When they were quiet again, Cullen said, “I must admit, I feel a little responsible for stranding you out here. You’ve got your hands full with the kids. I should’ve stopped and filled up the car before we got home last night.”
Last night. Lily’s cheeks flushed and she looked at a spot somewhere over his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. I should’ve reminded you, but honestly, I didn’t even think about it.”
Her cheeks flushed a little more and he wondered if she was thinking about the kiss. Probably not.
Maybe.
It was cold outside and a little windy. Maybe that was what coaxed the color to her cheeks.
Cullen held up his hand. “Stop being so hard on yourself. You take great care of these kids. That’s all that matters.”
The kiss really hadn’t been that big of a deal. Had it?
Sure, he had responded to the feel of her lips under his and to her sweet taste, hints of the vanilla and cinnamon she’d used in her baking. But maybe the taste had simply been his imagination, brought on by the power of suggestion.
Since she’d arrived, the entire house had been perfumed with good smells and warmed with Christmas cheer. It was all so different from what he was used to. She was so different from his usual type.
But he was glad that the kids had helped them along with the mistletoe prank.
“I didn’t want to let the kids down,” she said.
Her words jarred him from his thoughts back to the present. If he didn’t know better, it was almost as if she’d been reading his mind.
“What?” he asked, screwing the gas cap back into place and shutting the small door.
“I didn’t think you were listening.” Lily smiled knowingly. “I was saying that we were on our way to Dallas to buy some shoes for George. The coach wouldn’t let him on the court with dark-soled sneakers.”
“Right,” he said, as if he’d heard every word. He set down the canister and reached into his pocket for his wallet. “You’ll need some money for that. You know, I don’t ever expect you to pay for any of the kids’ expenses. That shouldn’t come out of your pocket.”
As he handed her three crisp fifty-dollar bills, a sharp rapping sounded from the car window. George was at it again. This time, he’d smooshed his lips against the window and was moving them like a giant fish.
“Oh, George,” Lily said. “Stop.”
Of course, the kid couldn’t hear her. He pulled his face back from the window and pressed his index fingers together, moving them in opposite directions in the international kid sign for two people kissing.
Lily gasped, then groaned.
“I’d better get the shoes so I can get him to camp so he can put some of this energy to good use. But first I’ll fill up with gas so we don’t run out again.” Her face was bright red and she was stumbling over her words.
George must’ve seen the shocked embarrassment on Lily’s face, because now he was alternately pointing at the two adults and making his fingers kiss.
“Oh, gosh,” she said. “I’m so sorry, Cullen.”
As she headed toward the driver’s door, he said, “I’m not.”
She turned back to face him, her hand on the car door, confusion eclipsing her earlier embarrassment. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not sorry I kissed you last night. Let George make all the faces he wants, or better yet, you can tell him to stop it. I understand that he’s been through a lot, but that doesn’t give him license to disrespect you. And for the record, I’m not sorry I kissed you, and if you’re not sorry about that, I hope someday soon you’ll let me kiss you again.”
Chapter Six
It wasn’t even a real kiss.
The kids had instigated it. So it didn’t count, Lily reminded herself as she hitched her purse up onto her shoulder, adjusted her grip on the Secret Santa present she was bringing to girls’ night out and walked toward Café St. Germaine in downtown Celebration to meet her girlfriends for dinner.
However, his confession that he’d like to kiss her again was as real as her thudding heart.
The temperature had dropped about ten degrees since this morning when Cullen had come to their rescue. Thinking about his parting words made her feel downright steamy. Her stomach somersaulted as she recalled the look in his eyes.
That look promised that the next kiss wouldn’t be quite so innocent.
Her mind told her she was playing with fire, but her thudding heart said, Bring it on; she’d need something to keep herself warm during these increasingly cold nights Celebration was experiencing.
She’d never been able to see straight when it came to men. Never. That was why things had ended so badly with Josh. She’d ignored the signs, turned away from the hard reality that there were problems with their relationship and goaded him into the wedding.
When Josh had started to pull away, she’d thought that he was just overwhelmed by how fast and how public the wedding was moving forward. Cold feet. She’d convinced herself that once the hoopla was over they’d settle into married life and everything would be fine.
They’d been together for so long, marriage was just the next natural step along the way.
She’d been kidding herself, ignoring the handwriting on the wall, until everything had blown up in her face. Was that what she was doing now?
Convincing herself that this thing with Cullen might be heading somewhere when it wasn’t? She really needed to think about that.
Common sense told her that getting involved with her boss was a bad idea. The kids needed her full attention. She needed the money. Otherwise she wouldn’t even be here. If getting involved with Cullen was a good idea, wouldn’t he be willing to hold that promised kiss until she was no longer on his payroll?
He might not.
If not, she had her answer.
Maybe he was only flirting with her.
The kids had put them in an awkward position with that mistletoe.
They’d handled it appropriately. But if it was all just a game, why had he said what he’d said today when he came to their rescue?
He didn’t have to say that. She hadn’t coaxed it out of him.
As she approached the restaurant’s hostess stand, she shook away the thoughts and the nagging question of whether she should ask her girlfriends for advice.
Until she told someone what had happened, everything was safe. She could back out or move in whichever direction she wanted. But once she started asking for opinions and input, the situation would become very real.
“Hi, I’m Lily Palmer.” She put her Secret Santa present on the hostess stand. “I’m meeting the James party of four tonight. I think I’m supposed to leave the gift here. Someone was going to deliver all the presents to the table once we’re all seated to protect the identities of the respective Secret Santas.”
The young woman smiled. “Of course. I’m happy to help you. That sounds like such a fun game.”
It was fun, and it was so wonderful that this group of strong, smart women had welcomed her into their ranks. They’d been lifelong friends and jointly owned the Celebrations Inc. Catering Company. Sometimes infiltrating the ranks of an established friendship was impossible. Yet they’d welcomed her as if she’d always been one of their best friends.
“Ms. James and another person in your party are already seated,” said the hostess. “Follow me and I’ll take you to your table.”
The restaurant was decorated beautifully with silver, gold and red decorations. Hundreds of gold fairy lights gave the place a festive feel. They were wrapped around wreaths of garland, swagged in doorways and wrapped around columns. Clusters of red ornaments were grouped with the miniature lights and displayed under glass domes as centerpieces. They’d transformed the already elegant restaurant into a festive place perfect for holiday gatheri
ngs such as this one.
Not only that, but the wood-burning oven made the place smell delectable. Lily’s stomach growled in appreciation and she realized that she’d been so busy today that she hadn’t eaten lunch.
Once she’d gotten George’s shoes and had delivered him to camp, the girls had wanted grilled-cheese sandwiches for lunch. Knowing that she’d be dining out tonight—and there would likely be champagne and dessert involved—Lily had forgone the cheese and butter. They’d gotten so busy baking that before she knew it, it was time to pick up George. The kids had a snack. Then Cullen had gotten home.
Cullen.
Lily’s stomach dipped at the thought of him.
He’d been prompt, getting home at exactly six as he’d promised when she’d told him about her night out. Maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed as if he’d been a little relieved when he learned that her dinner was with girlfriends.
That it wasn’t a date.
She smiled to herself. Maybe she should’ve let him think it was a date.
There she went again. Living her own little fantasy rather than taking a good, hard, real look at what was really going on.
Sydney James and Pepper Macintyre waved from the corner table when they saw Lily enter the dining room.
“There they are,” Lily said.
“Enjoy your evening,” the hostess said, letting Lily walk the rest of the way to the table on her own.
Both women stood and hugged her.
“Merry Christmas,” said Sydney.
“Hey, darlin’,” Pepper said. “I was afraid we were going to have to drink this bottle of champagne all by our lonesome.”
Lily glanced at her watch as her friends scooted in toward the center of the large booth to make room for her.
“I hope I’m not late,” Lily said.
“Heavens no.” Pepper poured Lily a flute of bubbly. “Whenever there’s champagne, I’m always early. Besides, A.J. isn’t even here yet.”
“If she doesn’t hurry,” Sydney said, “all the champagne will be gone.”
“Or we’ll just order another bottle,” Pepper said as she slid the cut-glass flute toward Lily and returned the bottle to the ice bucket.
Lily loved a lot of things about these women, but high on her list was the contrast between Sydney’s proper British demeanor and Pepper’s bubbly Southern-belle style.
Though Sydney had been born and raised in England, she’d come to Celebration by way of the European principality of St. Michel. Pepper, on the other hand, was a Texas belle through and through. From one of the most prominent families in Texas, she had withstood scandal of the worst kind when her father was convicted of fraud. He had eventually died in prison, leaving Pepper to reconcile the father she loved with the man who had become one of the most loathed people in the United States. Even though Pepper was innocent of her father’s crimes, for a period of time she’d been a social pariah herself in the wake of the financial havoc her father’s schemes had wreaked on innocent people.
Lily knew there was more to Pepper than her debutante appearance. She knew it had taken a strong woman to come out even stronger on the other side of the scandal that she’d had nothing to do with.
The three friends looked up and saw A.J. hurrying toward them, her arms full of Secret Santa presents. Usually calm and collected, A. J. Harrison looked a bit frazzled in her mad rush across the restaurant.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said, setting the wrapped packages on the table. “I had a hard time getting Kelcie down for the night. Shane is a great father, but she’s getting to that stage where she’s a mama’s girl. I love the fact that she wants me, but on a night like this, I’d just like to be able to leave the house without both of us being in tears. I want to get out. I need to get out, but it breaks my heart when she cries like that.”
Pepper drained the last of the bottle into a glass for A.J. and held it out to her. “Here, hon, drink this. It’ll help. And I think another bottle is definitely in order.”
A.J. settled herself in the booth and looked at her three friends. “Where is Kate? I thought she said she could make it tonight.”
“Kate is out of town on business,” Pepper informed her. Pepper was married to Rob, Kate’s brother. So the two were as close as sisters. “A potential donor called late yesterday about making a year-end donation to the foundation and wanted to meet with her today. She was hoping to join us later, but she said not to count on her. So we should go ahead and order. If she can be here, she will. Don’t worry. I brought her Secret Santa present.”
“I hope she can join us.” Sydney raised her glass. “But without further ado, I think a toast is in order. To good friends.”
“Hear, hear!” they all said in unison. “To good friends.”
They clinked glasses and had started debating the appetizer selections when Pepper said, “Before we order appetizers, why don’t we open our presents? That will give us more room on the table.”
They’d set a twenty-dollar limit for the gifts, and Lily had suspected it had been mostly for her benefit. Her friends could afford to spend much more, but they understood that finances were tight for Lily. They knew that was why she’d taken the nanny job rather than taking time off on her holiday break.
But what she lacked in funds, she’d tried to make up for in creativity with a beautifully wrapped package and a loaf of the stollen she, Megan, Bridget and Hannah had made.
They were having so much fun baking since she’d introduced them to her great-grandmother’s recipe yesterday. The girls had been amazed that they could actually make their own bread.
“I thought you had to buy things like that in the store,” Bridget had said. “I didn’t know people could actually make bread at home.”
The girls’ wonder and excitement had Lily falling in love with them a little more. Once they’d gotten George settled at basketball camp, they’d decided to make as many loaves as they could to give as Christmas presents.
Lily had shown them variations on the traditional recipe they’d made yesterday and they’d been happy campers eager to try each one and had even suggested a few of their own concoctions after tasting Lily’s recipes. The novelty was bound to wear off sooner or later, but for now it kept them busy.
When Lily and her friends had drawn names for the Secret Santa game, Lily got A.J., the one of her new friends that she knew the least about. So Lily was all for it when the girls had come up with the idea of giving the loaves of stollen as Christmas gifts. The girls had helped her make a special loaf to supplement the handblown glass ornament she’d purchased for A.J.
Sydney took charge, reading the gift tags and distributing the presents.
“I know this is silly,” Pepper said, “but I get so excited when it comes to presents. I love to get them and I love to give them.” She slanted a glance at Lily and flashed a knowing smile. Suddenly Lily had a pretty good idea of the identity of her own Santa.
All doubts were dispelled after she opened the small package and pulled out a beautiful sterling-silver bracelet with an infinity symbol strung between two delicate chains. The bracelet surely cost more than the twenty-dollar limit.
“This is gorgeous,” Lily said. “Thank you so much.”
When she struggled to put it on her wrist, Pepper helped her work the clasp.
As Lily held up her arm and admired the bracelet, she silently warred with herself. The bigger part of her was excited and grateful for the beautiful bracelet, but the smaller, more insecure part of herself was embarrassed that all she had to offer was a Christmas-tree ornament and a loaf of homemade bread.
Still, she’d always prided herself on being real. She’d never changed herself to fit in with anyone. Her friends knew of her circumstances and embraced her anyway. Now was not the time to change.
She appr
eciated the way that A.J. oohed and aahed over the ornament. It was pretty. But when her friend opened the festively printed cellophane bag that contained the stollen, Lily said, “You can save that for later.”
“Are you kidding?” said A.J. “I’m starving and it looks delicious. Everyone can have a small piece.”
A.J. sliced rough pieces with her butter knife, and when she bit into it, a look of rapture overtook her face. She closed her eyes as she chewed.
“Oh, my gosh,” she said. “This is the best thing I have ever tasted.” She looked directly at Lily, who had obviously given away her own Secret Santa identity when she’d suggested that A.J. save the bread for later. “What is this?”
The other girls offered their own appreciation.
“It’s a Christmas bread that my grandmother and I used to make every year. It was always a tradition for us to make it together. Now it’s just not Christmas without it.”
Lily noticed that her friends were exchanging glances. They seemed to be communicating without saying anything. If Lily hadn’t been so sure that the bread was indeed delicious, she might have been afraid of what they were communicating among themselves.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Pepper finally said aloud.
“I’m pretty sure I am,” A.J. said as she twisted the open end of the cellophane and put the bread away. Lily wanted to think that A.J. liked it so much that she didn’t want to share.
Sydney dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin before saying, “I think it’s exactly what we’ve been looking for.”
The three women nodded and turned to Lily. “How many loaves do you think you could produce in a day?”
“I don’t know,” Lily said. “Today, the girls and I baked six. But we were just having fun. They really enjoy baking.”
Sydney’s eyes flashed. “All the better. Lily, how would you feel about selling your bread at the holiday market? It’s that big Christmas bazaar the city holds every year in the farmers’-market building. It opens next week. Celebrations Incorporated is sponsoring a booth and we’re filming a segment of Catering to Dallas on opening day.
Harlequin Special Edition November 2014 - Box Set 2 of 2: The Maverick's Thanksgiving BabyA Celebration ChristmasDr. Daddy's Perfect Christmas Page 29