Page 30 of The Christmas Lodge
Lacy was too tired emotionally to argue. She gave him a wan smile and thanked him, then noticed that Louise was eying her a little askance.
“Was the food not to your liking?”
Lacy blinked, confused, but then she realized she had left the majority of her food on her plates. “No, Louise, everything was beyond delicious. I guess my eyes were bigger than my stomach today,” she joked lamely, hoping Louise would buy it.
“A tiny little thing like you, it’s no wonder,” Louise responded, clearly appeased. “Let me get you a box for your leftovers.”
When they were alone again, Lacy looked at Derek, who was studying her with worried eyes. For the briefest moment, she considered spilling the tangled mess in her mind to him, but then she quickly pulled back, stunned that the thought would even occur to her. As much as she might like him—and, at this point, she had to admit that shedidlike him—she barely knew him. He had wanted a fun day and she wasn’t about to ruin it by dumping her emotional baggage on him. Louise returned then with a takeout box and wished them a good day. A few moments later, Derek and Lacy were pulling on their coats and gloves to leave Frosty’s Shack.
“I didn’t want to say anything with Louise around,” Derek said as the door of the restaurant closed behind them, “but I feel like I need to apologize.”
Lacy wrinkled her brow. “For what? You didn’t do anything.”
Derek stuffed his hands into the pockets of his heavy winter coat, his auburn hair rustling in the cold breeze. “I think I spoke out of turn in there and put a damper on things… I hope I didn’t ruin our fun day by talking about Nicholas. It’s clearly a sensitive subject for you, and I should have respected that.”
Lacy shook her head, mentally pushing away all of the things that had arisen during their lunch and locking them firmly away for the moment. She smiled up at him. “Not at all. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She pulled in a breath, but kept her smile in place. “I was just… trying to reconcile the man I thought I knew with the one you described to me.” She shrugged. “Maybe I should’ve made an effort to get to know him while I still had the chance,” she said, her voice softer now.
Derek took a small step closer, his eyes gentle. “If it’s any comfort, I think you would’ve gotten along very well with Nicholas. And I can tell you one thing, for certain—he would have loved you.”
Lacy blinked by sudden, unexpected tears and mustered up a watery smile, touched by his words. “Thanks.” She blinked back the tears and tried to make a joke. “You have to say that because you just paid for my food, which I think makes this a date, and I know by now your mother raised you to be a gentleman.”
To her surprise, Derek frowned, his eyes becoming more intense as they stared down into hers. The electric undercurrent between them began to buzz and snap once more.
“Lacy,” he said, his voice lower and a little exasperated. “Do you have any idea how incredible you are?”
She froze, unable to shrug his words off with a joke, not when his gaze was boring into her and his words rang with sincerity.
“I knew and loved Nicholas, and I’d like to think I’m starting to know you too,” he continued. “I meant what I said before. He would have loved you, and…” He paused, hesitating. “And even if it’s not my place to say it, I will. You would have been his whole world. I know it.”
Lacy wasn’t accustomed to feeling vulnerable in front of other people, but Derek had managed to bring that side out of her more than once by now. She stood before him, feeling laid bare, but she was surprised to find that it didn’t feel threatening. Instead, she felt… seen.
The space between them seemed to evaporate, though neither had moved an inch. The cold, the street around them, all of it faded away, leaving just the two of them standing there. His eyes drifted from hers to her lips and then back again, and she wondered with bated breath.
Is he going to kiss me?She stood still, rooted to the spot.Do I want him to? This is technically a date, but maybe he doesn’t see it that way. Maybe he just sees me as an acquaintance.
Her thoughts raced at dizzying speed, matching her heart beat, which had begun to thump at a pace she wasn’t quite sure was healthy.
Before she could decide what she hoped would happen, Derek gave a tiny nod, almost to himself, and took a step back. The tension between them simmered down enough for her to catch her breath. Derek gave her an easy smile, seemingly unaffected by their moment, and she wondered for a brief second if she had imagined it all.
“I hope you had fun today. I know you weren’t into the idea of dogsledding at first.”
Lacy smiled back. “I really did have fun today. Thanks for taking me out on the trails.”
“Any time, seriously. Once you’ve gone dogsledding once, you’re hooked.”
“I can see how that happens,” Lacy said with a light laugh. “You know, I wasn’t sure about coming to Snowy Pine Ridge in the first place, either, but I’m glad I did.”
Derek’s mouth quirked up in a lopsided grin. “This town has a way of sneaking up on you, that’s for sure.”
“I’m starting to realize that.”
“I’m glad you made the leap, though,” Derek said then, his gaze holding hers with that same intensity from before for the whisper of a heartbeat. “Snowy Pine Ridge wouldn’t be the same without you.”
The butterflies Derek always seemed to be sending into flight erupted in her stomach once more at those words. Hoping she looked calm and nonchalant, she gave him a little wave and thanked him again for a fun day before turning and heading down the street. As she walked toward the inn, she thought she could feel his gaze on her back. At the corner of the street, she dared to turn slightly to take a peek, and saw that he hadn’t moved from his spot. Giving him one last wave, those butterflies flapping with all their might, she turned down the street and Frosty’s Shack, and Derek with it, disappeared from sight.
* * *
The thought of returning to work on the house that afternoon held zero appeal for Lacy. When she got back to The Snowy Pine and safely into her bedroom, she undressed. Rather than pulling on her coveralls, she decided on a whim to draw a bath. In the quaint bathroom with its claw-foot tub and lacy curtains, she got the bath going, pouring in some of the complimentary Epsom salts sitting on the wooden tray that also held bubble bath, a candle, and a soap carved into the shape of a flower.
