Match Me by Christmas

by Armstrong, Lindzee

  To the woman who deserves a house filled will memories of her travels. I hope you’ll always remember Arenas Blancas with particular fondness. I know I will.

  - Your Secret Santa

  Natalie held the note to her chest and blinked back tears. This was too much, too soon. Her feelings were too intense. She didn’t know how to process them or handle them or how to move forward.

  “Everything okay?” Kendra asked.

  Natalie nodded and forced a smile. But she didn’t know if her heart would survive the next four days.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Shawn straightened his suit jacket, then took a deep breath and knocked on Natalie’s cabin door. Today had been filled with nonstop work, and he’d only caught glimpses of Natalie in between heading off another meltdown from Skye, moving tables and chairs into place for each activity in the banquet hall, and juggling a change in activities when more people than planned signed up for the miniature golf course on one of the upper decks.

  But he’d thought of Natalie all day. When he saw her sitting near a Christmas tree in one of the alcoves overlooking the promenade, typing away furiously at her keyboard, he wondered if her writing was as clever and funny as she was. He’d bet so. At lunch, he’d watched her talk with Jase, hands moving animatedly as she told him a story, and felt a pang of jealousy that had been hard to ignore. During miniature golf, he’d watched as she talked with the Toujour clients and wondered what questions she asked them.

  Light footfalls echoed from the other side of the door, and it swung open to reveal Natalie. Shawn’s mouth went dry as he slowly took in the electric blue lace dress that hugged her body.

  “Wow,” Shawn said. “You look amazing.”

  Her cheeks glowed that soft pink color he loved as she pulled the door shut behind her. “Thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself.”

  Shawn grinned, leaning down to brush a quick kiss across one cheek. She’d worn heels tonight and was nearly at eye level. He loved that she was tall enough to kiss without much effort. But after the whirlwind of yesterday and distance of today, he wasn’t sure where they stood and didn’t want to push for too much too soon. “Are you ready to go?”

  Natalie nodded, slipping her hand into the crook of his arm. “I can’t wait to see the ice show tonight. Did you know that the Ocean Dream is one of only eight cruise ships in the world with an ice skating rink on board?”

  Shawn chuckled, pulling her toward the elevator. “I did know that, actually.”

  There was that blush again. It took all his effort not to nibble at her neck. “Of course you know. Duh.”

  “Did you have a good day?” Shawn asked. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk to you really.”

  “I had a great day.” The elevator doors dinged open, and Shawn guided Natalie inside. As the doors slid closed, she turned to him, biting one lip. “Thank you for the Christmas ornament. It was absolutely perfect.”

  Shawn held her hand loosely in his, pleased that she’d like it. “I thought it would be a good reminder of Arenas Blancas.”

  “I loved it,” Natalie said. She brushed a strand of hair behind one ear. She’d curled her hair so that it hung about her shoulders in soft waves, but all Shawn could think about was messing it up by pressing her against the glass wall of the elevator and running his hands through it. “And thank you for the cookies, too.”

  Shawn grinned. “I wasn’t sure if you’d know those were from me.”

  “I wasn’t sure at first, but now I am.”

  Her hazel eyes were so beautiful. Shawn felt himself swaying toward her, but then the elevator doors dinged open. He cleared his throat and led her into the hallway. A rumble of noise already echoed from the ice rink. Shawn knew most of the Toujour guests would already be seated, but he’d told Jorge to save two seats near the top.

  Natalie squeezed his hand and leaned into him. “I’m so excited for this show. The brochure makes it sound amazing.”

  “It is pretty amazing,” Shawn agreed. The doors were open to the rink, letting the rumble of excited guests spill out into the hallway. “I’m always impressed at how they manage to stay upright despite the ship’s swaying. A few months ago, we hit the tail end of a tropical storm and the waves were pretty choppy. But not a single skater fell in the performance.”

  “That’s impressive.” Natalie paused at the top of the stairs, looking down at the skating rink. The stadium wasn’t huge—barely enough to hold all of Toujour—but that meant there wasn’t a bad seat in the house.

  “I had Jorge save us seats right over there.” Shawn pointed to the back row, where two empty seats sat with reserved signs. He hadn’t wanted to steal a front-row seat from a paying customer.

  “This is amazing,” Natalie said, following him to their seats. He set the plastic sign tents that rested on the backs of the seats on the ground and sat beside her. The seats had empty spots on either side for wheelchairs, so they were relatively alone.

  Spotlights created a patterned design across the thin sheen of ice. Natalie shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as she gazed down at the empty rink.

  “Cold?” Shawn rose, shrugging out of his jacket. He gently draped it around her shoulders.

  “Oh.” Natalie pulled the jacket closer around her, burrowing into it. She smiled. “Thanks. I guess I should’ve realized it would be chilly in here. The ice, and all.”

  “I imagine you didn’t ice skate much in Arizona.”

  Natalie chuckled. “Not at all, actually. I’m excited to try it out tomorrow when Toujour has the rink again.”

  A lump formed in Shawn’s throat. It would be so amazing to skate along the ice with Natalie tomorrow, her hand held in his. He’d gone ice skating a few times before his accident, and always loved the icy breeze that floated up from the rink, the gentle swish of skates against ice, the tiny shavings of ice that his skates kicked up. But skating with Natalie would be impossible with his leg.

  Natalie lifted her shoulders, indicating his jacket. “Won’t you be cold without this?”

  Shawn shook his head and placed an arm around her shoulder. “You’ll keep me warm.”

  She laughed, snuggling against his side. “Works for me.”

  The lights dimmed then, and they both fell silent as the show began. It was spectacular, done by six ice skaters who seemed immune to the gentle rocking of the boat. But Shawn barely noticed. He kept glancing over at Natalie, loving the excitement and wonder that flashed across her face with each perfectly executed each triple lutz and toe loop.

  He was completely enchanted by this woman. And while he knew that falling for her was possibly the stupidest thing he’d ever done, he couldn’t seem to help himself.

  The ice dancers took their final bow, and the overhead lights flipped on. Shawn blinked as his eyes adjusted to the suddenly bright lights, but Natalie didn’t make a move to rise. She seemed content to let others fight the crowds while they waited for them to thin out.

  “Well, you definitely didn’t disappoint,” Natalie said, turning in her chair so that her body was angled toward his. “That show was every bit as good as you promised it would be.”

  “It’s pretty great,” Shawn agreed. “I’ve seen it at least a dozen times now, but it doesn’t get old.”

  Natalie sighed, pulling his jacket closer around her. At some point she’d pushed her arms through the sleeves. The jacket hung on her like a child wearing her mother’s clothes, and Shawn loved it.

  “I wish I could interview the ice dancers and write about then,” Natalie said. “I’m so grateful Brooke let me come on this cruise, but asking singles about their budding relationships isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I sent my application to World Traveler.”

  Shawn took her hand gently in his, running his thumb over her knuckles. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I don’t know. Writing about the destinations, I guess. I want to write articles where the destination tells the story.”

  “And
you don’t feel like the Toujour cruise does that?”

  Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Do you? The whole thing feels a bit like a fairytale, you have to admit. Hop on a cruise single. Leave a week later with your happily ever after. I can’t help wondering if any of these relationships will survive once we reach shore.”

  Shawn had experienced similar thoughts when he first started working with Brooke on the itinerary for the cruise. But since meeting Natalie, his opinions had slowly started to shift. “I think the relationships could survive, if the couples want them to.”

  “Maybe.” She pulled away and stood. “I guess we should go now.”

  Shawn nodded and rose as well. “I’ve got about an hour before my nightly staff meeting with the crew. Want to grab some dessert before I walk you back to your cabin?”

  Natalie’s eyes brightened, and she nodded. “The chocolate buffet is tonight. I’ve heard it’s a can’t miss part of the cruise.”

  “Definitely,” Shawn said. “Let’s go.”

  The buffet was crowded with hungry cruisers satisfying their sweet tooths. Natalie’s eyes widened as she took in the five chocolate fountains and trays of chocolate desserts.

  “This is like a baker’s paradise,” she said, tugging him toward the end of the line.

  Shawn laughed, stumbling after her. She didn’t seem to notice his awkward gait though, for which he was grateful. “You like to bake?”

  “Oh, I love it.” The enthusiasm in her voice was unmistakable. “I don’t do it much in Arizona—my apartment’s kitchen is tiny—but Wyatt has this amazing kitchen at his new house in California. I’ve got lots of baking planned for the next couple of weeks.”

  She loved to bake. There was so much he didn’t know about Natalie, but with each facet of information he uncovered, his attraction to her grew. He tapped her nose lightly with one finger. “I bet you look adorable in an apron.”

  She laughed. “Wyatt and my parents don’t tend to comment on my wardrobe choices while baking. They’re too busy stuffing their faces with the food. I’m pretty sure Wyatt’s nutritionist hates it when I come around.”

  Shawn dropped a brownie on his plate. “I guess I never thought about that. Does he have a nutritionist year-round, or just during the season?”

  “Year round.” Was it his imagination, or did Natalie’s voice suddenly sound cool? “I think my plate’s holding as much as it can.”

  “Mine too,” Shawn said. “Let’s go sit down.”

  At the table, Natalie picked up her fork and took a small bite of cake.

  “How is it?” Shawn asked.

  She scrunched her nose, then nodded. “A little heavy on the flour, but nice and moist. I like my cake a little lighter, but this is good.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” He took his own bite and swallowed. “I never cooked much growing up, and there hasn’t been a need to since I moved onto the Ocean Dream.”

  “Are you excited to move home soon?”

  Shawn nodded. He missed everything about Sunset Plains—the lightning bugs that winked in the dark on warm summer nights. The family owned pharmacy, with its soda counter and jars of homemade lollipops. “It’ll be a nice change of scenery.”

  She slowly dragged her fork tines through the frosting on her cake, not looking at him. “Won’t you miss traveling so much?”

  “Maybe a little. But mostly I’m looking forward to the stability and permanence of Sunset Plains.”

  “I guess that makes sense.” And this time, her tone was teasing. “You are in your thirties.”

  “Practically an old man,” he agreed. “What about you—won’t you miss home when you’re flying to a new exotic destination every week?”

  She took a bite of cake, taking her time chewing. “I’m sure it will be hard at first, but I can’t wait to get out there and see the world. There’s so much I want to see and explore.”

  “And I can’t wait to go home,” he said softly.

  Her eyes glistened, and she blinked quickly. “We should hurry and finish eating. Don’t you have that staff meeting soon?”

  Twenty minutes later found Shawn and Natalie once again in front of her cabin door. She placed a hand lightly on his chest, her eyes open and inviting.

  “Tonight was wonderful,” she said. “I had a great time.”

  He pressed his hand over hers, leaning in. “Thank you for coming with me.”

  She bit her lip, moving her hand slowly until it rested behind his neck. Her fingers started playing with the short hairs just above his collar, and he let out a groan.

  “What are you doing to me, Natalie?” he whispered.

  She let her other hand trail up his chest, driving him wild. “I think I’m doing the same thing to you that you’re doing to me.”

  Slowly, he lowered his head towards her. She rose up on her toes, meeting his kiss without hesitation. Shawn drank her in, his fingers digging into her waist as he pulled her closer.

  He rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily.

  “What are we doing?” Shawn asked.

  Natalie bit her lip, hands still locked behind his neck. “I don’t know. I’m leaving in barely three days.”

  “To travel the world,” he said softly.

  “Yes. And you want to put down roots.”

  Shawn brushed a strand of hair behind one of her ears, loving the feel of the silky locks. “I do.”

  “So I guess we do nothing,” Natalie whispered. “On Saturday, you’ll go on your merry way, and I’ll go on mine.”

  “Three days,” Shawn breathed.

  “Three days,” she agreed. “I don’t want to waste them talking about what happens after that. Let’s just enjoy what time we have.”

  He nodded, lowering his head to hers for one last goodnight kiss. He intended to make every hour count.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Shawn stared at the email, disbelief making the words blurry. He’d woken up extra early that morning to get in an hour at the gym before heading back to his room to get ready for Toujour’s first event of the day, a couples towel-folding demonstration. But just as he’d been ready to walk out of the room, his email had dinged.

  I just found out that someone else has been looking at the property on Main Street, his real estate agent had written. If you’re serious about making an offer, I think we’d better do it sooner rather than later.

  Shawn ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He couldn’t make an offer now, because he didn’t have enough money saved up for the down payment yet. In order to have that money, he needed to focus on making this cruise spectacular for Toujour, so that they’d decide to use Ocean Dream for future cruises.

  But instead he was flirting with Natalie. Taking her to shows. Eating cake at the chocolate buffet when he should be keeping Brooke happy so that he could get that bonus and go home.

  What was he doing? This was his chance, and he was ignoring it for a few dates with a girl who would be gone in a matter of days.

  Brooke was already at the ice rink when Shawn arrived, the baby on her hip and Luke nearby. Shawn mentally kicked himself as he greeted the couple. He should’ve been the first to arrive at the rink.

  “Wasn’t that show last night fantastic?” Brooke asked, her eyes bright. “Very cool. I think it was a big hit with the clients.”

  “I’m so glad,” Shawn said smoothly. “We can definitely make that a permanent part of the itinerary going forward. I know you’d spoken before about perhaps making changes to the itinerary for the next cruise.”

  “Yes, I think we should definitely include that next time.” Brooke turned to Luke. “What do you think, sweetie?”

  “Definitely,” Luke agreed, taking the baby from her arms. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “I’m a big fan of ice skating. My best Toujour date ever happened on the ice.”

  Brooke swatted at his arm. “You would bring that up.”

  “Hey, you were the one who set me up with Andi.”

  Brook
e rolled her eyes, but there was an affection in her gaze that was undeniable. “My biggest concern at this point is that I see some potential love triangles forming between couples. I’m not sure how to avoid that on future cruises. If everyone only has one match on the ship, what happens if they don’t end up connecting? But having multiple matches for everyone seems to be a source of conflict, too.”

  Luke placed an arm around Brooke’s shoulders, pulling her close. “It’s just been a few couples that you’ve had problems with.”

  Brooke sighed, then lowered her voice and took a step closer. “Skye has fixated on Declan, but he’s interested in someone else. There was nearly an incident at the show last night, but thankfully Kendra was able to diffuse the situation before a scene occurred.”

  An incident, while he was cozying up to Natalie. He swallowed. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Brooke sighed, running a hand through her hair. She was bundled up in a red coat with some sort of belt at the waist, and silver Christmas tree earrings hung from her lobes. “Maybe the cruise wasn’t such a good idea after all. Charlotte was against the idea from the beginning, but I swore this would be great for Toujour.”

  Panic made Shawn’s palms clammy.

  “You’re just stressed from last night,” Luke said. “The cruise is a great idea. Look at how many couples are finding each other.”

  “It’s natural that there will be some growing pains with this type of venture,” Shawn said quickly. “After this cruise is over, we can brainstorm ways to avoid some of those pitfalls on future cruises.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Brooke said. “My matchmakers and I should be able to come up with something to help avoid this in the future.”

  But the tension didn’t leave Shawn as the room began filling with people. He directed guests to the shoe counter, where an employee handed out skates in the proper size.

  Shawn knew the moment Natalie entered the room. They were like two planets drawn together by a gravitational force he didn’t understand. All his worries about Toujour and the bonus disappeared when he saw her. Today she wore leggings and some sort of top that seemed to double as a dress. It was striped like a candy cane and reached nearly mid-thigh, with a thick belt accentuating her narrow waist. She was talking to Skye, whose hands were moving animatedly.