“Maybe his mother needed him and he was embarrassed to admit he runs when she calls?”
Nicole laughed. “Not likely, since his mother is on a cruise to Mexico.”
“Oh. Well…” Gracie frowned, thinking. “He’s a firefighter. Maybe there was an emergency.”
“He only works summer and fall, but even if that were true, why not just tell me that? I’d have understood.”
Gracie shook her head, as stumped as Nicole. “Well, eat that. You’ll feel better. Although…” She chuckled. “I was told today by a very handsome man that they are ‘deadly.’”
Nicole took a bite and moaned. “Then this is how I want to go.”
As she ate, Gracie looked around the bakery thoughtfully. “Maybe he was nervous around you.”
Nicole nearly choked on her cream puff. “Try again.”
“I’m serious. Take it from an introvert. Nerves scramble brains. People say the wrong thing or forget common courtesies. Don’t write him off because of one confusing exit.”
“The man saves lives, skis fearlessly, and probably doesn’t know the meaning of the word nervous.” Nicole took a lick of cream that actually should be illegal just as her phone buzzed in the pocket of her jacket, a tiny, traitorous leap of hope jumping inside her.
She pulled it out and stared at the screen.
“Oh.”
“What?” Gracie leaned, looking down.
“It’s him. He wrote, ‘I’m sorry for leaving so fast. That was not my style, I swear. Got called in to an almost emergency, but all is well. Ski tomorrow?’” She sighed, surprised at how relieved the text made her.
Gracie looked smug. “Told ya.”
“What’s an ‘almost’ emergency?” Nicole asked.
“Just accept his apology and give him another chance, Nic.”
“And ski?” She lifted both brows because Gracie knew how much that terrified her, even though she’d made huge progress the past few weeks.
“You did it to save Copper,” Gracie reminded her. “This time do it for you. He’ll take care of you.”
She knew that was true, so she typed back her response to Cameron without giving herself too much time to think about it.
Glad everything’s okay. Yes to tomorrow.She added a ski emoji, which was probably dorky, but so was dumping her in the middle of their date.
“You’re doing it?” Gracie asked, delighted. “Way to go!”
“I’m giving him—and the slopes—a shot,” Nicole said as she hit Send. Then, because her heart needed a different subject, she tipped her head. “How handsome?”
“Excuse me?”
Nicole grinned around her next bite. “The guy who called these deadly. You said he was handsome.”
“Did I?” Her color deepened around her sweet smattering of freckles, which wasn’t unusual. Gracie blushed as easily as she breathed.
“Yes. Tell me about him,” Nicole demanded.
“Oh, nothing to tell,” she said.
Nicole finished the last bite and dabbed at her lips with a napkin, eyeing her cousin. “Why don’tyoudate?”
“Date?” Gracie scoffed, maybe a little too hard.
