Mistletoe Baby (Crescent Cove 9.50)

“That’s what my mom tells me.” His long lashes swept down as he focused on my mouth again. “And I will say I’m smart enough not to let you get

away again.” Then his gaze crashed into mine once more. “Not without examining just what’s between us.”

“You’re not from Crescent Cove or you’d be running for the hills, buddy. There’s no dating in the Cove. There’s only forever and so many babies you could rename us Bunny Cove.”

There. That should send him running. Most men who were smart and under thirty-ish escaped while they still could.

I couldn’t quite tell his age. There were lovely crinkles at the corners of his eyes, but that could just mean he liked to be outside.

Dammit, I needed to stop staring at him.

He swallowed tightly, and the flare of fear that he’d vanish just like I thought was quickly banked.

Or maybe I was afraid he’d stay. I couldn’t decide which one was scarier.

He slid his fingers down my hand to tangle with my fingers. “That just makes me want to hear more.”

“No, you don’t. You want to turn right around and head back to wherever you come from.”

“Wrong.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “I’m actually trapped here until my car is done.”

“I—”

“Yo, Vanilla, I’m pretty sure my schedule still has your name on it.”

My shoulders rose to my ears at Macy Gideon’s shout. She was my boss for a little while longer. However, she’d used my order nickname so I wasn’t in real trouble.

I shook him free and pointed at him. “If you leave with my notebook, I’ll find you and chop off those dirty fingers.”

He laughed and looked down at his hand. “Sorry, I was sketching in the park.”

Of course he was an artist. If there was a guy who was ill-equipped to be an adult, I was going to be attracted to him. Not this time. I was going to be strong and not fall for someone who had no future stamped on his forehead.

I turned to head into the back of the café where a line of people were waiting to be served. I hurried to the cash register and quickly tapped in my login, and then grabbed an apron from the drawer and tugged it over my head.

“Where do you need me?”

Macy’s short hair was in frazzled spikes, telling me it had been a day already. She had three espresso pods brewing in the big purple beast that dominated the side counter. “Need a new batch of coffee in the carafes.”

“Got it.” I turned to the long counter and pulled off the magnetic timers and reset them for another three hours. Habit and auto pilot took over, even while Callum’s intrusive personality vied for space in my too busy brain. I hooked the long handles over my arm and gathered all four thermoses up and then headed to the kitchen to use the industrial-sized brewer.

I’d been working at the café since Macy opened it a few years ago. She paid well, and I could always pick up a shift when I wanted extra cash. Now she had a much larger staff, but I was one of the originals, so I always got first pick of the bonus shifts. I was also the one everyone called because I could never say no to adding more money to my savings account.

But all that was going to change.

My cosmetology certificate was finally going to let me move on the plans I’d been making for the last four years. My bulging notebook and Pinterest board would finally have an outlet. I didn’t have to only be the girl who washed hair and swept up clippings just to soak up real life experience at To Dye For, the new salon that had opened this year. I officially had my own booth rental as of Monday.

I would be hanging up my apron Monday after the morning shift and trading it for a smock—a really cute black one with pink Christmas trees on it—and a closetful of clothes I’d slowly been gathering to show off my true style. Not the jeans and array of café and pizza T-shirts that I wore most of the time.

The real me.

Would he be interested in that girl?

Ugh. No. I wasn’t interested in starting some fling with Mr. Charming.

I touched my lips. They still buzzed at the thought of him. Life was changing for the better, and there was no room for a hot artist with clever lips in my current plans.

Even if I almost wished there was.