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NICHOLAS

I put my head in my hands and take a slow breath. It’s only eight o’clock on a Monday morning, but somehow the day already feels too long. My assistant called last night to let me know her father had fallen and she wouldn’t be in this morning. Of course, I told her to take all the time she needs, but I’m only two hours into the workday and already know one thing for certain: She deserves a raise.

If something could go wrong this morning, it has. As the owner of one of the biggest construction companies in the South, I’m used to having a lot going on, but today seems determined to test me. The water department showed up at one job site. The gas department showed up at another. And I just got off the phone with my friend, Maverick. His is a special project I’ve been working on for over a year, and I’m glad to say it’s completed and even finished early. He’s opening a new women’s shelter in Big Wood called Hope’s Haven, and I’m proud to be a part of it.

I stand, grabbing my keys, ready to drive over to Hope’s Haven and personally turn over the keys to him when I hear the front door jingle, letting me know someone just walked in.

I blow out a frustrated breath. What now?

I put my keys in my pocket and walk out of my office toward the lobby, but I stop at the sight in front of me.

I know I shouldn’t, but I’m not exactly sure how to resist. I let my eyes travel down the woman’s body and back up again, taking her in. She’s about a foot shorter than me with curves in all the right places. Her cheeks are rosy pink, her lashes are long, and I catch the blue of her eyes as she blinks up at me. Her blond hair falls in curls over her shoulders. She’s dressed in jeans and a…

Wait, is that a Christmas shirt?

My eyes flick back to hers. “Uh, hello.” I walk toward her with my hand held out. “I’m Nicholas Winters. How can I help you?”

If possible, her cheeks turn even brighter. She’s attracted to me. I know the look, and I’m sure it’s mirrored on my own face.

She tilts her head to the side. “Nicholas Winters?”

I nod, and her smile gets even bigger.

“As in Nick? St. Nick? And Winters? You have a Christmas name?”

She seems so excited about my name that I try to hold back my usual bah humbug response whenever someone associates me with anything Christmas. “Right. Uh, you can call me Nick.”

She puts her hand in mine, and I feel a jolt shoot up my arm. Her eyes widen, and I know she felt it too.

She murmurs, “Hi. I’m Joy Holly. Yes, a Christmas name too. I, uh, have an appointment with Rachel Stevens.”

We stand there with her hand still in mine, and I brush my thumb across her soft skin. Fuck, I need to let her go, but it’s absolutely the last thing I want to do.

Reluctantly, I release her hand and take a step back. “Rachel had a family emergency. She won’t be in today.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh no. I hope everything is okay.”

I nod. “Yeah, she’s fine. Her father fell. He’s okay, but she’s taking some time off to care for him.”

She tilts her head and looks at me. “Okay. Can you help me then, or would you rather I wait until she comes back?”

Can I help her? Fuck. I’m thinking of all the things I could help her with, but every one of them is something I shouldn’t be thinking the first time I meet someone. If she knew what was going through my head right now, she’d probably run for the hills.

But of course, I nod. “Yeah, I can help. Come on in and have a seat.”

I gesture toward my office, and she walks past me.

I inhale as she passes, and I swear she smells like cinnamon and vanilla.

I adjust myself before following her. Fuck. Bad idea. The sight of her ass in those blue jeans only makes the bulge in my pants worse.

I go straight to the other side of my desk and sit down. I gesture for her to take the chair across from me and rest my arms on the desk. “What can I do for you?”

She pulls a notepad from her purse. “So I was meeting with Rachel today to talk about the Christmas decorations.”

I grimace. “Christmas.”