Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 134(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
It was goodbye for now, no matter what she thought.
Chapter 11
Nix
“Okay what’s going on with you Nix?” Torey stared at me with a mix of curiosity and sympathy as if she already knew what or rather who was responsible for my melancholy mood. “You haven’t been the same since before the storm.”
“Nothing’s going on, I’m fine.” I wasn’t fine. Not at all. “It’s just been busy catching up on everything that was at a standstill for three and a half days.” That was also true and work kept me busy, too busy to think about a certain sexy billionaire who had undeniably rocked my world.
“Pants on fire, Nix.” Her sing-song tone made me smile but the determined look that followed it told me I wouldn’t get out of this without an explanation. “You’ve got exactly ten minutes before the cookie bake-off begins to tell me. Or else.”
“Fine,” I rolled my eyes, knowing when I was beat. “Things with Lee got a little complicated. And fun. And hot. And now they’re over, it’s taking time for me to adjust.” That was the most succinct way to tell the story.
“Oh, that’s not nearly enough,” she laughed and bumped my shoulder. “You got busy with your mortal enemy and fell for him in three days? He must be dynamite in the sack.”
I rolled my eyes but my reluctance to talk about it while I set up all the ingredients for each cookie station didn’t stop the blush that stained my cheeks. “Dynamite is too mild to describe it.”
Torey’s eyes widened. “Oh. My. God. This is amazing!” Her smile faded and her shoulders slumped as if my earlier words just sank in. “So why is it over?”
“Seriously? How about because he’s out to ruin the town.”
“So he’s a cold, unfeeling billionaire?”
“No,” I sighed. “He’s not.” Which made it all even worse.
“He was mean to you?”
“No, he was a perfect gentleman. Charming and considerate.”
“And not bad in bed so, help me understand.”
I glared at my best friend and then down my phone for a time-check. “We have different values and after a while it would get really old, arguing about it all the time.” At least that’s what I told myself when I missed him too much.
“You like him. For real?”
I nodded. “I didn’t mean for it to happen but there’s only two things to do when a snowstorm hits and there’s no power.”
“Talk and screw,” she finished for me. “I say give it a shot and see where it goes. A little bit of heartache never hurt anyone.”
“I’ll remember that when you find yourself in this situation.” The horrified look on her face was enough to pull a laugh from me. “And now it’s time to judge the bake-off so this conversation, as thrilling as it is, is over.” I made my way to the stage where Krista Jensen introduced me and the two other judges, and judging got underway.
I hated that my heart wasn’t in the bake-off, it was one of my favorite parts of the Christmas Festival and Lee Lancaster ruined it. The cranberry pecan cookies were delicious, almost as delicious as the macadamia nut gingerbread cookies but it all tasted like sawdust. Even the winner, a white chocolate, orange cranberry shortbread was mostly tasteless on my tongue.
By the time we crowned the winner I was beyond ready to call it a day and head come, crawling into bed and not obsessing about a certain gorgeous developer until I drifted off to sleep. After the obligatory photos, I headed towards the park exit but a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Just where do you think you’re going?” Torey’s voice held a hint of amusement and annoyance.
“I was planning to have a nap. I have a headache.”
“No you don’t.” She wrapped her arms around me and turned back towards the next event. “You have a mild case of the I miss him’s and I won’t let you wallow.”
“Why not,” I whined. “Mostly because you signed us up for the tree decorating competition and I’m no quitter so come on.” She smiled as if she knew she’d successfully thwarted my plans to not wallow. “I hate you.”
“You do not,” she insisted as we signed in to claim our tree and box of goodies. “You love me to pieces.”
“Not right this moment.”
Torey threw her head back and laughed. “This is a misery of your own making. Who cares that you have this one thing that doesn’t mesh, everything else does right?”
I nodded.
“Then focus on that. Besides, he might bite his toenails and the rest won’t even matter.”
“Gross.” Lee was much too cultured for such barbaric behavior.
“Right? Think about that instead.”
“No, thank you.” What were the odds that the universe would send me a man who was smart and beautiful and rich and sexy as hell, only to make him Lee Lancaster? “I just need to move past this and I will. It was only a few days.”