Chapter Thirteen
And lastly, don’t forget to pick up more cards on your way out. We got a new batch in just this morning.”
Holly sat in the back row of the library meeting room as Trina Evans wrapped up that week’s Firefly Festival committee meeting. Trina held up a handful of rack cards. The cards showcased highlights from past festivals, and were easy to hand out to tourists who passed through town. Business owners had been distributing them for two months now.
“We’ve got only ten more days to bring in a record-breaking crowd this year, people.” Trina’s hand rocketed straight into the air, and her head did a little cheerleader-type bob. Her three-carat diamond wedding set flashed on her French manicure–tipped finger. “So let’s get out there!”
She was far too excited, in Holly’s opinion. Trina and her husband, Paul, owned Talbot’s restaurant. Talbot’s was known for their chicken and dumplings and their cheesy bread appetizer. Trina was known for volunteering for every committee that had ever existed in Sugar Springs.
As well as being head cheerleader when she’d been in school.
Holly had trouble concentrating on committee business today. She was more focused on tonight’s upcoming date with Keith.
Nerves had destroyed any attempt at breakfast, and lunch hadn’t been much better. Not so much because it was Keith, but because she hadn’t gone out with anyone in quite a while. And because she felt added pressure.
This date needed to go somewhere.
Holly eyed Ms. Grayson, who sat straight-backed on a front-row metal fold-up chair, her gaze glued to Trina. Ms. Grayson, the danged lady, was the reason for the nerves. Everyone now knew Holly was looking for a man.
Everyone!
She’d been reminded of it each day. If it wasn’t another guy calling her up and offering to “buy her a drink”—with the implied roll in the sheets thrown in—it was a mother stopping her on the street, professing the charms of her son . . . whom she just knew would be the perfect man for Holly.
Yeah?
Then why wasn’t said perfect man there in front of her himself instead of letting Mommy do it for him?
Holly fought to keep from rolling her eyes as she recalled yet another woman who’d rattled her ear off at the diner that very morning.
No. She did not want to go out with a man who couldn’t be bothered to show a bit of interest himself. What was so hard about that?
And so far, Keith had been it.
Thus the nerves. What if this date turned out to be a disaster?
Keith was a good guy, and she had no reason to believe she would do anything to tank the evening, but what if they didn’t click? What if she couldn’t manage to find one single man she wanted to be with when the entire population of Sugar Springs knew she was on the hunt?
Would there be a second chance for her or would this be it?
She squinted at her gray-haired nemesis as she thought forward to years down the road. Would she be the town spinster? Maybe take up Ms. Grayson’s own hobby?
It wasn’t like Holly couldn’t be a busybody herself if she wanted to.
Especially if she continued hanging out at the diner every day. She ran into practically everyone who lived in Sugar Springs over the course of a week. If there was gossip to gather, the diner was the place for it. And yeah, she already knew most everything that ever happened. She just didn’t run around sharing it as fast as she possibly could.
“And don’t forget that I need to see the parking committee as soon as we wrap up,” Trina continued, as perky as ever. “We’ve had a second bus donated to be used to ferry visitors between the Monroe farm and the festival, so we’ll also need a few people to handle that. Any volunteers?”
Trina’s smile and eyes went wide at the same time, both inclusive of everyone in the room, and Holly’s stomach chose that moment to let out a loud growl. Trina paused. She glanced in Holly’s direction, a perplexed expression slipping over her perfectly composed face.
Holly’s stomach growled again.
Jesse Beckman from three rows up snickered under his breath, his shoulders moving with the action. Jesse was only twenty-three, but he was a decorated war hero, the little brother of a friend of hers, and smoking hot in a stocky, weightlifter kind of way.
He’d just recently come back to town from a tour in Afghanistan, and she’d seen him for the first time in months Friday night. She’d danced with him at the Bungalow. It had been a very nice dance.
Her stomach growled yet again, and she blushed to the bottom of her feet. Obviously, she would need to eat something before Keith picked her up.
She eyed the loaded-down table in the corner. The snack committee provided homemade goodies at each meeting. This week had been her mother’s turn.
And yes, Trina was also on the snack committee. As well as the parking committee.
She headed up both.
“Well,” Trina murmured at the front of the room. She sounded as if she’d lost her train of thought. Jesse turned in his seat, the rickety metal creaking under the movement, and his eyes landed on Holly.
Again, Holly blushed.
He didn’t look away.
His eyes were dark. Not as dark as Zack’s, but close. And his whole body was taut and muscled. He was a lean, mean, killing machine.
A bead of sweat came to life between her breasts and she wondered if Jamie would mind terribly if she dated the little brother they’d once teased mercilessly. It wasn’t like they were in high school anymore. Plus, who knew if things with Keith would even work out? If they didn’t, Jesse could quite possibly be a nice alternative.
Assuming he had any interest outside of a dance.
And that his interest wasn’t purely bedroom related.
Given the fact he was barely twenty-three and had been out of the country for months, most likely he was only looking for fun.
“Everyone please thank Mrs. Marshall for the snacks today,” Trina wrapped up. All eyes except Jesse’s shifted to Holly’s mother. The corner of Jesse’s mouth turned up. “We’ll meet next Wednesday for any final details.” Trina clapped her hands together as if she would break into shouting, “Go team!”
Jesse only smiled wider.
Holly shook her head, gave him a “What’s with her?” roll of her eyes, and rose to head to the snack station. At least she knew the food would be edible today.
“I swear, Holly Beth,” her mother whispered in Holly’s ear as she reached the table before anyone else, “eat a pinwheel or something. I’ve never heard such as all that noise you were making back there.”
Holly did not let herself roll her eyes at her mother. Her mother hated that.
She did, however, cram an entire ham-and-cheese pinwheel in her mouth.
“Holly!” her mother whispered in disgust. Holly grinned around her food, even going so far as to chew with her mouth open.
“She ain’t never gonna find her a man that way.”
Holly whirled to find Ms. Grayson now standing at her other side. Her face was pinched in the same disgusted way as Holly’s mother’s, as the older lady also stared at Holly’s bulging cheeks.
“I taught her better than that, Beatrice,” Sylvia Marshall said. She reached across Holly and patted the older lady’s forearm. “But you know how she can be.”
“Oh, I know. I done helped her out with gettin’ dates, and has she even gone out one time?” Ms. Grayson shook her head back and forth. “Nary a once. And I know for a fact she’s had some calls. Even had a good handful of men to choose from at the movies last week. Yet she went and drove away with that out-of-towner instead.”
Ms. Grayson clucked, only to be joined by Holly’s mother.
Holly quickly chewed and swallowed her food, then shook her finger in Ms. Grayson’s wrinkled face. “You . . .” She didn’t know what she wanted to say.
Except she did. Only, her mother was still standing there—as were others who were gathering around the table—and Holly couldn’t bring herself to chew out the older woman in front of everyone.
Instead, she leaned into Ms. Grayson and whispered harshly, “You had no right. And you even told them that I like shoes?” She pictured the men gathered around her at the concession stand Thursday night. “What was that about? Ray Taylor brought me a pair that night,” she said, aghast. She might have told Zack that Ray had been the best option in the pack, but in truth, she’d been horrified. Who brought a girl a pair of shoes to try to win a date? “What did you do? Tell them that I could be bought?”
Ms. Grayson’s nose lifted. “I just told them what I heard. You said that’s how you choose men.”
It was not how she chose men.
“If you’re going to eavesdrop, old woman, get your facts straight.”
Holly’s mother shot her an evil glare at the “old woman” comment as Holly’s voice inched a notch higher, and Holly pressed her lips together. She stood straight. But good grief, the old woman had butted in where she hadn’t been invited.
And it was causing more than a bit of grief!
“You’ll thank me when you find you a man,” Ms. Grayson proclaimed in a sniff. Several people at the table laughed behind their hands, not even trying to pretend they weren’t listening in, and Holly once again turned bright red.
Ms. Grayson grabbed a paper plate and began daintily picking up an assortment of finger foods as if she wasn’t in the middle of an argument. “And when you do,” she continued smugly, “I’ll expect an invite, asking me to be front and center at the wedding.”
“You won’t ever be invited to my wedding,” Holly growled out.
“Holly Beth!” her mother chastised.
For crying out loud.
Holly grabbed another pinwheel and, looking straight at her mother, shoved it fully in her mouth. Then she turned, intending to stalk out of the room, but there was Jesse Beckman smiling naughtily at her.
While she had her mouth not only full, but bulging.
Lovely.
“Hi, Jesse,” she mumbled around the food. Might as well add to the bad impression by talking while eating.
“Now he’d be a fine possibility,” Ms. Grayson mumbled behind her.
“I’d say so,” Holly’s mother chimed in.
Holly wanted to die on the spot.
Jesse’s low chuckle and heated, male scent reached her at the same time, and she had the thought that it might just turn out to be Keith Justice’s very lucky night. She wasn’t a loose girl by nature, but a woman could only handle so much frustration in her life before she sought out some relief. If it wasn’t a busybody sticking her nose where it didn’t belong or a mother who had never bothered to notice that Holly had grown up, it was a hot guy giving her an “I want your body” look.
Zack came to mind.
She wanted to give him an “I want your body” look.
“You leaving?” Jesse asked.
Holly nodded.
He motioned to the door with his head. “Mind if I walk you out?”
She had the manners to cover her mouth with her hand this time. “Just let me get my purse,” she mumbled.
She quickly swallowed her food, shot her mother and Ms. Grayson a hard look when Ms. Grayson opened her mouth as if to say something to Jesse, then grabbed her purse and headed with her friend’s little brother to the stairs that would take them up to the first floor of the library.
Jesse made a comment about the hobbies of the older women in town, and had Holly relaxed and laughing as they hit the top step. Her laughter died when she spotted Zack sitting at one of the small study tables, his laptop open as if he’d been working.
But instead of working, he had his arms crossed on the table in front of him, leaning forward, his weight on his elbows, and was giving the librarian the full power of his charm. Larissa Bailey seemed to be drowning in the attention.
Holly found her body growing tight with jealousy.
She hadn’t seen Zack since Monday morning when he’d been in the diner for pancakes. She’d heard from Nick that Zack and Cody’s meeting had gone fairly well. Even that a dinner party was set up for Friday night. But Zack hadn’t told her himself. Instead, he’d either been working with Nick out at the construction site, or simply not around.
Or hanging out at the library.
Of course, she hadn’t been around the house too much herself. She’d been spending a large amount of time in her studio. Getting back in the groove of working with her mirrors had been a good thing. She’d dropped off a new piece at the consignment store just that morning, and if work progressed the way she hoped, she’d have a new original finished within a week or two as well.
“So how about it?” Jesse asked, and Holly realized she’d completely tuned him out.
“I’m sorry.” And dang, if she didn’t grow heated with embarrassment again. She blamed the nerves on tonight’s impending date. All her nerve endings seemed to be hanging out right at the edge of her skin today. “I must have zoned out.”
Jesse glanced across the room to where Zack now had Larissa shyly smiling. The white-blonde was a really pretty woman, and Holly found herself more than a tad jealous at the attention. As she watched the two of them, Zack turned his head to her. He took in Jesse standing at her elbow.
Nothing was said, and barely any recognition showed on Zack’s face, but electricity seemed to come to life in the room.
“I asked if I could take you out,” Jesse said. His voice seemed to boom in the small room. “I actually came to the meeting today just to see you.” He gave a little shrug, and now he was the one turning on the charm. And the boy had it in spades. It oozed from his pores.
He’d come there to see her?
That was different.
“I think we’d have fun hanging out together,” he added when she just stared. “Thought we could go hang gliding if you feel adventurous.”
Hang gliding? With Jesse?
Wow. She studied the super-cutie at her side with the dimple in his chin and the almost-buzzed cut. She supposed military guys had a need for adrenaline rushes. Not that she’d be against the idea. Hang gliding sounded like a blast.
She swallowed and peeked at Zack again, and saw his eyes locked on her. He was waiting to hear her answer too. She turned back to Jesse.
She wanted to say yes. But then . . .
“Surely you know I’m going out with Keith tonight,” she stalled. The whole town knew she had a date tonight. Ms. Grayson even knew it, Holly was positive, though the pain in the ass had acted like she knew nothing of the sort.
“Sure.” Jesse nodded. “But it’s a first date, right? Why lock yourself in?” he asked. His voice was deep and seemed somehow able to reach inside her and pluck at her like a string. He took her hand in his and she almost giggled like a schoolgirl. This was her friend’s little brother! And he was looking at her like he knew just the right way to strip a girl naked.
She didn’t need to go out with Jesse because she suspected that if he didn’t try to get in her panties, she might just show him the way.
If for no other reason than to not think about Zack. And the fact that that’s exactly where she wanted him to be.
“I . . .”
“Come on,” Jesse wheedled, good-naturedly. He gave her hand a squeeze as his mouth tilted on one side. “Sample the dating pool a bit. No need to be in a hurry, right?”
She laughed lightly. If only she really were the sampling kind.
She wanted to be.
She really, really wanted to be.
Because he was right. Why lock herself in to one man too fast?
She glanced at Zack again. Unless it was him.
The thought of going out with Zack and then going out with someone else? Ludicrous.
As was the thought of going out with Zack at all.
Hadn’t he already made it clear what he would be interested in?
She gulped again. Nerves had her shying away from Jesse. She was suddenly feeling overwhelmed with all the added attention she’d been getting.
“Let me see how tonight goes, okay?”
Keith was tamer than Jesse. He was a better person to dip her toe into the dating waters with.
Jesse’s eyes glowed at her with a mixture of understanding and interest. It was a potent look. It didn’t come across as simply a man looking to score, but as someone who wanted to get to know her.
Which was exactly what she was looking for.
She almost groaned at the thought. Surely she would not have to thank Ms. Grayson when all of this was over.
“As long as you keep me in mind,” Jesse murmured softly. He leaned in and brushed a quick kiss across Holly’s cheek. “You were always my favorite of my sister’s friends,” he whispered.
Then he was gone through the outer library door, and Holly was left standing there, shocked at the direction her life was suddenly taking. She had a date tonight, another just waiting for her to say yes . . .
And a man eyeing her from fifteen feet away as if he’d take her in the storage room right that very moment if only she’d ask.
She pressed her eyes closed and prayed that she would enjoy her date with Keith tonight.
And that she would not think about Zack and storage rooms.