Can't Say No Read online

  Chapter Ten

  “AND THE FINAL mission is: climbing a tree.”

  “No—” Aspen cut the word short and rephrased it. “I’m wearing a dress and heels which makes it a challenge to climb slippery tree branches in the middle of the winter.”

  “I know a place. I have an idea, but we’ll need a car. Are we close to your restaurant or house?”

  “No, we’re closer to your parent’s house. Is your car there?”

  “No, but theirs is. We can go borrow it.”

  They walked the block to his parents’ house and Creed walked in without knocking like he still lived there. He was likely crashing here for the night.

  “Wait.” She grabbed his arm as they stepped into the warm house that always smelled of fresh baking. Tonight, apple pie was on the menu. “Do my eyes look like I’m high?”

  Creed pressed his thumbs against the side of each of her eyes and lightly pulled them. “Nope. Do you feel high?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m feeling better.”

  “Do you have the urge to pounce on me?”

  She laughed and hit him away. “Get lost.”

  “Creed. Aspen. What are you two doing here? I thought you had a girl’s night out.” Mrs. Nigh wrapped her arms around Aspen and then Creed.

  “It was a singles night out, and we’re on a mission.”

  “Together.” She stepped back, a smile reaching ear to ear. “It’s been a long time since I saw the two of you together. It’s nice to get you both in one room.”

  “Mom, my vehicle is at Aspen’s restaurant. Can I borrow your car?”

  “Why don’t you walk to the restaurant and get your car? Have you been drinking?” She stepped forward and her eyes narrowed in on Creed. Aspen ducked her head ever so slightly to avoid the same scrutiny.

  “No, Mom. It’s time sensitive. We’re competing against the rest of the group and we don’t have time.”

  “Do you have time for pie?”

  “No, we’re on a time limit. Where are your keys.”

  She grabbed a pair of keys out of a bowl on the hallway table. “Drive safe.”

  “Always.”

  “And you have to make a stop at the school and drop off the box in the back seat to the gym. Keys are on the keychain.”

  “Mom, time sensitive,” Creed repeated.

  She smiled. “Then I guess you better get going.”

  Creed drove them out of town and Aspen wondered if his plan would count toward their mission since they were headed out of town. They ended up not going far before he turned down a dark driveway. The headlights lit the old trees that lined the driveway with a row of shrubs between the tree trunks.

  “Wait, I recognize this place. Is this old man Callaghan’s house on the cliff?” If there was any trace of the marijuana in her, the fear of being here overrode it. Suddenly, she felt stone sober.

  Creed smirked at her, but she panicked.

  “Turn around. Cut the lights. Old man Callaghan wasn’t nearly as mean as his nephew who’s had this place on the market for a few months.”

  Creed continued to drive. “Does the nephew live here?”

  “No, he rents one of the houses along the north cliff.”

  “He’s a rich bastard then.” Creed said. The houses on the north side of town were built and rented by only the wealthy. The houses on this side of town were old and less desirable. “Well, if he doesn’t live here, chances are he won’t be here tonight.”

  “I’m serious. He came in the restaurant one time and I’m sure after his experience he won’t be back.”

  He slid her a curious grin. “What did you do?”

  “Not important, but if he catches us here, we’re as good as charged with trespassing.”

  “Cause we are trespassing.”

  “Creed! I’m a business-owner!”

  “So you’ve said.” He cut the lights. “Better?”

  Aspen shook her head. “No, no, this is not better.” Her body trembled as he pulled over at the house and cut the engine. “Your tracks are here. They will haunt you in the future.”

  “Relax.” He reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “We’ll be in and out.”

  “In and out of what? I’m not going in the house,” she whisper-hissed at him as if dead old man Callaghan’s ghost would hear her.

  “We’re climbing old man Callaghan’s tree.”

  “The tree where he buried his dead wife?” She shook her head. “Out of the question.”

  “That’s a story naive teenagers made up so they could sneak here and make out with the chance of seeing a ghost. It was thrilling.”

  Aspen felt the air shift. “Did you bring girls here to make out?”

  “I brought you here.”

  She shook her head again. “I’m not talking about your stupid big bully brother years when you brought Tess and me here to scare us. I’m talking about other girls.” She pointed out the window. “You know I’m not making out with you, right?”

  Creed laughed and the sound brought her back to the times they’d hiked through the bush around Callaghan’s property to the tree on a dare. He’d been so juvenile, always betting Tess that she wouldn’t do something and then she’d do it just to prove him wrong, always dragging Aspen into it. Classic Creed move.

  “You’re the one who pounced on me in Ruby’s change room.”

  “That was the chocolate bark.” And a whole lot of uncontrollable desire.

  “But if you hadn’t thought about doing it, it wouldn’t have been in your head.” He slipped the keys into his pocket. “You can only blame the chocolate bark so much.” He climbed out of the car, leaving her alone as he tracked toward the side of the yard.

  She looked around the spooky property as if waiting for old man Callaghan’s wife’s ghost to appear. When the hair on her arms rose, she jumped out of the vehicle and chased Creed down.

  “You’re crazy. you know. This is trespassing.”

  “I thought you said the property is for sale.”

  “It is.”

  “Then we’re just potential buyers checking out the property.”

  “But we’re not.”

  “No one has to know different.”

  She’d swear the sounds on this property amplified—the crunch of footsteps through the snow, the wind hitting the branches. Her head whipped from side to side. Or was that the howl of a ghost?

  “You’re not afraid, are you?”

  “No. I’m aware of our surroundings.”

  “For ghosts? Maybe Mrs. Callaghan isn’t alone anymore.”

  Aspen shook her head. “That’s not funny.”

  They stopped in front of the tree, a curved pine tree with a bend at the base of the tree, giving it a J shape.

  Creed held his hand out. “You can climb this tree in a dress.”

  “Is that why we’re here? So I can climb a tree?”

  “Yes.”

  She stared at his hand, down at her boots, and then up at the tree. “That was really thoughtful.”

  “I’m not the asshole you think I am.”

  “I don’t think you’re an asshole. I’ve never thought that about you. I grew up with you. Sometimes I lived in your house for days. I know the amazing son and brother you are and the good person you didn’t show off at school. Everyone else got your asshole personality, not me.”

  “I could say the same about you.”

  Aspen tilted her head and drew her eyebrows together. “That I’m an asshole?”

  She expected him to laugh, but his serious stare deepened. “No. Everyone else knew the shy, unsure girl who hid in the background. But I grew up with that girl and I saw not only an amazing friend, but an amazing person. It wasn’t fair when I said you didn’t take adventures. You did, just not the same ones I did. And you never looked at me like I was just a jock.”

  “You weren’t just a jock.”

  “But you were the only person who made me feel like more. Even when I was playing in the big
leagues, I was just a pawn in the bigger picture. After my injury, I was let go, forgotten, done.”

  “You were never forgotten.” She slipped her hand in his. “I’ve never forgotten who you were. I just hoped you didn’t forget either. Now help me on this tree before the cops arrive and your image is rebooted, and not in a good way.”

  Creed held her hand and supported her while she steadied her boots on the icy trunk. She grabbed the trunk with her free hand.

  “Are you good?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  Slowly, he let her hand go and stepped away to take the picture. Afterwards, he helped her down and they swapped places, Aspen taking his photo on the tree.

  Creed climbed down and took his phone. “Tess is going to freak when she sees whose tree we are on.”

  He looked at the picture, reminding her of his teenage years and how his excitement had a contagious effect. She realized in that moment that she’d been in love with him for a long time. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when their friendship had shifted for her. Had she longed to kiss him since she was eight, or had it been when she’d really started noticing boys, or had it been in high school? She couldn’t remember exactly, but she knew now, she’d always loved the good and bad, always loved him more than just as her best friend’s brother.

  “Aspen, hey.” He snapped his fingers in front of her. “Where’d you go there?” He held the phone between them, highlighting a piece of paper with their next mission. “Did you hear what’s next?”

  She hadn’t. At that moment, she didn’t care about the mission or winning. She’d been afraid of taking chances her whole life. Afraid of being hurt like her mother when her father had left for another woman. When Creed had kissed her five years ago, she’d known he was engaged, known he wasn’t staying in Willow Valley. She knew that he hadn’t planned on taking her back to the city with him. She’d known sex would be all there was between them, and at the time, that had been all she’d wanted. No commitment, no emotions, no possibility of him destroying her down the road.

  Her outlook on life had changed since those days though. She didn’t want to let him go and spend the next five years wondering where he’d gone and wanting him. She wanted him now. Now and forever.

  Aspen kissed him. Everything in that very moment felt right. Him and her, them, all the fantasies of her younger years. She never wanted to let him go.

  Her cold lips were warmed by the warm touch of his mouth. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pulled her against him, kissing her back. Their tongues crashed together in waves of heated force that sent hot fire through her veins and she forgot they were standing outside on a cool February snowy night. Forgot her toes were little ice cubes. Her shivering body shook for more of him.

  Beams of light shot around them like fireworks applauding the kiss. Only the sounds of shouts were nothing like firework whistles and it broke them apart.

  “Hey! You two, this isn’t a place to be making out. You’re on private property.”

  She had a difficult time focusing on what was happening. Was that the police?

  A man approached and she could make out his police uniform from the headlights he’d left on glaring in their direction. She felt the flushed color Creed’s kiss had put on her skin vanish. This would not be good for business. She’d be the talk of the gossip circle. Sometimes she hated the small-town know-it-alls.

  Her first thought was to run. As she turned to do just that, Creed held her in place. “They’ve likely already taken down the license plates.”

  She cursed.

  “We’ll be fine.”

  “Says the man who’s already been behind bars,” she hissed.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “I did until five seconds ago when you put my business in the town’s gossip firing ring.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I’d never do that to you.” He looked at the officer closing in on them. “Sorry, officer, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

  “Misunderstanding that we’re trespassing,” Aspen whispered to him.

  His hand squeezed hers tighter.

  “Son, you’re on private property.” They stopped in front of them. “Creed? Creed Nigh?” Aspen recognized one of Creed’s soccer buddies from school. “Man, how are you doing?” He stepped in to get a half hug and pat on the back from Creed.

  Creed stepped back beside her. “Good, Carter. What have you been up to?”

  “Not much. Married and have two girls.”

  “Congrats.”

  “Thanks. Heard about your injury. Sorry, man.”

  Creed shrugged like it didn’t matter, but Aspen could see the pain through his façade. “I had the best years of my career on that field.”

  “You did, my man.” Carter made eye contact with Aspen and smirked when he acknowledged who she was. “Mousy pen.”

  She hated that nickname, but smiled all the same. “Hey, Carter.”

  He looked between Creed and Aspen and back at the town’s well-known make-out tree. A wide smile told them he was putting together what he’d just walked in on.

  “Oh shit.” He clapped his hands together. “You two, huh?”

  And now the whole town would know she’d been necking with Creed Nigh at the love tree.

  “I heard you bought old man Callaghan’s place, but I hadn’t heard you were back in town yet. I didn’t know why you wanted this place when you could have a house on the cliff, but now I see.”

  Aspen looked at Creed. “You own old man Callaghan’s house?”

  He looked down at her. “Yes.”

  She had so many questions. Why? To fix up and resell? Was he moving back to Willow Valley?

  But all that came out of her mouth was a soft, “Oh.”

  “I guess I’ll be on my way and let you two get back to whatever it was you were doing.” Carter shook Creed’s hand and nodded at Aspen. They watched him walk to his cruiser, climb in and drive away before either of them spoke.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Aspen asked.

  “Are you cold? Do you want to go in the house and warm up?”

  “Yes.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “THERE ARE SOME blankets in the closet down the hall if you’re cold.” Creed took Aspen’s coat and hung it on an antique hall tree where he hooked his too.

  She looked around at the antique furniture and old paintings. “Are these old man Callaghan’s things?”

  “Yes. I bought the estate.”

  “Do you live here?”

  “Not officially. I still have my place in the city.”

  “Are you planning to move back?” Tess hadn’t said anything to her. Actually Tess hadn’t even mentioned him buying this house. What else had her friend kept from her and why.

  “I wouldn’t have asked you on a date if I wasn’t.” He walked down the hall and opened a door. He carried a wool blanket to her and draped it over her shoulders. “I’m going to make a warm drink.”

  Sensing he was sending her to sit alone in Callaghan’s—now his—living room, she spoke up. “I’ll come with you.”

  He smirked. “Are you afraid to be alone in here?”

  She laughed as if the idea was ridiculous. “No.”

  “Clearly.”

  She followed him down the hall and into the kitchen at the back of the house. A beautiful old, built-in china cabinet displayed white dishes behind the glass doors. The original 1920’s black and white checkerboard floor was still intact and white tiles splashed the walls above the counters and old drain board sink. There were a few updates like the stove and microwave, but the kitchen didn’t look to be updated further than that.

  “This is incredible.” Aspen watched him fill a kettle with water. “Do you plan to renovate?”

  Creed plugged in the kettle before turning around and looking the place over. “I haven’t decided what I’m doing yet.”

  “Can I ask why you decided to buy old man Callaghan’s house? Obviously, you could affo
rd any house in Willow Valley, and this one is ... dated. It doesn’t seem like your style.”

  “Did you know that Mr. Callaghan—”

  “Mr. Callaghan? Since when do you call him mister?”

  “My mom didn’t want me to put all my future into soccer, so one day she dropped me off here, with Mr. Callaghan.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “Nobody knows that.”

  Aspen smiled at the reputation he’d worked so hard to uphold.

  “I was fifteen, rebellious and angry that my mom sent me here. I didn’t know what this old man could teach me. Plus, I was convinced the property was haunted.”

  Aspen gave a small chuckle, still not convinced it wasn’t haunted.

  “Want to see what I learned here?”

  She straightened. “Yes.”

  The kettle whistled and he took it off the burner and set it on a cover before taking her hand and guiding her down another hallway with walls of dark wood and sconces hanging on the walls lighting their path. He opened double wooden doors and turned on the light inside.

  The room took her breath away. She stepped into the most beautiful and intricate house library she’d ever seen. Floor to ceiling carved wood bookcases stood packed with neatly sorted books and a carved staircase curved to the second floor holding more books and a balcony carved of the same wood.

  “This is magnificent.”

  “Mr. Callaghan had a love for the written word.”

  “I see that.” She walked to the first bookcase and her eyes just skimmed the hundreds of immaculate old spines. “It’s like Beauty and the Beast and Mr. Callaghan was the Beast and you were—” She grinned at him.

  “I’m going to suggest that you don’t finish that sentence, or I’ll have to make you my Belle.”

  She touched his chest. “And you my beast.”

  He took her hand and kissed her knuckle. “Say the word.”

  “To be honest, I’ve been spending the night wondering if you were only here for the night or planning on staying.”