The Christmas Boyfriend: A Return to Snow Valley Romance

by Taylor Hart

  Wincing, she looked up at Julie. “Side salad with chicken.”

  “Let me guess: with light dressing.” Julie looked bored. “I know you have to keep up the dancer body, but boring.” She rolled her eyes.

  Lacey didn’t seem to take it as an insult and put the menu away. “And water.”

  Julie rolled her eyes again and scribbled something down, casting a look at Dom. “Please tell me you’re more adventurous.”

  “I’ll take the BLT with fries. Thanks.” He shut the menu and put it back. “With a water.”

  Putting her head to the side, she sighed. “Well, it’s better than a salad.” She flashed a grin that showed off her extremely bright lipstick. As she buzzed off, she yelled over her shoulder, “Be right back with the waters!”

  Lacey turned to look at him. “I’m sorry. For all of that.” She let out a breath and looked around. “Being back here. I don’t know what I’m doing.” Her hand shook, and she put it down on the table. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I thought I could have him alone, but I don’t know what I’m going to do when I see him and she’s there.” She looked out of the window. “This was a pretty stupid idea, wasn’t it?”

  Dom sighed. He still felt some pity, but now, he mostly saw a woman who obviously had no idea what she wanted. “Do you want the guy or not?”

  She turned to him. “Hm?”

  “With every mission, there’s an outcome you want achieved. Do you want to end up with the guy or not?”

  “Yeah, but if his fiancée is there, it’s not like I’m going to be able to talk to him by himself.” She rolled a couple of strands of her hair through her fingers.

  “You want or not?” Dom asked again, frustrated by her wishy-washiness.

  Her eyes met his. “Yes.”

  He pounded his fist lightly on the table. “Then make a strategy and get him. Dang it, woman, you know the man. What could you do to pull him away from her? How can you—” He gestured to her. “—use you feminine charms to remind him of the way he used to feel about you?” Crap, did he have to do everything?

  An oldie’s song played on the jukebox—Chubby Checker’s “The Twist.” Dom noted there were only two other customers in the diner, but it was about two o’clock, kind of in between meal times.

  Letting out a huge sigh, she focused on him. “Yeah, I could figure out something to do to get him away from her. Maybe I could ask to talk to him privately or something.”

  “Too obvious.”

  She threw up her hands. “Then what?”

  “I don’t know, Scarlett. That’s your department with Ashley and Melanie.”

  Glaring at him, she said, “He’s not Ashley, I’m not Scarlett, and you’re sure as heck not Rhett Butler.”

  He liked the fire burning in her eyes. Unable to stop the smile from spreading on his lips, he let out a low whistle. “Hey, you’re the one who named me, remember?”

  “I hate you.” She stated it quietly, and he could tell she didn’t really mean it.

  “You’ll get over it.” He leaned back in his seat, ready to eat. In fact, he was pretty much starving since he’d skipped breakfast.

  She drummed her fingers on the table, then looked up at him. “Hypothetically speaking, if I do need to make Oliver jealous during Christmas dinner, are you still okay with holding hands and maybe a little kiss on the cheek? A peck, of course.”

  If it wasn’t so easy to torture her, maybe he could’ve held back. “Is this your version of asking me to kiss you?”

  “Ugh!” She shook herself and turned to face the window. “Never mind.”

  He laughed out loud, finding it harder to deny his budding attraction to her. Maybe kissing this girl would be a perk he might enjoy. “Darlin’, I got back in the truck, didn’t I? I can do what the job calls for.” Technically, she’d put herself in this position, but it was still fun to watch. “I’ll go off your cues when said ex-boyfriend is around.”

  Pulling in a long breath, she nodded. “Okay. Okay. I think this could work. This is good. I mean, we have tonight to kind of get used to each other, and my family can get used to you. I can get a good night’s sleep. Fix myself up tomorrow before the meal and look presentable for him.” She scrunched her face. “I’m just glad I have some time to prepare.”

  “Your food,” Julie said as she set the plates down. Another server trailed behind her with a tray boasting a full palette of condiments. “You all are good?” She smacked her gum and looked between him and Lacey.

  “Good,” Lacey said, and Dom agreed.

  “Okay, I’ll be back to check on ya in a minute.” Julie winked at him as she rushed away.

  Dom watched Lacey move to take her first bite.

  “Are you waiting for me to eat first?” She narrowed her eyes and held a bite halfway to her lips, like she was challenging him.

  This woman. Finally, he took a bite. She laughed and followed suit.

  They stared each other as they ate, and he had to admit this girl was easy on the eyes. Even though she wasn’t all made up and fancy, he found he liked that about her. She was going through a hard relationship thing, and he admired her determination to get the guy back.

  Okay, he thought as he finished the first half of his sandwich, at least she didn’t just sit around doing nothing. In her own way, she was fighting for her man. He could respect that.

  She dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “You’re going to stay on binder, right?”

  He wiped his own face. “Don’t press your luck.”

  She leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table and peering into his eyes. “You have to stick to the binder.” With a sigh, she admitted, “I guess I get that Rhett was kind of a stupid name. I get that. But you have to stick to the information I gave you if we’re going to fool people into believing you’re my boyfriend.”

  Sticking a fry in his mouth, he nodded.

  She pointed at him. “Don’t call people sir. You did that to my father at the airport, and you sounded so military when you say it.”

  He tamped down on his annoyance. Leaning forward and getting in her personal space, he looked at her lips. Very kissable lips, since she didn’t have flashy red lipstick like the kind Julie had worn. “So holding hands and little kisses are good? Are you sure I shouldn’t kiss you right now? I mean, just to keep up pretenses and all?” Glancing over, he looked behind the counter and saw Julie watching them and whispering with another waitress. “It could help if we really want to sell it.”

  Tension grew between them, and Dom felt his heart rate kick up a notch. He wouldn’t mind kissing those lips.

  Lacey rolled her eyes, but she startled him by leaning even closer. “Only if we need to. Just to sell the fact that you’re my boyfriend.” Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his hand across the table.

  Their eyes held. The moment felt more real than Dom would have expected, and he wondered if things might have been different if they had met somewhere else, at a different time in her life.

  Eventually, she pulled out her phone. “I’m going to see how Ellie is doing.”

  “The cover of a phone,” he said, knowing she could feel the intensity as well as he did.

  She peeked up at him. “What?”

  “Oh, nothing, it’s just civilians like to use their phones when they’re uncomfortable. See, military guys like me, we get used to being uncomfortable.” Not exactly meaning to give her a superior grin, but knowing he was, he winked at her.

  “Whatever.” Her fingers tapped out a message on the screen.

  Opting to take a minute, he got up from the booth. “I’m going to check out the jukebox.”

  “Oh, you mean you military guys just leave when it gets uncomfortable?”

  He hesitated, then slunk toward the jukebox. Dang, the girl had some fangs.

  Sucking in a breath, he checked out the old thing. No music was currently playing. He sifted through the records, opting for the Beatles song “Help!” He smiled to himself as he put the money
in and thought it was quite fitting.

  This was fine. This was nothing compared to what he’d been through. He could handle this easily. Being a paid boyfriend for a couple of days would be a cakewalk. He got back to the booth and sat.

  Lacey looked up from her phone. “Justin and Ellie just got to Boston.” She smiled. “Ellie is so excited to show him off.”

  “Great,” he said, knowing he didn’t sound overjoyed.

  Putting her phone down, Lacey leaned back into the booth. “Okay, maybe it would be easier to work together if we did know each other a bit.”

  “No, let’s just stay on binder.” He flashed her a smile when she glared at him, and wondered how long it’d been since he’d really flirted with a girl like this. He hadn’t really dated after his personal life went south.

  Her expression softened. “I want to know what would make any guy insane enough to get back in the truck after I had a major meltdown and treated you like crap.”

  Liking how she wasn’t acting spoiled, he let out a breath, trying to decide what to tell her. “Naw, let’s stick to the binder.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “This is me making an effort. You’re kinda getting annoying.”

  Okay, he could be serious. It seemed like a good time to ask a question he’d been wondering about anyway. “In the binder, you put that you and Oliver broke up after spring break this past year. But you never said why. So why?”

  Her brow furrowed, and she picked up a strand of hair again and began running it through her fingers. “He dumped me,” she stated plainly.

  “Ouch.” Dang, why had he asked that? Yet he couldn’t stop himself from following it up with, “What makes you think you can get him back?”

  The question hung in the air, and she shook her head. “You must think I’m stupid.” She dropped her hair and leaned back.

  He stared at this woman, this beautiful woman who seemed on the verge of a meltdown, and wondered what was so special about Oliver. “Love isn’t always smart.”

  “I don’t know,” she said simply. “I’m pretty sure if I tell him I’m not going to go dance in New York with the dance company that offered me a job, and I’m going to come home, I might have a chance.”

  Dom was confused, but there were too many things to focus on all at once. “Okay.”

  She sucked in a breath, and then smacked the table with her hand and winced.

  Once again, he wasn’t quite sure about her mental stability. “I guess you’re feeling pretty confident about this decision?”

  “It’s the only way to get him back. If I can get him back.” She sighed, and her eyes glittered. “Oliver never wanted me to leave. Last summer, when I had a chance to go to New York and train with some of the best choreographers in the world, I took the chance.”

  “He dumped you for that?”

  “Yes.”

  He coughed into his hand. “Idiot.”

  Tears crested over her cheeks, and she wiped at them miserably. “Now, I think it was the greatest mistake of my life, and I’m going to try to fix it.”

  “So you don’t want to dance anymore.”

  She let out a rippling laugh. “No, that’s not it.”

  He frowned, puzzled.

  Her eyes turned determined. “What can I say? I just want a life more than I want to dance.”

  A lot had been in the binder, but none of that information had made him want to tell this girl she was being an idiot. However, after hearing her say she valued some guy more than her dreams, he practically felt obligated to tell her she was being stupid. Somehow, he managed to hold himself back and keep listening for the moment. “Hmm.”

  She hesitated and shook her head. “Honestly, I always saw him in my life.”

  Dom felt bad for her. “You really would give up your dream?”

  Lacey shrank a little, but said, “Yes.”

  He knew what it was like to sacrifice for something you loved. Ambition and drive were part of him down to the core. Otherwise, he never would have made it in his field. He couldn’t see himself giving it up for anyone.

  They both fell into a comfortable silence while they ate.

  Finally, she spoke again. “Okay, just so I can keep it straight in my head. Let me tell you what I know about you. Then you can fill in the rest.”

  Not arguing, but not being too agreeable, he said, “Yes, let’s figure me out in a half-hour conversation at Big C’s.”

  Giving him an annoyed look, she continued. “You’re Justin’s cousin. You’re in the Air Force. You’re on leave. Um …”

  “My parents were killed in a drunk driving accident two years ago tomorrow,” he said flatly.

  “What?” She gaped at him.

  He thought Justin would have told Ellie this, and that Ellie would have told Lacey. It appeared he was wrong, so he tried to play it off. “Uh, yes, that’s why Justin treads so carefully around me. It’s why he didn’t want to leave me to go to Ellie’s. My parents were killed, and then my fiancée left me three days later.”

  “No.” A look of horror washed over her face. Her fork rested on her plate with a clink, half forgotten.

  “I don’t know why I said that.” He took a huge bite from his sandwich, trying to understand why he would blurt it all out. He hadn’t told anyone in a long time.

  “Dom, I’m so sorry.”

  Not responding for a few beats, he chomped on his sandwich before looking up to meet her beautiful eyes. Green. Bright aqua green.

  She swallowed. “I’m so sorry.”

  He waved a hand in the air. Time for another topic. “Tell me more about Oliver.”

  “No. Wait. You can’t drop a bomb like that and expect me to move on.”

  “A bomb? Naw, it was more like the Tet Offensive—which was a blow to American history. Even though people still aren’t sure who won that war.”

  She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know, if you talk like this, my father will know you’re not a business guy.”

  He wiped his face and allowed himself a small smile. “Maybe I watch boring war documentaries for my television shows at night.”

  An answering smile played at her lips. “You actually do, don’t you?”

  The glee in her voice sparked a feeling of contentment within him. “We’re not talking about me.”

  She laughed and pointed at him. “You totally do.”

  “Okay, let’s figure out how to win back the man of your dreams,” he said, feeling surprisingly wistful and unsure why things were starting to feel different with this woman.

  “You think you can help me?” She looked hopeful.

  Throwing up his hands, he huffed. “Isn’t that what you hired me to do?”

  Right at that moment, the diner door dinged. An awkward pause, and then, “Lacey?”

  Lacey froze. Her vulnerable face slackened, then hardened into a mask as she shifted in her chair and stood. “Oliver?”

  Chapter 7

  At the sight of Oliver’s tall, dark, good-looking, and much more filled-out self, Lacey stood, but didn’t know what to do next. It seemed like he had changed a lot, even though it’d only been nine months since she had last seen him.

  Before she could decide, Oliver was next to her. Pulling her up and out of the booth, he swept her into a hug. “Lacey, I’ve missed you.”

  All the old memories of Oliver flooded her. She thought of the last time she’d seen him at spring break. At that time, she been desperately in love with him and heartbroken, and he’d been as stiff as a mannequin when he said goodbye to her. She remembered feeling so inadequate that day.

  Pulling back from her, his eyes moved over her from top to bottom. He let out a low whistle. “You look good, Lace. So good.” He said the last word with an extra emphasis. “I was thrilled when Mom and Dad told me we were going over to your place for Christmas and then helping out with the toy drive the next day.” His face clouded. “Ever since Mom’s been diagnosed …”

  Lacey frowned, still unable
to believe it. “I’m so sorry.” She edged herself closer to him, loving the way he’d swept her into a hug. Just like it used to be. Her heart pounded, and confusion filled her. He was engaged. Why was he acting this way? He must still feel the same feelings for her that she did for him. She pulled him into another hug. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  Holding her close, he sighed. “I’ve missed you too. It’s been so hard with Mom.”

  Lacey knew it was wrong to take advantage of the emotional situation he was in because of his mother by keeping him close to her, but she couldn’t stop herself.

  Finally, he released her, and a smile crept over his face. “Your mom mentioned you had a great time in New York. I want you to know I’m happy for you. I really am. Proud of you, too.”

  Emotion bubbled in her throat, and she thought of why she was here. She wanted a life with him. She wanted to tell him right then that she wanted him back. She just might have if she hadn’t been jolted back to the real world by a loud throat clearing.

  “Oh.” She turned and looked at Dom, yanked back from the secret world she and Oliver had always used to share.

  Oliver was ahead of her introduction, his eyes sweeping over Dom. “Well.” His eyes flashed back to her. “Oh.”

  Dom wore a hard look on his face. Maybe not hard, actually; she would have to evaluate it later. It looked like a model pose. His jawline was hard. His face was almost neutral. Nothing like the intimate way he’d just been staring at her before Oliver’s arrival. “Where are my manners?” He stood, pushing his lips into a stiff smile, and put out his hand to shake. “Dominick Carter. Nice to meet you.”

  Oliver looked like a tiger evaluating where to strike. His face showed dislike. He’d never had a good poker face either. “Dominick.” He put his hand into Dom’s and shook it. “Oliver Hastings, pleased to meet you.”

  Lacey noticed he didn’t look pleased at all.

  “Didn’t realize Lacey was bringing anyone home.” Oliver turned back to her uncertainly.

  Her heart was in her throat, stopping her from shouting out the truth. She was just trying to get him back.