At the Sight of Holly: A Barrington Billionaire Winter Novella

by Jeannette Winters

  Janet appreciated all the time Logan had taken today. She was sure he had much better things to do than spend his entire afternoon answering her questions. Thankfully he didn’t seem bothered by them. If anything, Logan listened so intently that one might have mistaken her for the knowledgeable one. At least from a distance, anyway.

  She knew it might seem like inappropriate behavior, after all his kindness, but she was willing to risk getting a warning letter. Janet wrapped her arms around Logan. “Thank you so much.”

  “Helping people is what I do,” Logan said, before heading out the main door.

  She couldn’t wait to see Vinny again. Although she couldn’t tell him about her conversation with Logan Henderson, she just wanted to let Vinny know RP, or not, she really cared about him.

  He stole my heart with the first snowflake.

  Vinny had no idea what Drake wanted to speak about, and really, he didn’t care. Yesterday’s date with Janet had gone better than he expected. Of course, agreeing to see each other on her days off, instead of at night when he couldn’t drive, that totally sucked. Janet had delivered him the bad news that she only got one day off a week. He couldn’t wait that long.

  So he decided to drop in with a surprise visit. Janet should be getting off work soon and she probably was going to be hungry. If yesterday was any indication of her feelings, Janet might want to see him too.

  He parked his truck so he could see the doorway. Vinny wasn’t sure if she’d be leaving on time, but this way, he couldn’t miss her no matter what time she got out. But he didn’t want to feel like some creepy stalker, so he sent her a quick text message.

  AT NEW HOPE. WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU.

  He waited, but no response. Of course, she was working and most likely didn’t carry her phone with her, or at least not for personal things. From the moment he’d met her, she’d stressed how important this job was to her. There was no way he’d screw it up for her. What’s important to her, is important to me.

  It looked as though she was about to leave, but she was standing at the door talking to someone. He wasn’t sure who she was with, then again, he wasn’t parked at the best angle, either. But there was no doubt that Janet seemed to know him very well.

  Vinny had never experienced jealousy before, but that green monster sure was rearing its ugly head. There was no commitment between them. She could date whomever she wanted, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

  As the man left, Vinny couldn’t help but size him up. Since Janet stressed her only friend here was Isa, the guy wasn’t a friend. He wasn’t a local either, that much was for sure. Was he a guest at New Hope?

  His mind was racing with a bunch of scenarios, none of them healthy. Vinny needed to get out of there. His reason for showing up unannounced had been that he missed her, and he still did. But he didn’t want to force himself on her. It’s possible that last night, after she went home and thought about everything he told her, she decided to move on.

  Vinny started his truck, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed back to his garage. It was stupid coming here. He’d laid it all out on the line, and the best thing he could do at the moment was give Janet some space. He had work that he could be, should be, doing.

  Somehow he’d been thinking so much about Janet that he totally missed the car also trying to leave the parking lot. The sound of metal making contact said a collision, albeit a minor one, had occurred. Damn it.

  Vinny put the truck in park and got out to see whose car he just damaged, and to make sure they were okay. But when he saw who it was, Vinny wanted to give up. This day couldn’t get much worse.

  “Sorry about that Mr. Henderson. I was a bit…distracted. I’ll have the vehicle fixed.”

  Alex said, “I wasn’t watching what I was doing either. My wife Ziva called to remind me I was late for an appointment.”

  That didn’t make Vinny feel any better. He should’ve been paying attention. He already knew he couldn’t afford to miss a thing while behind the wheel. An accident could cost him his license. It would back in the States.

  “I own a garage, and I can probably fix it tomorrow if you want.”

  “It’s barely a scratch. Besides, my brother is almost here and I’ve got things to do,” Alex said. “Here he is now. Have you met my brother Logan yet?”

  Vinny shook his head and turned to see the guy he’d seen Janet hugging. “No. Not in person.” At least he now had a name with the face. Now he’s not a stranger.

  “Logan, this is Vinny Hartman. He worked for us when New Hope was under construction,” Alex said.

  “And you stayed?” Logan asked.

  “Saw an opportunity and I took it.”

  Logan turned to his brother and said, “Alex, from what I saw a few minutes ago, you seem to be in a rush.”

  “I am. Ziva has called my phone three times already. If I miss this appointment, I might as well sleep at your house tonight, because I’ll be in the dog house.”

  Then Logan turned back to Vinny and asked, “Would you mind giving me a lift?”

  The temptation to say no was great, but what would that do? Get him stranded here with Janet.

  “I’d be happy too.” Vinny opened the door and got back into the truck. Logan chatted with Alex briefly then got into the truck as well. “Where do you need to go?”

  “The hospital,” Logan replied.

  “I should’ve guessed. Doctors are always on duty.”

  “Actually, I just left a meeting and was heading back to do some research.”

  Research. Yeah. Right.

  “I heard you’re one of the best, I would think they contact you for advice.”

  Logan laughed. “They do, but there are times I need to reach out to others who specialized in certain things, like retinitis pigmentosa, for instance.” Vinny hadn’t meant to slam on the brakes, but he was totally caught off guard. “Easy. One accident is enough for one day.”

  “Sorry. It’s just that…”

  “You don’t want anyone to know about it. I understand completely. My inquiries will be high-level and your name will not be mentioned.”

  “How do you know I have it?” Vinny asked.

  “Janet and I were discussing it earlier. She had questions and I gave her the information I had.”

  Vinny gripped the steering wheel so tightly his fingers hurt. “I wish my name hadn’t come up at all during your little…meeting.”

  He didn’t want her feeling sorry for him, and he sure as hell didn’t want her discussing his problems with Logan, either. I never should’ve bothered telling her. The result would’ve been the same without the humiliation.

  “My meeting was supposed to be with Alex. But as you can see, he’s very preoccupied lately. He’s under a lot of stress.”

  “I bet.” Alex Henderson was a man of many talents. Not only was he a part owner in New Hope Resort, but he also was a New York Times best seller author. Vinny had heard all about it when he worked for them. But Alex wasn’t Vinny’s focal point. There was only on thing Vinny wanted to know, and that was why his name had been brought up in conversation. “So you met with Janet instead?”

  “She was kind of forced into it. Alex blew me off and offered her up to show me around. I felt bad for her, but somehow fate had intervened and it all seemed to have worked out.”

  “I bet it did,” Vinny said as he started heading towards the hospital again. He couldn’t wait to get Logan out of the truck.

  “Yes it did. She’s an amazing young woman.”

  “I know.”

  “You’re lucky to have her,” Logan said.

  “I’m not sure I do?”

  “What? Have her?” Logan asked.

  Vinny couldn’t get the image of Janet and Logan hugging out of his mind. “What makes you think I do?”

  “Because all she did was talk about you. And risking her job by not showing me what she was supposed to in order to ask me questions, means she’s serious about you.”

&nbs
p; “I only told her yesterday. You’re a doctor. She just needed answers. Simple.”

  “She cares about you. She wants to make sure there isn’t anything out there that could help you that has been missed.”

  “Yeah. Who wants to be with a guy losing his vision?”

  “Do you really think that’s why she asked?”

  Vinny shook his head. “I guess I’m used to people feeling sorry for me, treating me different. I…hate it. That’s why I’m here in Tabiq. No one knows, or at least they didn’t know, about my having RP. If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep it that way.”

  “Janet explained that to me as well. I could tell she was leery about breaking the trust that you two share. It took a lot of convincing on my part to get her to share as much as she did. I’m surprised she didn’t make me sign some sort of contract,” Logan said, easing the tension.

  “I’m glad to hear that. No one is going to want to hire a mechanic who has limitations.”

  “Everyone has them Vinny. For some people they’re physical to the point they can’t hide them, and others, can be hidden, but they’re still there.”

  “I’ve been trying to hide mine for years. I wasn’t going to tell Janet about it but…I couldn’t do that to her.” She’s too important to me.

  “It’s never easy, but I think in the long run, you’ll be glad you did.”

  If I don’t screw it up by doing something stupid like thinking she already moved on. Vinny felt foolish. The only positive thing, Janet never needed to know about it. Sometimes not sharing is a good thing.

  Logan added, “For the record, I do not specialize in it either. But I have some colleagues who would be the first to know what research is being done. I can make the calls; I just can’t promise they have anything more than you already know.”

  “Thanks Logan, I appreciate it,” Vinny said as they pulled up in front of the hospital. He didn’t believe there was anything new out there, but having someone like Logan Henderson out there asking the questions came with a lot more punch than when Vinny or his parents tried. Even if it’s not today, maybe there will be something someday.

  As Logan got out of the truck he said, “If you get back to the resort, you might be able to catch her before she leaves.”

  Yeah, tried that once today. It didn’t work out so well for me.

  When he drove away, Vinny decided to head home instead. Although he wanted nothing more than to see Janet, she hadn’t answered his text from earlier. He’d wait and next time he reached out to her, he’d have planned it better.

  Chapter 7

  “Are you sure about this?” Isa asked.

  “Yes. It’s really nice of you guys to give me two weeks off to go back to the States, but I want to be here in Tabiq for the holidays.” With Vinny.

  “You really care a lot about him.”

  I do. Janet couldn’t stop thinking about that winter wonderland Vinny had created for her. He had brought the holiday feeling to her, and she hadn’t thought that was possible. That will always be my favorite snow. The first snow in Tabiq. It wasn’t just man made, it was created for her from Vinny. The best gift anyone has ever given me. “I don’t know what it is about him, but Isa, I’ve never felt like this before.”

  “Janet, you have the vacation time. Why don’t you take it off and spend it here, in Tabiq?”

  Janet hadn’t wanted to ask, because she knew it was still a busy time at the resort. She knew Isa was using her role as wife to get that approved with Drake. She couldn’t take advantage of that. “How about we meet in the middle and I take a week?” That would give her and Vinny some quality time together.

  “Sounds good.”

  “I have one more favor to ask.” Janet didn’t have any other way to obtain what she needed.

  “Oh, why do I have a feeling I’m about to pay for keeping quiet about helping Vinny?”

  Janet laughed. “That’s because you are. He pulled off the most amazing date ever. Now I want to do the same. But I haven’t been anywhere around here to know what to do. This is your homeland. Any suggestions?”

  “Janet, it isn’t a competition.”

  “I know that, but I can’t think of anything to do.” It was ridiculous, because if they were back in the States, she’d have a million ideas.

  “If you want to do something special, then invite him to your house for dinner.”

  “Me? Cook? Are you trying to kill the guy?” Janet couldn’t remember the last time she’d made an actual meal. Usually cooking at home meant reheating leftovers from eating out the night before. Since in Tabiq, she found herself eating a lot of simple things, like sandwiches.

  “Okay, scratch that idea. How about a bottle of wine and a walk on the beach?” Isa suggested.

  “Much better.”

  “Good. So I’m going to tell Drake you’re officially on vacation. We’ll see you in a week.”

  “Isa, are you sure about this?” Janet didn’t want it to be held against her later.

  “Believe it or not, Drake was the one who suggested it.”

  Normally she’d have thought it was a joke, but Drake obviously had seen how distracted she was earlier that day. He probably was only thinking of the business when he suggested she take time off. “Tell him thank you. Now if you don’t mind, I have a few stops to make.”

  It was getting dark and she knew Vinny would have already gone home. That gave her time to put her plan in action.

  Back home she’d stop at a liquor store to buy the wine. In Tabiq, that meant stopping at someone’s home or a restaurant. The only place she felt comfortable going, outside of New Hope, was the one Vinny had taken her to twice. Once she got there, she opted to get dinner to go as well as the wine.

  It wasn’t long before she was pulling up to her house. But the first thing she noticed was Vinny’s truck parked directly in front. Had he been waiting for her here all this time? Now she felt horrible for not going straight home.

  Getting out of her truck, she grabbed the dinner and wine and went up to speak to Vinny. He was sitting in his truck when she knocked on the driver’s side window. It was dark, and she knew it was going to be difficult for him.

  “Vinny, what are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to see you. Guess time got away from me, because I planned on leaving before it got too late.”

  “I’m glad you stayed. Why don’t you come inside? I picked up dinner. Would you like to join me?”

  “I’d like that,” Vinny said as he got out of the truck. “If you don’t mind, I don’t know your walkway well enough. Can I put my hand on your shoulder?”

  She was tempted to offer her hand to him, but she knew this was the first time he’d asked for her assistance. It was a big step for them both. Stepping to stand just a bit in front and to the left of him she said, “It’s all yours.”

  Vinny placed his left hand on her right shoulder and she led the way inside of her house.

  “Since there’s no lights on at all outside, even for a person with sight it can be tricky. With RP, it’s impossible. Once you turn on some lights, I’ll be able to see more…well see better.” Janet flipped on the lights and Vinny turned to face her. “Awe, there’s my beautiful girl.”

  Janet smiled. When Vinny said it, it didn’t sound like a line. He had a way of making her feel beautiful. “You say that and you haven’t even had any wine yet.” She didn’t know why she was trying to change the subject. She was nervous, but not because of Vinny. It was something within her that scared her. Afraid I’ll say something stupid and hurt him. I’d never forgive myself if I did.

  “I don’t need wine to see.” Vinny pulled her closer, cupped her face and said, “Even now, I can close my eyes and see you. I have memories of your face and it is forever etched in my mind and my heart.” Vinny leaned over and kissed her gently, then added, “You had me at the first sight of you Janet Holly.”

  Her heart was racing and she was at a loss for words.

  “Janet, I can’
t see your expression, so you need to tell me how you feel.”

  It felt like her heart was going to pound right out of her chest. Maybe I’m the one who needs the glass of wine. It wasn’t because of her feelings, but because it was the first time she’d ever said the words.

  “I grew up in a house that was always in need of repair. One day I was on the porch and asked my dad why he didn’t just paint it. And he said that it didn’t matter if the paint was chipped, it was all about who you were sitting with.”

  “That definitely wasn’t what I thought you’d say.” Vinny cocked a brow. “So am I the chipped paint?”

  “No. It means that from the outside, things might not seem perfect, but when together, you find they are.” Stepping even closer to Vinny she said, “We are.” Wrapping her arms around his neck she said softly, “Vinny, I’m…I’m falling in love with you.” That was easier than she thought, but he didn’t say anything in return, so she continued. “It’s you I want to be sitting with.”

  “I’m falling in love with you too, Janet. It’s just that what I have isn’t going to get better. If anything, over time, it’ll be worse.”

  Janet reached her hand out and cupped his check. “That might be the case regarding your sight, but what we have Vinny, is only going to get better over time.” Her eyes burned as she fought back the tears that threatened to flow. She knew then that whatever the future was, and she wasn’t going to lie. There was a part of her that was scared. There was so much she had yet to learn about RP. The only thing she could say for sure was whatever the future was, she wanted to face it with him.

  “Damn it. I wish I could see right now.”

  Janet reluctantly pulled away and shut off the light, then quickly returned to Vinny’s waiting arms. “Is that better?” Janet asked.

  “Yes. Because I will always see you with my heart.” Pulling her into his arms again, Vinny claimed her lips.

  Janet realized then, she didn’t need any exotic vacation place, no walk on the beach and definitely no bottle of wine. Everything she wanted was right here, holding her close. This might not have been what she thought her winter holiday break would look like, but it’s exactly how she wanted to spend it, being kissed and loved by Vinny all night long.