That was the question I really wanted to ask. Part of me hoped that he would answer it when he explained why a ridiculously good-looking man had rolled into a sleepy mountain town a week before Christmas—alone.
“I’m living here for a little while.” Nick’s gaze focused ahead. “I’m the new goalie for the Bobcats.”
“And they’re putting you up in a hotel?”
“Just until I find a place to live.” His voice seemed to lower, the tone turning serious.
“You don’t seem all that thrilled.”
He smiled, but this time with his lips closed. “It looks like we both have a couple of long stories to tell.”
The atmosphere in the truck had changed from fun and flirty to serious and…sad. I couldn’t explain how I knew, but Nick Tinsel was Chance Rapids’ newest resident, and he wasn’t happy about it.
THREE
NICK
Evie wasthe cutest girl I’d ever seen. There were very few women who could wear what looked to be a senior citizen’s elf costume and still make my dick hard. I’d wasted plenty of my prime hockey years with puck bunnies, and I wished that Evie was more like them.
Because puck bunnies are easy to forget.
The connection I felt with the girl who smelled like cinnamon buns was bad news. I wasn’t going to be in Chance Rapids for long. There was a reason that I was staying at an inn and not locking myself into a rental—it was because I had a job to do. Once that job was done, I was going to be like Santa after Christmas Day—gone. I couldn’t get attached to the town, the team, or the cute girl holding the pastries in my passenger seat.
Flirting with her had been a mistake. One that I couldn’t make again.
“The entrance to the inn is over there. You can park in the lot across the street,” she said.
The inn looked like it had been cut out of a small-town greeting card and glued onto the street. It was a white clapboard, three-story home with black shutters. Snow blanketedthe window planters filled with cedar boughs, dogwood, and shiny red Christmas balls. Each window was lit up with warm white Christmas lights. Compared to the colorful carnival of Main Street, Snowy Peaks Inn looked classy—and far too nice for a guy like me.
Instead of pulling into the parking lot as directed, I stopped directly at the rear entrance to the inn.
“No. Over there. You can’t park here.” Evie took off her mitten and pointed to the lot. It was a sweet gesture, but I hadn’t made a mistake. I got out of the truck and opened the passenger door.
“I promised that I’d deliver you safely to your place.” I took the box from her hands and held out mine. She looked at it like she’d never seen a hand before, but then slid her mittened hand into mine. I helped her out of the truck, but as soon as her feet touched the ground, she let go.
“Granny spy, I will accompany you to your book club mission.” I crooked my elbow and waited for her to grab onto it. She didn’t.
“Thank you, Nick. I’m pretty sure I can take it from here. I’ll send Edward out to get your bags. I need to get these beavers into the old biddies before they get cold.”
She seemed to be in a rush to get away from me. As she reached the door, it was opened by an old man with gnarled hands. “Edward, could you get Nick’s bags. He’s the missing check-in from yesterday.”
“I’ll be right out.” His voice was as weak as he looked, his body shaped into a question mark.
“Bye, Nick. I’ll see you around.” Evie waved, and with a whirl of red and green stripes, a tinkle of tiny bells, and a whiff of cinnamon, she was gone.
I paused for a moment and noticed Edward struggling to pull on his gloves. Sprinting to the truck, I pulled out my bags and dumped them in the lobby before he was able to get the second glove on his hand.
“That’s everything.” I nudged the bag with my toe. “I’ll be back to check in.”
When I returned to the lobby the old doorman was nowhere to be seen. A little old lady stood behind the desk. White hair curled out from underneath a long green hat that trailed over her shoulder, earrings that matched Evie’s hung from her ears.
“You must be Nicholas Tinsel.” She smiled. “We were expecting you yesterday.” She held out her hand. “I’m Janie, but you can call me GJ.”
I shook her birdlike hand, hoping I wasn’t crushing it. “I’m so sorry. I must have gotten my days mixed up.” I was 99 percent sure that I wasn’t a day late, but I couldn’t bring myself to correct GJ.
“It happens to the best of us.” She winked. “We have a no-show policy, but since you’re the newest Bobcat, I’ll let it slide. We’re so excited for the Christmas game. Go Cats!” She raised her fist in the air like a cheerleader.
When Coach Coalman told me that Chance Rapids was hockey crazy, I thought he was exaggerating. So far, I had gotten out of a stunt driving ticket, Muriel had refused my money for dinner, and I was above Grandma Janie’s policies.
