by J. S. Scott
She grabbed Nash, surprised at how soft his perfect, short hair was as she added another kiss to their growing history. His hands ran up her back, skating in circles as he explored the way their bodies fit together. And that? How they fit together? Awesome. Completely and utterly. With Will it was as though there was always an extra hand in the mix or their lips didn’t quite match up properly. But with Nash…it was like in her romance novels. Real life could mimic her favorite books with this man against her lips. And how incredible was that? It made her want to do wild and crazy things to see if she could play out a whole three-hundred-page love story with her hunk.
The pantry door whipped open, spilling light into the enclosed space.
“Are you two for real?” Beth stared at them, her eyes brimming with tears. “Don’t you know I’m pregnant and can’t take this kind of…of…”
Nash was at Beth’s side in a flash, consoling her, as Katie fought off the sting of being second fiddle. Maybe she should start crying, to see if he’d come to her side. He was the man Katie wanted. He wasn’t Beth’s—why couldn’t they see that?
Wait. Stop that train before it hurtled off the tracks and hurt someone. Nash was not the man she wanted.
“Sorry,” she said curtly. “Mistletoe.” She pointed to the garland her mother had strung around the pantry’s small door frame. Walking away, Katie smoothed her sweater, pivoting into the main floor washroom to assess the lipstick damage, so she wouldn’t murder her best friend for snagging Nash’s attention so easily.
* * *
There was stomping on the front porch where Oz had cleared a small patch, so people could come and go without a foot or two of snow falling into the entry whenever the door opened. Katie, who had been avoiding everyone by hiding elbow-deep in sudsy water as she tackled her mother’s worst pots and pans, went to the door, hoping her family—and Nash—remained downstairs, where they were checking out her father’s new flooring.
Katie wiped her hands on a Christmas tree tea towel, peeked out the lace curtain on the small quarter window and almost laughed at how her mom’s lit-up lawn ornaments were leaving eerie glowing patches of evil red and green under the mounds of fresh snow. Very festive indeed.
She opened the door to let in her friends Mandy and Amber.
“Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” they chorused, leaving their snowshoes outside.
Mandy handed Katie a small white bag containing her special whiskey and gumdrop brownies. Heaven and sin all wrapped into one chocolaty tidbit.
“I’ll never fit in my scrubs ever again.”
“From what I hear that won’t be necessary, and besides, don’t they have those fashionable elastic waistbands?” Mandy pushed back the hood of her coat, her hair a smooth gloss that wasn’t at all affected by being shoved under a static-inducing layer of cold protection. How did the woman do it? It felt as if everyone had wonderful hair except Katie. Hence the ubiquitous ponytails.
“Ah, the rumor mill is alive and well, then.”
“As always.”
“So? You two doing it yet?” Amber asked, draping her insulated army surplus jacket over the nearby banister.
“Don’t even go there.”
“It’s that bad? Huh. I would have thought with the way you growl whenever anyone mentions him that it would be crazy-hot in bed.”
Katie took Mandy’s coat, ignoring Amber.
“Frankie’s over at his aunt’s place clearing off her back porch, so her dog can get out to do his business,” Mandy said. “Amber and I figured we’d pop in. Any eggnog left?”
“Russell got snowed in,” Amber said moodily. “Can’t make Christmas.”
“I thought he sold his novel. Why was he in the city?” Katie asked. “Eggnog’s in the kitchen.”
“Promo stuff,” Amber replied. “And getting ready for the launch in March.”
“He’s been in the city a lot,” Mandy said. Katie nodded. Lately, spotting the couple together was as tricky as confirming a Sasquatch sighting.
“I miss him,” Amber said with a sad sigh. “But the reunion sex is amazing. It’s almost worth him being away so much.” She took a candy cane from the entry’s side table and bit off a chunk.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s talk about something else, shall we?” Katie said brightly. There was one thing she didn’t need and that was Amber talking about her sex life. Ever. Her friend had a way of sharing way too much information, and there were some things Katie didn’t want to imagine.
Mandy cast a glance at Benji, curled up fast asleep in Harvey’s armchair, as they passed the quiet living room to join Amber at the cookie table. “Such a cutie. By the way, I heard Nash was over?”
“He’s downstairs with my parents and the gang.”
Mandy rubbed her hands together. “Getting the first degree from Oz then? How does Beth feel about him proposing to you?”
“What?” Katie dropped the tea towel, then swooped it up, praying her cheeks weren’t flushing like mad. “No. Will proposed.”
“Ahh.” Mandy gave her a look. Amber had her arms crossed and was watching Katie in a way that probably proved the girl had mind-reading abilities.
“You two came over for gossip, didn’t you?”
Mandy shrugged, unfazed. “It’s Blueberry Springs. It’s what we do. And this was simply too good to pass up. You and him?” She grinned and popped a square of Angelica’s shortbread into her mouth. Her lips turned down as she tasted the undercooked flour and butter mashed together and called a cookie.
“She tried to copy your recipe this year.” Katie tried not to be too pleased that Mandy had got that goo all the way into her mouth without warning.
Mandy spit the shortbread into a napkin decorated with snowflakes. “Did she forget to bake them?”
Amber took one. “You’re so fussy. They look fine.” She chewed, frowned, and reached for a napkin.
Katie checked to make sure her family was still downstairs with Nash, and whispered, “Do people really think Nash asked me to marry him?”
Mandy slid her a sly smile. “Is he the reason your lipstick is all over your face?”
Katie wiped her face with the damp towel.
“Good luck. I saw you buying that never-come-off stuff, which is evil. It sticks everywhere but your lips.”
“Now you tell me.”
“Hey, you were single. What harm could come to you?”
Katie grumbled and headed back to the kitchen, the friends following her.
“Nash!” Mandy threw up her hands in joy as she spotted the man at the top of the basement stairs. She added a slight sashay to her hips, as she did whenever she saw a man she liked and knew would never challenge the we’re-just-friends balance she always created with guys. Without apparent effort she became one of them. Beautiful and feisty, but just one of the guys. Katie wished she could figure that out.
“Mandy, how are you?” Nash gave her an affectionate squeeze that made Katie’s innards feel as though he was squeezing her instead. And not in a good way.
“Missing you.” She gave him a harmless, flirty wink.
Jealousy swirled into fury within Katie and she turned to plunge her hands in the lukewarm dishwater.
Okay, she cared.
She liked him.
A lot.
Wanted to date him.
Didn’t want him to leave Blueberry Springs.
Big deal.
She could survive that.
“I’m Amber.”
“Nash Leham, pleasure to meet you.”
Chills swam down Katie’s back. He had such a great voice. Low, smooth. Yumalicious.
But he was leaving. Leaving her. If she chose him, she’d be choosing to leave Blueberry Springs forever.
She turned, and her family, who had joined Nash in the kitchen, stilled as though they’d all been touched in a game of freeze tag. “Are you leaving town?” Katie asked him, her heart thundering in her chest.
“Want me out of here
?” Nash retorted playfully.
“Not funny.”
“I hear Dr. Nesbit is retiring,” Amber said, helping herself to eggnog. “If you’re asking him to move in with you.”
“I have missed Blueberry Springs,” Nash said, as though testing the idea. “It might be nice to move back.”
“Really?” Beth squealed, grabbing his arm. Oz shot Nash a glare and subtly angled himself between his wife and the man. Katie wished he’d remind his wife who she was married to.
“It’s a thought.” Nash kept his eyes trained on Katie. “But I’m not sure. I may stay in the city for a while, too.”
“I mean, it would be weird if you moved back.” Beth blinked rapidly a few times. “But this isn’t about me. It’s about you finally finding your mate, so I can get over any weirdness.” She beamed and threw up her hands. “Already am.”
“What? I think I missed something.” Mandy squinted at Beth.
“They’d make an amazing couple.” She gestured to Nash and Katie.
“Over my dead body,” Oz said, at the same as Harvey said, “I agree.”
Harvey slung an arm around Katie. “Best medical team in the world. I mean, look at me. Hardly any pain!”
Katie gently moved her father to a chair and forced him to sit. “If you don’t take it easy, you’ll be black-and-blue and miserable tomorrow.”
“Not that different from usual then?” Angelica asked, crossing her arms.
“Anyway, I’m leaving Blueberry Springs,” Katie said quietly. “I’ve decided.”
“What?” The room rang with surprised voices all rising to be heard.
“Katie’s not staying in nursing,” Nash announced calmly. “She’s seeking a new career.”
“This is Christmas, not April Fool’s!” Her father’s face was a dangerous red. Katie went to settle him again.
“Are you trying to give him a heart attack?” her mother asked.
“I already told you I’m quitting, Dad.”
“You can’t just drop a bomb like this,” Oz said, his voice tight.
“I thought it was all a joke,” Angelica murmured.
“What the hell are you doing to her?” Oz said, confronting Nash. “Why don’t you convince my mother to divorce my father while you’re at it? Maybe convince my son that I suck as a father? Huh?” He gave Nash a shove.
Mandy was between the men in a flash. “Hey, cool it. We should all get a chance at following our hearts.”
Oz leveled a finger at Nash. “He is not her heart!”
“So you can follow your dreams, but I can’t?” Katie blinked back tears and poked her brother in the chest. “Why? Because I’m a daughter and have to do whatever everyone wants, and be the good girl? The perfect one? The one who doesn’t get to do what she prefers because everyone else wants someone to take care of them in their old age? Is that it?”
She burst into tears, furious at herself for crying. Nash was at her side, his arms wrapped around her, in an instant. He felt great. Too great. She pushed at him. “I’m mad at you.”
“And I’ll be mad if you don’t seize your chance to be you, Katie,” he said, not allowing her to push him away.
“Okay,” Mandy said, a soothing voice among all the squabbling. “Enough. Katie wants to be a decorator. It’s obvious that is her calling, if we take a moment to think about all she’s done for family and friends over the past few years. She’s not going to be able to do both careers. Nursing served its purpose for her and now it is time to move on. So get over it. This is her life. She’s the one who gets to live it.”
Her family stared at anything and everything other than Katie and Mandy. All except Oz, who was listening to Mandy—really listening. Beth smacked her husband in the chest and he finally looked away.
“Mandy has a point,” he said.
“You’re with me, remember?” Beth muttered.
“You really don’t want to be a nurse?” Harvey asked, his voice thick. Katie shook her head. “But you did want to become a nurse at one point, right?”
“Not really.”
Her father’s face fell and Katie rushed to his side, hugging him. “But it was a good career, Dad. It’s just not me anymore.”
He brushed her off. “I can’t believe I did this to both of my children.” He dropped his face in his hands. “What kind of father am I?”
Katie rubbed his shoulder, taking the seat beside him as Beth began guiding everyone into the dining room. “Let’s have dessert so Angelica doesn’t get left with all this food,” she said.
“You are a great dad,” Katie whispered. His shoulders shook. “Dad, really. You wanted what was best for us. Wanted real careers. You didn’t want me to be waiting tables all my life, or stocking shelves. You knew that would drive me batty. I need to be in charge. And you helped me get a career that kept me satisfied for years. I don’t mind helping people as a nurse, it’s just not my passion. You know?”
He gazed at her through his hands, eyes red. “Did I really do okay by you?”
She hugged him tightly. “Of course you did. Do you think I’d let you do any different?”
He gave a thin laugh. “Then why didn’t you tell me you didn’t want to become a nurse?”
“Because I didn’t have anything better in mind.”
“How long have you wanted this change?”
Katie sighed. “A few years.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’re so proud of me.” Katie’s own eyes filled with tears. “And what if you’re not when I become someone else?”
“You’ll still be my daughter, my Katie, and I’ll always be immensely proud of you. Always.” He placed his hand over hers. “No matter what you do with your life.” He tipped his head toward the dining room. “Or who you marry.”
“A little ahead of yourself, Dad.” But, oddly enough, not ahead of her imagination.
Chapter Seven
So now what was she going to do?
Amber and Mandy had left after a few eggnogs, and Katie’s family had called it a night. Beth and Oz took Benji upstairs to stay in Oz’s old bedroom rather than stomp through the snow back to their own home, since they would be helping Angelica first thing in the morning, anyway. Which made Katie think they were up to something. Something such as keeping an eye on her and Nash, who were the only ones still up in the living room.
Katie now had her father’s blessing not only to toss off the career he’d helped her afford, but to pursue the man who had, up until two days ago, been her arch enemy.
She gazed at the cold fireplace, its bricks blackened from when Oz forgot to open the flue once when they were kids. She half wondered if jolly ol’ Saint Nick had given her a gift tonight. A change in plans, a life.
Or maybe it was Nash. Maybe it was him giving her a gift. She leaned into him with a shoulder bump. He smiled and lifted his arm to draw her in.
“So,” he began, “I know it’s been a big day and all, but I was wondering…did you really decide to move to the city and work for Monica?”
Katie stopped herself from blurting out a defensive rejection.
“She’d pay me, right?”
He nodded.
It was such a risk. No matter how she looked at the situation, it would mean a pay cut. No medical insurance or benefits. No retirement fund. She’d have to move to the city and away from everyone. What if she sucked at it? What if in the real world she didn’t have an eye for decorating? And when she was ready to come home, was Blueberry Springs big enough or cosmopolitan enough to support a decorating business? Who would want to pay her for choosing paint colors? Probably nobody.
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“There’s always a choice.”
She laughed. “Right. If I backtrack on what I said today I’ll get laughed out of town for being a big chicken.” And if she didn’t move to the city, would anything further happen between her and Nash?
“Katie?” Nash played with a strand of h
er hair that had escaped her ponytail.
“Yeah?”
“You wouldn’t have told Mary Alice—someone you knew would tell everyone—if you didn’t truly want to do this.”
Damn smarty-pants. How many psychology courses had he taken in his time?
He reached down beside the couch and handed Katie a small box wrapped in gold foil. The paper was folded so neatly, so crisply, that she knew he had done it himself.
“For me? Thank you.”
She tugged at the green velvet bow, then unwrapped the gift. It was a beautiful antique snow globe, unlike any she’d ever seen. Beautiful polished wood for its base, the flakes inside delicate… In the middle was a couple on skates, embracing.
“Nash, it’s gorgeous.” She could barely breathe. The gift was so extraordinary and unexpected. She threw her arms around him in a quick hug, loving the way his body fit just right against hers. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His cheeks were pink. “I wasn’t sure what you had in your collection, so I figured an antique was likely a safe bet.”
“It is. It’s amazing. One of a kind.” Like Nash. She shifted to face him, honored that he remembered that she had a snow globe collection. “Would you really take Dr. Nesbit’s job? Maybe we could live in Blueberry Springs when I’m done in the city. We could move back together.”
“Are you asking me to marry you, Katie Reiter?”
She laughed and snuggled against his side, feeling warm and comfortable. “Okay, so I move a little fast sometimes, but yeah. Maybe. One day. If we decide we actually like each other.”
He tipped her chin up to kiss her. “I happen to like fast. And I already know I like you.”
“Good,” she said, then kissed him back. Nash was all the things she wanted in a man. And more. Much more than what she’d ever dreamed of having.
But could she really have him? Could she have it all? Her heart beat fast and hard. So much was unknown, but instead of scaring her, it made her excited—especially knowing that Nash might be there, too.
She was ready, for the first time in her life, to not overthink things and simply start walking forward to see what happened.