Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy - Janice Lynn Page 0,15

continued. “We’re here for the kids. Everything else is secondary to them.”

It hit him that maybe she wanted nothing to do with him, either, after their latest encounter. Who could blame her?

“Unless you’d rather not?” he suggested. “If that’s the case, I’ll find a reason to bail on volunteering and you can join up with the other ladies. No harm done.”

Her eyes widened.

“Oh no. That’s not it at all. I just didn’t…well, you…I mean, I know you said you never wanted to see me again and I…” Looking as flustered as she sounded, she turned her palms up in a helpless motion. “Can we just start over? Pretend I never came to the firehall, that I never found your journal, and that we’re meeting for the first time today?”

He regarded her a moment, then shrugged. “Works for me.”

After all, they were going to be stuck working together on at least a couple of occasions. This would simply be making the best of a bad situation.

Looking relieved and smiling once more, she stuck out her hand.

“Hi, I’m Sophie Davis, one of your group leaders and your Christmas toy drive partner. We’re going to make a great team.” She flashed a smile. “Just so you know, we’re going to blow away the other two pairs with all the donations we get.”

Cole’s gaze dropped to her outstretched hand. If she was willing to call a reset, why not go along? What was he afraid of?

He took her hand.

That. That was what he’d been afraid of. Afraid her hand was soft, warm, feminine.

Touching Sophie’s hand made him feel. Cole didn’t want to feel.

He’d been right to say he never wanted to see her again, should never have agreed to be her partner, but it was too late for second thoughts now.

He pulled his hand away, resisted the urge to wipe the scalded skin across his jeans, but the way his palm tingled made him question if he should.

Something flickered in her eyes, but quickly disappeared as she smiled again. Too brightly for him to think she’d been unaware of how uncomfortable their touching had been.

Did her hand burn, too?

“And you are?” she prompted, continuing with her starting-over pretense.

He was feeling ridiculous, frustrated, and was currently wishing he wasn’t there, but whatever.

“Cole Aaron.” He didn’t sound friendly, but he’d managed not to snarl.

“Hi, Cole.” Her smile was dazzling as she went into full sunshine mode. He fought the urge to put his hands up to block her radiant glow. “I’ve lived in Pine Hill my whole life and don’t believe we’ve met.”

Fine, he’d play along. Why not?

“Moved here earlier this year,” he admitted.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here and that we finally met.”

In another lifetime—if he hadn’t been warped, if there’d been no journal full of grim thoughts for her to have read, no grim life experiences to fill a journal with—he’d have been glad to meet her. Ecstatic.

Too bad they couldn’t really erase that they’d met or what she’d read.

Self-disgust filled him and he glanced around to see if Andrew and Ben were ready to leave yet. He needed to get out of the community room and away from Sophie and those sympathetic eyes of hers that he didn’t understand or like.

Knowing what he’d done, how could she even stand to be polite to him, much less act as if she wanted to be his friend?

Chapter Four

“That fireman doesn’t seem your type.”

At Maybelle’s comment, Sophie paused from straightening up the church community room to gawk at the older woman.

They were wiping down tables and running a sweeper over the floor to leave the area clean and ready for its next use.

“You’ve lost your eyesight in your old age,” Rosie accused Maybelle. “That hunky man is every woman’s type.”

“I never said Cole was my type,” Sophie told Maybelle. When Rosie opened her mouth to protest, Sophie held her hand up. “Just because you and Sarah are playing matchmaker doesn’t mean I approve.”

Carrie, who’d joined them in their cleaning, raised her head. She was Sophie’s fellow church member, friend, and more recently, business associate, since her pet store was selling Sophie’s handmade pet bandanas. “You’re interested in Cole Aaron? The grumpy firefighter in your group?”

“He’s not grumpy,” Sophie defended, even though she knew she was at the risk of adding fuel to the gossiping fire. At least, he hadn’t been grumpy until he’d realized she had read his journal.

“He’s just, well…” She pushed a chair back beneath a table and tried not to let too much show.