Free Blame It on the Mistletoe by Nicole Michaels Page B

Plus I was sort of curious about this class.” He picked up a loose hair and tucked it behind her ear. She froze.
    “Stop it.” She swatted his hand away, ignoring his smile. “It’s six twenty. I still have to get ready.”
    His gaze ran down her body, taking in her jeans, T-shirt and work apron. It was the sturdy construction type of apron you picked up from a hardware store, handy for holding all of her tools while she taught or worked.
    “This is kind of hot, Brooke.” He grabbed a corner of her apron.
    “Oh my god, will you
stop
.” She turned around just in time to see sixteen sets of eyes immediately turn and try to appear busy. “Go sit down and be quiet until I’m finished.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” She then realized her mistake. He went and sat in an empty chair in the corner of the class area, so now she had to wrap things up with him as part of her audience. How embarrassing.
    “Okay, ladies, is everybody happy with their piece?” She was pleased with the enthusiastic response. She needed to get her thoughts together, but her mouth had suddenly gone dry. “Well, make sure you get a little bag here to put it in, and we have about ten minutes if anyone would like to purchase any supplies to make some of these at home. It’s super easy and would make great gifts for Christmas. Okay, well, thank you. I’ll just be … around … if you have … uh … any questions.”
    Brooke blew out a breath and made her way to the restroom. She needed a quick minute, and she was pretty sure she had glue on her face. Yep, there it was right on her cheek. Her hair was a riot pulled up on her head in a messy ponytail and she had barely put any makeup on today. Why was he so early? She picked the now-dried glue off her cheek, washed her hands, and made her way back out front.
    She wasn’t surprised to find a couple of ladies speaking with Alex. She was, however, annoyed when she realized one of them was the newly divorced Eve Wells, who, if she recalled, was one of young Alex’s many paramours. Ugh! Eve’s boobs were squeezed into her sweater so tightly, it looked like one might pop. And it just might, because Brooke was pretty sure Eve wasn’t sporting the same breasts she’d had in high school.
    Funny how Brooke had enjoyed Eve’s quick grin and easy jokes during the soldering class, but now the sound of her laugh made her skin crawl. Surely Alex wasn’t truly flirting with her while he was inside Brooke’s shop—to pick her up for a date no less? He may be a player, but that would just be really low.
    Ignoring them, Brooke went up front to ring in the purchases. She was thrilled with the way this evening’s class had gone. At forty bucks a student she was already pleased, but it also appeared that nearly everyone was making some sort of additional purchase. She prayed that this kind of business continued through December. She really felt like if she could get the word out, the rest would be history.
    She finished with another customer and then felt a warm wall lean up against her back. Her first instinct was to tense, but then his gentle hand landed on her hip beneath her apron.
    “It’s just me,” He whispered into her ear. “Mind if I wait upstairs? I have to get away from your customers. They’re scaring me.”
    She couldn’t help the smile that bloomed, and she was tempted to relax into him. Instead she turned her head to the side and whispered. “Okay, I’ll be up soon.”
    His fingers squeezed her, and then he walked away toward the back, not stopping to speak to anyone. The entire transaction felt way too intimate and public. And the whole
I’ll be up soon
was just so … coupleish. What was she
thinking
? She got back to work. Thanking people as they left, it was finally Eve’s turn to check out. Brooke took her soldering iron, flux, and glass slides. “I’m glad you’re going to try this some more at home, Eve. You did a really great job. Please feel free to come in if you need some