Page 38 of Santa Baby

She shook her head. “No, why?”

“Did someone die?”

“What?” Her head popped up from behind the camera, her eyes going round. “Who died?”

“I’m asking you. You’re acting weird.”

She cocked her head at me. “I’m not being weird. I’m doing my job.”

“You’ve barely said a word to me since you got here and you didn’t text me back this morning, or the day before.”

The column of her throat bobbed as she swallowed, her eyes downcast on the screen.

I didn’t want to come off as clingy. That was the last thing I wanted to do, but if she felt the same way I did, I had a sneaking suspicion that kiss, and our weekend in each other’s company, were making her feel off kilter.

“I’m just having an off day,” she tried to tell me, shaking her head again. “That’s all.”

“It’s not the kiss?”

She gritted her teeth and sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “Mason…”

“I’m sorry that happened.” I’m not. “It won’t happen again.” I really hope it does. “I think I got too far into character that night. I apologize if that made things weird between us.”

Her eyes met mine with an unreadable expression swirling behind them. I couldn’t tell if she was happy with the apology or exceedingly disappointed. “I don’t want you to apologize.”

“Then what do I do?” I asked, my voice crumbling. “I don’t like whatever is happening right now. You haven’t said a mean thing to me since you got here.”

She bit down on a smile. “I’m not being mean to you and that’s why you’re worried?”

“Yeah, actually. What happened?”

“Nothing happened.” She toyed with the tripod but kept her eyes on mine, rolling her lip between her teeth like she was trying to hold back what she really wanted to say.

“Just say it,” I pressed, leaning forward a bit.

“I just—wait, stay right there. Don’t. Move.” Her face dipped back behind the camera while adjusting the lens. My back felt pinched slouching forward like this but I held my position. “Smile, okay? Just a little one.”

“I don’t smile, Fia.”

“Yes, you do. I’ve seen it.”

“Well, you’re the only one who has.”

She peeked at me from behind the camera, shooting me a sharp, cat-like smile. There it was, finally. That attitude, that flare I’d missed. I hadn’t realized I’d given her the smile she so desperately wanted until the flash went off and she took a deep, restorative breath. “I think that’s the best we’re going to get.”

“Can I straighten up now?”

“Yeah, of course.” She waved a hand in dismissal and popped the camera off the tripod, flipping through the pictures before coming to a stop at my side. “See how bored you look?”

“Uh, thanks?”

“But this one is perfect. You look happy. You should look happy on your website, you know, so people think you actually like your job and care about your business.”

“You should teach this at Columbia.”

“They don’t teach marketing strategies?”

“Not to me. I have a team for that.”