Page 105 of A Very Merry Enemy
“No. But that’s exactly why we need space.”
“Yeah, we’re not astronauts, Lucas.”
I chuckle, reaching over and taking her hand because I need her to understand this. “Look at me. You’ve spent over a decade with a man who controlled every aspect of your life. You need time to figure out who you are and what you want, without someone else constantly around.”
“I want you in my orbit.”
“But you still need to figure out what Holiday wants without someone else influencing you.” I squeeze her hand. “That includes me. I don’t want you waking up in three months, realizing you rushed into something you weren’t ready for again.” Silence draws on. “I can’t be yours for only a season again. Do you understand?” I study her, memorizing the twinkle in her eyes.
“Okay.” She glances down at our joined hands, then sighs.
“We both need to think this through. Right now, we can walk away, stay friends, and move on with our lives. If we cross any more lines, that will be a lot harder,” I say. “I’m protecting us because you, while I adore it, are often like ‘consequences be damned.’”
She pulls her hand away from me and tucks her hair behind her ears. “Are you having doubts?”
“I’m taking everything into account,” I admit. “One day at a time.”
“I can respect that,” she says.
We both turn and look out at Merryville. “I could use some of Mawmaw’s eggnog right now.”
“Great idea for next time.” I chuckle, and she nods.
“Will you be at Jake and Claire’s wedding on Saturday?” I ask, realizing we haven’t discussed it yet.
“I’ll be there. Your brother invited me last week. Already RSVP’d with a plus-one,” she says.
My jaw tightens. “I think the fuck not.”
Her eyes light up with mischief. “I’m just messing with you.”
“You’re evil.” I shake my head.
She gives me a look that’s pure challenge. “I’ll be there—alone—trying not to stare at you.”
A smirk touches my lips. “There will be a lot of people there. It’s probably best if we keep things platonic. Last thing we need is more rumors spreading around, you know?”
She tilts her head. “Morerumors?”
“Yeah, so about that,” I say, pulling my phone from my pocket and opening the browser window. “There are pictures of us on the internet.”
Holiday’s eyes widen as she scrolls through the articles written about me and her with pictures of my arm around her at the community center. There are other pictures someone took of us inside the bakery, standing close and flirty. There are a few pictures that someone plucked from my social media when we were teenagers.
I watch the color drain from her face.
“‘Anonymous source claims Holiday Patterson and Lucas Jolly had a secret romance before she left for culinary school,’” she reads aloud and gasps. “‘What will Dominic do to win back his ex-fiancée?’” She scrolls further. “‘Lumberjack hottie wants to put a bun in Holiday Patterson’s oven.’” Her mouth falls open. “Oh my goodness. This is a nightmare!”
She drops my phone.
“Hey, it doesn’t matter. But this is pressure we didn’t sign up for or need.”
“After the contest, when Dominic returns to Paris without me, everyone will leave me alone,” she promises. “I’m so sorry. I-I?—”
“Not your fault, HoHo. Just be aware that we’re being watched and talked about. The farm isn’t safe. I want this to die down,” I admit. “Emma had a lot of PR training in her influencer days, and she suggested we don’t feed the beast. Don’t give people anything to talk about, and they’ll get bored.”
Holiday leans her head back and closes her eyes. “I hate that he’s coming here and bringing this mess with him.”
“I do, too,” I admit.
