Page 5 of Tinsel & Timber
He smirks. “Uh-huh.”
I scowl. “Don’t start.”
“I won’t,” he promises. “But just so I’m clear—you’re not… flustered by her, are you?”
I swallow. Too slow to hide the hesitation and the truth.
Rhett’s grin stretches across his whole face. “Oh, this is gold. Youareflustered.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Rhett—”
“Mara’s pretty,” he says simply, and the slightest hint of possessiveness roars to life in my chest.
Ignoring the feeling, I shift on my feet. “I didn’t notice.”
He lets out a bark of laughter. “Oh, so now you’re blind.”
“It was really dusty in there,” I snap.
“So you noticed the dust, but not her face?”
“Rhett.”
He throws his hands up. “Okay. Okay. I’ll stop.”
He won’t. But the moment passes, and he returns to stocking a pegboard of twinkle-light replacement bulbs behind him.
“You’re overdue for a challenge. It’s been awhile since you’ve had a woman push your buttons or get you all tangled up,” he says casually. “Maybe she’s exactly what you need.”
“Someone who threatens priceless woodwork?” I deadpan.
“Someone who makes you think about something other than maintaining Mistletoe Bay’s history,” he counters.
But I’m already grabbing the bag of screws I came for, not interested in unpacking the strange, inconvenient flicker that hits me when I think of her.
I head toward the counter. “Just ring me up.”
Rhett does, but he’s still smirking as he hands me the receipt.
“And Graham?” he calls as I’m halfway to the door. “Try not to loom over her again. You’re tall. It’s scary.”
“I do not loom.”
“You’re literally looming right now.”
I sigh dramatically, which only fuels his delight, and step out into the cold.
I didn’t intend to drive past the house.
I lie and tell myself it’s on the way to my office. Nevermind the fact that taking a detour down Candlewick Lane is actually the long way to where I’m going.
But what if she’s already started ripping out original features? What if she has contractors in there with sledgehammers?
I’m performing due diligence. That’s all.
