“I—” She stopped. She loved her work. Loved her friends and finding new ways to make the store run smoother.
He moved to cup her cheek and she jerked back. He sighed and let his hand fall to his lap. “I’m sorry.”
“For what? Obviously I’m the one that needs to be sorry. I’m sorry I don’t have that pure selfless joy I can sprinkle around like pixie dust. I live in the real world where mortgages and taxes and people count on me.”
His eyebrows snapped down. “Hey, just because I can see the joy in the holidays and want to create something to give pleasure, that doesn’t mean I don’t know about responsibilities.”
“I’ve worked hard to get where I am.”
“I know that, I can see that.”
“I came over here to share my good news because I couldn’t share it with anyone else.”
“Why can’t you share it with anyone else?”
She wrapped her arms around her middle. “Because all my friends are from work.”
His dark eyes remained flat. “What about your mother?”
“She’s on a cruise.”
He pulled her hands away from her middle and gripped them. “All right, tell me.”
She shook her head. “What, so you can just ridicule me about it? I’ve worked my butt off at that place for twelve years. I deserve this promotion.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Darcy. I just meant you only seem to work. I don’t see you ever doing anything just for the fun of it.”
“I like working.” That store was her life. The people in it were her family. More so than anything else she’d had. “Miriam is going to run the new store in Boston. They want me to become store manager.”
“That’s great.” He pulled her into his arms. “I’m happy you’ve achieved what you’ve worked for.”
She pressed her cheek into his chest, closing her eyes when the palm of his hand smoothed down her hair. This was why Christmas lovers and grinches didn’t mix. She knew he was happy for her, but he didn’t understand her. “I’m going to be really busy. Miriam has to train me to take her place in just a few months.” She knew the ins and outs of the store, but not the paper end. It was going to be a long process. An exciting one, but she’d be putting in even more hours than just the holiday rush kind.
His hand stilled in her hair. “Okay.”
The tone of his voice was careful. She just needed to rip it off like a Band-Aid. The store was her life. She’d never make Ben happy. He was a dreamer, she was a realist. Didn’t this just cement that?
She sat up. “I don’t have time for, well…for this.”
His dark eyes cooled. “Right.”
She leaned forward, cupping his face in her hands. “You need someone who loves Christmas and has time for you.”
He pulled out of her hold and stood.
“You’re not giving me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech, are you, darlin’?”
“No.” She stood as well. “I’m just stating facts.”
“No, you’re running away before this gets interesting. If you wanted to make time to get to know me, to see if this went anywhere, you would. And I’m sorry for that. I haven’t felt like this— Well, I’ve never felt like this about a woman.”
Her stomach cramped and twisted. “Ben, I—”
“Hey, no.” He held up his hand. “I might be a nice guy, but I do have a little pride, Darcy. If you want to walk, there’s the door. It’s your house.”
She folded her arms. “I don’t want this to be weird.”
He laughed. A hollow, un-Ben sound. “We had a good time, right? A mutually satisfying fling. Tonight was just a nice footnote. I hope your promotion is everything you want it to be.”