Under the Mooseltoe by Jacqueline Winters

Author:Jacqueline Winters
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jackie M. Wallick

“Relax,” Brayden said, patting the top of Ava’s hand as they sat in his truck in the lodge parking lot. She’d spent the drive through town tapping her ankle boots against the hard plastic floor mats as she dug through her giant purse, but never pulled anything out. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

Ava looked down at his hand. “Easy for you to say.”

“Her bark is way worse than her bite.” Brayden squeezed her chilled fingers, hoping she felt the reassurance he extended. “She’s tough on the outside, but there’s a secret heart of gold underneath it all.”

Dad’s passing had hardened Mom. She took over the company and threw herself into its success, leaving time for little else. To Brayden’s knowledge, Mom had never dated anyone those twenty years after Dad’s death. He always suspected her ironclad exterior was her way of protecting her heart.

“Any tips?” Ava asked, pulling away her hand and plunging it back into her purse.

“One.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t mention my sister. It’s a . . . sore subject.”

Ava frowned at him. “Not exactly what I was looking for, but I’ll keep that in mind.” She unlocked her phone, typing something into it. Notes, perhaps? “No comments about Sarra. Got it.”

“Any word yet from your mom?” Brayden asked, fully aware he was stalling. Mom could suffer the few minutes longer. No doubt she was at the table with an open laptop and a glass of pinot noir, completely lost in her inbox.

“No.” Ava dropped her phone back into the abyss that was her purse. “I don’t know what to make of it. She gets super secretive about gifts, but that’s probably the only time she ghosts anyone. I wish she’d tell me if she was getting a hotel room. One more day would be so nice.”

“Ava, everything’s going to be fine.” He hesitated a moment longer, debating whether to warn her about the surprise Mom was likely to drop on them both. One he wasn’t supposed to have prior knowledge about. He decided against it. No matter the obligation or responsibility angle Mom used on him, his answer would be no. He wasn’t uprooting his life in mere days to take over the company last minute.

Brayden offered her his arm at the front of the truck, pretending he didn’t notice the way the black skirt of her dress swished against her stylish boots at her approach. Despite his pleas for her to be herself, she’d gone out of her way to dress up for this dinner. Wavy curls in her hair, soft color on her eyelids, and even a hint of lip gloss glistened in the reflection of the streetlight.

It didn’t matter that several layers of clothing separated them. He could still feel the heat of their interlocked arms.

“That tree is a work of art,” Ava said with a nod at the massive Christmas tree in the center of the lobby. It reached more than halfway to the vaulted log ceiling. “Almost puts our tree to shame.”

“Nah,” Brayden said, leading them off to the side to the dining room.

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