Page 24 of Bad Boy Bachelor Christmas
I sipped my water. “I understand. I’m sorry, too.”
“You are?”
“I should have invited you to pitch. It looked unprofessional on my part as the one who didn’t listen to his requests. I pitched based on assumptions and history. It was an error in judgment. And it was lazy,” I added, somewhat dejected. “You made the right call. At the end of the day, I just want him to get what he wants. Now the hard part.”
She cocked her head to the side.
“Following through and bringing your vision to fruition,” I said.
Winter’s bright pink lips stretched in a playful smile. “The hard part? That’s thefunpart! I love getting into the nitty-gritty part of the work. And I love performing under pressure. There’s something about that anxious-gut, tight-chest feeling when you’re working up against a deadline and everything is up in the air, and then pulling it together right before you cross the finish line. It’s exhilarating. Like a high.”
“You’re definitely in the right line of work if you feel that way.”
Her eyes danced in the candlelight, and for the first time, I noticed how they looked like honey and amber—or liquid gold.Damn.
Our server arrived to take our orders, and Winter giggled through her request, choosing something off the menu she’d never tried before and couldn’t pronounce. The server seemed charmed by her, a young man himself probably close to her age, and asked us what our plans were for the rest of the evening.
Winter sighed dreamily. “There’s a gorgeous bathtub and a glass of red wine with my name on it back at our hotel. I’m going to put way too much bubble bath in and soak until I’m a prune. What about you?”
The pair turned to me.
I shrugged.
The server told Winter that if she wanted to see some of the city, he was off at ten, and he knew some local hotspots. “The tub will always be there,” he added with a flash of white teeth.
Winter, sweeter than pie, let him down easy. “We’re on a work trip, so I have a really early morning, and in all honesty, I’m already exhausted. Thank you though. That’s very kind of you.”
The server hung his head in rejection but took it fairly well. He wandered off to help another table.
“He was coming on to you,” I said.
“He was not. He was just being friendly. He heard ‘hotel’ and knew we were from out of town.”
I laughed. “Tell me you’re not that naïve.”
“You know, you’re chattiest when you’re teasing me. What’s with that?”
“I can’t help myself. You exercised incredible self-awareness during your pitch to Norman, and then this? How can both coexist? The guy clearly has the hots for you.”
“People can be nice without having ulterior motives, North.”
“Uh huh. Sure, they can.”
She settled back in her chair, looking petite and cozy like she belonged on the cover of a winter magazine in her thick turquoise scarf and cream-colored jacket. The light of the candle no longer caught her eye, but I still noticed how bright they looked. “What do you do for fun?”
“Fun?”
“Yes, fun,” she mused, letting out a little giggle. “You know, to let go of stress? To unwind, laugh,play. What do you do?”
“I’m too busy for fun.”
She burst out laughing.
People at nearby tables looked over at us, but she didn’t seem to notice their curious stares. Either that, or she didn’t care, and the best part was how strangers started smiling because of how contagious her laughter was. It bubbled out and became wild, and soon people were snickering and whispering about the pretty young girl, wondering what she found so funny.
Winter wiped tears from the corners of her eyes with her thumbs. She tracked a bit of smudged makeup toward her hairline. “Oh my goodness, you’re the most serious person I’ve ever met, North. And it just doesn’t make sense to me. You sell Christmas trees for a living! Isn’t that, like, one of the most romantic, glorious, festive jobs of all time? How can you be such a grump?”
“I’m not a grump.”
