didn’t say that.”
What had he said, then?
Mary Paige cleared her throat. “Listen, I have plans for my life. Plans that don’t include a crazy billionaire and five weeks of standing beside you pretending I want to be there.”
He frowned and looked sort of offended.
“But I like your grandfather. And I like what he’s trying to do. Christmas often feels so commercialized people lose sight of what is truly important.”
“Which is?”
“Family, friends, love.”
“Bah, humbug,” he said with a smile.
She arched an eyebrow she knew needed waxing. Why hadn’t she gone by the mall and attended to her wayward eyebrows? Because she hadn’t known she’d be sitting across from a hot executive having tea.
“I’m trying to bring some humor into this,” he said.
She rolled her eyes.
“Not working?”
She took another sip of tea. “You’re behaving much better.”
“Oh, goody.”
“If we do this, we need to set ground rules.”
“I know. You aren’t sleeping with me.”
She felt the blush sweep her face and wished she had more control of her body. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to—”
“So you will sleep with me?” His gray eyes sparked and for the first time she saw that Brennan’s charm might be way more deadly than expected. The man was downright gorgeous when he offered a genuine smile.
“Uh, that’s not what I meant. I meant I didn’t mean to imply that you were looking at my…uh…my butt in that way.”
“What if I were? You have a nice-looking ass.”
She snapped her mouth closed because it had fallen open again like the country bumpkin she was.
His eyes crinkled and she realized he enjoyed flirting with her. What’s worse, she enjoyed it, too. “Stop playing with me, Brennan.”
“Oh, I haven’t even begun playing with you yet, Mary Paige,” he drawled, his voice dropping an octave, making liquid heat flood her lower body.
Damn him. This man wasn’t anything she should be meddling with.
“Okay, are we doing this or not, Brennan?”
“Doing what?”
“This Spirit of Christmas thing your grandfather wants.”
“Oh, that.”
She didn’t bother with asking him what else he’d been talking about because she knew. And she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction he wanted. “Yes, that. The only thing on the menu.”
His short laugh stroked the imp inside her who really, really liked playing the sexy word games with him. “Actually, I usually prefer things not on the menu, but we’ll see about that, won’t we?”
“No.” She sipped her tea and stared out at people hurrying by the window. She wasn’t allowing herself to go off the menu…she was barely convinced by what was on the menu. Spending time with Brennan felt dangerous, and that appealed to her. Which was peculiar. She didn’t even like him all that much. “In all seriousness, should we do this thing your grandfather has in mind?”
“No,” he said, leaning back in the chair, taking a draw of the dark roast he’d purchased. “But my grandfather usually gets his way. He’s like that.”
“I’m thinking you’re both accustomed to getting your way,” she muttered.
His smile was almost predatory.
Yeah, dangerous.
“At first I thought the idea ludicrous, but the more I think about it the more I like differentiating our stores from the pack. It’s a good message for the holidays. A do-unto-others sort of vibe that seems right in this economy.”
“You’re back to thinking of it as a profit generator.”
He cocked his head. “I’m always thinking of the bottom line, Mary Paige. Always. I can’t apologize for doing my job. I want to be up front and honest here about the reason I’m considering throwing my hat into this promotion blitz—it’s good for the company. And that’s it.”
She nodded, not happy that his only motivation for standing beside her as she became the Spirit of Christmas for Henry Department Stores was money, but appreciating his honesty. It was disappointing a person would be self-serving in the opportunity to help others and revel in the joy of the season. Very sad.
“Okay, I’ll sign on as long as you promise to be a good boy.”
He shrugged. “Who, me?”
She nodded, a bit amazed she was giving directives to a Henry. It was probably the most power she’d held in her hand ever…which felt heady. “Yes, you. I can’t have someone standing beside me scaring the homeless with a frowny face as I serve them Christmas ham.”
“We’re serving ham to the homeless?”
“I don’t know, but whatever Ellen and Mr. Henry have planned for us may put you outside your comfort zone. I’ll be your Spirit of Christmas as long as you summon a little enthusiasm.”
“I can fake merry.”
“That’s really pathetic, but I’ll take that as a yes.”
He extended his hand across the table and she stared at it for a brief second.
Did she really want to commit to spending the next few weeks with this man?
Her brother’s sloppy grin popped into her head, followed closely by her mother’s expression when faced with the mound of bills on the counter.
And then her own towering student loans.
And the animal shelter three streets away from her rented duplex in desperate need of funding.
Yeah, she could suffer through Scrooge for the next month. It wouldn’t be bad. He’d be her shadow. Nothing more. And at the end of it all, she’d take that check and create good with it.
She took his hand, which was warm from the coffee, and tried to ignore how nice it felt as his fingers curled over hers. No stupid tingles or dumb electricity. Just a nice toasty shake that made her feel only slightly fluttery. “Deal.”
He pulled his hand away and stood. “I need to get back. I have a luncheon meeting in thirty minutes, and I’m sure Grandfather will want to go over particulars with you. I’ll let him know we’re in on this Spirit of Christmas.”
She
