Heart of Christmas (Curiosity Bay #4)

5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Audrey

To say I was mortified was putting it lightly. I couldn’t remember exactly what I’d revealed to Stephanie while MacGregor was eavesdropping, but it was too much.

That much I knew.

I wrapped my purple wool scarf around my neck, tugged on my matching hat, pulled on my gloves, and grunted in frustration.

The worst part of the whole thing was that my heart skipped a beat when I saw him at the coffee shop.

Why?

I’d already been burned by him once. I certainly didn’t need to do it a second time around, especially around the holidays.

It was like I’d become a glutton for punishment. I knew what MacGregor was capable of, and on some crazy level, I wanted more of it.

I wanted more of him.

What also didn’t help was that for the last several months, probably out of desperation more than anything, I’d started having dreams about MacGregor.

Good dreams about him.

He’d sneak in and flash a cute smile or interrupt some fake date in my mind and sweep me away, which was problematic. It meant I couldn’t trust my mind to keep me safe.

I’d wake up all twisted, confused, and filled with longing.

I’d even temporarily unblocked MacGregor to spy on him before blocking the man again.

It was worrisome. It brought out a side of me I didn’t like.

The holidays didn’t help, either, nor did the fact that all my sisters were finding their happily-ever-afters while I was still stuck hanging out at bars and hoping Mr. Right would bump into me.

I put my coat on and glanced at my brother Brad, who was finishing up some inventory items. Brad glanced up at me and smiled.

“You were supposed to be out of here at noon.”

I shrugged. “I know, but being at the store while the storm hits is fun. There are no customers, and I got a lot done.”

He nodded in agreement. “True. I don’t think we should open tomorrow if the snow keeps coming down like this.”

“Agreed.” I popped onto the weather app on my phone. “And it shows snow until Tuesday.”

His eyes widened. “Seriously?”

I chuckled. “Yeah. Wow. This must have surprised the weathermen. Again.”

He laughed. “Like usual. I’m certain they said we’d have a trace of snow this week, at the most.”

“It’s not too cold out, so I’m just going to walk home and enjoy the quiet of the snow. I’ll leave my car in the back.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Promise you’ll text me when you get to the house, so I know you didn’t freeze to death? Mom and Dad wouldn’t exactly be pleased with me if I let you freeze to death in a snowstorm.”

“It’s only thirty-two degrees outside. It’s not like it’s a blizzard. I’ll be fine, but yes. I’ll text you.”

I gave a quick wave, zipped my coat, and headed outside.

The snowflakes swirled, dipped, and floated down to the pavement. All the beautiful holiday décor that Curiosity Bay had on display made this moment even more magical. Bright red bows hugged the backs of the benches along the sidewalks. Garlands had been wrapped around every post. Twinkle lights danced with the snowflakes. It helped to wipe all the annoyances from my mind.

Like MacGregor.

Darn it. He popped back in again.

I tightened my scarf and happily walked along the sidewalk to my home. Mae was definitely lucky she got out of Seattle before the storm hit.

We probably had a solid four inches of snow now, which might not seem like a lot to some folks, but here on the island, it felt like a unicorn was having babies.

I kicked my boot into the snow and watched it spray across the sidewalk. The thought of going home, making chocolate chip cookies, popcorn, anything I wanted, and diving into a good book sounded fabulous. Or maybe I’d start some Netflix series I’d been putting off because I couldn’t stop once I started. The thought thrilled me as I looked into the sky with the bright white clouds and silence hovering around me.

Until someone across the street coughed and slammed their trunk.

My eyes searched for the noise, and I gasped when I saw MacGregor, of all people, holding a ton of clothes bunched up in his left arm while he walked to the backseat of his car.

I stopped and frowned as he crawled into the backseat, shut the door, reached forward to the front seat, and turned on the car, adjusting the heater vents to the back.

“What in the world?” I asked aloud with my brows scrunching together even more.

I looked around the town. Most stores and cafés had shut down, and nobody but me was on the sidewalk.

And then there was MacGregor. I saw him shaking out the clothes through the rear window.

I couldn’t help myself. I crossed the street and walked up behind his vehicle.

MacGregor didn’t notice me. He seemed too busy sorting his clothes and placing them on his body, which was stretched along the backseat. If I didn’t know better, it looked like he was about to nap in his car under a pile of dirty clothes during a snowstorm.

I tapped on the window and peered inside. His smile immediately returned, and he kicked his legs off the seat and opened the door.

His eyes met mine. “Can I help you?”

I chuckled and arched my brows. “I think the question is, can I help you?”

MacGregor’s smile only widened. “Doubtful. Unless you have an in with one of the hotel’s owners.”

“What do you mean?”

“I checked out of my room before the storm hit, and when I tried to check back in, all the rooms were sold out.”

“Ooh, bummer.” I nodded, glancing down the street toward the hotel. “Did you try another hotel?”

“I’ve tried all the hotels, motels, B&Bs.” He shrugged. “All fully booked.”

My stomach tensed. MacGregor might be my sworn enemy, but that didn’t mean I wanted to read about his demise in the Marigold Weekly .

I looked up at the sign for the parking lot. “You do know that there’s a two-hour limit, right?”

“Are you trying to make me feel better or worse?”

I smiled. “Worse. Definitely worse.”

MacGregor chuckled and shook his head. His eyes never left mine, and I felt the same feelings gushing through me as in my dreams—warmth, protection, and kindness.

All the exact opposite of who this man truly was.

Yet, I felt it welling up inside me, that little bit of kindness that always managed to get me into trouble.

I ripped my gaze away and let out a deep sigh. “I’m not saying this because I’ve forgiven you, and I certainly don’t like you.”

“I think you’ve made that clear.”

I returned my eyes to him, and a jolt of holiday spirit dashed through me.

Or at least I’d hoped that was all it was.

MacGregor’s brows arched, but the sexiness behind his gaze was blazing, making me doubt what I was about to do.

My chin dipped, and I looked at him. “Why don’t you cmhmwfme while we fgurwhat to do?”

There, I’d said the words. It took everything I had, but I got them out.

He cocked his head. “What? What in the world did you say?”

I drew in a breath and raised my mouth from my wool scarf. “Don’t make me repeat it.”

MacGregor laughed and shook his head. “I seriously couldn’t understand what you said. You were mumbling into your scarf.”

“Don’t make me regret what I just offered.”

His smile widened. “I won’t, but I don’t know where I stand with the offer because I don’t know what it is yet.”

I let out a grunt of frustration. “Why don’t you come home with me while we figure out what to do?”

MacGregor’s gaze lingered on me. “I could come up with a thing or two.”

A laugh slipped into the air, and I realized it was from me. “Not funny.”

“Sounded like you thought it was.” His smile made a few little wrinkles run along his forehead. He looked even more handsome than his social media profile updates I’d managed to glimpse.

I rolled my eyes. “Well? Are you going to take me up on the offer or freeze to death in your rental car?”

He ran his fingers along his jawline and let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t want to be an imposition.”

“Too late. I already had my night all planned. I was going to eat junk food and binge some television. Now, if you stay here, I’ll worry about you all night, and if you come home with me, you’ll be in my way. Either way, it’s not what I had planned.”

Shock registered over his attractive features, even though the tip of his nose was turning red. “You’d seriously worry about me?”

I scowled. “I’m not a monster.”

“Neither am I.”

I shrugged and tugged on my scarf. “Verdict is still out on that one.”

“I don’t think this would be a great idea. I’ll take my chances out here, possibly freezing to death, rather than going with you and whatever arsenal you have waiting for me.”

“Arsenal?” I stomped my foot into the snow. “What arsenal?”

“Kitchen knives, scissors…” MacGregor looked amused. “I don’t know what kind of gadgets could come my way if I look at you wrong.”

A shiver ran up my spine, and I realized how cold he must be if I already felt it. “I’m not bonkers, you know.” My eyes narrowed on him.

He didn’t say anything.

“You know that, right? I’m completely warranted to feel the way I do after what you did,” I tried again.

“I never said you aren’t entitled to feel how you feel. I wish you’d enlighten me because, in all honesty, I think I’m the one who should feel a little slighted by the situation.”

Fury bounced through my bones at the accusation.

Him?

Slighted?

“I’m the one who—” I stopped myself. “You know what? Doesn’t matter. Water under the bridge. You’re a person in need. I’ll help you, and tomorrow, when the ferries open back up, you’ll be on your way.”

“I wasn’t kidding about my safety,” MacGregor joked.

“Just follow me,” I said, turning to leave.

He cleared his throat. “As you so kindly pointed out, this is only two-hour parking. Maybe I could give you a ride to your house, and I could park in your driveway?”

“Fine. I didn’t want to enjoy the peaceful walk in the rare Marigold Island snowstorm or anything.”

“Or I could just fall behind you and drive really slowly.” His smile lifted higher on the right, and I couldn’t help but remember the first night I’d met him.

He was so charming, kind, attentive, and mysterious. I’d never had a man pay attention to every word I said like he did. It was… amazing.

Until I woke up and realized it was all a mirage. He was just a chameleon.

“Are you sure about this?” He slid his tongue along his bottom lip, and my traitor of a heart skipped a beat. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. My survival instincts tell me I’d be safer in freezing temperatures with a car heater.”

“I’ll call a truce.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ll keep the cutlery to a minimum if it will make you feel better.”

The curl of his lip was downright sexy. “It would.”

“Okay. Good. Problem solved. You won’t freeze to death, and I won’t be riddled with guilt.”

He crawled out of the backseat and tossed some wrinkled jeans into the back.

“You can do laundry at my house if you want.”

He laughed. “How generous. So, will you let me give you a lift or will you walk?”

“I’m going to walk, but you don’t need to follow behind me.” I glanced over my shoulder. “Just get on the main road here and go to the second stop sign two blocks down. Take a right and go three blocks. My house is on the left. It’s the only one with a bright red door and a holly wreath on my mailbox.”

“I owe you big for this,” MacGregor said with a wink, but all I could do was scowl.

That wink got me in trouble once before, and I wouldn’t fall for it again.