Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 145731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
She has me there. I make time for my friends, for my StairMaster, for face masks, for creating Christmas music playlists, for reading, for notebook shopping. “Yes,” I admit.
“If this guy’s so great, why aren’t you making time to date him?”
My stomach twists as I pass the Mistletoe Emporium where I check out the carved ornaments and handmade decor in the window, made by local artists, the sign says. It makes me think of that time at the Christmas tree farm with Rowan—when we talked about why we loved small towns and local businesses.
That’s it! He’s why I’m busy, of course. “I need to focus on Rowan while I’m here. My job is to find him a date,” I say in my best businesslike tone as I resume my pace, navigating my way through the throngs of Christmas shoppers on Main Street.
“Right. Sure.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“No. I think you’re feeling this way because you’re interested in your client.”
I nearly walk into a garland-wrapped streetlamp.
I mean, I know that. But it’s another thing to hear someone else say it—especially when Mabel wasn’t even there when I recounted the kiss for Sabrina and Leighton at the kitten adoption event. “Why do you say that?”
“Because of the way you looked at him when he walked into your cookie swap,” Mabel answers.
She picked up on the attraction from that? “Fine, fine,” I concede. “Maybe my eyes were a little glued to him.”
“Oh, you eye-fucked him, friend. You eye-fucked him hard,” she says.
“Mabel!”
“Stop acting innocent. You know what you did.”
I sigh, annoyed, but mostly because I can’t deny she’s right. “Fine. But he’s hot. Do you blame me?”
“Of course not. Also, Sabrina and Leighton told me he kissed you under the mistletoe. It was like church tongue, they said.”
“Mabel! Why didn’t you just tell me you knew that then?”
She cracks up. “Because it was too fun to make you second-guess your ogling. But seriously—ogling plus church tongue equals hot for client.”
I grimace. This is bad. So bad. “But I can’t. It’s such a terrible idea. For so many reasons.” I glance around, making sure no one’s in earshot, then duck down a side street, away from the crowd, pressing the phone even closer to my ear and covering my mouth with my hand. “It would look bad. The matchmaker falling for a client. Let alone one who’s completely emotionally unavailable.”
“But if he’s emotionally unavailable, nothing’s actually going to happen,” she reasons. “So what you’re worried about is public perception. And if he’s not emotionally available, you’re not actually going to date him for real, let alone fall for him. Right?”
“Exactly. Especially since he’s Jason’s client. He’s been with Jason for over ten years. They’re best friends. I don’t want things to be weird. For anyone.”
She’s quiet for a few seconds. “You sound like you’re trying to convince me.”
I wince. That means I’m probably trying to convince myself. I take a steadying breath. “I’m just saying there are lots of reasons why nothing can happen. No messing around. We’re merely practice-dating. We have a lesson tonight in fact.”
“That doesn’t sound tempting at all,” she deadpans.
“I am a dating coach!”
“To clients you crush on?”
My stomach swirls with nerves. “Shoot. What do I do?”
“First, let me ask you a question—is it maybe a little more than a crush?”
I pause, giving her question the attention it deserves. Rowan’s gorgeous—heartbreakingly so. He’s an amazing father. He’s a caring man. He’s grumpy, and prickly, and difficult, yet he’s let me see what’s underneath that grouchy exterior. I feel like I understand him more than I did before. I understand him, too, as someone who’s also been hurt by love.
But this crush is going nowhere. Rowan’s made his feelings clear. “Nothing’s going to come of it. So it really doesn’t matter.”
“That may be true, but at least we know now why you’re not interested in this very eligible bachelor,” she says.
Her words are a gut punch. She’s right…on every account. Even though he’d be a fantastic addition to my roster, I’m not interested in Oliver for me.
“Yeah. I suppose we do know,” I say, admitting that much to Mabel. “And I’ll let my mother know later today.”
“Good plan,” she says, but I don’t feel entirely relieved. There’s still that little matter of this inappropriate crush on my client, who’s also my brother’s friend. There aren’t enough notebooks in Evergreen Falls—and this town has a banging stationery shop—for me to make sense of this conundrum.
Maybe some things just don’t make sense.
For now, I say goodbye to my friend and head straight for the bakery, where I have a mission: the Christmas competition.
As I near the shop, I’m grateful for the distraction this event will bring. Maybe I won’t think about Rowan too much. Or these dating lessons that start tonight. Back at the Ferry Building, I asked him to be real. Authentic. We’ll go on a simple date then. That would be for the best. Just a meal, some conversation, and a chat about hopes and dreams. There.