Page 19 of Sweet Summertide (Christmas Cove #4)

Theodor was on a mission to win. He couldn’t afford to not be a success at this point. After being arrested, even though it was totally not his fault, his father had cut him off, and he knew his mother would go along with whatever his father dictated.

There was little else his mother cared about than keeping her busy charity gala schedule going.

If she spent a fraction of the time that she gave to needy libraries, art exhibits, and political candidates on him instead, Theodor was convinced he would be a more well-adjusted adult than he felt.

She was a good mom in the sense that she loved him and provided for all of his physical needs.

He had never gone without the best clothing, and their home was a magnificent apartment that overlooked Central Park with a floor to ceiling view from north to south.

He was grateful for having a privileged upbringing, but one thing people don’t understand about growing up as a rich kid is how life can feel so empty.

No number of friends and acquaintances could satisfy the space in his heart reserved for his parents’ approval.

Now that it was clear he would never get anything more from his father, he had no choice but to fill that vacuum with his own contentment.

His new road was one he would walk confidently and unapologetically, and if that meant the first step was to start by plastering the street with advertisements for his shop, then he would take all night if he needed.

He had used a photo of his storefront windows and made a few changes using photoshop.

His shop’s sign in the photo now read ‘ Up State Chocolaterie , for Whenever Your Sweet Tooth Strikes.’ He would play fair with Holly, and the other shop owners vying for the money, and get the last laugh when his shop was overflowing with customers.

He slapped one of his flyers beside one Holly had put up a few days earlier on a light pole. His was far more eye-catching with the gold foiled lettering catching the late afternoon sun.

“Take that, Blake Holly Hollis!”

As the words left his mouth, a blonde-ponytailed, pink-ribboned, frilly-dressed woman stepped out of the boutique to his right.

He turned and stood behind the post. As narrow as it was, it was nowhere near wide enough to cover more than a sliver of his body.

“Shoot,” he scolded himself. There was no way she didn’t see him hiding there.

He had two choices, face her, or skedaddle.

Theodor knew that no matter how much he wanted to get back at Holly, he wasn’t cut out to be a vindictive son of a you know what.

He hoped his light-hearted teasing would be an olive branch to her.

He didn’t like what she had done to him, but he did understand her desire to win, especially after learning that her family had cut her off.

He was just glad she had tamped down her antics for now.

“Saint Teddy, is that you?” Holly said, and he could hear the tapping of her heels against the pavement as she approached.

Run , he told himself, but he was glued in place.

She was on him in the span of three deep breaths and drummed her fingers on his shoulder.

Theodor twisted his head and looked at an empty street.

Turning his head the other way, Holly’s proximity caused him to jump back like she was a rattlesnake.

In reality, she was a little scarier than a slithering reptile, though far prettier.

“Made you look,” she said in a teasing tone and waved her little fingers. She ripped a flyer from his grasp and read the words. “A chocolate tasting this weekend. Good idea.”

“That’s it? No sneaky scheme or flirting to try and get under my skin?

” he said and snatched his flyer from her fingers more dramatically than he intended.

During the motion, he touched the back of her hand for a split second.

His fingers tingled. The sensation was enough to send heat around his body and up his neck.

If he could just tell his body that she was his nemesis, then perhaps he could cease burning for her.

Not seeing her every single day would make it considerably easier to get her off his mind, but the nearness of their shops would make that desire unattainable.

Holly placed a soft hand on his forearm. “Listen, Teddy, I know I went too far with the last stunt, and I promise my troublemaking days are behind me. You just keep planning your chocolate tasting.” Holly patted the stack of flyers in his arm.

She was being suspiciously nice. He sighed, desperate for the feeling of freefalling to end.

Since the moment he met her, his life had been floating on the breeze and had been picking up speed each day.

“I can’t read you, and I really don’t want to fight with you, Holly.

” His moment of honesty was met with a side eye and shoulder shrug.

“I don’t know why, but I can’t escape your gravity. ”

This shut her up. She swallowed and blinked in rapid succession like she was grasping for words; some snide remark that would only serve to disguise her feelings, whatever they were.

One thing he was sure about was that he was not the source of her pain.

If she allowed him in, he would fight for her, not against her.

“Holly, I meant what I said in the woods the other day.”

She shook her head. “I don’t recall you saying much.” Her cheek pulled up and scrunched the skin under her eye. It was subtle but he knew she was thinking about that kiss.

“Truce?” he said and wet his lips.

Holly leaned in and placed her mouth near his ear.

Her breath cooled his heated skin, and his heart thudded against his ribs while he held a shallow breath.

“Would you like that?” her whispered words vibrated through his veins.

She kissed his earlobe, letting her soft lips press into his flesh.

She backed off and looked at him up and down.

“That’s not an answer.”

Holly turned and her bag caught the corner of his flyers, pulling the stack out of his hands. Papers scattered all over the sidewalk. “I’m so sorry.” She bent down and began gathering loose papers.

Theodor chased a few caught in a gust and met her back at the light pole. “That wasn’t on purpose, was it?” He let his hand rest atop hers as she handed the flyers back to him.

“No, but I probably deserved that,” she said. “Good luck with your event. I mean it.” She turned and walked away, leaving him to wonder whether the nice-girl act was real or not.