Page 26 of Just Add Mistletoe

“Excellent,” Malcom said, sliding his hand away from Lori’s waist and grasping her hand again. He felt Kari tracking everymovement. Maybe the person they had to convince was her, not Penny.

And now Malcom was annoyed again. He’d brought up his concerns about Penny more than once to his brother, who had always laughed them off. But now it seemed like Kari was invested, which meant that Bronson knew exactly what was going on.

As they followed Bronson and Kari into the ballroom, Lori leaned close and whispered, “Smooth moves, Romeo.”

He grinned down at her. “Right back at you, Juliet.”

She returned his smile, and Malcom realized that despite all the irritants bombarding him, tonight might be fun. With Lori. Flirting with her—and yeah, holding her hand—was completely and undeniably enjoyable.

He tugged his gaze from hers, if only to not trip on his own feet, and spotted Penny. She was waving at them, a smile plastered on her face. Her eyes had already zeroed in on the woman at his side.

“Oh boy,” Lori said under her breath. “I think I see Maleficent.”

Malcom chuckled. “She’s definitely noticing you.” He liked the way Lori’s fingers tightened around his.

Penny had gone all out, of course, wearing a dark yellow dress covered in sequins. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head, complete with dangling earrings that looked like they were dripping with diamonds. Probably fake diamonds? Otherwise those earrings would cost thousands. Although Penny had a good salary as operations manager, it wasn’t extravagant.

“Malc,” Penny said as soon as they neared the table. She stepped close and kissed him on the cheek, lingering much longer than necessary. He couldn’t remember when she’d ever kissed him on the cheek, so that was a new development. Wasn’t bringing a date to this gala a deterrent for that?

“Hi, Penny,” Malcom said, moving a step back from her, still holding Lori’s hand. “This is Lori. Lori, this is Penny.”

Lori stuck out her free hand. “Nice to meet you, Penny.”

Penny glanced at her hand but didn’t extend her own. “Nice to meet you too.” Her expression tightened, then she looked over at her sister. “I told the waiters about your allergies, so they should come up with something you can eat.”

“Oh thanks,” Kari said, holding her sister’s gaze as if trying to teleport some information.

Penny turned back to Malcom with a tight smile. “You can sit here, Malc.” She motioned to a free chair between Kari and what looked to be Penny’s seat, since a small purse sat at the place setting. “I didn’t account for you bringing a friend, but there’s a place by Bronson. Otherwise, the other seats are saved by someone else.”

Penny was smooth, he’d give her that. “I’ll be sitting by mydate,” he said. “You won’t mind sitting by Bronson, will you?”

Her smile remained, but her eyes grew stormy. Malcom merely smiled back, then led Lori to the other side of the table. “Here’s your purse,” he said, picking it up and handing it over.

Penny practically snatched the purse away and strode over to where Bronson had seated himself.

Malcom pulled out the chair for Lori, and once she was seated, he sat down as well. “Is this the menu?” he asked, picking up the printed paper from the dinner plate in front of him. He felt the heat of Penny’s gaze, but refused to meet it.

Lori nudged him. “Malc, huh?” she said in a quiet voice.

“Not my nickname,” he said, turning his head. “Mac is okay, but not Malc.”

Lori raised the water glass to her lips. “Noted.”

He smiled, and she smiled back, then took a sip.

It was hard to look away from her, so he didn’t. Openly staring at his date was acceptable, right? “Good water?”

Lori laughed. “Excellent.”

Malcom was grateful for the music playing overhead, and the general hubbub of the room, so he could talk to Lori without everyone overhearing. He picked up his own water glass.

“You know, she’s really pretty,” Lori murmured. “I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to ditch me for her.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Malcom said, and was happy to see Lori’s smile appear. “I’ll take real over fake any day.”

Her smile widened. “Are you flirting now, Romeo?”

He set his arm around the back of her chair and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “No, I was speaking the truth just now, but this . . .” He brushed her shoulder with his fingers. “This is flirting. What do you think?”

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