Page 30 of Her Christmas Wish

Because for a woman who was over him, fine with having him around and fully happy with her life, his presence sure did seem to be bothering her.

Which wouldn’t please him in any way if hers wasn’t also bothering him.

Stopping with her hand on the doorknob, she turned to him. Looked him straight in the eye. “The pro-bono work I’m doing is strictly because I want to do it. Because I think you’re a good man who got a raw deal and I can help. The other partners, saying they’d be happy to represent you...they were obviously impressed with you during our meeting. Their offers were sincere, and in no way tied to what I’m doing.” She pointed to his portfolio. “This isn’t an attempt to earn your business later.”

He’d been falling for her all over again right up until that last part.

“You trying to tell me you don’t want me to accept their offers? You don’t want to be in any way associated with me long-term?”

Eyes wide, she said, “No!”

The one word he’d given her. Twice in a row.

He felt the impact.

Tapped the portfolio against the palm of his free hand. Smiled. And was about to thank her when she added, “I couldn’t represent you, regardless,” she said. “A firm mandate. To ensure that pro bono doesn’t turn into attorneys doing seemingly free work with a behind-the-scenes quid pro quo in effect.”

He needed to let it go. Let them both off the hook and get the hell out of there. Take a shower. Put on something besides scrubs. Instead, he held her gaze. “So you’d be okay with me accepting one of their offers?”

She blinked. Took a deep breath. “Yes, of course I would.”

He could tell she’d meant it. And that she’d just lied, too.

Which had Gray smiling all the way to his SUV.

The woman wasn’t as completely over him as she wanted to be.

He had no thoughts whatsoever of getting back together with her. They both knew it wouldn’t work. But it felt good to know that he’d meant even half as much to her as she’d meant to him.

That he wasn’t the only one feeling a sharp pang of regret as a result of their unexpected reunion.

Turned out at least one old adage was true.

Apparently, misery did like company.

He’d asked two questions as one.You trying to tell me you don’t want me to accept their offers?AndYou don’t want to be in any way associated with me long-term?

Which he’d then segued into,So you’d be okay with me accepting one of their offers?

All three of them ran through her mind the rest of the afternoon, plagued her on and off on the drive home, interrupted by Leigh’s back seat sing-along. Sage had one of the little girl’s favorite albums of educational kid songs cued up through her phone.

And when her mind would free her enough, she even sang along with a couple of them. Smiling at her daughter through the rearview mirror when she was stopped at a light.

But then, as she concentrated on driving, sensations from the day intruded, bringing her back to the conversation with Gray.

She’d never been in a situation where she didn’t agree with herself. Where parts of her were warring inside her to the point of total cacophony. Temptation, she got. Could fight. It was a part of life. Wanting what you knew you shouldn’t have.

Or heart against head. She’d been there, too. More than once.

But the stuff with Gray...it was head against head. Her mind saw it both ways.

And her heart felt pain and joy both ways, too.

She didn’t get it.

How could she be in such conflict with herself?

Any way she looked at it, any time she asked herself, she truly wanted Gray to be able to continue with her firm if he wanted to. She wanted him to be successful to the point of needing and affording a corporate attorney.