Christmas Cowboy

by Claire Adams

  I raised an eyebrow at her. “That sounds great, unless you already had other plans for tomorrow night?”

  Gretchen rolled her eyes. “Unfortunately, we can't all be as popular as the great Christian Wall.”

  I sighed. “You know, I have been getting used to not being recognized everywhere that I go.”

  “Poor baby, feeling like you're losing relevance in the world?” Gretchen asked teasingly.

  I frowned at her. “The thing is, and I would never have believed this a couple of months ago, it's kind of nice to have that anonymity. I always thrived in the limelight, but it's also nice to just-” I broke off with a short laugh, running a hand back through my hair.

  Gretchen looked like she understood me, though, nodding sagely. “Yeah, I can imagine,” she said, shrugging a little. “I love that I get to live here, but the fact that I've grown up with all of these people means that after a while, everyone knows everything about you. They all have their opinions about everything you do as well. I can only imagine what it must feel like when it's the entire world that has those expectations about you.”

  I couldn't help staring at her in shock for a long moment, surprised at how well she understood me. Then, I nodded. “That's exactly it,” I told her. I shook my head and held out my arm to her. “Anyway, let's go to lunch. We wouldn't want to keep your afternoon clients waiting, or you'll be the talk of the island!”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Gretchen

  I'd never really been the type to sleep in, but with the amount that I'd been working over the past few weeks, staying in bed until eight was really luxurious. I stretched, reveling in the fact that I had three whole days off from work: Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after Christmas. And it was guilt-free time off, too. Most people were spending the holidays with their families, and they weren't booking appointments anyway.

  Finally, I rolled out of bed and hopped in the shower, scrubbing my hair and thinking of my plans for the next few days. Not that I had plans. Basically, I just wanted to relax as much as possible. It had been a while since I had given myself permission just to do nothing. I didn't even have errands to run. I'd caught up on all of those last weekend, knowing that a lot of the stores on the island would be closed for the holidays as well.

  I finally climbed out from beneath the warm cascade of water and toweled off. Then, I got dressed in a soft sundress and headed out to the porch with my book. Before I could reach the door, though, there was a knock on it. I frowned and set my book on the table just inside the front hall, wondering who it could be. Probably Mina, but I'd expected her to take advantage of her days off and stay in bed until at least noon.

  It was Christian.

  I smiled at him, grin growing even broader when he held up coffee and a paper bag from my favorite bakery. “Good morning, darling,” he said, leaning in for a quick kiss. “I brought breakfast for the two of us, if you're interested.”

  “Of course, I'm interested,” I said, eyeing the bag.

  Christian laughed. “One streusel muffin, one pumpkin muffin, and one cranberry muffin,” he told me. “I wasn't sure which you'd be in the mood for. And then I realized that we could just cut all three of them in half and share, unless you're opposed to that idea.”

  I laughed and hugged him, mindful of the things in his hands. “You're the best,” I told him fondly. “Come on.” I led him out to the back porch, and we sat down at the table there.

  “So,” Christian said, popping a bite of muffin into his mouth and chewing slowly. “What are you going to do now that you have three full days off?”

  I shook my head. “I have no idea,” I told him. “I'm going to Skype with my parents at some point tomorrow to wish them a happy Christmas and act surprised as I open the care package that my mother sent me, even though I already have a pretty good idea of what she's sent me. But other than that, I'm mainly just focusing on relaxing. Maybe I'll get some surfing in or something too. The beaches usually aren't too crowded on Christmas since most people are off with their families. Not sure what the weather forecast looks like, though.”

  “Probably warm and humid,” Christian said, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He shook his head. “This is honestly all so strange to me after growing up with New York winters. I think I've only been out of New York a handful of times in my life for Christmas, and it was always to places in Europe that were just as cold or colder.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, it can take some getting used to,” I said. “You can imagine how we all feel, watching American and British Christmas specials. Nearly every single one of you guys are dreaming about a white Christmas, and I've never had a white Christmas in my life!”

  “Have you even ever seen snow before?” Christian asked curiously.

  “A couple of times,” I admitted, shuddering a little. “I avoid that kind of cold as best I can, though. I'll always be a Hawaiian girl at heart.”

  Christian laughed, but there was something dark in his eyes; maybe he was thinking about the fact that he was going to have to leave eventually, and that I wasn't going to be going with him? It was a thought that I seemed to keep having lately. No matter how good things were going between us, no matter how easily the conversation flowed, we were from different worlds, and there was no meshing our lives together. I had to be realistic about that.

  That said, Mina's reminders to enjoy what I had at the moment were starting to sink in.

  “Hey,” I said, reaching over and lightly squeezing his hand. “At least we get to spend the next few days together, right?”

  “That's true,” Christian agreed, smiling over at me.

  “Hey, you two lovebirds,” Mina said, coming through the sliding glass door from my house. “I was wondering where you were,” she said to me, a frown on her face. “You're usually out reading in your hammock at this point.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her. “And you're usually still in bed,” I retorted teasingly. I nudged a chair toward her. “Come on, Christian bought three muffins and expects the two of us to be able to finish them. You know how big Myra's muffins are.”

  Mina laughed and sat down at the table with us, looking shyly over at Christian. “Good morning, Mr. Christian Wall,” she said.

  He laughed. “Come on,” he said, shaking his head. “Don't do the star-struck thing around me; I just want to have a nice, casual breakfast. You can at least call me Christian Wall, none of this 'Mr.' stuff.”

  Mina giggled and stole some of my muffins. “So, what are you guys up to today?” she asked.

  “We were still trying to figure that out,” I admitted. Then, I glanced over at Christian, wondering if breakfast had maybe only been the start of his plans for us. “Or I was still trying to figure that out.”

  “Me too,” Christian said, shrugging. “Not to be rude, and I'm sure both of you would disagree, but I feel as though I've done everything that there is to do on this island at this point. It's been a few weeks here now, and I've run out of ideas.”

  I snorted, and Mina shook her head. “You're just getting started,” she chided. She looked over at me. “Have you taken him up to the caves yet?”

  I gave her a sharp look. She knew that the last time I'd been up to the caves, it had been with Lino. I couldn't believe that she had brought that up.

  Except that, of course, she was always pushing me to get over Lino. Maybe she thought that things like that, getting rid of our special places and writing new memories for myself, would do the trick.

  I shook my head. “I don't want to go up to the caves today,” I said. “These next few days are supposed to be all about relaxing. Taking a hike is not a relaxing thing to do.”

  “So, what, you're just going to chill out down at the beach for three days in a row?” Mina asked, looking skeptical.

  “Maybe,” I said, almost defensively, causing her to laugh again.

  “Gretchen, you know as well as I do, and Christian knows that you aren't the type of girl who can sp
end three days just lazing around on the beach,” she said.

  “So maybe I'll go surfing or something,” I said, hating the almost petulant tone of my voice. “Just because I want to be down on the beach, it doesn't mean I have to just lie there and tan or whatever. Anyway, maybe I'll bring a book. You know I can sit for hours when I'm reading.”

  Mina just shook her head again. Then, she turned to face Christian. “Is it still true that you're thinking of heading back to New York in the new year?” she asked.

  “Mina, come on,” I said to her, putting a hand on her arm. I glanced over at Christian. “You don't have to answer that, don't worry. It's none of her business.” I wasn't sure, though, if I was telling him not to answer because it was none of her business or because I didn't want to hear his answer. Things were going so well between us, and I wanted to have a nice three days with him, without the shadow of his impending departure hanging over us. If he was planning on leaving in the new year, I didn't want to know it yet.

  Christian chuckled though. “It's okay,” he told me. He shrugged at Mina. “I'm still not sure when I'll be leaving,” he said easily. “Haven't even started looking at flights or anything. I mean, sure, eventually, I'll have to go back, if nothing else so that I can sort out my affairs and-” He broke off with a grimace.

  Mina looked shocked. “You mean you're not planning on going back to Sunrise Real Estate?” she asked.

  “No, that's not what I mean,” Christian said, even though he looked like he didn't know what he was saying. He shook his head. “Look, it's complicated.”

  “But what does that mean for the company?” Mina asked. “Are they the ones getting rid of you, or are you leaving them? And are you looking to start your own real estate business then? Would you still be living in New York, or-”

  “Mina!” I said sharply, giving her a scolding look, even though I wanted to know the answers to all of those questions just as much, if not more than she did. She was motivated by a desire for gossip. I wanted to know what this meant regarding Christian's and my relationship.

  Not that we had a relationship, per se. We were just having fun and going on dates. Occasionally having sex. It was nothing more. It couldn't be anything more.

  Christian's phone chose that minute to start buzzing, and he looked down at the screen with surprise. “I have to take this,” he said. “Speak of the devil. It's one of the guys from work.” He looked over at me. “Why don't I go back to the hotel and let the two of you have a girls' day? Then, I'll swing by and get you for dinner tonight around six?”

  “That sounds great,” I said weakly, hoping he wasn't too upset about the turn in the conversation.

  As soon as he was gone, I whirled on Mina. “What the hell was that?” I asked.

  Mina had the decency to look a bit sheepish. “Sorry,” she said. “I know I shouldn't have grilled him like that, I just…” She shook her head. “Can you imagine what might happen if the great Christian Wall decided to walk away from his multimillion-dollar company to be with a masseuse from Hawaii?”

  I snorted and shook my head. “That's never going to happen,” I said to her. “We're just having a bit of fun, and-”

  “I don't know,” Mina said slowly. “I mean, you know me. I've never really believed in the idea of love or any of that stuff, but from the things that I've heard him saying just now I want to believe.”

  I shook my head. “He doesn't mean any of it,” I said. “He's just confused about what he wants, and-”

  “Are you just telling yourself that because that's what you need to believe?” Mina asked quietly.

  There was a long moment of silence between the two of us, and I could see Mina's look grown increasingly knowing. “You're the one who's always reminding me that he's going to have to go back home eventually and that I shouldn't get too attached,” I said finally.

  “True,” Mina admitted. “That's because I never really expected him to stick around. But hearing him talk like that-”

  “Can we just forget about that for now?” I pleaded with her. “I just want to enjoy the next few days together, worry-free.”

  “Sure, of course,” Mina said. “Sorry to go on about it already, I was just surprised. But no more of that, I promise you.” She grinned at me. “So, what are we going to do with this ladies’ day that we're supposed to have? We got mani-pedis last time, and although mine could use a bit of a touch-up, I'm wondering if maybe we shouldn't try something different like a total spa day? It is Christmas Eve, after all.”

  I shook my head. “It's Christmas Eve,” I echoed. “I'm sure all the spas are full for the day.”

  Mina grinned, a wicked glint in her eye. “Not if you contacted a friend a couple of weeks ago and made an appointment, on the off chance that you were able to tear your best friend away from your beau for the day.”

  I blinked at her and then laughed. “You didn't!”

  Mina shrugged. “Evil mastermind and all. Christian was in on it too; I told him to bring you breakfast this morning so that you'd be all ready to go by the time I pulled myself out of bed. Come on.”

  I laughed again and followed her out to the car.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Christian

  Even though I could have answered Paul's call as I left Gretchen's house, I declined the call and waited until I was back at the hotel to give him a call. I poured myself a glass of wine because there was something about this conversation that had my nerves on edge. Maybe it was just Mina's needling that had gotten to me, and where had my words been coming from, anyway? What did I mean, I might just go back to get my affairs in order? I was going to go back and settle down and be the face of the company again. That had been the plan all along.

  “Hey man,” I said when Paul answered the phone.

  “Relax,” he said immediately, a smile in his voice. “You sound nervous, and there's no reason to be. Mainly, I'm calling to wish you season's greetings, but I also wanted to call and let you know that the whole company, even Alex and George, are waiting for you to come back. The sooner, the better; ideally, we'd like to have you back by the start of the new year.”

  I blinked and stared at a distance halfway between myself and the wall. Then, I shook my head. “Look, I know you've been campaigning on my behalf, Paul, but I'm not sure that's the best idea,” I said.

  I could hear the frown in Paul's voice when he spoke again. “Are you planning on tendering your resignation? I would have expected to hear about it before now, if so.”

  “It's not that,” I said impatiently, shoving aside all my uncertain thoughts from before. “But Paul, I'm not stupid. I've been watching our stocks and all the company news. From everything that I've seen, the company is doing ten times better now than it ever did when I was involved in it. Whatever you guys are doing, or I guess, maybe, whatever you guys are not doing, it seems to be working. There's no way Alex and George want me to come back.”

  “You haven't been in the news in the whole time that you've been in Hawaii,” Paul said. “I have to admit, I'm a bit surprised about it, myself. Alex and George must be beside themselves.”

  “Honestly, there aren't even that many people who recognize me here,” I said. “I've been mostly staying away from the touristy things, and…” I broke off, cheeks flaming. For some reason, I wasn't ready to tell him about Gretchen just yet.

  “That's good,” Paul said, his voice soothing away my concerns. “But we do need you back at the company. None of us can do the public speaking the way that you can. You have such a knack for twisting language and for dodging the really difficult questions. And beyond that, you have a knack for drawing in the audience and interacting with the camera. Your reality TV shows have helped us grow into the company that we are today, and you know that as well as I do. There's talk of a sequel series to that International Dream Homes show that you starred in last year. They've sent over a list of destinations and wanted you to go through and pick some places.”

  “Oh,” I
said, taking a sip of the wine, wondering how to respond to that. I couldn't help laughing a little. “I honestly thought you were calling to tell me that the company didn't see any reason for me to come back after the new year,” I admitted. “I know you keep telling me that that's not what you guys want and everything, but I call bullshit,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Give me some credit,” Paul said, and I could hear the way he was rolling his eyes. “If I was going to give you that news, do you think I would wait until Christmas Eve to do it? Not that there's ever a good time for you to receive that news, but still. I'm not heartless.”

  “I know,” I said, swallowing a sudden lump in my throat. “Paul, you've been such a great friend to me over the years. And thank you for whatever part you have in preserving my place there at Sunrise. I'll start looking at flights, I guess.” I ran a hand back through my hair, wondering how I was going to break the news to Gretchen. To be fair, she had to know that I was going back; that had never been a secret.

  For a moment, I wildly toyed with the thought of inviting her to come live with me in New York, but I knew that that wasn't even an option. She had her whole life here in Hawaii, and anyway, there was something about her that just fit here in Hawaii. She could never be part of my life back in New York. And I knew, deep down, that she would never want to be. Asking her to do that for me would ruin everything that we had had.

  “You seem pensive,” Paul said. He chuckled a little. “That's not a word I ever would have thought to use for you, of all people.”

  I sighed. “This has been a really good trip,” I admitted. “It's a shame to see it end.”

  Leave it at that.

  We exchanged a few more pleasantries, and Paul finally let me go with a final 'Merry Christmas.' I sat there for a long time, staring off into space, and then I pulled up my computer, beginning to search for flights. I knew that the sooner I booked it, the better deal I would get, especially since there were going to be a lot of people heading home once the holidays were done. I stopped short of purchasing one, though.