Sweet Cinderella (A Christmas Novella) (The Klaus Brothers Book 4) by Penny Watson Page B

you, sweet Hannah. But I disagree. I think we should see each other again. So be expecting me. Tomorrow.”
    He left the apartment, and Hannah wasn’t sure how to feel.
    Angry that he had just totally ignored her wishes? He was so arrogant!
    Or secretly relieved that she would be seeing him again?

 
    C hapter 7
    “Okay, Klaus. Spill. How’d it go today?” Shirley mixed a gigantic martini with Gregor’s superior cocktail equipment. His bar kicked ass!
    “Good. And bad.” Gregor had changed into khakis and a cashmere sweater. As far as she could tell, it was his “casual” look. The casual dudley boring look. His hair was looking slightly more wind-blown than usual. And his goatee was turning a bit rough. That was interesting.
    She, of course, was rocking a red flannel shirt, striped leggings, and floral boots. You could never have too many patterns. Not possible.
    “What happened?”
    “Hannah had a wonderful day. So did the boys. You were right about the flowers and the ice skating. All of it.” He poured himself a scotch. “And . . . um . . . I did okay, too. Once I got into the swing of things.”
    Shirley frowned. “What do you mean?”
    “Well, it’s been a while since I went ice skating. And out for hot chocolate. I’m not used to indulging in pointless activities.”
    Shirley laughed. “Pointless? You mean
fun. Fun
activities. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Haven’t you read Stephen King?”
    Gregor did not look amused. “I work, Shirley. A lot. I don’t have time for fooling around.”
    “Was it weird and awkward? Did you have stilted conversation? Tell me.”
    “No. Nothing like that. I was just . . . rusty. But I got the hang of it. I even learned how to play Nerf basketball.” He arched a brow. “I’m looking forward to crushing Oskar.”
    “You really need to get a life, Gregor. You might even find that you like it. Those
pointless activities
can be fun.”
    He smiled. “I did have fun. Surprisingly.”
    “And how’d you do with Hannah?”
    “She’s adorable. She loved the skating and our trip to the café.” He rubbed his forehead and winced. “But she still has her doubts about us being together.”
    Shirley actually felt a small bit of pity for the iceman.
    “She told me she doesn’t want to see me anymore. To be honest, I’m not sure what to do.” Gregor scrubbed a weary hand over his face.
    “What do you mean? We made that whole plan. You just follow the plan. You’ll be fine.” She took a sip of her drink and coughed. Holy mackerel! That was some seriously good vodka!
    Gregor looked at her warily. “Hannah is so sweet. Is this really a good idea? I’m . . . manipulating her. Using the boys. Using whatever is at my disposal to get my way. That’s how I always do things. Is this . . . ethical?”
    She sputtered on a gulp of vodka. “You’re joking, right? Ethical? Are you crazy? All is fair in love and war. You want Hannah, and let’s be honest. She wants you, too. She is sweet on you and she’s just running scared. You’re a good guy, a rock, responsible. You would never get her hopes up and then crush her.” Shirley narrowed her eyes at Gregor. “You wouldn’t do that, would you?” So help her, if Gregor did anything to hurt Hannah, she would personally make him pay. Damn the consequences.
    He shot her a scathing look. “I’m not interested in some sort of casual fling. I want Hannah . . . long-term. For some reason that’s how this seems to work in my family. The Klaus men fall hard, they fall fast . . . they fall forever. Hannah is
mine
.”
    She clucked. “Now that’s more like it, Klaus. Relentless. You have a plan to follow. Get to it.” She popped an olive into her mouth. Hannah would probably fight this, but in the end, she deserved to find love again.
    Even with an Iceman.

    Hannah opened the door in complete shock.
    He was here. Again. Gregor Klaus was like a mosquito that just wouldn’t go away. It kept