Page 19 of Maybe This Christmas
“Good,” Brandon said.“Sabrina packed a duffle for you and left it in one of the staff rooms upstairs.”
Caleb could have remarked about the invasion of privacy caused by his younger sister rifling through his underwear drawer, but he let the moment slide.
Mainly because his attention was drawn elsewhere.Emma Dale slipped through the crowd, towards the bar.She wore a buffalo plaid jacket and a white hat that sat back on her head.How was she adorable and sexy all at once?
“Hmm,” Sabrina muttered to herself.“Look who’s showing up to lunch minus one annoying fiancé.”
“Okay, biddie-in-training,” Caleb snapped.It was unlikely that Emma’s stay would be very long—if she was truly alone.
Emma approached them.
“Hello, Miss Dale,” Brandon said.“Are you ready to learn about Appalachian Christmas traditions?”
“The chef has also cooked up an amazing meal,” Caleb said.
Emma’s gaze turned toward his.Her cheeks were stained pink, probably due to the sub-freezing temperatures outside.A smile reached her eyes.“Yes.I’m starving, so I’m probably more excited for lunch right now.”
Caleb cleared his throat.“Can I take your coat?”
He stepped behind her before she could answer.She drew her long brown hair to one side as his hands hovered above her shoulders.He tugged the fabric away and down her arms.A wave of static electricity skittered down her sweater as he moved to hang up the coat.
“Oh, where’s a dryer sheet when you need one?”Emma joked as she rubbed her hands down her hair.
Caleb found the perfect place for her coat on the rack.
And an opportunity to fix his face.By the time he’d turned around, the speaker had approached the microphone.Brandon and Sabrina moved forward to show Emma to her seat.
The moment was gone.
* * * *
She was the only singleton at lunch.It was hard not to feel like a loser.Most of the surrounding tables consisted of elderly couples, with the occasional family.They’d even placed her in a booth in the back corner.
Or maybe that was just her being overly sensitive.After all, the Blakes had been nothing but welcoming.And the sexy lumberjack…
Caleb.That was his name.The static electricity at his touch had been a product of the dry air, but she couldn’t deny the internal electricity that tingled throughout her body as his fingers had draped down her arms.
It was horrible to say—but she hadn’t felt like that in ages.So much so that she’d wondered if she was, at best, complacent or, at worst, just not attracted to Davis anymore.It wasn’t as though she tended to find random men attractive.People blurred together for her for the most part.
Somehow, Caleb stood out.
She knew she should be mourning the end of her three-year relationship.It felt like she’d been doing that since Davis had placed the ring on her finger.Besides, it wasn’t as if she was jumping into a new relationship or anything.She had a crush on a guy.The kind of silly butterflies in her stomach that usually died before they led to anything serious.
She wouldn’t feel guilty about how she felt.
After the presentation concluded, she gazed around the room.A few guests had cornered the presenter in conversation, and most of the others had left.
Caleb stood at the rear of the room, tapping away on a tablet.He looked as out of place as she did.Somehow, he didn’t strike her as the holly jolly Christmas type.
He looked up and caught her staring.She quickly jolted from her seat, so fast that it sent an empty glass tumbling to the ground.She groaned as she captured the crowd’s attention.
She righted the cup and pulled on her jacket.Her stomach erupted into a flurry of butterflies as he approached.
Again.
But like the coward she was, she sidestepped the group and made a beeline for the side exit.
She’d had enough excitement for one day.
