Page 31 of A Christmas Negotiation

“Do you have any lights? Ornaments?”

“Well, yeah. I haven’t used them since my divorce, but they’re definitely still there.”

“Let’s decorate one of the trees out on your patio. It’ll be so pretty at night. Plus you won’t have to worry about Cat climbing it or messing around with it.”

“You want to go out there in the cold? And decorate one of the cypress trees?”

“It’s not snowing anymore. The sun is shining. It’ll be nice. Plus, it’ll be good to get some fresh air.”

This was about the craziest idea Jeremy had ever heard. And he loved it. “We’ll go hunting for everything in the attic in a little bit.”

“We have all day, don’t we?”

After breakfast was done and the kitchen cleaned, they trekked upstairs to the top floor of the house, where the attic was. It wasn’t difficult to find the boxes of Christmas decor. They were some of the only things up there—thus was the life of the single guy with too much space. Jeremy certainly hesitated before he opened the first box. He and Kelsey had bought these decorations together, back when he believed they were building a life and would use them for years to come. Back when he’d thought that they might have kids and those children would eventually hang these ornaments on the tree. He didn’t want to think about it too much as a reflection of the life he no longer had. Here with Isabel, his heart was nothing but light. If she’d never come along, these Christmas baubles might have spent many more years tucked away in an attic, collecting dust and going unused and unappreciated. It wasn’t difficult to see the parallel between the boxes of ornaments and his own existence.

“I think four strands of lights will be enough. And I think these red and silver ball ornaments will stand up to the elements.” Isabel tapped a fingernail against the shiny orbs. “They don’t seem particularly breakable.”

“Perfect.”

They carried the boxes down a floor, then each went and changed into more suitable clothes for outdoors—jeans and sweaters. Back downstairs, they bundled up in boots, coats and gloves. “Do you have an extra hat I can wear?” she asked. “I don’t have one with me and it looks really cold out there.”

“I’m sure I have something.”

Jeremy rummaged through his front coat closet, where he pulled out a red hat he’d had for years. “I haven’t worn this one since college.” He tugged it on her head, which pulled much of her hair over her face. With his fingers, he gently brushed it aside, tucking it neatly under the cap. She looked up at him while he did it, eyes big and bright, leaving him with only one logical thing to say. “You’re so beautiful, Isabel. Truly.” He was so deep in her orbit right now, it would be difficult to ever pull himself out. He wasn’t sure he’d ever want to.

“You aren’t half bad yourself, you know.” Leaning into him, she slowly rose up onto her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

All he wanted to do was melt into her. Stay like this forever.You’re perfect. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in recent history.The words were right there, zipping around in his head, desperately wanting to be set free. But Jeremy knew his worst tendencies, the way he wanted to jump many steps ahead and profess his affection. It didn’t matter how amazing she was. It was too soon. “Ready for our Christmas tree adventure?”

“I was born ready.”

Isabel was beginning to think she’d gravely misjudged Jeremy that first night they met. Normally, she was an exceptional judge of character from the get-go. She was good at picking up on signals—the little things people do that tell you what drives them or makes them tick. The talent was part and parcel of being a lawyer and it’d been honed over the years. If anything, she should be getting better at it, not worse.

So where did she go wrong with Jeremy? Or was it simply that he was putting on an act, the one that kept him from sharing his pain with the rest of the world? She couldn’t decide which it was, but also decided that it didn’t truly matter. For the first time in years, she was actually enjoying herself. And she wasn’t about to let her overthinking ways come between herself and a good time.

Trudging out onto the snow-covered patio with Jeremy, Isabel realized this suggestion of hers had been a bit unorthodox. “Thanks for indulging my peculiar idea.”

“Are you kidding?” Jeremy asked, swiping snow from a patio table to give them a spot to put the boxes. “This is far less work than dragging a Christmas tree seven or eight blocks.”

“It’s more eco-friendly if you think about it, too. This tree’s already here.”

Jeremy trekked over to the back door and plugged in an extension cord, then returned to Isabel so they could begin stringing the lights. They worked in tandem, with her uncoiling the strands around her arm and Jeremy climbing up on a patio chair to loop them around the tree. It was a bright and sunny day, the air perfectly crisp and cold. Despite the temperature, Jeremy had opted for no hat, which gave her the perfect view of his adorable forehead wrinkles as he concentrated so intently on the task before him.

“I know it’s probably my job to tell you where you missed a spot, but you’re doing an amazing job,” she said. “Not surprising. You’re pretty much perfect at everything you do.”

Jeremy looked down at her so abruptly that his sunglasses slid to the end of his nose. “You have got to be kidding.”

“Um. No. I’m not.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, he placed the remainder of the final strand of lights. “We’ll have to wait until it’s dark to see how it turned out.” He then climbed down from the chair and opened one of the ornament boxes.

“I was serious about what I said. You’re an amazing lawyer. Negotiating with you was one of the highlights of my entire career.”

That stopped him dead in his tracks. “You’re the one who’s amazing.” He swiped off his sunglasses and before Isabel really knew what was happening, he had his arms around her. His mouth was on hers, passionate and giving. It sent ripples of excitement through her entire body. She couldn’t wait to go back inside with him.

“Wow,” she muttered, sounding and feeling drunk.

“You make me want to do things like that, Isabel. You make me feel good. In every way imaginable.”