Mitch stepped over to him, sticking out his hand. “Hey. Mitch Skaggs. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Christian said, returning the handshake. Standing next to each other, he was only an inch or two shorter than Mitch’s six-foot-four.
Mitch was one of the most charismatic people Hallie knew. His natural ability of making everyone feel like a million bucks minutes after meeting them had been the main reason he’d succeeded in winning McKenzie’s quiet heart. But even he couldn’t crack Christian’s icy exterior.
Maybe he was one of those strong, silent types. There was nothing wrong with that. But he didn’t intend to stick with one sentence answers the whole time, right? That would make things difficult once they got down to business.
“We were hoping to work in here where there’s more space,” Hallie said, swallowing her frustration. “But it seems you’ve beat us to it. We’ll go somewhere else.”
McKenzie scooped up a stack of invitations from the counter. “No, no. Stay. I have to get to work anyway.” She dropped the pile into the box at the corner of the island before removing one from the top and handing it to Hallie. “It’s just a formality since you’ll be in the wedding, but this is for you. I hope you don’t mind sharing with Kendall and Beej.”
“Of course not.” Hallie slipped the matte invitation out of the unsealed envelope, studying the photo of the happy couple snuggled together under a maple tree amidst the setting sun. “Ugh, you both are so photogenic. This will go right next to Elise’s.”
She set the invitation on the counter behind her before turning back to Christian. “Have a seat. Do you want anything to drink? Water? Juice? I think we have some coffee around here somewhere.”
“Uh, no. Thanks.” He sat down, sliding the final stack of envelopes off the counter and handing them to McKenzie.At least he has some manners.
She thanked him with a smile before easing the invitations into the only space left in the box. Lifting it from the counter, she droppedit into Mitch’s open arms. “Will you mail these on your way to practice? I have to get to the gym. There’s a group of overly excitable three-year-olds waiting to be molded into cute little gymnasts.” After retiring from competitive gymnastics following the Global Elites, she’d slid right into her role of coaching beginning classes at her old gym.
“I’m on it.” He shifted the box to one arm and placed his free hand on her back, allowing her to lead the way from the kitchen.
Before passing through the swinging door, McKenzie turned back.He’s cute!she mouthed, pointing discreetly in Christian’s direction and wagging her ginger brows. Thankfully, her fiancé’s tall body hid her from his view.
Hallie rolled her eyes. The assessment was accurate, but she’d never been one to go gaga over attractive men. Christian’s good looks didn’t mean anything. No love match would develop in this kitchen today.
“Was that McKenzie Bowman?” Christian asked once they were gone.
“You know Zee?” Surprising. Neither of them had shown any indication they’d recognized each other.
Christian coughed. “No, I remember her from the Global Elites. My … uh … I watched the US win the team finals.”
Gymnastics was one of the most popular events so that tracked. “Have you heard of Mitch too then? He’s also a Global Elite champion. In beach volleyball.”
Christian blinked twice. “No.”
Okay, so he was back to the one-word answers. Great. A few beats of awkward silence followed, and Hallie rushed to fill it. “I left my laptop in my room. Wait here, I’ll be right back.”
“We can use mine.” He bent toward the messenger bag he’d set on an adjoining stool.
Hallie hesitated a few seconds before sitting. She watched him type in the password to unlock the screen. Could he sense the tension swirling in the kitchen right now? Because she was practically drowning in the thickness of it.
“Go ahead and pull up your site,” he said, turning the laptop toward her. “I’ll take a look.”
As he removed his hand from the keyboard, she noticed a small black heart at the base of his right thumb. Interesting. A flirty token from a girlfriend, perhaps?
It doesn’t matter, Hal. You’re not the nosy type.
“Right. I’ll do that,” she said, shaking the thought from her head. “Because that’s why you’re here. To look at my website.” She groaned at herself for stating such an obvious fact.
Clamping down on her jaw to stop herself from continuing this string of ridiculous comments, she navigated to the admin dashboard for Hallie’s Cakes.
“I’ve been working on this for weeks and it still looks like something a first grader came up with. I’m afraid I’m hopelessly lost when it comes to technology.” She glanced at him nervously, unsure what he’d think about the amateur drivel on the screen before him.
But his brown eyes weren’t on the computer. Instead, they scanned the kitchen, slightly narrowed. She couldn’t read much in his expression, though it didn’t look good. What about her home did he find so lacking?
“Is something wrong?” she asked, unable to keep the frustration from her tone.
His gaze snapped to her, his brows jumping toward his forehead. “No. The house … It just looks … different since the last time I was inside.”
