Page 13 of Christmas Escape
At home, I was constantly on edge, the tension in the house was unbearable. Here, it felt as if I’d finally exhaled for the first time in years. I wasn’t sure how much of that was just being away, and how much had to do with my present company.
Caleb made me feel…well, all sorts of things, really. I felt safe here. I felt happy.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to put up your penguin last night,” Caleb said, pulling me from my thoughts. “It was snowing too hard. The poor little dude would have gotten buried out there.”
“Don’t be silly,” I insisted, gesturing to the lights he’d strung up for me. “You’ve gone through far too much trouble for me already. The decorations, the place to stay… It’s all very sweet.”
“Well, I just wanted to make your Christmas special,” he said.
“It is.”
Our gazes met for a moment, and suddenly, tension flared between us. But not the kind I was used to. It was as if a cord pulled taut from my chest, tugging me toward him. I began to lean in, thinking we would kiss …
He stood and reached for my mug.
“I’ll get us some refills,” he said.
I handed over my cup and watched him walk back into the house, confused about what had just happened. Was I reading the situation totally wrong?
Oh, God. What if I was?
What if Caleb was just being nice because that’s what folks did up here? Kindness to strangers and all that. Just because my mind had already drifted to forever and kids and making my own coffee in a kitchen I shared with this man I’d just met, it didn’t mean he was in any way interested in me. To him, I was an inconvenienced client.
Damn it. Had my inexperience just forced me to ruin what could have been a lovely friendship with this man?
No.
No way.
True, I wasn’t great with signals, sending or recognizing them. But Caleb and I had something. I just knew it. I felt it down to my toes. And other places where a low thrum had me wanting to crawl on his lap and ease my ache.
But, maybe, he was afraid of taking advantage of me. Or he had a recent break up with one of his many high school sweethearts and he wasn’t ready to make a move on me. Or…he wasn’t as single as he’d claimed to be.
That was probably it. I knew it sounded insane, and I might not admit it out loud, but I’d really started to believe Caleb might be the one. And if I could think that, after watching my parents’marriage fall apart right before my eyes, then I knew I wasn’t imagining the vibes arcing between Caleb and me.
I stared out at the snow again, a small shard of doubt wiggling its way into my heart. Could I live up here? I mean, I could do my job anywhere. And it wasn’t as if I were leaving much behind, anyway.
“Get it together,” I snapped at myself, shaking my head.
“What’s that?” Caleb asked, returning just as I started talking to myself.
“Oh, nothing,” I said, feeling my cheeks flush as I accepted the mug he held toward me. “Just thinking out loud.”
“Anything good?” he teased.
I noticed when he sat again, he was a little farther away than he’d been before.
“Did I do something to upset you?” I asked, turning to face him fully.
“No!” he insisted, his brow furrowing. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” I said, blowing out a sigh. “I thought…before… I just…” I shook my head. “Nothing.”
“Well, thank you for clearing that up.” He chuckled softly, shaking his head. “So, I was going to head over to my parents’ house in a little while.”
“Okay.” I shrugged, trying not to look as crestfallen as I felt. “I’m sure I can keep myself occupied. Do they have cable up here?”
I shouldn’t be too upset. Afterall, I’d come up here specifically to spend Christmas alone. I should have realized he already had plans. Of course, he did. For most people, Christmas was for family.
