Man, I really needed to take that mistletoe down. It was doing no good up here in the store. I narrowed my eyes, prepared to tell her to fuck off… but before I could say a word, she closed her eyes and leaned toward me with parted lips.
I didn’t want her kiss. If I was being honest, I didn’t think I wanted anyone’s kisses ever again except for Avery’s. I wasn’t sure how she and I could make it work, but I knew I had to try. I’d thought I was a city boy, but there truly was something magical about this town.
I quickly grabbed the can of whipped cream from beside me and squirted some onto Helena’s lips, just like Avery had done to me yesterday.
Helena squealed, her eyes popping open in shock. “Whipped cream? Are you fucking kidding me?” I couldn’t help the chuckle that tore from my throat as I handed her a roll of paper towels. I barely ever saw Helena eat anything… let alone something full of fat and sugar like whipped cream. And the sight of it spread across her face? It was too good.
She glared daggers at me, and if I gave any fucks whatsoever, that angry scowl may have been terrifying. “What are you, four years old?” she said.
I put my thumb in my mouth, licking the sticky sweetness off and pulling it free from my lips with a loud pop. “Nope. But it sure feels good to embrace my more playful side. Avery taught me that.”
As she grabbed a napkin from beside the hot chocolate station, wiping at her chin where the whipped cream had sprayed, Helena’s eyes narrowed and slid to the stairs where Avery had disappeared. “That chick? Mother Hubbard?”
I rolled my eyes. “She’s Mrs. Claus. But you knew that already, didn’t you?” That was Helena for you. Undermining anyone she could to get her way. Seriously, what did I ever see in this woman?
“You’re slumming it with the townies now?”
“I’d hardly call this slumming it. Maybe I should ask Tristan. He would know for sure what it’s like to slum it with the wrong woman. Then again, you two probably deserve each other.”
“I thought you hated this store?” I didn’t like the way her voice lowered dangerously. Or the way she stepped into me, tilting her scowling face up toward mine. Not that she had to tilt much—she was almost as tall as me. “You said for months that you wanted to strip it of its flagship title, create a bigger, better store elsewhere.”
“I was wrong,” I admitted. “My dad was right. This location, even as small as it is, is our most profitable.” I glanced around the winter wonderland Avery had created. If her store was this successful in this cramped space, just imagine what she could do with triple the square footage. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to hide this Santa suit before we open.”
She stepped to the side, pushing her chest out so that when I moved past her, I had no choice but to brush against her protruding breasts. My libido gave a lazy yawn and I smiled… because I felt nothing. Not a single ache or desire… or even anger. She and Tristan could have each other because I honestly didn’t care anymore.
And damn, was that freeing.
I watched Avery from across the store. The large chair engulfed her tiny frame, even within that Mrs. Claus costume that was way too big on her and stuffed with pillows. Children sat on the floor, surrounding her in a semi-circle and hanging onto every word she said as she flipped the book around to show them the illustrations.
“These aren’t homemade,” a deep voice grumbled in my ear.
My heart leapt to my throat and I nearly jumped out of my skin when I looked to the right to find Ed standing beside me. “You scared the crap out of me, Ed.” I eyed the half-eaten sugar cookie dangling from his lips. “And the fact that they’re not homemade doesn’t seem to be stopping you.”
“Oh, I’ll still eat them. But this wasn’t our deal.” He shook the half a cookie in my face, spraying crumbs all over the front of my sweater.
I ignored the impulse to roll my eyes at him and instead, tried to smile. “I promise you tomorrow we’ll have homemade ones.”
“At the parade, too,” he grunted. “I want a thermos of hot chocolate and some cookies for the float.”
I sighed. “You got it.”
Ed shifted away from me and leaned against the counter, the bells on his ridiculous elf costume jingling with the movement. His attention seemed affixed to something else entirely, and when I followed his line of sight… there she was. Ed’s crush from Nick’s Pizzeria. She was sitting on a couch with her grandson in her lap.
The snow globe sat on the front counter in its usual place, collecting dust. I had nothing to gain from winning this contest. Nothing but bragging rights, really. But I really wanted to see Avery’s face when she realized I had not only sold that snow globe, but sold it to Ed.
She thought she had a competitive streak? My heart sped up as I watched her push her fake glasses higher on her nose. Baby, you have no idea.
“You know,” I whispered, leaning into Ed. “Christmas is the time of year to tell people how you really feel.”
“Huh? What are you yammering on about?” He snapped his head, turning to look at me.
I inclined my chin in her direction. “There’s no better time than Christmas to tell someone your feelings for them.”
“Bah.” He shooed me away with a wave of his hand like I was nothing more than a pesky fly to be swatted at.
“Humbug?” I grinned and damn if Ed didn’t surprise me with a small curve of his mouth. I folded my arms. “Well, hell. Is that a smile from Old Man Ed?”
“Don’t call me that,” he grunted.
Mary Lou looked up from where she was hugging her grandson and looked over at us… or rather at Ed. She smiled… a beautiful smile that lit up her face as she gave him a little wave from across the room.
“Maybe she likes you,” I prodded. There was no maybe about it. From the pink flush on her cheeks to the way she kept glancing up at him, only to dip her gaze away… she liked him.
“You’re going to need a Christmas gift for her, Ed.”
“Don’t you think you’re jumping the gun there a little. We’ve barely said two words to each other in decades.”
I shrugged. “Maybe I am,” I admitted. “But having a nice gift on hand just in case isn’t a bad idea.” I reached around and held up the snow globe.
“Boy, what is your damn obsession with that snow globe?” His voice raised just enough that a few kids and parents swiveled their heads in our direction.
I smiled and nodded at the few parents and through gritted teeth, said, “Jesus, Ed. Keep your voice down.”
Across the room, Mary Lou shifted her grandson off her lap and whispered to her daughter beside her. She stood and made her way over to us.
“She’s coming over here,” Ed said, his voice panicked. “Why is she coming over here?”
“Maybe because she likes y—”
“Don’t say it,” he snapped, cutting me off.
I obliged him, doing my best to hide my smirk.
She approached us with that beautiful, glowing smile. “Ed.”
“Mary Lou.” He couldn’t have sounded more stiff or awkward if he had tried.