Page 36 of Naughty Heart

I was having the time of my life. No job had ever given me the opportunity to not only provide for myself but the ability to do it while feeling this happy.

Granted, I recognized it was the holiday season and I wouldn’t be decorating all year long, but this was a great way to ease myself into the new job. Plus, I still intended to get other work done. It was just being delayed for the time being.

But it was entirely possible I’d taken things a bit too far in this new mindset. Because as I continued decorating Malcolm’s office, doing it with the music playing in the background, I seemed to have forgotten I was at work.

I was hanging decorations, moving around the office, and swaying my hips as I sang along quietly with the Christmas tunes on the radio.

It took me back to a time when Christmas was about making memories with people who loved me. God, I missed my parents so much at times like this.

I’d just displayed some spruce garland that I’d crafted similarly to the wreath I’d done for Malcolm to the frame of the window in his office. When I stepped back to assess the position and whether it looked perfect, I felt a wave of happiness move through me.

Since there was nothing I could do to make it look any better, I continued singing and began dancing around the room on my way to grab more decorations. I’d gotten the small village I’d purchased for the coffee table set up before moving to the large hanging ornaments.

Singing along to “The Man with the Bag,” I shimmied my hips back and forth as I moved across the room. I climbed the ladder, got the oversized ornament affixed to the ceiling, and smiled up at it.

I loved it. Malcolm’s office was going to look incredible.

Admittedly, I’d gotten a bit carried away with my festive mood and seemed to forget where I was. The joy of the song and season moved through me, and I foolishly continued to dance while I was on the ladder.

And that’s when it happened.

I glanced around the room, wanting to take in all the work I’d done so far, and I spotted Malcolm standing just a few feet away from me. His eyes were sparkling, his expression amused.

That was all I managed to take in before the abrupt halt of my movements on the ladder made it become unsettled.

Just as I began falling in the direction opposite of where the ladder was falling, Malcolm caught me in his arms.

“Oh, God. I’m so sorry,” I lamented, holding on to him.

He didn’t seem to be the least bit upset. “Are you okay?”

I nodded and wiggled against him, unable to think straight while being held protectively in his strong arms.

Malcolm set me down gently on my feet, and I immediately took two steps back. “Thank you for catching me.”

Shaking his head, he insisted, “I’m just glad you weren’t hurt. Where’d you get the ladder?”

“I called the maintenance office and asked if there was one available,” I answered. “I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s perfectly fine, Evelyn. I just don’t know how smart it is to be up a ladder in these shoes while dancing at the same time,” he noted, a hint of humor in his tone.

Wonderful. “How long were you standing there watching me?”

Malcolm grinned. “Long enough to know I’m in for a real treat at the Westwood Christmas party.”

I winced, even if his words were probably meant to be taken as a compliment.

He looked around at all I’d done since he left and noted, “You’ve really livened things up in here.”

Maybe he hated it. “Is it too much?”

“No.”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “Are you sure? I mean, until Mina said something about Christmas and decorating, you hadn’t mentioned it. I can scale it back.”

Malcolm stepped forward, curled his fingers around my wrist, and offered a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “I like it, Evelyn. Mostly, I like that you seem to be having the time of your life doing all this decorating.”

There was nothing that should have been killing the mood I’d been in. Malcolm was doing his best to convince me he liked everything and wasn’t upset by any of it. But for some reason, I was struggling.