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I jerked a shoulder. “Compromise, mostly. And trying to understand someone else’s feelings. I never thought about any but my own.”
“That you would admit that is both horrifying and…horrifying.” She sighed and wrapped the lights she still held around my neck. “Death by Valentine’s hearts could get me a place in history, so watch your step, bub.”
“If you kill me with them, then they’ll be admitted as evidence and you won’t be able to hang them up.”
Her giggle floated over me, sweeter than the glass of wine I’d had with lunch. “Yeah, I think if I committed murder, I could probably skip the decorating afterward.”
I picked up the strand, rubbing my thumb over one of the little lights. “These are actually sort of cute.”
She touched my forehead with the back of her hand. “You don’t feel warm.”
“I can direct you to somewhere else I definitely do.”
“Did I mention horndog?” But she was smiling again, so I would probably consent to wearing these lights and nothing else for the rest of the day if only she asked.
Luckily, that didn’t seem to be on the table.
“Do these twinkle?”
“Um, yes.”
“Not regular twinkle. Like the one after another in a row.”
She stared at me as if I was speaking Latin. “You mean chaser lights?”
“I guess.”
“Yes, these do that. If you’ll let me go, I’ll put them up and show you.”
“And trust you won’t fall again? Not likely. I’ll do it.” I nudged her back and stood, tugging on the lights until she let them go.
“Oooh, big strong competent man.” She held a hand to her chest. “You’re so incredible.”
“That’s what you said this morning.”
“Shh.”
I lifted a brow as I walked around her and ascended the ladder. “Why is your ass wet?”
She smacked at the back of her skirt. “Jeez, is it still? Yes. Ugh. I fell in some snow.”
“Surprise, considering what happened here.”
“I wasn’t hurt, thanks for asking. I did get asked out to dinner though.”
I gripped the lights that much tighter as I strung them over the window frame. They were too small to stay where I wanted them to, and the wire wasn’t nearly malleable enough.
That was probably why I was smashing it in place with the side of my fist.
“Is that so?”
“Mmm-hmm. Where did you go to lunch?”
“Sherman Inn. What did you say to this dinner invitation?”
“I said I had plans tonight, but maybe next week. We exchanged numbers. What did you have to eat?”
It was a damn miracle I didn’t grind the tiny twinkle lights into sparkly dust. “The lobster roll.”
