“This is gorgeous,” I said, turning.
“Thank you,” she grinned, “but I certainly can’t take credit for it. You’re here for the Tripp engagement party, correct?”
I nodded and she gestured to the desk where a basket was waiting for me along with an itinerary. Wow, a fucking itinerary for an engagement party? Steve had warned me that it was a whole weekend of festivities beginning tonight with the party, then a ski trip tomorrow morning, ending tomorrow night on Christmas Eve with the annual Maple Grove tree trimming event in the center of town. “Have a great time,” she said. “The kickoff cocktail party starts tonight at seven.” With that, she turned and shut the door behind her.
Seven. That left me plenty of time to grab a nap and a shower. And then maybe once I showed my face tonight, I could get the hell out of town before the rest of these festivities began tomorrow. I much preferred my Christmas Eve tradition… cracking a beer and eating Chinese takeout while watching horror movies.
My insides warmed as I remembered Paige’s face in the parking lot. She looked similar to when we were younger. She could have passed for twenty-one. But her body sure as shit had matured … and it made my body do naughty things. I groaned and fell back on the bed.
Was she friends with Cam? With his fiancée maybe? She was the one person from high school, other than the Tripps, who I actually wanted to see. As my eyes drifted closed, I made a wish that she would be there tonight.
Not that it mattered. What the hell would I do if she was there? She was still connected to Scott, I was sure of that. And even though I wanted nothing more than to take her into my arms, I couldn’t start something with her; not when I knew that being with her meant Scott would become part of my life once again.
That shit couldn’t happen. It would take a Christmas miracle for me to forgive that bastard.
3
Taylor
The last thing in the world that I wanted was to draw attention to myself and away from Cam and Lydia. Then again, in a town like Maple Grove, I should have known better than to think I could slink down into a cocktail party full of old high school friends without getting bombarded.
Although I started my way down the stairs at seven sharp, I didn’t make it to the bar until 7:20. My mouth watered when I saw my favorite IPA on tap and I signaled to the bartender for a pint.
“You made it,” a deep voice said behind me. I grinned before I even turned around. I recognized that raspy son of a bitch anywhere.
I spun, taking my cold beer in hand and grinned at my best friend. “I promised you I would.”
Cam’s smile twitched higher. “Yeah. I’ve heard that before, though.”
I knew he meant the jab in a good-natured way, but I winced all the same. “I know. I’m sorry I missed all this the first time around.” I inwardly cringed. Was it in poor taste to mention the groom’s first marriage at his engagement party? I wasn’t good at these things since I was pretty damn sure I was destined to be a bachelor for life.
Cam grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and tugged me in for a hug. “I’m just giving you a hard time. It’s water under the bridge.”
Steve appeared at our sides and clapped my back. “My brother is way more forgiving than me. If you miss mine and Yvonne’s wedding next year due to some bullshit, I won’t be so forgiving.”
Cam rolled his eyes. “To be fair, it’s now been over a decade, and when Hannah and I married, not a lot of time had passed.”
That was true. Cam had gotten married young and it was only a couple years since everything had gone down.
“Daddy!” A little girl with Cam’s coloring and dark hair came running over and tugged on his pants. “Can I have a Shirley Temple?”
Cam smiled warmly down at the girl and brushed his fingers down the bridge of her nose. “On a night like this? How can I say no?” He gestured at the bartender then, placed his hands on the girl’s shoulders. “Taylor, you remember my daughter, Maddie, right?”
I dropped my head to the side, eyes wide. “No. There’s no way this young lady is that same little nugget that used to scream while we were trying to have a civilized brunch in Boston.” I dropped to one knee in front of her and glanced up at Cam and Steve.
She laughed and batted her eyelashes at me as Cam handed her the Shirley Temple. Oh boy, I didn’t know if he realized it yet or not, but he had a heartbreaker on his hands. And I sure as shit wasn’t going to be the one to break the news to him.
A slim woman snuggled up beside Cam, curling into his side. She bent and kissed Maddie on the top of the head and I stood as Cam said, “And this is Lydia, my bride. Lydia, this is Taylor, my best friend from high school.”
“Hey!” Lydia said, her wide smile revealing a set of brilliantly white teeth. “The Patriots tight end, right?”
I nodded, offering her my hand. “Yet again, my reputation precedes me.”
She shrugged. “Only in passing conversation when these two start in on their crazy stories from high school. The four best friends who met when they were just babies at daycare. But, truthfully, I have a confession to make. I’m a Giants fan.” She gave me a mocked sympathetic smile. “Soooo…”
“So you must enjoy losing,” I countered, smiling and sipping my beer. “We’ve been kicking their ass the last few years.”
“We’ll see. These things ebb and flow. They’ll make their comeback.”
I arched a brow. “Not while I’m playing against them. That’s for damn sure.” I winked at her.
Lydia laughed and rested her head on Cam’s shoulder. “You guys weren’t kidding when you called him Big Biscuit on campus, huh?”
Everyone’s laughter died and I felt my smile wither. Only one of us called me that. Scott. And it all started because I won a biscuit eating contest against him.
I cleared my throat, draining the rest of my beer in three chugs and signaled for another.
“I-I’m sorry,” Lydia said. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, sweetheart,” Cam said and kissed her gently. “The four of us just haven’t been together in a really long time.”
She didn’t know? How could Cam not have told her? Didn’t couples share everything with each other? I stared at the granite bar top, studying the dark veins running against the light gray stone.
I took a deep breath and managed to smile at Lydia. This was hers and Cam’s big night and I sure as hell wasn’t going to ruin their party. “It’s fine,” I said. “Thank God Scott’s out of town this weekend. Gives me a little bit more of buffer time before your wedding to have to confront him.”
Lydia’s brows drew together tightly in the center of her eyes. “Scott’s not out of town.”
My spine went stiff and I slowly turned my gaze to Steve who was staring intently into his drink. “He’s not?” I asked, my voice cold.
“No,” Lydia continued. “He’s right over there.” She pointed to the edge of the room where, sure enough, he was chatting with a couple of the caterers.
“Huh,” I said, my voice lacking enthusiasm. “Imagine that.” I glared at Steve, taking another large pull of my beer. “I was promised he was out of town.”
Steve held up a finger. “Actually, what I promised was that you wouldn’t have to talk to him. I just… well, I implied he would be out of town.”
“You what?” Cam hissed. Then, looking to me, Cam said, “Taylor, I had no idea Steve promised you that. I just assumed we would sort of keep you two separated, and maybe if you were ready, the two of you would talk.”
I gnashed my teeth together, taking deep breaths through my nose. I tipped my head back, taking down half my beer, then called out to the bartender for a whiskey, neat. If Scott was here, I needed a hell of a lot more than just beer to get through the night.
“You know what?” Steve said. “I’m not sorry I lied. It was over a decade ago. I know you were put through a lot of shit that year, but Scott isn’t a bad dude. And he is sorry. You should grow up and hear him out.”
/> “Don’t tell me how to heal, Steve. I mean it. You’re my friend and I care about you, but don’t force me to forgive before I’m ready.”
Steve snorted and shook his head. “If Yvonne can forgive me for nearly killing her when we were seventeen, then you sure as hell should find a way to at least talk to Scott. His mom died, too you know.”
My spine stiffened at that. His mom. Another sore spot in our weird history. Even still, my heart ached knowing that Scott had to deal with his mom’s passing. Paige, too. I sighed heavily and grabbed the whiskey, double fisting my booze and nodded at Lydia and Cam. “It was nice meeting you,” I said and moved to make my way into the crowd.
Cam’s hand stopped me, grasping at my elbow. “Don’t leave. Please.”
I turned, looking at them from over my shoulder and offered a small smile. Baby steps. “I’m not leaving,” I said. “I’m just taking a moment and grabbing some fresh air.”
And with that, I made my way toward the back door. I had seen an outdoor seating area with a fire pit and it felt like the perfect place to sip my whiskey amidst the falling snow.
4
Paige
Are you sure this looks okay?” I asked for what felt like the millionth time. Kyra had anticipated this time that she wouldn’t approve of my dresses and she had come over, already equipped with many of her own. My heeled boots sank into the snow as we walked up the path toward the back door of the inn. Even though I lived next door, my home was set a little farther back on the lakeshore, and it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to walk all the way around to the front door.
“Oh, my God, you look amazing,” Kyra said. “Stop whining. I swear between you and Yvonne, I can’t believe my two best friends are such tomboys.”
I snorted. “I can’t believe my best friend is such a girlie girl.”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “Schoolmarm.”
“Minx,” I called back, only in these black leather boots she forced me into wearing, the heel caught on a stone in the path, buried beneath the snow and I fell face first, thankfully, catching myself on my hands.
I wasn’t sure what hurt more… my wrist or my pride.
“Are you okay?” A voice called from the distance and I heard the crunch of boots on snow as the owner of the voice came running toward us. Before I could even pull myself up to my feet, he had a hand on my elbow, helping me up.
Pride, definitely pride.
When I looked into his eyes, I gasped. Taylor. I actually freaking gasped like I was seventeen all over again and he had chased me out of the dressing room, threading his hand up into the back of my hair and pressing me against the lockers. “Surprise kisses don’t count,” he said. “At least give me a chance to kiss you back.” Then, he slanted his mouth over mine in a kiss so potent… so real, that I still sometimes felt those full lips on mine in my dreams.
“Paige,” he whispered, taking me in. I wet my lips, my stocking clad knees now damp with snow. Up close and personal, he hadn’t changed a bit. He was still handsome as ever, except now there were tiny lines against his forehead and around his eyes that made him look less boyish and more rugged. Dang, he looked good, even better up close. My stomach squeezed being this close to him and his hand, still resting on my elbow moved in slow circles.
I blinked and a snowflake flicked off the edge of my eyelashes, drifting to the crest of my cheek. “You’re back,” I whispered. Glancing down, I saw a whiskey glass in his hand, almost empty, and there was a faint smell of alcohol clinging to him like a cheap drugstore cologne. “And you’re drunk,” I added. Yep, hadn’t changed a bit.
“Not yet,” he said, blowing out a tight breath through parted lips. “But I plan to be very soon.”
Crap. Had he seen Scott already? Not even 24 hours here and he was already acting like he utterly regretted showing his face in Maple Grove.
“Hey,” he said, his voice turning more tender. “I’m sorry about your mother.” He lifted a hand and brushed a fallen piece of hair out of my face and I shivered, remembering how he did the exact same thing after our kiss twelve years ago.
“No, you’re not,” I whispered, my gaze dipping to the ground. “You hated her.”
“I—” his voice broke and he paused, swirling the whiskey in his hand. “Your mom was always at work… we barely saw her.” I glared at him from beneath my overly mascara’d lashes. With a sigh, he added, “And I was angry and hurt. But I never wished for anything so terrible to happen to her.” Then he added, after a pause, “Or to you.”
“What about Scott?” I asked in a moment of bravery.
Taylor visibly stiffened at the mention of my brother’s name. “Believe it or not, I don’t want terrible things for Scott either. I know what it’s like to lose a mother,” he said, reminding me.
He lost his mom, too… but it wasn’t the same. “Your mother was loved by this town. They worshipped her. My mom was branded as the town whore.”
He winced and I was certain it was because he knew it was true. Everyone knew. And it was because of his dad. His dad may have been the one who had the affair, but my mom was the one who paid for it. I tugged my elbow free from his hold.
“I’m not saying it’s the same,” he said. I had to hand it to him. He was at least trying. “I’m just saying that I know how it feels to lose your mom so young.”
Even though it had been a few years, my throat burned. Some people claimed Maple Grove was a place people came to fall in love and find happiness. Well, I didn’t know what Maple Grove they were looking at, because everywhere I looked, I saw people dying in this dang town. My mom, Taylor’s mom, the Tripp’s dad, Cam’s first wife. Some might see it as a town of happily-ever-afters, but I saw it as a town of goodbyes.
“I know,” I said. I didn’t mean for this to be so confrontational. I actually had thought he would just ignore me all night.
Behind us, Kyra cleared her throat. “Any chance we could continue this inside at the party? I’m freezing my tits off out here.”
Taylor blinked, glancing at Kyra as though seeing her for the first time. His gaze slid back to me and down my body. I shivered, knowing it had nothing to do with the permeating cold and everything to do with how his eyes paused over my legs, covered only in sheer black pantyhose and leather miniskirt. The rest of my outfit was covered by the big, puffy coat I wore.
“I hope you didn’t have to walk far in those,” he said, tilting his chin to my feet and offered us each an elbow. Normally, I wouldn’t have taken his arm, but honestly? I was like a baby gazelle learning how to walk in these boots; I could use all the help I could get.
We made our way toward the back porch and up the stairs. Kyra bee-lined it inside to the bar, not even waiting for us to join her. I, on the other hand, paused by the fire pit, warming my hands against the flames.
Taylor sidled up beside me, draining what was left of his whiskey and setting his empty glass down on the Adirondack chair beside another empty pint glass. He shoved his hands into his pockets. Against the orange glow of the fire, he looked even more handsome than on TV in all those interviews. His bright blue eyes contrasted against the orange fire and his skin glowed warm and luminescent.
“So, what happened?” he asked.
I snorted. “What happened is Kyra is a masochist who forced me to wear these three-inch heels when I usually wear ballet flats,” I grumbled. “That’s what happened.”
“Sadist,” Taylor said.
“Excuse me?”
“If Kyra forced pain on you, that makes her a sadist. If she enjoys pain, she’s a masochist.” He shrugged as if knowing this fact wasn’t sexy as all hell.
“What if she’s both?” I asked.
“Those are her shoes not yours?” he asked and I nodded. “Then she’s a definitely both.” I smiled, the sound of his deep chuckle vibrated through me and warmed me right along with the fire. “But that being said, I don’t buy it for a second that the shoes caused you to trip.” He turned that smirk toward me
. “The Paige I knew could dance, time step, and cartwheel in heels.”
I sighed. “That Paige’s been gone a long time,” I answered quietly.
“What happened? Last I heard you were headed to Northwestern on a full scholarship.”
I shrugged. “The usual sob story. Mom got sick toward the end of my sophomore year. I tried to do both—care for her and keep up with classes, but I ended up having to fly home more and more. And eventually, I lost my scholarship. It was obvious I had to make a choice.” I swallowed. “But really… there was no choice. She’s family. And Scott couldn’t do it alone.”
“Shit, Paige. I’m sorry.” He paused and we stood there in front of the fire in silence for a few minutes before he asked, ‘Have you ever thought of going for it agai—”
He didn’t get a chance to finish that thought as the back door swung open and Yvonne and Kyra came running out.
Thank God. It was a question people asked me in the beginning when I dropped out. Hell, I even convinced myself I would go back to acting. I thought for sure I’d have time to audition for summer stock and Boston repertory theaters. In theory, I could have even kept teaching and had done that in the summer. Then, the questions surged again after mom passed away. Eventually, most people stopped asking altogether. They assumed, and rightfully so, that I had given up on that dream.
“Oh my God,” Yvonne said, pausing and staring at me. “Paige is in heels. I can’t believe it.”
I rolled my eyes. “I wear heels sometimes.” That was a blatant lie and based on Taylor’s smug smirk, I think he knew it.
“Yeah,” he said. “On stage you used to, but other than that, I don’t think I ever saw you in anything besides flip flops and converse.”
Holiday Intercepted Page 3