Her gaze met his blue eyes, watching as the light of the candles on the tree reflected off them. "Yes." Malou admitted, surprised that she felt so exposed by the answer. As if he might be able to see the loneliness that lingered in her soul. She didn't want him to pity her, the past was in the past. And if her working on the holidays allowed one of her coworkers to see their family for the holidays and not feel that loneliness for themselves, well then it was worth it. "I volunteer." The words spilled across her lips, wishing desperately not he wouldn't read into it, that he might see it as the kind gesture that it was and not some boss who forced it. She bit the inside of her lip as she considered explaining, and then, because she trusted Mr. Prewett, because he had saved her, because he looked almost ethereal in this light, because somehow he had stolen a part of her heart, she added in a very soft voice, "I'd rather be there so others can be with their families."