why isn’t this continuing? Look, don’t get me wrong—I’m glad he fucked some life back into your vagina after the long dry spell you told me about.”

  Sadie cupped her hand over her eyes and shook her head. “Oh my word, Nat. Why do I tell you these things?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. But back to the matter at hand. Why aren’t you poppin’ a quarter in and takin’ that pony for another ride?”

  Sadie really wished she’d made a point to stop by The Willow Tree—the town’s one and only bar—immediately upon her arrival downtown to indulge in this year’s holiday drink. Then maybe she’d be tipsy enough to have this conversation. “Did you seriously just tell me to ride him like a pony?”

  Nat stifled a laugh but sobered at Sadie’s expression and held up a hand in surrender. “Okay, I’ll be serious. Promise.” Nat crossed her finger over her heart. “Is it because of Elise and what Cole got for Alec?”

  “Partially…”

  Asher cupped a large hand on the back of Nat’s neck at the same time she pursed her lips to the side, as if holding herself back from saying something. What would it be like to have that kind of connection with someone? Who knew you so well, inside and out, that they could anticipate what you were going to do before you did it?

  Finally, Nat said, “Okay, you said partly, so what else is holdin’ you back? Because it’s clearly not the sex. Right? You said he could get down…”

  “No, I didn’t, but you keep tryin’ to pull that out of me.”

  Natalie tossed her head back and groaned. “I’m just so invested in this. I mean, would this even have happened if I hadn’t talked to you into these pictures?” Nat gasped and gripped Sadie’s forearm. “If you guys end up gettin’ married, I call maid of honor! I know your twin should technically have dibs on that, but… No, it should for sure be me.”

  Sadie breathed out a laugh and sidestepped an oncoming family, her gaze lingering only briefly. “That’s t
he thing. There won’t be a wedding, because Cole is not at all interested in that.”

  “How do you know? Have y’all even been on an actual date?”

  Not unless she counted endless orgasms and a grand total of actual days spent in bed together…

  “We don’t have to be for me to know that. Nat, he’s lived here for more than three years, and in that time, I’ve never seen him date anyone. Besides that, don’t you think our careers say it all?”

  Nat’s brow furrowed. “Lawyer and innkeeper?” she asked, confusion heavy in her tone.

  “I think she probably means wedding planner and divorce attorney,” Asher said, his arm slung around Nat’s shoulders in an easy embrace as they walked.

  “Bingo.”

  Nat waved a hand through the air. “Oh, who cares about all that. You plan weddings, and he plans divorces. Big fucking deal. What’s the harm in givin’ him a chance?”

  The harm was that in all the times Sadie had imagined her Prince Charming, she might have imagined Cole’s dirty-blond hair or his pale-blue eyes or his tall, hard body and how it fit so perfectly against hers. How, in only a short time, he somehow knew how she took her hot chocolate and brought her a fresh cup when he arrived at the inn, or that he could tell when she hadn’t eaten supper and offered some of his pizza that just so happened to be topped with all her favorites.

  But one thing she’d never imagined was falling in love with someone who believed so surely in love’s inevitable demise, he’d made a career out of it.

  Chapter Ten

  This was Cole’s third Christmas in Havenbrook but his first time experiencing the town’s famous Sip and Shop event. The streets were bustling, the Square packed with townsfolk and those who traveled in just for it. Which was exactly why he usually opted out of attending. He’d grown used to flying under the radar—when the rumors surrounding his and his ex-wife’s split began surfacing, he’d made it a point to keep his private life private—but when his sister had called and told him she and her daughter were visiting him specifically to attend, he’d reluctantly agreed.