“Oh, don’t give me that. Tell me everything that happened last night with you and Paul.”
Eileen chuckled. Crystal had been at work all of five minutes. It must have been killing her to wait for a quiet moment to dig for details.
“Nothing happened.”
"Man, you must have been a terrible lawyer.”
"Why do you say that?"
"Because my three-year-old is a better liar than you.”
Eileen shook her head but kept her gaze away from Crystal’s. “I’m telling you, nothing happened.”
“That’s not what Leo and Ray said. They said you two were practically making out in the corner booth.”
Eileen threw her hands up in the air. “So you’re getting your news from the old guys outside Magic Baubles now?”
Crystal rested her elbows on the countertop. “I wouldn’t have to if you would just tell me what in the world is going on.”
“Okay, you want all the salacious details,” Eileen said in a low whisper. “He bought me a cheeseburger and….”
Crystal leaned in closer.
“Some fries.”
Crystal’s expression fell. “You’re never going to tell me what happened between you two all those years ago, are you?”
Eileen shook her head.
“You never were any fun.”
“Sorry about that.”
That was one of the problems of moving back to such a close-knit community: they remembered her for the person that she used to be. The quiet, reserved girl that got good grades and scholarships. They never bothered to look much deeper to the person underneath. Nobody had.
Except Paul.
It had always been that way, from that first time that she'd met him in math class. He was smart and funny. When he looked at somebody, he left no doubt that they were important to him. And Eileen instantly found that she liked that feeling.
But being a hockey prodigy meant having a brutal schedule. Back then there weren't a lot of hockey facilities in California, so he spent nearly half the year on the East Coast. But when the weather warmed up, he was home, just in time for finals. So Eileen had offered to tutor him. She didn't just do it so that she could spend time with him; she really wanted him to succeed. But with every passing session she felt herself growing closer to him.
They were friends. Nothing more. Paul had a girlfriend, Becky Reed, and Eileen had been dating Greg since they were freshman. Becky was a cheerleader; Greg was the president of the honor society. They were cast with the right people.
Except Eileen didn't love Greg. She loved Paul.
She loved him, and she didn't dare say a word. Doing that would only ruin the best friendship she had and sever the ties to the only person that that truly understood her.
But then it was graduation and she was all ready to go off to UCLA and Paul was off to Michigan on a full hockey scholarship, everybody sure that he was going to scooped up in the draft.
Suddenly the night of the party, the burden of everything that she felt weighed heavy on Eileen’s shoulders. So she broke character and had a beer. And then another. And somewhere in the middle of that third beer, her thinking changed. She just couldn't go on without telling him how she felt, couldn't live with the lie that burned inside her.
She probably would never see him again after that night, so what was the harm in letting him know how she felt? She'd probably regret it for the rest of her life if she didn't.
So she pulled him away from his friends in the kitchen and asked to talk to him alone outside. No one had thought it strange. Why would they? She was just plain, harmless Eileen.
She'd thought it would be hard, that she would fumble for words, but instead they poured out of her. Once that dam was broken there was no stopping it. It was as if she were listening to herself from far away. Watching herself as she poured out her heart to the only guy she'd ever really loved.
It wasn't until she'd dived in head first that she'd realized what she'd done. She was about to be humiliated beyond belief, her worst fears about to be realized. But she couldn't seem to stop.
She lifted herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
And then Paul did something that shocked her more than anything that had happened before or since.
He kissed her back.
The bell over her door rang. Eileen blinked a few times and lifted her head, coming back to herself.
"Speak of the Devil," Crystal said.
And he shall appear.
Oh, and Paul was looking every bit the devil today. He was dressed for the cold weather outside, but he looked warm and inviting underneath that jacket and scarf. She wouldn’t have any trouble snuggling up in those arms.
"Hi," she said.
"Hey. You ready to go?”
“Ready to go where?”
“Out.”
“I told you I was busy today.”
“No. You told me that you had Committee meeting tonight. It’s only three o’clock in the afternoon.”
“But the store is still open.”
“Yeah, but that’s why you have Crystal here, right? She can watch the store. Can’t you, Crystal?”
Crystal nodded a little too eagerly. “Of course, I can. I’ve done it plenty of times.”
“Wait a minute,” Eileen said. “You guys planned this in advance, didn’t you?”
Crystal’s grin told her everything that she needed to know. “Someone has to make sure you go out and a have a little fun.”
Paul didn’t wait for a response before going behind the counter and grabbing her jacket. “Come on. We don’t want to waste what’s left of the daylight.”
Eileen rolled her eyes. She shouldn’t go with him. The store might be empty, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t work to be done. There was still the overflowing inbox on her laptop, and the long to-do list next to that.
But that wasn't what was really worrying her. The real trouble was the devilish twinkle in Paul’s eye.
“You’re sure you’ll be all right on your own?” Eileen asked Crystal.
“Of course.”
“See, Crystal’s fine," Paul said as he walked to the door. He waved his arm in a wide arc. "Come on."
Eileen hesitated.
Crystal leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Don't be an idiot, Eileen. You'll kick yourself if you don't go. And I'll have to sit around watching you staring off in the distance every time you think about what might have been with Paul."
"I do not—“
"Yes. You do," Crystal said. "So go."
Crystal gave Eileen a push, and she stumbled out from behind the counter. Paul's smile widened.
"You have your key?" Eileen called out when she was halfway through the door.
"Of course. Now, go. Have fun,” Crystal shouted.
Paul led her toward a big blue Ram truck. Eileen recognized it as his brother's truck. He opened the passenger door for her.
"Is this a date?" she asked.
"Do you want it to be?"
Her lips tightened as he threw the question back at her. But she stepped up into the truck.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"It's close. You'll see," he said as he slid into the driver's side and turned over the ignition.
A light dusting of snow was starting to fall from the dark clouds overhead. Eileen's brows pulled together.
"Relax," he said, patting her knee. He took the first right at Center Street. "You don't go out to have a lot of fun, do you?"
"I put my life savings into making an old antique store successful. I don't have much of a plan B if it fails. So yeah, I put most of time and energy into that."
He smiled at her. "And you seem to be doing a hell of a job of it. You always had a way of making things work."
"But only if I'm there to make it work."
“Your shop isn’t going to fall to pieces cause you take a couple of hours off." He took the next left turn and headed up the narrow road that led up the hill.
/> She shrugged. That's what he thought.
He hit the brakes. Eileen looked out the window. She'd been so absorbed in her own thoughts that she hadn't paid attention to where they were going.
"The pond," she said, unable to keep the smile from spreading across her face as she looked at it.
"The last time I was out here was...." She trailed off and looked down at her lap. He jumped from the truck and went to the bed, reaching for a couple of sticks.
Eileen stepped down and sunk to her ankles in the snow. The icy surface of the pond sparkled in the late afternoon light. It was just how she remembered it. Maybe that was why she hadn't come back here since returning to town. Everything still felt fresh, even a decade later.
He appeared from the other side of the truck, holding the sticks.
"I didn't know to bring my skates," she said.
"You don't need any," he said. "I thought it might be nice to finish that lesson I gave you all those years ago."
"Do you think it's a good idea with your shoulder?”
"I'm not the one who’s going to be doing the shooting. I already know how."
That he did. And she knew what a good teacher he was.
Did she really think that she would be any better at guarding her heart against him this time? Did she even want to?
He started for the lake, and she followed. Her shoes slipped on the glassy surface, and she struggled to keep her feet. It took her a few seconds to acclimate to walking on the ice. She used the stick more for balance than anything else. Paul didn't seem to have the same problem.
He went to the far end of the small pond and pushed one of the felled logs onto the pond’s surface.
"There's your goal," he said, gliding back to her.
He tossed a puck toward her feet. She stopped it with her toes.
"Well, go on and take a shot," he prompted.
Eileen grasped the stick with both hands and lined herself up like she was taking a golf shot. She steadied her hips and pulled the stick up to her shoulders. Then she arched it down as hard as she could.
And missed.
A soft chuckle sounded behind her.
“Well, now I know you didn't keep my stick so you could practice."
"We both know that stick was far too valuable to play with."
"Loosen up your hips. You're holding yourself way too tense," he said.
She tried again. This time the stick grazed the side of the puck. It skittered far off to the right.
"Better. Now try relaxing your shoulders. And just look where you want it to go. Don't think about it. Just do it."
Eileen laughed. "That's ridiculous. How can I do something without thinking about it?"
"Think about something else."
"Like what?" she asked.
“The view. The Christmas Parade. Anything.”
She tried to think about anything but the log. But if she wasn’t thinking about her target, she was thinking about Paul, and that wasn’t likely to help her concentration.
She ground her teeth and tried again. No luck. He laughed.
“I told you, I’m no good at this,” she said.
“That’s why we’re practicing,” he said, tossing another puck down at her feet. “So, why’d you keep it?”
“Why did I keep what?” she asked.
“My stick. You tell me it’s worth something, so why did you keep it?”
She froze. Her shoulder hitched, and she swung wildly, missing the puck by a good six inches.
He laughed behind her.
"Was that that supposed to help?" she asked.
"It was just a question," he said. "Just answer and try again."
Eileen drew in a deep breath and stared down at the puck. Not because she was focusing on it, but because she was trying to avoid looking him in the eye.
"I don't know," she tried.
"Sure, you do."
"I guess it just reminds me of old times," she said. She swung down. The blade of the stick hit solidly against the side of the puck, which skittered just wide of the log.
"Much better," he said. He tossed down another puck. He was right behind her now.
"It's hard to put a price on that," she said without being prompted. There was something about being alone with him, back at the old pond. Thoughts of the last time that she'd really connected with him. She'd never been able to hit that damn log. Never.
She'd never been able to relax around him. But now? Maybe that was changing.
"I understand,” he said.
He moved out in front of her. She liked to think she was immune to the winter cold. She'd grown up in this weather. But the sight of Paul in front of her was enough to give her chills.
He tossed one more puck in front of her and slid off a little to the right.
"One more shot," he said.
She drew in a deep breath and swung the stick. She hit the puck hard, and it shot across the ice, smacking hard against the log with a thunk.
Eileen threw her hands up in the air. Her stick went flying.
"I hit it!"
"You hit it."
She jumped up. "Holy crap, I finally hit it!" She threw her arms around his neck in celebration. He was smiling almost as widely as she was.
She clung to him as joy flowed through her, her body against his. He folded his arms around her.
She stilled as she looked up into his eyes.
The smile faded from his lips as he looked down at her. She lifted herself up on tiptoes, craning her mouth toward his. He bent down until his lips brushed against her.
The moment they touched, she was lost. There was nothing else around her. Just him. Just Paul. She deepened the kiss, pressing every part of her harder against him—her lips, her hands, her breasts. Her heart pounded against her breastbone, fueled by desire and the remnants of a decade-old regret.
He moved her backward, toward the edge of the pond. Her feet hit the side of a snowbank, and she went down. He went with her, both of them falling into the soft pillow of snow.
Only then did he unwrap one arm from around her. He caressed her cheek with the tips of his fingers, then broke the kiss and looked at her. Looming above her, his features shadowed by the quickly fading evening light, he was every bit as magnificent as her imagination had made him out to be all these years.
“I’ve been waiting years to kiss you again, Eileen," he said.
The force of his words stunned her. Nothing had ever touched her more. He had felt the same. He’d never forgotten her, either. Never.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. There were no words. So she pulled him closer instead. Kissed him harder. Shared the strength of the passion that was rushing through her.
He flicked at the buttons of her coat, pulling it open. He slid his hand up, under her bunched shirt, so that his palm pressed against the bare skin of her belly.
She hissed in a breath but not from the cold air that rushed over her. Shivers sprung up in the wake of his touch. She arched up, wanting more of the magic feeling that he provoked inside her.
Her fingers curled around his shoulders. She clung to him as tightly as she could, as if she were afraid that he would slip away from her if she let go for even a second. But suddenly, he was pulling away, dragging her shirt back down. She tried to get him to stay, but he was so much stronger than she was. A little moan of disappointment escaped her mouth.
It wasn't until she heard the footsteps crunching in the snow behind them that she understood why.
Someone was coming.
Eileen struggled to sit up and pull down her shirt.
The footsteps stopped.
For a second, she was too embarrassed to turn around.
"Oh...hey...sorry," a voice said from behind them. Eileen recognized it instantly. It was Daniel Hennessy. He was a paramedic now, but they'd gone to high school together.
There was no use hiding. Even if he didn’t recognize her from behind, there was enough gossip swirling around town for hi
m to guess who Paul McAlester was making out with.
She might as well own up to it. She had nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn't like they were doing anything illegal. Well, not yet, at any rate. Thirty more seconds and she had no idea how many indecency laws they might have broken.
She turned around. The burning in her cheeks had nothing to do with the cold now.
"Hi, Daniel,” she said.
For a second, she felt bad for the poor guy. He looked uncomfortable enough for both of them.
"Hey, Eileen. So I guess you guys aren't in any trouble out here."
Paul shook his head. "Nope. How about you?"
"Um...no, I'm fine," Daniel said. "But hey, it's good to see you man. I haven't seen you since high school."
"Yeah, you too." Paul gave him a tense smile. Eileen tried to button up her jacket, but her fingers were shaking too hard.
"So I guess I'll be leaving you alone, but I should warn you. There's a storm warning coming in on the radio. You two might not want to stay here too much longer, if you know what I mean." He looked down at his boots. She couldn’t tell if it was because he was embarrassed or if he had other problems on his mind. Either way, it obviously wasn’t the reunion any of them had been hoping for.
"Yeah, I get what you mean," Paul said. Eileen bit down harder on her tongue.
"All right then," Daniel said, turning on his heel and starting back toward the tree line.
Crap. They’d been caught. There would be no denying it now. It wasn't like Daniel was the biggest gossip in town, but every man had a limit, and she'd bet twenty bucks that this would be all over McNally’s Bar before last call tonight.
Oh well, she was an adult. It might shock some people, but maybe those people needed a little shocking.
Paul stood up and put out his hand. She took it.
Her cheeks were burning so hot she feared she'd burst into flame. She kept it together the best she could as he helped her back to the truck.
She’d never been so embarrassed in her life. Caught making out with Paul McAlester. She'd been lucky it had been Daniel Hennessy and not some cross-country skier with a camera.
She giggled at the thought. And once it started she couldn't stop, all the nervous energy inside her flowing out.
"Oh God, Paul," she whispered in between bouts of hysterical laughter. "There'll be no stopping it now."
Love on Main Street: A Snow Creek Christmas Page 27