“What do you think?”Brad stepped down off the ladder.
She glanced up at the streamers.She searched for something she could give him a hard time about, but she didn’t see anything amiss.He’d really done a decent job, and he hadn’t complained.Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
Still, there had to be something to give him a hard time about.She pointed to a random streamer.“Is that hanging lower than the others?”
He glanced up in the general direction she’d pointed.“I don’t see anything.”
She squinted as she stared up at the non-existent flaw.“It’s right there.”
He approached her and turned, as though trying to see it through her eyes.“I’m still not seeing it.”
After having a bit of fun, she turned to him with a smile.“I’m just giving you a hard time.”
He continued to stare up at the streamers.“Are you sure?Because I can fix it.”
He got points for wanting to do a good job.Maybe the night of the tree lighting, they’d just gotten off to a bad start.Perhaps he was a good guy after all.
“I’m positive.Do you have plans for dinner?”The words were out of her mouth before she realized it was a silly question, considering he was supposed to be in hiding.
His brows scrunched together as he rubbed the back of his neck, as though he were trying to find a way to let her down gently.Now, why had she gone and asked him that?
“I, uh, just want to make sure that you don’t go somewhere Reed will see you.”She was pleased with her cover.
The lines between his brows smoothed.“I was just going to go back to the B&B.”
“They don’t serve dinner.Just breakfast.”
“Oh.”Frown lines bracketed his eyes and mouth.
Then, feeling obligated, she said, “I can make us something to eat at my place.”
His eyes widened as he stared directly at her.“Are you asking me to dinner?”
Her heart beat faster as heat gathered in her chest.Did he really think she was asking him on an official date?All of a sudden her cheeks felt like they were on fire.
“No.”The answer came out faster than she would have liked.“It’s just that I can’t have you starving to death on my watch.Reed and Sadie would never forgive me.”
Amusement danced in his blue eyes, which made her all the more uncomfortable with this conversation.“Are you sure that’s all?”
“Positive.Let’s clean up and get going.”She turned her back to him, all the while willing her heartbeat to slow down.
It didn’t take them long to pick up their supplies.Abby put them in her purple tote and slung it over her shoulder.Brad grabbed the black garbage bag and the now-empty cardboard box.
“There’s a dumpster out back,” she said.“We’ll go out that way.”
They headed out the back door.With it being winter, it was already dark out at five thirty.Brad tossed the empty box and bag of trash into the dumpster before joining her at the car.
After they both got into the car, she started the engine and then adjusted the heater settings.“It’ll take a moment for it to warm up.”
She put the car in gear and then drove around to the front of the building.She came to a stop to let people on the sidewalk pass in front of the car.Beneath the lamppost, she recognized two of those people.Sadie and Reed.
The breath caught in her lungs.What were they doing here?Sadie was supposed to keep him away from the community hall.Wait.Did this mean he knew about the party?Please say it isn’t so.They’d worked so hard to keep it a secret.For Reed to find out now just wasn’t right.
Her first instinct was to put the car in reverse, but it was too late.Reed was already looking in her direction.She froze.
“Duck,” she hissed.
“What?”Brad’s voice had a note of surprise.
