Page 31 of Christmas with Her Millionaire Boss

“Sort of like a store celebrating Christmas every day?” James replied.

“That’s differ—jerk.”

He chuckled, forcing her to nudge him with her shoulder. It was like poking a boulder, and had as much effect, which made him chuckle again. Noelle hated to admit it, but the sound slid down her spine with a thrill similar to the cocoa. It was certainly as smooth and rich.

Quickly she raised her cup to her lips, before her reaction could show on her face. “You know exactly what I mean,” she said.

“Yes,” he replied, “I do. He’s also a rare bird. Most people would willingly sell out for the sake of a fortune.”

“Would you?” she asked.

His face had Are you joking? written all over it. “Weren’t you listening yesterday? Hammond’s already has.”

Right. Their family fortune made by selling a fantasy.

Cocoa mission accomplished, the two of them began walking toward the market entrance. As their arms swung past one another, Noelle’s muscles again tensed with a desire to make contact. She thought back to the lotion display and the way James’s nose brushed her skin. Barely a wisp of contact, it nonetheless managed to send tingles up her arm. Now here she was having the same reaction from the memory.

Didn’t it figure? All day, she’d been pulling away from his touch only to wish for it now, when the moments had passed.

But what if she touched him?

She snuck a glance through her lashes. Walking in the snow had left James’s hair damp and shiny. At the back of his head, where the doctor had woven the stitches, there was a tuft sticking out at an odd angle. What would he do if she reached over and smoothed the unruliness with her fingers? Would his pupils darken the way they had before?

Would his eyes fall to her mouth?

She took a long swallow of cocoa. Thoughts like those were only asking for problems. Better to purge them from her brain.

“Before Mr. Heineman brought us our cocoa, you were talking about bell curves,” she said. “You never explained what you meant.”

He shrugged. “Ever take statistics?”

“In high school.”

“Then you remember how results look when plotted for a spectrum, with the bulk of responses falling in the middle.”

“The bell.” Memories of mountain-shaped graphs popped into her head. “With the outliers on either end. I remember.”

“Same thing works with personality traits, intelligence, etc. Most people are average and therefore fall in the middle. Every now and then, however, you meet someone who skews way over to one side. Like your late husband. He was clearly an outlier when it came to being well liked.”

Noelle thought of how Kevin could charge a room with his presence. “He had a lot of personality. Like a big, enthusiastic teddy bear. It was easy to get caught up in his energy.” So much so, a person could misread her own emotions. “All the Frybergs are like that.”

“Having met Belinda, I know what you mean.”

“I wonder where I would have fallen on the bell curve if I hadn’t been with Kevin,” she mused. “Probably in the middle.” The poor little orphan girl dropped in the manger.

“Are you kidding?” They were passing a trash can, so he took their empty cups and tossed them away. “You are definitely an outlier.”

“Don’t be so sure. I’m talking about me without the Fryberg influence.”

“So am I,” he replied. “From where I’m standing, you’d be impressive, Frybergs or not.”

Noelle was surprised the snow didn’t melt from the blush spreading across her body. He’d looked her square in the eye as he spoke, with a seriousness to his gaze that matched his voice. The combination made her insides flutter. “Really? I mean, th-thank you.” She cringed at the eagerness in her voice. Sounded like she was leaping at the approval.

Still, she’d been entwined with the Frybergs for so long. It was the first time anyone had ever suggested she was unique on her own. Well, Belinda had, but that was more maternal affection.

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “And...” He reached over and smoothed her scarf. Right before pulling away, his gloved fingers caught her chin. “Really.”

Her insides fluttered again. Double the speed this time.

“Wait a second.”

They’d resumed their walk when the rest of his comment came back to her. “Didn’t you say you were on the other side of the bell curve? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Why not?” Again, he shrugged. “We can’t all be warm, huggable teddy bears. The world needs cool and efficient, as well.”

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