“Yeah,” I nodded, my gaze still following Hayden as he strode away through the crowd. Damn he was gorgeous. “Or I will be.”
“Well, if I’m being honest,” she continued, placing her hands on her hips. “I think you deserved that one. That was a dirty trick.”
I nodded again, my senses slowly returning. “You’re right. Sorry about that.”
“What’re you apologizin’ to me for?” she laughed. “I ain’t the one you kissed.” She paused, looking over my shoulder. “Oh lord, here comes Mabel. Boy, you’re in trouble now.”
Mabel approached with a determined stride, her braid swinging behind her like a pendulum counting down my doom. She fixed me with a stare that could wiltflowers.
“Diego Mendez,” she said, her voice deceptively calm. “What in heaven’s name do you think you’re doing?”
I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling like a schoolboy caught pulling pigtails. “Just a little holiday fun, Miss Mabel.”
“Fun?” She raised an eyebrow. “That boy looked ready to murder you. And he had the right.”
“He’s got fire,” I admitted, unable to keep the admiration from my voice. “I like that.”
Mabel’s expression softened slightly, and I caught a glimpse of something knowing in her eyes. “You always did chase after the difficult ones.”
“I’m not chasing after anyone,” I protested, though the lie felt hollow even to my own ears.
“Mm-hmm.” She didn’t sound convinced. “Well, you better go apologize before that boy leaves town entirely. And if he does, then you’ll have nothin’ to chase.” Then she raised a finger, pointed directly at my face. “And I won’t be bringin’ you no more scones either. Not after the way you treated that boy.”
Damn. Thatwasa threat.
“Alright, alright,” I said, raising my hands in surrender. “You’re right. It was dumb. I’ll go apologize.”
Mabel just stood there, her hands on her hips. “Well? You goin’ or what?!”
“Oh, you meant right now.” I tried to flash her one of my charming grins. She didn’t fall for it. “Alright. I’m goin’…”
“Good,” she said flatly. “And don’t come back until you’ve made it up to him.”
I tipped my hat to Mabel, knowing when I was beaten. She was a tough old thing. “Yes ma’am.”
I followed the path Hayden had taken, scanning the crowd for that sandy hair and those angry blue eyes. The festival-goers parted for me, a few giving me sympathetic looks while others snickered behind their hands. Great. By tomorrow, the whole town would betalking about how Diego Mendez got slapped at the Christmas festival.
I caught sight of him near the edge of the square, walking fast with his shoulders hunched like he was trying to make himself invisible. Something about that posture tugged at my chest. He wasn’t just angry… he wasembarrassed.
“Hayden!” I called out, jogging to catch up with him. “Hold up a minute!”
He didn’t slow down. If anything, he walked faster, his long legs eating up the sidewalk.
“Come on, Freckles. Just give me one minute,” I tried again, closing the distance between us.
He whirled around so suddenly I nearly crashed into him. Those blue eyes were blazing, but there was something else there too. Something that looked a lot like hurt.
“What?” he snapped. “You want to humiliate me some more? Got another trick up your sleeve?”
I winced, feeling like an absolute heel. “No. I came to apologize.”
That seemed to catch him off guard. He blinked, but that fire didn’t fade. “Bullshit.”
“No really. I meant it. I’m sorry,” I said, taking off my hat and holding it against my chest like my mama had taught me when making a sincere apology. “That was a jackass move back there. I shouldn’t have tricked you.”
Hayden stared at me for a long moment, like he was trying to figure out if I was being sincere. The Christmas lights from a nearby storefront caught in his hair, giving him a kind of halo that made my breath catch.
“No,” he finally said. “You shouldn’t have.”
