Page 54 of Just Add Mistletoe
“I meant to call you this morning,” he said. “There’ve been some new developments with Bronson.”
“What’s going on?” she asked, setting the ribbon and scissors on a nearby display shelf.
He gave her a quick rundown, then said, “I’m working on some solutions so the town doesn’t get jilted.”
A smile touched her face. “Of course you are. I’m not surprised in the least.”
He was surprised though—at her confidence in him. “You’re not?”
“No.” Her voice dipped low. “Are you still planning on dinner tonight with my friends?”
He noted the hope in her eyes, and knew her question wasn’t as simple as it sounded. “Do you still want me to go?”
“I do.”
He stepped close then and touched one of her earrings. “I like these.”
She huffed out a laugh. “You always say that.”
His heart felt like it was zooming about the room. “It’s always true.” He leaned closer, and when she didn’t move, he pressed his mouth against hers.
The kiss was light, intermingled with smiling, and filled with plenty of warmth.
Her hands slid up his chest, creating a trail of fire, and he anchored his hands at her waist. He didn’t dare pull her too close or take the kiss too deep. The shop was open, and they could be interrupted at any moment. But he definitely enjoyed kissing her, and he couldn’t decide if this second round was better than the first. Maybe equal?
He liked having her in his arms. Her skin soft, her touch warm, her scent cinnamon.
“Are we kissing friends now?” she asked, drawing away much too soon.
It took a moment for his mind to comprehend her question because he’d become lost in her touch. “It seems we are,” he rasped. “Is that okay?”
Before she could answer, the shop door opened behind them, signaled with the jangle of the bell.
Lori stepped back and picked up the ribbon and scissors again, as if she hadn’t just been turning his world upside down.
“Hi, Mrs. Rudd,” she said to the person who’d just entered. “Can I help you find something?”
“I’m looking for kitchen towels,” the woman said. “What do you have with a Thanksgiving design? I can’t find the ones I had last year.”
“Oh, we have them right over here.” Lori squeezed Malcom’s hand as she brushed past him.
He busied himself looking through a shelf of candles, pretending to be a customer. When in truth, he couldn’t wait for the customer to leave so he could have Lori to himself again.
LORI DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO think about what was developing between her and Malcom as she waited for him to drive his truck across the street. She could very well walk over to his trailer, but he’d said he’d pick her up. Kissing him last night had been . . . really amazing. And this afternoon, in the shop? That kiss had taken things to another level. First, it was in a public place, which was kind of a declaration in and of itself. And it had been in the middle of the day, and not after some romantic date. So another declaration.
Malcom seemed to be the kind of guy who didn’t wait if he wanted something. He simply acted.
And now, Lori’s cheeks were hot again.
Whatwerethey doing, though? Malcom didn’t know his plans from one day to the next, and Lori . . . well, she wasn’t going to allow herself to finally crush on a guy, only to have him disappear. She needed to focus on things that she knew were guarantees. Like prepping her parents’ house to sell and planning the expansion of her shop.
Her phone rang. It was her mom, of course, of all the moments. “Hello?”
“You were right about the postal scam,” her mother said. “I talked to my neighbor, and she said her husband had clicked on some weird link, and then his phone went haywire.”
Lori was barely listening because she saw a truck pull up in front of her shop.Malcom.
“Oh that’s too bad about your neighbor. Look, Mom, I’ll call you later, if that’s okay,” she said in a rush. “I’m heading to Everly’s for dinner.”