A call back to historic decor at the mansion. “Dang, you’re good.”
She looked at Ethan. “Deal?”
He held out his hand for a shake. “Deal.”
Rob guided Megan farther into the lot to inventory the trees.
Ethan clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know what you got yourself into, but hang on to her.”
Chapter 10
Megan
Nick said his goodbyes after paying for the trees and taking a written agreement about the set up. I’d insisted on the documentation.
I swung myself back into the passenger side of Nick’s increasingly-familiar truck.
He clicked his seatbelt in place. “That was great.”
“Yeah?” And I felt great. I had to be riding some kind of high after bossing those Sawyer boys around. Okay, not bossing. Acting like a boss. For some reason being out of my usual circumstances made it easier to act more confident. I didn’t know whether I’d ever have taken charge back at the cafe, even though decisive actions and deal-making was exactly what I needed to do to take over managing.
“Absolutely. Lining the driveway to the mansion along where the guests arrive—it’s going to look great.”
“And another tree by the side entrance with the accessibility ramp,” I added. “Definitely one with lights there.”
“Another good idea.”
“Good. I’m glad.” I resisted the urge to minimize my accomplishment. Despite the bogus lawyer threat, I offered the Sawyers a good deal. I helped Nick sort out his party planning issue. A good deed done on the trip I’d been dreading. “So, what happens at the event? Is there a band?”
Nick laughed as he turned out of the Sawyer lot. “I wish. More like carolers, a piano player, and usually someone playing a harp or something.”
“What’s planned this year?”
Nick blinked. “Uh…”
“Nick.” I shut my eyes. “Please—”
“Hey, I’m trying to remember. The mayor’s office booked someone, I just forget who. I think it’s a brass quartet. Or maybe a trip—thrice—what’s the word when it’s three of them?”
“A three-piece?”
He rubbed his forehead.
The unease in my chest couldn’t be ignored. Being responsible mattered to me. I remained skeptical. “Who is the emcee? Do you have the audio visual worked out?”
“Yes.” His voice tightened. “Believe it or not, our town knows how to host an event. Even if I don’t.”
A chill zipped through the truck cab. “I just want it to be great for your mom. Like you said you wanted for her.”
He stared straight ahead at the road. “Seems like you’re avoiding your own family’s problems to focus on mine.”
The accusation hit me square in the gut. I pressed my lips together, holding back a retort.
Nick…was right. This event was a welcome distraction from thinking about a home that to me felt like a rental. Stu’s presence confirmed the thing I knew but hated thinking about. Dad wasn’t ever coming back. Worse? Now Dad was replaced.
The decorated sign for Crystal Cove came into view with a second sign beside it listing the mayor. The Bennington name right there, branded and official. It only made me more irritated.
If I needed to butt out of Nick’s life, he should butt out of mine.
“You lied about how you found me,” I said quietly. “You thought you struck gold when you found my car in the ditch. You only stopped to get the tree for yourself.”
He let out a short breath. “I’m sorry. I know it looks bad. I swear, I would have stopped no matter what to see if I could help.” A beat passed. “You’re right that I wanted the tree. I told you that outright.”
“You seem to think you can do whatever you want and get away with it.” I tried to lighten my tone, but the bitter edge couldn’t be missed. “It’s like you have everyone in this town wrapped around your finger.”
“I’m more than the mayor’s son.”
His usual confidence didn’t come through. He said it like he wanted to convince himself.
I should have been spending time with my family, not arguing and feeling bad for this guy I barely knew. What had gotten into me? “You can drop me off back at the gift shop. My mom will swing by on her way to the airport.”
Nick slowed with the traffic passing through the central blocks of Main Street. He turned on a side street and pulled over in a driveway marked Deliveries Only. The automatic locks unlocked.
I felt the acute need to apologize for inserting myself in his life. For my attitude. For assuming him to be the cliché he consistently demonstrated. The more time I spent with Nick, the more I avoided my family. Fixing his life didn’t fix mine.
Since the second I stepped out of my car on that country road, he’d been trying to charm me. Now the charm fell away, leaving a figure unvarnished and stone-like. I had no idea what to make of Nick Bennington.
“Thanks for the help today.” He wouldn’t look at me.
“Nick.”
A calm smile replaced the stone. “You’ve been nice enough to humor me. Tell your mom thanks for letting you hang out.”
“I didn’t need permission to hang out. I wanted to help you.”
“And you did. The event won’t be nearly as terrible now.” His knuckles turned white as he gripped the wheel.
“You’re not a Fail Hard. I’m sorry I said that.”
His grip loosened. “Go spend time with your family, Megan. I’ve got it from here.”
I tugged on my mittens and gathered my purse. There wasn’t much left to say at this point. “Sorry, Nick. Thanks for the ride.”
Chapter 11
Nick
“She thinks I’m the biggest waste of space.” The truth hit hard even one pint in.
Austin nudged my beer closer. “Drink up, buddy. You’ll forget about the city girl in no time.”
Checkers grew fuller by the minute with familiar faces home for the holidays. The faces were getting younger, which weirded me out. I didn’t buy that these kids were old enough to drink.
Austin elbowed me. “Look. That’s Darrin’s sister.”
I blinked. I’d only drunk half a beer so my vision wasn’t the problem. “Isn’t she twelve?”
“Dude. She’s at least a junior in college. University of Chicago, I think. Go say hi.”
Chicago, like Megan. No thanks. I’d stick to townie girls with low expectations. Ugh. I rolled my eyes at myself. I was the one with low expectations. About myself.
Austin waved at the young woman. Black wavy hair, tawny skin, and definitely no longer a tween. She and her friend sauntered over, stretching their hellos into multiple syllables.
The conversation floated around me. I must have said enough to keep it going because Darrin’s sister—Kelsey, was it?—and her friend kept on talking. And talking.
“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Mayor,” a loud voice boomed. Ethan Sawyer turned up at our table in a fresh checked flannel. “Nick, I don’t know if I should thank you or slip into your house in the dead of night with a switchblade.”
Austin slid his stool closer in. “What’d you do now, Bennington?”
“Sorry about earlier,” I told Ethan. “The last few days have been something else.”
“Where’s Megan?” Ethan scanned the area, his gaze landing on Kelsey and her friend, where he flashed a grin.
“Picking up her brother from the airport.”
I should have said I didn’t know what Megan was doing. Her life wasn’t my concern—she’d made sure of that. “There’s nothing between us, if you’re asking.”
Ethan snorted. “Whatever. You’ve got it bad.”
Kelsey leaned her elbows against the table. She looked at Ethan instead of me. “Tell me about this Megan.”
“She’s the reason I’m here tonight,” he answered.
“What?” Every nerve flared. What did Ethan have planned with Megan?
Ethan caught the sleeve of a server
walking by and ordered drinks for the table. He turned back. “And?” I pressed.
“She got Nick to buy out the inventory at the tree lot. We’re closed for the season.” Ethan lifted a water glass in a cheers with the rest of the table.
I knew that. I totally knew that.
“Way to go,” Austin said, nodding his approval. “So, Nick. How about you tell us more about this Megan?”
He already knew my thoughts on Megan—at least what I shared when the two of us were talking. Thinking about Megan didn’t mean I wanted to talk about her. Out loud. To the rest of the table. Couldn’t a guy hang out with his friends without the third-degree questioning?
Ethan waved me off. “Never mind, dude.”
My shoulders eased. “Thanks. It’s been a long day.”
“I mean never mind because Megan can introduce herself. She just walked in.”
Megan
“Megan, over here!”
Whoever was calling my name had to mean another Megan. Calling out Megan in a bar was like asking for an Emma in a kindergarten class.
My brother, Derek, stopped walking and looked straight ahead. “I think that table knows you.”
In the middle of the restaurant, I saw him. The one not shouting or waving. Nick. Beside him, Ethan from the tree lot, a guy I didn’t know, and two college-aged girls who were probably hanging off the arms of Mr. Mayor’s Son moments before.
I held up a tentative hand and waved back. I jacked Derek in the ribs. “I told you this was a bad idea.”
Derek slipped his phone into his coat pocket. “Yelp says this place has good chicken wings. More importantly, it’s open.”
“We have food at the house.”
“Mom wants us to live our young lives, bonding as only siblings can.” He flashed a teasing smile. “Are you going to say hello to them or what?”
I whipped around, turning my back to the table. Who knew what Nick had told his friends about me since this afternoon. “It’s a trap. We—me and Nick—didn’t leave on good terms.” I scoffed at my own statement. “I mean, there isn’t a me and Nick. I met him yesterday and Mom forced us to buy a tree stand and have coffee together.” And I continued to help him, but that was beside the point.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. Looks like they have room at their table.” He angled past me.
I watched, jaw open, as my brother completed his betrayal. Fists were bumped, table space cleared, and just like that, Derek was absorbed right into the group.
I gritted my teeth and walked over.
“We don’t bite, I promise,” the guy beside Nick said.
Nick abruptly stood, knocking his barstool into the person behind him. “Sorry.” He scrambled to adjust the stool. “You can sit here. I mean, if you want.”
His friend had a grin as wide as the Cheshire cat’s. “Or you can have my seat and sit by Nick. I’m Austin, by the way.”
Introductions flew and I found myself sitting in Austin’s place as he circled around to Kelsey, the cutie in the UIC sweatshirt. I pointed to her shirt. “Hey, great school.”
“Do you go there?”
“Uh, no. I live in Chicago, though.”
“Oh, awesome. Are you alumni?”
I shook my head no, my grin frozen. Not even close. Community college for me, and I couldn’t even finish that. I mean, I could have gone into debt for a generic humanities degree I didn’t care about. Dad was fine with my slow-track degree plan. Stay at home, work, and take local classes. Then I had the zany idea to move to the city with a friend and take time off from school. Gain life experience. And once Dad was gone, going back to school never felt important.
“Megan lives in an amazing apartment in Chicago,” Derek said, offering me cool points, which was possibly the nicest thing he’d said about me to other living humans. “It’s above a bike shop.”
“Like motorcycles?” Austin asked.
I shook my head. “Bicycles. A lot of people ride bikes in the city.”
I thought I heard an appreciative “Oh” come from Nick, but couldn’t be sure. Besides, I refused to look at him.
The server came by and a beer slid in front of me. Ethan pointed to the pint. “That’s on me. Closed for the season.” He raised his own glass in a salute.
Relief washed over. “I thought for sure you’d chew me out for that.”
“Me? Naw.” He waved me off. “I wish I’d thought to ask Nick to do this last year.”
I took a sip. “Where’s your brother?”
“The beauty of being older? I’m here. He’s working.”
I almost felt bad for Rob setting up all those trees by himself at the mansion. I glanced to Nick. Our eyes met and he quickly looked away.
Nick straightened in his seat. “So, um, Derek. Where do you live?”
“Seattle. And before you ask if I’m a Seahawks fan, yes, but I’m die-hard to the Bears above all.”
The conversation flipped to football, where Kelsey made everyone jealous by sharing about her connection to a superfan who took her to a VIP party with the Chicago team.
Beside me, Nick fiddled with a paper straw wrapper, folding and unfolding. “I’m sorry how I treated you when we first met,” he said low for just me to hear. “I shouldn’t have lied.”
Everything I’d seen from Nick spelled out considerate. He had asked more than once if I was hurt when he found me with my car in the ditch. He’d driven the tree to Stu’s. He hadn’t wanted to bother the gift shop staff when they were busy, even though they expected him. All that, and he still seemed down on himself.
A guy who skated by in life wouldn’t have done those things.
“Did you get everything worked out for the benefit?”
He one-shoulder shrugged. “A few more loose ends turned up. I think I have it under control.” He wadded the straw wrapper into a tiny ball. “You weren’t wrong when you asked about the AV equipment and the emcee. Usually, the mayor makes all the announcements. My mom will be there, but we have another member of the office running the program this year. I made sure it’s covered.”
I ran my finger down the cool pint glass. “It wasn’t my business to question you like that. I’m sorry.”
Nick looked up. His jaw softened and his eyes shone with interest.
My heart did a backflip. So what if Nick had country boy good looks? I never fell for that. I didn’t listen to country music. Like, ever. And I didn’t like leaving the city. I looked away, desperate for a distraction.
“I love this song.” Kelsey edged away from her stool and danced beside the table the way only a college student back in her hometown could.
Derek ate it up. Check that—every guy at the table gawked at Kelsey. I glanced to Nick only to find him watching me. I swallowed, my throat tight. I nodded toward Kelsey as she recruited more dancers from another table. “Your friend. She’s cute.”
“She’s the younger sister of a guy I went to school with.”
I nodded, unclear what I was meant to do with that information. “We keep running into each other. It’s weird.”
“Small towns do that.”
“As long as it’s not something mystical. Like holiday magic.” I made my eyes go googly and fluttered my fingers around.
“Watch out.” He signaled past me.
I followed his gaze. “What am I looking for?” Oh. Mistletoe. Threatening its menace from a wooden beam above the bar. “Ha. Right.” As if I’d find myself underneath it. As if I’d be willing to accept the kiss toll the mistletoe required.
I turned back to Nick whose cheeks looked decidedly pinker.
Something tugged at me I couldn’t ignore. “You seem…not so happy. I know a lot is happening with your family. Is that all?”
He sat slumped, his festive spirit sapped. Across the table Nick’s friends laughed with the neighboring table. Even Derek gestured with his pint acting out some story. And Nick? Moping and apologizing.
Nick sat back. “It’s loud in here. Want
to step outside?”
“Sure.”
Outside, the Checkers parking lot offered a glimpse of the glowing downtown Crystal Cove lights, like lanterns set at the edge of a dark room. In the other direction, the road disappeared into inky black. Our boots crunched over crisp, hardened snow.
“I want to leave Crystal Cove,” Nick said.
My intake of breath hit sharp from the cold. I waited for him to say more.
“And my mom is sick. So you’ve heard.” He rocked back on his heels. “I leave, and I’m a bad son. I don’t leave, and I’m stuck here with my life mapped out.”
“What would you do? If you left?”
He hung his head back, looking at the sky. “The stars are so bright here. I’d miss that in the city, right?”
“Where, Chicago?”
He nodded. “I look at advertising and marketing jobs every day. Then I did something stupid.”
“What?”
“I applied for one.”
“Let me guess. They called you back.”
His gaze went back to the sky. “The literal day Mom got the diagnosis.”
My heart tugged. “I’m sorry. What—” I almost asked what did your mom say, but of course he hadn’t told her. “How long ago?”
“About six weeks. I still look at the job listings. I asked around with some friends I graduated with. I got a call last week from a distillery in Madison who wants a regional sales rep. The job would take me all over the Midwest.”
“That sounds exciting. A chance to travel. What did you tell them?”
“I agreed to an interview.”
He stated this with all the exuberance of a twice-annual dental cleaning. “Gee. You sound thrilled.”
He rubbed at his beard scruff. “I guess it doesn’t feel big enough. The guy even told me I wouldn’t have to move. I could stay right here in Crystal Cove and pretend to go other places.”
“Come on. You’d be traveling. I’m sure that part was true.”
“And I’d come right back here. Same as always.”
'Tis the Season for Love: A Charity Box Set Page 82