“What?” I organized the materials by color. That felt important. Christmas colors needed to be coordinated so we used the correct ribbons and bows. Scissors sat in a nice row, and I frowned at the tape. If one of us ripped off a bunch of pieces and prepped them, that would speed things up.
“Charlotte.” Hayden drew nearer to me, his warmth and scent surrounding me.
I blinked up at him, noting the heat in his eyes that wasn’t there before. Wait. His words hit me again and clicked.We were talking about the sound I accidentally made.My face heated as questions swirled in my dumbfounded brain.
“Nothing to talk about. I had… heartburn and burped?”
Good gravy, I am the worst.I cringed and rubbed my temples, wishing I could just wrap myself in this paper and be shipped to the other side of the world. That would be preferable to lying to Hayden.
My dignity had reached a new low.
I felt more than heard Hayden’s laugh as he leaned toward me. “Liar, but I’ll follow your lead. Plus I refuse to be a DJ at Christian’s wedding. We have a few more minutes. Let’s make a plan.”
Yes. We must win. Focus on the competition.
“Your head is finally in the game.” I eyed the layout of our assembly line. “I’ll cut while you tear up a hundred little pieces of tape. You can place them on the edge of the table, leaving a little bit hanging so I can grab it. Then once I wrap, you cut and tie ribbon. If I have time, I could curl it.”
“Nah, I can curl ribbon. Can’t wrap worth shit, but curling? I’m the best. I could beat Bernie at it, I guarantee it.” He puffed out his chest, looking mighty proud of himself.
“Interesting flex.” My lips quirked. “How do you know how to curl ribbon?”
“My mom showed me to ensure I wasn’t a total failure once they move away. I might not wrap well, but I would sure as hell make Gwen pretty bows. That girl loses it at the sight of rainbow ribbons. She once kept one for a month in her bedroom.” He sighed, the smile disappearing. “I’m not handling them moving away well.”
Oh lord. Daddy Hayden was sweet, but the vulnerable one? The one talking about real feelings? I was a puddle of emotions. A snowman-in-the-desert type of puddle.
“Penny and I can help. I happen to be great at wrapping. It was expected of us at age three. My mom took us to classes. My friends would do fun things while Christian and I were stuck at Macy’s with a bunch of older women.”
Hayden laughed. “How did I not know this about you?”
“There’s quite a bit you don’t know about me,” I said, tensing at the way my voice deepened in hidden meaning.
“Hold on to your reindeer, smell the candy canes, folks, it is about to start!” Brendon yelled into the mic so loud that the speaker distorted. “Three, two, one, go!”
I slid the scissors down the green-and-red-polka-dot wrapping paper. I aimed for an easy square to fit the smaller of the boxes. “You preparing the tape?”
“Yes, Chef.”
I snorted. “Don’t make me laugh with scissors! Isn’t that the first rule of parenthood?”
“Not sure. Didn’t read that book.”
“Damn it, Hop.” I chuckled again as I cut my third paper. “This is good, right? I should wrap some?”
“Yes, so I can bow them up.” He glanced at the tables next to us. “They are going to town, but there is no zhuzh. We can bring that.”
“How do you even know that word?”
“There’s a lot about me you don’t know.” He repeated my words back to me, his voice dropping an octave.
Goose bumps exploded down my body. He nudged me with a proud smile on his face. “Focus, Char. You seem too distracted.”
“Ugh.”
I wrapped three boxes, using the pre-cut tape and smoothing down the paper in crisp angles. They looked good. Once I confirmed they were acceptable, I cut more squares. I even doubled up the paper. See, work smarter, not harder.
The music blaring over the speaker seemed louder and more techno. It was off-putting and intoxicating. My pulse matched the beat as we worked in unison. “I’m glad it’s you and me doing this.”
“Penny knew we’d work well together. We’re coaches.We remain calm under pressure and can compartmentalize.” Hayden worked on a tricolor bow that was gorgeous. Watching his large, calloused hands curl the delicate ribbon was an experience.
