Chapter Eight

O nce again, Raine owed Timmy. She parked her car in the garage, grabbed the pizza from the passenger seat, and hurried into the house. He was only twenty-two, but he was an old soul. She'd recognized that quality in him when she hired him four years ago and seen it tonight when he'd told her to leave the coffee shop at six thirty because he had everything under control.

Timmy did.

Thank goodness because she needed a shower before Keaton arrived.

Inside, she kicked her shoes off. The clogs went flying and hit the wall.

Oops.

She'd put them in the basket later.

Raine tossed her keys and purse on the kitchen counter. She shoved the pizza box into the oven and set the temperature to warm.

The microwave clock read six fifty.

That gave her ten minutes to shower and change.

If Keaton was punctual. But something—her gut or a hunch—told her he might be early.

That meant a super-short shower.

She ran into her bathroom where she turned on the shower so the water could heat up. All she needed was time to wash off the grime from working all day. She didn't need to put on makeup or do her hair. This was a working dinner, not a date, right?

Right.

As fast as she could, Raine showered, dried off, and dressed. Leggings and a shirt. She wanted to be comfortable after a long day at the shop.

She combed her wet hair.

The doorbell rang.

Not quite seven.

Early as she expected.

A good thing she hadn't planned on makeup because she had no time for that.

Raine walked to the front door and opened it.

Keaton stood there with a pink box from Lawson's bakery on top of the Boo Bash container. Okay, the guy had manners. If he wasn't carrying the orange and black box, this would be a good start to a date. If she wanted a date, which she didn't.

She clutched the doorknob. "You didn't have to bring dessert."

His mouth quirked. "Knew you'd say that."

"But I'm glad you did."

Surprise flashed on his face. "You're welcome."

Catching him off guard felt better than it should. She let go of the door. "I'd be an even bigger fool to say no to something from Lawson's."

"You're not a fool."

She motioned him inside. "Where are my manners? Come in."

He did. "Nice place. I like the wood floors and crown moldings."

"Thanks. I had them redone before I moved in, but I fell in love with all the built-ins and little touches."

"Lots of character." He glanced around. "No dog?"

"Nope." She motioned him inside. "Callie and Anna keep telling me to get a dog or a cat, but I'm not at home enough."

"Surprised they accept that answer given they could look after your dog at Wags and Tails. Callie's been on me about it too."

"Considering it?"

"A Norwegian Elkhound is in my future. I thought perhaps this Christmas, but I need to push out the date."

Raine wanted to know why the timing mattered so much, but it was none of her business. "Norwegian Elkhound? You're really into Norway stuff, huh?"

"Scandinavian studies is my specialty, and those dogs are amazing." Excitement brimmed in his voice. "Perfect disposition for a family."

"I haven't investigated breeds yet, but I can't see adopting a pet, only to put them in doggie daycare seven days a week. Callie's is the only one in the area, and even if I wanted to use them, they aren't open late enough anyway. Or at least they won't be until they start their overnight boarding service."

The way he studied Raine made her want to take cover. "Sounds like you've done some research."

Raine shrugged. That was better than admitting she'd found the perfect dog, but when she asked Emmett to go to the rescue shelter with her, he broke up with her instead. Now she didn't have him, and some other family had provided a forever home for that sweet dog. "A little. Before…"

Uh-oh. She didn't want to talk about that.

Keaton set the dessert on the counter. "Before…"

"Before my ex-boyfriend and I broke up. He lived in an apartment, but I had this house with a fenced yard. He didn't work as much as me, so we'd discussed getting a dog, but then…"

"He decided Silver Falls wasn't the place for him, and he moved to Seattle."

The words seemed to float between them for a long moment. Raine hated every passing second.

Keaton leaned against the counter and crossed one ankle over the other. "So, no dog and no relationship."

It wasn't a question, but Raine felt the need to answer before she changed the subject. "Yep."

That was all Raine would say. Her dating history had nothing to do with planning the Boo Bash. Besides, all he had to do was ask Callie, Taryn, or Margot if he had any questions. Everyone in town knew about the breakup. Margot must know the most, maybe even more than Raine, given the quilt owner's friendship with Mrs. Wilson, Emmett's mom. The fact Raine was never told to call her Teresa probably should have been a warning sign that the relationship would never last. If only hindsight equaled premonition. That would stop a lot of heartache.

Raine opened a drawer, pulled out an oven mitt, and put it on. She pulled the pizza box out of the oven. "I got half a meat lover on one side and pepperoni and olives on the other."

"Excellent choices. I like both."

Keaton's approval made her feel as if she'd earned a gold star. His students must feel the same way when they scored well on a paper or exam. She wondered if some had crushes on the handsome professor. None of her instructors at the community college had caught her eye, but she'd also been working two jobs so didn't have much time for romance.

She placed the box on a trivet. "I just need to get plates."

He came up to her, making the galley kitchen seem even smaller. "Can I help with anything?"

Raine wanted him to move away from her. The woody scent of his soap or aftershave swirled around her head. She liked the smell, something she hadn't noticed at the coffee shop.

"Do you mind getting glasses from the cabinet next to the sink?" She pointed to the one she meant. "There's iced tea in the fridge and ice in the freezer if you want some."

"Do you?"

"No, thanks. It'll be cold enough for me."

For two people who didn't know each other, they worked well in the space they had, staying out of each other's way and setting the table without any issues. The silence wasn't awkward. She appreciated Keaton for not having to fill every second with words like Emmett did.

It was also weird to have a man in her house. The last time had been July when Emmett picked up his boxes. She wasn't an introvert or a recluse, but she'd become that when not working.

How had that happened?

Going out alone isn't much fun.

Come November, Raine needed to do something about that. Not date. The idea of joining a dating app made her nauseous, but maybe she would arrange a girls' night with her friends. They used to have those. Callie and Taryn had their husbands now, but Anna and Pippa were single too.

"I'm ready," he said finally.

Raine added Parmesan cheese and chili flakes to the table. "Same."

Keaton pulled out her chair.

Okay, Raine could get used to this. As she sat, she grinned. "Such manners."

"I try." He sat in front of the other plate. "The pizza smells delicious."

"It's from the pizzeria on First Avenue. Convenient and good. Dig in."

He took a slice of each kind. "Not sure who else you're expecting tonight."

"I got the largest size in case you had a big appetite. If not, I'll have leftovers."

"A good plan."

"Timmy's been on me about skipping meals."

"Someone should be." Keaton took a bite. "Delicious."

A little bit of cheese hung on the side of his mouth, but she wasn't sure which appeared tastier. That or his full, kissable lips.

Huh? Where had that come from?

As Raine gulped her iced tea, Keaton wiped his mouth. The cheese was gone, but those lips…

She took another sip, wishing the glass was full of ice.

"Callie mentioned you were from Seattle. Is that where your family lives?"

Raine picked up her glass and took a long sip of iced tea. She hated this question. Few knew the truth. "They did. I'm an only child. My parents are dead."

His face fell. "Oh, Raine. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have—"

"It's fine. Okay, not fine, but it happened five years ago. I miss them, and I still cry sometimes, but it's not like it was."

"I can't imagine. My parents might annoy me at times, but—"

"I hope you never experience that kind of loss."

Keaton nodded. "Me too."

She didn't go around saying she was an orphan. The pity in her neighbors' eyes was one reason she'd wanted to get out of Seattle. The cost of living had been the other. But she recognized the curiosity in Keaton's eyes. It wasn't as if he couldn't do an internet search and find the obituaries and the news articles.

"I don't mind talking about it." Even if she didn't tell many people. Something about Keaton was different. They might be opposites in every way, but he was…kind. Stuck up and stuffy, but kind. And he'd brought dessert tonight. That had earned him bonus points. Not that she was keeping track. "I mean, I'm in Silver Falls because of what happened to them."

He angled his shoulders toward her. "What do you mean?"

"My parents never had much money. They both worked, sometimes more than one job if they had to. They believed in owning not renting and having life insurance. My dad always said if you have it you won't need it."

The sound of Dad's voice, loud and full of amusement, played in her head like one of the voice messages she still had on her cell phone. A familiar heat behind her eyelids made her glance around the eating nook with its wood-framed windows and crown molding.

"That's how I could afford to buy this house and open Tea Leaves and Coffee Beans. I always wanted my own coffee shop, but my mom never drank the stuff. She preferred tea so…"

A familiar emptiness in her chest expanded.

Oh, no. Raine didn't need the rush of grief with Keaton there. She didn't have much control, but it usually came in two different ways—rolling to shower her in a gentle wave or swamping her like a tsunami. This felt like the first, so she picked up a slice of pizza and ate, focusing all her attention on the tastes in her mouth and chewing.

After she swallowed, her eyelids no longer burned.

As soon as she set the pizza on her plate, Keaton covered her hand with his. "I thought the name of your shop was clever, but what a wonderful way to honor your parents. I had no idea the story behind it."

"Few do."

"How come?"

Another shrug. "It's not like people want to hear that your parents died in a hot air balloon outing. They'd won a package through my dad's work and invited me to go with them, but I thought…"

Her voice cracked. She wet her lips.

"It was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, so I told them to go without me. A special date with just the two of them."

Keaton sucked in a breath. "If you'd gone…"

"I wouldn't be here." She stared at his hand over hers. No one had touched her—not like this—in months, and she wanted to slide her fingers so his fell between hers. That would almost be like holding hands. "I…miss them."

There was nothing else she could say about how many times she picked up the phone to call them only to remember she couldn't. Or the holidays alone. That had stopped after she met Emmett, but she'd be back to celebrating those on her own in November and December.

Keaton rubbed his thumb against her hand. "I'm sure you do."

Heat pooled on her cheeks. "I usually don't tell people. Not sure what got into me."

He kept his hand on hers. She was grateful for that.

"I asked," he said in a soft tone. "You're tired. You're understaffed. There's the Boo Bash too."

She raised her gaze to meet his. "Though I have help for that last one."

Their gazes held, lingering, until Keaton looked at his plate.

"You do." He lifted his hand from hers and drank. "So, are you ready to discuss the Boo Bash?"

Yes, no, maybe. Give her a second and one of those three answers would be true.

"That's the reason I'm here," he added.

Right. But for some odd reason, that disappointed her.

Talk about being foolish. "Find anything useful in the bin?"

"The results from a survey from last year's event was eye-opening. Most parents sounded like Robin. Less candy. More activities."

Of course they did. Raine slumped in her chair. "I get it. I really do. But candy is so much easier. I don't remember if there were other activities because I was in the shop passing out candy to all the trick-or-treaters. That was chaotic enough. The thought of more sounds like…"

She gulped.

"A lot more work," Keaton finished for her.

Raine nodded and ate more pizza. A good thing she'd bought an extra-large. She needed lots of food to take her mind off this.

"The goal of the Boo Bash is…"

"For the kids to dress up and have fun. The Wednesday before Halloween is a half day at the elementary school. The event starts at one. Kids wear their costumes and go to each First Avenue Shop. Some shop owners dress up."

"Did yours?"

"We did." She expected him to ask what as, but he didn't. "The candy was provided so that was easy-peasy."

"You sound like Taryn."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was meant as one."

Their gazes met. Something passed between them. Raine didn't know what. Nor was she sure she wanted to know. She stared at the half-eaten slice on her plate.

"The first time I came to Silver Falls, First Avenue had been barricaded on both ends. There was a stage set up. A choir sang. People milled about."

"That's when they name the winner of the Christmas window decorating contest. It's the biggest event of the year, so they go all out."

"I was thinking the Boo Bash could do something similar."

"Have a choir?"

"Entertainment. Games. Crafts."

Her jaw dropped. "That sounds like a lot."

"Candy would be easier."

She nodded.

"But easier isn't always better." Keaton sounded like he was trying to convince her.

It wouldn't work. "I don't have time."

"I do."

"Professor—"

"My name's Keaton."

"Fine, Keaton." Tension settled between them. She shifted in her chair but couldn't get comfortable. "I get what you're saying, but that would be a lot for a committee to take on let alone the two of us."

"I'm not talking a haunted house or hayrides."

"Is that what you had in Beverly Hills?"

"There were haunted houses in the area, but there's more to Halloween than trick-or-treating. Games, crafts, there could be a scavenger hunt or a passport where the kids get a stamp from each store and a prize at the end."

She stiffened. "A prize?"

"That's where the candy comes in, or some shops have trick-or-treating. The others do something else."

Raine didn't want to keep shooting him down, but…

"I can see how much you've thought about this. But I'll be honest. I spent what free time I had this afternoon leaving messages for applicants who were told I wasn't hiring by an ex-employee. I hired Robin and hope things will be turning around staffing wise."

He was listening to her, so she continued.

"But owning a business is like juggling double-ended knives. There is no safe side that won't cut you. I'm always waiting for the next shoe to drop. And imagining this kind of Boo Bash feels like a pair of Doc Martens just hit the top of my head."

"Too much work?"

She nodded. "I don't have it in me. Not right now."

Maybe not ever.

"I'm not trying to put more on your plate," he countered.

She gave him a look.

"This is more than putting up fliers with the event details, ordering bags of candy, and giving the bags to shops to hand out. But what if I do all the leg work?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "Why would you want to do that?"

Keaton pressed his shoulders back.

She doubted he was trying to be cute, but he was.

He raised his chin. "Andrews family members tend to throw themselves into projects one hundred and ten percent."

"Taryn must fit right in."

Keaton laughed, lightening the atmosphere. "She does."

"You have great ideas, but I'm the worst person who could get assigned the Boo Bash. I'm burnt out on events and the association itself."

"Callie mentioned you organized the Valentine's event."

No doubt his family also mentioned what Raine went through while she planned the dance. Not trusting her voice, she nodded.

"I understand." He refilled their glasses with iced tea. "Halloween isn't a big deal to me. No trick-or-treaters come to my door. I'll dress up for undergraduate classes only because some of them have never been away from home on a holiday. And I give out candy as they leave."

Okay, the man was meant to be a professor.

Or a dad.

Stop. She shouldn't be thinking about Keaton like that even if she could imagine little boys with short brown hair and glasses make-believing they were in Asgard or some other mythic locale their father told tales about. Now, she was just getting carried away.

Raine ate more pizza.

"But I have research skills," he added. "I can come up with something."

She wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I'm sure you do and can, Pro—Keaton."

He leaned toward her. "I have a proposal for you."

A good thing Raine wasn't eating or drinking anything, or she might have choked. "A what?"

"I propose two courses of action for the Boo Bash."

The least she could do was listen to him. "Go on."

"The first is a traditional Boo Bash with only trick-or-treating."

"And the second?"

"I put together ideas for a Boo Bash with activities and only some trick-or-treating."

"How long do you need?"

"We don't have that much time, so we could meet on Saturday, if you have time."

"At the coffee shop?"

"You're working?"

"Timmy is scheduled, but he can't work alone the entire time."

"The coffee shop will be fine. I'll text you when I know a time."

Her pulse kicked up a notch at the thought of seeing him again. On second thought, it must be him wanting to be so helpful. "I'll be there. Anything else?"

Keaton glanced at the bin. "It can wait."

"Help yourself to the pizza. I'm saving room for dessert. What are we having?"

"I almost bought a pumpkin spice cake with a caramel drizzle, but Jayden mentioned you were a fan of their chocolate marble cake, and they had one left so…"

It was her turn to lean forward. "Those aren't on the everyday menu, and they sell out whenever they make them."

Keaton raised the lid of the box. "You're in luck."

She stared at the chocolate icing on the layered cake. Her mouth watered. "It's my favorite."

"Then let's slice into this bad boy so you don't have to wait any longer."

Bad boy. She nearly laughed. He'd called the bin that too. If only a brainy professor was her type…

But Keaton wasn't. Raine got the feeling she wasn't his either.

At least they had cake. "I'll get a knife, forks, and plates."