Page 27 of Just Add Mistletoe

Lori shifted slightly so they were face to face, only a few inches apart. “I think . . . you’re very skilled, Malc.”

He groaned. “You did not just say that.”

Her pretty smile appeared. “I did.”

“I’ll let one slip past, but after this, you’ll be in trouble.”

Her brows lifted. “What does that entail?”

He smirked. “Uh, I could drag you out of here and make you miss dinner.”

“Drag me? I’m stronger than I look.”

His gaze dipped to her mouth. “I could kiss you senseless, so you forget all about any nicknames.”

“Remember we agreed on no kissing?”

It was true, but she was leaning quite cozily against him, and he didn’t mind at all. “Right.” He dragged in a breath and gave her a little space. “Maybe we should dance. Take a break from our audience.”

Lori peeked at them from the corner of her eye. “No one else is dancing. Maybe after dinner?”

“That works too.”

Three others arrived at their table and took their seats. Introductions were made all around. A man named Doug said he ran a water heater company, and the conversation springboarded from there, although Malcom barely remembered what anyone else said.

A waiter approached their table and took drink orders. By the time he left, a conversation had started between Doug and Penny. He was asking her questions about their business.

“Bronson is the magic behind everything,” she gushed. “He’s really the renaissance man, the idea man. As operations manager, I just keep up with him. And my sister Kari is a whiz at marketing and community outreach.”

Doug seemed enthralled.

“Malcom over there is the boots-on-the-ground guy,” she said. “He knows how to keep employees happy, which is so important. He has a kind heart and good listening skills.”

All the words coming out of Penny’s mouth were compliments, but they didn’t feel like it. They felt like the praise someone would give a kid in school.

“Congratulations on your award tonight,” Doug continued, smoothing down his comb-over. “Construction company of the year—really impressive.”

“Thanks,” Penny said, apparently the spokesperson tonight. “We should exchange information. I’d love to talk to you about your water heaters.”

Malcom glanced at Bronson, but his brother didn’t say anything.

“We have a five-year contract with another water-heater company,” Malcom finally said. “Which we signed last year.”

Penny shrugged. “Contracts can be broken if they aren’t upheld.”

He stared at her. “What’s not being upheld?”

She merely smiled. “We can talk business later. Tonight is about celebrating and enjoying ourselves? Right, Lori?”

Lori lifted her chin. “I’m planning on it.”

Penny laughed, a little too loud. “I like her, Malc. Where did you two meet?”

LORI SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED at the barrage of questions Penny threw at Malcom. Shewassurprised, though, at the way a grown woman was acting so ridiculous, because some of what she said was completely intrusive.

“He’s a workaholic, Lori,” Penny said, as her wineglass was filled for the second time. “Both brothers are. My sister had to retrain her husband to even take a vacation.”

Bronson chuckled and lifted his glass in a mock toast. “And look at me now. I don’t even have my phone on me tonight.”

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