Page 10 of Welcome Home for Christmas
Allison looked down at Shelby’s large, taut belly. Three kids and one on the way.
“I stopped Troy before he could run out. He’s going to help me with a home alarm system. I bid on him up there, but you beat me out.”
Allison felt a little guilty. Someone had actually needed Troy’s help. A pregnant someone with three kids. That was the whole idea of the auction, but Allison had snatched him up for herself. She needed him, too, though. This idea could work; it could make her holidays with relatives tolerable.
“Did you know Troy installs alarm systems on the side?” Shelby asked.
Allison shook her head. “No.” She knew very little about Troy Matthews at the moment. But she planned on changing that. She planned on knowing everything about the man before the bells tolled on Christmas Eve.
—
Troy suppressed a laugh. Allison was jealous over the fact that he’d been talking to an eight-months-pregnant woman. It was cute, really. Allison’s cheeks were all flushed and her eyes were wide.
“The recent burglaries have me a little anxious,” Shelby admitted. “Especially with Robert deployed right now.”
Allison nodded. “Hopefully, they’ll catch the guy soon.”
“Well, no one’s getting into my home. Not after Troy gets done with it.”
Troy grinned. “That’s right. I’ll call you tomorrow about the home security.”
Shelby nodded. “Thank you.” She turned to Allison. “This was a great party. I hope you raised a lot for the orphans.”
“Thanks. Me, too.” Allison watched Shelby waddle away.
Troy waited for her to face him. When she did, he lifted his brows. “Something wrong?” he asked.
Allison shook her head quickly. “No. Not at all.”
She licked her lips. Was she nervous? Preparing to ask him for something?
“You sure?”
Allison intertwined her fingers in front of her. He had the urge to reach out and settle her hands, but he shoved his hands in his pockets instead.
“How would you like to make a little more money for the kids at Mercy’s Place?” Her gaze lifted to meet his. Those green eyes of hers were as vibrant as a Christmas tree. In fact, with her red hair and green eyes, she was the picture of Christmas. Something he was actively avoiding this year, but for some reason there was no avoiding the woman in front of him.
“Okay. I’ll bite. How would I do that?” He leaned against a wall, trying to look as casual as he’d been while talking to Shelby a few minutes earlier. But he didn’t feel as relaxed at the moment. His heart was beating a lot faster. His blood had new life and his body wanted to move. Why did this woman have this effect on him?
“Well.” She secured her hair behind her ears—another sign that she was nervous. Whatever she was about to propose, she didn’t think he’d be entirely happy with it, Troy guessed. “As you know, I bought you to be my date to my family’s Christmas Eve party.” She laughed under her breath. “That sounds illegal, doesn’t it? I bought you to be my male escort.”
“Only illegal if you were buying my,ah-hem, services.” Troy winked at her.
She shook her head. “No, definitely not…Anyway, like I told you earlier, my mother is a psychologist. She knows people and she knows me. It’ll be hard to convince her that we’re, um, dating.”
Troy nodded.
“So I would like to purchase more hours from you.”
“What for?”
“To date me. Just a few times so we can get to know each other. Then, when we go to my family’s house, it won’t look like we’re strangers. And it won’t be so much of a lie when we present ourselves as a couple because we’ll actually have gone on a few dates. And by dates I mean you and me sitting together somewhere and gathering facts on each other. Nothing more. I have absolutely no interest in you in that way.”
Ego-punch.
Troy watched her, suspecting her statement wasn’t entirely true, though, judging by how nervous he made her. She made him a little antsy, too. “You’ve never lied to your mother, have you?”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “I have. Once.”
