Page 36 of All's Fair in Love and Christmas
“If I could afford to, I would. But a few toys along with clothes and shoes shouldn’t break the bank. Plus, it’s Christmas.”
Keri shook her head, gave Jeremy one last look, then walked away.
Jeremy cleared his throat. “Thank you for the coffee. That was thoughtful of you.”
Mackenzie ducked her head, but she couldn’t hide the rose pink flushing her skin. He hated to say it, but that particular hue was fast becoming his favorite color.
She looked up at him through her lashes. On another woman, he’d think the move coy. Maybe even flirtatious. With Mackenzie, he saw the action as brave.
“How’s Natalie doing?” she asked.
“She’s good. Complains about the braces, but that’s normal.” He leaned his shoulder against the wall.
She nodded. Paused. Should he wait for her to say something or fill the growing silence?
“And your nephew? Sorry, I don’t know his name,” she finally said.
“Nathan,” he supplied. “He’s good. Has a hockey game tonight.”
“Fun.”
Not exactly tantalizing conversation. Nor what he’d call an easy exchange. Every repartee seemed to be fought for instead of coming naturally. And yet, at the moment, there was no one else he’d rather talk to. No one else he’d rather get to know better.
“So,” he said as a transition, “you’ve been recreating some childhoods around here.”
“Memories are powerful things.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What was your favorite thing about Christmas growing up?”
He thought back to his childhood. How he and Heidi would camp out under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve’s eve and look up through the branches, the twinkling lights like stars above their heads. How they’d bundle up in jackets, scarves, and knitted caps to walk around the neighborhood looking at everyone’s yard decorations. The Victorian at the end of the street always went all out. The owners must have strung thousands of lights over every surface of their home and yard. As a kid, he’d been awestruck at the display. As an adult, he wondered how they afforded their electric bill for the month.
Mackenzie studied him, waiting for his answer. He grinned and playfully shook his finger at her. “Nope. I’m not going to help you beat me. You’re doing a good enough job of that on your own.”
“I ... that’s not...”
She seemed to have a hard time formulating the response she wanted. He didn’t want her to get overwhelmed, so he stepped in. “What about you? Favorite childhood Christmas memory?”
She took a breath. Her face cleared. A small smile followed.“How do I know you didn’t just accuse me of using your childhood memories for nefarious purposes because that’s actually what you’re going to do?”
He lowered his voice and leaned toward her. “You don’t.”
She laughed. “I’m glad you understood what I meant. Once I heard it, I realized what I said was a bit confusing.”
Jeremy straightened. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say anything that wasn’t understandable.”
A pained expression filled her face, and she averted her gaze to the left. Pretended to be fascinated by something Rosa was doing at her desk.
He knew in his gut she was replaying the MedHealth debacle. While sayingI love youin a business presentation made for story fodder later that day around a dinner table, it wasn’t so outrageous that she should keep beating herself up over it.
He bent at the knees. Tried to intercept her gaze so she’d look him in the eye. If only for a moment. “You shouldn’t worry so much about what other people think.”
She said something under her breath that he thought sounded an awful lot likelike you,but her voice had been so quiet, he wasn’t sure.
She looked down. Shifted to take a step back.
He was losing her.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” she mumbled before breezing past him and scurrying to her desk to duck behind her computer.
What had just happened? Sure, the conversation had started a bit stilted, but he’d thought they were beginning to find a rhythm. Then it screeched to a halt. What had he done? What had he said?
