Page 12 of The Mistletoe Switch

I press a hand to my forehead, and it comes away damp. I pace closer to the building and the cover of the overhang. "Please tell me you didn't maim him or hire someone to maim him."

"What? Honey, no. I cut him off from sex until he paid me some respect and gave me full use of his no-limit credit cards."

"Uh-huh. And how'd that go over?"

"It doesn't matter, dear. Last night, at dinner, I met Fabrizio. He's invited me to spend a week at his Italian Villa."

If it was anyone else, I'd be worried Fabrizio's invitation might be a cover for something illegal or icky, but my mother is nothing if not capable of sniffing out a creep. She's the true alpha in any relationship and looks for men who are generous, kind, and often desperate for the kind of attention she gives them. I'd feel sorry for them if her husbands hadn't so often traded her in for a younger model. "So you don't need me to fly out in my private helicopter and give you bags full of cash so you can survive another day?"

"Cherry. Please. Don't sass your mother." She pauses just a moment. "Did you meet someone? Are you serious about the helicopter?"

I'd laugh if she wasn't so predictable. "Nope. I'm in Yuletide, Colorado, trying to convince RJ to take me back."

My mother gasps. "Why in the world would you want that man to take you back? He's boring, uptight, practically impoverished, and not even very good-looking. You know Reid women never go back to their exes."

My mother's dislike of RJ is just more evidence that he's the right guy for me. If I do everything the opposite of how she's done it all her life, maybe I can be happy. Maybe I can have a man who doesn't leave. "I'm not a Reid, I'm a Beckstone."

She huffs. "You're a Reid by bloodline, baby. Beckstone is just the name you got from your no-good father. Reid women have the dignity not to go back to their exes."

"Do you need anything from me, Mom? Or are you all set with your new boyfriend?"

"Your sister is a bad influence. You never used that tone with me before you teamed up with her against me."

A few years ago, after Mom ruined my bachelorette and attempted to seduce my fiancé in an effort to break us up, Genevieve and I joined forces to push her out of our lives unless she stopped meddling and stopped looking for handouts. She still calls for handouts, because she's hard-headed, so she's not welcome in our homes. I miss her, but my life has been much less chaotic without her in it. "Genevieve is a saint, Mom, and you know it. You and I are the ones who corrupt good people."

She cackles with glee. "There's my baby girl. I've got to go, honey. Fabrizio is going to take me shopping."

"Have fun."

She hangs up, and I turn to find Xavier Shaw looming over me.

"Corrupting good people, huh?" he asks, all scowly and frowny. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

CHAPTER SIX

Xavier

Cherry stares up at me, her surprise turning to anger. It flashes in her pretty brown eyes and twists her pouty lips. She recovers in an instant, but there's a devious edge to her smile. This woman has a wicked side under her glitter and sequins, and I want to dive right in.

"Xavier," she purrs. "You startled me."

I turn and stomp to the door of my shop. I unlock it, let myself in and take the closed sign off the door.

Cherry catches the door and follows me in. I hear her heels on the wood floor of my shop, but I don't turn. I need a moment to recover from the sight of her in those boots and that form-fitting dress under her ridiculous coat. A moment to remind myself she's not for me.

I step behind the counter and lean forward, elbows on the glass, hands clasped. Her hips sway as she crosses to me.

Her cheeks are bright red from the cold and her hair is wet. She has to be freezing, but she's clearly on a mission and unwilling to be deterred.

"What can I get for you?" I ask to annoy her.

To my surprise, she peers into the glass case that's my counter, finger to her lips like she's really considering it. "I'll take one of each."

She straightens and looks at me expectantly.

"Wait. You're seriously here for candy?"

"If I'm going to work for you, I should taste your wares, don't you think?"

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