Of course, with Christmas being only a week away she couldn’t escape the festivities. Who would have guessed that people who lived at the beach would be so into the ho, ho, ho swing of things?
At work, everyone was wearing Christmas print scrub tops and a few of the docs had Christmas ties, Riley included.
Having just returned to the nurses’ station and spotting him, she rolled her eyes at the tie currently around his neck. “Seriously? You have a reindeer with a light-up nose on your tie? That’s what you wore while you saw patients at your office all day?”
Waggling his brows, he grinned. “Yep, I’m quite disappointed that no one asked me to guide their sleigh tonight.” He shifted to where he could look behind her at her bottom. “How about you, princess? You want me to light up your world and guide your sleigh tonight?”
That he could light up her world she had no doubt. In the past week she’d smiled and laughed more than she had…well, maybe ever. The man was a nut. And brilliant. And kind. And generous. And…
She was getting way too dependent on him. It was barely a week since he’d kissed her under the mistletoe at the hospital Christmas party and every free waking hour had been spent with him. When she wasn’t with him, she was thinking of him, dreaming of him.
“Sorry, I’m fresh out of sleighs and there’s not a bit of fog in sight.”
If spending a week with him could have her feeling so clingy, she really needed to get a hold of herself before she did something silly. Like fall in love with him. That would be nothing short of a tragedy.
And something she needed to guard against.
“This Santa is flexible. How about we grab a bite to eat then catch that new Christmas movie?”
“Not tonight.”
His smile morphed into a frown. “You have other plans?”
Trying to keep a straight face because he read her way too easily, she nodded.
“Am I invited?”
Was he invited? What kind of response was that to a woman saying she had other plans? Really, the man was too much.
“Do you want to be invited?”
“If you’re going to be there? Yes, I want an invitation. A VIP pass even.”
Although she was pretty sure she’d just scolded herself for being so dependent on him, she found she couldn’t say no, didn’t really want to because to say no would mean depriving herself of the twinkle in his eye, the mischief in his grin, the wit in his words.
“Fine. You can go with me.”
He grinned and she wondered if that meant he’d known he’d get his way all along. “Where are we going, princess?”
She had no clue because she’d just made up that she had other plans in a panicky moment. She should have known better.
“It’s a surprise.” To her too since she probably would have just gone to her place for grilled cheese sandwiches and a rerun of some TV series. She still might.
“Aw, are you taking me caroling?” he teased.
She squinted at him in a forced glare. “That would be a surprise, now, wouldn’t it? But, no, I’m not a caroler. That would contradict that whole don’t-like-Christmas thing I have going.”
“But you do sing,” he pointed out, leaning against the counter.
“In my shower doesn’t count.”
“I’d like to be the judge of that for myself. You could give me a private viewing tonight. Now, that would be a surprise.”
She rolled her eyes again and ignored him and the images of them in the shower flashing through her mind.
“You also sing karaoke,” he reminded her.
“Only under the influence of alcohol, which I’d never knowingly do.” She made a pretense of being busy.
“It’s okay to let loose every once in a while and just enjoy yourself.”
“I don’t need alcohol to enjoy myself.” She winced at how harsh her voice had been. She hadn’t meant to bite his head off, yet she definitely had. Unable to just stand still, she headed to a patient room. Anything to escape him.
Unfortunately he followed her, catching her just outside the door. “I didn’t say you did. I was just saying it was okay for you to relax and enjoy life. Talk to me.”
She didn’t want to talk. They were at work. Only Karen was near, but anyone could see them, could hear them if they wanted to eavesdrop. Even if they’d been in private she wouldn’t have wanted to have this discussion, but she sure didn’t here. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. “Sorry.”
“Okay.” He sounded confused. “You want to explain why you jumped down my throat on that one?”
She shook her head. No, she didn’t want to go there. Not at any point in the next century or so.