Page 4 of Stay this Christmas
“I think people lose nuance with age.” I crossed my arms over my chest, achingly aware of my Christmas tree-printed, deeply unflattering scrubs while his form-fitting workout clothes made him look like a demi-god.
Normally, this would be the point where I slunk back to the PT room. So far, I’d put on a mask of detached politeness with him for work’s sake, but we didn’t really talk. Standing around with my former best friend-turned-boyfriend like we’d just been introduced made me supremely off-balance, like I wanted to pull a privacy screen around myself and catch my breath until he left.
No. Screw that. He was the one in the wrong here. If anything,heshould be afraid ofme. He should be the one with sweaty palms and a prickle of anxiety gliding through his stomach like Jaws on the hunt for a struggling swimmer. Not standing there wearing an unfazed grin.
“Nice scrubs. You fit the theme.”
He gestured past me to the main hall. Christmas trees stood guard at both ends of the lobby, red and green decorations festooned tables and hung from the walls, and if I listened hard enough, I could just make out the Christmas-themed muzak they piped through the common areas.
“’Tis the season.”
“Kind of early, isn’t it?”
I scoffed. “It’s December first.”
“Exactly. It just seems early for all of this. That should be more of a Christmas week thing.”
The. Nerve. Stealing my distraction-free work environment and my patients’ allegiance was one thing, but I wouldnotlet him steal my holiday joy.
“I’ll have you know, I’ve been watching Christmas movies since October.”
He laughed, the sound thrilling through me in a way both familiar and unwanted. Incidentally, also two apt descriptors for the man himself.
“You’re the reason stores are overrun with Santa stuff the minute Halloween is over.”
I would not admit to how many Christmas goodies I’d already bought this year. “I don’t see the problem.”
He shook his head at me, but his smile sparked with amusement. “You wouldn’t.”
I glanced around the exercise room, counting down the seconds until I could exit this conversation while still saving face. If I ever stood any chance of that to begin with.
“Looks like you’re getting more residents in your classes each week.”
His grin shone out again all bold and bright, a naughty boy who didn’t care if he got caught red-handed. “Aw, Harps, are you jealous?”
His old nickname for me smothered the feeble embers of my instinctual attraction. This was why I kept that glass wall between us. Sam just couldn’t turn off the charm. His flirty conversations brought all that hurt right back to the surface, tiny little icicles digging into my heart with every casual remark. Did he really think we could pretend we’d never had a history? Maybe what we had was long gone and meaningless to him now, but I couldn’t just forget it like he had.
He’d dumped me and our plans for college with zero explanation, traveled the world for eleven years, then mysteriously returned to Magnolia Ridge and thought we could just be friends again? What next? Drive out to a field, throw a bunch of blankets down, and—
I swallowed hard. I wouldnotthink about that. I’d been inoculated.
“Why would I be jealous of them?”
His naughty grin twitched. “I meant jealous of me stealing your patients, but interesting that your mind went there.”
I willed the heat spreading from my chest up my neck not to color my cheeks for once. My red hair and freckled skin helped me stand out from my blond, blue-eyed sisters, but it also put all my emotions on display. Embarrassment, anger, annoyance over close proximity with someone I’d resented for the last decade—it all showed up in bright red splotches on my face.
“I actually think yoga is good for the residents.” My voice came out a little lofty and judgmental, but better that than cracking under his relentless gaze.
“That’s good, because Olivia bumped me up to three times a week. I’m adding a session on Wednesdays, now.”
My mouth popped open, but there wasn’t much I could say if Fiesta Village’s director had arranged it with him. Certainly nothing that wouldn’t make me sound exactly as bitter as I felt. I’d handled seeing him on the regular pretty well so far, but I could only swallow down so many feelings in a week.
“I can rearrange the class schedule so you could join in, too.”
I snorted. “Pass.”
Let Sam Donnelly teach me yoga? I’d seen the moves he did. No way would I have my butt that much on display around him.
