Begin Again (The Blake Boys Book 18)

by Rhonda Laurel

  “But—”

  “I’m going to give you a piece of advice you don’t want. Pride can take over your life. You set out thinking you’re sticking to your guns and doing what’s right. Then one day you look up and it’s thirty years later and you’re still pining after the same woman. Trust me, it’s a lonely way to live.” Bo Sr. turned to go inside the cabin but stopped. “Your mom hasn’t made a final decision on selling the house.”

  Corbett nodded. “I’m sure she’ll do what’s best.”

  Corbett sat on the railing, still reeling from the news he hadn’t been expecting. He was happy for his mom, but now his childhood home was being sold.

  The holiday just kept getting worse for him.

  * * *

  Anna Beth had so much fun decorating the children’s hospital that she volunteered for another Blake Foundation event. When Teri-Lyn told her there was something for her to do at the stadium the next day, Anna Beth had no idea she’d be dressing up like an elf.

  At first, she arrived and everything was fine. She signed in with Mimi, a cheerleader and also the coordinator in charge of assigning costumes. Anna Beth ignored the plucky cheerleader as she looked her over and declared she was the perfect height to play an elf. Was it too much to ask to be considered for the role of Mrs. Claus? Last time she’d checked, Santa’s wife wasn’t a supermodel. Apparently the cheerleaders were bickering about who would play the part. It could’ve had something to do with the fact that Logan would be playing Santa. Not so surprisingly, the head cheerleader won out. Anna Beth had the feeling little miss hot stuff would be getting a lump of something in her locker from one of her squad mates. But since this was for charity, she happily took the elf outfit and headed to a dressing room. And was overwhelmed by a cloud of perfume and hair spray. The ladies were grooming themselves like it was a game day.

  She listened to the chatter around the room while she stripped out of her sweater and jeans. Logan donning the Santa suit was apparently a big deal. Each of the ladies was eager to put in some face time with the handsome bachelor. Apparently there had been bickering earlier about who would be Mrs. Claus when Mimi announced she’d be playing the part. The other ladies grumbled but they didn’t contest her decision. She pulled on the red and white striped tights and tugged on the hem of her elf costume. It was a little short for her tastes, but luckily she’d only have to wear it for a few hours. She just hoped she didn’t have to bend over or do a cartwheel. She loosened the belt, hoping the material would give, she’d be grateful for an eighth of an inch at this point, but it didn’t budge. She slipped on the elf shoes with the gold balls on the curved, pointed toe tips and took a few steps. Finally, she donned the hat and looked at herself in the full-length mirror against the wall.

  It was official. She was a dork. Still, it was for a good cause, so she whipped out her camera, took a selfie, and sent it to Kyle. Surely he’d get a kick out of it. He sent her a text that the pic was better than a new car for Christmas. She texted him back that he was an idiot and she wanted to talk him later.

  When she made her way to the giant gingerbread house, Logan was there putting on his Santa suit.

  “Anna Beth,” Logan called out as he adjusted his suspenders.

  “Hi, Logan.”

  He did his best to hug her, but the padding got in the way. “Seth told me you were coming. You look cute in that elf getup.”

  “Thank you. This elf ensemble was a hit in Milan for Fashion Week.” She laughed and did a little twirl.

  “Green is a good color on you.”

  “I bet you say that to all the elves.”

  “Only the really hot ones.” He winked. “What do you think? Am I big enough?”

  Nearby, Mrs. Claus choked on the gingerbread cookie she was nibbling.

  “Excuse m-me?” Anna Beth stammered.

  “Do I have on enough padding?” He gave her a sly smile.

  “Oh.” She bit back a smile. “Let’s see. Santa still looks like he works out at the gym. I’d stuff it a little more.”

  “Thanks.”

  She noticed Mrs. Claus standing behind Logan, shooting her a look to cut it out. She smiled even harder. She wasn’t one of the underlings on her squad. She could flirt all she wanted. Wait. Was she flirting with Santa, uh Logan?

  “It’s so sweet of you to play Santa.”

  He laughed. “It’s under duress. I got the short straw.” Logan’s cell phone rang. He looked at the display. “It’s Seth. I have to take this. I’ll see you by the big red chair. After the event there’s going to be a mixer at the Kick Off restaurant on the third level for the volunteers. What do you say to a dirty eggnog and some five alarm buffalo wings?”

  “Elf yeah.” She laughed. What just happened? Did they just do flirty banter? Logan was handsome and fun. She knew he was single because Cassie had told her. Perhaps she’d get to know him a little better at the mixer.

  Logan’s call from Seth must have run longer than he’d expected because the next time she saw him was when he strutted out of the gingerbread house bellowing, “Ho, ho, ho!” to the kids. That really got the crowd of kiddies in a tizzy. Logan was really hamming it up, using a deeper voice as he greeted the kids and gave the elves commands. It was amazing how the padding and costume had transformed him. She hardly recognized his voice.

  While she assisted the kids by getting them up on his lap, she’d sometimes catch him staring at her. She didn’t think much of it until Mrs. Claus kept making coughing sounds to get Logan’s attention. As she suspected, the head cheerleader had turned a beloved holiday character in a writhing sex kitten. If she were doing it for him, it was in vain, because he didn’t pay her any mind.

  Anna Beth looked around the lively event and sighed. This would have been something Corbett would have enjoyed. He loved giving back to the community and he was always willing to go the extra mile for a good cause. She’d had such big plans for them for the holidays, but she’d especially looked forward to the cuddling and starting their own traditions.

  After another little one had given Santa his list of toy requests, she handed the boy the parting candy cane, but he accidentally dropped it. Ugh! She was dreading this. The last thing she wanted to do was to flash her bottom at the kids. Not to mention their parents. She did an awkward half squat away from the crowd so she could retrieve the fallen sweet treat. She felt a light caress of her butt and lurched up. Did Santa, no Logan, just touch her bottom? Nah. Logan would never do anything like that to her. She looked at Logan, but he was staring in the other direction. Maybe she’d imagined it.

  She tried to compose herself and ushered the next group of kids through the velvet rope. She motioned for the elf next to Santa’s sleigh to come and relieve her. Feeling parched, she went into the gingerbread house to get a bottle of water. Logan came in a few minutes later.

  “The kids look so excited, don’t they?” She scrunched her nose.

  Santa didn’t speak. He just smiled said. “Ho! Ho! Ho!”

  OK. “I thought you were going to lose it when that little boy asked who was in charge of cleaning up the reindeer poop.” She giggled.

  “Ho! Ho! Ho!” was his reply again.

  “Speaking of your signature phrase. I’m pretty sure Mrs. Claus wouldn’t mind giving you a lap dance.”

  “Ho! Ho! Ho!” He moved closer to her.

  She was as dedicated to the role as the next person, but he was taking it too far. She’d wanted to kick off those damn bell ringing elf shoes for the last hour but she hadn’t. But how do you go from suggestive flirting to the repetitive Santa bit? Something was up. She folded her arms across her chest and moved in closer to him.

  “Did you study drama in school? You refuse to break from this Santa character. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. I think it’s wonderful that you—”

  Before she could finish, he closed the distance between them, put his hands on her hips, pulled her in close, and planted a kiss on her. His lips felt familiar. Finally, she p
ulled away and slapped him across his white-bearded cheek.

  “Santa! I mean, Logan! What the hell!” she shrieked. “Did you get an early start on the dirty eggnogs?”

  He pointed up. Damn it. They were standing under the mistletoe, but that warranted a quick, festive peck, not slipping someone the tongue while touching her ass. Still his touch, the smell of his cologne, the taste of his tongue all felt familiar. Which was crazy because she’d never been intimate with Logan.

  “Mistletoe isn’t symbolic for a free tonsillectomy,” she huffed and picked up a giant prop candy cane. She waved it at him when he responded with a wicked smile and tried to get close to her again. “Are you bucking for the naughty list? What do you have to say for yourself?”

  “Surprise,” he finally said, removing the beard from his face. It was Corbett standing there with a goofy grin on his face.

  “You!” She beaned him with the cane.

  Corbett knew there was no easy way of getting out of this, but he hadn’t been able to help himself. When he walked in unnoticed into the gingerbread house and saw Anna Beth, the feeling of missing her sent a dull ache to his heart and ignited something else in his crotch. Logan Holbrook seemed to be holding her attention, and he didn’t like it one bit. He swore under his breath when he looked at the duty list and discovered he was scheduled to work refreshments in the restaurant. He’d never get to see her if he went there. So when he heard Logan talking on his cell to Seth about a potential PR nightmare going on with one of the players, he stepped up and offered to help cover the Santa job.

  “It’s nice to know you weren’t happy I might have been Logan.” He unhooked the beard from around his ears, his face still stinging from the slap.

  She squinted at him. “What are you doing here anyway?”

  “Volunteering, same as you. It’s nice to see you, Anna.” He got closer, but she backed away, raising the candy cane prop again.

  “I wish I could say the same,” she said.

  “I thought you were on vacation in Costa Rica?”

  “Something came up. How do you know about my vacation plans?”

  “I shook the family grapevine.”

  Her phone began to play a symphony ringtone. She dug into the pocket of her elf suit and looked at the display on her phone as he waited for her response. It was J.J. She turned when she saw him craning his neck to sneak a peek.

  “Oh. It’s your work husband,” he grumbled.

  “Oh, stop it. He probably heard that I didn’t take my trip. I have to take this.” She removed her hat and pressed the green button. “Hi, J.J. I’m at the Santa’s North Pole event at the stadium. I’m playing an elf. No, I won’t send you a picture so you can put it up in the executive coffee room.”

  Figures she’d take J.J.’s call. Didn’t the man know she was on vacation? Maybe not the one she’d planned but still, she was off the clock. Whatever had stopped her from going, he was grateful. The idea of her frolicking around with some beach bum made his blood boil. He’d met a few of her friends. Gwen and Cassidy were good friends, but Lisa was a wild child who loved to talk Anna Beth into trouble.

  A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was the elf in charge of taking the photos. “Hi, there. We need Santa and our most popular elf back on the floor.”

  Anna Beth ended the call with J.J. “We’ll be right out.”

  “Wow. You’re on call even on your vacation,” he taunted. “And whatever he wanted just couldn’t wait. I swear I think that job is more important to you than anything else.”

  She stalked toward the door, then stopped and put her hand on her hip. “We’re not on a date, you don’t get to complain about who calls me. You’re a fine one to talk about boundaries. Shouldn’t you be somewhere taking Courtney’s temperature or pumping her stomach?”

  “I’m not hung up on Courtney. I was trying to help a sick friend. I tried to explain that to you when you slammed the door in my face.”

  “But you’re oblivious to the fact that she pretended something was wrong so you’d be there holding her. And it worked.” She slammed the door to the gingerbread house behind her but returned a few seconds later to retrieve her elf hat. “And how dare you cop a feel while dressed as Santa!”

  Corbett knew she was going for a dramatic exit, but the jingling of the balls on her elf shoes negated the tense moment. To make matters worse, he was rock hard from the kiss. It felt good to have her in his arms again. Could he have been wrong about letting her go? It sure didn’t feel like the right decision right now. He’d give anything to get her to come back into the gingerbread house and kiss him again.

  He poured himself a glass of apple cider, wishing he had some of Bo Sr.’s moonshine to give it some kick. He listened to the noises outside. Everyone seemed to be having fun. By the time he composed himself and went back to resume his Santa duties, Anna Beth had traded places with the elf who was in charge of handing out goodie bags as the kids climbed down off his lap. She wouldn’t look at him for the rest of the event, and when they were finished, she left without a word. Later, when he was looking for her, he saw her dashing from the lockers to the escalator that led to the main door.

  Avoiding him. No doubt about it.

  Since he wasn’t in a mingling mood, he decided to cut out early. He’d volunteered like he’d promised. Now it was time to get on the road and prep for the pity party he’d planned. As he stepped onto the escalator, he looked up and saw John Jacob waiting for him at the top.

  “Corbett. Glad you could come out and help.”

  “John Jacob. What a pleasant surprise. I didn’t think you’d be here.”

  “I was having a drink with T.K. We were watching the event from his office. You make a mighty fine Santa.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled. “This was my mom’s idea. She said it was better than stewing around the house about the holidays.”

  “Let me guess. Woman troubles?”

  “Did Bo tell you something?” There was no such thing as a secret in his extended family.

  “Not at all. There’s only one way a man gets a haggard look like that. And I saw a certain adorable elf sprinting out of here like the building was on fire. Why don’t we get a bite to eat at the executive club on the top floor and talk about it?”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to take you away from anything.”

  “There’s always time for family. Especially this time of year.” John Jacob grinned. “Come on. They have buffalo wings that will make you cry.”

  * * *

  Corbett looked out at the stadium, in awe of the breath-taking view from the restaurant. He’d been to a lot of games with the family since the Blakes had become part owners of the Tomcats. Cheering the team on had become a family effort, and they always had a good time. He hadn’t spent that much time with John Jacob, but he always enjoyed the man’s company. Despite the fact that he was obscenely wealthy, he was a salt of the earth cowboy, just like Bo Sr.

  Before Corbett and his brother Bo reconciled, all he’d known about the Blake family was what he’d read in financial and entertainment magazines. The man before him was hardly the corporate shark who’d built his family’s legacy from the ground up. He was a warm, wise man who loved being on the ranch and keeping track of his brood. And that included Bo, Corbett, and Wyatt. He’d made it clear that they were family in every sense of the word.

  Corbett perused the menu, but he was curious about those five-alarm buffalo wings John Jacob had mentioned. Perhaps the searing cayenne heat would help clear his head. The waiter came over and took their drink order. As he figured, John Jacob ordered a scotch, while he opted for a beer.

  John Jacob smiled. “Bo tells me you’re in need of some holiday cheer.”

  “That’s putting it mildly,” he huffed, then immediately regretted it. He held up a hand. “Forgive me. The year isn’t winding down the way I’d planned. And my mom springs it on me that she’s moving in with Bo Sr.”

  John Jacob laughed. “T
hat was quite a surprise.”

  “So I’m not the only one who thinks it’s crazy? Given everything I’ve learned about their history, I’ve been patiently waiting for them to break up again.”

  “If it’s any consolation to you, I believe that it’s different this time. They’re older and both have some important life lessons under their belt. Bo and Bonnie aren’t running from the same things anymore. They’re at peace with the mistakes they’ve made.”

  “Like mom going off and marrying my dad and having two more kids?” He shook his head.

  “It wasn’t that cut and dry. I’ve known Bonnie as long as I’ve known Bo. She parted ways from Bo because they were driving each other crazy. When she found happiness with Buck, I knew it was the real deal. She loves you boys something terrible. I don’t think she regrets a thing about her life.”

  “It feels like she was passing time with her other family while waiting to reconcile with Bo.” He hadn’t meant for that to come out. But something had been building in him since he’d had that conversation with his mom. He felt like his past was being erased. “Look at me. I sound like a kid who’s not happy about their parents’ divorce. She and my dad haven’t been together in ages. Even before Bo came back into the picture there was a third husband.”

  “Old wounds crop up at the most interesting times. And dealing with the past while trying to figure out the future can be a tricky thing.” John Jacob gave him a long look. “You know, Corbett, the prospect of losing someone you love is difficult.”

  “I’ll get used to mom’s new living arrangements. My dad has moved on too. He and Glynis have their own thing. Bo and Wyatt are in stable relationships. I couldn’t be happier for my family, I swear.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Oh. I’ve been over Courtney for a long time.”