Holly
Frederick Dagwood. Tall, handsome, charming Frederick Dagwood. She could not believe he was here in her little town. Years ago in cooking school, she’d had the biggest crush on him, but he hadn’t seemed to know she was alive. Now he was here, and he’d remembered her.
“What are you doing here?”
He flashed a perfectly white smile at her as he released her from the hug and stepped back. “I was simply passing through and happened to hear about this festivity tonight. I figured I could stay long enough to take someone out for Valentine’s Day. Never dreamed it would be you.”
“Me either. What have you been up to?” She led him off the dance floor and to the side where tables had been set up. With people meeting up with their dates, the hum of other conversations around them made it hard to hear him. She hoped this area might be quieter and allow them to carry on a more meaningful conversation.
Frederick shrugged. “Oh, you know. Cooking here and there. I was working at a restaurant in Boston but decided to take a break and travel. I wanted to see how other chefs worked and taste some new recipes before I settled down somewhere again.”
So he wasn’t staying? Why did that thought make her feel sad? “How long are you in town for?”
He flashed her a sly smile. “Well, my original plan was just through the weekend, but then again, I didn’t know you were here. Perhaps I could be persuaded to stay a little longer.”
Oh my goodness, was he flirting with her? Because she was from New York, everyone thought Holly was this tough girl who didn’t need anyone. She’d learned how to talk a big game, but part of the reason she was still single was because she was self conscious. Growing up, she’d been a little chubby and kids had made fun of her. In high school, she’d slimmed down a little, but in an effort to get people to notice her, she’d come on too strong. She remembered hearing one guy she really liked tell his friend that she was “too much woman” for him. Holly didn’t even know what that had meant, other than he didn’t want to date her. Just after high school, she’d gone clubbing with friends but some drunk jerk there told her he wished he could put her face on her friend’s much smaller body. So, yeah, most of her confidence was feigned. Even in cooking school, Frederick had never paid attention to her. He’d been flirting with the beautiful girl from Italy.
But now he was flirting with her. She could not contain the smile that pulled at her lips. “I would love for you to stay longer.”
“It’s settled then,” Frederick said, tapping the table. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to extend my stay here. I didn’t see many other places to stay in town.”
Holly could not believe her luck. She’d never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day, not only because as a restaurant owner, she was usually working, but also because she never had anyone to celebrate with. Now, she not only had a date with Frederick Dagwood, but he was going to stay in town longer. For her. “I bet they’ll be able to. In fact, I know the owner of the resort, and I might be able to finagle you a discount. This is going to be so much fun. I want to hear about all the places you’ve worked since cooking school.”
“And I’ll be happy to tell you.”
“All right everybody,” the DJ broke in, “the single people have all been paired and the rest of you came with someone. Hopefully. Now, while this isn’t New Year’s, we thought it might bring luck to end the night with a toast with your date and a kiss. I know some of you are just meeting for the first time, so there’s no need to go full throttle here. A chaste kiss on the cheek will be fine, so grab something to toast with. We’ll begin the countdown in just a few minutes.”
“I guess we’d better get a drink,” Holly said, her stomach aflutter with the thought of kissing him. Back in cooking school, she’d had dreams about kissing him, but they’d always remained just that — dreams. Now, she might get a taste of reality and she just hoped it was as good as her imagination made it out to be.
“I suppose we’d better.”
A thrill raced through her body as she led the way to the table with the champagne and the sparkling cider. Frederick was going to kiss her. Her, the girl he barely looked at in cooking school. A tiny part of her brain wondered why he was being so flirty now when he hadn’t been before, but she pushed it aside. That had been years ago. He’d changed. She’d changed. Surely, that’s all it was.
They each grabbed a glass — he grabbed champagne, but she took sparkling cider. After an episode in high school, she’d realized alcohol was not her friend — and then they headed toward the middle of the room with the rest of the people waiting for the DJ’s countdown. From the corner of her eye, she saw Dougie with Becca and a twinge of something flared in her. She’d enjoyed dancing with him earlier, and she’d been sure he was about to ask her out. Had he been hoping to kiss her tonight? It didn’t matter. It was just one kiss, and Frederick was only here for a few days. Even if Dougie had wanted to kiss her, he would understand.
“You know if this works like they say it does on New Year’s Eve, then we might be spending the rest of the year together,” Frederick said, leaning in to be heard over the noise of those around them. He wiggled his eyebrow slightly and Holly paused. Did he believe that? Did she want to spend the next year with Frederick? Yes, she was happy to see him again and sure, she was flattered he was flirting with her, but could she see a relationship with him? She certainly didn’t know him well enough to make that decision yet. And what about Dougie? As if controlled by a puppet master, she found herself scanning the crowd for that handsome head of security again, but she couldn’t see him. Maybe he and Becca had left. She did have to get an early start each morning in the bakery, but Holly couldn’t decide if she was happy he was gone or not. She shook her head. It didn’t matter. Right now she was with Frederick, and she would give him her attention.
“I guess we’ll see if it’s true.” She smiled back at him and then the DJ began the countdown.
“Ten, nine, eight —”
All around them, people were smiling and shouting. It was the definition of happiness and joy, so why did Holly have a strange sensation in her stomach?
“Six, five, four —”
Was she making a mistake? Should she try to find Dougie instead? Or just not let Frederick kiss her?
“One! Happy Valentine’s Day.”
And then there was no time. Frederick wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. Her face tilted automatically and his lips found hers. She lost herself in the sensation and the joy. It was just a kiss. Nothing more. And it was nice. She hadn’t been kissed in such a long time, and it felt good.
When they pulled back, he took a swig of his champagne. “I’m certainly glad I came tonight.”
“Me too.” She took a sip of her cider and pushed the last doubt away.
“Now, how about we find that friend of yours and see about extending my stay? Maybe tomorrow you can show me around your kitchen and we can cook together like old times.”
“That sounds great.” And it did. Cooking with Frederick would be fun.