“Pretty impressive, huh?” a deep voice said from behind her, causing January to jump in surprise as she turned around.
What she found was no less impressive than the displays that had garnered her attention. A tall man with dark, almost black hair smiled warmly while balancing a large cardboard box in his well-muscled arms. Arms that stretched navy blue shirt sleeves to their limits.
With an apologetic smirk rising above his scruffy jaw, the mystery man murmured, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He adjusted the box in his grasp.
“It’s okay. I’m usually not so easily distracted, especially not with Christmas displays.”
He situated the box again and she asked if he needed any help, taking a step toward him.
“No, that’s okay. Joey!” he shouted across the shop. It didn’t take long for a thin teenager to step over to them. “Can you start unpacking these onto tree fourteen?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.”
January watched as the teen quickly took the box from mystery man’s arms and carried it over to one of the decorated Christmas trees.
“Now,” he stated, bringing her attention back to him. “Can I help you find anything?”
“You work here?”
January never would have imagined this rugged man with a hint of CEO running through his veins would be caught dead working at Nick’s Knacks. He didn’t have that down-home air about him. Instead, he reminded her of many of the men in high profile positions that she has interviewed for the paper. The only local thing about this particular man was his pair of boots and worn-in denim jeans.
“For the time being.”
Ah, so he is without a steady job, she thought to herself.
Or at least she thought she had said it to herself, his answering chuckle let her know otherwise.
“Actually, I’m a dentist by profession, but my grandparents run this place and asked for some help during the holidays.”
With her spiked heel proverbially shoved into her mouth, January babbled, “Well, that’s very. . .”
“Kind. Thoughtful. Considerate. Selfless. Any of those would fit nicely.”
“Hmm. . .” she mumbled as she took a step toward the Christmas trees, leaving her friend to fend for herself in the Santa’s Workshop.
January had hoped that she would be able to leave the conversation with some pride intact, but the stranger wasn’t on board with that idea. He quickly followed in step behind her.
“You seem like someone that has come here with a purpose. Let me help, and I can get you out of the Christmas section before you break out in hives.”
She tried to ignore him, but as she glanced down at her hands, she noticed that they were turning red and splotchy. The rest of her exposed skin most likely looked the same. January took a mental note to research being allergic to Christmas when she arrived home.
Quietly, she said, “An ornament,” as she continued to take in each of the trees. There were classically decorated designs, beach-themed, some in a specific color, others using natural décor. Each was beautiful in their own way – as much as it killed her to admit.
She could feel the man’s stare on her profile as he studied her. Admitting that he wasn’t going to leave anytime soon, January wove an invisible white flag in surrender and turned slightly toward him.
“I get my parents an ornament for Christmas every year, and I forgot.”
“What style do they have?”
She blinked at him as if he had just asked her to solve world hunger.
“Um. . .Christmassy? I don’t know, I just find something shiny, and that’s that.”
The man chuckled at her response, which caused her already pink skin to flush in embarrassment.
“Let’s stick with something classic then.”