Read Online It's Not Christmas Without You (The Holloway Series) by HelenKay Dimon - Free Book Online

signed up for today’s conference.”
    “I’m here to see you.”
    That got her to let go of him and take a good step back. “Why?”
    “Yesterday.”
    She let out a long groan but only inside her head. “Yeah, about that.”
    “I wasn’t expecting that sort of greeting.”
    Probably because he wasn’t a crazy person. “Not surprising.”
    “It was, well, weird.”
    Poor guy sounded traumatized from Austin’s bizarre behavior. She sure was. “Austin has a strange sense of humor.”
    “Was his display supposed to be funny?”
    “Good question. I think he was trying to prove a point.”
    “You’re dating him.”
    This was where the definitions got tricky. Present tense. Past tense. She could be clearer if there was a tense that stood for sometimes .
    She shifted from one foot to the other as she weighed her words. “We’ve gone out over the years. He still lives in West Virginia.”
    Shawn lowered his voice as a group of conference attendees, all with shiny name badges, walked down the other side of the hall. “But he’s in D.C. now.”
    “Confusing, isn’t it?” From the way Shawn’s eyebrows snapped together she could tell it was. “Look, forget about tonight.”
    “We should go to dinner.”
    She was going to strangle Austin. Might even use her favorite scarf to do it. “You’re a very nice man, but—”
    “Not that. I mean all of us.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Your boyfriend—”
    “Ex.”
    “—wants you to go. He clearly wants to make a point.” Shawn shrugged. “My suggestion is that we play this out to see what he really has in mind.”
    Well, well, well. Look at Shawn being all conniving. She liked it. “You’d be willing to go through heaven knows what for me?”
    Shawn laughed. “You think I’d miss this?”
    “It is kind of frightening to think what Austin has brewing.” She could only imagine what went on in that messed-up head of his.
    “And if we’re wrong and his intentions are good—”
    “Doubtful.”
    “We can have a nice dinner.” When she started to say something, Shawn stopped her. “As friends only.”
    She held out her hand. “You have a deal.”
    Shawn smiled. “And I think we should get there a half hour early. See if walking in after the supposed date has started knocks your man off stride.”
    Carrie frowned at how right the “your man” description felt. Despite all the craziness and cluelessness, with every word Austin wormed his way deeper into her heart. She should be furious with his interference in her life, but when she tried to dredge up some fury and write him off as a stalker type, she couldn’t. She knew he’d never hurt her and would leave if she insisted. She just couldn’t find the words or the will to order him gone.
    “That could be interesting.” And by that she meant nuts.
    “I’m counting on this being the most entertaining date of my life.”
    She feared it would be.
     
    Austin buttoned his shirt over a clean gray tee. He kept shifting the small mirror on the office wall to get a good look at his teeth. Hard to impress a woman with food in your teeth.
    Spence let the door close with a bang when he came in. “What kind of idiot sends his girlfriend on a date with another guy?”
    “Your quick-thinking brother, and this isn’t really a date. I’m going to be there.”
    “I hope this kind of stupid isn’t in the genes.”
    Since he forgot a comb, Austin used his fingers. It wasn’t as if Carrie expected him to show up in a tux. “This is the perfect solution.”
    “Are you sure because it sounds pretty damn dumb.”
    “She’s not interested in this other guy.” She’d barely looked at Shawn in the lot yesterday. Austin knew that was because she was too busy glaring at him, but that fact didn’t support his argument, so Austin kept it quiet.
    “Yet.”
    The word hung out there just long enough to make Austin twitchy. “Shawn is not her type.”
    “This is the same guy who works with her and shares her interest