Page 20 of Big Mistletoe

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her I love her, but that’s ridiculous. It’s too soon, and she would think I’m crazy. No, I’m going to keep this secret to myself for now, but I’m sure as hell going to show her how I feel. That’s for sure.

8

JOY

Last night was amazing, but it’s definitely interfering with my work. I’m at Winters Construction, putting the final touches on the breakroom when Nick comes in to check on me for the tenth time this morning.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

I jerk my eyes off the wall to him. “What do you mean? I’m just looking at the wall.”

He comes to me, pointing to my face. “You were frowning.” He stops next to me, pulling me into his arms. “It looks perfect.”

I turn in his arms. “Oh, it does, does it?”

He nods and looks into my eyes. “You could probably call me a Christmas connoisseur at this point. I mean, I’m all about Christmas.”

I blurt out a laugh. “You? Nicholas Winters? A connoisseur of Christmas?”

He nods and leans down to kiss me, but before his lips touch mine, I pull from his hold with a smile. “Uh-uh, not at work, remember? We talked about this.”

While we were getting ready for work this morning, we talked about keeping it professional while I was at Winters Construction, but he seems to have already forgotten our agreement. He groans and stares me up and down. “And how exactly am I supposed to keep my hands off you when you look like that?”

I look down at my Christmas tights, tall black boots, and long tunic and point at myself. “This? This does it for you?”

He puts his hands at my waist and pulls me toward him. “You do it for me.”

With my hands on his chest, I smile up at him. “You do it for me too, but I have to go.”

He looks out the window where snow is starting to fall. “Where are you off to?”

“Wrapped on Main. I’m decorating their storefront.”

He nods. “Great. Give me five minutes and I’ll go with you.”

My eyes widen. “You’ll go with me? Why would you go with me?”

His hands grip my waist, and he acts like he doesn’t want to let go. “Because it’s snowing, and the roads are already starting to cover. Plus, won’t four hands be better than two?”

I shake my head. Surely I’m not understanding. “You want to help me decorate a storefront? For Christmas?”

He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “What? If you’re worried how it’s going to look, I promise to just do what you tell me. You’re the boss.”

My body trembles, and of course he notices. He leans closer. “You like that, don’t you? You wanna boss me around?”

I playfully smack him on the chest. I’m not admitting anything. “Stop. Seriously. You have better things to do than drive me around.”

He shakes his head. “I can’t think of one thing I’d rather be doing than spending time with you.”

I open my mouth, close it, and then shake my head.

He puts a hand on my lower back and leads me out of the break room, down the hall, through the lobby, and into his office. He then steps around me and gathers a few things off his desk. I hate that he’s leaving work early to help me. “Nick, this is ridiculous. I have done a few hundred storefronts. And I know how to drive in the snow. I can handle it.”

He smiles at me and points out the window. “I don’t want you driving in that little car.”

At that moment, Rachel comes in. “Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt.” She looks at Nick as he pockets his keys. “Are you leaving? Your ten o’clock will be here shortly.”

I gesture to Rachel. “See? I’ll be fine by myself.”