Marry Me at Christmas (Fool's Gold #19)(27)

There were racks and racks of dresses on two levels. A catwalk surrounded the open room and there were more dresses up there.

“Good. I signed the contract for Amish Revenge 2.”

She headed for the stairs. “Seriously? That’s so great.”

“You can’t tell anyone.”

She reached the catwalk, pausing just long enough to look back at him. “Are you sure? Because that Hollywood Reporter guy is calling at three.”

“Very funny. You didn’t try to sell that girl a dress.”

“Janet? The dress she had on didn’t suit her at all. She has delicate features and is small boned. The dress overwhelmed her. I knew it wasn’t the one, but it was the picture in her head.”

She walked to the far side of the catwalk, then began sorting through dresses. She knew the exact one she was looking for.

“Got it,” she said, and pulled it off the rack. “I’ve learned you have to just go with their idea. Sometimes it’s right and sometimes it isn’t. Once they’ve seen themselves in a mirror, it’s a lot easier to get them to try something else.”

“What if she doesn’t like any of your choices, either?”

“Then she’ll find her dress somewhere else.” She draped the dress over the railing. “I’m not saying I don’t want the sale. Of course I do. But it’s more important that she love her dress. There’s no point in forcing a dress on her that she’s going to hate.”

“How do you know which dress is right?”

“I’ve done this awhile. Sometimes it’s an instinct. Sometimes it’s just a matter of trying on different styles.” She collected a second dress and started for the stairs. Before she got there, Jonny had climbed to the landing and was holding out his arms.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Helping you.”

It was sweet. Silly, but sweet. She was up and down the stairs a dozen times a day. But she wasn’t going to say that to him. Not when they were standing so close.

With him one step down and her on the landing, they were exactly the same height. She could gaze directly into his beautiful green eyes. She could imagine her mouth pressed against his and feel the warmth of it. If she tossed the dresses over the side and threw herself at him, they could be body to body as they kissed.

Of course, he would be surprised by her rushing him and they would probably fall end over end, down the flight of stairs and be seriously injured, but for one brief shining moment...

She held in a laugh and passed him the dresses.

“Thanks.”

“Welcome.”

She followed him down the stairs. When they reached the main floor, she took the dresses from him and put them on a rolling rack. She added two others and then looked at him.

“I have to get these to Janet.”

“Right. I should go.”

Neither of them reached for the door.

“I have to buy a Christmas present,” he blurted.

“Excuse me?”

“For my manager. I never have. It turns out that I give lots of gifts every year. I’m sure they’re appropriate, but it’s not me. It’s her staff. Mostly her assistant. I’ve been with Annelise nearly ten years and I’ve never bought her a gift.”

Madeline was having trouble making sense of the words. “Your manager is a woman?”

“Yeah. She’s great. She takes care of me. I want to get her something. Like a thank-you present, but for Christmas. Where should I shop?”

“At a store? There are several in town. Or online.” Didn’t the man ever go to the mall, like a regular person?

Madeline thought about the chaos Jonny Blaze would cause in a mall. Okay, that was out. “Oh, there’s the gift bazaar this weekend. You could go there. Some of the things are silly, but a lot are nice. There’s usually some beautiful artwork and jewelry. Clothes, fudge.” She paused to have a taste flashback. “The fudge is really good.”

“Want to go with me?”

Naked? Could he be naked? Oh, wait. She didn’t want that in public. “Sure. I have a morning appointment, but I’m free in the afternoon.”

He flashed her a smile. A beautiful, wide, sexy, Jonny Blaze smile. On the big screen it was pretty compelling, but in person, it left her weak at the knees.

“Thanks,” he said, and leaned toward her.

One second there was nothing, the next his mouth brushed against hers. The heat was amazing. Breath-stealing. Perfect.

“I’ll see you here at noon. We’ll grab lunch, then go to the bazaar.”

She nodded because the act of speaking would use too many brain cells and right now they were busy storing the feel of his warm mouth against hers.

“See you Saturday.”

With that, he was gone. Still enjoying the tingle aftermath, Madeline wheeled the dresses toward the changing room and wondered if her math skills were good enough for her to calculate exactly how many hours that was going to be.

* * *

Jonny wasn’t sure what to expect at the Fool’s Gold holiday gift bazaar, but the first thing that stumped him was the location.

“I didn’t know this town had a convention center,” he admitted. He parked his SUV, then looked at the concrete-block structure. “It’s kind of ugly.”