Page 8 of The Christmas Romance Wish

“You didn’t look her up on social media?”

“Pax, you handle the accounts. That’s your job because I don’t want to bother with that.”

“A girl you’ve never seen before made you smile like that?” Jesse asks with an air of disbelief.

“I don’t know what smile you’re talking about.” I truly don’t. Probably.

“Don’t forget he was talking to himself about his voice,” Pax adds.

“Someone in the room with Emmie said something about my voice. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Let’s hear it,” Pax says.

Scratching my temple, I recall her exact words. “‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold the phone, Doodles. You didn’t tell me his voice was like that. And the way he said your name?—’”

The guys analyze it while I run through a mental checklist for the ruck this weekend.

Jesse interrupts, “What else do you know about her? Did you do a background check?”

“No, because I’m not a creeper. Our mutual editors connected us for the book. Oh, and don’t get any ideas. She’s sweetly innocent. Keep your eyes and hands where I can see ‘em, boys.”

I know a lot about Emmie—she loves the ocean but prefers winter. She enjoys mini golf but is admittedly terrible at it. She drinks a daily peppermint mocha year-round and avoids alcohol. And more. Much more. I just don’t know what she looks like and that’s fine because she’s mentioned a guy named Dylann, so she probably has a boyfriend, fiancé, or husband. Never mind the fact that I’m not looking for someone to make me smile, for a fling, or to get married.

“What makes you think you’re too old for marriage? Charlie has two years on you and he’s tying the knot soon,” Jesse says, once more breaking into my thoughts.

“We have work to do, guys,” I say instead of answering.

“Yeah, preparing for a weekend with a bunch of dudes,” Pax says, typing on his phone.

“They’re our brothers,” I correct. “Men who take life, liberty, and loyalty seriously.”

Without looking up from his device, Paxton says, “I still think we should’ve gone with Wassail and Warriors.”

“Do you even know what wassail is?” Jesse asks.

He chuckles because, of course, he doesn’t.

“What about Winter Wonderland and Warriors?” Jesse asks.

Pax wrinkles his nose. “Sounds girly.”

“Some of the strongest warriors I know are women,” I say.

“Then why aren’t they coming out for the workshop?” Pax asks, disappointed.

“Because they’d crush you.”

“Get a crush on me, more like,” Pax mutters.

“If you’re looking for love, you could open a Marry Me account,” Jesse suggests.

“I’ll stick with the flings. Jesse, you can have love, settle down, and be bored for the rest of your life.”

Jesse starts to defend marriage when Paxton interrupts. “What about you, Lexman? What did Emmie’s friend mean about your voice?” He grins as if he already knows the answer.

I steady my breathing and offer a shrug. “Doesn’t mean anything.”

Even though I have no idea what Emmie looks like, she’s a good person, sweet, thoughtful, and kind. I trust her. That’s all though.

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