Page 7 of Take Me Home for Christmas

A banker’s lamp glowed softly on the desk. Floor-to-ceiling oak shelves lined one wall of the room. Another wall featured wide, mullioned windows overlooking the inn’s lawn. Two leather chairs situated in front of the desk filled the rest of the space.

Elle loved this room at this time of year because her mother filled it with mementos and decorations personal to their family. All of them held memories of early McAlister Christmases. She tried not to flinch when Mr. West made a beeline for the carved Russian Santa on the desk. It was one-of-a-kind and a stunning focal point in the room. It was also her favorite.

“My parents got that on the Alaskan cruise they took for their fifteenth wedding anniversary,” she said softly.

He didn’t respond, seemingly transfixed as he gently ran his fingertips over the carving.

Elle sighed. “Look, Mr. West?—”

“Can we dispense with the mister?” He placed the Santa back on the desk before spinning around and glaring at her.

“Um, okay, Everett?—”

“It’s West to you,” he barked. “And let’s get a few things straight here, Gidget. I’ve never missed a deadline. Ever. So you can untangle your panties and take your foot off my neck. I have no idea why Helen thought I needed some nepo baby to mind me, but you work for me, not the other way around.”

Nepo baby?

“I have some emails to answer, so you can go scroll on your phone somewhere else. I won’t need you for the rest of the night. Tomorrow, I’ll have some emails for you to finalize and send out.”

Elle opened and closed her mouth. She owed him an apology. He was right to be angry with her. She had behaved totally inappropriately back there.

Not that he made it any easier. They’d both been thrown into an awkward situation that neither wanted. Her role in all of this was to help him finish his book. She couldn’t pull the words out of him no matter how much she wanted to help. They were his words. But she could make things easier for him. And she would. Starting right now.

“Yes, sir. If there’s anything you need, I’ll be around.”

He reached for the bottle of Scotch on the sideboard. “Nope. I have everything I need right here.”

Great. Just great.

As if the night couldn’t get any worse, she almost plowed into Livi and Hayden at the end of the hall. He pulled the inn’s front door open and was about to usher her through. Elle owed this man an apology, too. Anything that would take them back to the way they were before. She hadn’t realized until tonight how painfully she missed her best friend. How much she needed him in her life. Especially if she was going to survive the next few weeks with West.

“Oh, you’re headed out?” She directed the question at Livi.

The other woman practically bounced on her toes. “We are. Hayden is going to show me the nightlife in town.”

Elle snorted. “That should take all of five minutes.”

Livi looked at Hayden adoringly. “I hope not.”

Despite her throat tightening painfully again, Elle managed to push out words. “Have fun.”

She meant it, too. Livi seemed decent enough. And Hayden’s happiness had always been important to her. They looked good together.

“Night.” Livi practically floated out of the inn.

With a heavy sigh, Elle headed for the stairs.

“Belle?”

Her heart skipped a beat at the nickname only Hayden used for her. He’d anointed her with it during herBeauty and the Beastdays. She forced a smile before she turned around to face him. “Hey.”

“You okay?”

His eyes showed so much genuine concern that she nearly wept with joy. Maybe she hadn’t damaged their relationship as badly as she imagined. Perhaps there was a chance their friendship could be resurrected.

“Yeah. Just trying to get this new work arrangement sorted out, that’s all.”

He stared at her for several long heartbeats. “I hope you get it all figured out soon. Night, Belle.”

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