Page 32 of Once Upon a Winter
Laura threw up her hands. “Well, there you have it. I have officially lost my mind.” She was on her way to the kitchen for more coffee when a knock rattled her front door. Her heart thumped as she walked over and opened it.
“Cooper!”
Although she hadn’t been expecting him, the real surprise was the cardboard carrier of two coffees in one hand and the box of doughnuts in the other. “You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?”
“No, but—”
“Good. I had a sudden craving for doughnuts from the bakery in town, and I hate to eat sugary baked goods alone.”
Coffee and doughnuts?
Cooper’s eyebrows went together. “Is this a bad time?”
Realizing she was frowning, Laura brightened her expression and stepped aside, inviting him in. “No. Not at all. In fact, your timing is perfect.”Just perfect.
On his way to the kitchen, he asked, “Plain glazed okay?”
Laura said softly, “Yeah. That’s exactly what I asked for.”
He tilted his head and peered at her. “Excuse me?”
Laura blinked, glancing between Cooper and the snow globe sitting innocently on her mantel. Still reluctant to believe it, she struggled to get out the words. “I just asked the snow globe to bring me coffee and plain glazed doughnuts, and then you showed up.”
Cooper narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance. “Yeah, but how many times have I brought coffee and doughnuts while I worked on your house?”
“But you’ve finished the house.”
“Yes, but now I’m working on you.” His eyes sparkled. “Have I charmed you into finding me irresistible yet?”
Laura knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but she couldn’t let it go. “Yes, but for all the wrong reasons.” Her stomach knotted at the thought that Cooper’s affection might not be real, simply a product of the globe’s enchantment.No. I refuse to accept that. What I feel for Cooper is real.She was sure it was real on her part, but she couldn’t vouch for Cooper.
Cooper grinned. “All I heard was yes.” He sat down and opened the doughnut box. “I think the main issue here is that you, lovely lady, are suffering from acute sugar deprivation.”
Laura attempted a smile.
“Fortunately, I have brought you the cure. Come on. Eat your doughnut.” He lifted one from the box and set it on a napkin beside Laura’s coffee.
Cooper finished his doughnut and leaned back. “Do you know what you need?”
“Another doughnut?” Laura tried to play along, but it wasn’t easy. The snow globe had really outdone itself that time. Suddenly aware that Cooper was eyeing her strangely, she picked up a doughnut.
Cooper leaned forward. “You’ve spent too much time inside. What you need is some fresh air and a healthy dose of our signature Mistletoe Christmas.”
He might have a point. After all, that’s why I moved here.She forced a pleasant expression. “It must be the paint fumes getting to me. Are you sure that the stuff you used didn’t have lead in it?”
“Pretty sure. I mean, they haven’t sold lead paint in decades. Although there might be some old stuff on your walls. You haven’t been nibbling on the baseboards, have you?”
“Not lately.” She grinned.
“That’s good.” Cooper took a bite of his second doughnut. “So, about today. Are you busy?”
“No. My day opened up once I canceled my paint-chip-eating binge fest.”
“That’s what I was hoping, because it’s not the Christmas season until you’ve been to the Mistletoe Christmas Market.”
Feeling guilty, Laura confessed, “Actually, I have gone a couple of times.”
Cooper dismissed what she’d said with a smirk. “Not with me.”
