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“And you’re not competition?”
“I’m in the background. It’s Noelle that everyone loves at our company. She’s got the biggest client listing of any agent in the county.”
Of course, she did. With her quick smile and sharp mind, you had a friendly shark on your side when you wanted to make a real estate deal. “What do you know about the Trevor guy?”
“He’s the mayor’s nephew. Just in town for the holidays. I think he’s a med student at Emory. Poor guy is gonna be in over his head with Addison. She’ll eat him for breakfast.”
There was something about Elliott’s voice. A little too much certainty and personal knowledge. “You were involved with Addison.”
“Briefly. Very, very briefly. Two weeks in, and the woman started talking about all the things she planned to do with the real estate company—the company that belongs to me and Noelle. I knew I was being used and can’t say that I was exactly fond of Addison’s long-term plans for a company thatwasn’thers and never would be, so we parted ways.” A long sigh. “Have to say, though, she seemed really concerned about Noelle tonight. She even called to say she wished that she’d seen something when she and Trevor were in the security room.”
“Convenient.” Too convenient.
“What?”
“How do we know Addison didn’t sabotage the system?”
“Uh, why would she do that?” A quick, confused return from Elliott.
Why, indeed.
“It was a man in the Santa suit,” Elliott said. “A man, not Addison.”
Yes, Brady hadn’t forgotten that part.
“Addison is all of five-foot-five. You would have known if it was her.”
“And just how big is this Trevor friend of hers?”
“I—” Elliott stopped. Cleared his throat. “He’s about your size.”
Brady’s hold tightened on the phone.
“But, no, man, you’re wrong about this!” Elliott rushed to add. “Addison was with him when that prick in the Santa suit tried to grab Chloe.”
“And you know this because…?”
“Because Addison told me,” he muttered. “Or, rather, she told the cops. Addison and Trevor are each other’s alibis.”
How wonderful for them. “I’ll be having a chat with those two tomorrow.” Hell, yes, he would. Because from where he was standing, Addison and her friend didn’t exactly look like the picture of innocence. No, they appeared suspicious as hell.
After a few more minutes of talking with Elliott, Brady hung up the phone. He checked the perimeter, saw nothing but snow surrounding the cabin, and he turned off all the lights. As he walked toward his bedroom, he glanced up at the mistletoe. His jaw hardened. He didn’t have any other decorations at the cabin. He’d thought maybe Noelle could help him with that. She could always light up a house.
She lights up my place just by being in it.
But he had requested the mistletoe when he’d ordered the cabin prepared. Why? Because he requested it every year. Because every single year he thought…Maybe I’ll have another chance with Noelle. Maybe I can get Noelle here. Maybe I can tell her…
That I love her.
Step one of that master plan had been completed. He had her in the cabin. He hadher.Now, to just give her the confession he’d kept secret for far too long.
But when he went back into the bedroom, Noelle was still sleeping. She’d curled up on her side, and her hand rested beneath her cheek. For a moment, he just stared at her.
So beautiful.
Swallowing, he reached over and turned off the lamp. He ditched the sweats, slid into bed beside her, and Noelle instantly rolled closer. Her hand reached out and pressed over his heart.
And his arm curled around her to hold her tight.
