Before she could free her mitten-clad fingers a second time, Elsie let out a chorus of excited barks from the living room window. Ed had the wreath on the ground and was yanking off plastic berries. Ava cringed, watching Ed destroy the wreath Brayden recently purchased at her store.
“Ed, leave that alone!” A plastic berry sailed her way, bouncing off her leg.
Elsie continued to bark from the window, which only seemed to aggravate the beast. Goofy grin or not, the lovable local favorite was still capable of trampling Ava flat. With the snow flurries now falling in heavy sheets, it might be spring before anyone found her.
“Look, I really have to go.” Hoping to escape, Ava took one cautious step toward the edge of the driveway, but Ed wasn’t having any of it. He began to trotather. “Crap!” She shuffled backward, praying she could make it to her front door—or any door. She didn’t have time to get run over by a moose today.
With each step, Ed picked up speed.
Desperate, Ava darted into Brayden’s garage. It was only by some miracle he hadn’t realized it was open while she was outside facing the beast. She zipped for the door, palmed the garage door opener, and fell into his kitchen.
Brayden Young held a coffee mug inches from his lips, as if he were about to take a sip. It lingered midair as his gaze fell on her, one eyebrow raising. “Ava?” He set his mug on the counter beside a laptop. The forget-me-not blue on the screen drew her gaze. He pushed off the counter, one hand closing his laptop and the other reclaiming his mug. “Everything okay?”
It was entirely possible—and probable—that Brayden already knew her deepest, darkest secret. She’d steered clear of him ever since he gave her the final notice letter he claimed to have opened on accident. But now, she couldn’t run.
“Ed,” she finally said, pointing to the living room window where Elsie still paced and whined. She wondered what had him so engrossed on his laptop that he remained oblivious to the commotion outside. “Did you reallynotnotice?” Ava asked, still panting to catch her breath.
“Elsie makes the same fuss over squirrels and questionable tree branches,” Brayden said, flashing her a smirk on his way to the window.Thatsmirk, one capable of melting an unsuspecting woman into a puddle of goo, was one of his most dangerous weapons. But Ava was ready for it. Besides, he had his chance months ago and blew it.
Didn’t matter anyway. Ever since the day of Kinley’s engagement party, she’d kept her distance. The guilty look on his face when he shoved a ripped envelope with a foreclosure notice through her car window, promising he hadn’t read it, made her extra cautious of him.
Ava didn’t needanyone, let alone her neighbor, knowing how dire things were for her store.
“Is he gone?” she asked, referring to Ed. Anything to put space between them. Once she saved the Forget Me Not Boutique, they could be friends again. Until then, she’d stick with slipping Elsie treats on their adjoined deck and avoiding Brayden at all costs.
“Nope. Ed’s right outside the garage.” He shook his head, scratching an eager Elsie behind the ears. His gentle fingers seemed to calm the pup. “This town has it all, doesn’t it?”
“Part of its charm.” Ava’s gaze swept over Brayden, jealous of his plaid patterned pajama bottoms. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a day off, much less the freedom to be in pajamas this late in the morning. Though Brayden was still a big mystery to most of Sunset Ridge, she doubted he had a to-do list that grew longer every second he wasn’t working to whittle it down.
No, Brayden worked from his home-based woodworking shed, crafting bookshelves and rocking chairs to order. He could work when it suited him.
With a deep breath, Ava dared to join him at the bay window to assess the situation. The moose was back at the wreath, shredding the poor thing in retribution for its lack of edible bits. Ed was known for his stubbornness, but this was ridiculous. “Not really a chance I can get to my car, is there?”
“I wouldn’t risk it.” Brayden sipped his coffee, not the least unsettled that Ed was tearing apart his wreath. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was fascinated by the beast. “Guess I’ll need another one,” he said about the decoration that was now little more than a pile of pine branches scattered on the ground. “Want some coffee while you wait it out?”
“He’ll move.”
Brayden stretched his neck to get another look. “I know I’m not from Alaska, but I wouldn’t bet on it. He looks pretty determined.” He returned to the small kitchen that was a mirror of her own and fixed her a mug. “Why don’t you park in the garage anymore?”
“It’s full.”
“Of what?”
Ava scanned the open living area, surprised to find Christmas decorations scattered throughout—a string of garland along the fireplace mantle, a metal snowman hanging from the wall, and a holiday throw pillow adorned with northern lights on the couch. All things she sold in her store. Maybe he still felt guilty about standing her up for their date. But that was ridiculous. Months had passed.
Yet the more she looked around, the more holiday items she recognized from the Forget Me Not. The only thing missing was a tree, which she didn’t carry. It made her feel ashamed that her own place didn’t have a single decoration yet. She’d been too busy.
“Ava?”
“Supplies,” she finally answered. “The garage is full of supplies.” Every spare inch of her garage was lined with rickety shelves she’d picked up cheap at a store closing in Anchorage. Those shelves were filled with baskets, garland, and a wide assortment of Alaskan-made gifts. Her garage held either her salvation or the final nail in her coffin.
“I know it’s not a spacious garage, but your car isn’tthatbig.”
Ava studied the mug he slid to her, not eager to meet his assessing eyes on the opposite side of the breakfast bar. She felt too vulnerable. Brayden knew too much, even if he never admitted to it. Before she could find words to swiftly change the subject, her phone buzzedagain.
She set the mug down so she could scour her purse for the offending electronic device.Mom, again. “She just doesn’t give up,” Ava mumbled. She jabbed at the ignore button with gusto, sending the call to voicemail.Again. The picture of Ed really should’ve bought her more than three minutes of silence.
“I thought I was the only one with an overbearing mother,” Brayden said with a chuckle, hiding most of his smile behind his cup. A Christmas mug, handcrafted in Kenai. Another item the Forget Me Not housed on its shelves.
