Page 35 of Fire and Ice
He turned the conversation to her. “Tell me about your business.”
She smiled. She was proud of her dress shop and enjoyed telling him about it.
Her smile faded a little. “To start from the very beginning, I received a settlement from the mining company after George was killed in the accident.”
Grady nodded as he listened to her instead of decorating the bell in front of him.
“I used a small portion of that to buy the building and a little for capital.” She blew out her breath. “I wanted to make it on my own once I got up and running. My business has paid for itself enough that I could have bought the building on my own. I’ve already repaid the capital invested.”
The success gave her a feeling of pride. “I have clients who come from Scottsdale and the rest of the metro Phoenix area. I’ve built a reputation as an eclectic dress shop with high-quality, beautiful merchandise. We love our King Creek clientele, but that business would barely cover our expenses. It’s the additional business we attract that makes us so successful.”
Grady had looked keenly interested in what she had to say. “That’s fantastic, Chelsea. I don’t know much about women’s preferences, but I was impressed by what I saw and Chantilly’s enthusiasm for her work. She’s very good at it.”
“She’s a star.” Chelsea nodded. “I’d hate to lose her, so I pay her well enough to keep her. I’m going to promote her to manager so that she has a larger role, and that will increase her salary.”
Grady started decorating the bell. “I can’t say a lot since I’m not a businessman and I don’t know much about your business, but from listening to your story, it sounds like a good move.”
“Thanks.” She blew out a puff of air to get strands of her hair out of her eyes. “How many more cookies do we have to decorate?”
Grady looked around the kitchen and the tables. “Counting the cookies that are cooling, I’d say fifty more and we’ll be done.” He set the bell aside and picked up a snowman, then grabbed the tube of black icing and started on the hat.
For the first time, it was quiet between them, with only the sound of Christmas music in the background. It was a comfortable silence before Chelsea belted out the words to Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.
Grady joined in, and they sang the next three Christmas tunes together. Grady grinned and watched as she joined Eartha Kitt, singing Santa Baby.
When the song ended, Chelsea was out of breath. “I love Eartha’s voice and the sensual way she sings Santa Baby. It’s such a fun song and probably my favorite Christmas tune.”
“You’re an excellent singer.” Grady decorated a wreath. “I enjoy listening to you.”
She smiled. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself. You’re a great tenor and I like singing with you.”
Chelsea loved the way Grady looked at her, as if she was the only person in the world in that space and time. While they talked, he never seemed distracted or like he was thinking of something else. He was totally focused on her and fully engaged in whatever they were talking about at the moment.
“You know what?” he asked.
She tipped her head to the side. “Tell me.”
He smiled and gave her a light kiss. “We make a good pair all the way around.”
She returned his smile. “I have to agree.”
11
Grady couldn’t help smiling as he guided his Pathfinder onto the freeway, Chelsea at his side. It was close to five now, and they were on their way to a Christmas festival in Prescott, which was set to start at six in the evening.
“I haven’t been to a Christmas festival in years.” She peered out the passenger side window at the desert as it slid by. “I’ve heard that Prescott is called ‘Arizona’s Christmas City.’”
Grady met her gaze before turning his attention back to the road. “I’m glad Archer suggested it. He knows the McBrides—he said their clan is so big they own most of the land in the area.”
Chelsea nodded. “I’ve seen some of Ella McBride’s cowboy sculptures in a Scottsdale gallery. That’s the extent of my knowledge of the family.”
“Thursday and Friday evenings were relaxing.” He glanced at her again, then back to the highway. “It’s been great having you all to myself.”
She sighed. “It’s hard to believe our week is almost at an end.”
He smiled at her. “I’d sure like to spend more time with you after the bet is over.”
“I’ll be paid up tomorrow.” When she looked at him, she had a teasing grin on her face. “We’ll see about making an appointment next week.”
