Page 42 of Promise Yule Be Mine
He put his hand up, almost to my face, his palm inches away from my lips and he raised his voice. "Kody, I'm helping you whether you like it or not," he said before he jumped behind thebar, put his tote bag on a shelf under the back bar and turned to me. "Where do you want me?"
I studied him for a second, the only chance I really had to delay, and the butterflies in my stomach fluttered, spreading the warmth of their flight to my chest making my heart pound faster, louder.
Why was he so sweet? Why was he so perfect? Why couldn't he be a douchebag so I could loathe him?
"I…" I started before I caught my breath. I swallowed down any and all feelings and tried to focus on the task at hand, as difficult as it was. "How are you with cocktails?"
He pursed his lips from side to side. "I make a mean mojito but I'm pretty hopeless with anything else." He was cute, looking at me all guiltily, as if I’d expected him to be a pro barista or something.
"Right. Okay. That's fine. Why don't you take care of the other drinks and I'll tackle the cocktails."
"NowthatI can do." He gave me the thumbs up and leaned over to read the first of the flurry of tickets.
I forced myself to peel my gaze off him and focus on the margarita I'd been trying to make for the past century, but I kept sneaking glances at him, finding his way behind the bar, searching for bottles of wine, the right beer in the taps, or the right liqueur and I couldn't help but smile.
It might have been a stressful night, but he made it…he made it a breeze. So much so that the sweat and breathlessness were soon replaced by laughter and rhythm. We worked around each otherlike a well-oiled machine. As if we'd done this a hundred times before, even with the many questions he had for me.
Even when he made a mistake, it didn't stress me out or frustrate me. Not that I got easily frustrated at work unless it was hectic like today. Besides, I couldn’t get frustrated with him anyway, considering he was doing me a favor and didn't need to be here.
How couldanyonein the world get mad at the man biting his lip and batting his eyelashes with embarrassment for misreading an order or using the wrong glass. I couldn't imagine anyone being able to tell him no, let alone get angry at him and well, if anyone could then they were probably heartless to begin with.
"Gosh, I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me." He buried his head in his hands and groaned.
"Hey, don't even start. It's not your fault Mad Elf and Elfmas Merlot have practically the same code on the system. If anything, I should be thanking you because you made me realize it's so similar I need to change it. I knew there must be a perfectly good reason why inventory on Mad Elf was so low."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better," he whined.
I smiled, grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him gently.
The act almost stole my breath away. It made the hairs on the back of my neck rise and my heart get back its erratic rhythm, and yet somehow I didn't let any of that stop me from speaking, by some divine intervention, I assumed.
"Listen to me, Nova Myers. You're an amazing guy who literally dropped everything to help me. Trust me when I tell you something, it's not to make you feel better, it's because it's the truth and I don't know how to thank you."
His Adam's apple bobbed as he watched me. He was still and so so close I could fill my lungs with his apple-scented perfume. It reminded me of warm apple pies by the fireplace, or a late-night hangover-induced apple turnover binge.
It made me salivate and freeze at the same time.
"I…" he said. "You…erm…I…"
I watched his lips, waiting, craving, resisting. Was it possible he felt the same way about me as I did for him?
"Hey Kody, are table fifty-one's drinks ready?" Indrani asked, causing me to break away from the spell Nova had cast on me.
Nova looked away, smoothed his clothes as if he'd been caught with his pants down and turned to Indrani.
"Sorry. Just missing the wine. One sec," he said and went to get the glass of Elfmas Merlot.
Indrani moved her gaze from him to me and narrowed her eyes.
"What?" I asked.
She bit her tongue for a moment then shook her head. "Nothing. No. Nothing."
She might have said it was nothing but she still looked at me funny, even after Nova returned with her missing drink, and for the rest of the night.
Had she seen something she shouldn't have? Did she think I was cheating on Jenna or something? Or was my stress about the situation making me project?
No matter what way I wracked my brain I couldn't figure it out and I couldn't confront her about it. What if she confirmed mysuspicions and I fumbled my way through the lies Jenna and I had woven?
