Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35174 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Chapter Eight
Livingston Rhodes crossed his arms over his torso as he watched Daisy careening down one of the innertube ice slides they had at Christmas Fest. Her grin was powerful enough to stop his heart as she raced down the ice, her hair streaming out behind her. Beside her a small child went in his. Separate slides kept apart by barriers.
She bounced out at the bottom, still laughing. Daisy glanced at him as she strode out of the area, her brown eyes sparkling as she gave him a slight grin. Without slowing, she made her way up to him and slid her arms around his waist, head back to keep looking at him.
“Thank you.”
Damn, it was hard to keep his serious look when she gazed at him with such adorability. He didn’t move, but he wasn’t a fan of how she stepped back.
He shrugged like it didn’t matter to him. Honestly, he didn’t give a fuck about any of this, but he wanted her happy and smiling. He had no happy holiday memories.
“Do you play bocce?”
He flattened his lips. “No.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re going to. Come on.” Grasping his hand, she dragged him off.
As they moved through those gathered, he knew people watched as this small sprite of a woman hauled him through the crowd. Her in her jeans and sweatshirt while he wore a suit that cost more than most people’s clothing in here.
He groaned as she stopped them at a bocce court on ice.
“Look, they even look like curling rocks.”
“Not a fan of curling either.”
She smacked him in the chest. “If you’re going to be grouchy, go away. Send Finnegan, I bet he’s fun.” Daisy looked around. “Where is he?”
“With the car.”
“What?”
Definitely enraged, by the tone.
“That man doesn’t need to sit in the car while we’re in here. You can wait there and send him here to have fun.”
He tipped his head to look her in the eye. “You do realize he’s the driver, right?”
“I realize he’s a human being and doesn’t need to be forced to sit alone in a car while I’m here having fun. Never mind, we can leave.”
Unsure of the game she was playing, he decided to call her bluff. “Okay.”
She shot him a glare but strode away toward the exit. She wasn’t kidding and Livingston didn’t like that guilty feeling that exploded inside his chest. He knew she just wanted to be out and doing something for the holiday. And, as she was fond of reminding him, she’d not asked him to come along—he’d forced himself on her day and was now ruining it.
“Hang on,” he said as he lengthened his stride to overtake her. “Daisy.”
She stopped but didn’t turn back to look at him. Not even a glare. Before her he could see Peppermint Lane, which they’d wound through to get into the fest. All the smiling faces as families entered made him feel even worse.
“I’ll ask him if he’d like to come.” He knew Finnegan would say no. They didn’t have a relationship like that, where the man would want to hang out with his boss.
“Don’t bother.” Subdued, her tone grated on him. Still without looking at him, she walked to the exit.
“I thought you wanted to ice skate.”
“I do, but it’s not worth it to me if you can’t even allow your employee any fun. Take me back to the hotel, I’ll just do some work.” She continued on her way.
Again, not at all like the women he was used to dealing with. They would have caved and made him buy them things. Not this woman. The silence between them was strained as they went to the car.
Finnegan was in the driver’s seat but hopped out when he saw them approaching.
“Sir?” the man asked as he popped open the backdoor.
“Hotel, Finnegan.” He gestured for Daisy to go first.
Instead, she stopped by Finnegan and pushed up and whispered something in his ear. Whatever it was, it made his driver blush and nod. At least until he saw Livingston looking, then he was the emotionless driver he’d had for years.
Daisy scrambled into the car and he followed. The click of the door urged him forward to where he could touch this woman who had blown back into his life and turned it upside down.
She held herself stiff and he hated it. Didn’t want any barriers or walls between them. Her gaze remained out of the window and he curled a hand into a fist.
“We both know there’s nothing interesting out there to look at.”
“Same as in here,” she snipped back.
“You decided to leave, not me.”
“Must be cold in your ivory tower, Mr. Rhodes. I want nothing to do with that and how you treat people there. I get it, you don’t want me out alone and that’s fine. I’ll make sure I take someone with me next time I go. There’s not any need for you to feel like you should lower yourself to go.”