Only for You

by Barb Curtis

  Tim tipped his head back, to stare at the towering trees overhead. “I loved those things. Man, I haven’t thought of them in years. Now that you mention it, though, they do seem like the kind of thing a grandmother would stash in the freezer for when the kids come to visit.”

  Emily’s smile faded, and she stared at the fire, her mouth forming a tight line.

  Shit, had he said something wrong? He shifted his chair a little on the uneven ground, to better face her. “You okay?”

  There was a pause before she answered. “Yeah. I was just thinking about Nana. She had a chest X-ray before the holidays, and they discovered a spot on her lung. I just found out recently. She’s waiting for the results on a biopsy she had last week.”

  “Oh, Em. I had no idea. I’m so sorry.” He reached over and laid his hand on top of hers.

  “We’re trying to be positive. She’s really freaked out, though, acting like her time is almost up.” She rolled her eyes, which had welled up a little. “That’s why her birthday party is so important to her.”

  Tim opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again, frowning. “Em…that’s why you came back with the birthday party condition, isn’t it?” He propped his chin in his hand. “You should’ve told me what was going on. I would have canceled those VIPs for your nana in a heartbeat, and you never would have had to be pressured to go along with this.”

  She waved a hand and shook her head. “It’s true, I used your offer as leverage to get Nana her birthday party. But…” She searched his face. “I’m okay with this fake dating thing. In fact, I’ve actually been kind of enjoying it.”

  Yeah. She might’ve been the one to say it out loud, but he couldn’t agree more. How the hell had that happened? “Me too.” He squeezed her hand. “You know, whatever the results are of the biopsy, your nana will handle it. She’s a force.”

  “She really is.” Emily smiled. She sipped the hot chocolate again. “Hey, can I ask you something, since we’re sharing secrets today?”

  A smirk teased his lips. “I guess that depends.”

  She pulled her hat off and combed her fingers through her messy hair. “The picture of you in uniform that got leaked last week—it bothered you more than you let on, didn’t it?”

  He breathed out a sigh and helped himself to the thermos. Her hair looked sexy when it was kind of messed up. “Yeah, it did. I mean, mostly because it’s a reminder of my shortcomings—the person I couldn’t be.”

  That he was a quitter.

  “Ten years as an officer in the Navy hardly qualifies as a shortcoming, Tim.” She worked her foot back and forth, carving a little dip into the crusty snow without ever taking her eyes off of him.

  “Dad wanted me to hold out for the pension, but I just couldn’t imagine waiting another ten years at least to retire and finally get to do the things I wanted to do.” He’d still be there, going through the motions, counting the days until retirement. Everything he’d accomplished the past six years wouldn’t have happened yet—there’d be no Tim’s Boat Shop, no Great Wide Open. He definitely wouldn’t be a member of the town council.

  “I had already switched to the reserves before Dad died. Knowing he didn’t approve of that decision weighed on me. I was a lieutenant with nine years’ service, and all I wanted was to get out.” Tim poked the fire with a long stick to make it catch better so Em wouldn’t get cold. He never talked about this stuff, and now two dates in a row, he’d opened up to her about his years in the Navy. It felt good, though, to get it off his chest.

  The life his father wanted for him was to climb the ranks the way he had. At one point his dad even admitted that he’d stayed in the Navy himself, long past the point where he could’ve retired, and rubbed the right elbows, so that Tim’s path would be secured and he’d never get passed over for promotion. The fact that he’d sacrificed those last years of his life for something Tim hadn’t even wanted chipped away at Tim every day.

  Emily’s brows drew in. “I think you’re way too hard on yourself.”

  He blinked against a sting in the back of his eyes. “There’s a sailboat in Mom’s barn that we were supposed to restore together. I just haven’t had the heart to do it without him. And part of me is afraid he’d think I don’t deserve it.”

  Emily swallowed. “I don’t believe that for a second. I think you restoring it would make him happy. And when you’re ready, it’ll be there.”

  That’s what his mother always said, too. Maybe they were right. When he glanced over she stared straight ahead again, mesmerized by the flames. Tim turned his gaze to the fire and fell into a daze, too, with the warmth basking on his face.

  Funny. Here they were on another “fake” date, with zero chance of even being seen together in public.

  But it seemed like every time he was with her, he forgot they were supposed to be pretending.

  By late afternoon the sunlight cast long shadows through the woods. They’d spent a couple of hours at least just sitting there, mesmerized by the fire, having a quiet conversation about their lives. Not day-to-day stuff, like festival itineraries or the harassment resulting from Behind Closed Doors, but the deeper stuff.

  Tim let the fire go out when it was time to make the trek back to the truck. Pretenses that he had no effect on her were becoming more and more difficult for Emily to keep up. Tim was really opening up to her. She had to constantly remind herself they weren’t really dating, even though everything about it felt so real.

  Especially considering how long she’d wanted it to be like this.

  The more time they spent together, the more she was getting to know an entirely different version of him. It was as though she’d only known the surface level before this.

  Now, having chipped through the happy-go-lucky façade, she realized his ambitions and dreams were fueled by motivation to prove himself, to be enough. The idea of being a disappointment to his father ate him alive.

  Tim locked up and returned the key to its hiding spot. “I’m starving. And we’re going to lose our sunlight fast. We should get going so we can get back before it gets too cold.”

  “I’m getting hungry too, actually.” And she needed to pee. Emily positioned her snowshoes and then stepped into the first one and latched it. The second one gave her a bit more difficulty, and she lost her balance at the last second. She toppled over and plunged her hand into the snow to break her fall, which rammed snow up inside the sleeve of her coat. She squealed at the icy shock to her bare wrist.

  Laughter bellowed out of Tim. “Are you okay?” He crouched down and extended a hand to help her up.

  She needed a minute to dig the snow out of her sleeve and to stop laughing. Finally, she took the hand he offered. “Thanks. I probably couldn’t get up on my own with these attached to my feet.” When she was vertical again, her humor subsided.

  Tim’s brilliant blue eyes were fixed on hers, and his chin jutted a little when he swallowed. Still holding her hand, he took a step closer.

  Emily’s belly fluttered with awareness as he leaned toward her, lips brushing against hers, soft, warm, and skilled. Still wearing her mittens, she gripped his arms and tipped her head back to cling to him as her whole body melted against the warmth of his. Each gentle flick of his tongue stirred up traces of mint chocolate. He smelled like the woods—fresh pine and hints of cedar.

  He took his time, probably unsure how she’d react. In case there was any confusion over whether she was on board, she wrapped her hands around his lean waist, and she felt his lips curve upward without breaking the kiss. Hell, yes, she was here for this. Bring it on.

  After a moment, their mouths drifted apart, and Tim slowly opened his eyes. He pressed his lips together, though it did little to conceal his smile. “I…I’ve been wanting to do that again.”

  Oh my God. Tim Fraser was finally clueing in. It was happening!

  “I mean, it’s crazy, right?”

  She bit her lip. Maybe it was to the guy who’d been oblivious to the torch
she carried all these years, but to her, there was nothing crazy about it. She chose her words carefully, so as to not send him running in the opposite direction. “I don’t think it’s crazy, but maybe we should think it through. Tomorrow, if you want to pretend it didn’t happen, I’ll go along with you for the sake of our friendship.”

  She began trudging through the snow in the direction they came, but Tim halted her progress. “And what if I don’t want to pretend it didn’t happen?”

  She turned toward him.

  His brows were raised in question.

  Nothing indicated he was joking.

  Her heart swelled so hard it practically cracked her rib cage. “I have no clue. I guess we cross that bridge if we come to it.”

  Tim grinned. “Okay. No pressure. I like it.”

  By the time they reached the house, the sun was setting over the trees, casting an orange haze across the snow and the weathered shingles on the old barn. They unstrapped their snowshoes and placed them in the back of his truck, along with the cooler.

  Carolyn stepped out on the deck. “I was beginning to wonder if I should send out a search party. How was it?”

  “We had such a great day,” Emily said. “It’s so peaceful there.”

  “Well, if you two are hungry, I’ve got an enormous pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove.”

  Tim’s eyes darted to Emily. “You wanna go in and have some? She obviously made a meal she knew I couldn’t pass up.”

  “Please. Is there any meal you can pass up?”

  Carolyn let out a high-pitched laugh as Emily swatted his arm with her mittens on her way past him and up the steps.

  Inside the cozy house, the kitchen bloomed with the rich scent of roasted tomatoes, garlic, and basil. They stripped out of their winter clothes, and Tim told Emily where to find the bathroom. When she returned, she claimed the rocking chair next to the woodstove. Her feet had started to get chilly once they’d let their fire go out.

  Carolyn poured them each a cup of tea. “How was the cabin?”

  “It was such a beautiful hike back there,” Emily replied, warming her hands on the steaming red pottery mug. “The trees were coated in snow. Just like a postcard.”

  Tim lifted the lid off the sauce and inhaled. “The cabin is going to need a new set of steps. I’ll get Rob to give me a hand with it in the spring. You should go back there sometime, Mom. It’s a really nice walk.”

  “I might,” she said, shooing him away from the stove. “Make yourself useful and take that platter of garlic bread to the table.”

  They chatted through dinner, and Carolyn urged them to help themselves to seconds. By the time Emily was finished with her food, Tim was almost through his second helping. Carolyn got a kick out of a jab Emily made about how he must have kept the cupboards bare as a teenager.

  Emily carried her plate to the sink and offered to help with the dishes, but Carolyn wouldn’t hear of it. “I’ve got an apple pie and a few of your mini chocolate cheesecakes left for dessert. Make yourselves comfy in the living room, and I’ll bring some in.”

  She and Tim sat on the couch. Not as close as she would have preferred after that kiss in the woods, but closer than they would have before the charade began.

  Carolyn arrived with a tray of desserts and took the armchair opposite them. “Emily, I have to tell you, those mini cheesecakes are the best thing ever. I can take one out every now and then when I want to indulge, and I don’t have a whole cake sitting there calling my name every time I walk by the fridge.”

  “You should taste the maple cookies she made the other day,” Tim said, before shoveling a forkful of pie into his mouth.

  “We made them,” Emily corrected, tucking her feet up underneath her legs. “You helped. They were a test run for the Maple Magic Festival, a chewy maple cookie for promos. Don’t worry, with the number of them I intend to make, there will be plenty of opportunity for you to try them.”

  “I just love maple anything.” Carolyn placed her empty saucer on the coffee table.

  “I got Emily into putting it in her coffee. Mom’s the one who told me to try it,” he added.

  “I’ll be sure to let you know when I attempt the maple cheesecake I’ve been thinking about,” Emily told Carolyn.

  “Now that sounds amazing. You two really have maple on the brain these days, with all the festival planning, I’m sure. When is it again?”

  “It starts the last Friday in March,” Tim supplied. “Tesoro is going to be the spot to hit. Besides the cookies and cheesecakes, she’s doing maple macarons, maple candy, and maple pastries. Did I miss anything?” he asked, glancing at her.

  “Maple fudge, too.” Emily grinned at Carolyn. “My main display case will transform into a maple bar.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Carolyn said, lifting a brow and nodding.

  Tim smiled at Emily and reached for her hand. “She’s full of great ideas.”

  A wave of heat blanketed Emily as she interlaced her fingers with his.

  “Tim actually had the best idea of all.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “In continuing with the Sapphire Springs shop crawl we did at Christmas, each participating business will promote someone else’s business. So, for example, customers at Tesoro will be given an exclusive coupon for Great Wide Open, and when they go there, they’ll be directed to Rosalia’s, where they’ll get a discounted appetizer, and it just snowballs from there, until they’ve checked off all the participating businesses in town.”

  Carolyn sat back and nodded. “You guys, this is sounding like it’s going to be an amazing festival. I think you should be very proud of yourselves. Especially promoting so many businesses and bringing the community together. It’s just fantastic to see.”

  Tim’s thumb moved slowly back and forth over the back of her hand. Was he even aware he was doing it? The sensation left her skin tingling.

  Carolyn clearly noticed it, too, and she beamed. “Would either of you like anything to drink? I’ve got some red wine, or some rum, if you’d rather a mixed drink.”

  Tim turned to Emily. “I think I’ll hold off, since I’m driving, but why don’t I go get drinks for the two of you, and you can relax. I’ll do the last of these dishes too, Mom.” He gave Emily’s hand another gentle squeeze before slowly releasing his hold.

  She and Carolyn ended up having two drinks each and were getting a little giddy as Carolyn told stories of Tim growing up. Tim warned her that photo albums would have to wait for another night.

  By the time they said their goodbyes and Tim backed the truck out of the garage, bright stars dotted the sky. Emily had a nice little buzz going on. She wanted to hold his hand again while he drove, but she didn’t know what the rules were when they were alone, so she kept her hands to herself.

  They parked the truck and went inside their building and up the stairs. Tim walked down the hall with Emily to her apartment. “Today was…” He rubbed his hand over his chin, fumbling for words. “Amazing.”

  She felt like she was floating. Probably mostly from the wine, but also because she knew there was a good chance she was going to get to kiss him again. “I had a really good time.”

  A smile parted his lips, and he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. This time his kiss wasn’t as delicate. There was a little bit more intention behind the thrust of his tongue, and Emily fisted his scarf and pulled him closer as a jolt of energy danced through her.

  He dropped her hand to trace his thumb across her cheek in the same gentle motion he’d rubbed her hand with earlier, while his other hand settled near the waistband of her parka.

  Ten minutes ago she wasn’t sure if they were holding hands or not, and here they were kissing at her door. Invite him in, something inside her urged. But she had to keep her head on straight. A little sigh escaped her when their mouths parted.

  “I, um…” She pointed backward at the door. “Should get inside.”

  “Yeah.” He took a step back, putting some space between t
hem.

  His chest moved up and down and he drew in a long, ragged breath. “I’ll come by after work on Wednesday, okay? We’ll get your stuff all moved down the hall.”

  She licked her lips, still charged from his. “Okay. Good night.”

  “Good night, Em.”

  When she closed her apartment door, she stripped off her coat and fanned herself with her hand. After all these years, Tim Fraser seemed to be finally coming around, and just what in the world was she supposed to do about it?

  Chapter Twelve

  Tim tidied racks of winter coats and snowboarding pants as a pair of shoppers trickled out of the shop, mumbling complaints about winter dragging on long enough, even though January was already wrapping up.

  He moved through the seasonal section and straightened a few pairs of snowshoes on his way to the cash area, where Blake counted the till, dropping coins into their slots to the beat of Metallica’s “Whiskey in the Jar.”

  “Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine,” Blake whispered, scrawling numbers on a sheet of paper.

  “You’re jinxing it, counting the till already. Someone will come in five minutes before closing time and pay with cash. Never fails.”

  “Shhh,” Blake said. “They’ll hear you.”

  “That’s a lot of bills for the middle of the week.” Tim nodded at the mound of cash on the counter. The Winter Carnival festivities had brought the customers out in droves.

  Blake dropped his pen and pressed his hip against the counter. “It’s barely slowed since the holidays. Have I told you lately how glad I am you expanded the shop and took me on full time so I don’t work at Jolt anymore? Too many coins to count. I prefer the big bills.”

  Tim slapped him on the shoulder. “You and me both, buddy. I’m heading out to give Em a hand moving.” He buttoned his coat and hauled on his hat. Halfway out the door, he called over his shoulder, “If you crank the tunes while you’re vacuuming, make sure you turn the volume down before you leave. I nearly blew an eardrum this morning.”