Essel’s Pov
"Indeed," I replied casually. "Grace Essel."
"What a lovely name," he remarked.
"I assume you say that to every girl," I retorted, kneeling down to search for a Santa hat beneath the counter.
He either chose to disregard my comment or simply did not care. "Essel," he repeated, as if trying to determine if it suited him.
"Just call me that," I said, moving a box of napkins aside until I finally located one.
"May I refer to you as O Grace?" he inquired, his voice dripping with arrogance.
I winced. I despised that nickname; it made me sound like a child. I hadn't been called that since my kindergarten days.
I grabbed the one at the back and stood up to inform him, "In your dreams."
"You are already in my dreams," he replied with a wink.
"Michael!" I heard Ella shout. I t
