But now it hit him – Chelsea Tan was all the things that Lainey Keeson had been, and more. She had basically given up her life to help her aunt keep her coffee shop running when her husband died. She gave constantly of herself – whether to come to Africa and help build a school for orphans, or to help her friend organize her wedding. She cared enough about people to know the names and history and hurts of practical strangers. His feelings for her were ten times more powerful than they’d ever been with Lainey.
And life is so short.
Was this what the feeling of impending change had been about recently? Because he suddenly knew with even more certainty that he didn’t want to let her out of his life again.
“Cannon?”
Cannon shook himself out of his reverie, realizing that Levi had called his name several times and that he was still staring at Chelsea like a love-struck teenager.
Levi chuckled and glanced back and forth from him to where Chelsea was fussing over Havyn’s dress. One of his eyebrows lifted in a so-how’s-that-going look.
Cannon shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged, giving Levi a grin that told him to mind his own business.
With a laugh, Levi held up his hands. “I surrender. Listen, I was wondering if maybe you and Chels could do Havyn and I a favor?”
“Sure,” Chelsea called from across the room.
She’d just volunteered them before even hearing what the errand was, but Cannon didn’t mind. He would have said yes, too. He nodded.
“Oh, that’s such a relief!” Havyn sighed. “Rayne McQuaid and her friend Dixon Nash are flying in this afternoon, and Levi and I were going to pick them up, but something has come up at the florist’s. Apparently the lilies they ordered from Hawaii didn’t arrive and another shipment isn’t going to get here until after the wedding, so we have to go pick out something different.”
“I’m so sorry!” Chelsea looked as if someone had just died. Then her face blanched in surprise and anticipation and she whispered, “Dixon Nash?”
An uneasy feeling coiled in the pit of Cannon’s stomach. Of course Rayne, the elite Hollywood starlet who had costarred with Levi in several of his films, would be arriving with a guy who’d been in world news last year for crashing his hundred and fifty thousand dollar Tesla Roadster into a freeway barrier after leaving a Hollywood party. And of course Chelsea would go weak-kneed at the thought of meeting him.
But Havyn didn’t seem to notice Chelsea’s last question. She had already turned to study the back of her dress in the mirrors. “Oh, I don’t even care at this point. I just want there to be flowers and a minister that says ‘I now pronounce you husband and wife’.”
“Hear, hear.” Levi bounced a little on the balls of his feet as if anticipating sprinting down the aisle with his new wife.
Chelsea seemed to pull herself back to the present. “But you wanted those lilies.”
Havyn took her friend by the shoulders and looked her in the face. “Chels, it’s going to be fine. The lilies would have been nice, but it is not the end of the world. I’m really fine with it.”
“Okay.” Relief etched Chelsea’s face, and Cannon’s heart softened to her even more. She cared so much for everyone around her. “So what time do we need to pick them up at the airport?”
“Four thirty.”
Chelsea gave a quick glance to her phone and her eyes widened. “That means we need to leave in like, five minutes. I better go fix my makeup.” Her cheeks turned a pretty pink before she flicked a glance Cannon’s way, then cleared her throat and hurried from the room with a parting, “Be right back.”
Cannon felt his brow bunch. She looked fine. Why would she think she needed to fix her makeup to pick a couple of people up from the airport? Maybe her crush on Dixon Nash was more than just a crush? “Is Chelsea interested in Dixon Nash?” He couldn’t believe he’d voiced the question aloud. And sounding a touch jealous too. He lifted a hand. “Never mind, it’s none of my concern, I guess.”
Havyn stopped next to him and settled one hand on his arm. “Chelsea’s never met Dixon Nash and I bet she only knows his name because he was in the last movie she and I went to together. You have to understand…” She trailed off and pressed her lips together, searching his face as if trying to decide whether to proceed. Finally she continued. “Chelsea hasn’t had the easiest life. Her parents died when she was only ten and she’s lived with her aunt since then. And Aunt Flo can be very…demeaning. So Chelsea…compensates.” She nodded in the direction Chelsea had just disappeared. “I love Chels to death, and I’m glad you are here, but her self-confidence has already taken enough hits, so please don’t lead her on.”
Levi shuffled his feet. “Havyn—”
“—No it’s okay.” Cannon gave Havyn a nod. “I understand and I have no intentions of hurting her.”
Havyn stepped back, lifting the full lace skirt of her dress. “I’m sure you don’t.” She offered a smile of truce, but the gleam in her eyes said she would come after him if he hurt her friend. “Levi, I’ll just get changed and then we can go.”
Levi clapped him on the shoulder. “Sorry about that. Those two are like sisters. Havyn is only trying to watch out for Chelsea.”
Cannon forced a grin. “It’s fine. I’m glad she has someone looking out for her best interests.”
He may have been smiling on the outside, but on the inside every emotion was crumbling at the thought that anyone would ever have made Chelsea feel like she was something less than special and perfect.
Chapter 4
Chelsea downshifted to match the speed of the traffic slogging its way through the December drizzle that had started just as they left the dress shop. She tossed a glance at Cannon, trying to ignore the pleasant feeling it gave her to have him filling up the extra space in the little car. “You didn’t have to come with me. I could have picked up Rayne and Dixon by myself.”
Cannon propped his elbow against the door and rested his temple against his fist, eyeing her. “Wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to spend more time with you.”
Chelsea cocked an eyebrow. “Couldn’t be that the thought of seeing the beautiful Rayne McQuaid again held a little appeal?” She was teasing him, but couldn’t tamp down a niggle of apprehension. She still had doubts. Could Cannon really be interested in her?
Cannon didn’t laugh as she’d halfway expected him to. Instead, his expression turned very serious and he assessed her thoughtfully.
It felt as though he could look right through her and see all her insecurities plain as day. She swallowed and turned her attention to the traffic which had started moving a little faster again.
Cannon lifted one hand and wrapped one of her curls around his finger. “Chelsea Tan, Rayne Whatever-Her-Name-Is isn’t a shadow of the woman you are.”
A tremor of nervous energy made her giggle. “Rayne ‘Whatever-Her-Name-Is’? She’s only one of the top box office names in the country.”
“Mmmm, well, you’ll recall that I don’t live in this country most of the time.”
She rolled her eyes and merged into the next lane. “From what I remember about Rayne she’ll be more than happy to let you get to know her well enough that you’ll be able to remember her last name after this week.”
“Chels…” He tugged on her curl. “I was kidding about not remembering her name. I was just making the point that it’s not her I’m interested in. If it was, I would have flown to L.A., not Seattle.”
A pleasant soft emotion filled her chest. How she wished she could believe him. She would even settle for a pithy comeback, but nothing came to mind.
“Besides,” he added, “even if I wasn’t interested in you, Rayne is not the type of woman I’d be running after. I want someone committed to the Lord, first and foremost.”
Chelsea pursed her lips as she took the exit off I-5 toward SeaTac. Well he did have her there. She was committed to God. But if that was his main criteria, surely there were plenty of women better suited for him th
an her?
Traffic near the airport slowed to a crawl and by the time they pulled in to ‘arrivals’ not even the melodic Christmas carols Cannon had tuned into on the Christian station were doing much for Chelsea’s nerves anymore.
A long line of people stretched the length of the Alaska Airlines section, and Rayne and Dixon, bracketed by a couple of bodyguards, were signing autographs and chatting with people.
Chelsea felt sorry for them.
“Can you imagine how annoying that must be?” Cannon asked.
“I was just thinking the same thing. It would be awful not to have any privacy anywhere you went.” She pulled over to the curb and cut the engine. “Even Levi has had to travel with a bodyguard lately since his last movie was such a hit.”
Rayne glanced up and Chelsea gave her a little wave. A look of obvious gratitude crossed her perfect features. She nudged Dixon and pointed to Chelsea’s car.
“I’ll help them load their bags.” Cannon stepped out onto the walk.
Rayne and Dixon’s bodyguards were already brushing people back and making room for them to escape the press of humanity.
Bodyguards. Chelsea glanced into the tiny back seat of Cannon’s rental and then back to the four people waiting for a ride. She felt the blood drain from her face. There was no way they were all going to fit in here.
Rapping on the trunk drew her attention to the rearview mirror. Cannon peered in at her, motioning for her to open it. “Sorry!” With a quick tug, she released the latch. She probably should see if they needed help with anything back there. She started to climb out, but another tapping sound drew her attention to where Rayne and Dixon stood waiting to get into the back seat. “Oh!” Another quick flick unlocked the doors.
Rayne climbed in first, followed by the actor Dixon Nash. Chelsea turned in her seat to greet them. She had the fleeting thought that Dixon wasn’t quite as good looking in real life as he had been on screen.
“Well,” Rayne huffed and brushed invisible lint from her pencil skirt as though dusting off the last trace of people far inferior to herself. “When Levi said he’d arrange for transportation I had no idea he meant he’d send a local. Why wouldn’t he send a proper car from a service?”
“Oh, chin up Rayne, this isn’t so bad.” Dixon Nash offered his signature smile that could have charmed the polish right off a shoe.
Chelsea quickly reversed her earlier assessment. He was even better looking in person. Her mouth went dry.
He held out one hand. “Dixon Nash. I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.”
Chelsea placed a trembling palm against his and gave him a nod. To think she was shaking hands with him was just crazy. How many movies had she seen the man in?
She started to withdraw but he tightened his grip. “And you are?”
“Oh,” heat bloomed in her face. “I’m sorry. I’m—”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Chelsea. It’s only Dixon.” Rayne waved a hand between them. “Dix, this is Chelsea Tan. Chelsea, Dixon.”
“I’m sure she’s quite capable of speaking for herself, Rayne.” Dixon gave Rayne a chastising look, but there was kindness in his blue eyes when he returned his focus to Chelsea once more. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chelsea.”
Having apparently secured the luggage, Cannon slid back into his seat and the introductions were repeated.
Chelsea was still in a conundrum over what to do about the bodyguards. She checked her mirrors trying to find where they’d disappeared to and wondering how long they’d need to wait for them. The airport personnel didn’t like people to linger in the pickup zone. They’d just have to pile in until she could get them to the hotel, she supposed.
From the backseat Rayne huffed, “Anytime today, Chelsea.”
“Oh, I was trying to figure out what we would do with your bodyguards?”
A bark of laughter escaped Rayne.
Dixon was the one who spoke. “Oh, sorry for the confusion. They are local hires and came in their own vehicle. Generally we would have ridden with them, but Levi had said he’d be happy to pick us up, so we’d already told them we wouldn’t be riding with them. Anyhow, they will be traveling behind us in their own vehicle.” No censure coated his tone.
“Oh! Well…” Chelsea put the car into gear, “I’ll just get you two to your hotel then.”
“Oh, let’s not go straight to our hotel.” Rayne leaned forward. “It’s still so early, don’t you think, Cannon? And Dixon and I are on a little vacation. Surely there’s something to do around here?”
Chelsea chewed the inside of her lip thinking of the fact that her alarm clock would be going off at five a.m. so she could get to the coffee shop by six. And that she still needed to run by tonight and close up since Aunt Flo didn’t trust anyone to do that but herself or Chelsea, and it generally fell to Chelsea to do it – okay almost always fell to her. Okay always. But all she said was, “Um, sure… where would you like to go?”
“It’s almost Christmas. Let’s do something Christmassy, like… ice skating!”
“Ice skating?” She hoped no one else in the car had detected the squeak in the words. If there was any way on earth she could make a fool of herself in less than ten seconds flat, it would be with thin blades for shoes and ice beneath her feet. “Um sure. I know a place. But I actually have to run close up the coffee shop for my aunt, so if it’s alright with you guys I’ll just drop you off and then swing back by to pick you up and take you to the hotel?”
“Chelsea, Chelsea. Still all work and no play, I see. But I’m not taking no for an answer. Run close up the shop if you must, but I insist you take at least a couple spins around the ice. Let’s call Havyn and Levi! They can meet us there, I can introduce them to Dix, and it will be like a little mini reunion of the Africa debacle. Minus the two nerdy guys and the pastor.”
“Rayne!” There was a sharp reprimand in the tone of Dixon’s voice, and in the rearview mirror Chelsea caught a look of chagrin on Rayne’s face.
“Sorry.” She murmured softly. “That was out of line. I don’t know what came over me. I must be tired from this trip.”
“It’s okay.” Chelsea was quick to offer her absolution.
“No. It’s not.” Dixon’s voice was as tight as his jawline.
Chelsea didn’t know how to smooth that over so she just pressed her lips together and concentrated on driving.
Cannon pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call Levi and see if he and Havyn are free.”
Chelsea loosed a breath. Bless him for easing the tension that could almost have been cracked like a Christmas nut.
They all listened to Cannon’s half of the conversation until he hung up and said. “Great. They’ll meet us there. Havyn said she knew the place. So Chelsea and I will drop you off, run close up the coffee shop, and then come back. Sound good?”
At the ice rink, after Dixon and Rayne had disappeared inside followed by their bodyguards, Chelsea turned to Cannon. “Listen, it will only take me a bit. Why don’t you go in and join everyone. I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise.” She didn’t add that Aunt Flo was probably at the shop right now and was the last person she wanted him to meet at this point in their relationship. She held her breath, hoping he would agree, but not really believing he would.
He tilted his head and studied her. “It will go twice as fast if I help you.”
Maybe, but how did she explain Aunt Flo’s proclivities? She gave it one last try. “And you’ll have twice as much fun if you stay here.”
He tilted his head and squinted an exaggerated assessment. “Afraid to let me see you in your natural habitat, are we?”
She laughed despite herself.
“Besides, we need to get your car, remember?”
He was right. With a sigh, she put the car into gear. “Fine. But never say I didn’t warn you.”
“Warn me about what?” He was looking exceptionally pleased with himself.
“Not what. Who.”
C
hapter 5
Cannon stepped through the shop door after Chelsea, the bell above their heads tinkling Christmas cheer. He hadn’t noticed this morning that the front window of the shop was outlined with garland and red lights, and a huge decal of a manger scene filled the middle. Icicle lights also draped the underside of the counter. Maybe all that was more noticeable now that it was dark outside.
An elderly woman, who looked like she could have stepped straight out of a British clothing catalog, complete with a veil on her bright red hat, strode toward them from behind the counter tugging on a pair of matching red gloves. “Chelsea Tan, I swear if you weren’t my dead brother’s child, I’d have you replaced on the sp—” The woman’s gaze landed on him and her eyebrows lifted.
Chelsea looked embarrassed but offered. “Aunt Flo, this is Cannon Jones. He’s in town for Havyn and Levi’s wedding. Cannon this is my aunt, Florence Tan.”
Even though he’d rather have given her a dressing down for the way she’d spoken to Chelsea just now, Cannon stretched out one hand. “Nice to meet you.”
But lady-in-red didn’t take it. One of her unnaturally dark eyebrows quirked upward as her wizened eyes narrowed and scrutinized him through the black gauze. She took him in from head to toe and back again.
Apparently finding him of no consequence, she gave a dismissive little flip of her wrist and turned the full force of her ire back on her niece.
Cannon shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans, gritted his teeth, and watched the woman’s second brow join its mate near her hat line.
“Do you know how much damage your little flirtation with Ted has cost us, young lady? We are going to run out of Kona and just at the peak of our season, too.”
“Aunt Flo! I wasn’t flirting with him!”
“Nonsense! I do declare I don’t know why I keep you on.”
Chelsea sealed her lips together.
Cannon fisted the lining of his pockets. It took every ounce of his willpower not to step over and shield the now visibly trembling Chelsea from the abuse being blasted her way.
Mistletoe and Mochas: A Christmas Romance Novella (Hearts of Hollywood Book 2) Page 3