Page 82 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

Benny laughed. “Yeah, your neighbors are gonna love that.”

“No kidding.”

Benny turned in his seat to face her, dragging his tongue across his cone to catch the melting droplets. When he seemed satisfied with his cleanup, he met her gaze and said, “Kaylee, listen, I like you, but I can tell you don’t feel the same way, and even though this guy was out with somebody else tonight, it’s obvious he’s still hung up on you. So you just need to decide whether or not you can forgive him for whatever he’s done, because I don’t think you’re gonna be able to move on until you figure out if you’re over him or not.”

Kaylee didn’t try to explain that there was nothing to get over. That they never really dated, that it was just one time, because the truth was, there were still feelings there, and she didn’t know how to make them go away.

She leaned over and gave Benny a kiss on the cheek, being careful not to bump his ice cream. “Thank you for being such a nice guy.”

Benny laughed. “The kiss of death.”

“No, nice guys are few and far between because a lot of men pretend like they’re nice, but they’re really not. They are self-serving and think that doing good things will reap benefits. They want to reciprocation, and that’s not who you are. I appreciate that, and I guarantee you that you are going to find a woman who is going to absolutely adore everything about you.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just keep searching for this mystery woman. Take care, Kaylee.”

“You too.” Kaylee got out of the car and waited for Benny to turn the corner. When he was out of sight, she pulled her keys out of her purse, dropped her ice cream cone in the trash, and got into her car and took off to find Rick.

Chapter Forty-One

Rick

Rick walked Ashlee to her door and gave her a hug. “Thank you for all your help tonight. I know making a Christmas dance proposal poster wasn’t exactly how you wanted to spend your evening, especially when it was for someone else.”

“It was my pleasure,” she said, playing with a strand of her hair. “Honestly, it was a lot of fun. Although I initially thought it was weird she was out with another guy tonight.” Ashlee smiled a little coyly and fluttered her lashes. “Then again, she probably thought you were out with me, too, so that makes you guys even.”

Rick had met Ashlee at the bookstore, and they talked about books and being new to town, since Ashlee had only been there a few months and was still making friends. He mentioned the book club to her and that Marianne ran it, but she said that the women hadn’t exactly been welcoming her with open arms. Rick didn’t understand it because she was really nice, but he also wasn’t an expert on female dynamics.

Then they bumped into each other when he was picking out poster board and twinkle lights after Josie and Colin had convinced him that the best way to get back into Kaylee’s good graces and to check something else off her list would be to make her a Christmas dance proposal poster. Also, it would mark off a romantic moment, as long as Kaylee didn’t think it was cheesy.

He’d asked Ashlee where the glue guns were, and she’d asked what he was working on. He told her about the poster, and she had offered to let him come over and raid her craft room. They spent several hours working on the poster, and he took her out for ice cream as a thank-you. He hadn’t been trying to make Kaylee jealous, but when she walked in and he saw the look on her face, he knew she was pissed off, and then she had the nerve to take Benny’s hand and let him call her babe. She was lucky he hadn’t jumped to his feet and picked her up, carrying her out of there while smacking her bratty little behind.

“Rick, if it doesn’t work out with Kaylee, just know that there are lots of girls who would appreciate a sweet, romantic guy like you.”

Uh-oh, that was not what he wanted to hear from someone he considered a friend. “I appreciate that, but I’m kind of hung up on her.”

“I get it. I just wanted to let you know.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you around.”

Rick walked back to the inn as snow began to fall around his head and shoulders, small flurries swirling and dancing in the air. As he glanced around at the buildings and little houses he passed, he thought about how much he’d grown to love this town and the people in it. He always thought that small towns weren’t for him because Rick preferred anonymity to knowing his neighbors, but after how much the people had welcomed him, how helpful and kind they’d been, he wondered if maybe it was just the town he grew up in, and it wasn’t every town that was like that.

He climbed the steps to the inn, where the white Christmas lights wrapped around the railing, and he opened the left-hand side of the double glass doors, stepping into the warm, homey lobby. A fake Christmas tree was stationed in the corner, adorned with twinkling white lights reminiscent of those outside, silver and gold ornaments gracing every branch. Next to the tree was a hutch labeled hot cocoa bar with packets of hot chocolate, marshmallows, a hot water dispenser, and a clear container of chocolate chip cookies for guests to enjoy.

Greta was working the front desk and beamed at Rick as he passed by.

“Good evening, Rick.”

“Hi there, Greta, did you have a good night?”

“I did. And you have a visitor waiting by your door.”

“A visitor?” He paused on the stairs, his heart bouncing around in his chest like a Ping-Pong ball. “Who?”

“Kaylee Kringle,” she said, holding up the hotel guest book. “I made her sign in.”

Rick’s heart lodged in his throat as he rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he turned the corner, Rick saw Kaylee pacing in front of his hotel room door, her face pinched with anxiety, and he’d never seen a more beautiful sight.

“Kaylee,” he called out softly, striding toward her. “What are you doing here?”