This Christmas (Holiday Hunk Book 2)

by Sarah Spade

  I never thought that I’d meet my mystery lover again. And I never thought he would turn out to be Dani’s older brother.

  “If you didn’t want to leave,” I murmur, trying to keep my voice calm, “then why did you?”

  “It was work. I know that’s no excuse, but there was an emergency back in California where I’m from, and the airport was open again. I had to head straight back.”

  I get it. I really do. He doen’t owe me anything, but would a simple note have been asking too much after the night we spent together? Especially since, after I played my cards too close to my chest, he refused to let me explain that the name and the number I gave him were fake?

  Even if he had wanted to see me, talk to me again, I’d made sure he couldn’t. He never let me fix it since he was gone before I could explain.

  And he never came back.

  All those times Dani worried about her brother flying into town only to have some other emergency keep him in California. If only I knew then—

  No.

  “It was one night, Nick,” I toss over my shoulder as I storm away.

  “It was the best night of my life, Mary.”

  This time I stop so short, I nearly slip on a patch of black ice and fall face first on the asphalt. I catch myself in time, so that’s good, but I barely notice as his words haven’t stopped reverberating around my head.

  Did he just say—

  Okay. I know that I deserve that jab. I can’t even really blame him for using a fake name when I did, too.

  The crunch of ice, the jingle of keys looped on his jeans.

  I can sense his approach, moving carefully as if I’m a deer he’s afraid to spook. Slowly, I turn, and I’m sure of it. His icy blue eyes are staring at me as he stalks closer.

  And then his gaze drops to my mouth.

  “If I could’ve found you sooner, I would’ve. I’ve spent the last year wishing I could do it again. I wasn’t just saying it. I missed you, Allison.”

  He leans in, eyes narrowed on my lips. I know what his intentions are. He wants to kiss me, and he’s going slow enough that he’s giving me the chance to pull away if I want to.

  I… I kinda don’t want to.

  It’s the way he says my name. He doesn’t seem mad about the whole name thing, and I guess I’m not really mad that he’s not Nick.

  Something else has gotten into him, though, and I’m too shaken up to fight it.

  I tilt my head back, opening my mouth slightly.

  He’s almost there when, over the thrum of my beating heart, I make out a simple jingle, jingle. I listen for it and there it is.

  Jingle, jingle.

  The cat bell.

  “Salem!”

  I move my head, dodging Max’s kiss, before searching the darkness for some sign of the cat. I can hear him so he’s got to be nearby. I lift up my flashlight and—

  There!

  Chapter 7

  Max

  Cockblocked by a cat?

  Yup.

  When there’s barely an inch separating my lips from hers, Allison pulls back and starts peering into the darkness. I’m not sure what she’s doing. I brushed my teeth after dinner, so I don’t think my breath smells that bad.

  Did she change her mind?

  I fucking hope not. I was that close.

  And then she starts focusing her flashlight on a black Honda Civic parked two spots away from where we were standing and it hits me that she might’ve heard something. A heartbeat later, she lets out a relieved gasp and I know that she saw something.

  Turns out that Salem did get out. Wet and shivering from the ice that blankets the entire parking lot, the black cat tucked himself into a ball and hid behind the rear tire of the Civic.

  It takes half a bag of treats, a lot of coaxing, and a shit ton of luck but Allison grabs him. The moment between us has passed, and I’m anxious to get it back, but at least we found Dani’s cat.

  I think that, once we return Salem to an overjoyed Dani, maybe we can finish what we started in the parking lot.

  Yeah. I’m wrong.

  The second Allison deposits the damp and chilled furball into Dani’s outstretched arms, she gives Dani a quick hug, says goodbye to Zack, pointedly avoids looking in my direction, and flees for the door.

  She’s gone before I can even react.

  Of course, when I do, I start after her. There’s so much more I want to say to her.

  The only thing that stops me?

  “Max, no.”

  I whip my head, shooting a disbelieving look at my sister. “I have to talk to her.”

  “You knew Allison for one night,” she says, squeezing poor Salem so tightly that he lets out the softest, most pathetic little mew. She quiets him with a pat on his head and a tickle under his chin. “Trust me. Give her time to work this out. I’ve been her friend for a year. As far as I know—and she’d tell me—Allison hasn’t even talked to another guy since you, however long ago that was.”

  There’s a mixture of curiosity and chiding in her tone when Dani adds that last part. She’s gonna want answers, and she’s gonna want them soon, but for now she’s happy to give me some free advice.

  “ I don’t know if you’ve figured it out yet, but she’s not like some of your other floozies. It’s never just about sex for her.”

  It was just sex.

  Who do I believe?

  I go with Dani. I like her version much better because, in that version, Allison hasn’t been with anyone since me, just like I haven’t even thought of getting with… what did Dani call ‘em? My floozies?

  It might have been just sex with some of those flings. I knew from that first dance that Allison was different.

  And if I have to wait to show her that I mean it?

  I guess I’m going to have to fucking wait.

  Allison

  “Allison, sweetheart? Is that you?”

  Who else would let themself into my condo with a key?

  “Yeah, it’s me,” I say as I walk inside. I blink when I realize that all of my lights are on. It takes me a second to adjust to their brightness, considering I’m basically blind from being outside this past hour.

  “Where have you been?” asks Dad.

  “With your boyfriend?” adds Mom.

  Oh. That’s right. Between the discovery that Dani’s Max is my Nick, and the disaster of nearly losing her cat, I forgot all about my whopper of a lie to my parents.

  It’s nearly eleven o’clock at night. Shouldn’t they be sleeping?

  Nope. Mom’s in her robe, arms crossed over her chest as she perches on the edge of my couch like she’s been waiting hours for me to come home. Dad’s nibbling on a plate of leftovers from tonight’s dinner, interested in my answer.

  I start to warn him about not spilling any of the gravy on my decorative pillows, then decide it doesn’t matter.

  It’s more a struggle to call a smile back than it was earlier this evening. “Guilty as charged. Max, he—” Think, Allison, think “—he’s not going to be in town that much longer and I wanted to see him while I can.”

  Without taking her eyes off of me, Mom reaches out with her hand. She pats Dad’s knee. “See, Barry? I was right. Your father was worried I was putting too much pressure on you, Allison, by asking to meet your young man so soon. It’s a mother’s right, I said. Now I’m glad I already made the reservations.”

  My stomach lurches. At least I hold onto the smile. “Reservations, Mom?”

  “Yes. I called and made reservations at Finz for tomorrow evening, seven o’clock. Me, you, your father, and this Max.” Mom pauses, pursing her lips as she looks up at me. “He will be able to join us, won’t he?”

  “I… I don’t know. But I’ll go ask him, okay?”

  “Do that, dear.”

  “I’ll just make the call in my room and get ready for bed,” I tell her.

  Mom nods, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’m thirteen again instead of thirty-one.

  Dad
waves a chicken bone after me. “‘Night, pumpkin.”

  “Good night, Dad.”

  As I slip into my room, my mind goes right back to that close call of a kiss.

  One thing I know for sure? If I go crawling back to Max Dennis, that man will welcome me with open arms.

  And I don’t know how I feel about that.

  Pulling my cell phone out of my purse, I check the screen. Four missed calls from Dani.

  Oh, I so don’t want to do this. Then again, it’s swallowing my pride and asking Max Dennis for help, or admitting to my parents that I’m a big, fat fibber.

  I make the call.

  “Allison? Finally! I was beginning to think you were ignoring me.”

  “Are you alone?” I don’t have to spell it out. We both know why I’m asking.

  “Hold on.” A rustle, a murmur, and then I hear the slide of her glass door open. She’s gone out to the balcony again. “Whoa. It’s flippin’ cold out here. Okay. I’m alone. Now what the hell went on tonight?”

  And I tell her. I launch into the whole story, starting with every sordid detail—okay, maybe not so sordid, since I realize that she is his sister—about the night we met and how I brought him home with me. I go all the way up until the moment we lured Salem out from under that black car, followed by the way Mom just ambushed me.

  “So, you see, I’m in trouble. On one hand, I still have to wrap my head around the fact that the guy I thought of as Nick is really Max. He’s your brother and, oh my goodness, he’s the boss—”

  The whole time I spoke, Dani never interrupted.

  She interrupts now.

  “Allison, I’m sorry I never told you. It’s just, I didn’t want anyone to think I got my promotion because my brother flippin’ created the business with his buddy.”

  Honestly, learning that Max Dennis is Dani’s brother is barely even a blip on my radar right now. I’m struggling more with the fact that he is her brother and the boss.

  “It’s okay, Dani. I understand. I would’ve done the same thing.”

  Didn’t I? By creating a fake identity when I first met Max, didn’t I do the same thing?

  But he left—

  He said he didn’t want to—

  Ugh. I’m so confused.

  “Anyway, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. After what happened tonight, I don’t know if I should even ask your brother to help me out. But if I don’t? My mother will never let me forget it.”

  “She’s your mom. I’m sure she’ll get it—”

  “Oh, she’ll get it,” I agree. “But she will never let me forget it.”

  “Okay.” I can hear Dani’s teeth begin to chatter over the phone. Crap. How have we been on the phone this long already? “Are you even wearing a coat?”

  A pause, then, “Yes?”

  That’s not an answer, it’s a question. “Oh my God! I didn’t mean to keep you outside for so long. Forget about it. I’ll figure it out. Go inside and have Zack warm you up or something, alright?”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve already figured it out. You go on and tell your parents that Max will be there for dinner at seven.”

  “Dani—”

  “Leave it to me. It might be Max. Hell, I might even have to send Zack in his place to impersonate him, but I will if I have to. It’s Christmas. No worries at Christmas. The holidays are already way too stressful.”

  I feel the tears well up. “I love you, Dani. You’re the best.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I know. Just make sure you remember that next time I wake up late for work.”

  Max

  It’s been about twenty minutes since Dani answered her phone and disappeared out on the balcony.

  If it wasn’t for the knowing look on Zack’s face, I might’ve crept to the door and pressed my ear to the glass. We all know it was Allison who called her.

  What are they talking about?

  I tap my fingertips against my thigh as I lean back into the couch. Zack—who continues to prove himself to be a real smart guy—is nursing a beer on the other side of the room.

  We’re both waiting for Dani to come back in.

  Just when Zack starts getting antsy, musing out loud if he should go fetch Dani a hoodie or a coat, she opens the slide door, bringing in a gust of cold winter air with her. She’s shivering and Zack immediately jumps up and heads for their bedroom.

  “What was that about?” I demand, asking about her phone call.

  My sister is wearing this secretive smile as she takes her seat again. She curls up on her side of the couch, her damn cat moseying his way right into her lap again. Zack comes back a moment later, dragging a big purple comforter with him. He drapes it over her shoulders, tucking it around her while managing to leave a gap for Salem’s furry little face.

  She blows him a kiss. “Thanks, Zack.”

  “Anything for you, baby.”

  Part of me wants to gag. The other wants to take Zack into the kitchen and give him the older brother chat I used to give to boys who followed Dani home from school. She might be old enough to take care of herself, but that’s still my job.

  Later, I tell myself.

  “Danielle, what was that about?”

  She smirks at my use of her full name. “It was Allison. She didn’t want to talk to you.”

  I grit my teeth. “Then what did she want?”

  “A date.”

  I almost choke. “What?”

  “Uh-huh. Seems her parents have got this really weird idea in her head that you’re her boyfriend. Probably because she told them she was stopping by my place tonight to see you, I don’t know, but now there’s a reservation for four at Finz—this high-end seafood place off the harbor, right? And she needs a date.”

  Snuggling deeper into her comforter, she adds, “It doesn’t have to be you, if you think it’s too weird. Zack can go. I offered to share you, honey. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “As long as I get to come home to you, that’s fine with me.”

  “No!”

  Both of them turn to stare at me. Okay. So that might have come out more like a growl than I intended it to.

  I clear my throat. “What I mean is, Zack shouldn’t have to do that. He’s going to marry you—”

  Dani raises her eyebrow. “Oh, is he now?”

  I ignore her snarkiness. Like I could’ve stopped her anyway. “—and it would be too much to ask him to pretend to be your friend’s boyfriend. I’ll do it. When you talk to Allison again, tell her I’ll be there.”

  “Okay. Fine, Max. If you insist, then you can go.”

  I know Dani thinks she played me. Maybe assuming that she was trying to set me up with her friend before wasn’t too far off base. She obviously likes the idea of me and Allison.

  I do, too.

  Leaning back into the couch again, I can’t keep back my smile. I probably look like the cat that got the cream.

  I guess I didn’t have to wait that long, after all.

  This is my second chance to make a good first impression.

  I’m not about to fuck it up.

  Allison told Dani that reservations are at seven. Abusing my position as one of the partners, I call the branch manager for Dani’s office the next morning and tell him that she’s doing a special project for me and, because of that, she’s gonna also be out today.

  Then I proceed to take her to breakfast and grill her on Allison Shaw.

  I need to know everything. And it’s not only because I want to pull off this boyfriend charade.

  I play my cards right? It’s not going to be a charade for long.

  Because I want to make a good impression, I put on one of my suits. I leave an hour before I have to so that I’m there waiting by my rental car when Allison pulls up.

  An older man with eyes like hers is sitting next to her. He climbs out of the car and opens up the backseat door for his wife.

  Mrs. Shaw has the same straight hair, though it’s a darker shade and cut much shorter than Allison’s beautif
ul, long blonde hair. She’s already watching me with a calculating expression.

  Okay, Max. Think of this as a business meeting, with a merger as the hopeful outcome.

  Before anything else, I stride right over to Allison’s door and open it up for her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her mother nod approvingly over at her husband.

  Once I’ve helped Allison out of her car, I turn my attention to her parents.

  I put on my most charming smile.

  “Hello.” I stick my hand out to her father first, then her mother. “My name is Max Dennis.”

  Chapter 8

  Allison

  Dinner goes surprisingly well. I almost don’t believe it.

  Max is a perfect gentleman, and he plays the role of my boyfriend so perfectly, I can’t help but stare. Since I’m supposed to be head over heels for him, I try to make my stare an adoring one, but I’m not too sure I pull it off.

  How does he know so much about me?

  It hits me about halfway through the entrée. Dani. Of course.

  Mom loves him. Dad’s just glad that Max is a fan of the San Francisco Giants; as a diehard Red Sox fan who just happened to relocate to Pensacola, if Max rooted for the Yankees or something, I don’t think even Mom’s ringing endorsement could’ve saved him.

  When the check comes out after close to a two-hour meal, Max and my dad do this polite exchange where both insist that they’ll be the one to pick it up. In the end, while still wearing that grin of his that’s kept my panties damp all night, Max hands his credit card to the waiter, waving away my dad’s outstretched plastic.

  And I know, then, that he’s won both of my parents over.

  Therefore, I shouldn’t have been so surprised when Mom takes me aside as we all rise up from the dinner table. Her face looks so guileless, so innocent, and I’m immediately on my guard. She’s planning something. I just don’t know what.

  Then she says, “Oh, Allison, honey. I forgot to tell you that I spoke to Gladys Pearson this afternoon. She and Randy invited your father and I over for a nightcap. Do you mind if we take your car?”