Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

There was no better place in town to grab a quick bite to eat than Rockridge Grill. It was good enough that it drew people from miles around, even outside of Evergreen Hollow.

Part of it was the atmosphere—a rustic, homey space with a knotted pine floor, wide booths and lacquered-wood tables, the windows topped with cheerful red-and-white valances. But more than anything else, it was the food. The lunch menu was written on the chalkboard above the pickup counter, along with the card-stock menus on every table, and Aiden glanced at it as he walked up. He'd ordered an elk burger with parmesan fries—a good, hearty lunch with cheese, onion, pickle, and the grill's special sauce on it. But the menu for the day had him considering coming back for dinner.

There was the usual homemade lasagna, a beef and vegetable stew, a pork belly BLT, and the special for the day: bacon wrapped venison with mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. He considered himself a decent enough cook, but it couldn't match up to that, especially that last item.

The bell over the door chimed as he waited for his order to come out from the back. He glanced over to see Leon's wife walking in—Bethany Woodrow—her black scrubs covered in pet hair. He smothered a smile at the sight. No matter what Bethany wore, it was always covered in fur. She ran Pets First , the pet shop and groomer in Evergreen Hollow, and the fur followed her like a cloud.

No one held it against her though. Bethany was one of the sweetest, friendliest people in town—and also good to know if you wanted any of the gossip. Even Aiden had to admit to being partial to hearing what was going on from time to time—Bethany knew everyone, and always seemed to know what was happening.

"Hey there." She smiled at him as she walked up to the counter, a huge tote bag slung over her shoulder.

"Hey. Picking up lunch?" Aiden returned the smile, leaning up against the wall. "Any problems with that door?"

"I thought I'd grab something and take it over to the store for Leon and me. And no, the door is perfect. What a relief." Bethany shifted the bag on her shoulder. "I thought the old one was going to drive me mad."

"That's what Leon said." Aiden's gaze shifted. "Hey, what's in the bag?"

Bethany grinned, a mischievous look crossing her face as she reached inside. He didn't know what he'd expected, exactly, but it wasn't what came out. He couldn't help but start to laugh.

It was a huge reindeer costume, and surprisingly realistic. He shook his head, still chuckling. It wasn't unusual for people in Evergreen Hollow to go all out for the festival, but this was over the top. Coming from Bethany, it didn't surprise him. She was always enthusiastic this time of year. Evergreen Hollow was full of cheer all around, but it was like an aura around her, from October straight through the New Year. She could power the whole town's Christmas spirit all on her own, if need be.

Aiden rubbed his hand over his chin. "That looks a little big for you."

Bethany grimaced, nodding as she looked at it. "I thought the same thing. I was hoping I could doctor it up so it'd fit." She peered at him, a glimmer of excitement flickering into her eyes. "It would be great for you, though! You should try it on."

Aiden put up his hands, shaking his head. "Oh, no. Not a chance. Besides, my food is going to be up any minute." He looked at the counter and around the corner, hoping it would show up so he could go. This hadn't exactly been in his plans for the day.

"Why not? It's a great idea. If it fits you, no need to take it in. You could be our Rudolph this year." Bethany thrust the costume at him, her face taking on an expression that he knew all too well. Once she got what she thought was a good idea in her head, it was hard to pry it out.

"Really, I'd rather not." The food, any minute now. "Besides, you need me out of costume at the festival, just in case something breaks. Your repairman has to be on call."

"Or, you could relax and have fun." Bethany shook the costume at him again. "At least try it on so I can see how it looks. Maybe I'll talk Leon into it if it's good."

"Fine." Aiden let out a long sigh. "I'll try it on."

He was glad the restaurant was all but empty. Getting the suit on was no easy task. He tried it with his work boots on first, only to find he couldn't get his feet through, and had to disentangle himself long enough to take them off and try again. The food still hadn't come out, so there was no wiggling his way out of what he'd already agreed to, and Bethany had a delighted expression on her face that suggested this was making her whole day.

Finally, he managed to get the ridiculous thing on. "How do I look?" he asked resignedly, the answer already apparent from the sparkle in Bethany's eyes. Probably not good , but definitely hilarious.

"Perfect." She clapped her hands. "Now I just need you to agree to wear it at the festival!"

The bell over the door chimed again, and as he saw who walked in, Aiden felt his face flush red.

He'd talked himself out of thinking that he'd seen Nora on the porch of The Mistletoe Inn on his drive home. She hadn't been back for more than a decade; there was no reason to think she'd suddenly show up now. But here she was, in the flesh, walking into the grill with her friend Melanie at her side.

He quickly turned away, hurriedly trying to remove the suit without tripping over himself. His face was still flaming, and he wondered why—it shouldn't really matter to him if she saw him in the costume, no matter how ridiculous it was.

It felt like being back in high school all over again. As if he were once again standing just outside of her view and trying to get her attention by being "cool," or fretting over whether or not what he was doing was too "uncool" to make her notice him. It was an even more ridiculous feeling than the costume itself.

He was a grown man now, he told himself firmly, as he wrestled out of the reindeer costume. He shouldn't care about that—shouldn't even have the thought cross his mind. But just one glimpse of Nora, in that soft-looking hazelnut-colored sweater and dark jeans, brought back the feelings of that old crush as if they'd never left.

Jonathan, the owner and head chef at the grill, stepped up to the window just in time. "Here's your order, Aiden," he said, passing a bag across the counter to him. "Yours'll be up in just a minute, Bethany."

"Thanks," she said sweetly, taking the costume from Aiden as he handed it over. "No rush."

Aiden shoved his feet back into his work boots, glancing over at Nora and Melanie as they sat down in one of the booths. Nora had her back to him, and the two women were deep in conversation. Deep enough that Nora didn't even seem to notice that his name had been called.

Not that it would matter, he thought to himself, taking the bag and turning to go.

Even if she'd heard his name, it probably wouldn't ring a bell for her. They'd run in different circles in high school, and if she had ever noticed him enough to know his name back then, she certainly wouldn't remember it. It'd been too long.

He didn't like that he wished it would ring a bell.

Jonathan chuckled as Aiden took his order.

"You wear the reindeer look well," he said offhandedly, a slight smile on his face as he turned away to go back to the kitchen. Aiden laughed, more out of embarrassment than anything else. He was glad Nora hadn't seemed to see him trying on the ridiculous thing in the middle of the restaurant.

Nora and Melanie had tucked themselves into a booth on the far side of the restaurant, and he ducked his head as he walked toward the door, trying to stay out of her line of sight. He wanted to get out of there before she had a chance to say anything—he wasn't sure which would be worse, her remembering him and him having to act like it didn't matter one way or another, or her introducing herself as if they'd never met.

He definitely didn't want to find out.

Aiden strode back out to his truck, lunch in hand, thinking that he'd eat at the construction site and then finish his work for the day. After that, he thought he might go for a hike. The snow was thick enough to make for a nice trek through the woods, and he didn't want to risk seeing Nora again around town.

She made him feel odd, off-balance, like a moony teenager whenever he caught sight of her. It made him want to give her as wide a berth as possible.

Which was as silly as the feelings themselves, because Evergreen Hollow was a small place. Small enough that they were guaranteed to cross paths again before too long, regardless of whether or not he went out of his way to avoid it. But he could at least give himself a little time to come around to the idea of her being back in town.

Enough time that he could hopefully keep his cool, the next time he saw her.