by Jean Oram
She received a look that suggested that the man she’d beaten out for the job would have known the answer to that. “Free. It’s town property.”
“Fantastic. Can I get it the day before to set things up?”
He shook his head. “Bingo night.”
“The thirteenth?”
He nodded. “Every Friday.”
“Can they move it?”
Judging from Richard’s expression, that would be a no. He lightly bounced the building keys in his hand, watching her.
“Would they be okay with me doing setup and decorating around them?”
How big could bingo be in a teensy little town like this, anyway?
* * *
As it turned out, bingo was big. Really big. Every Friday evening all the women her aunts’ age gathered at the community center to share immense amounts of gossip and dab bingo cards.
Nicola’s eyes skimmed over the rows of tables, setting down the box of decorations for tomorrow’s event and took a rough head count. If she could get even half this number to come to her Love Extravaganza she’d break even. She should have held a singles bingo event. That would have been killer.
She texted Todd a photo of the bingo hall and before she had a chance to explain what he was seeing, he texted back.
Wow. I didn’t realize things were that bad in Blueberry Springs.
What do you mean? she replied.
I’d better warn Liz that you cheat so you don’t get lynched.
She snorted and wished she could give Todd a playful push. She had not intentionally cheated by falsely calling, Bingo! It had been Todd’s fault for swiping her hand away from her card, making her dab some of the wrong numbers. The man was like a big, pesky brother half the time.
It’s not my fault you can’t lose to a girl, she teased.
Seriously, he replied. First cheating against the little old women in a Scottish hamlet, and now in your aunts’ hometown. Whatever is your world coming to?
Careful or my travel blog will find a more revealing entry about you in San Francisco.
His reply was instant. Nothing. Happened. Then, And no, I am not laughing about that yet.
Nicola held in a chuckle. There was nothing more fun in the world than teasing Todd about the time she awoke on a bench in the San Francisco harbor after a night on the town to find him spooning a drag queen one bench over.
So what are you doing tonight? she asked. It looks like I’m pulling an all-nighter seeing as these ladies don’t clear out until 11. Trade show vendors arrive at 7. Event starts at 9. Help?
Her nerves amplified and she wished Todd was here to … just be. She needed a friend. If she hadn’t taken into consideration how much bingo could affect her setup plans, what else hadn’t she planned for? If she flubbed up, it was good-bye job.
Sorry. No can do. My new boss is evil.
How can your boss be evil? Today was your first day.
Yeah, and I’m already working late.
Why?
As previously stated: my boss is evil.
Is she female?
Sadly, no.
Good.
She wasn’t sure why she typed that, but it felt right. She gave herself a shake. It didn’t matter if Todd worked under a female boss, he’d never mix work and pleasure and get himself fired. And honestly? It was time Todd settled down and grew up, too.
Jealous? he asked.
I just know that no woman can resist all that is Todd for too long.
No woman can resist this hunk of manliness—other than you. Have you had your head checked?
She laughed, her anxiety about the event washing away. Leave it to Todd to distract her. She’d chosen her B.F.F. well. A winner of the evening’s grand prize of two hundred dollars was announced to groans and clapping.
Oh, I think they’re done! Gotta go.
Good luck. Wish I was there to help.
Me, too. XO. Without thinking, she’d sent the hug and kiss, not knowing why as it wasn’t her usual style. Breath held, she waited for a reply, worried he’d think she’d stepped over the friend line.
An image of them kissing flooded her mind and she blushed, a sudden heat storming through her body.
His reply popped up on her phone and seeing his XO reply did funny things to her heart.
“Nicola?” her Aunt Mary Alice called. The woman had had a malignant lump taken out of her throat weeks ago and lightly held a hand against her neck as though warding off future issues.
Nicola jumped, feeling as though she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t.
Her aunt came over, digging around in her cleavage for something. “Where do you want all these tables?” She whipped out one of Nicola’s event flyers and scanned it. “Trade show first, right?”
“She wants them in rows,” Aunt Liz said, coming over and nudging her sister out of the way.
“Rows would be great,” Nicola confirmed. She paused to envision the day. It would start in here with a small trade show which would be followed by a dance in the evening. Speed dating and the other events would be spread around town. She was going to have to be in a million places at once in the afternoon, but it would be worth it. Hopefully.
Mary Alice began telling the bingo women how they could help with set up as they packed up their bingo dabbers and lucky charms. Acting as a go-between, Nicola’s aunt directed the women from setting up the trade fair booths to hanging streamers and red balloons.
Before long the room was set up and Nicola stood back, dazed at how quickly it had all come together. A woman could get used to a town like this.
“Is this extravaganza so you can finally get your hands on that friend of yours Liz keeps telling us about?” asked Wanda, the woman who owned the local wedding store.
“Looking for another customer?” Liz joked.
“He’s working tomorrow and we’re just friends,” Nicola said, surprising herself by wishing on both accounts that he wasn’t.
* * *
It wasn’t until after the trade show was well underway the next day that Nicola had a chance to pause, take a breath, and watch the town go by while sipping a cup of coffee.
So far, so good.
Jen had booked a booth to promote her guided hikes and snowshoe tours, and she’d already sold quite a few two-for-one couples deals. She and a few other vendors were already asking if Nicola planned on holding the event again next year. Seeing as it didn’t appear she’d ever have anything better to do on Valentine’s Day, she’d given an optimistic yes.
Trey, a local teen, had been working the ticket booth and was doing an amazing job. At first, Nicola hadn’t been sure about him offering deals if people referred their friends, but when he soon had the place packed, she’d offered him an extra five bucks an hour if he could get them up to fire code. Apparently that hadn’t been much of a challenge and people were now waiting to get in.
Nicola savored the moment, the success, and the much-needed caffeine. If only Todd were here to share this with her. She was going to be talking his ear off via video chat when she finally crawled out of bed tomorrow morning.
“Nicola!” A sweet piece of hunk stopped beside her, his name tag bearing a red rose sticker which indicated he was seeking a relationship. A yellow rose meant seeking friendship and a pink rose meant already taken. Nicola had chosen a yellow rose, but that hadn’t stopped several men from asking for her number anyway, claiming that even friends should be able to call each other.
Smart little monkeys.
She read his tag. “Devon Mattson. Any relation to Mandy and her amazing brownies at the Wrap It Up?”
“She’s my kid sister. She wanted to know how you wanted the tables for speed dating this afternoon.”
“Whatever’s easiest,” Nicola replied.
He angled closer and she narrowed her eyes. He leaned in with a smile, resting a hand on the wall behind her shoulder, his focus on her lips. He was a bit of a player, this guy. And right now? He was moving in f
or the kill. But since he was handsome and the brother of her primary brownie source, she didn’t shut him down.
“I heard the couple who gets engaged today gets five hundred hot ones,” he said.
“True.”
Devon dropped down on one knee, pulling a rose from his back pocket.
“Will you marry me, Nicola?”
“You don’t even know my last name.”
Around them people were turning, watching, and her cheeks flamed.
“Samuels. Marry me, Nicola.”
Onlookers chanted, Say yes!
Funny. Real funny.
“Devon, don’t be ridiculous.” She tried to pull him onto his feet.
“Mandy says we’d be great together. You’re adventurous, love to travel, and have a great sense of humor. Plus, I think you’re hot.”
She tried not to blush and angled her hips away in case he hadn’t noticed she was more pear-shaped than sexy hourglass.
“And I’ve heard you need stitches every three months, Mr. Daredevil. Not interested. But thanks.”
“Marry me.”
“I think you could do better.”
“Not for five hundred bucks.”
A passing man paused, then came closer. “Five hundred bucks for proposing to Nicola?” He was on his left knee in seconds, professing his undying love and devotion. Before long, ten men were in kneeling in front of her, asking her to be their wife. Some men, she noted, weren’t sure what her name was.
“Up.” This was like a romantic comedy that had gotten out of control. Fun, but not the way she wanted to make a splash on the town. “I’m not marrying any of you.”
Devon started a new line of pleas, his posse following suit. She couldn’t help but chuckle while trying to convince the men to go away. Looking out at the crowd that had gathered, she found a familiar set of eyes watching her with undisguised amusement. The roar of the audience and scattered proposals faded from her mind as the crowd parted to allow Todd through. It was like in a movie. All she needed was for him to sweep her into his arms and kiss her.
She clenched her trembling hands together, trying to play it cool. She reminded herself that they weren’t in love. It was just all the Valentine’s Day preparations getting to her. He was her best friend. Nothing more.
“Don’t pick him, pick me!” protested one of the men.
Todd paused by her side, looking confused. “Anything to get out of marrying me at thirty, huh? You know you still have a few years on the clock.”
“You’re marrying him? He’s not even a local.” A man with grey temples smacked his hat against his knee in disgust, weaving his way out of the crowd of impromptu suitors.
“I’m not marrying anyone today,” Nicola informed the men, who groaned. “It would hardly be fair for me to win the prize since I’m running the contest, don’t you think?” she told the departing men. Devon eyed Todd with interest, the drifting onlookers flowing around him as he remained in place.
“You’re marrying people off for money?” Todd whispered, dropping a bag of candy hearts into her palm.
“It’s a long story.” She glanced at the goody bag. “Oh, fun! You found the X-rated message candies.” Nicola threw her arms around him, inhaling his familiar scent, her heart skittering at how right his body felt against hers.
“You know I love long stories,” he said when she released him.
“It’s not that long. I thought you had to work today?”
“I convinced my boss to allow me to work tomorrow instead.”
“Way to go, Nicola!” Liz said, joining them. “I reckon that was at least seventeen proposals. Although Astor is already married so he doesn’t count.” The woman wrapped Todd in her arms. “Aren’t you as dreamy as ever? How about you propose to my Nicola? She’s getting old and needs to get married before her best-before date comes up.”
“Auntie Liz,” Nicola warned.
“I’ll do my best,” Todd said, “but she’s kind of fussy. She wants a house, a dog, and a thriving career before we get married and have fifteen kids. And you know, I’m a rolling stone, Lizzie.”
Liz smiled. “Are you sure you could handle her? I finally managed to pin her into one job and look at the commotion she’s already caused.”
Todd gave Nicola’s arm an affectionate squeeze. “She’s something all right, isn’t she?”
Nicola tugged her friend away from Liz. “I’m borrowing Todd for awhile.”
“Hotel above the bar has Valentine’s Day special on. You can rent by the hour,” her aunt said, eliciting a chuckle from Todd.
Nicola shook her head, cheeks flushing. The woman was incorrigible. And giving her awful ideas about how she could go from friends to lovers with Todd.
As Nicola dragged Todd away from her aunt, he said over his shoulder, “I’ll need more than an hour by the time I finally get Nicola to—ow!” He rubbed his shoulder where she’d socked him.
“Don’t you give her any more crazy ideas about us. I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Nicola drew Todd into a nook where she could keep an eye on things while still catching up with her friend. As he told her about his new job her mind kept trying to imagine what it would be like if they took things beyond friendship. The heat of his leg—which was pressed against hers—felt welcoming and inviting. What would he do if she ran her hand up his—stop. Just stop. My word. Her imagination was getting out of hand.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, lightly touching her thigh.
She jerked away. “Nothing,” she squeaked.
He met her eye, and she was sure he was reading every emotion and every bit of longing she was trying to hide. He stood, swallowing hard, not meeting her gaze again. She could see him drawing the curtain, shutting her out. She’d seen him do it a million times before as women took his friendly openness the wrong way and pushed too close to him.
And now she’d done it herself.
* * *
Nicola scanned Mandy’s crowded restaurant. Speed dating was meant to start in five minutes and the place didn’t look particularly ready. It was crammed with people and Mandy was busy trying to serve the crush of people waiting at the café style pick-up counter. Nicola glanced around for Todd, hoping to enlist his help, but he’d stopped at the door to chat with a bombshell who’d commented on his shoes. He was leaning against the doorframe, curving his body closer to the woman so he could presumably be heard over the din of the full restaurant. He was animated, clearly trying to make an impression, holding his right arm out as though climbing an invisible mountain. His climbing Mount Logan story. Yeah, yeah, tallest peak in Canada, blah, blah, blah. Could he be any more obvious?
He was supposed to remain single all day so he could help her out. In other words, be a good best friend and work his butt off alongside her. Not assume she was going to act on whatever he’s seen in her eyes a few hours ago and hook up with someone else in order to set her straight on where they stood.
“What do you think?” Mandy asked, joining her. She was looking amazing as ever in a red dress that angled above the knee and gorgeous boots she obviously hadn’t purchased anywhere near Blueberry Springs. Nicola didn’t think she looked too shabby herself and ran her hands over the wool dress which she’d chosen specifically for the way it flared out, hiding the major impact her wide hips had on her silhouette’s shape.
“Has it been this busy all day?” Nicola asked, taking in Mandy’s tired expression.
“Since ten,” the woman replied, smiling. “Is that Todd? He’s cute.”
“Um, yeah.” She avoided looking at him from someone else’s point of view, knowing she’d notice just how sexy he was. She couldn’t wait for this holiday to be over so she could get her brain back.
“Uh, oh. I detect a story in that tone,” Mandy sang.
“It’s nothing.” Nicola gestured to the room. Tables were currently scattered as usual, all of them occupied by people looking either excited or stuffed to the brim with nervous dread. “We
have forty participants. Think we could rearrange your place?”
“Sorry. Devon was supposed to do that for me, but he’s been too busy proposing to you all day.” Mandy gave her a knowing smile and Nicola rolled her eyes.
“The participants signed in beside their names,” Mandy said. “It looks like we might be down a guy.” She pulled a list off the counter by the cash register, her fingernail trailing down to the one who hadn’t signed in. She looked around the room. “Considering the missing man is married, I think we should get someone else to fill in for him.”
“I can do it,” Todd offered as he walked by.
“No,” Nicola replied quickly.
“Why not?” he asked, his eyes daring her to come up with a good excuse.
“You’re not signed up.”
“So? Sign me up.”
“No.”
Todd went to help rearrange tables with a huff.
Yeah, okay so she wasn’t very good at hiding the fact that she didn’t want every woman in Blueberry Springs drooling over him. There was a twist of jealousy in her gut at the thought of him with someone else. Someone local who would bring him to town, but not to see her.
She really needed to get a grip. It was clear she and Todd were only supposed to be friends. If she wasn’t careful, she’d push things past the line where things could get awkward and she’d lose the most important person in her life.
Tucking her hair behind her ears and trying not to feel envious, she watched as Mandy’s boyfriend drew her away with his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck. Nicola had loved being single for the past few years and the way she’d been free to travel with Todd and then move to Blueberry Springs for her new job. If you were committed to someone it meant hard decisions when you wanted to change your life, and often led to limiting your options. She wasn’t ready for that. When she found someone, she needed to make sure he was like Todd. A man solid enough to say, Go! Be free! I’ll meet you back here at six. But if she found someone like Todd it would be like replacing him and she never wanted to do that. In fact, she couldn’t even imagine life without him.
Searching the room for Todd, she found him chatting with a different woman who blushed and giggled as they pushed tables into a long row. She knew him well enough to know that he was avoiding her.