Page 40 of My Ex for Christmas
I nod. “Yeah, I’m alright. Just tired.”
It isn’t exactly a lie. We didn’t go to bed very early last night,and even after Brooks fell asleep, I struggled to do the same. Too many what-ifs played in my mind.
He gives my hand a squeeze. “If you’re sure. But you know you can talk to me, right? About anything.”
I offer him a soft smile. “I know. I promise it’s nothing.”
He takes a breath before nodding. “Alright. I’ll see you later?”
I raise up onto the tips of my toes and press my lips to his. “Later. I’ll come into town.”
His free arm slips around my waist, giving it a squeeze. “Looking forward to it.”
I don’t want to let him go. I want to stay right here in his arms and forget about all my worries. But I can’t. I have to face this, come what may. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself if I don’t at least try.
All throughout Boxing Day, I couldn’t stop thinking about my job. About the manager position. About me filling the manager position. Sam was the victim of a very early morning phone call, where we spent an hour working through a list of pros and cons. Then I added myself to Thiago’s schedule for this morning.
Perks of being the assistant.
I pull away from Brooks reluctantly, offering him a small smile. Then I turn to head back inside. Almost as soon as I take a step, something hits me in the back. I gasp as I whirl around.
“Did you just throw a snowball at me?”
Brooks grins, not at all sorry. He shrugs. “Maybe I did.”
I shake my head. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Come on, Hads. Have a little fun with me.”
“Fun? You’re going to be late!I’mgoing to be late.”
Even my excuses sound flimsy to my own ears, but it’s hard to indulge Brooks when I’ve got the pressing weight of this impending meeting bearing down on me.
He scoops up another handful of snow and begins to craft it into a ball. “You better start running,” he says.
My jaw drops. “Brooks!”
This time, the snowball hits me square in the chest. It isn’t hard enough to hurt, but I can feel the cold seeping through the fabric of my shirt.
When I meet his gaze, my own eyes are narrowed. With a shake of my head, I reach down and grab my own handful of snow. It’s freezing against the bare skin of my palms, but I let my need for retribution fuel me. Once my snowball is shaped, I launch it in Brooks’s direction.
It lands a foot to his left.
He laughs. “You still need to work on your aim, sweetheart.”
I grab another ball of snow and march toward him. Once I’m standing an arm’s length away, I shove the snow into his chest, making sure to rub it into his shirt.
“How’s that for aim?”
With a laugh, he snakes an arm around my waist, pulling me close. Brooks takes my mouth in another kiss that has my knees weakening. It’s shorter than I’d like, but we really are going to be late if we keep this up.
“Have a good day, Hads,” he says when he pulls back. “I’ll see you tonight.”
I wait outside until Brooks is in his truck and on his way down the mountain. Then with a sigh, I head in and start thinking about my meeting with Thiago all over again. Although Brooks doesn’t know the reason I’m in my head this morning, he still managed to distract me for a little while. He’s good at that.
Once I make a quick stop back at my suite to change out of my wet shirt, I start toward the offices. As I’m walking, my phone dings with a text.
Sister Sam
