“Really? What gave it away?” He enjoyed talking to her way too much. For the first time in a long, long time, he felt like enjoying someone’s company and not doing work. For the last ten years, he’d lived and breathed his company. He went to bed at night, sometimes with a woman by his side, sometimes alone, but always with work on his mind. When he wasn’t working he thought about work. He hated holidays because it meant business couldn’t be done. Work had been his salvation. Work was everything. But right now he could allow himself a brief respite with a beautiful, intriguing woman, couldn’t he?
“I knew last night that anyone who didn’t have a single decoration up must be a miserable, Ebenezer Scrooge type of person,” she said jabbing her highlighter in the air at his direction.
A choked laugh escaped his lips. “Really, so because I don’t have decorations you’ve come to the conclusion that I’m miserable and like Scrooge?”
She raised her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest. “Then your subsequent behavior confirmed my hypothesis.”
“That again. I already explained my behavior.”
“Nothing you can say can excuse that behavior, Jackson. But not to worry, I understand that there are people in the world who are untouched by the spirit of Christmas—”
“Do you get commission from Santa Claus?” Jackson felt a smile spread across his face as she frowned at him.
“It happens to be my favorite holiday, that’s all.”
“Hannah, Christmas, as it exists in North America, is a commercially driven holiday. We’re told we need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on loved ones in order to show we care. People tack on thousands in consumer debt and justify it by saying they have to for Christmas. I mean look at you, you’re equating Christmas with something you need to buy—like a CD—with having Christmas spirit.” He figured his high-handed tone was not at all appreciated when her frown turned into a glare. She didn’t answer as she looked down into her book. He was surprised by the disappointment he felt when she didn’t engage him anymore. He pretended to focus on the spreadsheet that didn’t interest him at all.
Hannah’s voice interrupted the silence a few seconds later and he ignored the surge of happiness he felt.
“Would you mind if I had a look at your stereo?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Be my guest.”
She rose and walked over to the entertainment center. He let his eyes wander over her very enticing figure in the form fitting jeans she wore. If she could ease up on the holiday stuff and not mention his family again, they might even make it out of here tomorrow without an argument.
A moment later the sound of Bing Crosby’s cheerful voice permeated the room, and White Christmas filled the cabin. Hannah sat across from him. Her green eyes sparkled and her smile was infectious. “Public broadcasting,” she said smugly, picking up her BlackBerry.
He threw back his head and laughed.
She had put on small tortoise-shell rimmed glasses. He found them inexplicably attractive. “I tried it a few times and can’t get a signal,” she said, scrolling with her thumb.
“Yeah, mine’s gone too.”
She looked up at him, worry all over her face. “Is your land line working?”
He shook his head. “Gone when I woke up.”
She bit on her lower lip, but nodded.
“I might have to get some firewood from the shed in case the power goes out for a while.”
“Does that usually happen?”
“It’s pretty typical for around here, but the power usually comes on within a day or so. I have more than enough wood in case that happens.” He wanted her to feel safe and he didn’t care to analyze why that was suddenly so important.
He was rewarded by a relieved smile tossed his way before she ducked her head back into her book. He didn’t want the conversation to end.
“So what made you go into social work?”
She didn’t answer him right away, almost as though she was carefully choosing her words before she looked up. “I knew I wanted to go into a profession that would help children, mostly because children can’t help themselves. We live in a crazy world and they need someone to defend them and make sure they’re safe.”
Jackson swallowed hard as she stared him directly in the eye across the table. “Must be hard work.”
“If I can make a difference in someone’s life, then it’s worth it.”
“So why do you want to leave?”
She took a deep breath. “I chose this career for the kids. I hadn’t counted on the bureaucracy, the constant red tape that is always holding me back from doing what I think needs to be done.”