Page 57 of One Golden Ring
I straighten and pace over to the tree, trying to distract myself with the bright lights and the pretty balls.
“The movie’s over,” Darcy says. “They want to know whether to start another one.”
All I want is to tell J.B. to start another movie, so I can try to land her the stepmother she thinks she’s getting. But then I think of the look of horror on Darcy’s face when the phone rang and I have my doubts.
She’s attracted to me, that much is clear. But maybe she doesn’t want to be. Maybe all the things I’ve been telling myself about us are just wishful thinking.
At the end of the day, she’s my employee and I’m being a pretty bad boss, trying to kiss her without finding out how she feels first.
I shake my head and she turns away from me.
“We were just getting ready to come pick you up,” she tells J.B. cheerfully. “So don’t start another one. We’ll see you in a few minutes.”
There’s a pause.
“Yes, of course we had fun,” Darcy says. There’s a note of worry in her voice, like she’s afraid J.B. doesn’t believe her. “I always have fun when I’m with your dad.”
“Tell her we have a surprise for her,” I say.
“We have a surprise for you,” Darcy says, turning back to me with a grateful smile. “Yes, yes. We’ll see you in a few minutes.”
She ends the call and I want to tell her I’m sorry and that I care about her, and that I won’t overstep my bounds again.
But she’s on her hands and knees picking up ornaments before I can say a word.
“We have to finish this tree,” she says excitedly. “Come on, let’s get everything on there but the angel.”
“Not the angel?” I ask as I watch her placing balls expertly on the tree like somehow she’s secretly been an interior designer all these years.
“J.B. will want to put the angel on top,” she says, turning to me like I’m from Mars.
“Right,” I say. “Yes, you’re right.”
And then there’s nothing to do but help her, and hope that it’s a good thing that I didn’t kiss her.
18
DARCY
We get the tree more or less decorated in record time and bundle up for the walk to the lodge. I’m still buzzing with wild energy that has nothing to do with the holiday spirit.
My boss was about to kiss me.
A million times I’ve fantasized that he would take me in his arms, but those were all just daydreams fueled by late nights at the office and the sight of his arms when he rolled up his sleeves.
I’m only human.
But tonight was no daydream. He held my face in his hands and looked at me like he was a starving man and I was a feast.
But when J.B. called he backed off like he thought he’d been about to make the biggest mistake of his life…
I wish I knew what to say or do.
I could tell him how I feel, but if he doesn’t feel the same then I’ve ruined what we do have—which is about the best work relationship I can imagine, and a realfriendship that I’ve come to appreciate even more since coming to the mountains.
I don’t have a lot of friends. Honestly, I haven’t made much of an effort because I have Mandy and I have my work.
Am I really ready to burn my whole life down just to know if Derek Lockwoodlike-likes me?
