“You expect me to believe that?” Ava shot back, not sad at all when Brayden pulled her closer to him. Fake relationship or not, she enjoyed his warmth and the comfort it brought. Their friendship was rekindling. She still had dozens of questions she’d fire at him the second they got home, but in this one moment, she felt calm.
“Just one,” Mom pleaded.
“Fine.”
“Get closer together, you two.”
“Just do it,” Brayden whispered against her ear. “The sooner she gets her picture, the sooner your elf-for-hire can get to work.”
“There’s that beautiful smile,” Mom cooed, snapping at least ten photos. Maybe fifteen. “Maybe you two should take your coats off—”
“Mom, don’t push your luck.”
“Oh, look!” Mom pointed to something above them, and it wasn’t until Ava looked straight up that she realized her grave mistake. Mistletoe hung off the ledge. How had shenotnoticed it earlier? It had occurred to her many times that they might need to kiss to make things convincing, but when faced with the reality without time to prepare, her panic returned.
Brayden caressed her cheek. “If we don’t do this, it might blow our cover,” he said, the low timbre of his voice sending shivers throughout her body despite the crackling fire nearby. “It won’t be so bad, Ava. I promise.”
He bowed his head, brushing her lips with his own before she had time to object. Not that shecouldobject with Mom so eagerly awaiting them to fulfill the silly holiday tradition. But the camera snaps and Mom worries gave way as the sensation of his lips moving against her own took over. Ava felt dizzy as his kiss deepened. She fell into its magic, breathless when Brayden pulled away.
It wasn’t the potency of that kiss alone that had her rattled. It was the urge to do it again.
ChapterTen
Brayden
“Is that the last one?” Ava asked, nodding at the basket in Brayden’s hands.
“The last one that’ll fit in the truck.” Brayden trotted down the stairs to the front door, waiting for Ava to follow. She’d spent several hours last night assembling baskets after the moms were effectively appeased and dodged. At least, the glow of the living room light suggested as much. She’d turned down his offer of help, which was just as well. Not only did he have three orders to fill, he wanted to start on her desk.
And they both needed some space after that kiss. It was more astounding than he ever dared dream it would be, especially for one intended only to maintain their cover. His lips still buzzed from the memory of it.
“I think I made close to a hundred of those last night,” she said, tying her scarf around her neck and following him outside. If she was affected by that kiss, she wasn’t acting like it. Everything with Ava seemed back to business as usual. “But I’ll need to make more. Guess I’ve got agoodproblem on my hands.”
Already this morning, Ava made a delivery to the property management office and he dropped off two dozen to the lodge. The rest of the baskets packed into their vehicles would replace sold inventory in the store. The only damper was that Brayden’s contact, originally due to show up late this afternoon, rescheduled for Monday morning.Oh, well.It was too much to hope they’d save the store before sundown today.
“You operate pretty well under pressure,” he said, handing over a final basket.
Ava just laughed in response, closing her passenger door with care, her eyes fixed on the precarious arrangement of baskets inside. “I haven’t been calm one solitary minute in”—she tapped her chin—“three months? Maybe four.”
He wished he could write a check now for the loan balance and let this madness be over, if only to give Ava a day of rest. A day not filled with constant worry, but of peace. A day she might finally enjoy to its fullest. “This was a great idea,” Brayden praised. “One made under pressure. You’re no quitter, Ava Monroe. That might be what I like most about you.”
The cold could be blamed for the flush of her cheeks, but Brayden suspected it was his compliment.
“We better get going. I don’t know how long I have before Mom descends on the store and tries to rearrange all my displays and change half my prices.”
Brayden let out a laugh.
“You think I’m kidding.” Ava hurried around the side of her car, and he caught them both scanning for Ed. “I’m almost surprised he’s not here,” she added, gloveless fingertips on her door handle. “He’s been great at making me late for pretty much everything this week. It’s almost a little ominous, to be honest.”
He drove his truck, following Ava in her car. They could transport more baskets this way, and at the rate they’d been selling, having the extra inventory at the store was for her benefit. At last count, she was up to over a hundred sales. As phenomenal as that number was, it was still a small fraction of what she needed to move before Christmas, no matter how many other items were bought up.
Brayden carried a load of baskets to the front of the Forget Me Not, holding the door for Ava with his back to it. Her grateful smile faded seconds after stepping inside. Mallory Monroe whisked around the store, stringing lights on top of the shelves, and singing off-key with the Christmas music.This can’t be good.
“Mom, what are you doing?”
“Decorating, Ava dear. Isn’t it lovely?”
Brayden quietly carried the baskets to the display area, noticing a void of customers and only Rilee Harris manning the front counter. Though Mrs. Baker, the second-grade teacher, had been pulling out of a parking spot when he pulled into one.
