Million Dollar Christmas Bride - Holly Rayner Page 0,1

her eyes as she pushed the car door open. Reaching up, she tried to position the hood so that it wasn’t obscuring her vision but still shielded her from the falling raindrops.

This better be quick, she thought, as she contemplated the logistics of the conversation ahead. I’ll give this guy my insurance information, and then maybe I can still make it to work before—

Her train of thought stopped short as she caught sight of the other driver’s face. He was drop-dead gorgeous! His blue eyes were the color of the ocean. His bronzed complexion and sun-bleached blond hair—just visible at the edges of his black baseball cap—told of a love for the outdoors, and his features were strong and relaxed. He had both hands in the pockets of his slate-gray slacks. Though he wore a designer jacket, she could see the collar of a blazer peeking out at the neckline.

He lifted the corner of his mouth as she met his eye. “Hey there,” he said with a Southern drawl. His tone was neutral; not angry, but not exactly friendly, either. “I believe you rear-ended me.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Bianca said, as she reached up and tried to fix the brim of her hood again. It was no use. It flopped down over her eyes and she had to tilt her chin up so that she could see out from under it. “I am so sorry,” she gushed. “I was in a rush, on my way to work, and this traffic… It’s just this construction, you know? Getting in the way of things?” She had a feeling she wasn’t making sense, and she blushed again.

He’s so handsome! she thought. He looks like a celebrity. Is he? His clothes sure are fancy enough… and that car…

“It’s not the end of the world,” the man said.

“No, it’s not, but I feel so terrible. I never get into accidents like this. And now is the worst timing. I’m late for work, and my manager is super strict about employees being on time. You’d think running ten minutes late was against the law or something, the way that woman reacts.”

She gestured to the tall brick building that towered next to the parking garage just down the block. “I work right over there, and my shift was supposed to start at six.” She pulled out her phone and glanced at the time. It was 6:13.

“Riverside Assisted Living,” the man said, as he read the large letters printed along the building’s side. She saw him take in her scrub pants, with the cargo pockets. She had various supplies stuffed into one side, and it made the pocket bulge out. “Are you a nurse?” His voice was deep and smooth. He spoke in a slow, confident, even-keeled manner. He was used to commanding the room—and wasn’t about to rush his words for anyone, including her—that much was clear.

She found herself speaking even faster, as if to make up for lost time. “I’m a nursing assistant, actually. I do a lot of the same things that nurses do, but for half the pay. Sometimes the nurses even have us LNAs do the hard tasks that they don’t want to do. I stick with it because they give me a good discount on a room for my mom, seeing as I’m an employee.”

She pushed the brim of her hood back. It flopped down again. She knew she was babbling, but she just couldn’t stop. “My mom had a stroke a few years ago, and she’s been in assisted living ever since. Anyway, to make a long story short, I really need this job. And my manager does not react favorably to late employees. So would you mind if we waited until tomorrow to exchange insurance details? I’m off at seven a.m. and then free all day. I would really appreciate it.”

She looked up at him with what she hoped was a trustworthy expression. “I can give you my number, and I promise that I’ll call my insurance first thing in the morning and then we can work everything out. I promise.”

“I see,” the man said. “I wouldn’t want you to be late…” He looked over at the cars next to them. “Looks like you fared better than I did, but we both sustained body damage.”

Her eyes moved over to the sports car that was parked in front of her beat-up old sedan. Raindrops beaded off of its shiny black body as if it had just been waxed. The taillight was