Page 20 of Jasper

“Don’t sneak up on me like that,” she grouched as she pulled herself out of the trunk. He tried to help her, but she brushed him aside.

“I wasn’t sneaking. I walked.”

“You walk too quietly, then.”

“Military habit. What are you doing?”

“I found all of Grandma and Aunt Janey’s Christmas decorations while I was looking for sheets and blankets.”

“I can see that.”

“Then why did you ask?” Irritation tinged her tone, and his eyebrows shot up.

“I should have asked what you’re planning to do with all that junk.”

“It’s not junk!” She frowned at him as she bent over to pull more lights out of the trunk. “It’s Christmas decorations.”

“Exactly…junk.”

“You’re one of those people, aren’t you?”

“Which people would that be?”

“People who don’t like Christmas.”

“I’m more of a Halloween person myself, but I don’t have anything against people who like Christmas better.”

“Could have fooled me,” she huffed and straightened.

“Just because I don’t celebrate the holiday…”

She gasped like he’d shot her. “What do you mean, you don’t celebrate Christmas?”

“Just what I said. It’s not my thing.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Well, it’s mine, and I’m going to decorate, so you’re going to have to deal with it.”

He could just imagine what she’d do with all this crap. It would look like his grandmother’s house. She was a Christmas junkie, and he suspected Sloane was too.

“And you’re putting up the outside lights.”

Now, that got his attention. “Says who?”

“Says me.” She pointed to herself, and her expression dared him to tell her no.

It was cute.

“Thanksgiving hasn’t even come and gone yet.”

“So?” She tossed her heavy blonde hair over one shoulder and bent back into the trunk. “I’ve decorated my apartment back home already. You only get to enjoy the decorations for a few short weeks, so I start early.”

“Let me guess. They go up the day after Halloween?”

She stood with more lights in her arms. “I live in an apartment, so I don’t have to worry about too much Halloween stuff. I start putting decorations up the day of Halloween.”

“That’s blasphemy, woman. Halloween deserves the same attention as Christmas.”

Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. She probably wasn’t even aware of it, but he sure as hell was. He wanted to lean in and kiss her.

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