Christmas Box Set

by Nella Tyler

  I checked the time. It was just past 8 in the morning on Tuesday. I’d slept for over eighteen hours. I lay there in disbelief for a few moments before an idea occurred to me. I hadn’t seen Maggie in days and I was rarely in Danbury during the week. I could swing by the shop with breakfast and surprise her.

  Now that I had a plan, I felt energized. I jumped in the shower again, this time washing thoroughly, dried, dressed, and hurried down to my car, whistling as I went.

  Maggie

  Tuesday

  I’d gotten in a little earlier, just wanting to get a jump on some of the paperwork I needed to catch up on before business started to pick up in the middle of the morning the way it had been doing for the last several months. I was glad to see the money coming in consistently, but it didn’t leave much time for me to catch up on basic housekeeping tasks. I had to take the opportunities when I could find them.

  I was sitting behind BJ’s desk—I still couldn’t quite think of it as mine—entering receipts for the last week into QuickBooks. It was a painstaking process, mostly because I was terrified to make an accounting mistake. The amount of business that was done in a day in this place was staggering. There were supplies, which Jackson had been ordering for the most part since BJ passed away—though I did help out with that when I could—and basic operating costs and then our paid invoices for services. The guys had started taking in customers for simple services like oil changes in order to add a buffer to the restoration side of operations, but that was proving to no longer be necessary. We were doing better than staying afloat, which was great. Still, I couldn’t quite find the necessary joy in it and it was starting to feel like I needed to get the hell out of this business before I lost an important part of my soul to it.

  The door opened and I glanced up, expecting Jackson. He was the only one comfortable enough to come into my office without knocking when the door was only partially closed the way it had just been. But it was Banks.

  I smiled as he came in and shut the door behind him.

  “I thought I’d bring the boss some breakfast,” he said, smirking down at me in that sexy way he had as he set a small brown bag in front of me along with a paper cup that I was pleased to discover held piping hot tea instead of the usual coffee. I’d just never been a fan. My face turned red at how sweet he was being. I’d left home too quickly to make anything to eat or drink. I was going to hold out until lunch, so this was a very welcome surprise.

  Banks came around the desk to plant a kiss on my lips. I made it easier by tilting my head back. He smelled like his regular cologne—sweet and spicy at the same time, a deep musky scent that got me going as soon as it hit my nostrils. I’d already decided after Friday night that I wanted us to sleep together again, as soon and as often as possible. Banks was very…gifted.

  He unbuttoned his heavy jacket and hung it over the back of the chair in front of the desk and sat down, a smile still on his face. He looked well-rested and comfortable, his gray eyes searching my face.

  “Long time no see,” I said.

  “Much longer than I would’ve liked,” he replied.

  “Thanks for breakfast.”

  “Anytime. I drank my coffee in the car, but one of those doughnuts is for me.”

  I opened the bag and looked inside. My stomach growled at the smell of the pastries inside. “These smell amazing.” I pulled one out along with a few napkins that had been stuffed into the bag as well and then handed the bag to Banks. I took a bite of the doughnut, which was still warm. I rolled my eyes as I made an appreciative, moaning sound.

  “I’ll take that to mean they’re just as fresh as the guy behind the counter assured me they were,” Banks said, grinning at how much I was enjoying the food. He took his own bite and made similarly appreciative noises, both of us trying not to laugh with full mouths.

  I took a sip of my tea—Banks had even remembered that I preferred milk in it instead of sugar. “You should’ve gotten two more of these.”

  “I can go back.”

  “God, no. I’d eat them.”

  He laughed and sat back in the chair, crossing his legs, resting one ankle on his knee, all broad shoulders and charm, with a devastatingly smoldering look in his eyes. I wanted to kiss him again, but this wasn’t the place. The office door wasn’t closed all the way and I had work to do.

  “Is everything okay with your merger?” I asked. He’d sent me a text yesterday that said things were fine, but he didn’t elaborate or reply to any of my messages after that.

  “It nearly fell through on Saturday morning. The head of the other company was ready to bail, and he let an investor know, who quickly spread the rumor to other investors. It was just a perfect shit storm. Luckily, we were able to get on top of it and salvage the deal. It took a solid two days of working with no sleep, but we actually have signatures on paper this time. We were taking everything on the good faith of all the involved parties. That’s the last time I’ll do that. Chalk that up as a lesson learned.”

  That was a lot more serious than I’d expected. No wonder he hadn’t been available for days.

  “Wow. I’m glad you were able to turn things around. I know how important this deal is to you and the company.”

  The smile he gave me warmed me up inside. The heat didn’t work very well in this office, which was why I was sitting here in my winter coat, but that smile sure lit me up.

  I took another sip of my tea, savoring the milky flavor. “I’m thinking of selling the shop,” I blurted. I’d wanted to talk to him about it over brunch, which we were supposed to have early in the afternoon last Saturday. It felt like an eternity since we’d been able to talk. I just needed this off my chest and I wanted to know what Banks thought of the plan.

  The smile left his face as his steel-colored eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

  “I’m not happy here. I mean, seeing the business flourish makes me happy because it was BJ’s dream and I want that part of him to live forever. But this isn’t my dream. It never was. I want to teach. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, and this is getting in the way of that. There’s no way I can do both.”

  The rigid shock in his expression loosened as I spoke, becoming softer around the edges as the ends of his mouth turned up slightly into a comforting smile and his gray eyes got toasty again.

  “I can understand that,” he said. “I really didn’t think about whether or not you were enjoying the work you were doing here. I was just so proud of everything you were managing to do.”

  “I haven’t made my mind up completely, but I’m leaning that way. I want to work on getting my certification so I can finally start teaching.”

  “I think that’s a great idea. You deserve to be happy. If selling the shop allows you to do that, then I’m behind you 100 percent.”

  I wasn’t sure what exactly I’d expected from him, but the relief I felt was total. Maybe I just needed someone to confirm that I wasn’t being selfish for thinking this way. So far, the only person I’d told was Jackson, who I knew I could trust to keep it between us until I’d made up my mind. Jackson was also the king of minding his own damned business. He never talked behind people’s backs or passed judgment on the choices they made. He was a breath of fresh air in that regard.

  “I started looking into the process of getting my certification. I think I’m going to do it.” I leaned onto the desk, resting on my elbows. “I just want to move on with my life.”

  “I think that’s a brilliant plan,” he said, flashing me that devastating grin for a second time, the one that quickened my heartbeat. “This year has been hard on us, and I have an idea that might help.”

  I lifted a questioning eyebrow, not quite sure where he was going with this, but intrigued all the same. The boy could throw a damned good curveball.

  “I found an Alfa Romeo that I want to check out next week. I’m making arrangements tonight or tomorrow.”

  “Okay...?” I said, frowning a little.

  “It’s in Italy.
” His grin became deeper at my obvious surprise. “And I think you should come with me. We could make a vacation out of it. Looking at the car wouldn’t take more than an hour or two. I’m planning to go for a week.”

  I’d never been to Italy. Mom and I had taken trips to France before to visit family, but she didn’t enjoy flying much at all, preferring to pay for family to come visit us here in the States instead.

  My cheeks had turned hot with a fresh blush from his offer. It took a few moments to even come up with a halfway intelligent response.

  “I’ll have to think about it,” I whispered. “That’s quite an offer.”

  He shrugged his square shoulders. I could trace the lines of his muscled frame through the soft fabric of his sweater. He had absolutely no idea how delicious he was to look at. How had I never noticed this in all the years we’d known each other?

  “You need a vacation. And Italy is beautiful, even at this time of year. I’d love to show you around.” He looked down at his Rolex and pressed his lips together before looking up at me, disappointment darkening his otherwise light eyes. “I need to meet up with my dad in a few minutes. He wants a complete debrief of the mess over the weekend and what we did to stop the bleeding.” He brightened a little before saying the next part. “And I need to pick up Alice. Feels like ages since I’ve seen her.”

  He stood up and walked around the desk again, bending at the waist to give me a hug and then kiss me on the mouth. No tongue, unfortunately, though I sighed inwardly at the smell and feel of him, wanting so much more than he was giving. Right now, Italy sounded like a fantastic idea.

  “Think about that trip,” he said, turning to give me a playful look at the door.

  “Okay,” I replied, a dopey smile on my face that I could never quite wipe away when he was around.

  “See you soon.”

  I nodded and he left, closing the door behind him. I still couldn’t get the damned smile off my face, but not just because of the lingering taste of Banks on my mouth. I also felt at peace and I knew that selling the shop was the right choice. Now I just needed to figure out the right way to move forward with the plan.

  Banks

  Wednesday

  I was surprisingly ready to return to work on Wednesday, and felt reinvigorated by the victory we’d managed over the last weekend. The merger was a done deal—the initial, binding paperwork had been signed and forwarded to all parties, including our respective teams of attorneys—and we could start working on the final agreement and plan for restructuring our company, which would absorb the smaller company’s operations and 90 percent of its employees—to include all middle and low-level employees, who would each receive raises and better health benefits, putting them on par with what our employees already made. It was still incredibly stressful to go through thousands of pages of the other company’s policy to see how it could best align with ours—what to keep and what to get rid of—as well as to decide which upper level employees would be let go. We had no need of an additional CEO or CFO.

  Mom and Dad were at our usual table at The Lookout when I arrived. I greeted them in the normal way and sat down, unable to keep the smile from my face as I looked at them.

  “I see more of you now than I did when we were working in the same office,” I said to Dad, who laughed in response.

  “That might be true.”

  I took a sip of the glass of white wine Mom had ordered for the table.

  “That’s delicious,” I said, and she beamed.

  “The special is some pepper-rubbed salmon,” Mom said, wrinkling her nose a bit. “I ordered it, but I wasn’t impressed with the description.”

  “Are your plans set for Italy?” Dad asked, turning his dark eyes from Mom to me.

  “Just about,” I replied. “I’ve held off on buying the tickets until the last minute, but it’s not as though price is an object.”

  “Why’s that, dear?” Mom asked.

  “I asked Maggie to accompany me—”Mom made a pleased sound that I kept talking over—“but she hasn’t answered one way or the other.” I shrugged, grinning sheepishly. “I only asked her yesterday, but I thought she’d say yes right away. I know Jackson can keep the shop running while she’s away. I wouldn’t have asked if not.”

  “Give her time, son,” Dad said. “This year has been a whirlwind for her, and this part of your relationship is quite new, even if you have known each other for years.”

  That much was true. I kept forgetting that because it felt so natural to me. I just assumed she felt the same way, but that might not be the case. I never wanted her to feel like I was rushing her, but I also didn’t want to leave us moving in slow motion.

  We kept the conversation light for the rest of the meal, just discussing our plans for the rest of the week and Christmas, which was getting closer and closer.

  After we’d finished—the salmon had ended up being a crowd-pleaser after all—I returned to work to find another mini emergency that Jane had taken in hand, not even calling me back from lunch because she was confident she could solve the issue herself. Turned out, she was right, but it put me in a poor mood.

  “I just want to get away for a week,” I complained to her as she watched me double check some of the flawless work she’d completed in my absence. “Is that too much to ask?”

  “Take that trip to Italy that you’ve been talking about,” she said. “We can hold things down here while you’re gone. The merger’s a done deal. They can squawk all they want, but signatures are on paper and they know we’d sue their asses if they tried anything funny.”

  I smiled up at her gratefully. “Will you book a trip for two next week?” I felt heedless and confident myself all of a sudden, sure that it was only a matter of time before Maggie would call to tell me that she’d love to join me for a weeklong romp in Italy. How could she say anything else?

  Jane lifted her dark eyebrows. “Is Mr. Wheaton accompanying you?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’ll be taking someone…special.”

  She grinned, her eyes lighting up, and I knew I was in for a fully involved question and answer session sometime soon, but not today, because we were too busy.

  “I’ll be happy to plan a romantic trip to Italy for you and your lady friend, Banks. But, of course, you owe me a full rundown of who this woman is, complete with pictures and where you met.”

  I chuckled. “Of course.”

  Seemingly pleased that she’d be able to butt all the way into my sex life at a later date, she gathered the documents I’d reviewed and left my office.

  At the end of the day, I was more than ready to leave. I just wanted to relax at home with my dog, ordering two or three sushi rolls from the Thai place and watching some Netflix until I was ready to go to sleep. I wanted to see Maggie too, but wasn’t up for anything too strenuous. Or anything that would require my leaving the house.

  The traffic out of the city wasn’t too bad, and I managed to get home shortly after 6. Alice ran around my legs, barking and whining for my attention the minute I walked into the house.

  “Give me a second, Al,” I said, chuckling at how funny she was. I’d never understand people who didn’t like dogs. You couldn’t beat this enthusiastic homecoming. I changed into sweats and tugged a knit cap on over my head. Then I put on Alice’s leash and took her down to the dog park for a good 20 minutes of strenuous running around. We were both out of breath by the time I put the leash back on her and walked up to my condo.

  “Ready for dinner, old girl?” I asked her once we were back inside. She went to lie down on her bed in the living room while I scooped some kibble into her bowl and gave her some fresh water. She went over to it immediately and I watched her make short work of the meal. She’d get a doggie biscuit before bedtime—I usually took her outside one more time before settling in for the night.

  Now that she was taken care of, it was my turn to get some grub. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, ready to dial the Thai restaurant—I’d long
ago memorized the number. I froze at the sound of a knock at the door, frowning a little. Who would be coming over here at this hour without calling first? It was just past 7:30.

  I went to the door and ducked to peek through the peephole. I smiled at who I saw on the other side. It was Maggie. I unlocked the door and pulled it open, my smile growing at the full sight of her standing there in her skinny jeans and winter jacket, a loaded plastic bag hanging from one arm and a bottle of wine clasped in her other hand. She lifted both.

  “I brought dinner,” she said, grinning. “I hope you haven’t eaten yet.”

  I stepped aside to let her enter. “Nope. You caught me at the perfect time. I was just about to order Thai food.”

  “Well, you’re going to be pleased because I brought over fried rice and egg rolls. And wine, of course.”

  My stomach growled in anticipation. “You read my mind.” I led her to the dining room, unable to wipe the smile from my face at her sudden appearance.

  Maggie

  The Same Wednesday

  We set up at the dining room table with a few plates, forks, and wine glasses that Banks grabbed from the kitchen while I unpacked the Chinese food. I scooped some of the rice and bourbon chicken onto my plate and took an eggroll. Banks poured us each a glass of red wine and then sat down to put some food onto his own plate. By the time he was done, the carton was empty and he had a mountain of chicken-topped rice and three eggrolls piled onto his plate.

  “Damn, you must be hungry,” I said, smiling at him for about the 30th time in the 15 minutes since I arrived. I knew he had a big appetite, especially when he worked all day. BJ was the same way. I took what I wanted first and left the rest for him to devour, which he always did. It was comforting to keep finding these little similarities between the men I loved. I had to swallow a lump of nerves rocketing up my throat at the thought. Yes, I already loved Banks. It felt okay to admit that now. What we had felt so new, but I’d known him for years and had loved him as a friend. Now I was ready for a more serious love, and those feelings just intensified on their own.