Page 98 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

“Why wouldn’t it bother me?” He clenched and unclenched a fist in his pocket.

“You’re a hardened celebrity, Chris. This is your world. Aren’t you used to it by now?”

“I know it might be hard for you to believe,” he said carefully, trying to strike that balance between firm and condescending, “but I’m still a person. So yeah, I’m used to it in some ways. Doesn’t mean it’s still not a bitch to deal with.”

Mara watched him for a few moments, her long, dark lashes brushing the tops of her cheeks as she studied him. They stopped just outside the double doors to the lounge.

“I don’t get it.”

“Well, you wouldn’t.” Chris breezed past her and pushed into the lounge. “But thanks for asking, I guess.”

He went to the coffee station, happy to see the Mocha-Meister he’d requested was there. His cousin Mitch was an absolute whisky snob, but Chris’s snobbery came out around coffee. Everything from the coffee bean plantation to how and when the beans were roasted. Then there was the type of coffee maker and water used. If he was going to be subjected to the added BS that came with his outbursts going viral, he was going to get through it by drinking some of the best coffee out there.

Pouring two cups, he handed her one, and regret slashed through him when he saw her face was wrought with confusion. This whole thing was confusing, and he’d never been good at managing his temper, which had gotten worse once he became popular. But he was fucking trying. And dammit, most people didn’t understand the push and pull of celebrity and network negotiations and having your personal life on displayconstantly.

Besides, Mara had always been there for him in high school, making sure he was okay—just like this. But this was present day, not high school. She shouldn’t give a shit about him. There was no way this concern of hers was genuine.

“Sorry. Let’s just call it work stress. Cheers?” He handed her the paper cup of coffee and they tapped their cups together.

“I can’t imagine what it must be like,” Mara murmured, staring down at the coffee in her hands. She took a tentative sip. “Wow, this is amazing. The community center coffee is never this good. Did the network provide it?”

“I did. With the amount of time I spend prepping for and working on my show, I need access to copious amounts of tasty coffee, so I always make sure it’s in my contract for the network to keep certain coffee beans on hand and a decent maker. Since I technically volunteered for this competition, I bought everything so we could all enjoy it for the two weeks we’re here with the intent that everything would be donated to the community center once we leave.” He grinned as he sipped his drink. “My assistant Damon already warned me that the mayor had set her sights on one of the coffee machines for her office.”

“One of?” Mara looked around, really taking in what was there. Admittedly, Chris probably went overboard bringing in the commercial Mocha-Meister, one espresso machine, and two for regular drip, but with the number of people working on the competition plus all the visitors, he wanted to make sure coffee and tea would always be available to anyone who wanted it. He watched as she inspected the machines. “I remember seeing this one in a commercial catalog. It’s almost twelve hundred dollars.”

Chris finished his coffee and poured himself another cup. Holding up the carafe, he gestured to her cup but she shook her head. “That’s for the base model. This one has a grinder attachment and lets you set the water temperature. So it was a bit more.”

“Of course it was.” A smile ghosted her face for a moment before disappearing. “So what’s the game plan? Just ignore what people are saying?”

“Yeah.” He raked a hand through his hair. Truthfully, it wasn’t often that he got caught up in the gossip mill for stuff like this. Which made this incident even more frustrating. He had been working at curating his image better. And now… “I mean, my publicist will probably have a few action plans in place after this. I’ll recover. I just wish I knew which one of those bastards leaked it.” He sipped his coffee, seeking Mara’s gaze. “I’m thinking your good friend Dan probably had something to do with it.”

Mara cocked her head, eyes narrowing to slits. “My good friend Dan?”

“Yeah. You two look pretty cozy.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Hardly. And I have no idea if it was him. But who it was doesn’t even matter. You need to not let it bother you.”

“Kinda hard to do,” he said before downing the rest of his coffee. “There’s a lot of eyes on me now. Always, actually.”

She stepped closer, forcing him to meet her mossy green gaze. “And so what? If it’s always like that, then what’s new? You always get through it, right?”

He clenched and unclenched his jaw a few times, trying to figure out what her angle was. It didn’t make sense. She was his competition. She should want him to get distracted and go down in flames. “Why are you trying to help me through this?”

Her nostrils flared, and she took a step back. “Just seemed like you were upset.”

“You should want me to fail. I don’t get why you care.”

Mara frowned. “I don’t want you tofail. I just want you to…lose this competition. There’s a difference.”

Her admission was somehow charming. It even made him smile. “At least you’re honest.”

“Like you don’t want to win?”

“Ihaveto win,” he clarified, feeling some of the stress return to his shoulders. “There’s a difference there, too.”

She chewed on the inside of her cheek and then took another sip of her coffee. “Well, yes. But I’m just saying, gossip dies down. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t influence your actual work.”

Chris wanted to correct her, but as his gaze washed over her strawberry-blonde tresses and that button nose, it was hard to say anything. Really, he just wanted to stay here and bask in her essence. Like he had in the old days. Mara had always been his pillar, and he shouldn’t be surprised that she was showing up as a pillar yet again.

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