"Good," Paul said, a wide grin spreading across his face as he looked back and forth between them. It was obvious that her pathetic little lie wasn't fooling anyone. "It looks like you’re free.”
"Yes…great.”
"Should I swing by here and pick you up at closing time?"
Eileen drew in a deep breath. This sounded dangerously like a date. It wasn't, of course. They were just two old friends who wanted to catch up. She had no reason to be afraid. So why was she?
Eileen nodded slowly. “Sure.”
“I can't wait," he said, and it sounded like he meant it. He told Crystal how good it was to see her again, and shook a couple of hands before he left the store.
Eileen let out a deep breath the second the door swung shut behind him.
A wide smile threatened to split Crystal’s face in two. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"
Eileen gave her a cold stare. “You know I’m going to get you back for this.”
Crystal appeared unmoved by the threat. “Right.” She laughed. “Twenty bucks says that in two years you’re asking me to be godmother to Paul Jr."
***
When the bell above the door jingled at five minutes to six, Eileen knew it was Paul. She didn’t have to look up. She didn’t need to turn around. She just knew.
It was as if their earlier encounter had turned back the clock ten years. As if something in the air changed when he was close by. Just like it used to.
"I'm going to be another few minutes," Eileen called out from behind the counter. Even though she’d spent the afternoon mentally preparing herself for this moment, her voice still shook a little.
"That's fine,” he said, walking toward her. He leaned his hip against the other side of the counter. “Where’s Crystal?”
“I sent her home a little early tonight.”
“Still upset with her for messing around with your schedule?”
“Business died down.” It wasn’t really a lie. Few customers had come during the afternoon, but more importantly, Eileen didn’t want her friend around when Paul came back. Crystal had done enough damage the first time around.
Paul cocked his head to the side. “She certainly hasn’t changed much since high school.”
“Not too much.” Eileen walked out from around the counter and toward the front door. It was still a couple of minutes before six, but there weren’t too many people out on Main Street tonight. Besides, the sooner she closed up, the less time she’d be spending alone with Paul.
He stayed quiet while she worked on the daily deposit, but she could feel him watching her. She didn’t waste any time finishing the rest of her end-of-day tasks and shutting down the computer system.
"I like what you've done with the place," Paul said.
"Thank you.” Eileen went into the back to turn off the lights and set the alarm.
“It’s so different. I'm surprised that you kept the name," he said as they walked to the front door.
Second Chances had been around as long as Eileen could remember. When she was growing up, it was modest consignment store that sold secondhand clothing and a few odd pieces of furniture from the surrounding communities. But times had changed since they were kids. People didn't have to drive twenty-five miles on I-80 to get to a mall. There was one just outside of Snow Creek, right off the freeway exit. Besides, clothes weren’t her passion. They never had been.
“It just seemed wrong to change it,” she said.
Eileen pulled her coat on as she stepped out into the December night. The frigid air stung her cheeks, and she was self-conscious about the blotches of red she knew would pop up momentarily.
“What made you want to take it over?”
“Truth to tell, I really didn’t have any plans to buy it.”
He looked so cute when he arched his brows. Eileen figured it was a good a time as any to look away and lock the door.
“When I came back to Snow Creek it was supposed to be a temporary thing, a kind of sabbatical.”
“Things weren’t going well?”
“You could say that.” Back in April, her life had been in flux. A bad breakup had triggered her to question everything in her life—her profession, where she lived, her lifestyle. “I saw the For Sale sign, and I had a vision of what I could do here. Suddenly I was risking all of my savings on a little secondhand store in the mountains.”
“Sounds like it was a big change.”
“It was. But the truth is I never really wanted to be a lawyer.” She leaned her back against the shop door.
He took a step closer. “So why did you do it?”
“I’m not sure. Everyone just expected me to become a lawyer. I was good at speech and debate. My grades were good. I got a scholarship. Everything seemed to be lining up for me to go down that path. Who was I to say no?”
“Are you happy now?” The intensity of his gaze made her heart speed.
Eileen nodded. “I am. And it’s not like everything in my past was for nothing. All those contacts I made as a probate lawyer come in handy now.”
“I’m glad,” he said, and Eileen had the feeling that he wasn’t talking about her estate and warehouse connections. A flush rose up on her cheeks that had nothing to do with the cold. He still cared about her happiness.
“Shall we go?” he asked, offering his arm.
Eileen didn’t think twice before taking it and letting him lead her the block and a half to the diner. The moon was hidden behind a heavy blanket of clouds, but it didn’t matter. There were enough strands of glowing white Christmas lights on Main Street to light up the night. The sidewalk and the snow banks pushed up against the sides of brick and stone buildings were bathed in a cheery golden glow. Not until she had moved away did Eileen realize that she’d come to miss her hometown’s romantic Christmas decorations.
They walked half a block in silence. There was only the sound of the crunching snow on the sidewalk beneath them to distract Eileen from the feel of him, strong and solid against her. Just like she remembered him. Well, maybe not exactly like she remembered. He was bigger now. A man through and through, there was nothing gangly or childlike about him.
"Are you staying with your parents while you’re back?" she asked when they crossed Center Street.
He nodded. “Everyone is back this Christmas. My mother couldn't be happier.”
Eileen's eyes widened. "Everyone?"
"I guess they realized it’s probably our only chance for a family Christmas for a while, so we’re all back in our old rooms for a couple of weeks."
Eileen couldn't hold back the laughter in her voice. "You mean you’re back in your old room with Richard?"
"Yep." Laughter crinkled the corners of his eyes.
"How's that going?"
"It's a little tight," he said. That had to be an understatement. Paul was the fourth of seven children. Things had been tight back when they were kids. Now it had to border on comical.
"How about you? Where are you living these days?" he asked.
"I bought an old house off Ponderosa Ridge.”
"Nice," he said. "And you live there all alone?"
Eileen shot him a glare. "I know it's not as glamorous as sharing a bedroom with my thirty-three-year-old brother, but yes."
His smile widened. Damn, why did he have to smile at her so much? This wasn't how it was supposed to go down. It was supposed to be painfully awkward, both of them coming to the conclusion that it was better if they didn't try to be friends again, and just let the past lie.
But instead, her heart was hammering in her chest and every part of her was beginning to feel warmer than it had any right to on this frozen winter night.
The Main Street Diner’s wall of windows glowed like a beacon across the street. They crossed at the corner, and Paul opened the door. Most of the Formica-topped tables were taken. There were other places to eat in Snow Creek, some fancier, some cheaper, but if you were local you went to the diner.
"Hey, Eileen,” Sam Wis
eman said from behind the counter. "If you can find a booth, it's yours."
Paul led her toward a free booth in the back corner. “It’s been a long time since I've been here.” He lost a couple of inches as he sank into the worn Naugahyde bench seat. "It hasn't changed a bit."
Eileen smiled. "Things are slow to change around here. Maybe that's why I like it so much."
"Funny. I can remember how anxious you were to get out of here.” He picked up the menu and glanced over it.
“You were that way too,” she reminded him.
“So what happened to us?”
Eileen shrugged. “We grew up, I guess.”
He put down his menu. His gaze was instantly back on her. This time she didn’t look away. "So, tell me, whatever happened to Greg...Greg Whatshisname?"
Eileen’s eyes went wide. She hadn’t thought of her high school boyfriend in years. “Greg Hardy."
"Yeah, him."
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in years. Last I heard he’d just made partner at a firm down in Los Angeles."
“Almost everybody in town thought you two were going to get married.” Almost everybody. Not him.
"Nope. College has a way of leading people in separate directions."
"Good," he said. He sounded like he meant it. And it pulled at something at the very center of her.
She was saved from having to think of a reply when the very pregnant waitress arrived to take their orders. A couple of burgers and a basket of fries. A root beer for him and ice tea for her.
The waitress kept looking at Paul like she couldn't quite place him. No doubt someone at one of the tables would fill her in.
"Wow," Paul whispered when the waitress walked away. “She might have that baby before we have a chance to order dessert."
"Yeah, That's Britney. She's a trouper."
“She must be big news around here.”
"Oh, that's nothing. Do you remember Jessica Mendez? She’s been holed up in the old bookstore for almost a year now."
"I guess a few things in this town have changed after all."
"So how have you been?" she asked before any kind of companionable silence could fall between them.
"I've been all right."
“How’s the shoulder doing?”
“You have been keeping track of me,” he said. He sounded pleased.
Eileen smiled. She looked down at a spot on the table where the Formica had chipped away, revealing the pressed wood beneath. “It’s kind of big news around here.”
“So you’re just following the local gossip.” His voice was tinged with laughter. Her face warmed as she remembered the sound of his teasing.
“Maybe a little more than that,” she said.
“Maybe?”
She lifted her eyes. His gaze was still fixed on her.
“Okay, so I’ve followed your career. Pretty closely. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“Yeah, something like that.” A smug smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.
“Well, what did you expect? You know that you are something of a legend around here. You can’t go five minutes without someone bringing up Paul McAlester.”
“But you only just came back to town.”
“Yeah,” she said. She flicked at the patch on the table with her thumbnail. It was like she was seventeen again. How many times had she sat at a booth in the Main Street Diner, feeling more than a little insecure, and trying her best to hide it? Some things never changed. “But we used to be close.”
His eyes narrowed. Not much, but enough for her to see that the simple reminder had affected him.
“Yes, we were,” he said, a world of meaning in his tone.
Their food arrived, and Eileen took the opportunity to change the subject.
“I even got to see you play a couple of times,” she said, reaching for the ketchup.
His eyes widened. “You did? When?”
“Twice in LA and once when I was out in Chicago on business.”
“How’d we do?”
“Pretty good. You got into one hell of a fight in that Chicago game.” She smiled just thinking about it. “Binchey had been dogging you all night and you finally cracked in the third period. You both got five minute majors for that one.”
His face brightened. “I remember. You were there?”
“I was,” she said, and popped a fry into her mouth.
“I wish you would have told me.”
“How? It’s not like I could have shown up at the dressing room doors.” She knew there were other ways. She’d thought about them every time. She could have called his mom and asked her to let him know she was there. She could have found out what hotel he was staying at. What she really meant was that she couldn’t stand the thought of being turned away.
“I would have liked to have seen you,” he said, reaching across the table. Eileen stared down at his hand.
She flicked her hand in the air, shooing away his words. “You had other things to keep you occupied. Back when I came to that Chicago game, you were dating that model.”
“Sabrina,” he said.
Eileen nodded. She remembered the name well enough without his reminder. “Yeah, her.”
“She wasn’t on any stat sheet.” His brows lifted.
“Oh, come on. Everyone knew about you two. It was in People, for God’s sake.”
He shrugged. “She wasn’t in Chicago that night. And it wouldn’t have mattered if she were. I would have dropped anything for you.”
Eileen dipped her head down, trying to hide her blush. Would he? It was a sweet thought, that she would have won in a head to head with a bikini model. Of course, she knew that was an easy sentiment to make when they were thousands of miles and a couple of years away.
Now that companionable silence did fall between them. She stared at him, and he stared right back at her. They were fresh out of safe topics. Eileen guessed that she could have veered off into the weather, but in a town called Snow Creek, it would have only bought her a few more minutes.
“I’ve missed you,” he said. There was no trace of the practiced smile now. He stretched his hand out on the table between them.
Eileen bit down on the corner of her lower lip. “I’ve missed you, too.”
She placed her hand in his. He felt so warm, so strong. She’d never forgotten the feel of his touch. Her eyes went to his lips as she remembered the feel of those as well.
She’d done a good job keeping the secret of what had happened between her and Paul McAlester all those years ago, but Eileen didn’t think that was going to last much longer. Anyone with eyes could see that they were more than just two old friends reconnecting over a burger.
She was still as attracted to him as she’d ever been. The spark between them still felt so fresh, so urgent. Like they had never resolved what might have been.
But they were in a very crowded diner filled with some very curious people. Come tomorrow, Eileen knew that her phone would be ringing off the hook, and it wouldn’t be with questions about last minute Christmas presents.
“So, when do you think the doctors are going to clear you to play again?” she asked.
For the first time, his gaze flickered away from her and down to the table. “Probably a couple of weeks after Christmas.”
“But?” she prompted when he didn’t elaborate.
He drew in a long, slow breath. “But I might not be going back to the Generals.”
“You’ve been traded?”
Paul shook his head. “I haven’t talked to anyone but my agent about this, but I have a meeting on Christmas Eve with some television executives down in Los Angeles.”
“For what?”
“I’m thinking maybe it’s time I hung up my skates and tried my hand at a broadcasting career.”
“Why on earth would you think that?” Eileen did her best to keep her voice down, but the shock running through her made it difficult. “You’re still on track for a twenty-goal season. The Gene
rals are doing great. You might win the cup this year.”
“This isn’t my first shoulder injury,” he said. “My left knee, my hip—they’re all starting to go. Maybe it’s better if I leave while I’m still riding high, before I become a has-been.”
“You can’t quit. You can’t just run away.”
“Why not? You did.”
Eileen recoiled. “Low blow.”
“Sorry.” He let his gaze drift out the window, but he didn’t let go of her hand.
Finally, Britney came over to clear their plates. It was getting late by Main Street standards. There were still a few stragglers left in the diner, and Eileen had the feeling that they were only sticking around to see how she and Paul would say goodnight.
“I should be getting home.” Eileen sighed. “I still have some more work waiting for me when I get there.”
Paul nodded. “Can I see you tomorrow?”
Eileen tried to hide her blush. It was heady to have her fantasy of so many years show such interest in her.
“I have a Main Street Committee Meeting tomorrow night,” she said.
“A real one this time?” he asked.
Eileen laughed. “I’m afraid so.”
“I’ll come see you at the store then.”
“I’d like that,” she said.
She gathered her things while Paul paid the bill. She left a sizable tip on the table and met him at the door. The last few patrons were practically pressing their noses to the window panes to get a better look.
“Goodnight,” he said, leaning forward. Eileen sucked in a breath. At the last moment, he swerved and pressed a soft kiss on her cheek. He pulled back and raised a single eyebrow. “I didn’t spook you, did I?”
“Shut up,” she said, smacking him on the shoulder.
He laughed as he started walking down the street. “Just like old times,” he called over his shoulder.
Eileen shook her head. It wasn’t exactly like old times. She was holding out hope that this time around might be better.
***
“So?”
Eileen looked up at Crystal from behind the counter. “So, what?”
Love on Main Street: A Snow Creek Christmas Page 26