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“The class was great,” she said finally, letting out a breath. “You’re a really good dancer.”
His expression didn’t change, and Nora left it at that, heading back out to her car.
Her thoughts were in a whirl the entire drive back to the inn. She thought again of the looks between Melanie and her mother, and huffed out a dry laugh, feeling certain that she’d been set up. They’d planned it on purpose, to send her to a class Aiden was teaching after she’d recognized him in the yearbook, and she didn’t know whether to be frustrated or amused that they’d so easily messed with her.
So much for this being a relaxing evening out.She couldn’t pinpoint why, exactly, but her heart was racing.
And it didn’t slow, all the way back to The Mistletoe Inn.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
That Saturday morning, Aiden decided to head to The Mellow Mug to get his usual Americano and sit and read for a little while. He had the day off, and while he’d usually spend it at home, he felt oddly restless. He’d felt that way since he got up, with the whole day stretching out in front of him, and his solution to that was to go and do something. The coffee shop was just as nice a place to sit and read his book, and the change of scenery would be pleasant.
Of course, just as he walked in, he saw Nora sitting at a table, her phone at her ear. He overheard something aboutgetting back to the city, and realized she must be talking to someone at her work in Boston.
She was fully engrossed in the conversation, not even noticing him as he walked up to the counter and gave Melanie his order. It was more out of habit than anything else, since he always got the same thing, and Melanie knew it as well as he did.
“—order extra flowers,” Nora was in the middle of saying. “No, I know, but we’ve worked with this client before, and she always wants more. The last two times we’ve had to rush them last minute, and she gets more upset when there’s a rush charge. No, of course that’s normal. But she doesn’t see it that way.They’ll approve the expense, I’m sure of it, but you can say I agreed if there’s trouble.”
Aiden knew he probably shouldn’t be listening in to her work call, but he couldn’t help it. She was right there, and he also couldn’t help thinking how professional she sounded. Competent and confident. She was clearly very good at her work, just based on that small snippet of conversation that he’d gotten, and it was clear that she was well versed in event planning. Despite himself, he had to admit he was impressed.
He stepped back as Melanie went to make his drink, going to the end of the counter with his book in hand, and as he walked over he saw Nora look up and notice him. She hung up the phone a moment later, setting it down and giving him a slightly sheepish smile.
“Hey there,” she said, her cheeks turning the slightest bit pink. She was probably recalling the incident at the dance class—his cheek was still a little sore from that—but his heart raced a little anyway at the sight of her smile.
Don’t let your old crush get carried away,he reminded himself, as he reached for his coffee. She might have finally remembered him, but it didn’t change anything. She was still the big city girl that she’d fashioned herself into, and they were still complete opposites in every way. There was nothing to suggest that she didn’t see him as a country bumpkin, someone who had passed up opportunities to stay in his uninteresting hometown and do the same thing that he’d done before, every day for the rest of his life.
Except that he didn’t see it that way. And a part of him wished there was something that could make her look at it differently too.
“Hey.” He glanced at her phone, planner, and the magazine spread open in front of her. “You look busy.”
Nora shrugged, taking a sip from the mug in front of her. “Oh, you know,” she said breezily. “Just checking in on things back home. Work doesn’t stop, even though I’m out of town. They’ve been getting along fine without me, for the most part, but I told them to call me if they needed me even though I was on vacation. One of my coworkers had some questions about an event I passed on to her so I could take the time off.”
“You’re also helping with coordinating the Snowman festival,” he remarked, leaning up against the counter. “You really don’t stop working, do you?”
Nora shook her head, her fingers drumming anxiously in front of her. “I offered, and I’ve tried to help, but I’m not sure Sabrina really wants it. She hasn’t been thrilled with my ideas so far.”
There was a glimmer of hurt in her eyes, Aiden thought. It surprised him. He’d always seen her as the popular one when they were in school, exuding confidence. He wouldn’t have thought she’d be hurt by someone’s rejection. He would have imagined she’d just brush it off, leaving it in the dust behind her.
She had always seemed a little larger than life to him, but she was more human in that moment, changed a little by the sudden vulnerability. He always envisioned her as someone who breezed through life, uninhibited and unhampered, but it was clear she had some of the same insecurities that he did. That anyone did, for that matter.
It made him want to ease them, just a little. If he could.
“They’re lucky to have your help. Even if Sabrina isn’t totally on board yet.”
Her expression brightened just a little, and he felt a flush of warmth in his chest. He’d just taken a sip of his Americano, and he told himself it was that—the heat of the coffee. Nora couldn’t continue to affect him in this way. They were two entirelydifferent people, and just now, she’d been on the phone with her job in Boston. Hercurrentjob.
She was staying for the holidays, and then she was leaving again. Evergreen Hollow was a novelty to her, but it was home to him. There was no point in indulging the crush.
He realized that the silence had started to turn awkward just as Nora spoke up.
“How’s your—uh—face?” She gestured toward his cheek, and he shrugged.
“It’s fine,” he assured her. “You really don’t need to worry about it.”
Another beat of silence. Nora gestured toward the seat next to her. “Sit down,” she suggested. “Unless you were planning to head out once you had your coffee?”
It would have been easy to say yes, and put an end to the conversation. Or it should have been easy. He hesitated, but he found himself sinking down into the seat, drawn to her as always. He felt a little awkward, sitting down to have a conversation with her, considering how things had been between them. But as he settled in, he found that it was nice. It had been such a long time since they’d actually talked.
