Page 131 of The Duke Who Saved Christmas
“How very generous of you, Your Grace,” I said flatly.
“Isn’t it?” He opened the door and flashed me a grin. “But you should know that I will spend the next six days until then assuming that you’re completely head-over-heels in love with me and will act accordingly.”
“Why would you?!”
“Because you won’t talk to me, so how else should I take last night’s actions? If you don’t hate me, you must love me.” He laid his hand against his cheek like a dramatic heroine from a high-school anime, heart-eyes and all. “And if it’s not true, allow this poor, delusional man to keep his dreams for a few more days before you break his heart, won’t you?”
I blinked at him. “You really should leave now.”
“Why? Are you afraid you’ll jump my bones again?”
“If you stay here spouting that flowery drivel any longer, I’m going to break them.” I opened the front door and stared over my shoulder at him. “I never knew you were so dramatic.”
Thomas grinned, and his dark blue eyes sparkled. “How else is a golden retriever like me supposed to ensnare a black cat like you?”
“With treats and blankets,” I replied, deadpan. “That’s how one usually wins over cats.”
“Noted.” His smile only grew at my words. “So, if I bring treats and blankets, you’ll eventually come to me?”
“I’m not promising anything.” I gripped the doorknob. “But if you bring coffee and cake with those blankets, there’s a chance.”
The way his smile tickled at the corners of his eyes made goosebumps dance up and down my arms.
“Just go home and get to work,” I muttered, yanking the door open. “I’ll… be at the old town hall…” I paused, my words drifting off.
“Until late, right?”
I tucked my chin against my chest, my cheeks heating. “Yeah. Probably past eight at least.”
“Got it.” His voice was far too chipper. “I’ll see you tonight, Sylvie.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN – SYLVIE
It wasn’t every day one got serenaded by a duchess.
Today, apparently, was that day for me.
I was on the brink of asking Emily how much she was charging for her duets with Michael Bublé and if I needed to add entertainment charges to my sister’s bill.
If I was honest, I wasn’t even sure why Emily was here. I hadn’t arranged for her to join us, yet she’d wandered in as if it was perfectly normal for her, the Duchess of Castleton, to be decorating an old, dusty town hall for a wedding.
Even Nana wasn’t here with her pig, and she’d boldly threatened that when she’d been informed of our morning guest and told me she wanted to know when I was marrying Thomas.
Never.
That was what I’d told her, at least.
It wasn’t that I didn’t see a future for myself in Castleton. I’d been nothing but confused ever since I’d come back for this endless stressball of a wedding, but I wasn’t fickle enough to uproot my life and career across the country just because I had feelings for a man.
Even if that man was Thomas.
Not to mention that I had commitments down south. I had a rental agreement I couldn’t break on a whim, and I had a business that depended largely on my physical presence.
I had weddings booked in over the next two years and enquiries beyond that, so I couldn’t simply move back here without considering all of that.
Even if there was a part of me that really, really wanted to.
I just couldn’t focus on anything other than getting this wedding to go off without a hitch. God only knew I’d encountered enough problems over the past few weeks, and ittruly was taking every last bit of my will to keep my shit together through it all.
