Page 64 of The Naughty List Agreement

Her arm snaked around his waist, hugging him close before she let out a long sigh and stepped back. “I’ll be nicer out there, but we can’t keep doing this. Every time you kiss me, I think … well, I think things I shouldn’t.”

“Why shouldn’t you?” he asked.

“You want to get married and I don’t.”

“What else?” Maybe he could use her reasons to help himself too.

“I’m really bad at relationships—even friendship. As much as I want to be a good friend, I don’t believe I ever am.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.”

“You could let me out of this arrangement,” she suggested. “Make it easier on both of us.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

She gave a shout of laughter. “True. What do you propose?”

“You be yourself and I’ll do the same.”

“I’m a bit much.”

“Doubt it. Seems to me that you’re just enough. Maybe the people in your life weren’t up to it.”

“And you are?”

He hoped he was. Hope was such a powerful thing it lit up the darkness. He needed it to do that now. Because there was no walking back from the affection that had taken root for her. He was going to get her back on the Nice List, no matter the cost to him.

The day flew by. Nick had an ease in talking with all of his customers, especially the children, and she admired that greatly. Every time she glanced around for him—and she did it far more often than she probably should—he was crouched down next to a child, talking to them at eye level and demonstrating what the house could do.

Her gut had been right about the toy. They had a line out the door for most of the day and staff kept emerging from the backroom with more stock as the day went on.

When Buddy came up to her, informing her it was her turn to take an hour for lunch, she was surprised how hungry she was. Nick waited for her in the break room, standing over the shoulder of someone she hadn’t met and showing them something on the computer. For a moment she hesitated, not wanting to interrupt. Work was sacrosanct to her, so she decided to leave him to it. Instead, she stepped out into an alleyway shared by all the toy vendors. It was clean and cobblestoned—another of Nick’s touches that made the toy village feel like a real place and not just a booth in a convention hall. He’d really worked his magic.

Hannah sat on a bench across the way, a bento box in her hands.

“Hello.”

Cora smiled at her. “Hi. How’s it going?”

“So busy today. I’m glad Nick gave me a hand with production. I’d never have kept up with demand,” Hannah said. “Want to join me?”

Cora’s instinct was to say no but she’d had some time to think about what she’d said to Nick. She was bad at relationships because she didn’t ever want to risk being hurt. She’d never actually given Hannah a chance—probably because she had been envious of Hannah’s happiness.

“I need to grab some food first, but, if you don’t mind, I’ll bring it back here,” Cora said.

“I’ll be here for”—Hannah looked at her wrist—“twenty-eight more minutes.”

“If I miss you then maybe we can have a drink later,” Cora said.

“I’d love that. My parents are in town for the entire month so I don’t have to rush home.”

“I don’t know how you run a successful business on top of being a mom,” Cora admitted. Her mother certainly hadn’t been able to hold down a job and be there for her daughter.

“It’s tough most days, but I love being a mother. I know it sounds so clichéd, but those kids are the best of me,” she said.

Cora didn’t cringe. “I like that for you.”

“Me too. See you soon.”