A Christmas For Holly (Wishing Tree Vermont Book 2) by RJ Scott

Author:RJ Scott [Scott, RJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Love Lane Books Ltd
Published: 2024-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Holly

Lucas was in the cabin.

My cabin.

And he’d brought a tree?

And he’d rescued me from the snow.

And now he was trapped with me until the snow decided to stop. The walls were pressing in on me—either that or I was too big for the space. I discreetly swallowed a pill to stave off the incoming panic attack. I tried to keep my hands busy, anything to focus on except him, and I pulled out some half-baked cookies I’d found earlier in the freezer, hoping they’d be a distraction. The top ones were peanut butter, and the second layer was chocolate and pecan—damn, I hoped he liked nuts as much as I did.

Shit. Don’t go there.

“Do you have any allergies to nuts and things?” I asked, trying to keep my voice casual and steady.

“No,” Lucas replied from the sofa, barely six feet away. His presence filled the room, making it impossible to ignore him, no matter how hard I tried. “You know how to use the coffee machine, right?” Lucas deadpanned.

I bristled, even though he’d been teasing, and it wasn’t meant to be unkind.

I huffed, half-smiling despite the tension. “Mug, water, insert pod, press go.” Not even I could fuck that up.

I read the instructions and arranged a few cookies on a tray, wondering how to measure three inches apart and, in the end, guessing. They called for ten minutes at 350°F. There was no mention of greasing the tray, so I figured I was good. I set the timer and leaned against the counter, my back turned to Lucas, trying to make myself invisible in the tiny kitchen.

The space seemed safer somehow. It was small and basic, with a fridge, a pod coffee machine, and the smell of chocolate filling the air. I stared at the stove, pretending it was the only thing I needed to focus on.

I heard Lucas move behind me. His footsteps were soft but deliberate. He was close—too close.

“Smells nice,” he said, his voice low.

Why was he being so damn nice about things? Lucas could’ve easily thrown in some sarcastic comment, but instead, he’d shown me how to use the stove and complimented the cookies I hadn’t even made. I didn’t get it. It felt… off. I was waiting for calm, patient, and encouraging to turn into angry and accusing. Doc Susan said I catastrophized—that I expected to screw up, but I didn’t trust that the feelings I had weren’t some premonition.

I didn’t trust myself, either.

I didn’t know how to handle kindness right now, particularly from him—Lucas wasn’t supposed to be kind. He was supposed to be the guy who called me out on my bullshit at the wedding, not the one watching quietly while I figured out how to light a fire and smiled with pride as though I’d achieved something monumental.

I didn’t deserve whatever strange sense of ease he was giving off. Maybe he just felt sorry for me. The thought twisted in my gut, but I pushed it down.

“Cookies for a rescue hero,” I deadpanned, trying to make a joke out of it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.