Page 55 of Wait a HO HO HO Second!

“That was all Marci,” Joy said, laughing as she met his gaze for a moment. “Lorelei would be so happy to see you back in the community. She’d also be so proud of you for stepping up and making things happen. I’m proud of you, too. If I thought for even a hot second you were doing it just to get into my good graces, I’d call you out on it, but I don’t believe that.”

Kian scooted closer, wanting to bridge the gulf between them. “I’ll admit, when I drove into Snowcap Ridge two weeks ago, that was my intention. I wanted to make nice with you so we could work together without the past between us.” Joy opened her mouth, but he held up his hand to stop her. “I understand the past will always be between us, but I guess I wanted to show you I wasn’t that guy anymore.”

“You have. My point is that the way you did it was genuine. I never questioned whether you were doing or saying something just because you thought that’s what I wanted you to do or say.”

Kian’s laughter was soft as he leaned his head against the headboard. “Sweetheart, you couldn’t have made it clearer that you didn’t want me to say or do anything in your mall, and rightly so. I hurt you in the past, and that’s not easy to forgive and forget.”

“When it comes to my mall, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it running smoothly, even if it means making friends with the enemy.”

“Am I the enemy?”

“I’d like to think not anymore. I’d like to believe we’re partners in crime.”

Kian kept his expression neutral, but he was grimacing inside. Partners in crime and the mall, but he couldn’t tell her that yet. He prayed that if Mark wanted to sign a contract with Snowcap Ridge, he’d wait until after Christmas Eve. Ugh, he hated the deception his mother had forced on him. It was out of character for her, which made him wonder whether she planned to remove the clause later.

“Me too,” he whispered, caressing her cheek with his finger. “Life is funny. Sometimes the one person who shouldn’t give you the time of day is the one who sees everything you hide beneath your customer service smile.”

“I see what you’re hiding, Kian. We aren’t that different. In fact, one might say we’re more alike than different. The first day I saw you at the mall, I wanted to hate you. I wanted to treat you the way you used to treat me, but you made that impossible.”

“What are you hiding beneath your armor? Can you take it off so I can see the real Joy Brady?”

“Kian, you believe I’m much stronger than I really am.”

“No. There’s no question in my mind or heart that you’re too strong. You’ve been too strong for too long, so any hint of vulnerability is terrifying. It’s understandable, but not sustainable,” Kian said, keeping his tone even and gentle.

“You may not be wrong, but can you blame me? When I take my braces off, I’m vulnerable. I can’t handle situations well when someone can move faster than I can.”

“Is that why you’re still wearing your braces in bed? In case you have to escape me?” When she turned her face away to stare at the television, he knew it was true, and the idea hit him in the gut. “I would never hurt you again, Joy. I say ‘again’ because I know I have, at least emotionally, in the past. That said, you never have to worry about me hurting you physically. I will sleep on the floor before I let you believe for one second that I’m a danger to you as a woman.”

“You are a danger to me as a woman, Kian. By woman, I mean the emotional side of who I am. I’m not some pretty, thin, athletic, blonde girl who can hang on your arm and on your every word.”

“You’re right.” Joy’s brow furrowed, and she shot him a side-eye that left no doubt about what she was thinking. “You’re a gorgeous, curvy, strong woman who walks beside me and holds her own in any conversation. For the record, I’ve never been against dating gorgeous, curvy, strong women. Anyone who told you otherwise was wrong.”

“I may have made some assumptions based on your mother’s musings.”

“Have you ever met a man alive who is honest with his mother about who he’s dating?”

“Not many,” Joy whispered. “But you do have a pattern of leggy, thin blondes. You can’t deny that. My legs aren’t anything to show off, and thin isn’t a word you can use for me, which, let me be clear, I’m happy about, but that doesn’t mean everyone is.”

Sitting up, Kian spun around, crossed his legs, and leaned over his thighs. “Can I ask you something?” He was sure she wouldn’t tell him the truth, but the question had bothered him for years. If he had a chance to get an answer, he was going to take it.

“As long as you don’t expect an answer.”

“Do you know that’s not how questions work?” he asked, winking. “It’s more of an I ask, you answer kind of dynamic.”

“How about this? If I’m comfortable with the question, I’ll answer it.”

“Can’t ask for more than that, I guess.” He took a deep breath, let it out, then spoke. “When we were in school, what was the one thing I said to you or about you that has stuck with you the longest, or was there more than one?”

Joy’s heavy sigh told him how much she hated his questions. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he had to take his shot if he wanted to clear the air and put them on a better path toward trust.

“Honestly, by the time we reached third grade, I had grown immune to your nonstop bullying. Most of it is a blur now. I’m a thirty-year-old woman who has lived with a disability for eighteen years. Your version of who I am no longer matters.”

“Seems like it does, though,” Kian said, resting his hands on her legs that were still beneath the covers. “You still feel like you have to hide who you are from me.”

Joy tensed as Kian’s hands settled on her legs, but he didn’t move them. His goal was to get her comfortable with him touching her legs. He didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know she didn’t want him to see them. Joy’s silence was loud, but he sat with it, knowing she was probably replaying every insult he’d hurled at her, despite her insistence that it was all a blur. Was it smart to bring it up tonight? Maybe not, but they wouldn’t be interrupted here, so he could focus entirely on her.

“Joy Brady should just work at the outlet mall. She’d get an employee discount and could stop looking like a walking clearance bin.”