Page 2 of Sweet Summertide (Christmas Cove #4)
“No. Nope. You cannot sit on both sides of the fence on this question.” He chuckled at himself, which sort of annoyed her that he was enjoying this round so much. “In my experience, I can tell a lot about a person based on how they answer this question. So, think carefully.”
“I suppose I’ve never given it much thought. They’re those little black and white penguins, with the parrot beak, right?”
“Wrong.” His hands flew to his face, and he pulled the skin down his cheeks under the weight of his finger and exposed his wide eyes. “They’re not related to penguins at all. Not even close. They’re not even cousins.”
Holly could tell he was teasing her, and she supposed she could just as easily trip him up with questions about horses if she really wanted to turn things around.
The straightforward thing would be to give him an answer, and he clearly wanted her to be as enthusiastic about the bird as he was.
But Blake Holly Hollis doesn’t play nicely like that. Blake Holly Hollis is a winner.
“Alright. I’ve made up my mind.” He was on the edge of his seat, and at some point, had cupped her hands in his. “I do not like puffins. They look ridiculous and, did you know, they’re not even related to penguins like they should be?”
“Hey! I just told you that.” He removed his hands from hers and threw them in the air in disbelief.
“Someone had to call it like it is.” Retrieving her phone from her dress pocket, she pulled up a photo of a puffin on her browser and turned the screen towards his eyes. “They’re kind of silly looking, like clowns. Don’t you think?”
He chuckled in his throat. “They’re disgusting little things, and I hate clowns.”
“Then I passed your test?” Holly said and stashed her phone.
Still jovial, Theodor nodded his head. “I can’t trust someone who likes puffins, is all.”
“Are you one of those birders who travel around cataloging every bird you meet? How do you know so much about puffins anyway?”
“NGK.”
“Sorry, I’m not following,” she said and shook her head trying to place the acronym.
“National Geographic Kids. My Granny bought me a subscription when I was little. I suppose I can blame her for my adventurous side. I remember opening that first issue and seeing a world that was so unlike the concrete playground of Manhattan, I knew I needed to get out eventually and explore it all.”
His reasons for leaving the city might be different than hers, but it seemed like they were both running away from the versions of themselves that everyone else wanted them to be.
She knew that her life would never feel like her own unless she blazed her own path.
She wasn’t stupid though; she wanted her father’s blessing—and money—to do it with.
“So, you had the world at your fingertips, and you chose to go to Christmas Cove?” she asked, wondering why a man as good looking as Theodor would want to live somewhere so obscure.
“Yep.”
Holly appreciated how sure of himself he was. “It’s a pretty great place. I won’t lie. But small. Like it’s absolutely tiny compared to Manhattan. And I don’t think you’re ready for it. Everyone will know your business before you do,” she said with a giggle.
“That shouldn’t prove to be an issue. Apparently, I’m totally fine spilling my guts to strangers.”
“We’re not strangers, are we? I’m Holly. You’re Teddy. We’ve shared more looks during this train ride that I think I have in my past three relationships combined, and we both think puffins are weird little clowns. I’d say that’s a good start to a wonderful friendship.”
The train brakes let out a sharp cry as they engaged with the steel tracks.
Elizabethtown Station was announced over the loudspeaker.
The dense green trees outside the window ceased being a blur to the point that now she could make out individual branches and leaves.
“How long will you be in town for? Maybe we can bump into each other sometime.”
“I’ll be staying for a while. And I think I can find time to bump into you again soon.”
The train came to an unceremonious stop and the doors slid open up ahead of their seats.
The cabin hadn’t been full and emptied quickly.
Holly took her brown-leather Louis Vuitton travel bag from the overhead and threw it across her shoulder.
Behind her, Theodor waited patiently for her to move up the aisle.
“You want help with that?” he asked.
Holly suspected his offer was out of politeness and not because she looked incapable. “That’s okay. Thank you though.”
As she walked towards the door ahead of him, her energy stretched out from her body in hopes of touching his a little longer.
Their conversation had been brief, but full of life.
Consumed by attraction, she wanted to know more about this man from Manhattan and was desperate to run into him while he was in town.
She gave him a final glance over her shoulder before jumping down to the concrete platform, just beyond the painted yellow line, and turned around. “Do you want to?—”
Theodor mimicked her jump and landed with his toes only inches from hers. “Come to the Chocolate festival with me tonight?”
“Yes,” she said without delay.
“It’s at the Foundry. Do you know it?” he asked and walked backwards towards a man waving him over from the front seat of an old red pickup truck.
She nodded, of course she knew the Foundry. It was the hottest new place in the area. Joining in on the Cove’s revitalization was one of the reasons she was moving back home in the first place.
“Eight-thirty.” Theodor smiled and switched his focus to the man in the truck. Teddy hopped into the front passenger seat and greeted the driver with a spirited embrace.
Beyond the red pickup, Holly spotted a sight for sore eyes. Holly waved at Millie, her childhood best friend, who was walking up to the station from the parking lot. With her other hand, Holly caught the ruffled hem of her skirt just as a breeze attempted to expose her.