Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 67492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“I’m fine.”
“Blake, you’re all flushed, and you’re wheezing. What happened?” Her voice is firm. She’s not going to let me out of this office until I give her something.
I love my mom. We’re close, but I’m not telling her the reason my face is flushed is because I’m turned on. Nope. I’m not going there.
“I’m fine,” I assure her, trying to slow my breathing. “I was on the ladder, and when Dr. Thompson walked in, he startled me.”
She studies me as if she knows I’m not giving her the entire story. “And why did you come rushing into my office like there was a bull chasing you?”
“Oh, I need my tablet.” I point to my messenger bag that I carry back and forth from work. “We’re going to go over my list for the gala.” I pause, not sure how much to give her, and decide she needs a little more. “Dr. Thompson insisted on hanging the rest of the garland, and I don’t want to take up more of his time than necessary.” It’s a good thing my face is already flushed. I can hide my reaction to the sexy grump.
Bending over, I grab my bag from the chair and toss it over my shoulder. My eyes meet my mom’s, and she’s smirking. I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes, because I already know what’s coming next. I’m just glad my aunts aren’t here as well.
“So, Dr. Thompson seems nice.”
“He’s a grump,” I reply, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Oh, I didn’t get that impression. He was very cordial to me.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s not a grump,” I counter.
“Would a grump help you hang garland?”
“He was worried he’d have to fix a broken bone if I fell off the ladder. It was purely selfish. I’m certain.” I’m proud of myself for coming up with that answer on the fly. Sure, he didn’t want me to get hurt, but I can say with 100 percent perfect certainty that it had nothing to do with not having to fix my broken bones. Well, maybe it was, but not in the way she’s implying.
“He’s very handsome.” Mom’s grinning like a fool at this point.
“Mom,” I whine. “Really? He’s a colleague.”
“Is he your boss?”
“No. You know he’s not.”
“Then there is nothing wrong with you admitting that he’s handsome.” She gives me a pointed look.
“Fine. He’s handsome.”
“Oh, do you like him?” she says, barely holding in her laughter.
“Ugh. Whatever you have going on in that head of yours, can you please keep it to yourself? I don’t need the Kincaid family tree blowing up my phone. Half of them will want to know when the wedding is, while the other half will be threatening to take him to the train station, Yellowstone style.”
“I didn’t raise you to be this dramatic,” she teases.
“Mom!” I huff out a laugh.
“Fine. I’m just giving you a hard time, but I want you to one day find what I have with your dad. You’re never going to if you don’t start looking and opening yourself up.”
“Do you know what it’s going to be like for any man I bring home? Have you ever actually thought about it at all? There are ten of them, counting Uncle Deacon. Ten!”
Mom smiles. “For all ten of those men, there is a woman behind them who will keep them in check. When you find a man you want to bring home, you let us ladies know, and we’ll take care of it. We know you well enough to know, if he’s given an invitation to meet the family, he’s important to you.”
“Fine. However, I’m holding you to this. In fact…” I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. “Can you say that again, nice and slow, so I can record it as evidence?”
Mom chuckles. “We’ve got you, sweetheart. You just find him, and me and your aunts will take care of the rest.”
“Can I go now? I left him in there waiting for me.”
“Of course. I’m actually heading home. I’ll lock the doors as I leave. Just make sure they’re pulled tight and the lights are off when you go.”
“I can do that. Love you.”
“I love you too, Blake.” She gives me a huge hug, and I turn and rush out of her office and back to Oli—Dr. Thompson. I’m going to need to put that name barrier between us to keep my libido in check. Who would have thought the grumpy doc would do it for me?
Entering the main event area, I see Oliver standing in the middle of the room, staring at the giant Christmas tree. I step up beside him and smile. “This place might be part of why I love Christmas.”
“Just part?” he asks without removing his eyes from the tree.
“Yeah, I have a large family. My dad has eight brothers, and his cousin Ramsey is like a sister, so essentially ten kids, ten spouses, and a shit ton of grandkids for my grandparents. There is never a dull moment, and Christmas is always a blast with everyone getting together. What about you?”