“Man, he’s in a mood,” Cassie said, standing. “I’ll be back, I have to pee.”
“He sure is,” Erika mumbled as her friend walked away. She watched as Reed snapped the lid off several beer bottles, placed them in front of the patrons at the bar, then crossed the room toward Tyler, ignoring a couple of women in a booth who were trying to flag him down.
Tyler stopped in his tracks and his grin faded to a look of annoyance as Reed said something to him. Then a second later, he left the bar.
What the...?
“What did you just do?” she asked when he returned.
“What do you mean?”
“Just now. What did you say to Tyler to make him leave?”
“Nothing. He just remembered he has the night shift at the station.” He shrugged as he grabbed a dish towel from the bar.
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you cockblocking me?”
Dropping the towel, he leaned against the bar, his nose just inches from hers. His musky cologne filled her senses and she held her breath as she felt submerged in the deep blue sea of his eyes. The five o’clock stubble along his jawline was decidedly sexier than his clean-shaven look, and she resisted the urge to touch it to see if it felt soft or rough. “Was cock what you were hoping for on this vacation?” he asked.
Her mouth felt like sandpaper and her knees shook a little beneath the bar, but instead of retreating, she only closed the gap between them even more. “Not yours.”
“So you said last night.”
Had she? They’d actually talked about his penis? What else had they talked about? “Well...good. So we are clear on that.” His eyes penetrated her gaze and the words had come out sounding weaker than she’d intended, but she refused to give a fraction of an inch. Unfortunately, this close to him, her thoughts were fuzzy.
“Crystal clear,” he said, moving away as Cassie returned.
Thank God. Her mind and her body had been locked in a battle of wills. Why was Reed so hot when he was aggravating as fuck? She wasn’t attracted to those kinds of men—the ones that would just as easily drive her insane as they would drive her to lust. She dated safe, nice guys...when she did date. Ones she wouldn’t get attached to, lose her heart to. Guys like Tyler.
Never guys like Reed.
Never Reed.
“What was that about?” Cassie asked, looking back and forth between them.
“Nothing.” They spoke in unison.
“Okay...” Her cell chimed on the bar and, picking it up, she read quickly before saying, “I’m sorry, but I have to go.” She grabbed her coat from the stool.
“Where?” Panic filled Erika’s tone. After her stare-down with Reed, the last thing she wanted was to be left alone with him.
Right?
“It’s Tank’s night at the station, so I usually spend the night at his place with Kaia.” Cassie wrapped a hand-knitted multicolored scarf around her neck and grabbed her gloves from her coat pocket.
Erika raised an eyebrow at Reed. “Tank’s night at the station?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Guess I must have read the schedule wrong.”
Sure. She turned her attention back to Cassie. She’d deal with Reed later. “You stay at Tank’s? Overnight?” Was there more going on than her friend had let on? The night before, they’d caught up on most things, but Cassie’s relationship status hadn’t come up. She’d assumed her friend was enjoying being single the same way she enjoyed all other aspects of her life—with a carefree abandon.
“I stay over when he’s not there,” she said, her annoyance evident.
Was it possible her friend had a thing for the single dad? Erika had momentarily suspected it the night before, but now the feelings were written all over Cassie’s face. Sexual frustration across the board that evening.
“You can come with if you want...”
To babysit. Probably not. Children weren’t her thing—she couldn’t relate to them. “Nah, that’s okay. I’ll finish my wine, then head back to your place.” To do what, she had no idea. Downtime was going to be the death of her.
“Here’s the key to the condo. Sorry, I know I haven’t had a whole lot of time to spend with you, but I have a few evenings off coming up.”
“It’s cool. I crashed in on your life. I’ll keep myself busy,” she said, a sideways glance at Reed.
“Okay, see you tomorrow,” Cassie said, rushing out.
Erika glanced around the bar, but other than Tyler, who’d been conveniently chased away, there was no one else she recognized. It was possible there were others she might know from high school, but unfortunately, she hadn’t kept in touch with many people from her small town. Would they even want to reconnect with her?
She took a sip of her wine as she watched Reed work, his back to her as he restocked the clean beer glasses behind the bar. His black T-shirt stretched across his broad back and shoulders and tapered at his waist. Tucked in haphazardly to one side of his jeans, it gave her a nice view of his ass. It was a nice ass. Too bad he was a bit of an ass.
He continued to work, ignoring her, and she tapped her nails against the bar, checking her watch. It was barely eight o’clock. How was she going to get through the night? Cassie no doubt had Netflix—she could binge-watch the entire first season of one of the popular shows the nurses talked about.
But what she really wanted to do was call her father and ask why he hadn’t told her about the trial approval yet. All afternoon, she’d waited for a call or email from him. Nothing. Confronting him would get her nowhere though, and she wasn’t allowed back at the hospital anyway. She’d never wanted special privileges for being his daughter, but it almost felt like the reverse was true. He treated everyone else on staff with a lot more respect.
Reed shot a look over his shoulder. “That’s kinda annoying.”
She stopped tapping her nails and sighed.
God, she was bored. She looked around the bar, almost wishing someone would choke on a bar nut or something.
She cleared her throat. “So, that’s why you work here... It makes sense now.”
A guarded look appeared in his eyes as he turned all the way around. “What makes sense about it?”
She had no idea what she’d said to offend him, but the set jaw as he waited for her reply meant she clearly had. Man, could they just have an uncharged conversation—sexually or otherwise? He seemed to want to make everything an issue. “Just that it gives you the flexibility to be a part of the search and rescue team.”
“You think that’s the only reason I bartend?”
She shifted uncomfortably on the stool. “There’s nothing wrong with bartending. I just think there are other careers you’d be suited for.” He’d always been an honors student in school and she remembered hearing him talk about university after graduation. This career choice of his had surprised her, but it had started to make sense after realizing that he wasn’t only a member of the search and rescue crew but one of the team leaders. She knew—after Googling it that afternoon—that the position required a huge time commitment and the ability to drop just about anything when a call came in.
“Better careers you mean?”
Geez, why was he taking this so wrong? She was trying to say that he was smart enough to have a... Shit. She sighed. “Okay, fine, that was a shitty thing to say.”
His shoulders visibly relaxed. “Now we’re even for my equally shitty comment about the ski suit.”
Had they somehow just declared a sort of truce?
“And you’re not entirely wrong,” he said slowly.
Finally, a brief respite from the tension they seemed to keep creating whenever they were alone.
“I do like the flexibility this job provides, and Tank understands where my priorities lie. But it’s more than that. I love the people here in Wild River. The business owners in the community are a team
. We take care of the tourists and treat the locals like family. It’s nice. And I make enough to survive and really who needs more than that?”
She did. Or at least she’d been raised to think she did. Cassie’s life was simple, exciting and carefree...and despite her friend’s example of success, Erika didn’t think she could live this way. Surviving paycheck to paycheck and hoping for a good season would stress her out. Erika liked security and that came with a big salary and health benefits.
“I take it you disagree?” he asked in her silence.
“No. I’m just not sure I would feel comfortable...”
“Without a six-figure payday?”
“Now, you’re being offensive again.”
“Don’t mean to be. To each their own, I guess.” He leaned his elbows on the bar and studied her. “But, you know, if you ever consider a career change, we are always looking for new members.”
“On the search and rescue crew?” A volunteer position? Even if she allowed herself to believe for an instant that she could be fulfilled simply by doing something altruistic, to walk away from her career and move to the mountains? She shook her head. “As you said, today’s adventure was a one-time thing.” She meant it. She was there to try her best to relax, to unwind until her two weeks were up, then she was headed back home. Where her clinical trials had been approved. The thought reminded her that she needed to check her email again when she got back to Cassie’s. By now, surely someone—most likely not her father—had notified her.
“What about that kiss?” Reed’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Was that a one-time thing, too?”
Her breath caught in her chest when his blue eyes blazed into hers. What was the right answer? The yes her brain was cautioning her or the no her body was screaming. Her gaze broke away from his to stare at the full mouth...so tempting... “Yes. Both just a one-time thing,” she said, hoping she sounded more confident to him than she did to her own ears.
He straightened as several customers claimed the free stools next to her. “That’s too bad. I’m not sure which one disappoints me more,” he said with a wink, moving on to serve them.
And damn, if that simplest gesture didn’t make her wish she could change her answer.
CHAPTER EIGHT
IT FELT AS though he’d just closed the bar and now he was back. Tank was sleeping off his night shift at the station, therefore it fell on Reed to do inventory that month. He unlocked the back door and secured it again before heading into Tank’s office for the supply sheets. He could ask the waitstaff to help, but he preferred to take stock alone. It was faster and it would be done right.
This time of year, their inventory doubled—the shelves were fully stocked with all their regular alcohol and mixes and then the addition of the holiday-themed junk. He wished Tank would just change the names of their drinks to festive sounding labels instead of making him come up with actual Christmas-inspired cocktails, like Candy-Cane Explosion and Frosty Twist, but it was his buddy’s bar and there was a reason it was the local hot spot.
Grabbing the sheets, he worked his way through the bottles of wine in the cellar, double-checking the counts before moving on. When his gaze landed on the California merlot Erika had been drinking the night before, an image of her licking a drop of wine from the rim of her glass flashed out of nowhere.
A dozen women had ordered this particular wine and yet none of their pretty faces and delicious-looking lips sprang to mind. Nope. Just hers. Man, having her around for two weeks might be the death of him. One minute they were on the edge of flirting and he was tempted to kiss her and the next they were arguing, and it only made him want to kiss her more. She was his sister’s friend and most siblings had a rule about these things, but it had never really applied to them. Growing up, Cassie had crushed on or dated almost all of his buddies and in recent years she’d set him up with a few of her friends.
But none had gotten a rise out of him or stolen his focus quite like Erika.
Her words about his chosen career had lingered with him longer than he liked. He’d taken offense to them because she’d struck a nerve. He’d been honest when he said he loved bartending...that didn’t mean he wouldn’t prefer doing something else. His high school grades had been good enough to get him into college and he’d worked since he was fourteen, putting money aside for his future. He’d just decided not to enroll that September, instead joining the search and rescue crew. Then it had been impossible to leave.
But for a split second last night, he’d wished he was someone she’d see as successful. Important.
Jesus.
Losing count of the bottles, he started over and forced himself to concentrate. He had to quit allowing this woman from his past to mess with his head.
* * *
“CASSIE, WHERE ARE your wineglasses?” Erika called from her friend’s kitchen as she continued to search through the cupboards. The only thing she could find to hold liquid were cereal bowls and an eclectic collection of beer mugs that ranged from hilarious to NSFW.
Her friend hadn’t changed a bit. She’d always had an uninhibited, unapologetic sense of humor. Her set of shot glasses featuring the entire tantric library of impossible poses was a testament to that. Where did she even find this stuff? Most likely on her travels around the globe.
Cassie appeared in the kitchen behind her, her poop-emoji slippers scuffling on the tiled kitchen floor.
“Those are the worst slippers ever.”
“Funny though, right?” Opening a drawer, Cassie took out a package of multicolored extra-long straws. “No glasses. Just straws.” She selected a pink one and put it into her bottle of pinot grigio. “What color do you want?”
Erika laughed. Her friend was crazy. “I’ll take a blue one.” She wasn’t planning on consuming an entire bottle of merlot herself, but she wasn’t about to critique her friend’s hospitality. Especially after the rough start to their reunion.
This girls’ night was long overdue and Erika was curious to get to the bottom of the Tank situation. As well as other questions burning in her mind that she wasn’t sure how to bring up.
Cassie slid the blue straw into the bottle and carried them both into the living room, as Erika grabbed the popcorn and the peppermint-flavored fudge she’d bought earlier that day at the Chocolate Shoppe. With Cassie working all day, she’d had plenty of time to explore the village. So much had changed in ten years, with a lot of chain stores moving onto Main Street, including name-brand snow gear and clothing companies. She’d been tempted to buy herself a new ski suit, but remembering the look in Reed’s eyes when she’d worn Cassie’s, she’d saved her money and splurged on the expensive, handmade, hip-widening fudge instead.
And it was definitely the better choice. Popping a piece into her mouth, she closed her eyes and savored the perfect balance of cocoa, mint and sugar on her tongue. The taste immediately brought back a memory of her childhood Christmases before her mom’s death. They’d always buy peppermint fudge weeks before and would have to buy more closer to Christmas Day. There was no such thing as willpower where peppermint fudge was concerned. Even her father had once been weak against the temptation.
Maybe she should bring him back some. Maybe a reminder of happier holidays might have an effect on him. Though what Erika expected, she wasn’t sure. She’d yet to find a way to get close to him since her mother’s death, and it would take more than peppermint fudge to piece her father’s shattered heart back together.
“Oh my God, these are so good,” Cassie said, her mouth full of her own piece.
“You have a chocolate factory minutes away—how are you not a thousand pounds?” Erika asked, sipping her wine.
The combination of wine and chocolate in her mouth was sinful.
“Staying active helps—all the skiing and hiking definitely counteract the calories...and I’ve placed myself on their do not allow list.”
/>
“Like for addicts?”
She nodded. “For chocolate addicts. You’d be surprised how many of us locals have had to add ourselves to it. I swear they lace this stuff with cocaine. It’s crazy addictive.”
Erika didn’t doubt it for a second. She may be adding herself to that list before the week was up. But until then... She reached for another piece. “I’d forgotten how different small-town life is,” she said, curling her legs under her on her friend’s couch.
Immediately, Diva jumped onto the cushion beside her and sat staring at her mouth, a thin line of drool escaping her muzzle. “Forget it. Even if dogs could eat chocolate, we’re not good enough friends yet for me to share,” she said, but softened the words by tentatively petting the dog’s head.
Diva shot her an arguably adorable look that said “Give me time, I’ll wear you down with my cuteness” and lay beside her, resting her chin on her front paws, butt stuck up in the air, tail wagging back and forth, contented.
“Don’t be fooled. She’s not giving up that easy,” Cassie said.
Just to be safe, Erika moved the plate farther out of the dog’s reach. “So, when did you open Snow Trek Tours?” The opening day pictures Cassie had posted on Facebook could have been a week ago or six years. Life seemed to blur past.
“Four years ago...after Mom sold the pub. She paid off the house, took a job from the new owner and then split the rest of the money between Reed and me.”
Erika hoped her friend didn’t notice her cheeks flush at the mention of her brother. He hadn’t been far from her thoughts all day as she’d wandered through the shops on Main Street. His words about kissing her again had played over and over in her mind. It’s not that the idea wasn’t tempting, but he was Cassie’s brother. The odd connection and irresistible pull she felt to him were an issue. She hadn’t experienced real feelings for a man in a long time. She’d be reluctant to claim she’d ever truly been in love, so she had no idea how to label these emotions that were popping up out of nowhere whenever she was around Reed, but they weren’t harmless—that much she knew for certain. Therefore, when she’d seen him leaving The Drunk Tank around noon, she’d hightailed it in the other direction.
An Alaskan Christmas Page 7