Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
I couldn’t decide if I was impressed with their ingenuity or frustrated that they wouldn’t accept the fact that the nephew they’d raised as a son was just your average modern-day Scrooge. I might not be able to curb their holiday enthusiasm, but I wasn’t going to let anyone get injured, for fuck’s sake.
“You’re very welcome, darling.” Aunt Mary patted my cheek and picked up a sprig of artificial holly, tucking it artfully between two nutcrackers before gesturing to the heap of greenery on the floor. “Now, I’m going to wind the garland through the posts and—”
“I’ll do it.”
“No, you won’t. I know you too well. You’ll get busy or distracted or worse…you’ll pack everything away and not give yourself a chance to enjoy the season.” She sighed worriedly. “Perhaps I should postpone my flight. Oh, maybe Millie’s due date is off and the baby won’t come for another month.”
I shook my head. “Not likely. She’s due in three days and if you don’t get home, Aunt Georgia will have all the great-aunt baby bragging rights.”
“Darn, that’s true.” She frowned. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into coming home, Cam? Millie would love to see you.”
“I’m at a critical juncture and I need to be here to research. And the last thing Millie needs is a cousin lurking around. I’ll visit the family in January and meet the new kiddo. For now, this is home.”
Her bottom lip quivered, but she nodded in acquiescence. “I understand. And it’s a nice home…in spite of the leaks and bad steps and—”
“Joe will fix everything. At least, I think he will.” I explained my offer to have him act as a general contractor, jokingly adding, “If he agrees to work for me, I could probably get him to hang that garland.”
“Oh! That’s a marvelous idea!” She clapped, then stood on tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “According to the folks in town, Joe is a marvelous handyman. I’m sure he’ll appreciate a nice fat commission before the holidays. Did you know he used to be a Wall Street stockbroker?”
“No.” But that explained the urbanite aura. I furrowed my brow. “By the way, doing a few projects around here and putting up a couple of decorations isn’t exactly a huge commission.”
Aunt Mary smiled affectionately. “You’re a generous man, Cam. I have no doubt you’ll make it worth his while.”
“If he was a Wall Street stockbroker, I’m sure he’s doing just fine.”
“Maybe. From what I gleaned, he’s known hard times and he’s had to rebuild his life. If I were here a few more days, I could probably get the full story, but I’ll leave that to you now. You do love a good mystery.”
“Not that kind of mystery. I’m not snooping into the handyman’s life,” I scoffed.
She hit with one of her famous “pshaws,” shaking her head in exasperation. “Oh, Cameron. It’s not snooping. It’s showing interest in another human via dialogue and eye contact. It wouldn’t hurt to do a little more of that and you must admit, he is rather dashing.”
Her fluttering eyelashes and girlish twitter made me laugh.
“Geez, I’m not dating the handyman, Aunt Mary.”
I’d definitely be down to fuck again, though. Of course, I kept that to myself. I wasn’t a heathen, for fuck’s sake.
“Don’t be hasty!” she chided, playfully swatting my arm. “Bella at the pharmacy says he swings both ways. Just like you.”
And with that, she spun on her heels, singing “Frosty the Snowman” at the top of her lungs.
I stared after her and sighed. One drawback of being the only single person in my family was that my aunts were on an endless quest to find me a mate. Guy, girl…they didn’t care. It had been going on for years. As in twenty years or more.
Before she’d left for home, Aunt Georgia had pointed out the pretty woman ahead of us in line at the market last week, and now Aunt Mary was pushing Joe my way. I could have told her Joe and I had met…minus the sexy details, but for some reason, I didn’t want to share it. That night was ours.
No, it wasn’t romantic or particularly special. We were just two horny strangers who’d misbehaved after having too much to drink. But we’d talked too. Conversation had flowed easily, and that was enough to make the evening stand out. My people meter usually ran out within an hour, and I got the impression that was something else we’d had in common.
Sure, the details had gotten murky with time and whisky, but the feeling was still there.
And it was enough to make me hope he’d take me up on my proposition.
3
Joe
“No, thanks.”
Cam narrowed his gaze. “What do you mean ‘no, thanks’?”
I set the strand of fairy lights on a green plastic bin and scowled. “Do I really look like fuckin’ Santa Claus?”