Page 19 of Tied Up In Tinsel
“Oh, is it?” I asked, laughing.
“Mhm. Can we paint my room?”
“Maybe after the holidays,” I said, knowing full well her “favorite color” would change by next week.
On her way out of the room, Ruby jumped into the air and spun, landing on both feet. Without missing a beat, she took off running down the hall toward her room, her giggles trailing behind her like sleigh bells.
I turned back toward Brooks, ready to address the burning question still hanging between us, and found him already leaning back in his chair—lounging like he didn’t have a carein the world. His arms were stretched behind his head, muscles flexing beneath the snug sleeves of his T-shirt. The fabric bunched around his biceps, making it far too easy to notice how solid he was.
There was no way a rodeo clown had arms and a body like that.
“How did she get the money?” I demanded, arching a brow.
Without so much as flinching, he said, “Santa dropped it off this morning. Take it up with him.”
My eyes narrowed into a glare sharp enough to cut glass. I was determined to get an answer, but Brooks only ran his tongue slowly along his canine tooth before giving me that infuriatingly cocky smirk and then he topped it off with a wink.
Oh, for the love of Christmas cookies.
Fuck. Me.
“Did you give it to her?” I hissed under my breath.
It wasn’t his job to be buying Ruby clothes. I was the one paying him to be here. There was no reason for him to go and drop enough cash for her to put on an entire fashion show, complete with multiple wardrobe changes.
Before he could answer, Ruby reappeared, darting into the dining room in her second outfit. She was like a tiny quick-change artist, her energy buzzing in every movement.
“This conversation is not over,” I warned Brooks in a low voice before turning in my chair to give my daughter my full attention. There was no way I’d manage to interrogate him while also trying to keep up with her excitement.
“What do you think?” Ruby asked, grabbing handfuls of her tulle skirt and swishing side to side like a pro.
My smile softened. “This will be perfect for the Christmas party.”
The skirt was bright red tulle with a matching sequin jacket—festive, sparkly, and absolutely made for twirling. It screamedChristmas in the best possible way. I could already picture her in it at the party I was catering. When the trays were empty and my work was done, I planned to change out of my catering clothes, grab Ruby, and join the guests. Brooks, too, if he wanted to come. Ruby would need something special to wear, and this? This was perfect.
“You think?” Her whole face lit up, eyes shimmering like a string of holiday lights. “Do you think Santa would like it?”
“Are you kidding me?” Brooks chimed in before I could answer. “I bet he’d let you waltz right into the North Pole wearing that.”
Ruby’s smile grew so big it looked like her cheeks might burst. She glanced down at herself, smoothing her skirt with an almost shy pride that made my chest ache.
She hadn’t smiled this much in so long.
She bounded past me toward Brooks, hand held high for a high five.
It was almost comical watching it happen. Her tiny palm pressed to his much larger one, her whole arm swallowed by his in comparison. For a second, I just watched them, the sight tugging something deep inside me.
The man who was supposed to be here simply as help—just for two weeks, just to get me through the busiest time of year—was already slipping into a role I hadn’t expected. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
Brooks
I’d taken over cleaning up dinner while Annie was giving Ruby a bath and tucking her in for the night.
Not because she’d asked me—hell, she’d told me the opposite. She’d insisted she’d handle it after Ruby was down and that I was “off the clock,” free to go do whatever I pleased.
But I didn’t want to retreat upstairs to my room. I didn’t want to disappear from the rhythm of her house. I wanted to linger, my hands busy at the sink, so I could be here when she came back down.
Annie intrigued me.
