“I think I’ll take the call in my office,” Melanie said, walking into the room and firmly closing the door behind her.
She heard Becky’s indignant gasp as the door clicked shut.
When Melanie felt reasonably composed, she picked up the receiver. “Good morning,” she said briskly, determined to keep things cool and professional this morning, the exact opposite of the way they’d been the night before. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I’m just back from a meeting.”
“No problem. How are you?”
“Doing great. You?”
“Fine,” he said, sounding amused. “Is Becky standing over your shoulder listening to every word? She seems awfully curious about last night.”
“I think that’s to be expected under the circumstances, since you saw fit to take her into your confidence.”
“You have a point,” he conceded. “I won’t make that mistake again. You didn’t say, though. Is she there?”
“No, as a matter of fact, I shut the door to my office. I don’t think she can hear me, though I imagine her ear’s pressed against the door,” she said a bit more loudly.
The comment was greeted by an indignant huff from the outer office.
“Now, then what can I do for you?” she asked Richard.
“We need to talk about Christmas,” he said. “It’s next week.”
Melanie bit back a smile. “So I’ve heard. I’m surprised you remember. Winifred must have made a note on your calendar.”
“Actually Destiny was here this morning,” he said.
“So that explains your sudden recollection of the holiday,” she teased. “Family prompting. Did she ask you to pass it on to all the other workaholics you know?”
“No, but she is expecting you to join us for Christmas Eve dinner and brunch on Christmas Day,” he said. “I promised to invite you.”
Melanie was completely caught off guard. Spend the holiday with his family? She wasn’t sure she could pull that off. It seemed way too…intimate. “Isn’t that carrying things a bit too far?”
“Not if we expect to convince Destiny we have a real relationship. You’re not going home to visit your family, are you?”
“No, but—”
“Then there’s no reason you can’t join us. I’ll give my aunt credit for one thing—she does do the holidays up right. You’ll have a good time and, goodness knows, you’ll get plenty to eat.”
“It’s not being entertained or fed that I’m worried about.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s a lie, Richard. On Christmas,” she added, as if that were somehow worse than all the other lying going on.
“I see your point.”
“Do you really?”
“Believe it or not, I’m not in the habit of lying to people myself,” he said. “These are extraordinary times.”
“Not that extraordinary,” she insisted. “How can we keep this up? I’m getting more uncomfortable all the time.”
She waited through a long silence.
“Maybe we need to speed up the timetable a bit,” he suggested finally.
Melanie wasn’t reassured by his cautious tone. “Meaning?”
“Let me give this some more thought,” he said. “Just promise you’ll be there.”
“I don’t suppose these will be huge gatherings where I can get lost in the crowd,” she asked, hopeful.
“Afraid not. The bashes come between Christmas and New Year’s. These two occasions are just for family.”
“Oh, God,” Melanie murmured. “Richard, are you really sure about this?”
“I don’t see an alternative,” he told her, not sounding nearly as dismayed as he should have. “It would be highly unusual if you weren’t there. In fact, it would be tantamount to an admission that we’re not serious.”
“You aren’t beginning to enjoy this predicament we’re in, are you?” she asked suspiciously.
“It’s a necessary evil,” he claimed, though he didn’t sound very sincere. “Trust me.”
“Trust you?” she echoed doubtfully.
“I haven’t been wrong about Destiny so far, have I? She’s behaving totally predictably.”
“I suppose.”
“Relax, Melanie, this won’t be so bad. You know Destiny and Mack. The only person you haven’t met is Ben, and he’ll probably study you appreciatively with his artist’s eye and never say two words.”
“Are you telling me there’s a member of the Carlton clan who isn’t glib?”
Richard fell silent for so long, Melanie was afraid she’d said something dreadfully wrong. “Richard?”
“Ben used to be as chatty as the rest of us,” he said slowly. “He’s had a tough time the last couple of years.”
“What happened?”
“He doesn’t discuss it, so we don’t, either. I’m sorry I can’t prepare you any better than that. If it’ll ease your mind any, you should know that he’s the handsomest one of us all.”
“Quiet, rich and gorgeous. I could be in love,” Melanie joked.
“Don’t get any ideas,” Richard said. “You’re wildly in love with me, remember?”
“Oh, right,” she said. “Sometimes I lose track of the details in our arrangement.”
“Very amusing,” he said without the faintest hint of humor in his voice. “I guess Christmas would be a good time to put a spin on this you won’t be able to forget.”
Something in his tone alerted her that he was dead serious. “Richard, what is that supposed to mean?”
“Christmas is coming,” he said. “It’s not the time to ask a lot of questions.”
Her heart took a sudden stutter-step. “Richard, don’t you dare do anything foolish.”
“Of course not. I’m stodgy, remember?”
He hung up abruptly before she could remind him that there had been nothing stodgy about his grand gesture the night before, nor about any of the kisses they’d shared. She had a sudden sinking sensation that he was about to top himself. The thought scared her to death.
Melanie was wearing a simply cut emerald velvet suit she’d found at Chez Deux when Richard picked her up on Christmas Eve. She looked amazing. She also looked a little as if she were being carted off to the guillotine. He regretted that he was the cause of that.
“There’s no reason to look so terrified,” he reassured her. “It’s just dinner.”
She gave him a skeptical look. “How many courses?”
“I have no idea. I never counted. What does that have to do with anything?”
“Just dinner is meat, potatoes, vegetables and maybe a pumpkin pie for dessert. Is that what we’re likely to have tonight?”
He grinned. “Doubtful. Okay, I see your point.” She’d been making quite a lot of good ones lately.
“Do you really? Something tells me that this meal is also going to be accompanied by a lot of expectant stares,” she told him.
“Could be.”
“And that doesn’t scare you?”
“This is my family. They don’t scare me,” he insisted.
“Not even Destiny?”
He laughed. “Oh, well, if we’re talking about Destiny specifically, she has put the fear of God into me from time to time.”
“Especially lately, I imagine.”
“Actually I’ve been warming to her mission,” he said mildly, just as he pulled his car into the garage.
Melanie stared at him, obviously convinced she couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly. He took some satisfaction in having caught her off guard.
“What did you just say?” she demanded.
He pretended not to hear her as he exited the car and went around to hold her door. She didn’t budge.
“I asked you a question,” she said, frowning up at him.
“We’ll discuss it later,” he promised. “We don’t want to keep everyone waiting.”
“Something tells me it would be smarter if we did,” she grumbled, but she did get out of the car.
Inside, they found the rest of the family already gathered. Even Ben had put on a tux for the occasion, but he still wore his usual dour expression. Richard worried about the fact that Ben still hadn’t snapped out of his dark, brooding mood, but Destiny insisted that people recovered from tragedy at their own pace.
At least Ben made an effort to smile when Destiny introduced him to Melanie.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Ben said.
Melanie glanced at Richard, then back at Ben. “Really?”
“Actually, it’s my aunt who’s been singing your praises. Mack is entirely too absorbed with his own women to mention that Richard is involved with someone, and Richard only calls to see if I’ve remembered to come out of my studio long enough to eat.”
Melanie grinned. “I’ve heard you’re a talented artist. I’d love to see your work.”
To Richard’s astonishment, Ben nodded.
“Come out to the farm sometime,” he told her. “I’m sure Destiny will bring you.”
“If anyone brings her, it’ll be me,” Richard grumbled, oddly disconcerted by the fact that Ben seemed to have taken an instant liking to Melanie. He studied his brother, trying to pinpoint whether his overall outlook had changed or whether this was purely a reaction to Melanie. He couldn’t tell. He hadn’t expected both of his brothers to be thoroughly besotted by her within minutes. Good thing he’d made his own plans to stake his claim.
“I thought you didn’t let strangers poke around in your studio,” Richard said.
Ben smiled with more animation than Richard had seen in months.
“But Melanie’s not a stranger, is she? From what I gather she’s practically family,” he said in a tone that sounded almost like the Ben of old, full of life and mischief.
Destiny had filled him in, all right, Richard thought grimly. Or Mack. Either way, Ben seemed to be enjoying it, and that counted for a lot these days.
Melanie linked her arm through Ben’s. “Don’t believe everything you hear,” she confided. “Some people are more confident than they should be. Now, would you mind pouring me a glass of wine, since your brother hasn’t seen fit to do it yet?”
“It would be my pleasure,” Ben said, crossing the room with her.
Richard stared after them in amazement. Even Mack looked astonished.
“Stop gaping,” Destiny scolded. “Richard, you of all people should know what an amazing woman Melanie is.”
“I had no idea she was a miracle worker,” he mumbled, his gaze still following her as she chatted with his brother. Seeing her work her magic on Ben reassured him that his plan for tomorrow’s family gathering was a wise one. It was time to raise the stakes. He simply wasn’t sure anymore whether it had anything at all to do with Destiny.
Melanie felt like the worst sort of fraud. She was beginning to hate this stupid agreement she’d made with Richard to deceive Destiny into thinking they were getting serious about each other. Half a dozen times the night before, she’d been tempted to spill the truth and let the chips fall where they may, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to utter the words. She had a feeling her reticence was just the tiniest bit self-serving. She liked Richard. She liked his family. And some part of her that was doomed to heartbreak didn’t want the charade to end.
She suspected that Richard knew that, too, and was using it to keep her in the game. He was sneaky like that, not in a mean way, but to protect his own interests. Whatever those interests were. She was no longer sure about that, not after some of the hints he’d been dropping lately. And not after he’d kissed her for so long the night before, church bells had been chiming the end of midnight services when he’d stopped. At least, she hoped those were the bells she’d heard ringing. Otherwise, she was in more trouble than she’d imagined.
“I should not be doing this,” she told herself even as she showered and began dressing to return to Destiny’s for Christmas brunch. “Nothing good can come from it.” She stared at her reflection in the steamy bathroom mirror and nodded agreement, then sighed. “But I’m going anyway.” Her tone was more resigned than defiant.
Once she was dressed, she made calls to her family to wish them a happy holiday.
“We miss you,” her mother said. “When are you coming home?”
“Soon, I hope,” Melanie promised, feeling instantly homesick.
“Stop pestering the girl,” her father said. “She’s busy. She’ll come when she can.”
“Thanks, Dad. I love you guys.”
“What are you doing today?” her mother asked.
Now there was a quagmire if ever she’d seen one, Melanie thought. “Having brunch with friends,” she said neutrally.
“Anyone we know?” her mother wanted to know.
“No.”
“You’re pestering again, Adele.”
Her mother chuckled. “How am I supposed to find out anything, if I don’t ask? Melanie never volunteers anything. She’s exactly like you.”
“Then that should tell you that poking and prodding won’t get you what you want to know,” her dad countered. “You ever have any luck with that with me?”
“Now that you mention it, no,” her mother said. “Okay, I’ll give up for now, since it’s Christmas.”
“Probably the best gift you’ve ever given the girl,” Melanie’s father teased.
“Oh, Dad, it is not,” Melanie said, laughing at the familiar bickering. “Be nice, or she’ll cut you off without any pumpkin pie.”
“Never happen,” he said. “She knows I’ve got her present hidden away where she’ll never find it and she’s not getting it till I’ve had my pie.”
“You two are a riot,” Melanie said. “How do you do it?”
“Do what?” her mother asked, sounding puzzled.
“Stay married for all these years and have so much fun with each other,” Melanie elaborated.
“Why, we love each other, of course,” her mother said.
“Indeed we do,” her father agreed. “And she’s never stopped laughing at my jokes. Laughter may be the most important thing there is in a relationship, aside from love.”
“And trust,” her mother said. “Don’t forget that.” She hesitated. “I don’t suppose you’re asking because there’s somebody special in your life?”
Melanie sighed.
“There she goes again,” her father said at once. “Say goodbye, Adele.”
“It was worth a try,” her mother grumbled. “Merry Christmas, darling!”
“Merry Christmas,” Melanie said, slowly hanging up the phone, her eyes suddenly stinging with tears. Now she was deceiving her parents, too, at least by omission.
She was still swiping at the tears when she went to answer the door. Richard took one look at her and pulled her into his arms without comment. She clung to him and let the tears flow.
When she finally stopped crying, she backed away, avoiding his gaze. “I’m sorry.”
“Homesick?” he guessed.
That was only part of it, but she nodded, surprised by his understanding. “I just got off the phone with my folks.”
He studied her face, then brushed away one last stray tear. “I could have you in Ohio in an hour.”
She stared at him, astonished. “You would do that?”
“If it would put a smile back on your face.”
Once more she was reminded of what it was like to know someone who could make such an offer so casually. “You will never know how much it means to me that you would do that, but I’m okay. I’ll get home soon.”
“You sure?”
“Yes,” she said, feeling a hundred-percent better knowing that she could have gone home if it was what she’d truly wanted. It made the waiting easier. “Let me check my makeup and get my presents, then I’ll be ready to go. I’m dying to see what you got your family for Christmas.” She grinned. “I’ll bet you’re dying to see them open their gifts, too.”
“I’ll have you know that I went shopping,”
he called after her as she went into the bathroom.
Melanie laughed. “But did you actually buy anything?”
“Yes,” he insisted. “You’ll see. I promise you, you’ll be impressed. I even did my own gift wrapping.”
“I can hardly wait to see it,” she said as she finished touching up the mess her tears had made of her makeup.
On her way back to the living room, she picked up her own token gifts for the Carltons and grabbed her coat.
“Did I mention that you look lovely?” Richard asked as he helped her on with her coat.
“No, but maybe that’s because I was bawling my eyes out when you came in.”
“You looked lovely even then,” he assured her.
Feeling suddenly lighthearted, she patted his cheek. “Just for that, I hope Santa is very good to you.”
His gaze caught hers and lingered until she felt heat rise in her cheeks.
“Something tells me it’s going to be the best Christmas ever,” he said quietly.
Melanie had that exact same feeling.
Brunch was yet another gourmet meal, evidently prepared by Destiny herself. She’d given the cook the holiday off.
“Why should she be working on Christmas, when there’s nothing I enjoy more than cooking for my family?” Destiny explained.
“Well, it’s all wonderful,” Melanie told her honestly. “I’m impressed.”
“It’s nothing, really,” Destiny said, but she looked pleased, probably because she wasn’t used to getting a lot of compliments from the nephews who took her cooking skills for granted.
“Can we stop talking about the food and get to the good stuff?” Mack pleaded, sounding as if he were at least twenty years younger.
Destiny gave him an indulgent smile. “What are you hoping to find under the tree, Mack? They were fresh out of bachelorettes where I shopped.”
“How about the keys to a new Jaguar?” he asked hopefully.
“Dream on, little brother,” Richard said. “You’ll be lucky if you get ashes and switches this year. We all know how badly you’ve misbehaved.”
Millionaires' Destinies Page 14