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Declan whistled. “What kind of display? How big?”
“I mean…it’s a five-man job.”
“Are you sure? Or is that just what your former installer told you?”
“It’s a huge undertaking. Everything has to go in a certain order and be specifically placed—”
“You’re not going to be hovering over my shoulder the whole time, are you?”
Holly gritted her teeth. “Not if you’re doing it right.”
He crossed his arms over his chest with a sigh. “Before I agree, I’d like to take a look at it. Make sure I’m not getting in over my head because it is just me. How long do I have to finish this important undertaking?”
“Friday.”
“Next Friday?”
“No, like, three days from now. Friday.”
“You’re killing me, Winters.” Holly ignored the regretful twinge that he hadn’t called her Elf. Even though she’d brought it up when Holly was angry at him, the way he said it sometimes, almost tenderly, hadn’t been horrible. In fact, it made her secretly smile.
“I’ll come over tomorrow morning at eight.”
“Great. Don’t be late.”
“I’ll be punctual, but there’s one more thing.”
“What?”
“Should you really be so hostile when I’m your last hope?”
Holly was ready to tear her hair out. Or his. “I’m sorry, your other thing?”
“If I take the job, no more pranks. Ever.”
Holly hated the triumphant gleam in his eyes but Erica had a point. She needed Declan. Painful to admit, but she did.
“If you fulfill your end, I’ll never pull another prank on you.”
“Magnanimous of you,” he said.
“Oh, bite me!” Holly spun away from him, ignoring several gasps as she stomped out of the store and back to her shop. When she walked through the door, the alarm above let out a loud ho ho ho and for the first time she agreed with her sister Merry. That was annoying.
Erica looked up from dusting. “How did it go?”
“Like I need to bathe in holy water.”
“But did he say yes?”
“He did.”
Erica did a little hip dance. “Sexual tension for the win.”
“Don’t make me fire you.”
CHAPTER 14
Declan came out of his room Wednesday morning with Leo hot on his heels crying for his breakfast. It was half past seven and Declan glanced at the silent TV as he passed. Normally his dad was up at six tinkering around and then parked in front of the tube with a breakfast sandwich for a few hours to watch the morning news, but ever since he started hanging with this new friend, his father had completely abandoned his routine. And while Declan was glad his dad seemed happy, he still didn’t like all the secrecy.
