Page 6 of Let it Snow
Lucy ignored his remark, though when she gestured to the coatrack in the corner and guided Max there, she made certain to step on Brent’s foot along the way.“Why don’t you hang up your coat, and we’ll get you checked in quickly.Then we can head into the kitchen where I can fix up a spot of tea to warm you up.”
“Well, that’s my cue.It was nice to meet you, Max.I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Miss Shaw.”After shaking Max’s hand, he waggled his eyebrows at Lucy before departing from the house.
Lucy groaned at her friend’s interference, but hid it under a smile as she took Max through the check-in process, mentally scrolling her first name along with his last name for a moment in her imaginary diary.Mrs.Lucy Harris had a nice ring to it.Snapping out of her romantic fantasy, she called herself ten kinds of ridiculous and steered Max through the family room and back into the kitchen once he was officially a guest of the Blackthorn Inn.Normally, guests would be relegated to the dining room, but as they were the only two here, she figured she could make an exception.There was also the feeling that Max was more than a guest, but she tried not to put too much stock in that since he would most likely be gone in the morning.
“You can have a seat at the island.I’ll get the kettle on,” she said.
As he passed by her, Lucy caught a whiff of his spicy citrus scent.It reminded her of mulled or spiced cider.Almost immediately she found the smell comforting her, and she wanted to wrap herself up in the aroma forever.“Thank you,” Max said, bringing her out of her thoughts.Lucy watched as he cupped his hands, and she tried not to focus too hard on how large and capable they looked as he blew into them to warm them up.“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a proper cup of tea.”
Lucy peeked at him over her shoulder, wincing internally as her chin brushed against the fleece of her pajamas and she realized she wasn’t properly dressed for company.Why couldn’t she have answered the door in anything other than her thick, blue fuzzy pajamas that were covered in little cartoon sheep?Between that and her twin braids, she probably looked like a child.Trying to push aside her shame at looking like the twelve-year-old version of herself, she filled the kettle with water and grabbed the box of tea bags and cups from the cupboard.
“Have you not been in England for a while, or are you just crap at making your own tea?”she asked, surprised at how comfortable she felt teasing the man who was technically a stranger.As she thought the word, Lucy realized that even though they’d known each other a mere moment, there was something about Max that was achingly familiar, and she smiled at the first wistful thought she’d had in months.
Max chuckled lightly and smiled, distracting her from her thoughts.His eyes crinkled in the corners as the Cheshire grin spread across his face.Lucy did her level best not to quiver at the mischief she saw in his expression.“I do alright as far as prepping tea goes, but it’s more because I’ve been living in America for the last five years and France for about a decade before that.”He nodded his head at the box of PG Tips that sat on the counter in front of him.“This is my favorite brand and I couldn’t find it in the states.”
Being able to provide him with something he had gone so long without had Lucy feeling warm all over.She was a giver, but there was something special about being able to give something to him.“Well, I’m glad some good can come from your trip to Upper Middlewood,” she told him with a smile as she removed two bags and placed each one in a cup.
“Is that where I am?”he asked with a light laugh.“In all the craziness of the train stopping, the ride share, and finding a place to stay, I guess I forgot to look for a town sign.Though I doubt I would see it in all this mess.”
Lucy peered out the window and shook her head at what looked like a blizzard outside.“The storm of the century is what they’re calling it.”The kettle sounded and she grabbed it off the hob, pouring some of the hot liquid into each cup.“You picked a fine time to travel.In all fairness to you though, even I had my doubts about it coming down this hard.”
She grabbed the milk bottle from the fridge and placed it in front of him, smiling when he added a splash of milk to his cup before offering to do the same for her.At her nod, he put in just the right amount, then lifted the cup to his mouth and blew the steam off the top.He started to talk, but Lucy was so busy staring at his full pink lips she didn’t hear him at first.
“What was that?”she asked, blushing when he smirked over at her.Apparently, her ogling was more obvious than she’d thought it was.
“I didn’t really check the weather before I booked my flight.I guess in all the excitement of my visit it slipped my mind.”He took a sip from his mug, closing his eyes as he seemed to savor the flavor and warmth of the liquid.When they opened again, the jade orbs peered over at her, happiness lighting them up.“This is amazing.Thank you, Miss Shaw.”
“You’re welcome, and you can call me Lucy.”Max took another sip of his tea, and Lucy did the same lest she spend the whole time staring at the man.They sat in companionable silence while drinking their tea, sneaking glances at one another over their cups.After a few moments passed and they were finished, she gathered their cups and placed them in the sink.“Are you ready for me to take you to bed?”At Max’s raised eyebrow, Lucy’s words registered with her and her eyes widened in response.With her tongue suddenly thick and her throat dry with thoughts of taking Max to her bed, she started to stutter.“I, of course, I meant take you to your room.”No doubt her cheeks could light the way for Santa through the blizzard outside with how red they were.
Max smirked and rose from his stool.“I know what you meant, Lucy.”Hearing her name in his low voice was doing things to her, things that hadn’t happened in a long time, if ever.Her whole body wanted to melt into a puddle, or better yet, it wanted to melt into him and stay there for as long as possible.But that would be totally inappropriate.“I’d love to see my room.”
“Great,” she squeaked out.Turning, she slipped through the kitchen door and made her way back to the front hall.When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Max following closely behind her, the grin on his face looking very much like the cat that got the cream.Lucy wasn’t sure what that look was about, but she would save her wondering for later when she was alone in bed and not while she was supposed to be running her business like a professional.
After he grabbed his large leather duffle, Max followed her up the stairs to the guest room that was nearest to her own.She justified the placement with needing to be close by should he need anything, but she knew deep down it was because she was drawn to the man and wanted to keep him as close to her as possible.He would only be there for the night, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t fantasize about sneaking into his bedroom and kissing the smirk right off his face or dream about another life where he wouldn’t be just an overnight guest.
Lucy opened the door to the room, flicked on the overhead chandelier, and ushered Max inside.“There’s a fireplace should you need the extra warmth, but we have central heating so I’m not sure it will be necessary.”She pointed out the doorway and down the hall.“The bathroom is to the right and is stocked with fresh towels and toiletries.There’re even a few spare toothbrushes under the sink should you need one.”
Max dropped his bag on the floor and did a slow walk around the room, nodding his head in an approving manner as he did.“This is lovely.Thank you, Lucy.”
“You’re welcome, Max.”She blushed as she spoke his name and ducked her head to try and hide it.If the ever-present smirk on Max’s face was any indication, she had not been successful.“If you need anything, I’m just next door.”
Max nodded and stepped closer to her.“Sweet dreams.”
Lucy closed her eyes momentarily and imagined they were lying next to each other in bed as they said this.When she opened them, she saw a dreamy expression on Max’s face and wondered if he was having similar thoughts.“You as well.”Her voice wavered slightly and she found herself wanting to lean into him, but before she could make a fool of herself, she stepped back and out the door.“Breakfast will be served anytime you’re ready for it.”
With that, she left, shutting the door behind her to give him privacy and also to keep herself from running back inside and planting her lips on his.As she walked to her room, she thought about Max.Lucy had never reacted this strongly to anyone, and while she could brush it off as her loneliness and grief causing her to feel things that might not be there, she knew better.There was something about the man in the next room that called to her.Too bad he wouldn’t be around long enough for her to figure out what it was.
