Christmas Clash by Dana Volney Read Free Book Online Page A

solid five hours of coffee drinking under her belt and could practically feel the liquid coursing through her veins.
    She checked out the way he looked from her lower angle. His jeans fit and moved nicely against his ass and thighs.
It could be worse.
She could have to deal with an arrogant man whom she didn’t know at all and had no basis to not like her. On second thought, that was exactly who she was
dealing with.
Ugh. I need to find better company.
    When she reached the top stairs, the landing opened into a larger loft area. Hardwood floors, like the downstairs, with hand-carved posts she’d never noticed from the vantage point of the first floor spread out over a large loft. Tables and chairs were stacked along the outer perimeter of the room. The walls donned old Irish-looking paintings and green decorated stained glass mirrors for accents.
    “Let’s set this up.” Luke pointed to the table and chairs. He reached to his shoulder and pulled off one of the rags he’d been carrying. She hadn’t even noticed them. She’d been too busy looking at his assets. She really needed to stop doing that. On second thought, looking was the only thing fun about dealing with Luke. She’d continue to steal glances and she wouldn’t feel badly either. It was the least she deserved for dealing with him.
    “Help me clean them off, too.” He handed her a rag.
    She overestimated their distance and her fingers ran up to his wrist. She lightly scraped them down his palm and took hold of the rag. She glanced at his face, but he didn’t seem to care.
    Luke grabbed a chair stacked on a beautiful grand oval wooden table.
    “That is gorgeous.” She moved closer to the dark table. “Why don’t you use this space?”
    “Haven’t had a need.”
    “You could do so much up here.” She used large sweeping motions to wipe off the top. White dust filled the air, causing her to sneeze.
    “Bless you.”
    She instinctually laughed. Every time someone around her sneezed, she heard Elaine from
Seinfeld
say, “You are
so
good lookin’.”
    “What’s so funny?”
    “Nothing.” She sniffed and bent to wipe the table legs. The dust lifted easily, and she ran her hand over the top of the table. It wasn’t sticky. It was the smoothest, creamiest wood she’d ever touched.
    “What kind of wood is this?”
    “I don’t know. My granddad made it.”
    “It should be displayed, not hidden away up here.” She looked at him, expecting him to agree and make a plan right then and there.
    “I have no use for it downstairs.”
    “Well, when this is all over and you still have your pub, you should consider using this space. It would be a great place for your office and a reminder of your heritage.”
    “Stop trying to design my pub and just help me set up.”
    She crinkled her nose and lifted one side of the table as he lifted the other. She took baby steps to the middle of the room.
Beauty sure is heavy.
She self-talked herself into being strong and not dropping her end.
    “Here is good,” he said.
    She set her end down and looked around again. There were five more tables along the edges. The big table they had just moved fit ten chairs. The smaller ones on the side of the room each fit five. The chairs to the tables were stacked. They were all the same color wood and all looked to have the same great craftsmanship as the banister. Luke’s granddad must have put a lot of time and effort into the furnishings.
    Candace’s stomach tightened.
And he could lose it because of me.
She couldn’t think on the horrible notion too long or she’d have to run to the bathroom and throw up. She focused on the positive: their plan.
    They started wiping down the chairs and setting them up. Her stomach growled. She turned her wrist to check her silver watch. Two o’clock. She’d barely had breakfast and missed lunch. She really
was
upset.
Well, that’s just unacceptable.
    The smell of burgers, Reubens, and fries found her nose and she licked her lips,