Jeremy laughed softly and lifted his head, slipping his glasses back on. “If you are, you’re taking your time.”
“Maybe that’s my MO. Maybe my whole family’s in on it. We’re waiting for the right moment.”
Jeremy widened his eyes. “What’s really in those bottles of extra dark maple syrup?”
“You’ll soon find out. The hard way.” He laughed maniacally, and Jeremy giggled.
“Thank you. I feel better.” He peered up at Max, their bodies still close.
Max cupped Jeremy’s shoulders, rhythmically squeezing the puffy material. “Sorry I eavesdropped.”
“No, when she’s like that, I think people in the next postal code can hear.”
Reluctantly, Max said, “We should get back out there. People will be arriving any minute.”
“What did you need to get for the taffy?”
Max had to laugh sheepishly as he grabbed the box of Popsicle sticks and held them up.
Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Should I take one side? I don’t know if you can manage that on your own.”
“I’ll have you know this is a jumbo box.”
“It does say it right there in black and yellow. Clearly a two-person job. Glad I’m here to help.” He hesitated. “Someone might think you were trying to get me alone.”
Car engines were rumbling outside, so there was no time to press his lips to the pretty blush on Jeremy’s cheeks. But he had to get Jeremy alone soon. Rules or no rules. Plan or no plan. Why was he cockblocking himself? If they both wanted it, why not go for it?
They tugged on their boots and hurried out, and Max was about to suggest they sneak off later once the crowd had thinned when a voice rang out.
“Jeremy!”
Max bit back his groan. Levi had shown up as promised. Stupid reliable nice guy who was sexy to boot. Ugh. What had Max been thinking when he encouraged Jeremy to go on that coffee date? Now he had to smile and grit his teeth as Levi strode up and gave Jeremy a hug. A hug!
Two pig-tailed little girls trailed Levi, and they waved at Max with cheery hellos. He couldn’t exactly shove Levi into the nearest snowbank accidentally-on-purpose with the kids watching. Not that he should be shoving Levi at all. He grumbled to himself. Could they rewind and go back to a few minutes ago when Jeremy was safe and warm in his arms?
He avoided shaking Levi’s hand, which was petty AF, and made his escape. Cars were streaming up the drive now, and he had to get the taffy going or Valerie would be pissed. Well, not so much angry as disappointed, which was somehow worse.
Max turned on the kerosene camp stove and put on a pot of syrup. He hurriedly dumped in the rest of the fresh snow, packing it down in the wooden planter. While he worked, he kept an eye on Jeremy and Levi. They’d brought the girls over to the face-painting station that Max’s dad was manning with big smiles and his usual steady hand.
Levi and Jeremy were talking about something, and Levi kept touching Jeremy’s arm. There was no need to be touching him that much. Definitely no need to be leaning so close. Jeremy could surely hear him fine.
What were they talking about? Why were they smiling so much?
Why am I such an idiot?
The sweet smell alerted Max just in time as he spun and snatched the bubbling pot off the camp stove. “Shit!” He grabbed the ancient candy thermometer that had been Mamy’s. It was in Fahrenheit, and he could just make out the faded numbers. Two-fifty, which was at least ten degrees too hot, but oh well. The first batch would be a little crunchy rather than chewy.
He called out, “Who wants maple taffy!”
Soon, he was swamped with kids who took a Popsicle stick and lined up along the planter. Max poured the hot syrup in a line along the planter, the kids rolling their sticks in it to create a sort of lollipop. In the season, they’d do this with sap straight out of the trees, but it still worked well with syrup.
Max was busy with a steady stream of takers. When he turned back from the stove with a fresh pot, there was Jeremy—and Levi. And the nieces, who enthusiastically rolled their sticks. This batch was perfectly chewy, and they giggled in delight as they pulled at it with their teeth.
Max could only watch as Levi rolled up a ball of taffy and offered it to Jeremy, putting it right up to his mouth. Jeremy licked it, his pink tongue darting out, and why had Max encouraged him to go on that stupid date? Surely Levi and his nieces would leave soon.
Except they didn’t.
An hour went by, the kids somehow not bored and Levi hanging on Jeremy’s every word and sometimes hanging on his body, an arm around his shoulders or a squeeze of his biceps.