crumbs…right…there.”
She swiped her chin with the back of her hand.
“Almost…over more. It’s still there. Here, let me help you.” He reached across the table and wiped them away with his thumb, leaving a sizzling trail where skin touched skin.
It wasn’t the first time he put his hands on her, but it was the first time she saw stars in his eyes, staring musingly at her lips, making her lick them on impulse.
“Um, thanks.” She dropped her chin to hide the secret crush blooming in her soul. Could he sense the puppy love? Could he see it in her eyes? She needed to change the subject before she said something outrageous regarding her unraveling emotions. “So, tell me…how’d you get stuck playing Santa Claus this year?”
Nick chuckled. “Well, let’s just say the chief’s a pretty persuasive man.”
The chief’s not the only one.
Chapter Eight
“A little early for a snowplow, isn’t it?” Lily asked, as Nick directed her toward his silver pickup truck, parallel parked across the street.
He skipped the details regarding his compulsion to mount it right before Thanksgiving, in time for the first snowfall, and simply said, “What can I say? I like being prepared.”
“Just like a boy scout.” She smirked, climbing inside.
“Kinda.” He chuckled, slamming the passenger door.
They meandered around Scenic View on a guided tour through Lily’s sentimental eyes. Her topographical knowledge of dirt roads, backwoods, and dead ends beat his GPS system’s incorrect interpretation every time.
He shared his pack of cinnamon gum while she shared her opinion of the local territory. From Alphabet Town Preschool where she spent her formative years, to Zhang’s Chinese takeout where they made her favorite spring rolls.
“See that building on the right?” Lily pointed to the abandoned-looking warehouse, next to a gentleman’s club called the Devil’s Oasis , as they passed the marina, heading uptown toward the railroad station. “Doesn’t look like much, but that’s the Sound System recording studio. Broken Zipper made their first album there. Just a little Scenic View claim-to-fame,” she said with a haughty twang.
Embarrassed to admit he never heard of the band, he nodded and smiled anyway for effect. “Oh, wow, that’s cool.”
The more he learned, the more he liked—about her, and this place.
“What’s with all the junk?” She referred to the stockpile clanking around in the backseat anytime he turned a tight corner or made a hard stop.
“Just stuff. Spare clothes. Work gear. You know, the usual.”
“The usual?” She poked her nose over the seat. “I don’t usually keep an axe in my car.”
“You mean the Halligan bar ? It’s a forcible entry tool. Never know when it’ll come in handy.”
She shot him a dirty look, then turned her head and crossed her arms.
“My job really bothers you that much, huh?” He made a mental note to clean out the backseat Asap . If, by chance, she went out with him again, he didn’t want to spoil it with reminders of why she refused to date him in the first place. “Please don’t let it ruin the night, okay?”
“ I’m not letting anything ruin the night,” she hissed, as pissed as a rattlesnake.
“Then smile, will ya?”
“There. How’s that?” She flashed a fake smile before pouting again. “Happy?”
“Come on, Lily. I thought we were past all that.”
“Me too. Guess I’m not. Seeing all your gear… I don’t want to think about it…it’s so…dangerous.” She glared at the windshield, not giving him the consideration of looking him in the eye.
“So, what—you want me to take you home now?”
“Why? You wanna take me home?” She unsnapped her seat belt. “You know what—I can walk from here.”
“What the hell are you doin’?” He yanked her elbow and swerved off the road onto a patch of dead grass. “Are you nuts?”
“You’re breaking my arm.”
“Better than letting you break your
She swiped her chin with the back of her hand.
“Almost…over more. It’s still there. Here, let me help you.” He reached across the table and wiped them away with his thumb, leaving a sizzling trail where skin touched skin.
It wasn’t the first time he put his hands on her, but it was the first time she saw stars in his eyes, staring musingly at her lips, making her lick them on impulse.
“Um, thanks.” She dropped her chin to hide the secret crush blooming in her soul. Could he sense the puppy love? Could he see it in her eyes? She needed to change the subject before she said something outrageous regarding her unraveling emotions. “So, tell me…how’d you get stuck playing Santa Claus this year?”
Nick chuckled. “Well, let’s just say the chief’s a pretty persuasive man.”
The chief’s not the only one.
Chapter Eight
“A little early for a snowplow, isn’t it?” Lily asked, as Nick directed her toward his silver pickup truck, parallel parked across the street.
He skipped the details regarding his compulsion to mount it right before Thanksgiving, in time for the first snowfall, and simply said, “What can I say? I like being prepared.”
“Just like a boy scout.” She smirked, climbing inside.
“Kinda.” He chuckled, slamming the passenger door.
They meandered around Scenic View on a guided tour through Lily’s sentimental eyes. Her topographical knowledge of dirt roads, backwoods, and dead ends beat his GPS system’s incorrect interpretation every time.
He shared his pack of cinnamon gum while she shared her opinion of the local territory. From Alphabet Town Preschool where she spent her formative years, to Zhang’s Chinese takeout where they made her favorite spring rolls.
“See that building on the right?” Lily pointed to the abandoned-looking warehouse, next to a gentleman’s club called the Devil’s Oasis , as they passed the marina, heading uptown toward the railroad station. “Doesn’t look like much, but that’s the Sound System recording studio. Broken Zipper made their first album there. Just a little Scenic View claim-to-fame,” she said with a haughty twang.
Embarrassed to admit he never heard of the band, he nodded and smiled anyway for effect. “Oh, wow, that’s cool.”
The more he learned, the more he liked—about her, and this place.
“What’s with all the junk?” She referred to the stockpile clanking around in the backseat anytime he turned a tight corner or made a hard stop.
“Just stuff. Spare clothes. Work gear. You know, the usual.”
“The usual?” She poked her nose over the seat. “I don’t usually keep an axe in my car.”
“You mean the Halligan bar ? It’s a forcible entry tool. Never know when it’ll come in handy.”
She shot him a dirty look, then turned her head and crossed her arms.
“My job really bothers you that much, huh?” He made a mental note to clean out the backseat Asap . If, by chance, she went out with him again, he didn’t want to spoil it with reminders of why she refused to date him in the first place. “Please don’t let it ruin the night, okay?”
“ I’m not letting anything ruin the night,” she hissed, as pissed as a rattlesnake.
“Then smile, will ya?”
“There. How’s that?” She flashed a fake smile before pouting again. “Happy?”
“Come on, Lily. I thought we were past all that.”
“Me too. Guess I’m not. Seeing all your gear… I don’t want to think about it…it’s so…dangerous.” She glared at the windshield, not giving him the consideration of looking him in the eye.
“So, what—you want me to take you home now?”
“Why? You wanna take me home?” She unsnapped her seat belt. “You know what—I can walk from here.”
“What the hell are you doin’?” He yanked her elbow and swerved off the road onto a patch of dead grass. “Are you nuts?”
“You’re breaking my arm.”
“Better than letting you break your
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