Page 76 of Holly versus Mr. Ivy
“Hey. Trevor is on his way to pick me up. Nico’s covering the rest of the night.”
Rhett jerked his head toward the hallway where our offices were located. We stepped into Rhett’s office, keeping the door open. “Are you okay?”
“Sore.” I cleared my throat. “And I really, really need to pee.”
Rhett’s eyes widened. “Oh.” He rubbed the side of his neck. “Yeah, with your hands, I guess that’s not easy to do on your own.”
I winced. “It’s really not.”
“Should we cancel…”
Tomorrow. Our first date, but not a date because we would be in public, which meant no touching. I shook my head. “No, I’ll be ready.”
“Okay. But I insist you either work half day tomorrow or not at all.”
I stared at the floor, embarrassed to tell Rhett more about my financial struggles. “I don’t have any more paid time off, and I can’t afford to miss work.”
“I wish I could help.”
He would too, if I asked. “I know, and I appreciate it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Chef Dewhurst.”
I ached for a hug. For Rhett to cocoon me in his arms and let his warmth seep into me. But we couldn’t. Not here. “Goodnight, Mr. Ivy.”
I woke up extra early to get ready for my date with Rhett, and it was a good thing too, since everything took longer with Mom helping. She only stabbed my eye seven times trying to apply mascara before I told her it was enough. I’d rather be makeup-free than blind. Skinny jeans, boots, and a rose-colored sweater completed my look.
Skinny jeans were hard enough to get on by myself. With Mom helping? Let’s just say the video would win first place onAmerica’s Funniest Home Videos.
Besides seeing Rhett, I was really excited for the Lampton Christmas festival, which opened last night with the tree-lighting. Since I’d been working as a chef, the last nine years, I hadn’t attended. Watching the giant tree explode in brightness and color with a crowd of excited people had been one of my favorite activities as a child. I was sad to have missed it again. One day, I’d make it.
The doorbell rang, and I rushed to the front entry before realizing I couldn’t open the door. “Come in!” I hollered, grateful the door was unlocked. Rhett walked in wearing dark jeans, an olive sweater, and a black coat. I hadn’t realized we were doing a photo shoot for Ralph Lauren today. “Hi,” I stuttered, taking my time to appreciate the hot man standing before me.
“Hi.” He chuckled at how I was totally checking him out before tugging me closer and kissing me.
Less than forty-eight hours ago we’d kissed, but, oh, how I’d missed his lips on mine. This kiss wasn’t as heated as Thursday night’s had been. Rhett kept this one slow and casual, like a summer stroll along the beach. My toes curled in my boots, and I loved the way his mouth moved along with mine.
The house creaked, and I pulled back, worried Mom was coming down the hallway. I hadn’t told her we were dating. It seemed best for everyone else to think we were only friends. “Come in. I want to say goodbye to my mom real quick before we go.”
“Does she want to come with us?”
It was sweet of him to include Mom on our date, but she got too cold being outside this time of year and shouldn’t be around that many people. Trev had already made plans to come over and put together a puzzle with her, which eased my guilt at leaving her to go do something that wasn’t work-related.
“I’m sure she’d love to join us for some of our other Christmas activities, but not today.”
“Hmm.” He placed a kiss on the top of my head. “I like your mom, but I’m happy it will just be the two of us.”
My body was relaxed and warm, like we’d been cuddling in front of a fire. “Me too.” I stepped away from him. “Come say hi.”
She’d stayed in bed all day yesterday, except for when she had been helping me. I’d pushed her too hard the past few days. She told me it was worth it, but I still worried about her.
“Look who’s here,” I said to Mom, stepping fully into her bedroom, allowing Rhett to be in full view.
Mom took off her reading glasses, a genuine smile on her face. “Good morning, young man. How are you today?”
Rhett smiled right back at Mom, his charm on full display. “Now that I’ve seen you, it’s fabulous.”
“Psh.” Mom waved his comment away. “It’s Holly who brightens your eyes like that.”
