Whatever We Are: A Highland Springs Romance (Whatever Series Book 3) Read online

  “So?”

  “So—” Just as he was about to explain the situation, the heavy, wooden door opened and Diana breezed in, waving to her posse as if the queen had arrived.

  “That’s Diana,” he said, taking a sip of his beer.

  “Oh, yeah, I’ve met her before. Is she the one you’re interested in?”

  “Just wait and see.” Tucker took another fortifying gulp of his beer and strolled around the bar to the waitress station. He could feel Diana and her friends watching him as he lifted the hinged counter and stepped behind the bar. A nervous thrum went through his veins when he urged Liza over with a crook of his finger. She closed the cash register drawer and walked toward him, taking a quick order on her way.

  “What’s up?” She wiped her hands on a towel that he pulled from her grasp as he gathered her hands in his.

  “What’re you doing?” Liza’s eyes bulged with surprise as he pressed his cheek against hers.

  “Diana just came in,” he whispered in her ear. “Don’t look.”

  She kept a sweet smile on her face as she murmured through gritted teeth. “What the hell is she doing here?”

  He pressed his lips against her hands. “Her friends called her. I overheard them talking about me. They figured out I’m your boyfriend.”

  “That big blabber mouth.” If anyone was watching, they’d believe her dreamy smile was sincere, but he could see the color in her cheeks deepen. Anger was simmering just below the surface. “I bet she’s spread it all over town about you and me.”

  “Of course, she did. Maybe we should kiss, you know, just for—”

  Before he could finish his sentence, she hurled herself into his arms and pressed her lips to his. An electric buzz surged through his chest. How long had he wanted to take her in his arms and feel the softness of her mouth against his? Her body aligned with his? His heartbeat quickened when he realized she wasn’t holding back; in fact, she was kissing him with unbridled enthusiasm. They stayed locked together for a moment, and when he placed her securely back on the floor, she stared up at him, her eyes as big as saucers.

  “That was—”

  “Weird,” she said, slightly breathless.

  “But—”

  “Nice.”

  She launched herself into his arms again and crushed her lips against his. He cupped her head in the palm of one hand and wrapped his other hand around her tiny waist. She tickled his lips apart with her tongue, surprising him with a deep, passionate kiss that went way beyond anything he’d imagined. She grazed her fingertips inside the neckline of his shirt, sending a lightning bolt from the base of his neck on south. They finally tore themselves apart, panting, when the entire bar broke out in applause.

  Liza pulled her hands from around his neck, her face blazing red, and smoothed the hem of her “Bah Humbug” T-shirt over the waistband of her jeans. He was sure his face was as red as hers as the applause grew into whistles and shouts.

  “I guess there’s no turning back now.” She tipped her head into his chest, her shoulders shaking under his hands, and then threw back her head with laughter. “I’ve got to get back to work, honey.” She said it loud enough for those around them to hear.

  “Okay, babe.” Tucker gave her bottom a gentle smack and lifted the waitress counter. He glanced over his shoulder at Liza, catching an expression he couldn’t decipher. Fake or not, it appeared she had enjoyed that kiss as much as he did which was exactly what he had hoped for.

  ***

  Liza slumped back against the refrigerator, rubbing her forehead, willing the swirling dervish inside her brain to stop spinning. They had just kissed—in front of God, Diana, and everyone else in the bar. Out the corner of her eye was a row of faces, like blackbirds on a telephone wire, watching her with interest. This ruse of theirs wasn’t supposed to happen like this, not with so much realism. That kiss was way more than she expected. She liked it—more than liked it—that kiss was incredibly hot and she hadn’t wanted it to stop. Everyone in the bar had seen them solidly confirm their relationship. Maybe playing Mr. and Mrs. Claus would be fun after all. But after the holidays they would have to come up with a reasonable break-up story. No matter how great the kiss, she couldn’t risk losing his friendship.

  Bleary-eyed, she glanced down the bar toward Diana and her friends, catching them staring at her. Tucker was once again seated at the end of the bar beside Travis. He gave her a killer smile and a wink, and her insides turned to jelly. He was her friend—that was all. She wasn’t supposed to feel so…so…on fire. But, God help her, she liked that toe-curling kiss.

  “Hey, girlfriend.”

  She snapped out of her reverie when Diana leaned across the counter, capturing her arm. She was surrounded by her high school friends—ones Liza had always thought of as the “mean girls.” They were the cheerleaders and prom princesses—definitely a different crowd than the art club and band geeks Liza had run around with in high school.

  “So…” Diana drew out the word, as if she were pulling a string of taffy from her mouth. “When were you going to tell me how serious it was with you and Tucker Callum?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I just never thought of the two of you together. He’s so much older than you.”

  “He’s only six years older. That doesn’t make him a senior citizen.”

  “But he’s your brother’s best friend.” Diana’s lips puckered as she passed judgment.

  “So what?”

  “What does Brody think about it?”

  “You know what?” Liza laid her hand over Diana’s, still gripping her arm. “I don’t really care.”

  She tugged her arm out of Diana’s grasp and strolled back toward the end of the bar. If her relationship with Tucker became real she wouldn’t care what Brody or anyone else thought. A grin stretched across her face, knowing Diana and her friends were probably staring at her with their mouths hanging open. Between Tucker’s kiss and Diana’s reaction to the unlikely alliance, this little game might be fun after all.

  EIGHT

  Liza tossed and turned all night long, finally giving up on sleep at six o’clock. Kate would be up with John Brody, so she tugged on her boots and her down jacket, and trudged through the dark up the lane to their house. A yellow light glowed in the nursery window, confirming Liza’s assumption. She climbed the steps to the back door and lifted the mat, retrieving the key from underneath. Loretta met her at the door with an eardrum-splitting bark.

  “Shh, girl. It’s just me.”

  As quietly as possible, she climbed the staircase to the baby’s room.

  “Oh, God.” Kate jumped and J.B. let out a furious wail at the loss of his breakfast. “You scared me to death.” She resettled him against her breast, stifling his protests. “There you go, baby.”

  “I’m sorry. I saw the light on and needed to talk to you.” Liza whispered as she rubbed her hand over J.B.’s fuzzy head. “Sorry, little man.”

  Kate settled back in the rocking chair. “Why are you up so early? I thought you worked last night.”

  “I did.” Liza strained to keep her voice down, to not wake Brody who was sleeping across the hall. “How about I fix some coffee? Come down when you’re finished.”

  While the coffee brewed, she poured two glasses of orange juice and placed a box of muffins on the kitchen table. As quietly as possible, she put away last night’s dishes from the dishwasher and wiped down the counters. She then went into the laundry room and began folding towels from the dryer.

  Kate’s slippers slapped against the ceramic tile as she came into the laundry room. “How much do you charge for your services?” J.B. was perched on her shoulder, enjoying a vigorous back rub.

  “It’ll be an even trade. Your advice for a bit of housekeeping.” She folded a striped dishtowel and set it on the pile.

  “Sounds fair.”

  After placing the baby in his swing, Kate flipped a switch and J.B rocked contentedly to “Three Blind
Mice.” Liza and Kate sat down at the kitchen table with their coffee and muffins. Kate took a long drink, sighed, and settled back in her chair.

  “Okay, go. What’s got you up so early?”

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “I figured that.” Kate put her mug down, broke her muffin in half and wiped her hands on a paper napkin. “But, I’ll need more information.”

  “Okay, so last night at the Brass Rail, Diana and her bitchy friends showed up. I never could stand those girls she ran around with in high school.” Liza butchered her muffin into a pile of crumbs. “I could feel them watching me the whole night, whispering, all catty-like and—”

  “Is there a point to this story? Because I planned to go back to bed once J.B. fell asleep.”

  “Sorry.” She put two muffin chunks in her mouth and looked through the window, chewing slowly, mechanically. Kate tapped her arm as if there was a watch attached. Liza smiled at her, cheeks bulging. “Okay. Here it is.” She washed the muffin down with coffee and pushed it away.

  “Last night, Tucker overheard those bitches talking about him. They figured out he was my boyfriend.” She air quoted with doubled fingers and then continued. “So, as soon as Diana came in, he came behind the bar and suggested we kiss—or did I?”

  Kate’s coffee cup thumped onto the table as she coughed into her napkin. “And did you?” she croaked.

  “Yes. Because, you know, we’re the Clauses and I’m supposed to be dating him, remember?”

  Kate nodded and rolled her hand in the air. “Go on.”

  “So, I kissed him.”

  Kate waited a few beats. “And?”

  “And he kissed me back.”

  “And?” Kate rested her elbows on the table and leaned toward Liza with her brows arched.

  “And, I…” Liza slapped her hands on the table and slouched in her chair. “I liked it. Okay? Satisfied?”

  “Yes, but were you? Satisfied?”

  “Very funny. Look, okay, so I—” She popped out of her chair and marched around the kitchen island, staring down at her entwined fingers. “I wasn’t expecting the kiss to be like that, you know. And I wasn’t expecting to feel what I felt. I liked it. I more than liked it. It felt like…”

  She stopped her trek and noticed Kate had lost interest in her muffin. She had her arms folded on the table and a tender smile on her face.

  “It felt like we’d been kissing like that forever—like we should’ve been kissing like that forever. I can’t explain it.” She plopped back in the chair and shoved another chunk in her mouth.

  “It didn’t feel like two friends pretending to date. It felt right, like much more than friends,” Kate said.

  She bobbed her head up and down.

  Narrowing her eyes, Kate considered Liza with a knowing grin. “Are you trying to tell me you think you’re in love with Tucker?”

  Her mouth still stuffed, she shook her head and mumbled, “Oh, God, no. Not love.” She swallowed her muffin with a sip of coffee. “Absolutely not. I cannot fall in love with Tucker.”

  “Why? Tucker’s a great guy and you two have been so close the past couple of years.”

  “Tucker is my friend. We’re friends.” Liza threw her head back, sucked in a deep breath, and planting her elbows on the table. “What if we started dating? And what if we broke up? Not only would I have lost a boyfriend, but I’d lose my friend, as well. I don’t want to mess it up. Besides, I’m sure he feels the same way.”

  “You two need to talk about that kiss.” Kate wrapped her hand around Liza’s wrist. “Maybe he’s just as physically attracted to you, too. Ask him.”

  “I can’t ask him. I’m sure I’m just feeling this way because it’s been so long.”

  “You wouldn’t feel like that with just any guy.”

  “I shouldn’t feel this way about Tucker. He’s like a brother to me.” She pulled her arm out of Kate’s grasp and returned to circling the island, rubbing her hand up and down her thigh. “We’ve got to stop pretending. Something bad might happen. I’m cursed. This is a bad time of year.”

  “What are you ranting about?”

  Liza threw her arms in the air. “Christmas, remember?”

  Kate shook her head.

  “The snow storm, the car wreck, the tree falling, the—I’ve told you about my bad luck. It’s not a good time.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean.” Kate padded over to the coffee pot to refill her coffee. “One has nothing to do with the other.”

  “Think about it. Anything bad that has ever happened to me has happened at Christmas. Don’t you think it’s strange that now—right before Christmas—I’m having feelings for Tucker? Maybe this pretending stuff and keeping Diana and Bret from being Mr. and Mrs. Claus is setting me up for another disaster. If we give into our feelings—if he does feel the same for me—I just know something bad will happen. The fallen pine tree is just the beginning.” Nervous energy surged through her fingertips. She waved her hands as if they could ward off evil spirits. “Maybe I didn’t really feel anything when we kissed. It was just my imagination.”

  “You know what I think?” Kate set her coffee cup on the island and placed her hands on Liza’s shoulders. She tensed as Kate hovered above her. “I think you’re trying to come up with any excuse to not follow your heart. You’re afraid to get hurt, afraid of a disaster. I get that. But this is Tucker we’re talking about. If he feels the same for you, then I know he’ll never hurt you or let anything bad happen.”

  “No, no.” Liza’s head shook as if she were having tremors. “Friends, that’s all we are. Nothing more. We’ll keep pretending until after the Mistletoe Ball and then tell everyone we’ve had an amicable break-up. By January we’ll go back to the way things were.”

  “Do you think that’s possible?”

  “It has to be.”

  “Maybe you should break up sooner because if you all keep up this charade, you just might fall in love.”

  NINE

  Someone bumped into Liza, causing her to stumble, knocking her fur stole off one shoulder. She readjusted her gray wig and wire-rimmed glasses, and mumbled under her breath, “How did I get myself into this?” She patted her wig back into place and rubbed her thick belly to be sure the pillow underneath her red velvet dress hadn’t gone askew.

  “Hello, Mrs. Claus.” A little girl in a pink puffy coat waved to her as Liza pushed through the crowd toward the North Pole. She flashed a grandmotherly smile, but didn’t stop to talk to the child. How had she let Tucker talk her into playing Mrs. Claus? Up ahead she spotted the life-sized gingerbread house where children could sit on Santa Claus’s lap and collect candy canes from his wife at the annual Holiday Street Festival. Hopefully, the kids wouldn’t notice this was her least favorite time of year. As she reached her post, Tucker glared at her through his wire spectacles and his white beard, and puffed out a sigh.

  “I started to think you stood me up.”

  “Nope.”

  “The kids asked about you.”

  She shrugged, took her place on the ornate chair beside him, and picked up the box of candy canes, grateful the costume included thick, warm mittens. She had considered not coming, not so much because of Christmas, but because she was nervous about seeing him. Their kiss had been on her mind all day and she wasn’t sure how to act around him. Undeterred by the cold night air, a long line of children wrapped around the gingerbread house giving her little time to think about it.

  As each child went through the line, telling Santa everything on their Christmas wish list, Liza handed them a candy cane and said “Merry Christmas.” After several children had passed, she lifted the lace cuff on her sleeve to check the time, shocked to find she’d only be there twenty minutes.

  “You have somewhere to be?” Tucker murmured out the corner of his beard-covered mouth.

  “No.”

  “The night’s just getting started.”

  “Mm.”

  “You mad at me or
something?”

  “No.”

  “You’re talking in one-word sentences.”

  “Sorry.” She scratched her head through the thick, curly wig that made her scalp tingle. Her muffin cap dropped to her shoulder.

  “There you go again. I know you hate Christmas, but remember who got us into this in the first place.”

  “Believe me,” she said as she stretched the cap over her wig. “I’ve been kicking myself ever since Thanksgiving.”

  “You can stop. I love playing Santa Claus.” He lifted a toddler onto his lap and said, “What would you like for Christmas, little boy?”

  As the young boy recited every toy he could think of, Tucker’s eyes lit up as if fascinated with everything on the child’s list. He was so good with the children and would make such a wonderful father someday. The corners of his eyes crinkled in a smile as he put the little boy back on his feet.

  “Now, go get a candy cane from my sweet wife, Mrs. Claus.”

  Liza handed the boy a candy cane and glared at Tucker.

  “It might help if you’d stop acting like such a Scrooge,” he muttered.

  “I’m being nice enough.” The stupid wig felt like ants crawling around her scalp. “I can’t take much more of this wig.” She scratched so furiously, her cap popped off into Tucker’s lap and her wire glasses dangled from her ears.

  He snorted a laugh and turned his attention to three college girls giggling and nudging each other to sit on Santa’s lap. “One at a time, ladies. Santa’s only got one lap.” he chuckled, thoroughly enjoying the pretty girls’ attention. Liza folded her arms and angled her body away from the flirt-fest beside her as a sharp bout of heartburn flared in her chest. Why would it hit now? She hadn’t eaten anything spicy.

  “You sure you’re not angry at me, Mrs. Claus?” he asked once the college girls received their candy canes. He waved his white glove at them as they walked away, casting suggestive glances at him as they strolled down the street.