Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
I brought my hand up to my mouth to keep from laughing. Charlie had been talking about wanting a dog since he’d started helping me with dog walking. And he had fallen in love with a puppy at the pet shelter when I’d brought him there to help me clean out some kennels one day.
“Ahh…” Mason said before he sliced his fingers through his dark blond hair. “I think all talk of puppies should be saved for another day. I’ll come and tuck you back into bed.”
Charlie must not have seen me because he simply turned and started to head back up the steps. I decided it would be best if he didn’t know I was there.
As I waited for Mason to put Charlie back to bed, I headed into the kitchen to wash the two glasses. It was getting late, and I needed to make my way back to my house. Whiskey, my cat, was probably pissed I hadn’t fed him yet.
I dried the glasses and put them back in the cabinet. When I turned around, I nearly let out a scream. Mason was leaning against the doorjamb of the kitchen looking sexy as fuck.
Look away, Palmer. Look. Away.
“I should, um…head on back to my place.”
“Do you want me to walk you down the driveway?”
A bubble of nervous laughter slipped free. “No, I’ll be fine. Is Charlie okay?”
The left corner of his mouth rose in a smirk. “He’s good, just bargaining for a puppy.”
“Christmas? Hey, speaking of, you don’t have a tree up yet.”
“Haven’t had time to set one up in the living room, but there’s a small one in the family room. And Charlie has a little tree my mother got for him in his room. We put it up every year.”
A warm rush of feelings swept over me as I thought about Mason putting up a little Christmas tree in his son’s room. It was so sweet, and it only made me fall for him more.
We stood there for a moment, the air crackling between us. “I better go,” I finally said.
A part of me wanted Mason to stop me, pull me into his arms, and kiss me. I wanted to feel his lips on mine again. To find out what he tasted like in this moment.
As I walked by him, I swore he reached out for me but then stopped. I drew in a deep breath and made my way over to my jacket.
“Palmer?”
I stopped walking and turned to face him. I nearly fell back when I realized he was so close to me.
“Y-yes?” I stammered.
His eyes searched my face for what felt like forever before he stepped away. “Maybe you can help me pick out a puppy at the shelter for Charlie. If they have any. My office is closed this whole week of Christmas except for emergencies, so I’m free anytime you are. My parents will be here to watch Charlie.”
I was pretty sure I blinked about a dozen times before finding my voice. “I’d be honored to help you pick one out for him. There’s a puppy he fell in love with when we were helping out the other day.”
“Great. Good. Thanks.”
I nodded. “Yep. Sure. No problem.”
Spinning on my heels, I closed my eyes and inwardly cursed. After slipping on my jacket, hat, scarf, and gloves, I turned back to Mason. “Let me know when you want to go visit the shelter.”
He nodded. “Sounds good. Maybe tomorrow. Would you be able to hold on to the puppy until Christmas Eve? Would Whiskey be okay with it?”
Oh God. I wanted to jump on him and take him right here.
“Whiskey will love having a friend,” I managed to say in a normal voice. “Okay, night!”
“Thanks for helping with the painting…and for the talk.”
I lifted my hand, too afraid to look at him again. “No problem! Tell Charlie I’ll see him soon.”
After walking down his steps and trying not to fall in the fresh snow, I practically sprinted back to my little house. The fact that I didn’t fall should have earned me an award—instead, it would probably land me in the gossip column again.
Nanny seen running from boss’s house.
I groaned as I stepped inside and shut the door.
“He’s off limits, Palmer. Off limits.”
As I undressed and headed to the bathroom for a hot shower, I chanted those six words over and over.
I pulled the apple pie out of the oven and placed it on the counter while taking in a deep breath. Cinnamon and nutmeg filled my senses, and I felt myself getting giddy with excitement
“Oh man, that smells so darn good!”
It was Christmas Day, and I couldn’t wait to go over to my parents’ house. Each year, we all rotated who was bringing what to our family dinner. This year, I was in charge of desserts. So I made an apple pie, a no-bake éclair, and a cherry pie. Both pies were made from scratch. My parents raised me right, after all.