AllFreeNovel
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It felt good, being noticed by a man. That was, a man like him. Someone smart and savvy. Who took charge of a space simply by entering it. His scrutiny left her feeling decidedly female.
Plus, it kept her from feeling guilty about her own stolen glances. She’d been looking his way since their conversation in front of the fire.
She was stealing a look now.
“Getting ready to gloat more?” James’s eyes had slid in her direction, catching her. Try as she might to stop them, her cheeks started to burn.
“No,” she said. “I’m done gloating.”
“Glad to hear it. Why the look then? You looked like you were about to say something.”
Had she? “I was looking at your shirt,” she replied. “You...” Her cheeks burned hotter. “You wear plaid well.”
“Thank you.” The compliment clearly took him by surprise, which was okay, because she was surprised she’d said it out loud. “I’m glad you like it since it’s going to be a wardrobe staple while I’m here.”
Interestingly, he didn’t say anything about leaving. But then, the snow probably made flying impossible.
More interesting was how relieved she felt about his staying.
Again.
And heaven help her, it wasn’t only the banter she was enjoying. She was enjoying James’s company. A lot. “We can stop at the boutique and grab you a new shirt if you’d like.”
“Are you saying you don’t like this shirt?” he asked.
“Not at all. I mean, I like the shirt,” she corrected when his brows lifted. “I told you, you look good in plaid.”
“Thank you. You look good in...red and white stripes.”
Sensing that another blush was working its way to the surface, she quickly turned her face to scan the left lane. “Color of the day,” she murmured.
“Shouldn’t it be black? Being Black Friday and all.”
“Technically, maybe, but red is far more festive.” They were stuck behind a returning trolley. Flicking her turn signal, she eased into the left lane to pass. A little boy with his face pressed to the window saw the car and waved. “I’m not sure a bunch of people running around in black would inspire Christmas spirit,” she continued.
“Good point. All that really matters is that the red color stays on the people and not on my balance sheet.”
“Said every retailer everywhere today.”
“No one said we weren’t predictable,” he observed with a laugh.
“You can say that again,” Noelle replied. Bad Black Friday jokes were as much a tradition as Santa in her office. Hardly surprising that a man raised in the retail industry knew his share of them. “Although not every retailer was born into a retail dynasty.”
On his side of the car, James made what sounded like a snort. “Lucky me,” he replied.
“I’m sure some people would think so. Ned used to tell me about the early days, when his parents weren’t sure the store would survive. He considered it a point of pride that Kevin would inherit a thriving business. I know we’re not talking the same thing as a multimillion-dollar national chain...”
“Yeah,” James said, reaching back to rub his neck, “if there’s one thing my father knows how to do, it’s make money.”
“As do you. According to Belinda anyway. It’s one of the reasons she chose to sell to Hammond’s in the first place. Because she liked the idea that you would be stepping into your father’s shoes. As she put it, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”
“That isn’t necessarily a compliment,” James replied.
No, thought Noelle. She supposed it wasn’t. Especially if his father was like the man who’d arrived at their store two days ago. She thought him brusque and unsentimental. Absolutely hated the way he’d been focused solely on product and profit.
Oddly enough, James’s comments today didn’t upset her. Oh, sure, he was just as focused on profit and efficiency, but rather than annoy her, James’s suggestions this time around had sounded incredibly astute. Probably because this time around, she liked him better.
Which might also explain why she detected a bitter edge to James’s voice when she compared him to his father. “Don’t you and your father get along?” she asked.
“Let’s say my father does his thing, and I do mine,” he said when she cast him a look. “It’s a system that’s worked quite well for us for a number of years.”
Work or not, it sounded lacking. “I can’t help but wonder,” she said, “if some of these cynicisms of yours are exaggerated.”
