I pull my phone out of my pocket and frown at the screen. How the hell do I keep missing these calls? Another voicemail confirms I’m still playing phone tag with the home office. My finger hovers over the keyboard, ready to dial my boss again, but an incoming call interrupts me. It’s an unknown number, which I usually ignore, but something tells me I want to take this one.

“Jack Hartley.”

“Hey, Jack! It’s Dan Martin. Merry Christmas, man. Been a long time.”

“Dan, thanks for getting back to me.” I snake my way through the volunteer crowd and slip out the back door for a little quiet. “Do you think you’ll be able to fit in a stop today? I’d really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, definitely. Based on what you sent, it’s exactly the kind of thing we want to cover, especially at this time of year. I’ll be there tonight.”

“Great. Thanks again, Dan.”

“You’ve got it.”

Click.

A smile plays at my lips. It’s the least I can do.

The back door swings open and one of the high school girl volunteers, maybe her name is Mandy, flashes a seductive smile at me. “Jack, we thought we’d lost you! Come inside for some hot chocolate. You can’t escape yet.” She pulls me back inside and whispers, “You never know. Maybe we’ll find some mistletoe along the way.”

I shrug out of her grip and paste a tight smile on my face. “Listen, that’s really flattering, but I’m just here to work. Period.”

She slides herself against me, running a finger down the front of my shirt. “That’s very sweet of you. Such a Good Samaritan. Your do-gooder ways get me really hot.”

Jesus Christ! I never want a daughter. Never, never, never.

I try to back away, but there’s a wall behind me. She’s got me trapped. Dammit.

Maybe Mandy is still grinning at me, her eyes full of promises I have absolutely no intention of cashing in on. The sound of footsteps gets louder and louder, and I pray that it isn’t her cronies looking to close in on me in this darkened stock room.

A head pokes around the corner and my breath catches.

“Oh.” Camryn’s voice is laced with surprise and disappointment. “I’m sorry to interrupt. I just needed to grab some cornmeal.” She plucks a couple of boxes from a shelf and twists away without another word. She didn’t need to say anything. I got her message, loud and clear.

I put my hands on Maybe Mandy’s shoulders and gently move her out of my path. “Like I said, I’m just here to work.”

I leave her sputtering to herself that I must be completely blind or gay. I hurry back into the kitchen where Cam is pouring the cornmeal into a bowl. I grasp her wrist. “Can I talk to you?”

She looks at me with a smile so forced it makes me cringe. “Oh, are you looking for something to do? I thought you’d already found it. My bad.”

“Please,” I murmur. “Just give me a second.”

With a deep sigh, she wipes her hands on the front of her apron and follows me to the office. I close the door behind us and she faces me, her arms folded, lips stretched tight across her face.

“Look, Jack, I don’t want to rain on your parade, and I certainly don’t have any claims to you. Feel free to play Hide the Salami with the preschooler, but please just do it after your shift is over. We have a lot of work to do, and I really don’t want—”

I place my hands on her shoulders and crush my lips against hers. They’re exactly as I remember — so soft and sweet. The taste of coffee lingers on her mouth, and I drink her in, allowing her to infuse my body and soul for the first time in so long. It’s where she belongs, and I want her to know that, regardless of whether or not she wants it to be so. My tongue coils with hers, her fingers digging into the back of my neck and tangling in my hair as the kiss deepens. I pull her closer, rubbing the curvature of her spine, her body melting into mine.

Without warning, she pulls away, a look of confusion shadowing her features. “What the hell was that all about?” she gasps.

I rake a hand through my hair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

She smooths the front of her apron, straightening herself. “This isn’t a freaking brothel, Jack. What the hell do you think you’re doing? The infant and then me?” She tucks her hair behind her ears.

“You didn’t stop me.”

“You caught me by surprise,” she huffs. “What were you doing back there anyway?”

“Are you jealous?”

With a snort, she tries to push past me. “Please! She’s a child, for Christ’s sake!”

I position myself in front of the door. “Nothing happened, Cam. I mean, she tried, but I wasn’t interested.”

Cam cocks an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? Why is that? Her boobs are too perky for you?”

I snicker. “I never looked.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I was coming back in to find you because I have some news you might be interested in.”

“Really. And the kiss? What was that all about? Don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate to attack me like that? Especially under the circumstances? I mean, we’re here trying to prepare and you just—”

“You wouldn’t stop talking. Kind of like now.” I grin. “I couldn’t tell you the news if you were still yapping about that girl and her perky boobs.”

“I knew you looked.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m a guy. Of course, I looked. The important thing is they didn’t do much for me.”

“Important for whom, exactly? Because I really don’t care one way or another.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes!” She narrows her eyes.

I nod slowly. “Okay. Like I said, I’m sorry. I should have tried another tactic.” But even though that glare of hers sears through me, her wistful expression tells a different story…one where she wanted that kiss to continue. She can swear up and down that she didn’t want it, but I caught her sneaking little sidelong glances over the past couple of hours, especially the ones that wished death upon Maybe Mandy as she rubbed herself against me every time she grabbed something off a shelf or flashed her ass whenever she bent over.

Cam kissed me back because she wanted to, because despite the feelings we’ve been nursing over the past five years, she hasn’t forgotten us.

Neither have I.

And a high school kid in a too-short skirt who came to work without wearing underwear isn’t about to change that. Perky tits or not.

“Apology accepted.” She sniffs. “I guess I’m just a little stressed, too. I shouldn’t have flipped out like that. I just…” She bites her lower lip and stares down at the computer screen. “I just want to make sure we’re on the same page about what’s going on here.”

“Which is?”

She looks up at me. “Today is about helping people and spreading holiday cheer. That’s all.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here. That’s what I want to do, Cam. Look, the kiss was bad form. I get it and I apologize. But this place…I see how passionate you are about it, how much being here charges you. I want people to see the good that can be done here.” I smile. “Which is why I came to find you. I have a friend who covers local news for some of the larger, regional news outlets. A lot of his stories go national. He’s coming by tonight to check things out and give you guys some coverage.”

Cam’s eyes widen and her jaw drops. “He’s coming here to do a story about Feedn Time?”

I nod. “This is really important for the company. All of this prep you’re doing, the volunteers you’ve recruited, the people you’ll be serving…it’s all because of the success you’ve had with Feedn Time. You’re giving back to the community as an act of goodwill. Paying it forward. You produce a product, and your product brings people comfort and happiness at times when they need it most. That’s a story people will love, especially during the holiday season.” I pause, waiting for her to finally speak.

Finally, the words come out. “And you just made a call to get your friend over here on Christmas Eve?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, he owed me a favor anyway.” I shrug. “Like I said the other day, I want to help get Feedn Time some buzz. Even if your dad hates me and refuses to work with us, I still want to make amends. If this can give you guys a boost, hopefully, it’ll be good for business. You’ll be able to branch out of the local markets. And other investors will take note, ones that your dad won’t kick out of his office. You can get the money you need to expand and take this across the country.”

With a squeal, Cam throws her arms around my neck and squeezes. I breathe in the sweet smell of cinnamon sugar clinging to her hair and clothes, wrapping my arms around her.

God, this feels so right, even after so much time has passed. A startling realization comes over me. I don’t want to let her go again. I don’t care if her father hates me. I don’t care if he refuses to work with me. This thing between us is real. It never faded away, it was always with me. She was always with me.

A pang in my chest reminds me that there are two people locked in an embrace in this moment. And one of them has made it pretty damn clear that help and holiday cheer are the only things on the menu for today.

The same thought seems to occur to Cam at that exact moment because she drops her arms and shuffles backward, a deep pink flush creeping up the sides of her face. “This is really exciting. Thank you.”

I clear my throat. “It’s my pleasure. You, um, may want to call your parents and Tessa so they can be here, too.”

“Yes, I’ll definitely do that.” Cam smooths her hair and runs her hands down the front of her apron. “We’d better get back to work.” She pulls open the door, and with one final glance over her shoulder at me, she heads back to her pie making.

I run a hand through my hair and pull out my phone. Another missed call. Dammit. It’s from the home office again. I stuff it back in my pocket. Christmas Eve is in full swing by now across the pond. Whatever they’re dying to tell me can wait until the twenty-sixth. I stuff it back into my pocket.

I don’t give a shit about the portfolio right now. I don’t care about the contract. I don’t give a flying fuck if Ian is pissed off at me.

I only care about Cam. She’s the only thing I’ve ever really cared about.

I just need to figure out a way to prove that to her.