Page 12 of By Candlelight

Drew stood at the counter, scooping scrambled eggs onto each of our plates. A tray of crispy bacon sat on the stove and next to it, a pile of pancakes so tall, it could have fed a football team. A bowl of orange smiles sat on the small table on the side of the room. And steaming hot coffee was already poured into a mug.

“I don’t know how you take it,” Drew said, looking over his shoulder. “Your coffee, I mean.”

I couldn’t respond, I just stared at him. Finally he turned, handing me a plate and waving at the stove.

“Help yourself.”

“I can’t believe you made all of this. I mean…you didn’t have to.”

“I know. But if you don’t want it, don’t feel obligated to eat it. You’re probably too nice to turn it down.”

“No, I want it.” I was practically salivating, but that caught me off-guard. I took the plate and began helping myself to the pancakes and bacon. “You think I’m too nice, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

I laughed. “Wow you didn’t even pause to consider,” I said, loading a third, no fourth, piece of bacon onto my plate and sitting down at the table.

Drew took his share and then joined me, shrugging before he spoke.

“I think everyone is too nice. But yeah, you especially.”

I laughed at that.

“It’s not my business and I don’t even know you. So take it with a grain of salt.”

“No, you’re right. I am too nice. And I usually like it that way.” I took a bite of bacon and swirled my spoon in my coffee, considering whether to even bring this up. What the heck. We were stuck here for the time being. Might as well get to know each other a bit.

“I guess I’ve always thought, why be mean, when you can be nice and make someone’s day better? Or at least not make it worse. But I recently discovered I am way too nice to people who don’t deserve it. And way too trusting, apparently.”

Drew looked up from his plate with a snarl. “Someone treat you badly?” His voice was steady but it seemed dangerously so. Like he was keeping himself carefully under control. It made me shiver. I covered it up with a shrug.

“My ex. Well, I thought we were together, but I guess it was all fake. He was just using me. I was much too nice to him.”

Did Drew just growl or did I imagine it? At this point, I’d believe either option. But he didn’t say anything, so I kept my mouth shut too. An enormously difficult task for someone as talkative as I was. Luckily the food was amazing and I distracted my mouth by shoveling in bite after bite. But Drew finished his plate all too quickly and got up from the table.

“I’m gonna go get some wood for the fire.”

“We don’t have a fire.”

“The fireplace in the living room. I’ll build a fire. If this storm gets as bad as they’re saying, we might need it.” With that, he stomped off to the other room to put on his boots. But my mind was racing. I had enjoyed the snow, but I really didn’t stop to think about the storm getting any worse. Should I be worried? Probably. Instead, my thoughts were consumed by Drew going out to chop some wood so he could build us a fire.

What planet had I landed on? The only thing my exes ever did for me was make a dinner reservation. And most of the time, I paid for it.

I heard Drew open the front door and then slam it closed behind him. This was a good time to remind myself that he was not my boyfriend, or even a date. He was a stranger I was temporarily staying with. But my body didn’t seem to care. As I got up from the table to go spy on him outside, I felt a jolt of electricity pulse through my veins. Gosh, he was hot.

And I was in big trouble.

nine

DREW

“We need a Christmas tree.”Mia’s voice called from the kitchen as she made dinner later that night. We’d spent the day sticking mostly to ourselves, but one thing that didn’t escape me was Mia’s love of Christmas.

“We’re snowed in.”

“So? There has to be some way we can make one.

“Seems like a lot of work for little payoff.”

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