“Evening? That’s what you call this?”
“Actually, it’s the dead of night. I went with evening because I thought good night would sound too much like goodbye—” She stopped abruptly and winced.
Internally, he winced too. They’d already had their goodbye in the form of a really great kiss. And just the thought of that kiss kicked his heart into high gear again.
Recovering quicker than he did, she smoothly motioned him inside the white limo. “We like to think of the darkness as cozy.” She smiled. “Just wait until Christmas.”
Her smile made him want to smile. But he refused. He had no intention of getting involved with this woman—for her sake, not his—and no intention of being a bundle of emotion around her. He would speak logic, behave logically and he would be fine.
When they were inside the limo, he pointed at her parka, thick mittens and the knit hat that hid her pretty yellow hair. “You can laugh because you’re all bundled up.”
“You’d think a genius would be smart enough to realize he was traveling to one of the coldest countries in the world and dress appropriately.”
He displayed the arm of his overcoat. “This is a winter coat.”
She shook her head. “You’re going to need something a little warmer.”
“I’ll call Stella.”
Kristen put her hand on his wrist before he could pull out his phone. “She broke her leg.”
Dean was so focused on how naturally, how easily she touched him, and how normal it felt to have her touch him, that he almost missed what she’d said. When it sunk in, he said. “Stella broke her leg?”
“Walking on the tarmac to get to the big jet, she lost her balance and fell. While we waited for the ambulance that took her to the ER, she insisted the flight go without her. When she’s well enough to travel she said she’d catch up.”
Dean sighed. “She needs to stay in bed for a few days, not fly across an ocean. I’ll call her later and make sure she stays right where she is.”
“Are you going to be okay without your right hand?”
“She’s not my right hand. She’s my people person.”
“She talks to people for you?”
Dean peered at her, not sure if she was kidding. Jason had insisted he needed a date for the Christmas party to make him look normal, but they’d spent almost three entire days together. Surely, she didn’t still think he was a social misfit. Though her having that wrong assumption might work to prevent her from getting the wrong idea about the kiss, it didn’t sit well with his pride. He couldn’t let her believe there was something hugely wrong with him.
“No. She takes care of things that involve other people. Like, when you needed a gown, she helped you get one. The employees needed to be rounded up and at the airport for their flight here, she arranged it.”
He sighed, suddenly realizing the hole that would be left without Stella. “She was the one who would have been getting lift tickets and rental cars and all those things for the twenty people and their families we brought here.” He rubbed his hand across his mouth. “We’re screwed.”
“Your staff is smart enough to get their own lift tickets. And if they aren’t, I have an entire palace staff at my disposal. With Eva and Alex in Xaviera for another two days, they’re all yours. I’m happy to be your liaison.”
His gaze crawled over to hers. So much for getting himself away from her. The royals were out of town, which he now remembered her telling him. Stella was out of commission. Until he got to know the palace staff, he needed her.
And he wasn’t going to let his own personal longings get in the way. “Thank you. I appreciate the help.”
“It’s our pleasure. Even if Grennady only turns out to be a good place for your company to finish this one project, we want you to remember us fondly.”
Right. His plan was exactly the opposite. She tempted him to want things he knew he couldn’t have. So he intended to forget her, and everything about her.
“You want us to remember that your country didn’t suit us so we left?”
“No. We want your employees to remember skiing and snowboarding. Sleigh rides. Hot cocoa. Hot toddies. Snuggling in front of fireplaces. We want them and their families to go home and talk about what a great time they had here.”