Page 8 of My Ex for Christmas
Her eyes widen slightly at our proximity, but she sways toward me. We never were able to resist one another.
I set a hand on her waist, but this seems to snap her out of her trance. She cringes back, and I stop, dropping my hand.
Eyes squeezed shut, Hadley blurts, “What if you have a wife?”
A bark of laughter escapes me. That isn’t at all what I expected her to say. “What ifI have a wife? I think I’d know if I were married.” I hold up my barren left hand for emphasis. “No wife.”
Her eyes open, and she inspects my hand. Then my face. Slowly, her shoulders lose some of their tension. “Oh. Well, good. Because your hypothetical wife probably wouldn’t take too kindly to you standing under the mistletoe with me.”
I nod. “Probably not.” Then I dare to take a step closer. “What about you, Hads?”
“What about me?” she asks.
“How doyoufeel about standing under the mistletoe with me?”
I hold my breath. When the silence stretches, I know I’ve made a miscalculation. Pushed too far,waytoo soon. Hadley has always been slow to warm to things. We started out as friends, and then she eventually opened up to the idea of more between us. It took a solid two years.
So trying to kiss her a day after seeing her again? Not fucking likely.
I pull back before she does, knowing I need to give her space. Hoping she doesn’t bolt immediately when I do.
“I, um—” She wets her lower lip nervously. “I have to go.”
“Hadley—”
But she’s already reaching up and ripping the mistletoe from the doorframe.
“This really shouldn’t be here,” she mutters. “Fire hazard, you know? Blocking exits.”
And then she disappears right before my eyes, like she wasn’t even here at all. The only proof I have of her presence is thelingering scent of her vanilla perfume. That same perfume I gave her for our last Christmas together.
Hope sets up camp inside my chest. Sure, the mistletoe was a rookie mistake, but she’s still fucking wearing that perfume.
Hadley may have moved on, but she certainly hasn’t let go. Not of everything. I can work with that.
When I return to my spot behind the bar, Jamie and Spencer are both wearing sympathetic expressions. I suppose there’s absolutely no chance they didn’t watch every second of Hadley’s rejection. Not that I can blame them—it would have made an entertaining train wreck.
“Ouch. That’s mega rough, dude,” Spencer says with a wince. He reaches over the bar and claps me on the shoulder. “How about that beer, though?”
CHAPTER 4
HADLEY
Slowly,Sugar Peak Resort has been turning into a winter wonderland. On top of wanting to create a cozy atmosphere for the guests, the grand opening is scheduled for the week after Christmas—so we’re pulling out all the stops.
The lobby has been decorated in shades of silver and gold, including a towering Christmas tree in the centre.
My parents were never huge on the whole decoration thing, so seeing all this opulence laid out before me has me feeling all sorts of giddy. There’s also something magical about snow at Christmastime, and up in the mountains, we have that in spades.
“You sure you don’t want me to do that?” Jamie asks, arching a brow as he sets up his ladder for me.
I nod. “I've got this, and I promise I’ll return your ladder once I’m finished.”
With a shake of his head, the resort’s handyman walks away, leaving me to stare up at the offending wreath on the wall. It was hung up with the rest of the lobby’s decorations, but I noticed last night that it’s crooked and its presence has been bugging me since.
I shove the ladder into place and then I begin to climb. The rungs are a little wobbly under my feet, but I tighten my grip until I reach the top.
“Hadley,” someone calls, “can I talk to you?”
