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“Call me Chris. We’re all adults here.” Chris waved to the gifts Declan was carrying and added, “Holly, why don’t you grab those and put them somewhere. Come on in, son. Take a load off.”
Holly held her arms out for the packages and Declan set them in her arms, his full lips smirking. “The pink one is for you.”
“Is it a stink bomb this time? Or a real rattlesnake?”
“You’ll have to open it to find out.”
Holly didn’t really think Declan would booby trap a gift for her to open in front of her family, but she could be wrong.
“By the way, thanks for the chocolates. They were worth unwrapping.”
Declan grinned. “You’re welcome.”
Her dad called out to him again, and he walked away, leaving her still befuddled by the new Declan. She set the four gifts on the kitchen island, and her sister came up next to her, whispering, “Well, Declan sure cleans up nice, don’t you think?”
“I know what you’re doing and you need to stop,” Holly grumbled.
“What am I doing?”
“You think there is some undercurrent of attraction and you’re trying to make me realize it with your gentle prodding, but here is the issue, Mer. I’m a relationship no-go even with people I actually get along with and have things in common with. You really think anything is going to happen with a guy I’m constantly fighting with? I’m more likely to go out with Sam than Declan.”
“Heard my name,” Sam said, coming up alongside Holly and grabbing a beer from the large round cooler at the edge of the island. “Good things I hope?”
“Just that you’re in my top five dateable men in Mistletoe,” Holly said, slipping an arm around Sam’s waist because she knew it would chase her sister off. Merry thought Sam would try to take advantage of Holly or something, but Sam was a friend, someone she never even considered crossing the line with.
She just hadn’t told her sister that yet.
Merry shot Sam a death stare, and he threw up his hands. “I’m not touching her, she’s touching me.”
“Keep it that way,” Merry warned, leaving them alone to go talk to Clark and Declan, who were hanging with Chris in the living room.
Holly’s gaze met Declan’s briefly before he turned his attention to whatever Clark was saying, and Holly extracted her arm from around Sam’s waist.
“So, what did your sister do this time?” Sam asked, opening his beer bottle on the side of the ice chest.
“Trying to set me up with my mortal enemy, Declan Gallagher.”
Are you really feeling that way, or putting on a show because you’re afraid your family might pick up on your attraction to him?
She angled her head toward the living room and Sam followed her gesture, his expression considering.
“I didn’t recognize him without the beard. I mean, not many guys are that tall, but he looks like an accountant all cleaned up like that.”
“Well, he’s not. He’s a giant pain in my ass.”
“Really? Then why do you keep sneaking glances at him?” Sam teased.
“I’m not!” she whispered harshly. Leave it to Sam to notice something like that!
“You sure? Cause he’s doing the same thing to you. Of course, who could blame him. You in that dress?” Sam whistled. “We could make your sister’s worst fears a reality.”
Holly rolled her eyes, but appreciated the compliment. The knee-length black bodycon had been hanging in the back of her closet for far too long, and since she hadn’t had a date in six months, by choice, she thought it was about time to bust it out.
“No thanks. I’m trying to avoid drama.”
“Since when?” he asked.
“Since always!”
