Page 32 of The Holiday Clause

Keeping it clinical, he cleared his throat. “I see it. Hold still.” He squeezed the skin around the splinter.

“Ow, ow, ow!”

“I have to get it out.”

“Can’t you use a pin or something?”

“It’s almost there.” He pinched the area, loving the way her juicy flesh filled his hand.

“Son of a nutcracker!”

“Got it.” He plucked the shard of wood free and held it up for her to inspect.

She rubbed her butt and frowned. “It’s so tiny.”

When she tried to pull up her pants, he stopped her. “Hand me another alcohol wipe.”

She passed him a packet, and he tore it open, then disinfected the area. “Good as new.”

“Thanks.” She pulled up her pants and blushed.

He tucked that unruly strand of hair behind her ear. “One more injury, and it’s a helmet and a bubble for you.”

She laughed, sounding slightly embarrassed, which was unusual for her. When she finally looked at him, she asked, “Are we okay?”

He nodded, but this couldn’t happen again. Wren was too important to risk losing. After the storm, he’d hit up a local bar and work out his issues elsewhere. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I crossed a line.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m not.”

He did a double-take, and she grinned. That’s when he knew he was in trouble.

CHAPTER 5

“The Season Doesn’t Hit

The Same As It Did Before”

The treelighting ceremony kicked off Hideaway Harbor’s holiday festivities the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. Wren hated attending annual events alone because they served as a painful reminder that another year had passed. She’d grown another year older, spent another year alone.

So, like any cool person would, she took her dad as her date.

Her dad enjoyed the town events, as they gave him a chance to catch up with the locals and visit with his sister Astrid.

Once the speeches started, the mayor would undoubtedly mention the recent fundraising efforts for the cat sanctuary at The Haven, and everyone would stare at her—the local cat lady. But Bodhi would be by her side, making that unwanted attention a little more bearable.

She appreciated the townspeople. Without their help, the cats wouldn’t have heat and shelter for the winter, but beingknown only for cats really wasn’t the vibe any woman of thirty wanted to achieve.

By the time they made it into town, it was dark. She hadn’t meant to run late, but she was so flustered from her encounter with Greyson that morning that she’d forgotten to remind her dad the tree lighting was that night. Then she had to wait for him to get ready.

Not knowing when the snow would start, she decided to take her Jeep rather than walk. Bodhi always preferred being on foot and complained the entire two-minute drive into town.

“We could have walked,” he said, as Wren struggled to find a close parking space. “At this rate, we’ll park farther away than home.”

“Enough, Dad.” She spotted a small opening by the bank. “I didn’t want to walk home in the snow.”

“You act like we’re getting a blizzard. It’s only going to be three inches.”

“Greyson said eight.”