Beau is on the couch, a throw blanket thrown over him. He barely fits on the couch and I feel guilty for kicking him out of his bed last night after he went out of his way to help me. I’m not sure if I should just let Ford outside or if he needs to be on a leash but when I look around the room, I don’t see one.
“Don’t run off, okay?” I say as I unlock the front door and let Ford out.
He wags his tail as he jogs down the steps and into the front yard. I shiver as I stand on the porch and keep an eye on him. He does his business and then bounds through the snow back to me.
Beau is still asleep on the couch and Ford and I sneak past him and into the kitchen. I figure the least I can do is make us breakfast as a way to say thank you. The fridge is fully stocked and I pull out some eggs and bacon. It takes me a few tries to find the pans and spatulas and to start cooking.
I’m just pulling the first batch of bacon out of the pan when I hear movement behind me and I turn and smile at Beau over my shoulder.
“Morning! How do you like your eggs?” I ask.
“Uh, over easy,” he says, his voice rough with sleep.
“Coming right up!” I say and he just nods before he heads down the hallway and into his room.
I’m cracking the eggs into the pan when Beau joins me again. He moves past me and starts the coffee machine.
“Want some?” He asks once the pot is done but I shake my head no.
“I can’t stand the taste,” I admit and he just gives me a smile.
“What can I help with?” He asks and I shake my head.
“It’s all done,” I say and then pass him a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast.
“Thanks. You didn’t have to do all of this,” he says and he grabs two forks out of the drawer next to the stove.
We take two seats at the old kitchen table and dig in.
“This is really good,” Beau says and my whole body warms at the praise.
“I’m glad you like it.”
We finish the rest of breakfast in amiable silence. I guess I was hungrier than I realized because I finished my food in under five minutes. Beau is only halfway through his own breakfast when I finish and I take a few minutes to look around the room.
“Where’s your decorations?” I blurt out when I realize what’s been bothering me all morning.
There isn’t a single light or Christmas decoration in the whole house. The outside was bare too and I frown.
“You know Christmas is only a few days away.”
“I hate Christmas,” he states flatly.
“Uh, you kind of choose a weird town to live in then.”
Beau laughs at that and seems to relax a bit.
“I don’t really bother with decorations when it’s just me here. What’s the point when I’m the only one who would see them?”
“Oh,” I say, looking around the house.
It’s an older place, a log cabin style two story house. It must be on the edge of town because I remember seeing the sign welcoming me to Christmas right before I slid off the road. A few trees in the backyard separate his place from Lake Superior and I wonder if Ford likes to go swimming in the summer. Pictures of a young Beau with what must be his parents line the hallway and I wonder if he grew up here.
“Ready to head over to the bed and breakfast?” He asks once we’re done with breakfast and I nod.
I change back into my clothes from last night and fold the ones I borrowed from Beau and lay them on his bed. Beau is outside moving my suitcase from my car into his truck. I make sure that the lights are off and that the front door is closed behind me before I head outside to meet him.
Ford and Beau are already waiting in the truck, probably warming it up for me. Beau hops out and rounds the hood, helping me inside before he climbs back behind the wheel.
“How long do you think my car will take?” I ask as Beau backs out of his driveway.
“A few days, I think,” he says and I nod.
I watch out the window as Beau drives us through town. It’s actually a really pretty place with Christmas decorations on every street lamp and corner. Beau points out a few places. The diner, a coffee shop and bakery, the general store, and finally, he pulls up outside of The Claus House Bed and Breakfast.
The place is adorable with brick walls and spire tops. There’s a quaint little Santa’s village out front and more lights and decorations along the roof. It looks like there’s at least one other guest, judging by the small parking lot and I smile at Beau as I hop out of the truck.
Beau leads me up the front path and we pause when someone exits the place and heads our way. It’s a guy, a few years older than Beau and he grins at me.
“Morning. Are you two staying here too?” He asks.
“Just me,” I say and the man smiles wider, his eyes making a path down my body.
I shiver but this time it’s not from the cold. I don’t like having his eyes on me. Before I can do anything though, Beau is grabbing my hand and leading me back toward his truck. He opens the door and lifts me up, setting me beside Ford who is ecstatic that we’re both back already.
“Um, what are you doing?” I ask as Beau climbs back into the passenger seat.
“You can’t stay there. Not with that guy around. You can just stay with me for the next few days until your car is fixed. It’s not like I don’t have the room.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out.”
“It’s fine,” Beau says as he pulls back out onto the main street.
We head back to the mechanic shop and I hop out, letting Ford out after me.
“You don’t have to stay here. You can go back to the house and get some more rest if you want,” Beau offers as I trail after him and into the shop.
“Can I hang out here?” I ask.
“Of course. Just didn’t want you to feel obligated to hang around here all day.”
I follow after Beau into the little back office and watch while Beau hangs up his coat and slips on some mechanic overalls.
“I’m going to get to work on your car. Feel free to look around or like I said, you can always go back to the house.”
I nod as he walks back into the shop. I head around the place, looking at the small waiting room and then heading back into his office. I find a small box of hot chocolate and some paper cups and make myself a cup.
I sigh as I take a seat behind his desk and that’s when I notice the pile of papers on his desk. I have a feeling that Beau is the only employee here and so he must be behind on the paperwork. I pull the first sheet of paper my way and see that it’s an invoice.
Beau didn’t ask me to but since he’s helping me out, the least I can do is help him out too. I fire up the computer on his desk and pull the piles of paperwork closer to me as I get to work.
Beau finds me there a few hours later after I’ve made a decent size dent in his books. He seems surprised that I would do this for him but I interrupt him before he can thank me.
“It’s the least that I can do.”
He studies me for a second before he nods.
“Ready for lunch?”
Five
Beau
* * *
Holly fiddles with the radio dial as I drive across town to the Snow Angel Diner. She finally lands on a Christmas station and sits back happily in her seat. Normally, I would change the station, but there’s something about listening to Holly sing along that makes the jingle bearable.