Page 85 of Take Me Home for Christmas

He let his words sink in, bracing himself for any sort of reaction, praying she didn’t cry.

“Ever?” she whispered.

“I’m sorry, Livi. I think my mom has been giving you the wrong idea.”

She drew in a deep breath. “It’s Elle, isn’t it?”

Hayden withdrew his hands. “What do you mean?”

“You’re in love with Elle.”

“We’re talking about us,” he insisted.

“You just said there is no ‘us.’ Outside of business, that is. And that’s fine. You make unique and beautiful furniture. I’m happy to steer clients your way. But don’t insult me by denying that you’re in love with Elle. Anyone who has ever been around the two of you can see it.” It was her turn to pat his hand. “I like both of you. I hope you two can work things out.”

Her candidness stunned him. “That’s—that’s really kind of you, Livi. Elle’s and my relationship is . . . complicated right now.”

“I’ll say. And I think it just got even more so.” She nodded to the hallway behind him.

Hayden turned to see Jeremy Keneally standing there, a dozen red roses in his hand and a smug smile on his face as he looked down the long hall. Elle approached him from the direction of the study.

“Jeremy?” she said.

“Oh, babe, am I glad to see you.” Jeremy wrapped his arms around Elle as if he owned her. Then he buried his lips against her neck.

ChapterTwenty-One

Elle cringedbeneath the weight of Jeremy’s embrace. When his lips brushed against her neck, a wave of nausea crashed through her belly. She shoved him away and took two giant steps back. This had to be a bad dream.

Nope.

It really was her ex standing in the foyer of her mother’s inn. Only looking at him now, Elle wondered what she ever saw in Jeremy. His dark hair appeared a little too perfect with its preponderance of gel. One of his thick eyebrows arched up. Beneath it, his gray eyes were icy within his arrogant expression.

How had she ever thought she could love this man? Everything about Jeremy was cold, hard and dark. Whereas Hayden was warm, easy and caring. The two men might as well have been night and day.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, not bothering to hide her pique.

“Surprise,” he replied, the word coming out as more of a question. His smile looked forced, more like the Big Bad Wolf baring his chemically whitened sharp teeth.

Elle was surprised all right. Just not in the way Jeremy assumed she would be. Not one bit.

A throat cleared behind them. Elle turned to see Livi and Hayden standing at the entry to the parlor.

Perfect. Just perfect.

Hayden had come to clear things up with Livi, and now they were getting an entertaining sideshow courtesy of Elle’s ex. The decorator looked between Jeremy and Elle, her eyes wide with curiosity. Hayden’s expression was more stoic as he stared Jeremy down. The air in the room practically sizzled when Jeremy shifted his gaze from Elle to Hayden.

“Um, Jeremy . . .” She quickly stepped between the two men. “You remember my friend, Hayden.”

The word “friend” felt funny coming out of her mouth. They were so much more than that. But this wasn’t the time or place to clarify their relationship status. Especially since they hadn’t figured it out themselves.

“Deputy.” There was no mistaking Jeremy’s condescending tone.

“Keneally.” Not surprisingly, Hayden matched it.

Elle rolled her eyes. “And this is Olivia Turner. She is a guest here while she works on a project over on Bald Head Island. Livi, this is Jeremy Keneally. He lives in New York. Which means we can only assume that he has lost his way.”

Jeremy aimed his well-honed, enrapturing smile at Livi. “Nice to meet you.”

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