12. Lydia

12

LYDIA

L uckily, Jake dropped me off at home last night and visited his parents until late. It worked out perfectly, especially after everything Violet said about him having feelings for me. She had to be wrong.

I ate dinner by myself and went to bed early. Around midnight, I heard Jake's sports car pull into the driveway. Other than that, he was quiet coming into the cabin.

Violet's words echoed in my mind the entire morning, and I was thankful I'd gotten out of the house before he woke up. However, avoiding him wasn't going to calm the thoughts in my head.

My stomach was a big ball of nerves as I headed home to get ready for my date with Max at the Cocoa and Cookie Craze Festival. Most of the stores downtown closed early on festival days so everyone could enjoy the fun. Max had texted me, saying he'd be at my house at six o'clock. I had no clue what to expect when he arrived and saw Jake there.

When I pulled into the driveway, Jake's car was parked outside. I took a deep breath, then let it out slowly before grabbing my purse. I was nervous to see him. What if he did have feelings for me? What would that mean? The two paths I had to choose from led to either Max or Ben. Jake wasn't an option.

I parked in the garage and walked through the door into the kitchen. Jake was in the shower by the sound of the running water and the scent of his soap lingering in the air. There was a folder from Ridgeview Realty on the kitchen counter just like the one Janet had given him previously. I peeked inside, and there were listings for new homes, but still, none of them were the types of places Jake wanted.

The shower water turned off upstairs, so I knew Jake would be coming down soon. I hurried down the hall to my bedroom and glanced in the mirror to ensure I looked okay. My heart started to race, and I placed a hand over my chest. Was I nervous about going out with Max? Or was there another reason that I didn't want to admit to myself?

I peered over at the clock on my nightstand and saw I had only ten minutes before Max was supposed to arrive. However, I soon found that that wasn't the case, as I could hear a car rumbling down the driveway. Gasping, I ran over to the window and there was Max in an old blue truck.

I quickly looked at myself one last time in the mirror before hurrying down the hallway. Max got out of his truck, and I watched him through the window as he made his way onto the porch, holding what appeared to be a loaf pan. He was very handsome, wearing a light blue T-shirt, jeans, and a brown jacket. I didn't want to be waiting by the door, so I let him knock.

With my hand on the doorknob, I slowly released my breath and opened it. The second I saw Max's sweet smile and kind gray eyes, I realized how lucky I was. It wasn't every day you were given a chance by a Christmas angel to find your one perfect match. Standing in front of me was one of the choices.

"Hey," I greeted, opening the door wide. "Come on in."

Max's grin widened and he held out the pan. "This is for you." I could smell the delicious hint of cinnamon and pumpkin. "I visited my grandfather this morning," Max continued, "and when I couldn't find him, I was told he was with your grandmother. It turns out they were in her kitchen cooking loaves of pumpkin bread. She wanted me to bring this to you."

My stomach grumbled with hunger, and Max chuckled. "Mine did that earlier when I smelled all the loaves baking."

I waved for him to come all the way in so I could shut the door. "As much as I want to tear into this pumpkin bread, there's going to be some amazing food vendors at the festival. Not to mention, we'll be eating tons of cookies."

Max beamed. "Sounds like fun. Thank you for asking me to go with you."

"Of course." I walked over to the kitchen table and set the pumpkin bread on it. "I'm ready to go if you are."

Max pointed out the window at Jake's car. "Is that yours?" he asked.

I grabbed my purse off the counter and my gray winter coat off the rack. "No," I replied, wondering how I was going to explain that I had another man staying with me. "I have a family friend in town who needed a place to stay for a few days. But believe me, I wish that was my car."

He agreed with a nod and chuckled. "So do I."

I slipped on my coat and opened the door, letting Max walk out first . . . only he didn't. His focus landed on something behind me, and I soon realized it was Jake when I heard his voice.

"Oh, hey, I didn't know we had company."

That was such a lie. He had to have heard us talking when he was upstairs. When I turned around, my mouth dropped at the sight before me. Jake was standing there with only a white towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was wet from the shower, and he had the biggest smirk on his face.

"Oh my God," I snapped. "Seriously? What are you doing?"

Jake held up his arms. "I'm sorry."

With a heavy sigh, I turned to Max and his narrowed gaze was on Jake.

"Aren't you Jake Reynolds?" he asked him.

Jake cocked his head to the side. "I am."

Max smiled at him. "You're an amazing golfer. My grandfather and I have watched you win plenty of times." He turned to me, his expression full of surprise. "I had no clue you had famous friends."

I waved a hand toward Jake. "He's my best friend's brother. We grew up together. I've been trying to help him find a house. Until then, he's staying here."

Jake walked over, still clad in only his towel, and extended a hand to Max. "Lydia's saving me from staying with my parents. I owe her so much right now."

I leaned in close to his ear, but I knew Max could hear me, too. "You can do that by putting on some clothes."

Max shook Jake's hand. "I'm Max Harper, by the way."

Jake grinned. "It's nice to meet you. I should probably go get dressed."

"Yes, you should," I reiterated.

He started to walk back to the staircase but then turned around to face us again. "You two are going to the Triple C festival, right?"

"Yeah," I replied, not liking the faux innocent look on his face. I could always tell when he was up to something. "What do you need?"

"Well," he began, waving a hand toward the window. "My car has been having issues. I was wondering if I could ride with you two to the festival, and then I'll find another way back here."

There was nothing wrong with his car yesterday. But before I could say anything, Max spoke up.

"It's fine with me. You don't mind, do you?" he asked me.

Jake's eyes twinkled mischievously, and I huffed. "Not at all," I said, glaring at Jake. "Just hurry up and put some clothes on."

Jake smiled triumphantly. "Be down in a sec."

Once he was gone, I turned to Max. "I'm so sorry. I know you didn't expect to come here and see a half-naked man in my house."

He shrugged and let out a laugh. "It's okay. I think it's fantastic you're friends with a famous golfer. My grandfather loves watching him."

"Even though he can be a little annoying, he's one of my best friends," I said.

Jake's footsteps pounded down the stairs. "All right, I'm ready."

The guys walked out the door while I locked up. I looked at Max's truck; there was only one row of seats. "Do you want me to drive?" I asked them.

Jake patted a hand on the hood of Max's truck. "This'll be perfect. It reminds me of the truck my grandfather drove when I was young."

Max looked at me and shrugged. "I don't mind driving us."

Great. I'm going to be stuck sitting in the middle between them.

"Great," I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

I walked around to the passenger's side and Jake opened the door for me, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

He flourished a hand toward the inside of the truck. "In you go."

Max got behind the wheel and I slid to the middle, sandwiched in between both men. "Thank you for driving, Max."

"Of course," he said, smiling over at me.

Jake cleared his throat and leaned forward so he could see around me to Max. "So, what do you do, Max?" I wanted to know the same thing, but Jake beat me to it.

Max glanced over at him before focusing back on the road. "I'm a professor at Appalachian State. I teach math, mainly Calculus."

I gasped and waved a hand between me and Jake. "That's where we went to college."

Max chuckled. "I know. Your grandmother told me you did."

"She did?" There was no telling what all she told him. "What else did she tell you?" I asked, cringing at the thought.

His grin widened. "Let's just say she loves to talk about you." Silently, I groaned. She probably told him about the time I ran into a tree and broke my nose. Talk about embarrassing.

"I really wanted to go to Appalachian State," he continued, "but ended up at UNC Charlotte. I taught there for a few years until I moved to Boone and started teaching at ASU. My students just recently convinced me to start snowboarding."

That made me laugh. "And how is that going?"

"Eh," he said with a shrug. "I'm not that bad. We should go sometime."

"I'd like that."

Jake snorted. "Lydia, don't you remember the last time you snowboarded?"

Eyes wide, I jerked my head toward him. "That was a long time ago."

"What happened?" Max questioned.

I shook my head at Jake and all he did was smile wider. "Lydia, here, took a tumble in the first five minutes and broke her tailbone. I had to carry her down the mountain."

"Hey, it was a long time ago. I might be better now," I said to Max.

"That sounds like an eventful memory."

Jake's shoulders shook with silent laughter. "We have a ton of those. I'll have to fill you in on some one day."

I definitely wasn't going to let that happen. I could only imagine the embarrassing types of things he would tell Max.

Downtown Blowing Rock was only a few minutes from my cabin, so getting there didn't take long. People were everywhere and parking was nonexistent on the main road. Luckily, we had a private lot behind the gallery. Once parked, the three of us walked across the street to the park where all the vendor booths were set up. Just seeing it all took my breath away, especially at night with all the twinkling lights.

Jake stepped in front of us and held out his hand to Max. "Thanks for the ride, man. It was nice meeting you." After they shook hands, he turned to me. "I think Hailey and Oliver are over there somewhere. I'm going to go find them and catch up with some old friends."

I nodded. "Have fun. If you see your sister, tell her to find me. I want to introduce her to Max."

He smiled. "Got it."

I watched him disappear through the crowd and all I could hear were squeals. He was a celebrity in town, and everyone loved him.

"Can you imagine having that kind of fame?" Max wondered, nodding in the direction Jake went.

"No," I laughed. "Jake handles it well, though. He hasn't let it get to his head . . . yet."

"That's good. Not all celebrities stay that way." He took my hand and entwined his fingers around mine; it made me smile. "So, where do we want to go first? I'm trusting you to lead me in the right way. The food smells amazing."

Food trucks were stationed around the edge of the park. I already knew which one I wanted to get dinner from. I squeezed his hand and pulled him toward The Refined Roadster.

"If you don't love this food there's something wrong with you," I quipped.

We got in line and I watched him silently read the menu. I already knew what I was going to get.

His eyes lit up the more he read. "Wow. I want everything. What do you think I should try?"

This was the perfect time to test him, to see if we were compatible. I let his hand go and stepped in front of him. "Do you trust me?" His gaze narrowed playfully and he was about to speak, but I held up a hand. "Hold that thought. Let's see if you say yes after I order our food. Stay here."

He stood back while I went up to the window of the large red-and-yellow truck where Macy Henderson beckoned me over with a wave. Her husband, Jeremiah, was the creator of The Refined Roadster and they'd won dozens of medals for being one of the best food trucks in the business. He was busy cooking in the back, but he said a quick hello to me and returned to the food.

"Hey, girl. Want your usual?" Macy asked.

"Of course!" I answered, "But I need the order doubled." I hooked a finger behind me and her gaze landed on Max. "I'm testing my date to see if he likes what I do."

Macy shook her head and giggled. "I see. Well, he better, right?"

I winked at her. "Exactly."

"All right, give us a few minutes. When Jeremiah saw you walking up, he put your lobster mac and cheese balls in the fryer."

My stomach growled. "Thank you. I can't wait."

Macy had graduated high school with Jake and still looked the same with her long midnight-colored hair and green eyes, but that was the only similarity from high school. Now, she rode motorcycles and had tattoos all over her arms, just like Jeremiah. He'd brought her out of her shell and I loved it.

It didn't take long for Jeremiah to finish our order. Macy loaded it all onto a tray, and before I could pay her, Max pushed my hand away and gave her the money.

He smiled at me and winked. "There was no way I was going to let you pay."

Macy snickered. "Good man."

I waved at her. "Thank you. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again."

Max took the tray of food and carried it to a vacant park bench just a few feet away. We sat down and I watched his eyes widen with wonder at the food.

"Wow, this looks delicious. What did we get?"

"Well," I began, pointing at the plate, "these are absolute heaven. They're lobster mac and cheese balls. And these," I said, pointing at the sandwiches, "are beef tenderloin banh mi sandwiches. The flavors will literally explode in your mouth."

Max tilted his head back and laughed. "You're such a foodie. I love it."

I picked up one of the mac and cheese balls and bit into it, savoring every single second. "I can't help it. How can you not be excited when you taste something so good."

"Here we go, then," Max called out, picking up his sandwich. He took a huge bite and got garlic aioli sauce all over his face. "You're right; this is amazing."

When he looked at me, I held up a napkin and giggled. "Told you."

He wiped the sauce off and smiled. "I think I trust you now."

"Good." I bumped him with my shoulder before grabbing my sandwich. "Just wait until we taste the cocoa and cookies. We're going to be stuffed when we leave here tonight."

I looked out at the crowd and my gaze instantly found Jake. My heart fluttered, especially when he smiled at me. It wasn't the sly smirk that he gave when he strolled into my kitchen in only a towel; this smile had a hint of sadness to it.

"Lydia? You okay?" Max asked.

Quickly, I turned my focus back to him and nodded. "Of course. So, fill me in on what my grandmother told you about me." I said as I took a bite of my sandwich.

"Happy to." He laughed.

He went on and on about his conversations with my grandmother and he wasn't kidding when he said he knew a lot about me. The whole time we talked, I inadvertently searched the park for Jake. Why? I don't know. There was something in his eyes when he looked at me that made my chest hurt. I wanted to stop thinking about him . . . but couldn't.