Page 108 of Holiday Friend Zones
“Wow, these are fantastic!We can hand them out before the sleigh rides.”I beam up at him.“Oh, and Brie and I shifted some booths around, so you’ve got your own spot at the Holly Jolly Festival.”
His grin is quick and boyish, the kind of smile that still makes my stomach flip no matter how many years I’ve known him.“Thanks.I know not everyone’s excited about safety and resource ethics, but if even a couple people learn something, it’s worth it.”He nods toward the banner drooping above us.“Want help?”
“Yes, please.”
Effortlessly, Eli collects the ladder from the snow and positions it under the banner.I plant my boots on the base to steady it while he climbs, giving me a front-row seat to the way his uniform pants fit him far too well.Seriously, universe?I’ve seen this man eat nachos shirtless at two a.m.I’m not supposed to notice… that.
Marissa Berg sidles up next to me, admiring the same view I’m currently stuck on, and whispers, “Is he a new volunteer?”
I jolt.“Oh—uh, no.That’s Eli.He’s just temporarily helping me.”
Marissa sighs dramatically.“Figures.Too bad for us.”She gives me a playful elbow nudge before following Mr.Jensen.
I snap my gaze back up the ladder, cheeks burning.Eli glances down just then, one eyebrow raised.“How far?”He tugs the rope.
I step back.“Uh—just a little higher,” I say quickly.
He adjusts.
“No, wait, lower.”
He gives it some slack.
“Okay, maybe back up just a smidge?—”
He twists around and gives me thelook.The one that says he knows I’m being impossible, and he’s not entirely mad about it.
I grin up at him, pretending innocence.“It’s good.Perfect.”
He ties it off, climbs down, and strolls over to me.“To your satisfaction?”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Good.”His arm slips easily around my shoulders, tugging me close like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
A familiar mix of leather and spice from his cologne wraps around me, and just like that, I forget how to breathe.
“Because I wasn’t getting back on that ladder,” he adds.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, startling me.The screen lights up:Mike - Landlord.My eyebrows pinch together.
“Who is it?”Eli asks, glancing down at me, concern flickering across his face.
“My landlord.”I step out of his hold and answer.“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Lauren?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Mike.I got some bad news.”
TWO
I BroughtJoy
Lauren
My landlord and I aren’t besties, so a phone call from him is one of two things: He’s sold the duplex to move to Mexico to run a parasailing excursion company and become one of those perpetually tan permavacationers, which would mean I’d have to move out.Or he wants my great-grandma’s apple cobbler recipe again.I already told him it’s a family secret, and Grandma Mildred would rise from the grave just to haunt me if I gave it away.When she passed it down to me, she handed me the yellowing recipe card and said, “Only share this if someone from Sara Lee comes knocking.It’s negotiable if the price is right.Otherwise, you take it to the grave.”
