Page 33 of Love, Lies and Sleigh Rides
“I would never.” His grin broadened.
Her sweater suddenly felt like a parka and she was standing on a Florida beach in August. “The candy cane-coated stir stick is pushing it. Can you sit down for a while?”
Kade’s mood seemed lighter than it had been the other day when she left his parents’ house for the inn.
He didn’t hesitate pushing away from the counter to follow Fallon back to her table. “You bet.”
Fallon sank back into the couch while Kade pulled up a wingback chair. He lifted his feet to rest on the rustic oak coffee table and watched her pull the stir stick out of the drink and use it to spoon whipped cream into her mouth.
“Thank you,” she said when she put it down on the table. “That was a nice surprise.”
“You’re welcome.”
Kade motioned to his nose then pointed to hers. Her finger came away with a not-so-small dollop of whipped cream. He dug into his coat pocket then set a little white box on the table. “I have something else for you.”
“It’s my lucky day, isn’t it?”
Kade grinned. “Open it.”
She took the lid off to find a little gold tree nestled on a bed of cotton.
“Four dollars at Maisy Day’s. I couldn’t resist.”
Fallon giggled as she took the pin from the box and attached it to her shirt. “Here goes my Scrooge reputation.”
“It’s not exactly your grandfather’s juniper tree,” he said, shrugging. “But now you can say you have a tree, even if it’s a cheap trinket from the general store.”
She couldn’t look at Kade just yet. It wasn’t only for fear of what she might see in his face, but the gift was thoughtful and sweet...too sweet. Getting closer to Kade when her departure from town was days away was not on her agenda.
“How’d you know I was here?”
“I saw the blue car parked out front,” he said, glancing around the cafe. The tables were slowly filling as it neared lunchtime. “Is this your new office?”
Stir craziness aside, Fallon could see herself visiting the cafe on a regular basis if she were local. There was a comfortable desk back at the inn with a picturesque view of the lake. Yet hanging out among people beat working in isolation at the moment. She’d been stranded in town far too long.
“I just needed a change of pace.”
“What, the inn isn’t as luxurious as Chez Behar? You can say it. I won’t tell.”
Fallon laughed. “It’s perfectly fine. At least I don’t feel like I’m imposing—”
He leaned forward all solemn-faced now. “You wereneverimposing.”
Fallon was taken aback a little by the weight of his conviction. “I didn’t mean it like that. But tell me you wouldn’t have felt a little out of your element if you’d been in my shoes.”
“I’m comfortable in all situations.” He leaned back again and crossed his arms.
“Impossible.”
“I’m a highly adaptable human,” he said simply.
Fallon squinted at him. He toyed with her. She suddenly wanted to prove him wrong. Leaning back against the sofa, she studied him for a few moments, trying to come up with unbearable scenarios.
“How about covering for an afternoon in your sister-in-law’s daycare?”
He rolled his eyes. “They’d love me.”
“What if you were chosen team leader of a men’s failed relationship support group? You had to talk about feelings for two hours straight.”
