“Oh, okay. Well, I just thought maybe after that you and I could catch?—”
I cut her off before she went any further and her pout becameany more prominent. “Look, Val, I’m sorry, but I can’t right now. I’ve got a big job to get to today. Take care.” I nodded to her as I turned to make my way into Cupid’s Cup.
“Hey, big bro!” Melody called from behind the counter as I opened the door, quickly coming out front to wrap her arms around me. She was a hugger through and through, and as she melted into my arms I was grateful for it this morning. Melody was the youngest of the three of us, and Garrett and I took our jobs of big brothers very seriously. Sometimes a little too much—ever since she had come back from acting school in Vancouver, broke and broken-hearted. Melody was a spitfire, but she had the most genuine and giving heart, and we just didn’t want to see her hurt again. “Have you met Stella yet? She’s staying at Grandma’s B and B!”
I turned to where Melody was motioning and my breath stuttered.
There she is.
How did she look more stunning every time I saw her? Her dark brown eyes, while still tired, didn’t look nearly as haunted as they had earlier as she took in the view of the morning commute mingling down Main Street.
I had to catch my step as Melody led us over to the window seat we loved.I noticed the finished plate of food in front of Stella, and instantly regretted the way she rushed out earlier, obviously before eating anything.
“Hey, Stella,” Melody called. I didn’t miss the way it startled Stella, causing her to jump. “This is my brother. I’m sure you’ll see him around Grandma’s place a lot, too.”
“Hi, we’ve met already, actually. Well, sort of,” I corrected myself while reaching my hand out toward her. “I’m Calvin. I brought in your bags last night, but you were already asleep.”
I didn’t mention I was the one to cover her up with the blanket.That’s too much, right?Right, I quickly decided.
Her hand felt so soft, so delicate against my rough skin.
“I’m sorry if we made you feel rushed out of there this morning. You should have stayed and had something to eat.” Melody elbowed me in the side, and I grunted. “Not that the food at Cupid’s Cup isn’t great. It definitely is. I would know, having been a guinea pig for a lot of my sister’s creations, I just meant that there was food there and?—”
Melody elbowed me again, and I quickly pulled my hand out of Stella’s grasp while biting my tongue.
Was I rambling?What the hell was happening to me today?
“What my brother istryingto say is, welcome to Love,” Melody said on a giggle and sent a little smirk my way.
Stella’s eyes widened at me for a split second before returning to her careful smile. I wished there was something I could do, something I could say, to see a not-so-guarded version of that smile.
“Oh gosh, that’s not your fault. And thank you for bringing my bags in last night, I really appreciate it,” Stella said so politely, it hurt.
That feeling reminded me I really wasn’t looking for a relationship. No matter how much I was drawn to this new mysterious woman with beautiful but sad eyes, my priority was my family and our business.
I nodded at Stella. “If you need anything during your stay, just let any of us know.” I turned to Melody. “I’ve got to head to work. See you later, sis.” I pulled her in for a quick hug as I kissed the side of her head and then made my way out.
I really needed to get these distractions out of my head if I was going to get anything done today.
And I hadn’t even gotten my coffee.
He was a freakinglumberjack.
While I ate my breakfast, Melody chatted a bit about Love, her family’s lumber business, and the role they played in kick-starting this town. She also told me that her brother now covered the bulk of the labour while their mother ran the finances and business side of things. I didn’t put the pieces together and realize herbrotherwas Calvin, who was also the Calvin who’d brought my bags in last night, who wasalsoin the group of men I so gracefully ran away from this morning.
It took everything in me not to bury my face in my hands when Melody introduced us, but I think being able to scope him out first with a window between us helped calm my nerves.
He was tall and muscular in a way that proved he used those muscles; they weren’t just for show. His wavy hair, that was a darker match to the golden warmth of his mom’s but lacked the burning flame of Melody’s, was thrown up in a bun that somehow simultaneously looked haphazard and perfect. The beard framing his handsome face was thick but kept neat and on the shorter side, bringing all the focus to his piercing green eyes.The cherry on top being the red plaid button down shirt rolled up at the sleeves.
Was that shirt a rite of passage for all lumberjacks?
I obviously wasn’t the only one to notice his arrival at the coffee shop as that gorgeous blonde with the legs for days danced across the street toward him. She approached him with the ease of a long-time lover, but he didn’t greet her in the same manner, which I found interesting.
People watching became second nature when you had to watch body language for your own safety, in your own home.
The wholesome way Calvin seemed to stumble over his words this morning made me smile, like our roles had been reversed from how the day had started.
I waved to Melody as I left the coffee shop. It was great to chat with her, but as the morning rush picked up, I found myself itching to move again. We promised to get together soon, she said she wanted to show me the town’s bookstore, but I figured I would probably find it as I wandered the town today.
