Page 18 of Sweet Yuletide (Indigo Bay Christmas Romances #4)

On the walk from the community center, Sheridan focused on the sidewalk in front of her. She’d stared enough at Michael. He hadn’t caught her yet, and she wanted to keep it that way. At least he couldn’t see into her daydreams—ones involving a ceiling covered in mistletoe. His kiss was that good.

“The fair was fun.” He walked next to her, shortening his stride slightly to match hers. “And more my style than the gala.”

“Mine, too.” She raised the bag containing two ornaments for the community tree and three dog toys she’d purchased to donate to her mom’s rescue. “Unlike the auction, we could afford to do our part at the fair. Let’s hope everyone else does theirs.”

“Lots of people were buying things. They should reach their goal.” Michael nudged her with his shoulder. “I saw you stick dollar bills into the donation bin. You could have used that money to take a selfie with Eric Slade.”

She shrugged. The actor was older but gorgeous. “I enjoy his movies, but I’m not the starstruck type.”

“You seemed taken by that terrier.”

“Puppy dog eyes get me every time.”

“That’s why I’m still surprised you don’t have a pet.”

Sheridan felt a pang in her heart. She should tell him the truth. “I would have had one, except Sal said no pets in the apartment. I think it was his way of getting revenge on my mom for the animals she had during their marriage. But someday, I want a dog and a cat.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “Only one of each?”

“To start.”

He laughed. “That’s what I figured.”

She stopped at the corner. Cars and trucks whizzed by on Seaside Boulevard. A good thing there was a traffic light, or they’d be players in a real-life video game with high stakes. There hadn’t been this many cars before, but it was late afternoon, so maybe this was rush hour in Indigo Bay.

Michael hit the crosswalk button. “I’ve never been to anything like that before. To be honest, I didn’t know they existed.”

“The rescue did a wonderful job. There was something for everyone.”

“Like the little girl who brought her goldfish to see Santa.”

“That was so cute. I enjoyed seeing people buy the pre-filled stockings for dogs and cats.” Most of all, Sheridan loved seeing the people filling out adoption forms. Even if folks didn’t get a dog or cat at the fair, there were probably more at the rescue’s kennel.

“I sent my mom the photos and can’t wait to hear what she says. ”

“Do you think she’ll organize an event like that?”

“Maybe. She’s got so much going on, and now that she’s remarried, she’s training more volunteers, so she doesn’t have to do everything. The weather in December can be iffy. A snowstorm can cancel events. July or August would be a better time because of the number of tourists in town.”

“Summer is a big draw?”

She nodded. “The Huckleberry Festival and Bigfoot Seeker Gathering are huge draws.”

He shook his head. “Bigfoot?”

“Bigfoot is a big deal in Berry Lake. There’s a guide. He and his sons take people out on Sasquatch hunts.”

Michael’s face lit up. “Have you gone on one?”

“No, it’s for tourists who enjoy hiking, camping, wearing night-vision goggles.” And wasting money, in her opinion.

“That sounds so cool—a bucket list item.”

Really ? She’d never been interested, but she might be jaded, growing up hearing all the Bigfoot stories. “You should come to Berry Lake and go on one of their trips.”

His gaze locked with hers. “If I do, you can show me around town.”

Her heart stumbled. Whenever he looked at her, Sheridan felt herself falling down a rabbit hole. Worse? She didn’t mind at all.

And that worried her.

The same way she kept thinking about his lips.

His kiss.

“Uh, sure.” She’d been playing it cool, when inside, she was flailing.

Every smile or touch of his made her want to write a new set of rules to replace the ones they were no longer following.

Rules that called for mistletoe kisses, holding hands, and cuddling on the couch.

She forced herself to focus on him. “But night-vision goggles aren’t required for my tour. ”

“That’s okay. I’ll wear them when I search for Bigfoot.”

His grin might as well have been a Roman candle. It ignited a fire in her stomach.

Oh, boy . She needed rules to keep her away from him.

Her crush was growing. That had to stop.

Anything else, including more kisses, wouldn’t be smart. They were both unemployed. They lived in different states on opposite coasts. They had no idea what the new year would bring. And the biggest reason of all—she wasn’t his type.

Sheridan could change the color of her hair—not that she would do that for a guy—but she was stuck with her height and build.

Not that either of them was in any position to get involved. But his kiss suggested he might be up for something more.

Something casual .

Part of her wished she were up for the same thing. She prided herself on being strong, but a person could only handle so much, and she’d had enough after Thanksgiving. A holiday romance or whatever one called it would only end up breaking her heart.

The light changed, and they crossed the road.

“So, time to bake cookies?” he asked.

“Yes. It won’t take long if you also want to make the ornaments.”

“Let’s save those for tomorrow. We can turn on a holiday movie tonight. That’s something my family does. Lifetime, Hallmark, Netflix. The choice is yours.”

She did a double take. No way was this possible. “You’ll watch without being forced?”

He nodded.

She placed her free hand against his forehead. “You don’t have a temperature.”

He laughed. “It’s a tradition.”

“True, but my stepfather, Max, threatened to cancel cable after my mom and stepsister binged on the Hallmark Channel.”

Michael’s jaw jutted forward. “Where were you?”

“Packing for this trip.”

“You were in the skipping-Christmas mode.”

Busted . Sheridan nodded. “I was doing well at it until you.”

“Someday, you’ll thank me.”

“I already have.”

“We’re watching a movie tonight. You have to catch up.”

“They repeat. There’s also Christmas in July.”

“That’s too far away. And I prefer to celebrate in December. So cookies and movies.”

The plural caught her attention. “Why not?”

* * *

The dough for the lebkuchen cookies needed to chill in the refrigerator for two hours, so they settled down for a movie.

It featured a holiday decorator and a businessman whose family was visiting for Christmas.

It was cute. They each sat on one side of the couch.

The space between them was noticeable—to her, at least.

Don’t think about it .

But watching the movie couple fall in love made her want that to happen to her and Michael. At least there wasn’t much kissing until the end. Otherwise, she might want to reposition the mistletoe over him.

The next movie was set at the Plaza in New York, and Sheridan loved seeing the grand hotel.

The timer rang.

“The dough is ready.” She rose. “I’ll preheat the oven.”

“What about the movie?”

Maybe he was a romantic at heart. She’d stopped making assumptions about him because whenever she did, they turned out wrong. “We can do both if we make cookies during the commercials?”

“That’s a perfect plan.”

She sat.

At the next break, they ran into the kitchen. She preheated the oven, pulled the dough from the fridge, and covered the cookie sheet with parchment paper. “We have two batches to make since I had enough ingredients. I’ll show you what to do, and you can do the other one.”

He glanced around the corner. “Still a commercial, so what do we do?”

Sheridan enjoyed hearing him say “we.” She grabbed a handful of flour. “Add flour to the cutting board and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a rectangular shape.”

“Sounds easy.”

She demonstrated. “It is.”

“The movie’s on.”

They raced to the couch, and she made sure she touched nothing. Otherwise, there would be flour everywhere. At the next commercial break, they returned to the kitchen.

She finished rolling the dough.

He leaned forward. “That looks close enough.”

Sheridan laughed. “Go watch the movie.”

“No way.” He pressed against her back, sending her pulse skyrocketing. “We’re doing this together. Besides, I saw this one last year with Madison when Rory was out of town. What’s the next step?”

“Grab a knife and cut the dough into smaller rectangles.” She glanced at her phone. “My mom says there should be around eighteen.”

“Geometry lessons via baking.”

She shivered. “No math talk, please. Calculators and cash registers work fine.”

He wagged his finger. “You’re playing into the stereotype of the liberal arts major.”

“I embrace it fully.”

“Duly noted.” He counted the cookies. “Twenty.”

“More for us to eat.” She placed the pieces on the cookie sheet and then washed her hands. “Now, we put them in the oven and wait.”

The pan slid onto the middle rack, and she closed the door.

“Come on. The movie’s starting.” He grabbed her hand. “I want you to see the ugly sweaters his family wears.”

Michael led her to the couch and pulled her down next to him on the sofa. Forget the space that was between them before. His thigh pressed against hers. He hadn’t let go of her hand, either.

No big deal . Still, she forced herself to breathe.

Finally, he let go.

She missed his warmth and fought the urge to flex her fingers.

“This is like my family minus the sweaters. The men are all about Christmas ties. Except for Uncle Guy. He goes for holiday socks. It used to be boxers, but Great-Aunt Tessie stopped that.”

Good for his great-aunt . Sheridan waited for a break in the movie’s dialogue. “These relatives are on the Patterson side?”

“Yes.” Michael’s arm went over the back of the sofa. “Good people. There’s a group chat, and everyone is trying to outdo each other with their holidays this year.”

Another commercial came on. As she angled toward him, her shoulder slipped under his as if they were matching puzzle pieces.

“Who’s winning?” she asked.