Snowbound Kisses

by Julia Imari

  “Well, I changed my mind. Let’s do this. Because Grandma believes we’re exclusive now. And if you introduce her to another man, she'll think you’re lying.”

  She sighed. Glancing at him with a helpless stare, she nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

  He smiled, thinking he could get busy by having her as his new friend. After all, the weather was clear, and Logan Airport would be open for flights the next day. Then he could fly back to Cali. At least he could be useful while staying in this secluded area.

  Suddenly, something hummed and the room turned bright. Thea jumped. “Yay! The electricity's back on.” She turned in his direction, a big smile plastered on her face. “I can get back to my writing.”

  Her enthusiasm rubbed off on him and he smiled, too. “Can I read it?”

  “Well,” she said, biting her lower lip as if to decide whether to say yes or not. “Okay. But you won’t like it.”

  Towing behind to her home office, he said, “Why not? I’m curious.”

  “Because it’s a romantic comedy. You said you prefer science fiction.”

  He scratched his head. “Yeah. But I still want to read it.”

  Inside the room, a huge desk was tucked in the corner. Her desktop, surrounded by books, papers and other office accessories, looked busy. He took a chair near the window and dragged it closer to the desk and sat. The phone inside his pocket buzzed continuously, indicating several texts were coming. He ignored it. His curiosity was piqued as Thea turned her desktop computer on. She took a folder and handed it to him.

  “That’s a draft. You can read the synopsis if you want. And don’t you dare laugh,” she warned.

  He ignored her warning as the storyline hooked him right away. It was about a woman who has no limit for her love of cats and dogs. She collects stray animals. One day, she sees a cute little mutt hidden under the bushes in the park. With a delectable treat in hand, she coaxes the dog out from his hiding place. She brings the dog home and learns the next day the mutt has an owner. The owner is not happy and accuses her of stealing the pup. The scenes go downhill from there between the two characters.

  “What do you think?” she asked. Her eyes were focused on his face, watching to see if he was hiding anything from her.

  He couldn’t help but smile. “I like it. I think it has potential.”

  Her expression looked subdued. “Thanks. I was stuck in the middle of the story. I guess I need to refine the plotline to add a more interesting scene or two.”

  He nodded, but that was the extent of his support. Writing lyrics he could do. Long prose? He could only wish. And as far as romantic comedy? He had no clue what the heck it was about. Sure, it had something to do with romance. And he didn't do romance. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  She widened her eyes. “No, don’t tell anyone about this. You promise?”

  “Promise,” he said, smiling. But she rolled her eyes at him as if she didn’t believe him.

  His phone rang a tune from one of his latest songs. “Do you mind if I take this?”

  “Go ahead,” she said before facing the desktop and starting to type. He didn’t want to disturb her, so he went to the living room to take the call.

  Chapter Five

  THEA COULDN’T HOLD her curiosity anymore. Now that the electricity was back on, she could open the internet browser and search for information about Max. Did he tell her and Grandma the truth about him? What if he didn't? Then she would explain it to her grandmother and ask him to leave. After all, the snowstorm had cleared and the sky broke in a bright blue. The sun was strong and soon the snow and ice would thaw.

  Looking over her shoulder to make sure Max wasn't lurking, Thea typed his name into the search engine and waited for the results. When the page displayed, she clicked on the image tab and became instantly shocked by what she saw. Max was one of the most popular male singers in the country!

  He had pictures galore with many women, and with one particular woman at his side. His girlfriend. She closed the browser and opened her manuscript. Max was a mistake, one she wouldn’t repeat again. What she did was insane and borderline dangerous. But she trusted her instincts. She couldn’t let someone suffer; she had to help them. Maybe she was in the wrong profession. She could be a better nurse, or doctor for that matter.

  Sighing, she read the last page of her script and looked at her notes. The part of the story she couldn't get right was the part about the main male character. She couldn’t get deeper into his mind, couldn’t figure out what he thought of the heroine. It seemed she didn’t know her character that well. And this required her to interview him. For instance, how did he know when he fell in love with the heroine? What would he say to her? How would he act? She could write something generic about his feelings, but she didn’t feel the connection. And she knew her readers would feel the same and end up being disappointed with the story.

  Feeling frustrated, Thea took a break from her manuscript and trudged over to the closet at the end of the hallway. She dragged out a large box containing a faux Christmas tree. She’d wanted to set it up since last week, but was beat after returning from work. Now that she was home, she wanted to brighten Grandma's living room. Next, she pulled out boxes of ornaments and strings of lights in all different colors.

  Decorating the Christmas tree was her favorite holiday activity. With Grandma, she looked forward to this well before the festivities began. Usually they would set up the tree two weeks before the holiday, but this year Grandma didn't seem that enthusiastic. Certainly not after she had suggested assisted living.

  “Hey! What are you doing?” a voice came from behind.

  She turned her head over her shoulder. Max was standing behind her, eyeing all the boxes. Smiling, she said, “Setting the tree up.” She pulled out all the branches and grouped them according to their size.

  “Where’s the base?” he asked.

  She realized the base was missing. “Oops, I forgot. It’s out in the barn. Let me go get it.”

  “I’ll come with you. It must weigh a ton.”

  After they arrived at the barn, they found the tree base covered in dust and debris. The weathered metal was heavy.

  “I can carry it,” Max said.

  Grateful for his help, she thanked him. He carried the metal base with only one arm, as if it was nothing. Once back inside the house, she noticed the muscles on his forearms strained his tight T-shirt. She tried not to pay too much attention to his masculine physique.

  They assembled the trunk to its base. Next, they inserted the green branches into the slots in the trunk all the way to the top. The tree reached seven feet tall, and Max stood on his toes to install the last branch. His T-shirt hitched up, revealing his lean and sexy abs. No tattoos. Her skin burned and the room suddenly felt hot. Working together with Max made the job easier and faster. Had she mentioned that he was total eye candy?

  “It looks like a real tree now,” he said, planting his hands on his hips. “What’s next?”

  She grabbed the box filled with colored lights. “This. We need to put the lights on the branches.”

  She pulled out several strings of white lights, and together they placed them on the branches all around the tree. “Let's add some warm colored lights, too,” Max suggested. They decorated the tree with the multicolored lights all the way to the top.

  “Let’s test them and see what happens,” she said, turning off the lights in the room. Max wrapped the last colored string around the topmost branch and hooked it up to the rest of the connected string. Lights from the tree, blinking in random patterns, brightened the room in a soft glow. The dull room became instantly alive and festive, and she caught Max staring at the tree for a long time. When he turned to her, his eyes were smiling. And a little glassy.

  But, he was leaving. And she didn’t want to put any hope in their shared activities. “Now, we’re going to fully decorate the tree.”

  “We need mistletoe,” he said, grinning.

  “We
don't need mistletoe.” Her stomach curled at the thought of kissing him under the plant. You’re going off the deep end, Thea. You'd better stick to decorating the tree. Now.

  All sorts of ornaments and trinkets made from porcelain, plastic, polished metals and glass were inside the box. The ball ornaments in green and red were her favorites to hang. Max went for the tiny figurine of a bear, sled dog and a cat. Where did that come from? She couldn't remember. They were so engrossed in hanging each piece they occasionally collided, and each time he had to steady her. The comfort this brought had stirred her heart. It moved her to a point where she wanted to be with someone. And she wished that someone was Max. Which was impossible, because he didn't belong to this place. And he certainly didn't belong to her.

  Now that the Christmas tree was fully decorated, it looked like a magazine picture. The ornaments created a promise of the merriest of Christmases. “With the snow outside, we’ll be having a white Christmas!” she said.

  “I wish I could stay to celebrate this festive season with you and your grandma,” Max said. He averted his eyes to look at the fully decorated tree. “Jensen called.”

  She sighed, resigning herself to the reality that he would be leaving. “He did?”

  He smiled, but his eyes turned darker. “The flights to LA are resuming today. So I need to return to Boston this afternoon.”

  She nodded slowly, while trying to find the right words to make a sentence. But all she could do was stare at her fingernails, considering them.

  Max moved forward to get closer to her. “Text me your progress on the script. Or ask me if you're stuck.”

  Her heart squeezed. Why do I have this feeling? “I don’t think so. You’re not interested in romantic comedy.”

  “Thea. I have a sister, remember? She’s into this stuff. You could ask her.”

  She lifted her head and turned to him. Oh yeah. She forgot Max had a sister. “Thanks, it’s a good idea.”

  “It’s a great idea, Dorothea.” He laughed, but the laughter didn’t show in his eyes. “God, I’ll miss you when I’m back home.” His gaze was intense. “Can I call or text you?”

  She looked at him, trying to find fault in what he said. But she saw nothing because her heart had taken over her rational mind. She couldn’t possibly be falling in love with Max, could she? Attraction to him was definitely in her cards, but falling in love? It was her heart playing tricks on her again. “Oh sure."

  As if he could see the agony on her face, Max stood and pulled her up from her seat. He wrapped her in his embrace and pressed her tight to his hard chest. “Thea. Don’t feel sad. We’ll text each other every day. Promise?” he said, leaning back to find her eyes. “I appreciate you and Grandma's tremendous hospitality. Inviting me to your grandma’s house, without knowing anything about me, is unbelievable. It shows who you are. I’ll miss that when I go home. I truly will.”

  He drew her hair from her face and lowered his face to kiss her. Their lips met, and her emotions soared so high she couldn’t stop them from flooding into her response to his kiss. He opened her lips with his tongue, and she closed her eyes to let all the sensations fulfill her. The goodbye kiss was too much; she tore her lips from him and ran her fingers through her hair.

  “Thank you for being who you are. I learned my lesson to not jump to a friend’s dare. I may invite trouble. But, this one?” She looked at him. “Is a different kind of trouble?”

  He winked. “I know that. I warned you earlier, didn’t I? But you weren't paying attention.”

  She stepped away from him and crossed her arms around her stomach. “Let me find Grandma and tell her that you’re leaving.” Without looking at him, she rushed to the kitchen. But her grandma wasn’t there. She must be in the barn again, assembling her birdhouses.

  When she arrived, Grandma was engrossed in gluing pieces of wood to attach the roof of the tiny house. She smiled with deep sadness. If Grandma lived in an assisted living facility, she wouldn’t be able to do this type of thing anymore. But she knew crafting was available in most assisted living places, and she hoped her grandmother wouldn't mind doing it in a different setting.

  “Dorothea! Why are you standing in the cold without your coat?”

  The cold didn’t register in her body until she heard her grandma's voice. She walked closer. “Max is leaving today, Gram. So if you want to say goodbye to him…”

  Grandma tilted her head up the sky. “The snowstorm has stopped for now,” she said. “All right. I’ll come in soon.”

  Thea dashed inside the house when she felt the bitter cold seep into her bones. Max was nowhere to be seen. He could be upstairs packing. While waiting for Grandma, she thumbed her phone, and several new texts from Sienna floated on her screen. She huffed. Her friend demanded an update, and she hadn’t provided any since she’d brought Max to her grandma’s house. When she returned to work the next morning, she would talk to Sienna and give her all the information about this reclusive musician and popular singer. And if Sienna wanted, she could tell her about his fangirls, too.

  “Where is he?” Grandma asked. “I saw a car just arrive in the driveway.”

  Thea slid her phone into her pocket. “It's probably Jensen,” she said and opened the door. Yep. Jensen had arrived to pick up his boss, Max.

  “Hello!” Jensen waved at both her and Grandma.

  “Come in, Jensen.” She ushered him inside. “Max is upstairs.”

  “I hope you didn’t lose your electricity,” he said. “At least we didn’t.”

  “We did,” Max said from upstairs.

  All eyes turned to the stairs. Max’s hair was wet, and he looked so dashing from where she stood. God, she shouldn’t have this silly sensation in her stomach. Stupid stomach.

  “Well, I’m glad someone is coming to drive you back to the city,” Grandma quipped.

  “This is Jensen, Gram. Jensen, Grandma Staci.” She’d completely forgotten to introduce them. Jensen hugged her grandma.

  Jensen took Max’s duffel bag. “I’ll put this in the car,” he said and bid farewell to her grandmother.

  Standing in front of them was Max with his parka, phone in hand. She sighed and glanced at her grandma. The old lady’s eyes watered. They hugged each other and Grandma patted his shoulder. “Take care, young man. I’m looking forward to seeing your pictures.” She smiled.

  What? She looked at both of them. Max smiled and hugged her grandma one more time before he came closer. “Walk me out?” he requested.

  She followed him outside, and he turned around to wrap his arms around her. Without concern for anyone who could see their display of affection, he kissed her. She felt his emotion, and struggled to act as normal as possible. He noticed it and smiled. “You promise to keep in touch?”

  She nodded. “I’ll text you,” she said. “Go. Jensen’s waiting.” She patted his chest.

  He waved at her grandma, walked down the driveway and climbed into the passenger seat of the car. He waved one last time before Jensen maneuvered the car onto the main road. She watched it disappear into the distance. Finally, when they were gone, she and Grandma returned inside. Immediately she felt a sense of emptiness in the house.

  “You want something to eat?” Grandma asked. “I have some quiche with broccoli and mushrooms.”

  “I’m not hungry, Grandma. I want to continue writing.”

  “Okay. But, don’t forget to get something to eat, Dorothea.”

  “I will.” She started to walk away and then stopped. “Gram?”

  “What, honey?”

  “Thanks!” Thea smiled at her grandmother and resumed trotting off to her home office.

  She sat and stared at the computer for a long time. Not a word came out from her mind. There was nothing else she could come up with to add to the script. Sighing, she decided to take a break. Since Max had returned to Boston, and would soon be proceeding to the airport, she went upstairs to her bedroom.

  When she opened the door, Tommy lay sprawled
on the bed. She pulled the curtains to the side and Tommy blinked several times. “You didn’t come down to say goodbye to Max?” The cat yawned. She tickled the cat's tummy. “Oh, I forgot. You were with him when he came upstairs to pack. So, you did bid him goodbye.”

  She noticed a note pinned under the bedside lamp. Reaching for the paper, she read it. Hi, Dorothea, Thank you for your superb hospitality. I treasure it. This is my number. Call me when you can. His phone number was written at the bottom.

  ***

  THE REWARD OF being in your own house was to be able to sip a mug of coffee in your own living room with your feet up on the ottoman. The tiny birdhouse from Grandma Staci sat on the coffee table as a centerpiece. Grandma gave it to him while Thea slept. He packed it away before returning to shovel the snow in the driveway.

  After living on the road for three months, Max was happy to finally be back home. He pointed the remote control toward the large screen in front of him, and the football channel came alive. He welcomed taking a long break, until after New Year’s Day, before returning to the studio to record new songs. The temperature in California was nice and balmy. Feeling like himself again, he still couldn’t deny the emptiness inside him since leaving New England.

  Damn. This should never have happened to me. He blamed it on the stress and exhaustion from having performed so many days in a row. Nothing more. And yet, Thea’s face crowded his mind. Her smile, the cute story she tried to finish. Everything about her made his day long and lonely…and empty. Since the day he had returned, she hadn't sent him a text. Did she see his note with his phone number written on it? If not, well, this showed that they could forget each other. The thought that something special could develop between them was just wishful thinking.

  But on Christmas morning, he wanted to wish her grandma a Merry Christmas. So he texted her. Arrived a couple of days ago. Jet lagged. Feeling sick. But, wishing you and Grandma a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year! He sent it, and got ready to visit his parents and sister. He received texts from his bandmates, and they all shared pictures of themselves during their holidays as they were scattered all over the globe.