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“Second degree... Winston,” I huffed in exasperation.
I was a little disarmed because he sounded so concerned. All right, a lot disarmed. But it was a ridiculous concern. The wire had barely touched me. Still, the longer I kept his stare, the more obvious it became that if I didn’t give in at least a bit, he was going to keep pushing.
“We can have a doctor look at this after we’re done here.”
“We’re staying until the ceremony is over. Not one minute longer.”
“Yes, sir.”
Not wanting to give him a chance to recons
ider, I strode back to my team quickly. When I glanced over my shoulder, that look in his eyes was just as intense as before, but a hint of a smile played on his lips.
I found honey in the food court, and after smearing some on the burn, it immediately felt better.
By the time six o’clock rolled around, everything was in place. I had no idea who was more excited: the customers or me. Just waiting for the lights to go up filled me with so much joy, I felt like jumping up and down.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spied Winston walking straight toward me.
“I didn’t think you’d linger,” I said when he was close enough. “Actually I wasn’t expecting to see you here at all, Mr. Grinch.”
Winston pinned me with his gaze, and that smile of his told me I was missing something.
“I had a strong incentive: seeing a certain beautiful woman.”
“And who might that be? You think she knows you’re here?” I asked playfully. I was swooning.
“Might have to kiss her right now, so there’s no room for doubt.” He dropped his gaze to my mouth. I felt warm from the tips of my fingers to my toes. He was leading this push and pull so subtly, but all it took was one touch and I became undone. Or in this case... one look.
“Winston, shhh,” I muttered, biting down a smile.
The lights were lit up one by one, completely captivating me. The kids in the crowd cheered, and even some adults—I was among them. I always felt like a child on Christmas. The sixteen-foot tree was simply glorious, with huge red bows and golden ornaments. At the bottom of it were huge presents.
My heart was a little heavy, wondering if he was having a good time or if this just served as a reminder for the deadline ahead.
I looked at Winston again. He was still looking at me.
“You missed the lights being switched on?” I admonished him. He just shrugged, but he had a full-on smile now. It made me immensely happy that he enjoyed it, that I’d played a small part in bringing back the joy of Christmas for him.
“Ceremony’s over,” he said.
“My hand is f—”
I’d been about to say fine but stopped at the expression on his face.
“It’s silly to go to the ER. They’re busy with real emergencies. I can go to my GP tomorrow.”
Winston said nothing, but his expression was mutinous.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
I felt his hand at the small of my back as he led me out of the store. I didn’t know why, but this small gesture made me feel so protected. Several of my coworkers glanced at us, and I realized that everyone would put two and two together after this. And when he took it one step further, lacing his arm around my waist, pulling me closer, I just melted into his touch.
Oh, well... why pretend? I worked hard. If anyone thought I was getting any favors, they could shove their opinion somewhere.
Once we entered the hospital, I started to feel a little ridiculous, because people lining up at the ER had serious problems, not a minor burn. We were wasting everyone’s time. I tried to reason with Winston. He wouldn’t hear of it.
“Sienna! We’re staying here until someone checks your hand. That was the deal.”
