Page 14 of Christmas in Kentbury

Buddy, you don’t know shit.

“What’s with you Harrises? Of course, I do. I’ve known you guys since we were kids.”

I guess there’s that. He knows me as well as he does my brothers. I’m just one of the guys. A part of the bunch. His bud.

“Let me put this in the freezer and wash my hands,” he says. “Where’s Bob?”

“At Dad’s, Cassie convinced Dad to take him with them. She needs a pet,” I say casually. Hopefully, he’ll get her a dog this Christmas.

She’s been begging for one since she was six. I’d buy her one, but Landon insists they’re not ready for a dog. He should start by buying a house and moving out of the apartment above his garage.

“You bought a lot of ice cream. I hope you’re going to share some of the peppermint ice cream with me.”

“It’s yours, she just assumed.” I shrug and stop myself from saying that the entire town assumes we’re together and maybe he should do something to clarify our situation. Because even I believe it sometimes.

“By the way, she didn’t charge me.” I bring up the free ice cream before he thanks me for buying it. “She mentioned something about her oil changes.”

“Sometimes I take care of her car or the appliances around the creamery,” he says casually, as if it’s not a big deal.

“You’re a good guy.”

He shrugs. “I just help out my neighbors.”

He pulls out the chair for me. Once I take a seat, he sets a napkin on my lap.

“Next time, I promise to cook.”

“Cassie’s with my dad, you could go to the resort and find yourself a hot date,” I suggest as he pours the wine.

“I prefer to be here,with you.” His low voice resonates inside my chest, and my heart flutters.

Oh, how I wish that were true, and he wanted to be withme. Not with his friend Lee.

“Are you going to tell me what happened?” he asks.

He’s seriously not letting it go, is he?

“It’s been a busy day. Bishop, Damian, and I were discussing the business.”

“Is everything okay?” He narrows his gaze. “Is he planning on selling any acres or a part of the farm?”

“No.” I choke on the wine. “He wouldn’t dare. Do you know he’s toying with the possibility of buying the vineyard next door?”

“That’d be an interesting acquisition.” He nods a couple of times. “Holden would entertain the idea.”

Landon’s lost in thought while we eat. After a couple of minutes, he shakes his head and says, “Sorry, I shouldn’t be thinking about the vineyard. I’ll worry about it some other day.”

“That sounds so unlike you, anything you’d like to share?”

“Not really,” he says, brushing away the conversation. “Why don’t you tell me what happened today? I saw a large group at the B&B when I went by.”

We talk about my day and the guests who I spent most of the day with. I tell him all about Gloria, how laid back she is, unlike her mother and future mother-in-law. They came with her, along with her sisters and the bridesmaids. The groom was awesome. He participated, and yet, he stayed out of the way. When the mothers became overwhelming, he stopped them politely. I liked the couple. I’m sure they’ll make it in the long run.

“It’s going to be a great wedding,” I continue, excited by the prospect. “They signed the contract and gave us the initial deposit.” I explain how Bethany’s going to set the venue and how the B&B is going to play into the equation.

We have the B&B booked, and they reserved twenty rooms at the resort. They might block out more rooms as the RSVPs start arriving next July.

“Bethany’s a great asset,” he agrees with me. “We just need to keep her away from Damian.”

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