“Forget I said anything,” I hurry to add. “I’ll just… figure something out.”
Another moment passes. Then Ronan shakes his head. “No. It’s not safe.” He angles his chin at the couch. “You stay here. I’ll finish the lights.”
“What?” I start to get up. “You don’t?—”
His jaw sets. “I’ll do it. Where do you want the lights? Along the eaves, obviously. And Hazel said something about the windows.”
“Wait, what?” Now I’m really confused. “What does Hazel have to do?—”
Oh.
Hazel sent him. Lovely Hazel who thinks everyone should be in love now that she is. Hazel who likes to tell me how great Ronan is at least a few times a week. Hazel who was still working at Blissful Brews after I finished my lunch shift.
And what did I tell Hazel I was planning to do after? The lights.
“She sent you over, didn’t she?” I ask.
“She didn’t send me,” Ronan corrects. “She asked. I said yes. So I’m here to help.”
“You don’t have to,” I start.
“I know that.” His expression leaves no room for argument. “I’m putting up the lights. So. Eaves. Windows. Anything else?”
I’m torn. Part of me wants to argue with him. Give him an out. But I really don’t want to go back up on a ladder, either. “Just those, if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure,” he replies firmly. Taking several steps towards the front door, he pauses and turns back to me. Indecision flickers across his face. “Although, maybe I should stay inside with you, in case you start feeling dizzy.”
“I’m really fine,” I insist. I’ve never had a concussion, but I’ve seen enough medical dramas to know the symptoms. And I’m not experiencing any of them. “Like I said, the snow was a good cushion. I guess I can’t complain about the early snow after all.”
“You should still rest.” Ronan pins me with a sterndo what I saylook that I’m guessing used to serve him well in the Army. “I can find everything I need outside.”
“What about the ladder, though? You can’t use mine. It’s not safe.”
He continues toward the door. “I’ll ask one of your neighbors. I’m sure they won’t mind.”
No, they probably wouldn’t. Especially considering that in Bliss, the GMG guys are basically local heroes. “Are you really sure?” I press. “You must have things to do?—”
“Angel.” He pulls in one cheek, like he’s trying to keep from smiling. “I came over to help. So that’s what I’m going to do.” When he reaches the front door, he opens it, then turns back to me. “Relax. I’ve got this under control.”
Easier said than done,I think as the door shuts behind him. Relaxing is a luxury I never seem to have time for—not with a full-time job and a nine-year-old daughter to raise and an eighty-year-old house to keep up with.
I don’t begrudge my busy life, far from it. Despite the struggles that come with being a single mom, I wouldn’t change a thing. Haley is my heart and soul and everything I do is for her, which is the same as my mom did for me.
But as I spot Ronan marching across the snowy lawn, presumably en route to one of my neighbors, that annoying little voice pipes up again.
You wouldn’t change anything? Really? You wouldn’t like to have a man like Ronan around to put up Christmas lights and fix loose shingles? You wouldn’t like to feel those delicious shivers again like the last time he touched you?
Maybe I would, but it’s not going to happen. First off, Ronan is only here because Hazel asked him to. He’s only staying because he’s a nice guy. He’s not here because he’s interested in me.
Even if he were, that’s a risk I can’t afford to take.
A buzz from my phone, still zippered into my inner jacket pocket, jerks my thoughts away from nonexistent relationships and back to the present. Worried that it might be about Haley, I quickly unfasten my jacket and yank out my phone.
I release a relieved breath when I see Hazel’s name on the screen.
Hey, how are the Christmas lights going?
Smiling at her attempt at subtlety, I send a reply.
