Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 133682 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133682 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 668(@200wpm)___ 535(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Maybe it’s safest if I steer us back to where we started. We talked about the competition in the car on the way up—Wilder was downright issuing a call to arms against my ex. Wanting to protect me from any Brady gloating, and that was hot as hell. I’ll steer us back to that. “Of course I want to win too. I suppose practice would have helped. But we’re just going to have to wing it. I’m sure you’re good at that.”
The light changes and Wilder turns the car onto Main Street. But he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t answer as to whether he’s good at winging it. Have I found his Achilles’ heel? “Wilder, are you not any good at throwing snowballs?”
He scoffs. “Of course I can throw a snowball. Just wanted to practice, as I was saying.”
I can’t resist. “You really like practice, don’t you?”
His expression is stern again as he pulls over, parking the car along the curb next to a toy shop called Play All Day. He holds my gaze, those green eyes like emeralds, shining like jewels. “Certain types of practice more than others,” he says, his hot gaze directed distinctly to my mouth, then moving down my body right to my thighs where his face was buried just moments ago. His gaze travels back up and my pulse skitters as he stares intensely at my lips with something like longing. Then, as if it costs him, he raises his eyes, meeting mine. “It’s that I want to win…for you.”
He swings open his door and comes around to my side, leaving me to mull on that. After he opens my door and we step out into the picturesque downtown of Evergreen Falls, I’m still hanging onto those two words.
For you.
They feel like they have weight to them.
Yes, of course he’s doing this competition with me. Of course he has his own reasons for faking this romance. But there’s something almost carnal, possessive even, in the way he said those two words. He wants to win…for me. Like winning for me means something more than revenge on my awful ex. It’s almost…gallant.
But I’m not entirely sure what to make of his admission or if I’m even reading him right. Maybe I need more practice in understanding my inscrutable boss. In getting to know him better.
Yes, I think I’d like that.
Outside the toy shop I stop in my tracks, a few paces behind Wilder, as reality clobbers me with the obvious stick.
Am I interested in my boss?
Of course you are. He’s gorgeous and brilliant, and he spoils the hell out of you. He’s a clever, intelligent, attentive listener, a passionate thinker, and he’s a little obsessed with taking care of all your needs.
My heart gallops thinking about the way he listened on the drive up, the things he asked me, how we talked to each other. Wilder Blaine is caring, thoughtful, bossy, and driven and somehow he’s putting all that energy into me.
Yes, I’m attracted to him in all the ways.
But that’s a normal side effect of a fake romance. I can’t get caught up in this temporary attraction. Especially since I have to make sure this pretend romance works for Wilder too. He needs this plus one. He needs it so badly he told his mother the truth about us.
Time to put whatever this bloom of feelings is all the way behind me. As I drink in the small-town holiday charm that envelops Main Street, something inside me loosens. I relax into the holiday ambiance as we check out the town. Charlotte and Leo lead the way, chatting with my mom, while Leo’s talking to my mom’s brother, Uncle Rick. Bibi’s chatting with Caroline and Everly, while Max holds Everly’s hand. Josie and Wesley are peering into storefronts along with Maeve, who’s by their side, chatting with Cousin Troy, which is what everyone calls him, as if that’s his full name. Christmas garlands and pretty lights adorn every shop, casting a warm and inviting glow over the cobblestone streets. The air is filled with the scent of pine trees and the aroma of gingerbread cookies from the bakery up the street.
I swing my gaze from storefront to storefront, checking out the cute little café with red-and-white-checked cloths on the tables inside on one side of the street, then a general store on the other side, peddling both stockings and sundries to stock up on.
“Do you like it?” Wilder asks the question like it’s vitally important that I connect with Evergreen Falls. Like he’s created the town just for me. That’s a ridiculous thought, of course. This town existed long before he built those cabins. Yet a sense of pride of place rings in his voice.
I look at him, beaming as I answer, “I do. We have some time, so why don’t you show me around a little bit more?” I gesture to the end of the block. Our group is already ahead of us. We’ve got a little space from them. “We can’t practice throwing snowballs after all. Might as well just enjoy this town before we’re thrown into the competition fire.”