Page 38 of The Friendship Pact

Nick spotted Kate walking toward him in the canned foods aisle. “Hey, stranger.”

“Hi, Nick.”

He glanced into the basket she carried and smiled. “Almond flour is a thing?”

“It is. I use it for my own cookies.”

“You have cookies you don’t share with others?”

“Yep. Healthy ones.” She glanced at his cart. “You look like you’re making something healthy as well.”

“Vegetable beef soup. Care to join me for dinner?”

“At your place?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No. Of course not. It’s just, you’ve never invited me over before.”

“I’m sorry. That’s terrible of me. I’ll text you the address.” He glanced at his watch. “How about four o’clock? That way, it’s still light out and you’ll be able to find your way. I’m a few miles out of town.”

“Sure. That works for me.”

“Great. See you soon. Oh, and Kate—bring some of those healthy cookies.”

She reached around him and grabbed a jar of green olives. “I will.”

He caught a whiff of her citrusy scent before she walked away. She really had no idea what she did to him. Just being in close proximity, she made him feel like maybe he could entertain the idea of a relationship. He smiled more when she was around, and he found himself whistling on the way to the meat counter.

“What has you so happy, Sheriff?” Rosie seemed to appear out of nowhere, interrupting his thoughts. Probably a good thing because they were turning the corner on inappropriate.

“My dad had a follow-up appointment today and he’s doing well,” Nick said.

Rosie pulled him in for a hug. “I’m so glad. We’ve been praying for him.”

“Thanks, Rosie. That means a lot.”

As Rosie talked with the butcher, Nick chose a large beef roast, then headed for the checkout.

* * *

Kate pulled off the highway and onto a snow-packed road surrounded by large pines. She was glad Nick suggested an earlier dinner because trying to find his house for the first time in the dark would have been difficult. She snaked around a few S curves until she found the highway marker by his drive. The tree-lined driveway was narrow and long. Just as she was starting to think she might have turned down the wrong drive leading to nowhere, Nick’s two-story home came into view. Impressive. The caramel-colored wood siding and the steep line of the green steel roof reminded her of a romantic getaway. A Hallmark-worthy cabin in the woods. The small Christmas tree tied to her roof would probably look ridiculous. She parked in front of the garage and stepped out, slipping her gloves on.

The front door opened, and Nick stepped onto the wraparound porch. Like Vanna, she held her hands out and announced, “I brought you a Christmas tree!”

“I see that. Let me help you,” he said.

“I hope you don’t have one yet. The last time we spoke, you didn’t.”

“Nope, haven’t had a chance. Thank you.”

Kate started to untie the bindings, but Nick shooed her out of the way. “I’ll get it. You open the door.”

“Deal.”

She reached into the front seat for the tin of cookies and bottle of wine she’d brought and rushed ahead to open the front door. “I didn’t know if you had wine, so I brought a pinot noir. It should pair well with vegetable soup.”

She slipped her boots off and set them to the side on the rug in the expansive foyer.