Christmas on Main Street (25 page)

On the other hand, Callie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Why don’t the two of you join us, and you can tell us all about what you have in mind, Seth. For Bridey’s shop, that is.”

Although clearly that wasn’t what she meant at all. The last thing Seth wanted was to be grilled by one of Bridey’s friends on their first not-quite-a-date. Thankfully, Bridey headed her friend off at the pass.

“We don’t want to intrude. Besides, Seth and I will be talking business, which I’m sure you’d find boring.”

That might have been true for Nick, but it was apparent that Bridey’s refusal only heightened her friend’s curiosity. “If you’re sure. Maybe I’ll give you a call tomorrow so we can catch up on things.”

“Sounds good. See you two later.”

Bridey held his hand firmly as they walked over to the booth they’d been aiming for. She took the seat that faced away from her friends while he took the opposite side.

Should he be concerned that Bridey had refused her friend’s invitation? As much as he’d like to think it was because she wanted to have him to herself, it was more likely that she wanted to maintain the image that this was strictly a business meeting.

She answered his unspoken question. “Callie is one of my best friends and I really like Nick, but it’s been a long day. I don’t have the energy to hold up my end of a four-way conversation.”

Her eyes slid to the side briefly before once again looking directly at him. “I’d rather spend the time with just you. I hope that’s okay.”

It was well beyond just okay. “I’m not a big one for talking.”

She smiled at his comment, looking a bit shy. “I’ve noticed, but I like that about you. It’s soothing. Most people don’t appreciate the value of silence.”

“I like being with you, too.”

“That’s good, Seth, considering how much you’ll be doing around my shop for the foreseeable future.”

Before he could figure out what to say to that, she turned her attention to the menu, studying it as if she’d never seen it before. He gave up and scanned his as well.

When the waitress arrived to take their orders, Bridey handed back the menu. “I’ll have the pot roast and iced tea with my dinner. Seth, have you decided?”

“The same.”

As the waitress walked away, he had a small bout of cold feet. What if Bridey chose this moment to grill him about his past? He didn’t want to lie to her, but he wasn’t yet ready to fill her in on all the details about his long dry spell. It was easy to see that she was working herself up to asking him something. He braced himself and waited.

“So, tell me, Seth. Why nutmeg instead of cloves?”

He laughed. “B-because my grandmother was famous in our family for her plum tarts. No one else could duplicate her secret recipe, although they tried. All I know for sure was that she preferred nutmeg to cinnamon, and something gave her tarts a little extra bite.”

Somehow he thought Bridey would understand his grandmother’s stance. He was right.

“I get that. I used to be the pastry chef in an upscale restaurant down in California. Other places were always trying to rip off my recipes.”

She looked pretty fierce there for a second, but then her expression softened, saddened. “There was a time I thought about publishing my own cookbook. That way people would at least pay for the privilege of using my creations.”

“You should still do that.”

“That’s sweet of you to say.” She sighed and toyed with her silverware. “I was never a big enough name, so most likely no one would care enough to buy the book.”

He would bet his last dollar that she was parroting someone else’s opinion on the subject. And that someone had meant so much to her that his words carried enough weight to destroy her dream. Feeling daring all of a sudden, Seth reached over to take her hand in his. He brushed his thumb back and forth across her knuckles. “He was wrong, you know.”

Bridey looked puzzled. “Who was wrong, Seth?”

“Whoever told you not to try. Failure hurts, but it won’t kill you. Not trying at all is what sucks your soul dry. Don’t underestimate yourself, Bridey. You have a real gift for what you do.”

Although she didn’t say so directly, her soft smile proved his comment pleased her. Bridey stared down at their hands for several seconds before looking up. “You’re a nice man, Seth Kyser.”

He laughed again. “G-glad you think so.”

Unsure what more to say, he turned the conversation in another direction. “So what other goodies do you plan to add to the menu for the holiday season?”

Bridey gave him a wide-eyed look. “Why, Mr. Kyser, are you volunteering to be a test subject again?”

He leaned back, doing his best to look innocent. “Anytime, but right now I’m just being curious.”

Bridey frowned a little. “I do want to change things up a bit, but it’s hard to come up with a lot of different ideas without making things too complicated. Although now that I have Fiona to help, things should be easier. I’ll be adding a couple of seasonal drinks. Eggnog and a pumpkin spice drink, for starters, and a new spice tea, as well. I’ve already started baking gingerbread cookies and some cream cheese spritz cookies you might like. I’ve also gotten quite a few orders from people for boxes of my cookies to give as gifts. I started offering those last year, and people seem to really like them.”

Seth made a mental note to order a few boxes for his agent and some other people he did business with. “I can see why. They get to enjoy Christmas cookies while you do all the work.”

She laughed. “There is that, but really I don’t mind. I love this time of year. Everybody seems friendlier, and all the decorations make the world a prettier place. As far as I’m concerned, you can never have too many lights or candles. I inherited my mother’s snowman collection. I really don’t have room in my apartment for all of them, but I don’t care. I put them out anyway. Unpacking them is like seeing a bunch of friends I haven’t seen in a while, and they remind me of her. How about you? Do you have any favorite traditions?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t even put up a tree in ages. However, I have to admit helping you put up the decorations in the shop might have inspired me to make more of an effort this year.”

Then their dinners arrived, and the conversation became more intermittent. But even when the silence stretched out as they ate, just sitting across from Bridey made the time special.

The shelves in the storeroom were nearly done. Bridey wouldn’t miss the noise and the clutter, but she would miss Seth. Until she came up with another project for him to tackle, their morning time together, which she’d come to look forward to each day, was about to come to an end. Granted, moments after letting him in every morning, she’d been up to her elbows in flour and sugar, getting the morning’s baking done while he drilled and hammered and sawed away in the storeroom. And yet . . . simply knowing he was around made her happy.

He was definitely a hard worker. To get him to take even a short break, she had to resort to bribery, usually her next attempt at the perfect gingerbread cupcake. With Christmas getting closer by the day, she had only a short time to refine her recipe.

Today, however, she had planned a special surprise for him, an almond kringle, another of the specialty desserts she wanted to serve during the holidays. It was a traditional Scandinavian coffee cake, one she’d never before tried to make. Once Seth became engrossed in his own work, Bridey cranked up her favorite Christmas music, collected all the ingredients, and got busy. Ensuring the crust would be flaky and light was a three-day process, which involved adding another layer of butter each day and then chilling the dough overnight. Now all she had to do was roll it out and add the filling. After the crust was the right size, she spooned a mixture of almond paste and butter along one half of the dough and folded it over to seal in the filling. The last step was to brush the top with butter and then sprinkle it with sliced almonds. While the kringle baked, she finished decorating a batch of sugar cookies that were cut into Santa and snowman shapes as she sang along with the music.

An hour later, the kringle had cooled enough to eat. What would her favorite test subject think of it? She waited until Seth finished what he was working on before knocking on the doorframe to get his attention. “Ready for a break?”

“Always.”

He removed his safety glasses and set them aside before following her out into the kitchen. They’d taken to sharing a cup of coffee and a snack about this same time every morning. Something else she would miss when he was done.

After he settled himself at his usual spot at the counter, she set a small plate down in front of him. She’d covered it with a napkin to hide the surprise.

“What’s this?”

“My first attempt at making an almond kringle. I researched online for some traditional recipes to use. I don’t expect to have hit perfection, so please think of this as my opening salvo.”

Seth looked positively reverent as he studied the small slice of coffee cake. “It looks wonderful, but I have one question for you. How did you know it was one of my favorites?”

“Oh, I didn’t. I just wanted you to be the first to try it.”

She blushed and gripped the edge of the counter with her shaky hands to hide how much this meant to her. If she could put her own individual stamp on the recipe, it might be the first step in a new project for her: that cookbook she’d always wanted to do. Doing a whole section on holiday desserts seemed to be the perfect place to start. For now, though, she wasn’t ready to share that idea with anyone, not even Seth.

Seth took a bite and then a second. Eyeing the rest of the kringle on the counter, he said, “Damn, that’s good, Bridey. I hereby volunteer to eat that whole thing by myself!”

His honesty soothed her nerves enough that she could release her death grip on the counter. “Great! That gives me a starting point.”

To her surprise, Seth set his fork down and stood up. He took a slow step toward her, getting close enough that her entire field of vision was filled with the red and black plaid of his flannel shirt. His big hand rose up to gently lift her chin until she met his gaze.

“Thank you for trusting me with your creations, Bridey.”

While he spoke, his gaze zeroed in on her mouth. Thanks to the demands of running her own business, not to mention a definite skittishness when it came to men since her divorce, her dating skills were a bit rusty. Even so, she was sure that Seth was about to kiss her.

God, she hoped so.

Maybe he needed to be sure she wanted him just as much. She leaned in to his palm, letting him know she liked his touch. Then she grabbed a fistful of flannel and tugged him closer.

Seth was a man of few words, but his actions spoke volumes. He pulled her into a full-body press as his mouth settled over hers with a definite take-no-prisoners attitude. The brush of his lips sent the temperature in the kitchen soaring. His kiss tasted of almonds and dark roast coffee. Bridey could’ve feasted on that flavor for an eternity. There was a slight tug as Seth pulled the chopsticks from her hair, setting it free to tumble down to her shoulders.

He smiled against her lips. “I’ve been wanting to do that for days.”

As his fingers slid through her hair, she felt his touch right down to her core. His other arm tightened around her waist as he lifted her up onto the counter, bringing her to his eye level. He put a hand on each of her knees and spread them apart to make room for himself there.

Oh yeah, she liked that. She trailed her fingers down his cheek, finding the hint of stubble arousing. “Kiss me again, Seth.”

“Gladly.”

This time, she parted her lips at first touch, welcoming the invasion of his tongue. He took his time and did a thorough job of kissing her. For the moment, he made no move to take it any further, letting her set the pace. When she tugged his shirt up to stroke her hands along the warm skin of his back, he murmured his approval.

Finally, he drew back just enough to rest his forehead against hers. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but unless you want to delay opening the shop today, we need to stop.”

His words took a second to sink in, but then he turned his wrist so she could see his watch.

Good grief. She was due to open the door in less than ten minutes! “Oh gosh. I completely lost track of time, and it’s all your fault!”

Seth settled his hands on her waist and lifted her down off the counter. His smile was a tad wicked. “You know, I think there’s a compliment for me in there somewhere.”

She liked this teasing side of Seth’s personality even if their heated encounter left her blushing. Thank goodness one of them had the presence of mind to keep things from getting completely out of hand. She noticed Seth seemed to be waiting for some kind of response. Rising up on her toes, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Yeah, there was a compliment in there somewhere, but now I’ve got to get ready to open.”

He stepped back. “I’ll go put the chairs down for you.”

“That would be a big help.”

After he disappeared into the front of the shop, she checked to make sure her clothes were all in order. When she started to twist her hair back up in a knot, she could only find one of her chopsticks. Fine. A pencil would have to do.

With Seth’s help, everything was ready just as the first burst of customers came through the door. They were regulars, so she could fill their orders without having to think about it too much. Good thing, too, because her encounter with Seth had left her a bit frazzled.

She was eager to be alone with him again, and that had her feeling off balance.

When there was a break in the foot traffic, she ducked into the kitchen to take care of a few last-minute shop details. Seth was just heading out the back with his toolbox. He stopped when he heard her coming.

She joined him at the door. “Good, I was hoping to catch you.”

He looked concerned. “Everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine. I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight. We can go to the diner again if you’d like or maybe try someplace else.”

His smile was all the answer she needed. “I’d like. I’ll be back when the shop closes.”

The jingle bells over the front door rang, dragging her back to reality. “Gotta go. See you tonight.”

•   •   •

Seth drove straight home, planning on crawling back into bed for a few hours. As much as he loved working in Bridey’s shop, four a.m. wakeups were excruciating, especially when he was used to staying up late and then sleeping in. However, for Bridey’s company, he’d change his ways without complaint.

After unlocking the front door, Seth headed for the kitchen, thinking a second breakfast before that nap sounded really good. He had just cracked three eggs into a bowl when there was a knock on the front door. He wasn’t expecting any deliveries, and his family never dropped by without calling first. In fact, they usually insisted that he come to them.

He took the pan off the heat and headed for the front door.

There was a strange pickup truck parked in the driveway and a tall man prowling back and forth on the front porch. When he turned around, Seth recognized Nick from the diner the other night.

He opened the front door. “Hey, Nick, what brings you out here?”

“Sorry to show up unannounced, but I just missed you at Bridey’s. There’s something I wanted to discuss with you.”

What could that be? “I just made a fresh pot of coffee and was fixing myself some breakfast. Care to join me?”

“I’ve already eaten, but coffee sounds good.”

Seth led the way into his kitchen and filled a big mug for his guest. “Have a seat, Nick. I’ll finish up, and then we can talk.”

Nick made himself comfortable while Seth scrambled the eggs. When he finally joined Nick at the table, the other man took a deep breath as if bracing himself to spit out something unpalatable. Seth buttered his toast and waited him out.

“Okay, here’s the thing. Evidently the town has a tradition of decorating all of the buildings along the main drag for Christmas. The mayor wants to up the ante this year and really pull out all the stops in the hopes of attracting more tourists to town.”

With a sly grin, he added, “Well, actually, I think she’s more interested in attracting their wallets.”

Seth still wasn’t sure what this had to do with him. He concentrated on eating his breakfast while he waited for the other man to get to his point.

Nick paused to sip his coffee. “The town council is looking for volunteers to help put up the lights and decorations. It can get done in one day if enough people pitch in to help.”

He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “Callie’s mother immediately volunteered my services, so I’m already on the hook to do some of the heavy lifting. Since Bridey has been raving about the great job you’re doing for her, I thought maybe you’d be willing to help out, too. We didn’t have your phone number, so I tried to catch up with you at Bridey’s place this morning.”

Seth pointed out the obvious. “Bridey could have given you my number and saved you a trip out here.”

Something about Nick’s expression had Seth thinking Nick was hiding something. “Okay, so I’m guessing she did give you my number. Why didn’t you call?”

The man didn’t even pretend to be embarrassed by his deliberate ambush. “Because, my friend, it’s harder to say no in person than it is over the phone.”

They weren’t actually friends, not yet anyway, but Seth already liked him. “Sneaky, Nick. Did they teach that in the army?”

The man looked smug. “I prefer to think they only polished my already impressive skill set. So, what do you think? Are you busy next Saturday?”

No, he wasn’t. The only question was whether he was ready to get more involved with his new neighbors. He’d left Seattle for some much-needed privacy. On the other hand, if he was going to make Snowberry Creek his home, maybe he should pitch in. He also suspected that Bridey would approve if he decided to help. That was the clincher.

“Yeah, I can do that. What time and where?”

“We’ll all meet up in the parking lot at the Community Church at eight o’clock sharp on Saturday morning. For what it’s worth, the local churches are going to provide breakfast and lunch for everyone.”

This was getting better and better. Seth’s mother would die to find out her artist son would be doing common labor and getting paid in potluck fare. He couldn’t wait to tell her.

“Yeah, I’ll show up on Saturday.”

“That’s great, Seth. I’d apologize for putting you on the spot, but from what I’ve heard about the mayor’s plans, I suspect we’re going need every helping hand we can find.”

“Could be fun.”

Clearly Nick had a different opinion on the subject, but he didn’t say so. He finished his coffee and carried the mug over to the counter. As he started for the door, he stopped to stare at the bookshelves and cabinets Seth had built along the wall surrounding the natural stone fireplace.

“Nice work. Did all that come with the house?”

“No, I put them in.”

Nick moved in for a closer look. “This is quality work, Seth. Have you been building cabinets for long?”

No, he’d done it only to keep busy. Rather than lie about it, he simply said, “I like working with wood.”

“Bridey mentioned you had work lined up after the new year starts. If you ever have room in your schedule for some small jobs, let me know. I’m remodeling that big old Victorian my buddy Spence left to Callie, and I could sure use someone with your skills. I’m okay with routine carpentry, but you’ve sure got an artist’s eye for bringing out the best in the wood.”

Of course he had no clue that he was touching on such a sore subject—but there was no use in burdening Nick with his problems. The man meant well. There was no way for him to know that Seth was struggling right now.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Nick started toward the door again. “Well, thanks again, Seth. Maybe we’ll run into you and Bridey at the diner again one of these nights.”

“Could be.”

After seeing Nick out, Seth headed for his workshop, all thoughts of taking a nap gone for now. The reminder he’d be seeing Bridey again in a few hours left him reenergized.

After flipping on the overhead lights, he headed straight for his worktable, meaning to sketch out a few more details on another shelving unit he wanted to suggest to Bridey for her office. The huge, rectangular slab of cherry was right where he’d left it the other day. Determined to ignore it, Seth spread out his plans on the other side of the table and got ready to work.