Page 57 of Christmas with Her Millionaire Boss

And now, thanks to his father’s apology, those feelings threatened to return, this time to mock him. He didn’t want to feel. He didn’t want to hope anymore.

From here on in, it was about business. Profit and efficiency.

“Ooh, look, Andre! There’s a monkey swinging in the lights. Do you see him?”

Lost in his thoughts, James didn’t realize he’d joined the crowd in front of the window displays. Next to him, a young mother in a leather jacket stood holding a toddler. She had a second baby, bundled in pink bunting in a stroller beside her.

The woman pointed a manicured finger toward the window. “Look at him,” she said. “He’s trying to steal Santa’s cookies.”

The toddler, Andre presumably, had a frown on his pudgy puce-colored face. “Bad monkey,” he said. “No cookies.”

“You don’t think he should take the cookies?” the mother asked, laughing as the toddler shook his head.

“Someone’s taken the naughty list concept to heart,” James caught himself saying.

“Let’s hope he feels that way when he’s ten,” she replied. “You ready to see the next window, Dre?”

Watching the trio walk away, a pang struck James in the midsection as he realized Dre and his little sister wouldn’t see the displays next year. Oh, well, at their age, they wouldn’t even realize the loss. Most kids wouldn’t. It was just James holding on to the memory.

Did his brother ever think about the window displays? Last time he saw Justin... When was the last time he’d seen him? The boat races maybe? Jackson had said something about his brother going to business school out west somewhere. James didn’t even know what college his brother had attended. Or where he did his undergrad, for that matter. Like mother, like son, Justin had had little to do with them once he left. He’d apparently built quite a nice Hammond-free life and wasn’t looking back.

James needed to do the same. It helped that at least Jackson had confessed he wasn’t completely unwanted.

Just unwanted by his mother.

And by Noelle. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another flash of red and white, causing the frustration to rise anew.

Four more weeks. Come January first, Christmas would be done, they would pack away the decorations, and he would be rid of any and all reminders of Fryberg. No more thoughts of blue eyes or snow-dotted lashes.

In the meantime, James had a business to run. The numbers at their Cape Cod store were especially troublesome and needed to be addressed.

Feeling his control return, he marched into the store.

His renewed focus lasted until he reached the top floor. There, he barely managed to round the corner to his office when a red-and-white cap stopped him in his tracks.

So much for blaming his imagination.

Noelle rose from her seat. “I need to talk with you,” she said.

CHAPTER TWELVE

SHE LOOKED...BEAUTIFUL. The image of her lying in his arms flashed before him, and his body moved to take her in his arms. Catching himself, James clasped his hands behind his back.

“If you’re here about that blasted elk there’s nothing more to talk about,” he said.

“I’m not here about Fryer,” she said.

“Good. Then we have even less to talk about. If you’ll excuse me...”

He tried to brush past her and head into his office, but she stepped in front of him. A five-foot-two-inch roadblock. “I read about you canceling the window displays.”

“And let me guess, you’re worried how the new direction will affect your Christmas Castle.” Why else would she fly halfway across the country instead of emailing? All roads led to Fryberg, didn’t they?

“You could have saved yourself the airfare. Our plans for the castle haven’t changed. Your family business will live to bring another year of Christmas cheer.”

Again, he moved to his office and again, she blocked his path. “I’m not here about the castle either.”

“Then why are you here?” he asked. It was taking all his effort to keep his voice crisp and businesslike. What he wanted was to growl through clenched teeth.

“Because I owe you an apology.”

Seriously? James ignored how her answer made his heart give a little jump. Not again, he reminded himself. No more being fooled into believing emotions existed when they didn’t.

“You wasted your airfare. I told you on the phone, the matter has already been forgotten.”

This time, he managed to pass her and reach his office door.

“I know what you’re doing.” Noelle’s voice rang through the waiting area.

Don’t take the bait. Don’t turn around.

“Is that so?” he replied, turning. “And what is that, exactly?”

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