Page 34 of The Inn at Evergreen Hollow

Nora bit her lip. “We have a second date planned,” she confided, unable to keep a small quiver of excitement out of her voice. Melanie’s face lit up, and she felt a smile spread across her lips.

“I knew it.” Melanie grinned. “One date, and you’d want to see each other again.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Nora warned. “It’s just a second date. It’s nothing serious. Just us enjoying each other’s company. But Iamexcited.” She glanced around, making sure that it was just the two of them. “I’ve been brainstorming ideas too. Not just for making the festival a success, but to increase business at the inn.”

“The inn?” Melanie frowned. “I didn’t know it needed help.”

Nora let out a slow breath. “It’s been slow lately. My mom doesn’t want to say much about it, and I know Caroline would never admit it, but it’s been difficult, I think. I want to try to help.”

“Of course you do. I noticed Rhonda had been a bit more quiet lately. But I thought it was just the usual holiday busyness. I can understand how stressful it gets, running a business.”

“Oh, I know. You do such an amazing job with The Mellow Mug too.”

“And I love it. But it’s definitely not easy.”

Nora mulled that over as she and Melanie finished up, thinking that maybe she could understand a little more why Caroline always seemed so sharp and intense. She was under a lot of pressure. It couldn’t be easy, feeling responsible for helping their mother keep things afloat. Maybe she could try to take some of that pressure off, if she came up with some ideas for the inn.

At least, she thought, her family would be more receptive to her ideas than it seemed Sabrina had been.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Two days after their date, Aiden found himself still thinking about Nora as he sat in the cab of his truck, eating a sandwich on his lunch break.

Truthfully, he hadn’t been able tostopthinking about her since then. Every time he thought about the date, he felt a grin spread over his face, making him feel like a schoolboy all over again. And it had gone better than expected, all things considered. He still felt a little nervous around her, but he’d been nowhere near as tongue-tied as he had a tendency to sometimes get.

He’d felt as if he were getting to know the real her, not just the perception of her that he’d always had from the outside. And he’d found that he liked that real version even better.

He took another bite of his sandwich, glancing at his phone on the dash. He could text her, he thought, see what she might want to do for that second date. He wanted to suggest something different—something more unique than just another dinner out or a movie.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.He finished his sandwich, reaching for his phone and finding her number.

AIDEN: What do you think about a hike for our next date? Sound fun to you?

A tapping sound against his window made him jump, and he looked over to see Blake standing there. “Should we get back to work?” he called through the glass, and Aiden nodded, opening the door and sliding out of the cab, his boots crunching on the snow.

“Sorry about that,” he said, a little sheepishly. “Lost track of time.”

“No worries, man.” Blake looked at him curiously, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “What’s on your mind? You’re not usually so distracted.”

Aiden glanced at him, considering brushing it off and keeping things to himself. But deep down, he wanted to talk about Nora. He’d felt like he was bursting for the last two days, wanting to tell someone about the date.

“I took Nora out Saturday night,” he said, scratching the back of his neck as they started to walk back to the shed they were working on repairing. “Dinner at Marie’s.”

Blake whistled. “That’s a fancy night out,” he said with a grin, and Aiden shook his head.

“She was worth it. I’ve been wanting that date for a long time. Wasn’t sure how it would go, exactly, but it was better than I could’ve expected. And we’re going to see each other again, so…” Aiden lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug.

Blake grinned. “That’s fantastic, man!” His voice brimmed with enthusiasm, and as casual as Aiden had tried to be about it, he could tell that Blake could see how excited he really was. “You’ve been waiting a long time to find a lady you really click with.”

“Well, we’ll see how it goes.” Aiden rubbed a hand over his mouth. “Nothing serious right now. She’s just visiting anyway.But it’s nice to get out and spend some time with someone whose company I like.”

“You’re a great catch,” Blake said, pushing open the door to the shed. “Any woman would be lucky to have your attention. If it’s not her, it’ll be someone else who sees it.”

Aiden grinned. “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” He did too. It felt good to have his friend’s encouragement. Blake had always had his back.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, just as he was about to set it down and get back to work. He glanced at the screen and saw Nora’s name, his heart doing a little flip in his chest as he realized she’d responded to his message.

NORA: Hiking sounds fun! It’s been a while since I’ve gone, so I hope you don’t mind if we take an easy trail. There’s not a lot of hiking in Boston.

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