Muffins And Mistletoe (A Starlight Hills Holiday Novella) by Debora Dennis Page B

She nodded and smiled, but her eyes never left Jimmy's face. They could be discussing the gala or making fun of her new haircut—she'd never know. Whatever his words, his voice soothed the ache in her heart, if only for a few minutes.

    A day's growth of beard covered his jaw line. Mesmerized by his sensual lips, she found herself hoping she'd catch a glimpse of a smile and she latched on to the husky rumble of his laugh. Had it been a whole week since they'd last spoken, seven days since those lips had touched hers?

    The next thing she knew a box of ornaments and fresh greens had been thrust into her arms. She blinked to clear her daydreaming vision to focus on Bitty and her detailed directions.

    Jimmy walked away and her gaze followed.

    The touch on her arm reminded her to focus on the box in her hands. "Don't forget to hang the mistletoe in the doorway," Bitty said with a wink.

    Sometime in the last few minutes, while Corinne had been zoning out to her own thoughts of Jimmy's lips on hers, the other committee members had arrived. The room now bustled with activity as they moved tables and covered them with bright red tablecloths. Festive Christmas music filled the hall; the ladies began to sing as they worked. She just didn't have it in her to share their enthusiasm to sing along.

    Maybe if " Blue Christmas" came on she'd reconsider.

    She moved about the room, doing her part, but Jimmy was never far away. She caught herself watching him work, putting his carpentry skills to good use. When Marie Trumble handed him a cup of coffee, Corinne's gut twisted at the easy smile that lit his face. Though Marie was ten years older and six months pregnant and Corinne had no reason to be jealous, their laughter still rocked her to the core. He was probably telling her how radiant she looked. Jimmy was never short on compliments.

    In what seemed like only minutes, the hall was shaping up to be a winter wonderland. Candles, poinsettias and fresh pine centerpieces arrived in boxes to be placed on every table, and gold and silver decorations were readied to be hung from the ceiling. With her last decorations placed on the buffet table, she pulled the mistletoe from the box and found herself searching for a ladder.

    She needed Jimmy and his ladder. Okay, she just needed Jimmy.

    She took a deep breath and planned the words in her head as her eyes searched the room for him. The only man carrying two-by-fours with a tool belt jingling at his waist wasn't hard to find.

    "Can we talk?" Her voice didn't crack, but she cringed at the desperation she heard.

    "I'm a little busy here, Corinne."

    She moved to the opposite side of the platform he was building, hoping to make eye contact. "I guess that's why you haven't been returning my texts or my calls?"

    "Yeah, well, it's a busy time of year."

    He pulled a nail from his belt and hammered it into the wood between them with a thud. Tears welled in her eyes and she didn't try to stop them. Jimmy needed to see them; he needed to see that he wasn't the only one in pain right now.

    Everything she planned to say stuck in her mouth like a glob of boardwalk taffy.

    "Jimmy, I didn't think I was ready. I thought you'd understand that I was only asking for time—"

    Bang . He hammered in another nail and then his narrowed eyes met hers across the platform. It might have been the reflections from the Christmas lights blinking around them, but she thought she caught a tear in his eyes, too.

    His jaw clenched and then he leaned toward her. All six-foot-one, broad shoulders and angry, tensed muscles focused on her. "It might as well have been no . You needed time to decide if you wanted to be my wife? Seems to me that would be something you'd know in your heart. You shouldn't need time to think about it. Hell, I've known since the fifth grade. I thought you did, too."

    He pulled out another nail and the hammer easily found its mark with another bang. Her whole body stiffened with the vibration