Free An Unexpected Kiss by Cindy Roland Anderson

she learns I’m hanging out with
the cute new doctor in town, your life would never be the same.”
    “You
think I’m cute?”
    “Did I
say that out loud?”
    “Yes.”
    “Hmm.
Just trust me when I say I’m protecting you from my mother’s matchmaking
schemes.”
    Cole was
about to make some flirtatious comment about not minding if her mother wanted
to push them together, but sobered when Lucy asked what he’d called about.
    “Can we
meet somewhere for dinner? I just found our Secret Santa family and we need to
get started right away.”

Chapter
Nine
    Lucy pulled
into the restaurant parking lot, and nervously glanced at her reflection in the
rearview mirror. “This isn’t a date,” she said out loud. She twisted her finger
around an errant curl, and then applied a fresh coat of lip-gloss.
    It wasn’t
a date…not really. Just because Cole admitted she made him nervous, and she
apparently admitted she thought he was cute, it didn’t mean anything. They were
just friends.
    Satisfied
by both her appearance, and her ability to lie to herself, Lucy climbed out of
the car and made her way into the quaint eatery. She suggested they meet here
because it was twenty minutes outside of town, and lessened the odds of running
into someone from Snow Valley.
    As she
quickly made her way to the entrance, the cold air felt like icy fingers
slipping between the seams of her coat. Living in Southern California for the
past year and a half had obviously made her a wimp when it came to cold
weather.
    A tiny
bell jangled when she opened the door. She stepped inside, and was immediately
enveloped in warm air, scented with heavenly aromas of something delicious.
    “Welcome
to Granny’s Kitchen.” The bubbly hostess was a cute dark-haired girl that
looked to be a little younger than Lucy.
    “Thanks…”
Lucy’s eyes dipped down to read the girl’s name tag. “…Harper. It smells
heavenly in here.”
    “The food’s
even better.” Harper plucked up a menu. “Just one?”
    Lucy
shook her head, and removed her gloves. “I’m meeting a friend here.”
    The girl
lifted a sculpted brow. “Please tell me it’s not the hot guy in the corner.”
    Following
the girl’s line of sight, Lucy felt her breath hitch when she spied Cole
sitting there studying his phone intently. “Yep, that’s him.”
    “Ah, man.
I was like already to flirt with him and everything.”
    “Sorry to
ruin your plans.”
    Harper
brightened. “But you said friends, so does that mean he’s still available?”
    Lucy
suddenly felt territorial. “We’re friends that kiss each other.”
    “So
off-limits.” She smiled and lifted a shoulder. “Glad I asked before I made a
fool of myself.”
    “For the
record,” Lucy said unbuttoning her coat. “I don’t blame you. He is pretty
cute.”
    Harper
sighed. “Love. It always happens to everyone but me.”
    “Oh,
I’m—” Lucy stopped herself from blurting out she wasn’t in love. Better
to not give the girl false hope. “I’m sure it will happen when you least expect
it.”
    “Thanks,”
she said unenthusiastically. “Well, let’s get you seated so you two can order.”
    Lucy followed
the girl, and could’ve kissed Cole the way his eyes lit up when he saw her. “Hey,
you made it.” He stood up and helped Lucy take off her coat.
    “Thanks.”
She draped the coat on the back of the chair, and took her seat. “Have you been
here long?”
    “No, I
just sat down.”
    Harper
handed each of them a menu. “I’ll give you two a few minutes to decide what you
want.” She glanced at Lucy. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
    “Ice
water, please.”
    The girl
turned to Cole and flashed him a bright smile. “And what would you like?”
    “Ice
water for me too, Harper.” Cole gave the waitress a smooth grin, and Harper’s
cheeks flushed a pretty pink.
    Did he
really have to be so charming? Lucy wanted to kick him under the table. So she
did.
    Cole
grimaced and shot her a questioning