Page 47

“Boys? Dinner is served,” Vicky’s voice called from across the house.

We quickly backed apart, as if we’d been caught doing something wrong, both of us breathing hard. Ellis had to dip a hand into his waistband to adjust himself and just the sight of it made my mouth water.

He cleared his throat and called back. “On our way.”

My heart was still pounding as we headed back into the dining room, but soon enough, I’d calmed down and we were digging into a turkey and all of the traditional American Thanksgiving dishes—stuffing, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and more. The conversation flowed easily, and with relatively little friction from the divorced parents, and I found myself aching for something like this. I hadn’t had my own parents in my life in a long time, and because I was an only child, I was mostly on my own for holidays. Family gatherings were a luxury I didn’t really have much experience with. Throughout the meal, Ellis kept shooting me glances, and every time he did, my heart skipped a beat and my face heated.

By the time we’d had dessert—I’d been unable to resist taking a slice of both of Lena’s exquisite pies—I was full and ready for a nap. We eventually said our goodbyes, thanking Vicky profusely for her hospitality.

As soon as we climbed into the car and the doors were shut, Lena and Ellis took simultaneous deep breaths.

“That wasn’t so bad,” I offered, trying not to think about the… incident in Ellis’s bedroom.

“This time,” Lena said in agreement. “I think it’s because you were there. Someone new to talk to. Usually Dad goes on and on about how we’re wasting our potential by working for someone else. He’s always trying to talk Ellis into opening his own shop and me into quitting my job to bake full-time.”

“Doesn’t he work for a company?” I asked. “Not for himself?”

“Exactly,” Lena said.

We drove back in relative quiet. Lena had encouraged me to pick the music and I’d put on Christmas songs, because in my book, Christmas season started the day of Thanksgiving.

As I looked out the window, watching the town go by, all I could think about were making out with Ellis in his childhood bedroom and Craig’s words of encouragement about how I should go solo. Maybe I didn’t need to quit designing entirely. Maybe I just needed to get away from Heartland Overhaul and Port Grandlin—for good. I just needed to figure out where I wanted to land.

Chapter Twenty

Ellis

Monday morning after Thanksgiving, I had an appointment to meet with the real estate agent and the landlord to sign a lease on the space for my new shop. Nothing had happened between Kieran and me since the kiss at my mom’s house, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want it to. Moreover, I knew we needed to talk about it, to figure out what was going on between us and what we wanted to do about it.

I woke up early, my mind swirling with thoughts, but stayed sequestered in my room until I was sure Lena had left for work. The last thing I wanted was to attempt to have this conversation with her eavesdropping. I knew she wouldn’t be super thrilled to hear that I had a thing for her best friend, and she’d be less excited to hear that we’d acted on those feelings already.

When I heard the shower shut off, my stomach lurched, knowing it was almost time. I kept mentally running through what I needed to say. What’s happening here? Do you want this as much as I do? What do we do now?

It didn’t take long for Kieran to leave the bathroom, by the sounds of his footsteps on the wood floor and the click of the bathroom door shutting. My breath caught in my chest as I threw some clothes on and swung open my bedroom door.

I found Kieran in the kitchen, making coffee. His face lit up when he saw me.

“Good morning,” he said brightly.

“Morning,” I said, my voice coming out more gruff than I’d intended it.

“Did you want some coffee?”

I nodded. “That would be great.” I reached for the cabinet with the mugs but Kieran shooed me away.

“I’ve got it,” he said.

Stepping back, I watched as Kieran pulled down my favorite mug, poured the coffee, and added a tiny bit of sugar and a splash of milk—just the way I would’ve made it for myself. Something in my chest tightened, my heart lurching. “We should talk,” I said, taking the steaming mug from him.

Kieran’s smile wavered. “I had a feeling this was coming.” He sighed quietly and nodded. “We should talk.”

I bit my bottom lip before reaching up to rub the stubble on my face with one hand. Finally, I spoke. “What are we doing here?”

A tentative smile crossed Kieran’s face. “Besides making coffee?” When I shot him a look, eyes narrowed, he chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. I don’t know. It’s a bad idea, right? We should just pretend it never happened. You and Lena have been such great hosts and I don’t want to jeopardize this living arrangement. It’s hard enough worrying I’ve outstayed my welcome. We probably shouldn’t take things any farther than we already have. Right?”

My throat was tight. I swallowed, processing his words carefully before I spoke. “Do you want that? To put an end to this?”

He hesitated. “I—”