Page 34 of Love, Lies and Sleigh Rides
Kade narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think that’s a thing.”
“Hypothetically speaking.”
“Not a problem,” he said nonchalantly.
He was cooler than she gave him credit for or else he was a good liar.
“What if you were strapped to a gurney and someone dumped a bucket of wolf spiders, snakes, cockroaches—pick your worst nightmare—on your stomach?”
“I love all animals,” he said, failing to hold back a laugh this time. “These questions are giving me great insight intoyourweaknesses. Go on. This is fun.”
Kade’s smile sure twisted her insides into knots.
“What if you had to wear a tux and attend the festival’s sponsor dinner at Blueberry Point Lodge with me on the nineteenth?”
The words tumbled out before she could stop them. She almost clamped a hand over her mouth but tucked them both underneath her legs instead.
Kade blinked.
Should she laugh, play it off as a joke? Surely that would work since they’d been slinging banter back and forth.
But the fact that Kade wasn’t in a hurry to answer told Fallon more than she needed to know.
ChapterTwelve
Amidst the lunch-hour buzz in Two Tree Coffee, Kade only heard one voice—Fallon’s.
What if you had to wear a tux and attend the festival’s sponsor dinner at Blueberry Point Lodge with me on the nineteenth?she’d asked.
At first he thought he hadn’t heard her correctly. Maybe the background chatter had distorted her words. Her soft voice didn’t carry well. But as she looked at him expectantly, her face growing increasingly pink, it became clear. He knew very well what she’d asked him.
Was it part of the joke or was she serious?
Kade clenched his jaw, weighing a response.
“I got you,” Fallon crowed before he could speak. She giggled. “You’re actuallyspeechless.”
He chuckled too, stretching his arms above his head to relieve the tension. Fallon eyed the front of his coat, which he’d unzipped, revealing the flannel shirt underneath, before she caught herself, and diverted her attention to the drink on the table. She gave it a little stir, took a sip, smoothed her hair down before she looked back, and gave him a prim smile.
“That you did. You win.” A sliver of disappointmentclutched at his stomach. So her proposal had been part of the joke.
“Music to my ears,” she said lightly. She paused, closing her laptop, and pushed it aside. “Listen, I meant to call you, actually.”
“Oh?”
Fallon grimaced. “I think I left a little too abruptly the other morning. You seemed…upset. Did I say something to…upset you?”
His mind raced trying to formulate a reason why he’d been feeling surly that morning. He’d expected Fallon to stay at the house at least through the day. Instead, she’d dashed to the inn as soon as she heard of an opening. Like she couldn’t wait to leave. That was what he got for pinning his hopes on a few conversations over the forty-eight hours she’d been a guest. Kade felt they were getting to know each other. Under the same roof as his parents, yes, but it felt comfortable, not forced. He obviously misinterpreted Fallon’s relaxed demeanor in the study the night before. Opening up to him about her grandfather and the tree tradition cracked her tough facade. But in reality, Fallon had been counting down the minutes to escape.
“No.” He smoothed his jeans over his thighs, not wanting to meet her eyes. “I’m not the cheeriest guy in the morning. I’m sorry for giving you that impression.”
She nodded while sizing him up. “I understand.”
He stopped fidgeting. “The reason I came here this morning was because I have something outside for you.”
Fallon glanced to the front window of the cafe. It was snowing again. A sliver of lake was visible on clear days. Now the green awnings of the library were barely visible across the street. Her brow crinkled as she slid her laptop across the table to put it away. Her grin this time was wide and bright, not the demure version he’d seen earlier. She slipped on her coat and followed him outside.
They walked out into the winter wonderland on Main Street. The city employees still worked on wrapping the light poles with red and white rope lighting. When finished, the town’s main thoroughfare looked like giant candy canes lit the way from Little Pine Road all the way past the market, five blocks in all. The crew was two weeks behind schedule. They’d been working like mad in between storms.
