He snagged a glass of water from the bar and brought it over. “Those shots should come with a warning.”
Grateful, I took a sip. “Seems like everything in my life should come with a warning right now.”
“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but for someone named Holly Berry, you sure don’t seem to like the holidays very much.” He crossed his arms over his chest. A massive, lumberjack-man style chest. He’d looked hot enough to melt a pound of butter from a mile away when I met him on the plane. But now, his thick thighs encased in dark suit pants, his beard freshly trimmed, and smelling like someone had bottled up the great outdoors and added a few sexy drops of panty melting pheromones… now I was in trouble.
“Do you wonder why? I’ll be thirty-four on Christmas. That means I’ve spent the past thirty-three years sharing my birthday with the entire world. My parents thought they were being so clever when they chose my name. I hate it. I hate the holidays. I hate it all.” My hand shook, and I tightened my grip on the glass as I lifted it to take a gulp of water.
He cocked his head and studied me.
I squinted at him, uncomfortable with his scrutiny. “That makes me sound like a spoiled brat, doesn’t it?”
One side of his mouth turned up. “No. I was just thinking about how cool it is that your birthday is on Christmas. I’m a huge fan.”
“Of Christmas?” I asked.
He nodded. “It’s my favorite day of the year.”
“Because of the presents or the cookies or what?” I could understand a kid being infatuated with the holiday. I’d felt that way too until my parents split and Christmas became one more thing they fought over.
“Because it was the first full day I spent at Mama Mae’s in Broken Bend. The first day I felt like I had a real home.” He reached up and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Sounds to me like you need to start making some good memories around the holiday.”
“So you’re one of Mama Mae’s boys.” My family might not be perfect—they were so far from it, it wasn’t even funny—but at least I had a family. Mama Mae was like an urban legend. Or in the case of Broken Bend—the exact opposite of an urban location—she was like a rural legend.
“Yeah. She took me in on Christmas Eve, so every year I come back to help her give the boys at the house a Christmas they won’t forget. It’s a little easier to do when you own a Christmas store.”
“A Christmas store?” Based on my current relationship with the holidays, that sounded like my worst nightmare.
“All Christmas all the time. You’d be surprised how many people shop for holiday things all year long. I’ve got plans to turn it into a whole holiday resort where people can come to visit any time they want.”
“Why would anyone want Christmas to last more than the miserable twenty-four hours it already does?” Was this guy for real?
“What are you doing after this, Holly?”
“After the rehearsal?” All I wanted to do was take advantage of the giant soaking tub and try to distract myself from the events taking place tomorrow.
“Yes.” He held my gaze, his dark brown eyes burning bright with intensity.
“Going back to the hotel to soak in the tub.”
“Let me take you out. I want to prove that there’s still magic in Christmas.”
I shook my head. “We should agree to disagree. Trust me, if there’s any magic left in Christmas, it’s not meant for me.”
Saved by the groom. Dirk came over to borrow Zander. I was more than happy to put a little distance between us. Something about the way he looked at me made my stomach tighten and the apex of my thighs tingle. No good would come out of spending any extra time with Zander. He was too good looking, too smooth, too good to be true.
Relieved to be refocused on what was important—surviving the next three days—I joined the bridesmaids I’d met at the bachelorette party the night before.
6
ZANDER
After the officiant walked everyone through what would happen during the ceremony the next day, we sat down at a huge table to eat.
I watched Holly during dinner. Not in a creepy stalker way. More in an I-want-to-get-to-know-that-beautiful-woman-better way. There was something about her that had a hold over me. Could have been the distant look in her eyes. Or maybe the slight frown that never left her face. There had to be more to her hatred of the holidays than just sharing her birthday with Christmas. For some reason, I wanted to find out what it was.
Avalon leaned across Dirk to get my attention. “Are you the one responsible for making sure my husband-to-be goes to bed at a decent time tonight?”
“I told you, babe. I’m staying at home tonight. My mom wants to fawn all over me one last time.” Dirk rested his arm on the back of her chair. “Zander’s off the hook until the wedding tomorrow.”