“But he doesn’t quite see it that way. Am I right?” Nick asked.
Harlow bowed her head. “He’s furious at me.”
“I can see his point,” Nick drawled.
Harlow raised her head and met Nick’s gaze. “Whose side are you on?”
Nick held up his hands. “Yours, of course. Just hear me out. He probably thinks you weren’t being straight with him. I’d feel the same way if Luke did that to me. But I’d also get over it pretty quickly. You and Malcolm seem really tight.”
Harlow pushed her coffee to the side. It was piping hot and she didn’t want to burn her tongue drinking the steaming brew. “We are. He’s my best friend,” she acknowledged. Through thick and thin. They’d walked through childhood trauma side by side with only each other to confide in. In the quiet hours between darkness and dawn, they’d whispered secrets and hopes and dreams that they could share only with each other.
“You’re twins, right? That makes your bond even more special.”
“It does,” she said, bobbing her head in agreement. “I’m lucky to have him. Don’t know what I’d do without him.” She didn’t even want to think about it. Malcolm was the peanut butter to her jelly. Neither one made sense without the other.
Nick grinned at her. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “I’m guessing he says the same about you.”
She smiled back at him. Talk about an instant mood lifter! Nick’s grin should be bottled and sold. He would make a small fortune if it were.Good Golly, Miss Molly, this man had charisma for days.
“Harlow, just talk to Malcolm. It’ll all get straightened out. With regards to your mother, the two of you are going to need each other to navigate these waters. Trust me, I know.”
Nick’s words hinted at his own suffering. Harlow wasn’t going to ask about his wife’s passing. She hoped at some point he might feel comfortable telling her about it. He was so strong and well adjusted. Nick didn’t wear his sorrow on the outside. That’s how she had been with her father’s death. Sometimes you had to scratch a person’s surface to get a peek at their insides. Harlow wasn’t sure she wanted Nick to get a look at hers. He might think she was a hot mess.
“Believe it or not, I don’t usually share personal stuff with people I don’t know that well,” Harlow admitted. That was putting it mildly. She never talked about her painful childhood or her mother’s dementia. The very idea of doing so always made her anxious. There had been so much judgment directed toward her family in her childhood, which resulted in Harlow being deeply wounded and marginalized. Those early experiences had taught her not to easily trust people, especially small-town folks. Maybe it wasn’t a fair assessment, but Harlow always considered them to be narrow-minded.
“Malcolm says I’m guarded,” she blurted out. “I like to say I’m private, but that doesn’t mean I have to always hold things in. You made it really easy to talk to you, so thanks.”
“You’re very welcome.” He took a lengthy sip of his drink as Harlow looked on.How could someone look so sexy simply drinking coffee?
“I know you’re going through a lot, but I’d really like to take you out. Maybe show you a little bit of Mistletoe.” Nick leaned back in his chair. With his thick navy sweatshirt, dark jeans, and five o’clock shadow, he exuded a rugged air. Despite the slight shadows resting under his eyes, he looked amazing.
“So, I guess this could count as a first date,” Harlow teased. She didn’t know what superpowers Nick possessed, but being with him—talking things out with him—made her feel better. She was still grieving her mother’s diagnosis and apprehensive about future steps, but she no longer felt as if she was spiraling. Nick had grounded her.
He chuckled. “You’re not getting off that easy. This is pure coincidence that we ran into each other.”
“What do you have against spontaneity?” Harlow found herself laughing at the look on Nick’s face.
His eyes flashed with amusement. “Not a single thing, but when we spend time together I want it to be a little more special than grabbing coffee.”
The intensity of his gaze slightly unnerved Harlow. Looking into Nick’s eyes gave her the sensation of swimming into the depths of the ocean. She was a pretty good swimmer, but water could be dangerous. Harlow liked Nick, but she didn’t need any complications during her year-long assignment in Maine. All she wanted was to work at Paws and have her student loans erased. Being romanced by a single dad didn’t really factor into her plans.
She owed it to Nick to be straight with him. That way there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings.
“Well, I don’t mind going out with you, Nick, but I have to be honest. I’m not looking for anything serious. I’m not like some of the women here in Mistletoe who are itching to walk down the aisle. I signed an agreement to work at Paws for a year, and then I’m heading back to Seattle.”
Nick reached out and patted her hand. “Well, bless your heart. Now it’s my turn to keep things real between us. I just wanted to hang out with you, Harlow, not put a ring on your finger.” He slowly got to his feet, taking his coffee cup with him. Nick quirked his mouth. “To be honest, I’m not feeling very good about hanging out with someone who doesn’t mind going out with me.” He made a face. “So I’m going to back off. You have my number. If you ever want to genuinely spend time with me, give me a call.”
Before she could even muster a feeble apology, Nick had walked away.
Without meaning to, she’d acted like a colossal jerk and offended her newfound friend in Mistletoe. She couldn’t think of the last time she’d felt like such an idiot. Without raising his voice or lashing out at her, Nick had told her off. And he’d done it in a classy way.
What in the world was wrong with her?
Chapter Seven
Nick walked away from Harlow with disappointment weighing on him. So much for his good vibes about Harlow. The woman was beautiful and intriguing, but she was frustrating as hell. She was a bit all over the place, which should serve as a bright red flag. Had he been giving out vibes that he wanted a serious relationship? Harlow’s reaction made him second-guess himself. He’d been out of the dating game for a long time, so maybe he’d messed up in some way.
No! Stop blaming yourself. It wasn’t on him if Harlow didn’t feel a connection. It was just the way the cookie crumbled. No big deal! What was that saying about other fish in the sea?
