Standing close, I brushed a snowflake off his cheek. “I’m starting to see the allure,” I murmured, feeling an overwhelming urge to close the gap between us. But I hesitated, unsure of his reaction.
Ezra looked at me, his gaze searching mine. Slowly, he leaned in, our breaths mingling, the space between us closing.
Just as our lips were about to touch, a loud group shoved through the front door, their laughter breaking the intimate moment. We both jumped back, startled.
Offering him my arm, we began our walk back to the bakery. The snow crunched under our feet, the world silent except for our soft conversation and the distant chattering as the rest of the patrons left the bar.
Ezra turned to me, his eyes serious. “Carson, tonight was great. Thank you.”
Feeling a warmth spread through me, I replied, “No, thank you. My brothers are always giving me shit about being a recluse. I wouldn’t be opposed to hanging out again.”
He gave me a genuine, heartwarming smile. “Me either.”
The cold had set in deeper, sending a chill down my spine. We continued to the bakery, the soft glow from the streetlights illuminating our path. The silence between us was thick, charged with the weight of unspoken emotions and thoughts.
Ezra pulled out his key fob, unlocking his car. I hurried past, opening the door for him. When he turned the key in the ignition, it groaned and sputtered but refused to roar to life.
“Come on, not now,” he muttered under his breath. I pressed my lips together to keep from asking how long he’d been having issues. I didn’t like the thought of him having to offer up a prayer every time he sat behind the wheel.
“Pop the hood,” I told him. There wasn’t much I’d be able to do, but maybe it was something as simple as a loose battery cable.
“You don’t have to get frostbite for me,” he protested. “It does this when it’s cold.”
“Would you let me go hungry?”
“Huh?” The furrow between his brows made him seem even younger and more innocent.
I crouched down so I was on his level, playing with the fringe on my scarf, which was apparently his now. “If I was hungry, you would try to feed me, yeah?” Ezra nodded. “Well, I’m hopeless in the kitchen, but I know cars. Let me help you.”
Not giving him a choice, I reached below the dash and pulled the lever for the hood. The battery cables definitely needed attention, but the more pressing issue was the age of the battery. It was no surprise it was reluctant to start.
Since I was parked next to him, I lifted my hood and grabbed the jumper cables out of my trunk. “We should be able to get it started, but you have to get that replaced, Ez.”
“I know, I know.” He rubbed his hands together before cupping them in front of his face to keep them warm. “I’ve been meaning to, but I forget things like that sometimes.”
“Get in and try it now,” I instructed him after the battery had been charging for a minute. Since it had only been a few hours since he last drove it, I hoped the little charge plus the draw from my battery would be enough for the engine to start. Ezra let out a whoop when his car spluttered to life. I wasn’t nearly as excited.
Ezra buckled while I disconnected the cables. I returned to his still-open door. “I’m serious, Ezra. If you want that taken care of and don’t have the time, come and see me.”
He chuckled softly. “I’ll keep that in mind. Goodnight, Carson.”
I watched Ezra’s taillights disappear down Main Street and around the corner. If it wouldn’t put me in the creeper category, I would have followed him home. Just to make sure his car didn’t die again.
And if I spent thirty minutes driving the streets in the direction he turned just to give myself peace of mind, I wouldn’t admit it.
6
CARSON
I couldn’t getthat almost-kiss out of my head. As I’d flipped and flopped in my bed last night, my mind had conjured images of what would have happened if Keith and his buddies hadn’t stumbled onto Main Street when my lips were inches from Ezra’s. The images continued this morning as I drank my coffee and picked a three-day-old muffin into crumbs.
There was no telling how today would go. I was supposed to head to Shiloh’s this afternoon to finalize the menu for the event, which meant facing Ezra in the cold light of day. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he found an excuse to make himself scarce, leaving Shiloh to go over the plans with me.
I spent enough time fretting over what hadn’t happened last night that I jolted when the antique clock in my living room chimed eight. You know, the time I was supposed to be at the shop.
Shit. This was just the start I needed for my day.
I quickly tossed my coffee cup in the dishwasher, brushed the muffin crumbs onto a paper towel, and threw it away on my way out the door. And, of course, because things were going so spectacularly, there were at least three inches of fresh snow covering my truck. While it warmed up, I brushed off as much of the snow as I could, scraped what had frozen to the glass, and debated shoveling. I was already late, so it might be worth being later just so I didn’t have to dick with tire-packed snow when I finally got around to it later tonight.
