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CHAPTER 7
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Hailey
No one can resist a custom-made wreath from Winslow’s. Not even Adrian. He’s hiding a big, ole soft heart under his grumpy exterior. Even if nothing happens between us beyond this , I’ve set the wheels in motion to change his mind about Christmas. I said no strings, commitments, or expectations where we’re concerned, but my heart tells a different story. I wish we could have more than last night.
I shouldn’t get so worked up about him. I fall too quickly, which is precisely what the naughty elf pact is supposed to cure. Adrian’s supposed to be my free pass, the man who gets brooding bad boys out of my system for good. But thinking about him causes crazy, stupid things to happen inside me. My tummy trips and tumbles. My lungs struggle to catch every last wisp of his scent. And my poor heart gets a workout when it kicks into Adrian mode. He touched more than my body last night. He touched my heart with his tenderness and attention to every last detail. After last night, he may know my body better than I do.
I gather a few loose eucalyptus leaves from the box of discarded cuttings from today’s classes and wire them to the bent metal frame I salvaged from the trash bin. It’s damaged, but no one will be the wiser to its imperfection once it’s fully decorated. Much like Adrian and me. We’re both carrying insecurities and heartache. Christmas and friends are carrying me through this year. Adrian deserves the same whether he thinks so or not.
“Are you coming?” Maddie, my best friend and fellow elf, pops around the corner into the work area in Santa’s Workshop. “Noelle made your favorite chocolate cupcakes today. You know what that means.”
Maddie’s eyes sparkle with playful intent. She knows cupcakes are my catnip, especially Noelle’s chocolate cupcakes piled with peanut butter cream frosting and chocolate ganache. As tempting as they sound, I want to get back home and surprise Adrian with a wreath for his door. It’s another way of showing him that giving comes from the heart.
“In a bit, but I’m only staying for a little while.” I tuck a few holly berries into an empty spot. “I’m finishing up this wreath for my neighbor.”
Maddie arches an eyebrow as she steps into the room, positioning herself across the workbench from me. She picks up a pine cone and tosses back and forth as she eyes me.
“Is it for the hot man candy neighbor you told me about?” Maddie teases.
I blubbered on and on about Adrian for a week when I moved into Tinsel Towers. That was a little while after my bitter breakup. I wasn’t ready to date, and the opportunity to meet Adrian never presented itself. But swooning over a neighbor I never met seemed school girlish at the time. Now that I’ve met him and participated in activities with him that would make a good girl blush, I’m protective of our fragile, budding friendship.
“Maybe.” I smirk as nervous energy bounces around inside me, searching for release.
“Oh. My. God.” Maddie tosses the pinecone into a box. Panic zings through me as she scurries to my side, jostling my elbow. “Tell me everything. You went full-fledged naughty on him, didn’t you?”
Maddie springs to the balls of her feet, her voice ringing with enthusiastic glee. Her excitement is usually infectious, but at the moment, I’m in a pickle, at war with my head and heart.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I squeak.
“Hey, no judgment here, Hailey.” Maddie snickers. “If your clothes fell off and you tripped over his dick, I’m okay with that. Just give me the details.”
“Maddie,” I scold.
“Spill, Cupcake. You know you want to.” Maddie rolls up her sleeves and settles onto the stool beside me. “Tell me everything. I’ve got all night. But just so you know, there weren’t many cupcakes left for the firepit tonight. If you want one, you better step on it.”
Damn, my traitorous tummy. It rumbles, betraying me in favor of cupcakes.
“He’s everything I should avoid in a man. He’s busy and grumpy, hates Christmas, and–” I bite the corner of my lip. “And I kind of seduced him.”
The words come out in a rush. I spin on my heel, dragging the wreath from the workbench. Stool legs skitter along the wood floor as Maddie grabs my elbow.
“And?”
I set the wreath on the table and stare at Maddie. She’s my best friend, always on my side. I can’t help but confide in her. I tell her about the run-in with the cupcakes, the little red dress, the dance, our first kiss, and his declaration about Christmas commercialism. Details of my dress and his pants coming off stay private.
“I wanted to show him that not all gifts come with expectations. I thought I could be a badass and go a little crazy for one night.” My eyes and nose sting as I fight back a rush of emotion. It’s so silly and stupid of me to fall so hard and fast for someone. It happens every damn time, and I never learn. And Adrian’s the worst possible candidate for me to fall for. He equates Christmas with shallow, greedy people. “I can’t just turn the tables and renege on giving him a free pass. It isn’t fair. I can’t fall for him. You know my reputation with men.”
