The Christmas Inn

by Stella MacLean

  Last week she’d decorated her salon to look like Santa’s workshop and all her clients loved it, as did the children coming in for new haircuts for the many Christmas concerts and recitals taking place around town. But she had to forget about Christmas for the moment.

  Just before Luke arrived, she’d had a text message from Scott asking her to call him right away. Could it be that Advantage Corporation had reversed their decision about the sale?

  Her brother answered on the first ring. “Marnie, how’s it going? How many of the questionnaires have you finished?”

  She turned away from the door, and moved to stand by the window. “Three so far. Don’t worry, I’ll send them to you soon.”

  “Well, get a move on. Advantage wants to finish up earlier than planned.”

  “Scott, I need more time.”

  “I’ve got Mom breathing down my neck about where you are. I’ve got Advantage looking for results right away—as in yesterday—and you want to hang out at the inn and do some more navel gazing,” he said, his disbelief on overdrive.

  “I can always quit,” she threatened.

  “No, don’t do that! Just get a move on. How’s it looking, anyway?”

  She lowered her voice. “For your information, I’m pretending to be the manager’s assistant so that I’m not seen as a woman on the make, after somebody’s husband. Then I had to correct your lie about us being married, and if I’m not careful, I could still be asked to leave. So now would be a good time,” she said.

  “A good time?”

  “To thank me for saving your precious hide where Advantage is concerned.”

  “Oh, yes, thank you.”

  Was there a slight hint of condescension in his words? There better not have been. “And if that’s not enough, the manager doesn’t trust me, and the staff are reporting to him every time anyone sees me do anything suspicious.” She peeked behind her to be certain no one had entered the room. “They’re probably watching me now.”

  “Did you tell the manager you were working for me?” Scott asked, his tone stiff.

  “No. But I had to tell him you and I are brother and sister not husband and wife. And thanks for making him think I’m a complete nutcase.”

  “What did he say?”

  She chewed away at her new nail polish. “Not much.”

  “Why do you care what the manager thinks of you? You’re there to do a job, and there’s been a…a small problem which you took upon yourself to fix. But everything is fine, isn’t it?”

  “Sure, Scott. Everything is peachy, and I’m doing the survey work as fast as I can. Which reminds me, I’m expected in the manager’s office. I’ve got to go.”

  “And you’ll call me this evening and give me an update?”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Well, you may have lots of time to think because there’s a blizzard headed your way.”

  Great! All she needed was to have Luke discover what she was doing there, and be unable to make her escape because of a snowstorm. As soon as she was finished in Luke’s office, she intended to find a gas station. If she had to leave suddenly, she’d need a full tank of gas. “Thanks for the warning.”

  She slammed her phone closed and stared out the window. “Damn. What next?”

  “Some things never change, Marnie.”

  She whirled around at the sound of Brad’s voice. Had he been standing there all along, hidden so she couldn’t see him? “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m a guest, remember? Was that your brother on the phone?”

  Did he overhear her talking about the questionnaire? He couldn’t have. She’d been too far from the door, and she’d kept her voice down. “No.”

  “What are you doing here during this week? Are you married?”

  “No, I’m not,” she said. “I’m working for the manager for a couple of days.”

  “What about your salon?”

  She didn’t want to have this conversation. “I have to go.”

  He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Suit yourself.”

  “And it would be a good idea if we made a point of avoiding one another. I don’t want any trouble with your wife.”

  “Agreed.”

  She ducked past him, wondering what it was that she’d ever seen in him, how she could have ever thought she loved him. Marnie felt sorry for Cindy. Loving Brad was a losing proposition, at least in her experience.

  When she reached the door to Luke’s office, she knocked and was greeted by his welcoming voice telling her to come in. “Thanks for waiting,” she said.

  “As I was leaving the library, I saw one of our guests, Brad Parker, heading that way. Did you see him?”

  Did he suspect that she and Brad had a connection? “Yes, but only for a moment.” She sat down in the chair next to his desk, close enough to touch him.

  He frowned, but didn’t say anything.

  To fill the awkward silence, she grabbed onto the first topic that came to mind. “My partner, Shane, and I co-owned a spa and salon called Total Elegance for ten years.”

  “And what was your area of expertise?” he asked.

  “I was a hairdresser.”

  “It won’t be easy to end that relationship, will it?”

  She met his gaze and saw the sincerity in his eyes…and something more. “No, it won’t be easy to leave, and that’s part of why I need a little time to be sure that selling is right for me. We’ve agreed to everything, I simply haven’t signed the papers. Shane wants to move on with his new bride. They’re in love and he wants to make her happy.”

  “Do you feel you’re in the way?”

  Did she? “Yeah, a little. Selling my half of the salon has left me feeling a bit lost. It was so much a part of my life all those years.”

  “I know how it feels to care about a place, about a business. That’s how I feel about this inn.” His voice held a hint of melancholy. “The owners have never spent a day here, but they make all the major decisions on the financial viability of the inn, while I’ve put my heart and soul into this place.”

  Marnie could see the passion in his eyes, a passion she wished she felt for her shop. “If only I felt as strongly about my business as you do about the inn.”

  “But you don’t.”

  She drew in a deep, cleansing breath. “No, I don’t. Isn’t that weird? I didn’t sign those papers because I was afraid I might miss the salon, but hearing you talk about the inn…that’s how I should feel.”

  “Then, there’s your answer. You’ve made the right decision.”

  It felt so good to share her feelings with him, to hear him endorse her decision to sell. He may be a stranger, but she appreciated his opinion all the same. “Thank you for saying that.”

  “I was just telling you how I really feel,” he said, leaning toward her, his arm resting on the corner of his desk.

  He was close enough to kiss her. “Thanks,” she murmured, hyperaware of his lips, the cleft of his chin and the rise and fall of his chest beneath his cotton shirt.

  He took her hand in his, and interlaced his fingers with hers, sending a jolt through her. A day ago, she would’ve been happy with flirting and casual sex, but now she wanted—no, needed—to be with him, to share her feelings with him. To find the kind of intimacy that didn’t revolve around bedroom gymnastics.

  She’d never felt this way before and it frightened her. How could she have dated all those other men, nearly married Brad and never felt this kind of need, this sense that she had finally found the right one?

  “I believe we’re going to make a good team,” he said, his breath hot on her cheek, forcing her heart to beat harder.

  “Did you want to hear about my spa experience?” she asked, fighting to resist his mouth and what it offered.

  Leaning closer, he kissed her gently, slowly, deliciously while his fingers traced the skin of her neck. She had wished for this sort of kiss all her life. This man—whose heart beat beneath her finge
rs—could, if he chose, claim her body and soul.

  He eased away from her. “I’ve wanted to do that since you arrived here. Even when I still thought you were married.” He gave her an apologetic smile.

  His kiss left her wanting more of him, and she scrambled to regain her composure. This was moving way too fast for her. “Would…would you like to hear about the spa?”

  “If you’d like to tell me, I’m ready to listen,” he said, his eyes on her.

  Her head spinning, her heart thudding from the loss of his touch, she swallowed hard.

  She tried not to fumble her words as she went over her assessment, all the while fearing that he might be upset when he heard what she had to say. But he didn’t seem to be bothered by the negative things she said about the spa. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, tented his fingers over his lips and studied her. “Is that all?”

  She felt lost, discarded, missing his closeness. “What do you mean?”

  “I wondered if there was anything else you had to tell me.”

  Was he talking about Brad? He couldn’t be, and there was nothing to tell there, anyway.

  Oh…God…in her eagerness to show him how smart and capable she was she’d rhymed off the survey points on the questionnaire she’d filled out for Advantage. Guilt began its slow assault on her mind. How could she be sitting here kissing this man while she still held her heartless little secret?

  What if he’d had a mystery guest before, and then been confronted with the results? If he’d refused a promotion it might have resulted in the company sending someone to check up on him. What if he knew she was doing a survey because he recognized the points she’d listed? Or what if the cleaning staff had found the notes in her room....

  She stared at the desk to keep from looking at him, waiting for his words of recrimination.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  LUKE FOUGHT TO CONTAIN the rush of desire engulfing him. He should never have kissed her, especially when, instead of focusing on his work, all he wanted to do was to kiss her again. It had been so long since he’d felt like this, long enough to fear that he might be jumping too soon into something he couldn’t handle.

  And Marnie? What was going on with her? One minute she’d invited him to kiss her, and the next she was acting guilty about something. Had she stayed behind in the library to meet Brad? What if her real reason for being here had to do with Brad Parker? He didn’t care for the man, but surely he wouldn’t bring his wife to the inn so that he could meet Marnie on the side.

  He took a deep, calming breath.

  Had she returned his kiss to keep him from being suspicious of her? If she was here to meet Brad, he would be disappointed and hurt. Sure, he was attracted to her, but that was his problem.

  But if she was here for some other reason, what could it be? So far she’d checked out the bar, the spa, and was seen checking out the library. Added to that, he’d offered her the job of being his assistant while she was here—the perfect opportunity to see what was going on at the inn.

  Did she work for a rival company? Maybe another hotel company had heard about his success with the Christmas Getaway event and had sent her to report back to them about it. The Chancellor and other inns along the valley were always vying for clients, and she had refused to stay at the Chancellor....

  But what if he had it all wrong? He’d been working really hard, and he had a tendency to be suspicious of people’s motives, thanks to his parents.

  “I think it’s time you came clean about why you’re really here,” he said. “It can’t be much fun for a single woman.”

  Her brow furrowed, her eyes focused on the corner of the desk, she said. “I told you why I’m here. To enjoy the spa…and to think about my future.”

  Look at me when you say that. I don’t want to doubt you.

  “So why agree to pose as my assistant when you could stay at any other resort and have all the free time you need?”

  For one long heartbeat he waited, hoping she’d deny his insinuation that she was there under false pretenses.

  Her gaze flitted past him to the other corner of the desk. “I’m a good multitasker. I can do the job for you with time to spare.”

  She wasn’t much of a liar, yet he really didn’t have any proof that she wasn’t telling the truth—just his gut. He rubbed his face to hide his frustration. She hadn’t answered his question directly—a response that would’ve allayed his fears—and it made him angry. What was he going to do now? As long as he was suspicious of her, he couldn’t allow her access to his office.

  He lowered his hands, the enthusiasm of an hour ago long gone. “I have an important phone call to make, and a few hours of work that you really can’t be of much help with. Why don’t you take a break and go downtown, visit the shops, think about your…future.”

  She blinked, and smoothed her hair. “I’ve never been to Wakesfield.”

  “Our guests love the shops, and I can give you the names of a couple of restaurants you might enjoy if you decide to stay for lunch.”

  “Thank you,” she said, standing up, her shoulders back and her head held high. Luke kept his eyes on the wall above his desk, at the painting his parents had given him as a graduation present, trying not to remember that his parents were off in Australia now, and that he’d still not received so much as a card from them.

  What he wouldn’t give right now for a brother or sister or some other family member to whom he could confide his feelings about Marnie. He badly wanted to believe her—to have a funny, sexy woman to spend the next few days with, someone he could share his plans for the inn with, and who would understand his enthusiasm for the place.

  Working with her would have been the perfect cover for getting to know her.

  He took a deep breath and refocused his thoughts with grim determination. He needed to concentrate on the job at hand, to make this the best Christmas in the history of The Mirabel Inn.

  * * *

  FIGHTING BACK TEARS, Marnie managed to make her way up the stairs to her room. Scott had warned her that a storm was headed this way, but she didn’t care. Let it snow. In the meantime, she needed to talk to Julie, to gain a little perspective on her life and to hear how things were going back at Total Elegance. But most of all she needed to get some distance from Luke and how mixed up he made her feel. Julie was the woman to help her with that.

  She dialed her friend’s number, her spirits lifting.

  “Hello, and how is inn life treating you?” Julie asked.

  “It’s great.” She swallowed. “Fantastic…really.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Marnie, it’s me, remember?”

  Suddenly, she couldn’t talk about Luke without crying. And Julie would want all the details. But she couldn’t explain everything that had gone on to Julie or she’d be on the phone all day. “How’s life at the shop?” she inquired, squeezing her eyes shut to keep the tears at bay.

  “You mean, how is life with Gina?”

  “That, too.”

  “Well, let me count the ways I dislike the woman. She’s told all the staff that if they have staff or work issues, they are not to bother Shane with them. She’ll handle them. Oh, and she sent one of your best clients screaming out into the street when she botched her color.”

  “You’re kidding! Who?”

  “Ellen Parsons, you know the ex Mrs. Martin Jones who had come into the salon for a new look in celebration of her newfound freedom. She got a new look, all right.” Julie’s tone was wry.

  “Well, you can pull her card. She won’t be back.”

  “Ellen’s not the only one not coming back. The two shampoo girls gave their notice. It seems the word’s out that you’re leaving, and people are beginning to take stock of what life will be like under the new regime.”

  “What can I do?”

  “You can come back, but as your friend, I know that’s probably not possible, and I respect that. But I have to tell you Tota
l Elegance is no longer elegant. I assumed things would get a little weird around here, but I hadn’t expected it to go strange so soon. And Shane…his life is about to be totally ruined.”

  She heard the catch in Julie’s voice. “I’m here for you if you need me.”

  “Why did he have to ruin his life? If only Shane would wake up and see what he’s doing!”

  “We both know that’s not going to happen.”

  “Which means you’d better sign that agreement pronto. Given Gina’s behavior, Total Elegance is about to go down the tubes.”

  “And you? What will you do?”

  “I’m not giving up on Shane. I know you think I should, but I love him, and it hurts to see what’s happening. I managed to track him down in his office the other day, and he and I had a chat away from dragon ears, and maybe it’s my imagination, but he doesn’t seem quite so infatuated with the woman as he was.”

  “Don’t read something into his behavior that isn’t there, please, Julie. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “Too late. I’m already hurt. But I’ve made up my mind. I’m sticking around. I’m not going to give up if there’s any hope that Shane might come to his senses.”

  “Would it help if I didn’t sign until you had a little more time to get used to the idea that Shane and Gina are running things?” She had no idea what this would accomplish, but she needed to offer her friend any support she could.

  “No, I believe that if you sign now, it might make Shane see that his old life is over, that he has to face the reality of Gina screwing up everything. Until now, he’s had you and me to keep the show on the road. You signing the papers may act as a wake-up call.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “Never more. Have you got the agreement with you?”

  “Yeah, I wanted to read it through one last time.”

  “Well, read it and sign is my advice,” Julia offered to a chorus of shocked words in the background. “Gotta go and break up the wolf pack snarling at the throat of our esteemed lady of perpetual bossiness.”

  “Go get her, girl. And tell Shane I’m going to fax over the signed agreement, will you?”