Page 67 of Lighting Up Christmas

“Not bad considering that the Christmas Market hasn’t even started yet.”

He picked up the pen, intending to slash a line through and scrawl down the final bid number, but she tugged his hand. “C’mon, you, let people think they have a chance.”

They made another turn and Zhang stopped short.

“Out of the box.”

“You like?”

“I love.”

He stared at the old-fashioned bicycle. He’d been planning to eventually rent a dumpster so he could toss out the bent, rusted bike and everything else in that storage garage. But now Riley had refurbished and converted the bike to a creative and festive tree of lights with two small living, potted evergreens lit with red lights. The bike had been welded to a triangular base holding it upright. Two old wire egg baskets had been soldered to the handlebars and seat and lined with moss and housed the two living trees wrapped in red lights. The bike’s wheels had been wrapped with lights and motorized to spin, and the colors kept changing.

“Spectacular.”

“It is my favorite that I’ve done,” Riley said, “which is ironic because usually I plan them out. This time I was so busy helping Sophia and working—”

“And creating my website and tree and finding an alternative space for the Christmas Market,” he interrupted.

“That I just had to go with desperation mixed with inspiration. I persuaded you to create your first Christmas tree. I could hardly not do one this year.”

His phone buzzed. “I’m expecting a call from Jackson about our meeting with investors next weekend,” he explained, when he normally didn’t bother. It had been one of the things that had infuriated Brin—he’d let work calls interrupt them but would never discuss the call.

“No problem,” Riley said. “I’ll see you later. I’ll check in with Tess and then get started on the lights in the oak trees.”

“I will help you with those,” he said, meaning it. “Zhang,” he said, knowing it was a conference call with his team. “Hold for a sec. Riley.” He lowered the phone. Lit up by the lights of the glittering Christmas trees winding around behind her, she looked like a forest nymph—something he imagined he’d find playing on a mountain in a childhood fairy tale.

“Wait for me before climbing up the tree,” he reiterated. “And I want to see your Christmas garden tonight, and my…surprise.”

Her smile was more beautiful than the sun. She gave him a thumbs-up and a wave and was gone.

“Zhang,” he said into his phone again only to hear Jackson make a very male noise of appreciation.

“And here I thought it was all the silence that drew you to the sticks,” Jackson teased. “You are outted, dude, and I couldn’t be happier.”

“What do you need on my end?” Zhang brought the conversation immediately back to business, but he couldn’t stifle the pleasure he felt when he thought of Riley and how she had added some sparkle to his days.

*

Sophia was soright. So right.

She was crushing hard. Only her feelings for Zhang were way more intense than the occasional crush she would have briefly onmen she met as she went about her day. This was so intense she felt like she was going to burn from the inside out, and she was sure she was staring.

She stood looking at the three oak trees he’d helped her decorate. They had been a good team. Zhang was so methodical with the way he’d woven the lights through the branches. The work had been so much easier with him. No ego. No attempt to mansplain her job to her. He’d listened to her vision and instruction and had just gotten the job done. The oaks looked professionally lit.

They were professionally lit; she gave herself a mental shake. She was a professional, and judging by the feedback she was getting on the Christmas Light Garden—especially her spirit dragons, hummingbirds in a flower garden, and eagles hunting—she was a professional who was definitely impressing.

She’d been working on her light designs for a couple of years, but the four seasons of dragons chasing each other around the barn were all newly inspired. She’d started to learn more about the Lunar New Year to surprise Zhang and had become fascinated with the dragon mythology of the East.

When combined with the dragon she’d bought at Sophia’s store and the fact that Zhang released his first ice wine this year and they’d been caught in the snowstorm and she’d thrown a snowball at him—the winter dragon was definitely her favorite. She’d spent the most time with it, and the beauty mesmerized her. Just like the man.

Tell him how you feel.

She could practically hear Sophia’s encouragement.

She would, Riley vowed—but not tonight. He was pouring wine along with Tess. And also taking several phone calls, likely work-related, judging by the intensity with which he listened and the terse way it looked like he responded.

She needed to stop staring at him. She’d freak him out. Or maybe she wouldn’t. All the uncertainty unsettled her. Should she tell him about her feelings? Or just wait and see if anything happened.

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