He walked toward her apartment. At her door, he heard her practicing her solo and frowned. Apparently, she planned to stick around for Christmas. Maybe she was waiting until he inherited his grandmother’s money. Then she could disappear with her son and live in style. He banged on her door. When she opened it, he forced a smile. “You left this in the car with the doors unlocked.” “That was stupid of me. Both of my hands were full of moving boxes. I intended to go back for it, but the phone rang, and I forgot.” Brance fought the urge to blast her. Instead, he remained cool and pretended nothing was wrong. “How was work?” She sighed. “Busy. The last minute Christmas panic is on. My feet ache after being on them all day.” “Speaking of Christmas, what would you like?” Her eyes softened. “Oh, Brance. The house and everything you’ve done is plenty. Don’t waste the money.” “We’ll consider the new furniture our Christmas present.” “That’s fine,” Allison said, giving him a sweet smile.
