Page 12 of Matchmaking Under the Mistletoe

“What? You’ve been holding out on me, Mr. Mayor. You were a football star?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call myself a star by any stretch of the imagination, but yeah, I played,” he says modestly before asking, “anyway, that’s enough about me. What do you like to do?”

I open my mouth to respond, but once again, I’m hit with the realization that I have no idea how to answer that question. The last ten years just feel like a nightmare, and I can’t remember the last time I did something because I enjoyed it.

“Umm, I guess I’m still figuring that out,” I say, trying not to let the embarrassment show in my voice.

“Hey, nothing wrong with that,” he says with a reassuring smile just as the young barista brings us our coffees. I’d been expecting a cheap paper cup, but instead, the coffee is in a huge mug, and there’s a gingerbread man outline made with cinnamon on top of the latte foam.

“Here y’all go. Enjoy,” he says before returning back behind the counter.

“Look how cute!” I say cheerfully.

Brian smiles and says, “Cheers, Millie. Here’s to a successful Christmas season at Deer Valley.”

“Cheers,” I reply before taking the first sip of my drink. “Oh my gosh. This coffee is incredible!”

“Not too bad for a small town, huh? We may not have any of the big chain stores around here, but as biased as I am, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. The coffee bar is actually something we’re trying out this year. One of the newest locals is opening a bakery and coffee shop this spring, so we offered to lether use this pop-up through the holidays as a trial run since we have the space,” he says as I take another large sip of my drink.

“It’s literally Christmas in a cup,” I say with a smile. Brian chuckles and leans across the table, and I freeze when he wipes my lip with his thumb. My body heats, and I lean into him before I can stop myself.

A moment later he moves his hand back to his side and says, “Sorry, you had some foam on your lip.”

“Oh, th-thank you,” I stammer, feeling like my heart is going to beat out of my chest.

Oh my GOD. What the HELL is wrong with me?I’m acting like I’ve never talked to a man before in my life. He wasn’t flirting; just trying to keep me from looking like an idiot. Why the hell did I lean into him like he wanted to kiss me? And did I just stutter? Millie, pull it together. He’s your new boss, and he’s just being nice.

“Sure thing. So, are you ready to get back to work?” he asks, and I notice his voice sounds funny.

Damn it, he must think I’m insane. I literally can’t do anything right these days.

Determined to bring myself back to reality, I look down at my notes and start, “Uh, yeah, so I was thinking…”

CHAPTER 7

BRIAN

Afew hours later, I make my way to my truck after hammering out some other details for our upcoming events. When we finished our coffee break, I listened to her brainstorm ideas while giving myself a stern talking to.

What the HELL was I thinking? Did I really just caress her lip? And who the hell even says caress? She’s been here less than a day, and I’m losing my mind. She’s gonna think I’m some creepy boss, and she’s gonna quit. Damn it, I’m an idiot.

But not only is she the sexiest woman I’ve ever met, I realized that she’s also incredibly funny and outgoing considering the circumstances. You would think she would be emotional after ending her marriage so recently, but instead she seems like a woman who’s been given a second chance at life. I minded my manners for most of the day, but her excitement over the smallest things like a Christmas latte made me want to be closer to her.

At the same time, after hearing about the reason for her recent divorce, I’m even more determined not to step too close to the line between boss and employee. It’s clear that her asshole of an ex-husband used his position to manipulate the women he worked with, and I refuse to fall into the same pattern. It justfigures that the first woman I’ve been attracted to in years is literally the definition of “off-limits”.

But God, it would be nice to spend some time with her outside of work. It occurs to me that I haven’t been on a date since I graduated from college.Shit, has it really been that long?

I think about it for a moment, realizing it’s been years since I’ve shared anything more than a professional relationship with a woman. Almost a decade since I’ve been on a date, and definitely a handful of years since I’ve shared a bed with a woman.

Damn, I’ve spent the last ten years running myself ragged, trying to take care of everyone that needed me, and somehow that’s translated into neglecting myself. I bet she would feel so good wrapped around my…Shit, I can’t do this.

Just as I’m about to chew myself out again, my phone rings. I see Huey’s name on the screen and hit accept on the dashboard before putting my truck in reverse carefully. The snow finally stopped falling a few hours ago, and while the sun is currently melting the icy sludge, the roads haven’t completely cleared yet.

“Hello,” I say as the phone connects over the speaker.

“How’d it go?” he asks, forgoing any of the formalities.

“Geee, I can’t imagine what you’re talking about,” I say sarcastically.

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