Christmas on Main Street (19 page)

Ava gave the sweater one last big tug. What was snagged popped loose, and it sailed over her head so fast that she stumbled backward while the sweater went flying. Rosie thought it was a chase the sweater game, and she went running to where it landed on the floor in her bedroom. “No, Rosie!” Ava went chasing after her. The sweater was a gift from her mother, and she didn’t want Rosie to ruin it.

“Stay!” Ava commanded as she chased after her little dog, almost catching up to her just as she reached the entrance into the kitchen. But then the doorbell rang.

To Rosie the doorbell meant visitors, and she went bounding toward the door with the sweater hanging from her jaw just as Ava went skittering after her into the kitchen. Knowing she was going to be in full view of the window, Ava tried to stop her forward progress, but in her sock feet, she went sliding across the ceramic tile floor as if on ice skates.

With mounting mortification, Ava realized that the dark hair and leather jacket belonged to Clint. He stood with his back to her, but when he turned and reached for the doorbell, his eyes widened. She wasn’t sure it was from the fact she was clad only in her bra and jeans or if he thought she was going to slam into the door. Luckily, she came to a stop just before the collision. She dipped down and retrieved her sweater from Rosie, who was at this point more interested in the visitor than her prize. Ava tugged it over her head, did a quick little smoothing action, and then stood up. With a flip of her beachy waves that now probably resembled a hurricane, she opened the back door. “Clint? Come in,” she said and stepped back for him to enter. “What brings you here?” She was going for casual, but the chase left her breathless . . . or maybe it was seeing him that made her breathless.

“You’ll have to give me a minute while I get the image of you in that pink lacy bra out of my head,” Clint said as he set the box he carried onto the table.

Ava felt a blush steal into her cheeks that were probably as pink as the bra. “Ready now?” she asked while Rosie begged for his attention.

“Nope. I do believe the image is in my brain to stay. Sorry. I’m a guy and you’re a beautiful woman. What can I say?” He gave her a slight shrug, and then before she could think of a reply, he knelt down to give Rosie some much-needed attention. But two words stuck in Ava’s brain: “beautiful” and “woman.” They weren’t kids anymore. This was a whole new ball game.

“Whoof!”

“You have a face only a mother could love,” Clint said with a chuckle. “You’re a Heinz 57, for sure.”

“He insulted you. Bite him,” Ava said, and Clint chuckled. They might be adults, but the connection that started when they were kids remained.

Rosie responded by rolling over to her back. “Oh, you want a belly rub? Well, here . . .”

Rosie made little mewling noises of ecstasy, causing Ava to shake her head. “You’ve got a friend for life now.”

Clint glanced up and gave Ava a smile that made her heart beat fast. “A good thing to have. I’ll take it.”

I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Much to Rosie’s sorrow, Clint stood up. “Your hair is pretty, Ava.” He didn’t really intend to voice his observation out loud. “I like that you’ve gone back to your natural color.”

“Much better without the fake spray snow.”

“That’s what that stuff was?” His eyes widened.

“I read the label, Clint. It clearly said it was nontoxic,” she replied in a defensive tone.

“So was the Kool-Aid that you used to dye your hair red for that Halloween party. You had pink hair for about a month.”

“Hey, pink hair is in style now. I was just ahead of my time.”

Clint laughed. “Your mom was so mad.”

“I had extra chores until the pink Kool-Aid came all the way out. I took three showers a day and got into even more trouble when I used up too much water from the cistern.” When she tipped her head to the side and laughed, Clint felt her guard slipping. Something in the air shifted, changed, taking them backward and yet forward at the same time.

“I brought the cookies from the bakery.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

Clint took a step closer to her. “I know. It was an excuse to see you.”

“Clint, I—” she began, but when he saw protest in her eyes, he pulled her closer and kissed her. He felt her stiffen slightly, but when he cradled her head and deepened the kiss, he felt her relax and melt against his chest.

Clint ran the tip of his tongue over her full bottom lip, tasting, savoring, and teasing until he heard her soft moan asking for more. He threaded his fingers through her hair and kissed her again slowly, lingering until he finally pulled away to look into her eyes. He wanted to say something flirty, clever, but he was too blown away by his reaction, and emotion clogged his throat.

She swallowed, licked her bottom lip. “You kissed me,” she said softly. Clint got the impression she wanted to sound accusatory but she failed, sounding more like she felt a sense of wonder.

He tilted his head and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You kissed me back, Ava.”

“You took me by surprise.” She frowned slightly. “I . . . I . . . got caught up in the moment. Why did you do it?”

Clint rubbed the pad of his thumb over her chin. “Because I wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you . . . even in that Mrs. Claus outfit.”

She glanced down, swallowed hard but then tilted her head up and looked him square in the eye. “No, Clint. I meant why did you leave Cricket Creek instead of coming back here to live?”

Oh, that was such a loaded question. Clint had answers and she deserved to know them, but they stuck in his throat.

Ava took a step back and came up against the sink. “Was it that easy for you? A clean break?”

“Ava . . .” he began, and she looked at him expectantly but he couldn’t go on.

“I guess it was.” She lifted her chin and shoved past him.

“Ava!” He gently grabbed her arm.

She shook him off, but when he failed to leave, she slowly turned around. “I waited, you know. Hoped . . .” she began but trailed off and shook her head.

“I’m so sorry.”

Ava looked at him for a long measuring moment and then shrugged. “We were young. And you had an offer you couldn’t refuse. I get that.” Ava’s voice shook, but when Rosie trotted over and sat down by her side, she seemed to somehow draw strength from the little dog and get her emotions under control. After a deep breath, she said, “But when you didn’t return, I went on with my life, Clint. And I’m doing well. It’s not fair for you to come back here and wreck it.”

“That’s not my intention.”

She blinked as if fighting back tears, and it clawed at his gut. “Then stay away, Clint. You had your chance with me.” Her tone wasn’t harsh or unkind but firm. “Please.”

“What if I want another chance with you, Ava?” He took a step closer.

Ava stood her ground but lifted her chin and looked him square in the eye. “You waited too long.”

Clint nodded solemnly and then shoved his fingers through his hair. “Okay. I understand how you must feel. But you don’t know everything. There’s more to this than meets the eye. Look, I know you have to get downstairs, but we need to get together. I want to explain some things.” He felt the door that had opened earlier about to slam in his face. He shouldn’t have given in to the moment and kissed her.

“You had fifteen years to do that, Clint. You could have looked me up when you came into town to visit your father. But you didn’t.”

“I know.” He nodded again. “I
understand
how you must feel, but I’d welcome the chance to get together and talk about it.”

At Ava’s stony silence, Clint turned and walked away. When he reached the doorway, he paused and turned around. “There’s still a spark between us, Ava. Don’t deny it.”

She swallowed but remained silent.

Clint shoved his fingers through his hair. It was all he could do not to drag her into his arms and kiss some sense into her, and judging by the rise and fall of her chest, she was feeling the same reaction. “I take that back. Not just a spark, Ava, but a damned flame.”

Christmastime

Ava watched Clint leave, fighting the urge to go chasing after him. “What is it about Clint that turns me to mush?” she grumbled. No one in their right mind would run after a man who left her without looking back. What reasons could he possibly have to never even make an attempt to contact her over the years? “Seriously?” When Ava fisted her hands and groaned up at the ceiling, Rosie whined. With a crooked smile, Ava knelt down and scratched her dog behind the ears. “It’s okay, girl. And thanks for having my back, well, until you rolled over and let him scratch your belly. But your heart was in the right place. I’m going to get you one of those gross pig ears that you love so much.”

After thinking about it, Ava opted to leave the sweater on in an effort to remind herself that getting involved with Clint would only cause her to get all tangled up inside. Inhaling a deep breath, she retied the scarf and straightened the sleeves. As long as she didn’t think about Clint, she wouldn’t overheat.

But while Ava tamed her messy hair, she had a tough time not recalling how bone-melting it felt to have Clint’s hands cradling the back of her head while he kissed her deeply, thoroughly, like she had dreamed about for years. She touched her fingertips to her bottom lip. Oh, Clint had been a good kisser when they were teenagers, but
that kiss
blew those memories right out of the water.

If the kiss was any indication, Clint would be an amazing lover. Not that she was going to find out. “Wow . . .” Fanning her cheeks, Ava hurried back to the kitchen. After pausing to fill Rosie’s water bowl, she stopped to pat the little dog on the head. She gave Ava an I-know-you’re-leaving me sad puppy face and then trotted over to her bed, flopped down, and rested her face on her paws. “I’ll be back later to let you out, Rosie,” Ava crooned. Rosie’s eyes were already looking heavy. The morning romp in the snow was taking its toll.

With a smile, Ava picked up the cookies and then headed down the stairs leading to the toy store. “Hi, Ronnie,” Ava called as she set the box behind the counter. “Sorry I’m a little bit late.” She smiled at the cute little college junior who helped her out on weekends and during the holiday rush.

“No problem. I used my key to get in. And we’re pretty much ready to open.” Ronnie stepped back from the display of wooden blocks she was arranging into a castle. “Do you think it needs a moat?”

“Of course.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” Ronnie was dressed in a fun little elf outfit and wore black knee-high boots. “Well, would you look at those rosy cheeks of yours?” She flipped her long strawberry blond braid over her shoulder and arched one eyebrow.

Ava put her cool palms to her warm cheeks. “I’ve been, you know, rushing around.” She pointed to the sweater and plucked at the fabric. “And this thing is hot.”

“And seriously boring.”

“I prefer the term ‘festive.’”

Ronnie sighed. “You’re so gorgeous, and for some reason you don’t play it up. I’m dying to take you shopping. Oh . . .” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Speaking of gorgeous, tell me all about your hot boyfriend who just walked across the street and climbed into that sexy BMW.”

“Clint?”

“Is that his name?”

“Yes—but wait. He’s not my boyfriend.”

Ronnie fisted her hands on her hips. “Okay,
was
your boyfriend.”

“Some fifteen years ago.” When Ronnie’s eyes widened, Ava said, “Yeah, you were a little kid at the time.” She waved a hand upward. “Ancient history. Wait. How did you know that anyway?”

“Are you kidding? Are you forgetting where you live? This is a small town, Ava.” Ronnie shook her head, making her cute elf hat slide sideways to a jaunty angle. “And Facebook sure does accelerate small-town gossip.” She laughed. “Even my grandma has an account. This news just might be trending on Twitter.”

Ava put her hand to her pearl neckline. “Since when did little old me become great big news? I mean . . . are you joking?”

Ronnie laughed. “A tiny bit, but the town is talking. Seriously, Ava, you need to do more in the way of social media.”

“The store has a Facebook page and a Twitter account. I update it almost daily. The Christmas village is now our cover photo. And I tweeted about the twenty percent discount with a canned goods donation.”

“I mean you personally.”

“What would I tweet about? What I ate for breakfast?” She wrinkled her nose, thinking about the Special K that ended up having some sort of strange dried strawberries that got mushy with milk.

“So tell me all about what’s going on between you and hot stuff.”

“Nothing! Clint is Pete Sully’s son. He came home to keep an eye on his dad’s health. Coming back here has nothing to do with me.” She twisted the scarf around her index finger for a second. “So do you think he’s hot?”

Ronnie grinned.

“Okay, forget I asked that last part.”

“Yes, he is seriously hot, you know, for an older dude.”

Ava rolled her eyes.

“What?” Ronnie flipped her palms upward. “Why do you always act like my compliments are insults?”

“Someday you’ll understand.”

Ronnie went back to building the castle but said, “So, I also heard that Clint was playing Santa in the parade instead of Pete. How was that?”

“Awkward.”

“Will he be stopping by the store later during the Christmas walk?”

Ava busied herself lighting a pine-scented candle. “I sure do hope not.”

“You are such a terrible liar.”

“See now, I take
that
as a compliment.”

“Weirdo,” Ronnie said but laughed.

“Hey, normal is way overrated,” Ava commented as she walked around the store making sure that everything was ready for the busy day. When Ava had first opened the shop, her mother had often pitched in to help out. But once her brothers had started having children, her mother’s free time was taken up with babysitting. Hardworking and free-spirited Ronnie was a good fit for working in the toy store, and Ava had grown quite fond of her over the past few years. Ronnie had the perfect personality for putting on puppet shows and hosting birthday parties. Ava was going to miss her when she graduated from college and moved on with her life.

“Are we ready to open, Ava?”

“I think so. We’ll put the cookies and punch out at one o’clock. Just plug in the train on the Christmas village. Oh, and don’t forget the two canned goods thing.”

“Gotcha.” Ronnie saluted as she walked over to the front door. But when she glanced out of the front window, Ava saw her stop and stare.

Ava felt her heart skip a beat, thinking Ronnie had spotted Clint once again, but when she followed Ronnie’s gaze, it was Braden Greenfield who was commanding her little elf’s attention. “Well, now,” Ava said in a teasing tone.

“What?” Ronnie asked lightly, but there were two pink spots of color in her cheeks.

“You can’t fool me. You’re blushing.”

Ronnie lifted her braid. “Ginger problems. We’re always blushing.”

Ava nodded toward Braden, who was coming out of Grammar’s holding a large cup of coffee. “Braden’s pretty hot, you know, for a
young
guy.”

“Ha-ha,” Ronnie said and then lifted one shoulder. “I guess so, if you’re into the whole cowboy look. Personally, I go for frat boys. Spiky hair. Abercrombie and Fitch.”

Ava shook her head. “You’re kidding me.”

“Of course I’m kidding you. Those Wranglers, boots, and that hat? Mmmm-mmm.” She gestured palm up toward the window. “Would you just look at him?”

Ava laughed. “You had me worried for a minute. I babysat Braden. He’s like a little brother to me, but yeah, he’s a hottie, for sure.”

Ronnie let out a long sigh. “I know.”

“Make a play for him, Ronnie.”

Ronnie turned away from the window and wrinkled her nose. “He’s dating stuck-up skinny-as-a-stick Stacy Meadows.”

“Are they exclusive?”

Ronnie shrugged. “I don’t know. But, Ava, she has mile-long legs and great big boobs.” She cupped her hands beneath her chest to demonstrate.

“Ronnie Carlton, you’re gorgeous!”

“Ava, I’m five foot two and wear a push-up bra to make the most of my itty-bittys,” she said in a deadpan tone. “At best, I’m perky and”—she shrugged—“cute.” She lifted her braid. “And I’m a ginger.”

“Are you kidding? Just look at you in that elf outfit. And your hair color is natural and very pretty.”

She rolled her eyes and pointed to her nose. “Freckles that makeup hides for, like, a minute. Like I said,
cute
. Not a blond bombshell.”

“You’re also smart and funny.”

“Yeah, well, long legs and big boobs get the guys.”

“I think you’re selling yourself short.”

“No pun intended, right?”

Ava laughed but then sobered when a thought occurred to her.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Ava, you have that look on your face. You know I won’t let up until you tell me. Just get it over with and save us both a lot of trouble.”

Ava leaned against the counter for support. “It’s just that I used to think the same thing about Clint. He was big man on campus, and I was just this little ol’ farm girl. I wondered what he saw in me. I even lightened my hair thinking I needed to be blond . . . even though I’d never be a bombshell.”

“Ava! You’re beautiful and funny and . . . Hey, did you trick me into this?” She fisted her hands on her hips but then smiled slowly. “Well played, Whimsy. Well played.”

Ava laughed and then wiggled her fingers. “You’re like putty in my hands.”

Ronnie rolled her eyes again and seemed about to reply, but a knock at the front door reminded them that it was time to open up. Customers immediately started pouring in, and the steady stream of business continued all morning long. The only time Ava took a break was when she hurried upstairs to let Rosie out to tinkle before the Christmas walk started.

“So, do you think Clint will show up?” Ronnie asked while Ava replenished the tray of cookies. Clearly she wasn’t going to give up on their earlier conversation. Unfortunately, there was a break in the action while the high school band played a Christmas concert over on the town square.

“I asked him to stay away, Ronnie.”

“Ava! Have you lost your mind?”

“It’s better that way.”

“You don’t know that. I mean, what if—”

Ava raised a hand in protest. “No more ‘what ifs’ or ‘maybes’. I’ve been down that road.”

Ronnie picked up a tree-shaped cookie. “You’re forgetting one important thing.”

“And that is?”

“Clint is back, Ava. And that changes everything.”

“It changes nothing.”

Ronnie shook her head. “It’s Christmastime. Anything can happen. You just wait and see.”