Page 16 of Only Santas in the Building
I press my hands to my cheeks, which are growing warm. “It wasn’t the interruption that had me flustered, it wasyou. You showed up at my door looking so delicious and being all competent and friendly, and I was a complete mess.”
He frowns. “No, you weren’t.”
I scoff. “Um, yeah, I was. Dirty hair, no bra, dishes in the sink? Any of that ring a bell?”
He ducks his head and rubs his temple, like he’s embarrassed. “I might have noticed that you weren’t wearing a bra, but honestly, the rest didn’t register. I thought you looked pretty because you always look pretty, and I was too excited to see you to be distracted by something like used dishes. I know you eat, Evie.”
I blink, still stuck on one point. “You think I always look pretty?”
“Yeah.” He looks bewildered, like this is such an obvious thing he can’t imagine why we’re discussing it.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to argue with him, to insist that no, I’ve looked absolutelyterribleevery time I’ve run into him, like a troll lurking under a bridge, but ...
The wordsbeautifulandprincesscome back to me, along with—this one gives me a shiver—good girl.
Maybe it’s not my place to convince him that he’s wrong.
But there’s still one other thing I need him to clear up.
“So it wasn’t my Mariah Carey costume that made you mindless with lust?”
He nearly chokes. “What? No. I mean, fuck, you lookedincredibletonight, don’t get me wrong. But no, Evie, I didn’t suddenly decide I wanted to have sex with you just because you wore a tight outfit.”
“Then why tonight?” I press. “You’ve never given me any hints—” I glance at the table covered with crafting supplies. “Oh. I guess you have.”
He laughs and pulls me onto his lap. Sitting on him, I can better look him in the eye, and I like the way he loops his arms around my waist. It’s a casual move, not sexual, as if he just enjoys holding me close.
“Well, for one thing, you told me your work project was complete. I know you’ve been busy, and I didn’t want to get in the way. For another ...” He shrugs. “We live in the same building. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable if you didn’t feel the same way.”
“And then I kissed you in front of all our neighbors.”
The memory makes me wince, but his grin is huge. “You sure did.”
I glance at the tools on the table beside us. “What are these for?”
“Ah.” He sets me on my feet, then stands and leads me back into the bedroom. “I had a grand plan for today’s ornament, but it turns out my whittling skills are a bit rusty.The first couple of attempts broke, and the paint was still drying on the final when I left for the party. I didn’t want Tink to mess with it, so it’s in the bedroom.”
He flicks on the light and hands me something from the top of the dresser.
It’s a carved wooden reindeer that fits in the palm of my hand.
Tears spring to my eyes.
Theo’s widen in alarm. “Evie, are you—”
I shake my head, gesturing for him to be quiet as I study the ornament. It takes me a moment to sort out what I want to say.
“My work deadline wasn’t the only reason why I didn’t decorate my tree.” Voice hoarse, I tell him about my grandmother and the circumstances that precipitated my move to this building. He draws me over to sit on the edge of the bed and keeps a warm, comforting hand on my knee as he listens.
I clutch the little reindeer the entire time, and when I’m nearly done, I hold the ornament up.
“Grandma had a reindeer like this. Not wood—I think it was needle felted—but it was one of my favorites. I saw this, and it just reminded me so much ...”
I can’t go on, but it doesn’t seem like I need to. Theo bows his head, and when he raises it again, his own eyes look a little wet.
“I’m—” He stops and clears his throat. “I’m sorry about your grandmother. But thank you for telling me. I had no idea.”
“That’s just it.” I wipe my eyes. “You didn’t know the real reason, and you did it anyway. You made me five beautiful, thoughtful ornaments by hand, just so my Christmas treewouldn’t be naked. How can you be this sexyandso sweet at the same time?”
