Page 144 of Holiday Hire

She claims, "Okay, so it's me against you. But don't worry, I know my Christmas facts."

I grunt. "We'll see about that."

We flirt and tease each other the entire way to the bar. When we get to town, I parallel park, get out of the truck, stride around the hood, and open her door. I help her out and hold her hand, walking inside.

The Stomping Ground is full of lots of people I know. I introduce Phoebe to several of them and then we get into a booth in the back corner. She slides in and I sit next to her.

Carrie, one of the servers, approaches us. She chirps, "Hey, Alexander, I haven't seen you in a long time."

"Carrie, how's it going? This is Phoebe."

"Oh, I've heard about you. You're the nanny, right?" she asks.

Phoebe's body stiffens.

I put my hand on her thigh, answering, "Yes, she is. And she's great with the boys. Pheebs, you want a beer?"

"Yes, please."

I refocus on Carrie. "Can we get two cold ones?"

"Sure. It's nice to meet you, Phoebe," Carrie offers.

"You too," Phoebe replies, nodding.

Carrie smiles and turns to head to the bar.

Phoebe questions, "How does everybody in town know about us? Well, about me?"

"It's a small town, don't let it bother you. People love to gossip," I state.

"What if somebody says something to the boys?" she asks.

My gut flips. "They won't."

Worry fills her expression. "How do you know?"

"Everyone in town also knows how protective I am of my kids. They won't," I insist.

She looks at me like she's not so sure. I pick up her hand and kiss it. "Stop worrying. You need to start thinking about whether you're going to win or lose."

Her lips twitch. "Oh, I'm going to win. Remember, I win either way." She smirks.

I put my hand between her thighs and flick my middle finger against her slit.

She inhales sharply.

I challenge, "Really? Are you sure you're the one who wins? Or amIthe winner either way?"

Her gaze darts past me.

I turn and then sit back.

Carrie's walking toward us with two beers on a tray. I remove my hand before she gets to the table. She sets them down and hands two trivia sheets to us. "I assume you two are playing tonight?"

"Of course," I say and then take a mouthful of beer.

"I'm going to show Alexander he doesn't really know anything about Christmas trivia," Phoebe declares.

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