Page 22 of Matchmaking Under the Mistletoe

“Thanks, um, I hate to ask but you don’t happen to have any extra jackets in your truck, do you? I’m freezing, and Brian and I both forgot ours,” Millie asks.

“Actually, I do. I parked right beside Brian. I think there are some blankets in there too. Go grab whatever you want,” he offers, reaching in his pocket and tossing the keys in her direction.

As she walks away, Will and I work quietly for a moment before he smirks in my direction. “So, you wanna talk about it?”

“Talk about what?” I ask, waiting to see what he means.

“Man, come on. You’ve got dirt and shit all over your back, and there’s bright red lipstick on your face. What the hell did I just walk up on?” Will asks, shooting me a knowing smirk.

Shit. Busted.

“Uhh, yeah.” I groan, rubbing my hand over my face. “I don’t know. That woman is driving me crazy. I’m trying to stay away because of the whole workplace thing, but God, I want her so bad.”

Will nods looking like he’s thinking about something else, before he just nods. “I get it man, I swear I do. But I don’t think you’re gonna know for sure until you go for it. Isn’t y’all’s whole arrangement only guaranteed through Christmas anyway?”

Shit, I can’t believe I haven’t thought about that.Millie settled so easily into my life, and we’ve been so consumed with all things Christmas, that I haven’t given it much thought that she might be planning to leave before the Christmas lights even come down.

He must read my expression, because Will just nods. “That’s what I thought. I mean obviously don’t pressure her if she’s not into it, but it looks to me like you don’t have anything to lose. Judging by the look on your face, you’re gonna regret it if she drives away in two weeks, and you can’t say you did everything to keep her.”

Realizing he’s right, I nod and open my mouth to say something else just as Millie returns.

“All right, y’all ready to get back to work?” she asks, and I tell myself to ignore the pang of jealousy I feel at seeing her wrapped in Will’s oversized jacket.

We work for another hour while Millie and Will chat about her time in Springside. Finally, after we wrap the tenth tree, hesays that he needs to head out. We’ve made great progress, and I feel confident I can finish the rest.

“Thanks for your help, Will. It was so nice meeting you. And thanks for letting me borrow this,” Millie says, shrugging the jacket off and handing it back to him before looking toward me. “I’m gonna go unplug those cords since we’re done for the night. I’ll meet you back at the truck.”

And with that she’s gone, leaving Will and I standing in the trees, looking down at the big container filled with boxes of lights. “I’ll help you get everything loaded up though,” he says, leaning down and picking up the ladder while I grab the other supplies.

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it,” I say, trying my best to sound sincere.

We make quick work of getting everything put away, and I wave at Will as he drives away, cranking the truck so it’ll be warm.

While I wait on Millie to return, I shift anxiously. That was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever had in my life. I thought that if I tasted her, maybe the desire I was feeling would go away, but instead, I think it just made it worse. Will’s words echo in my brain about not letting Millie go, and I decide he’s right. I don’t want to look back and wish that I’d gone after what I wanted if she decides to leave after the gala.

Now I’m just left to hope she feels the same way.

CHAPTER 12

MILLIE

When I hear the alarm go off the following morning, I groan in protest.God, I swear I just closed my eyes.

Once again, I’d spent the night tossing and turning, replaying the kiss with Brian. Last night was by far the hottest experience I’ve had in my life, which really tells me how pathetic my sex life with Allen was for the entirety of our marriage. The way Brian controlled the kiss made me desperate for him, but the enjoyment in the moment had been overshadowed by embarrassment.

God, not only did my clumsy ass fall on top of him, but I basically attacked him. I know I haven’t had a job in a couple years, but I’m pretty sure most people don’t make it a habit of dry humping their boss.

Groaning in embarrassment, I throw the covers off and start to get ready for the day. Having already decided to skip my run this morning knowing that it would be a long day, I grab my favorite pair of jeans and one of my new sweaters from Saddle Ridge and throw them on before spending some extra time on my makeup.

I tell myself the extra time I spend getting ready is because of the event tonight, but a large part of me knows that’s only a small part of the truth. There’s no way Brian doesn’t regret kissing me.

My mind flashes to all the times I tried to initiate something physical with Allen throughout the last few years of our marriage. Every sneer, every eye roll, and every “maybe later, babe” is permanently ingrained in my thoughts, and I think about his comments he made about me during the divorce. That maybe if I was sexier or if I’d tried harder to keep him happy over the years, he wouldn’t have had to screw his way through his staff.

I try to shake myself out of my mental pity party. Over the last week in Springside, it occurs to me that I’ve barely given Allen a single thought. There’s no doubt this fresh start was exactly what I needed, but I’m not ready for Brian to give me the same look of rejection my ex-husband had perfected. He’s been a perfect gentleman over the last few days, so I’m sure he’d be nicer about it than Allen always was, but the result will be the same.

Feeling frustrated, I hear my phone ping and grab it to see Lizzie just sent me a text.

Lizzie: Hey sis, just checking on you? Are you ready to put that sexy boss of yours on the top of your Christmas list?

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