by Holly Rayner
Chapter 20
Adison
“Where do you want this?” The delivery driver peeked around the white faux Christmas tree. Adison could barely see his face for the branches.
“Right this way, please.” She trotted through Ken’s house, glancing over her shoulder several times to make sure not only that the man was still following her, but that he hadn’t knocked over anything in the process.
It was the day before the big party, and the clock was ticking. It felt more like the countdown to a bomb than anything else, but that was only because of Adison’s nerves. Organizing had always been her strength, and thanks to following a strict checklist, she knew everything was nearly done.
She still had some decorations to put up, and then tomorrow would be spent managing the catering and valet staff and making sure the guests were happy. That would be the best part: seeing smiles on everyone’s faces.
After that would come tired feet and hours spent cleaning up. Even that part Adison loved.
“Right there, please.” She pointed at the place in the corner that she’d cleared for the tree. Nearby, in a small box, were the paper ornaments with charity names. Anyone who wanted to would be able to pluck an ornament, write down a donation amount, and put it in a box for their donation to be collected later.
With glittery snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and wreaths strung through every room, Ken’s house was starting to look like anything but that. It was ironic, really, that a man who cared so little about Christmas suddenly found himself in the middle of what looked like the North Pole.
Speaking of Ken…
After thanking and tipping the delivery man, Adison went in search of him. It was early evening, and they’d both headed to his house after finishing up at the Montoya Foundation. She’d been at his place the last couple of days setting up for the party, but she’d barely seen him because he’d been staying so late at the office.
Today, they’d exchanged barely more than a hello. As soon as he’d gotten back from work, he’d disappeared into the back of the house.
Adison wasn’t sure, but she got the sense he was avoiding her.
In the days since they’d arrived home from Wyoming, it had certainly felt that way. They’d had a few close moments while on their trip, like during the flight there and while they were caroling, but those had been followed up with Ken withdrawing again.
Adison figured he was trying to not give her the wrong impression, that he didn’t want her to think he had changed his mind about their personal relationship. She certainly didn’t think anything was different, but fine. He needed to do whatever he needed to do, and she didn’t fault him for it.
It’s not like she didn’t have her own life to focus on. Her administrative duties had been consuming, and while party planning she’d been compiling an album of photos. She couldn’t share them yet, but after the party launched, she planned on posting them online. The last few weeks had renewed her love of event planning, and she hoped to score some more opportunities thanks to throwing this party.
“Ken?” She paused in the main hallway and listened. There wasn’t a sound.
She started again, her heels echoing in the quiet home. A phone went off, making her jump. Realizing the sound was coming from her skirt pocket, she pulled her cell out and answered Corinne’s call.
“Hi, bestie.” Adison ducked into the kitchen. Still no sign of Ken.
“Hey, best party planner in Buffalo. Just thought I’d check in. You haven’t run yourself ragged yet, have you? Did you eat dinner?”
“I’m fine.” Adison leaned against the counter. She hadn’t even thought about dinner, but she was running on adrenaline, and if she were hungry she couldn’t tell.
“That’s a no. When are you done there?”
“I don’t know.” Adison rubbed a sore muscle in the back of her neck. “I still need to decorate the tree and the front walk.”
“The front walk? It’s dark out.”
“True, but that’s what flashlights are for. I need to finish it tonight in case something doesn’t look right. I can’t be fixing the decorations last-minute.”
“You have tomorrow,” Corinne pointed out. “You’re not working at the office tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow I need to be here early to let the cleaners in, then I’m going to pick up the cupcakes and the liquor, then I need to be back here to meet the guy with the sleigh.”
“I’m sorry. The sleigh?”
“Yeah.” Adison plucked an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter. Ken wouldn’t mind, and her hunger was finally starting to hit. “I didn’t tell you about the sleigh?”
“Nope. Wow. This party will be epic.”
“The sleigh will be carting guests from the parking at the end of the drive.”
“I can’t wait.”
Since Adison had no date, Corinne would be her plus-one to the party. The two of them always spent the holidays together, and attending the party by each other’s sides only felt right.
“Oh, hold on.” Corinne left the call for a moment then came back. “Maggie’s husband is calling.”
“Really?” Adison stood a little straighter.
“Yeah. One sec. I’ll call you right back.” Corinne hung up with a click.
Adison put the phone on the counter and ate a few bites of the apple, hoping everything was okay with Corinne’s pregnant sister and wondering where the heck Ken was in this giant house.
The phone rang again, and Adison snatched it up. “What’s up?”
“He was calling to let me know he got the care package I sent for Maggie. It’s supposed to be a secret. Sorry. Her due date is only a couple weeks away, and I’m kind of on edge.”
“It’s okay.” Adison finished off the apple and dropped the core into the trash. “I need to get back to it.”
“Sure. Hey, don’t stay out too late. It’s really coming down out there.”
“It is?” She stepped up to the kitchen window. The yard lights showed a thick stream of snow coming down. There went the wrench in her plans to string the wreaths and lights around the driveway’s trees.
She tried not to sigh. It would be hard to sleep tonight, knowing she had extra work to do tomorrow; she was always on edge right before an event.
“I should go,” she said. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay,” Corinne replied. “Be careful getting home.”
Adison hung up the phone and resumed her search for Ken. It would take a while to drive home with so much snow, so the sooner she left, the better. She’d just have to alter her plans a little. Instead of staying late tonight, she’d come in early tomorrow.
“Ken?” she called.
“In here!” His voice came from somewhere in the very back of the second floor.
Finally, a response!
She followed the sound of his voice into what appeared to be a library. Books lined three of the walls, and a window seat was placed between two shelves. Ken had an office downstairs, but he was seated at the table in this room, his laptop open in front of him.
“I feel like I aged a few years looking for you.” She leaned against the doorjamb.
“Sorry. I didn’t hear you calling.”
“It’s okay,” she said, admiring his eyes and broad shoulders, then chiding herself to stop it. Cracking jokes in uncomfortable situations helped her feel better, but apparently Ken wasn’t in the mood for humor.
“It’s snowing a lot,” she said, “so I’m going to head home. I’ll be back soon as I can tomorrow, though. Is eight too early?”
“No, not at all. I’ll have been up for hours.”
“Good. Maybe I’ll make it earlier. I want to leave as much wiggle room as possible. Just in case something doesn’t go according to plan.”
“As things often don’t.” He smiled and ran his palm over his head.
“Right.” She looked down, shocked to see she was twisting her hands. How long had she been doing that for? “Well…see you
tomorrow.”
“See you. And thanks again for the amazing job you’re doing on the party. Your dedication is really impressive.”
Adison smiled, nodded, then walked back downstairs, feeling twice as heavy as she had before seeing Ken. Setting eyes on him always did crazy things to her. Despite what she knew was logical, he was still a very handsome man who had once given her a kiss that turned her knees to Jell-O. You didn’t merely forget an experience like that.
Downstairs, she bundled up tight, buttoning her coat all the way to her chin. It would be a short walk to her car, but it would be cold inside.
The snowflakes crashed against her face, stinging her cheeks and eyelids. This was no cozy flurry. A mild storm was blowing in. If she’d bothered to listen to the news the last few days, she probably would have known that, but her mind had been on eggnog and how much atmospheric dry ice was too much atmospheric dry ice.
With the engine properly warmed up, she put the car into reverse. A painful whirring started. The car didn’t budge an inch.
“Shoot.” Leaving the vehicle’s confines, she went to look at the wheels. They were completely buried.
Adison bit the inside of her lip. Okay. No big deal. Surely, Ken had a snow shovel. Who in their right mind lived in New York and didn’t own a snow shovel?
She rang the doorbell, not wanting to barge back in right after he thought she’d left. Maybe, thinking he was alone, he’d stripped off and was now walking around in his underwear.
The thought of that heated her cheeks up. Which meant that when he opened the front door, she was surely blushing.
“I’m, uh, snowed in.” She stumbled through the explanation. “The car…there’s a lot of snow.”
He wasn’t in his underwear, but he had unbuttoned the top of his shirt. That little bit of chest shouldn’t have been so distracting.
“We can fix that,” he said. “Wait right here.”
A few minutes later, Adison sat in her car while Ken worked to dig out the tires. The snowfall had nearly doubled, and she wasn’t sure how he could even see.
“Try now!” he called.
She tapped the gas. Nothing.
Ken dug a little more, but it seemed that no sooner had he removed some snow than did more come to replace it. Giving up, he gestured for her to follow him inside. As she did, she pulled her phone out.
“I’m calling a tow truck,” she said.
He frowned. “To pull you all the way home?”
“Yes?”
Okay, so she didn’t know if a tow truck would even get to her in such weather. They probably had wrecks to deal with. But she couldn’t stay at Ken’s house. That was…
Weird.
“We’re snowed in.” Ken’s eyebrows rose. “But luckily, I have plenty of guest rooms. Just take your pick.”
“Oh, no. I can’t impose.”
“You’re not, and it’s not as if you have a choice.” He gave her a pointed look. “I’ll heat up some dinner. Make yourself comfortable.”
Adison’s stomach twisted. Okay. Snowed in with her sexy, hands-off boss. She could do this.
Maybe.
Chapter 21
Ken
“And dinner is…”
The room went pitch black, and Ken nearly tripped over his feet.
“Adison?” he called.
“Right here.” Her voice came from the kitchen table.
“I was about to say ‘dinner is served,’ but it looks like a power outage stole my thunder.” He shuffled his way across the room, feeling his way to the table.
“Here.” Her fingers brushed his as she took the dinner plates from his hands.
“I’ll find some candles and flashlights.” He felt his way back across the kitchen and to the pantry. His part-time housekeeper and cook was good about always being prepared, and the flashlights, batteries, and long-burning candles were exactly where they were supposed to be.
Unfortunately, the generator had kicked it a few months ago, and Ken had dropped the ball when it came to getting another one. Which was a real problem.
Turning on a flashlight, he carted his goods back to the kitchen table. “What do you say to dinner in the back den?”
It took a while, but eventually they were set up in the den with the door closed to keep the warmth in. Adison had carried their lasagna in and spread out a blanket for an indoor picnic, while Ken got a fire going in the fireplace he never used. Luckily, he’d had some wood out back under the awning, left by the landscapers who cut some trees down earlier that fall.
With the two couches in the den to sleep on, the setup was cozy enough. It would do just fine until the power was restored.
“What a night,” he said, finally sitting down on the blanket. He’d grabbed a bottle of wine on his last trip through the house, and he popped the cork and poured them each a glass.
His lasagna was cold by now, but the room was heating up thanks to the fire. It felt good to finally relax, and the candles threw flickering light against the walls, adding to the ambience.
“I agree,” Adison said. “I would ask what could go wrong next, but actually I’m not minding this too much. It’s like we live in a log cabin.”
“Exactly.” He laughed. “Let’s hope this doesn’t interfere with the party tomorrow.”
She visibly tensed. “Let’s hope not.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her. “If we have to cancel, we have to cancel.”
Adison put her fork down and gazed into the fire. The look in her eyes could only be described as despair.
A moment before, Ken had been of that mind that if the party didn’t happen, he would be fine with it. If the way Thea had treated him in Jackson Hole was any indication, their business deal was as good as sealed.
But seeing Adison’s reaction to the possibility of no party changed his mind. She’d put so much work into this one night, and it was sure to be an amazing event. It would be horrible if that were taken away from her.
“Don’t worry.” He reached over and set his hand on hers. “I’m sure the power will be on by the morning. They never let it stay out long around here.”
She nodded, her expression turning hopeful. “Yeah. That’s true.”
He squeezed her hand, then realized a significant amount of time had passed with their touching. Hastily, he withdrew his hand and got busy eating his cold dinner.
A little while passed, with the fire crackling and their not saying anything. It was pleasant and comfortable, even though Ken had crossed the line without meaning to.
He wasn’t used to having someone around in the evenings. His housekeeper came in a few days a week to tidy up and prep meals for him, but he was gone for most of her work hours. And then, every once in a while, Simon popped by.
Other than that, it was him. Which he’d always assumed he didn’t mind. He was used to being alone. It was hard to argue you didn’t prefer something when you were so accustomed to it that the state no longer felt like a choice.
Sitting there with Adison, though, he let his thoughts wander. He wondered what it would be like to have a person around every night and day.
His logical mind was quick to argue that it would get annoying, but was that true? Adison was a ray of sunshine. It was preposterous that anyone should grow irritated with her.
“What are you thinking about?” Her voice broke his reverie.
He searched for a lie, but couldn’t come up with one quick enough and so settled for a partial truth.
“How nice this is.”
“It is nice.” Adison swirled the wine in her glass. “Serious question. And stop me if I’m getting too personal.”
“O-kay.” He leaned back on his hands and waited, not sure if he should be nervous or not.
“Have you ever had a Christmas tree?” She held a finger up. “And the one I had delivered to your home today doesn’t count.”
“Yes, smarty-pants,” he chuckled. “I have had Christmas trees before.”
Adiso
n gasped and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. “Quick! Get me to the fainting couch.”
Ken thought about quipping that she could faint right in his arms, but he held his tongue.
“When?” she pressed.
“When I was a kid. My sister loved Christmas, and we did it up every year.”
It was like the universe skidded to a halt. Adison’s face completely changed. She looked at Ken like he was a stranger…or maybe like she was really seeing him for the first time.
His heart raced. Why had he said that? He never talked about his family.
It wasn’t the first time that Adison’s presence had loosened his tightly enforced boundaries. It was probably the occasion that he would come to regret the most, though.
“You’ve never mentioned her before.” Adison’s head cocked. “I got the impression that you don’t have any family left.”
“I don’t.” He turned his face to the fire.
“Oh,” she said softly. Then… “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“Really?”
It wasn’t. He’d only said that it was because that was the facade he projected. The facade he’d worked so hard to build. Now, with one reply, it was crumbling. He tried to hold onto the mask, but it was sand slipping between his fingers.
“You know, I have a way of coming undone around you.” He turned his face back to Adison. “I’m not sure whether I like it or not. I’m not sure how I should feel.”
Her lips parted, firelight dancing in her eyes. Her hair hung loose over her shoulders, and he longed to twist his fingers in it, to close his eyes and inhale her scent until he wasn’t sure which way was up and which was down.
Adison inhaled a shaky little breath and looked down, her eyelashes fluttering. Ken’s heart constricted.
“I’m sorry.” He grit his teeth. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
Her eyes lifted and met his. “Just to be clear, are we having this conversation as boss and employee or friends?”
He licked his lips. “I would like to think of you as a friend, but there are also limits to that.”