Sugarplum Way

by Debbie Mason

  “You can slow down. I’m not going to raid his place. He isn’t there.”

  “How do you know?”

  He gestured at the footprints in the snow. “Feel better now?”

  She smiled, letting go of his hand to loop her arm through his. “Yes, I do. Now I can relax and enjoy this beautiful night. There’s something magical about the first snowfall, don’t you think?”

  “Never thought of it as magical before, but it’s nice. Miller seems to like it as much as you.” He nodded at the dog tossing snow in the air with his nose and then barking as he tried to catch it. Aidan kicked a small mountain of the white stuff, and snow sprayed in a wide arc, ensuring that Miller went crazy.

  She smiled at the man and his dog. She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect night to share her first real kiss with Aidan. There was nothing more romantic than walking in the winter wonderland with the heavy snow falling around them. Snuggled up against him, she was warm despite the cold.

  As they turned to walk up Main Street, she saw the Christmas lights for the first time from that vantage point at night. She stopped and took them in, awed by the sight. “Do you see it now? Do you feel it?”

  “What am I supposed to be seeing and feeling?”

  “The magic. Look at the lights.”

  He turned his head. “I’d rather look at you.”

  She brought a hand to her chest. There was no teasing laughter on his face or in his voice. Her smile wobbled a little and she wondered if he knew what those five words did to her. “See, proof that there really is magic in the air tonight.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because a week ago you threatened to arrest me, and now you want to look at me. And don’t forget, you kissed me too.”

  “No, I let you kiss me.”

  “You say to-may-to, and I say to-mah-to.”

  He gave his head a slight shake and then laughed. “You’re a little crazy, you know. You’re lucky you’re cute.”

  “Okay, that’s the second time tonight that I’m left wondering if you’re complimenting me or not.” She sighed. She’d gone from thinking he might be falling for her to thinking… No, she wouldn’t let his cute and crazy comment derail her perfect night. Time for a subject change. “How was Ella Rose’s birthday party?”

  “It was a princess party with eight seven-year-olds on sugar highs. How do you think it went? You could have taught the princess Harper hired a thing or two though.”

  “Let me guess, princess for hire was more interested in partying with the prince than performing for the little princesses?” He made a noncommittal sound in his throat that told her everything she needed to know. “Next time Harper is looking to hire someone for Ella Rose’s party, tell her to give me a call. I’d be more than happy to do it for free.”

  His mouth lifted at the corner. “So, you’re telling me you’d be more interested in performing for the kids than partying with the prince?”

  “Yes, because I have my priorities straight. Work first, party later. That’s what happens when you’re in your thirties versus your late teens and early twenties.”

  “I doubt you were ever much of partier, sugarplum,” he said with one of those slow smiles that made her melt.

  When she finally managed to pull her gaze from the warmth in his, she admitted, “You wouldn’t be wrong. I didn’t have much of a social life thanks to those same brothers who taught me to protect myself.” She scooped up some snow and tossed it at Miller. “But other than the persistent princess and sugar-high seven-year-olds, everything went well? Ella Rose had fun and was happy you were there?” Since she’d used Aidan to tempt Harper into selling the house and moving to Harmony Harbor, Julia had been a little curious—okay, a lot curious—as to whether it had changed the dynamics of their relationship. As innocently as possible, she slid the question in. “And Harper, how are you two getting along?”

  “Good. Everything’s good.”

  She looked at him, waiting for more. “Really? That’s all you’re giving me? You might want to remember who you have to thank for being this close”—she held her thumb and mittened fingers an inch apart—“to selling your house, to getting rid of the albatross around your neck, and, lest you forget, standing a much better chance of gaining custody of your daughter.”

  “And how would you know I’m this close”—he held his gloved thumb and forefinger an inch apart—“to selling my house?”

  “Of course that’s what you’d focus on. Despite what you’re implying, I wasn’t sticking my nose in your business. But for the record, you should be grateful that I have, once, well, more like a few times, stuck my nose in your business.”

  “I’m waiting.”

  She sighed. “My friend called to thank me for the lead and mentioned her buyer was very interested. Just so you know, the offer will be conditional on a quick close. They want in before Christmas.”

  “Come on, you can’t be serious. Harper’s already starting to balk. I can’t see her accepting on that timeline.”

  “You’re the one paying the mortgage. Shouldn’t it be up to you and not Harper?”

  “I guess it’ll depend on what they offer,” he said as they stopped outside her store. A horn beeped, and they turned. It was Paul and Maggie. “Jesus,” Aidan grunted when Miller took off like a shot after the SUV, dragging Aidan along for the ride.

  “Watch out for the snowplow!” Julia cried, but Aidan was already diving for Miller, rolling them both safely out of the way.

  The snow-covered man and dog made their way back to the sidewalk with Miller looking suitably chastened.

  “Are you okay? Come in and dry off. I’ll get Miller some water, and you something hot to drink.”

  “Appreciate the offer, but your place will smell like wet dog for a week.” Miller looked up at him with sad eyes, and Aidan sighed, giving the dog a quick rub. “I get it, buddy. We’ll stop by Maggie’s on our way home.” He returned his attention to Julia and rubbed the back of his neck with a self-conscious look on his face. “So, you know how I suggested you get Paul and Maggie together? I was wrong. I want you to break them up and get Maggie back with my dad.”

  “You’re serious? You’re not just teasing me, are you?”

  “No. I’ll even give you a hand. Just tell me what you need me to do.”

  There it was, proof there really was something magical about the first snowfall of the season. Because all the evidence was pointing to the Gallaghers finding their happily-ever-afters by New Year’s Eve. “Okay, I’ll call Paul first thing tomorrow morning and… hmm, I don’t think it’s a good idea if I fake-date him again,” she mused, and then she realized she’d been talking out loud and Aidan was staring at her.

  “Tell me you didn’t just say what I think you did?”

  “I didn’t. I was… thinking out loud. Ruminating. Storyboarding. Just, you know, doing my usual thing.”

  He put his hands on her waist and drew her toward him. “I kissed you tonight and plan on kissing you a whole lot more. So that means no dating other men, especially one old enough to be your father. That goes for fake-dating too.”

  And that would go down as the very first time mistakenly talking out loud instead of in her head had a positive outcome. She wondered if Aidan realized what his response to her slip-up seemed to say. She reached up to brush the snow off his hair and his shoulders, using any excuse to touch him. “So, you’re saying we’re dating? As in you and me are exclusive? No Paul or Harper or anyone else?”

  “I… yeah, I guess I am. Just you and me. Dating… each other.”

  “Wow, I bet you sound more enthusiastic when you tell the dentist to go ahead and pull your tooth without novocaine.”

  He laughed. “I’m not sure. I’ve never had a tooth pulled.”

  “Of course you haven’t. Your teeth are perfect.”

  “Doesn’t sound like you plan on following that up with and so are you,” he said dryly as he tugged her against him. “Less than twent
y minutes ago, I basically told you I wasn’t interested in anything more than a physical relationship. And now we’re dating.”

  “Okay, now you sound like I’m holding a gun to your head, and I’d like to remind you that the dating thing was your idea, not mine. And the only reason you suggested we date is because you don’t like the idea of me seeing anyone else while we’re working through this thing between us. Whatever this thing is.”

  “Yeah, you’re… Hang on a sec. I have to take this.” He stepped back to pull his vibrating cell from the pocket of his leather jacket. “Hey, Harper. Tonight? All right. Yeah, I can be there in about an hour. You know what, better make it two to be on the safe side. Snow’s still coming down pretty hard.”

  “They’re making an offer?” Julia asked when he ended the call.

  “Yeah. The Realtor is bringing it over to the house. Probably better if I’m there rather than on speakerphone. Especially if you’re right and they want a quick close.”

  She stared at him, her heart in her throat. “I don’t know what I was thinking. We can’t date. Not until Harper agrees to sell the house and move here. If she thinks she doesn’t have a chance to win you back, she has no reason—”

  Aidan shut her up with a kiss, which she would’ve had a problem with at any other time. But when she was basically suggesting he woo his ex and he stopped her… Well, she didn’t really mind. It also helped that the man could kiss. She may have even groaned her disappointment when he drew away. Only he didn’t get far because Miller had wrapped his leash around them.

  Once they’d finally gotten Miller to go back the other way so they could free themselves, Aidan said, “Harper knows exactly where our relationship stands. I cleared things up earlier tonight. Even though I wasn’t happy about what you pulled the other night, it ended up being a good thing. We talked about what went wrong with our marriage, civilly. Something we’ve never been able to do in the past. It was cathartic, for both of us, I think.”

  “I really am good, aren’t I?”

  “I was hoping I’d find that out tonight. But it looks like that’ll have to wait.”

  * * *

  Twenty hours later, Julia carried a tray of coffee and cookies to the sitting area beside the electric fireplace at the front of the bookstore. Today she wasn’t feeling quite so good about herself and the choices she’d made. She owed Paul the truth about her and Aidan.

  When Paul had discovered Aidan at her apartment the other night, he’d grudgingly accepted the explanation that Aidan had stopped by and found Julia burning up with fever. Not only did she have to tell him about her and Aidan, but she had to confess why she’d steered him in Maggie’s direction and then ask him to please stop dating the artist.

  Covering her nerves with a smile, Julia walked to where Paul sat on the cozy two-seater. As she did, she thought about how often she’d had to fake a smile, fake being the happy, cheerful optimist whose life was wonderful. She didn’t recall the exact date or the exact moment or the reason why she’d begun having to pretend to feel something she didn’t, but she thought it may have been around the time she realized she couldn’t go through with her marriage to Josh.

  The changes in him had been gradual yet devastating nonetheless. It had felt like their relationship had died a day at a time, slowly and painfully. She hadn’t thought anything could be more excruciating… Eight months before he took his own life, he’d become unrecognizable to her.

  He’d turned sullen, growing increasingly frustrated and irritated at the smallest of things, real or imagined. He’d lost interest in both her and the bookstore and spent the majority of his time alone at his writer’s shed. When she questioned him, he’d have an excuse at the ready. His work on his new play was either going too well to stop or too horribly to do the same. He didn’t seek her advice or ask her to read his screenplays like he used to. He had no time for her writing either. Within months, she’d lost not only the man she’d loved but her best friend and business partner too.

  Those stark reminders of what her life had been like made it harder to keep the fake smile in place for Paul. Soon, she told herself, soon she would have paid her debt and all the plotting and scheming would end. But until then… “I appreciate your stopping by, Paul.”

  “I’d like to think I’d have called you up this morning if you hadn’t called me first, but I never did like to be the bearer of bad news.”

  She sat on the edge of the chair across from him, an uncomfortable tightness growing in her chest. As much as Paul didn’t like to be the bearer of bad news, she was getting tired of receiving it. “Mrs. Bradford isn’t trying to stop the lobster tree lighting or the parade this weekend, is she?”

  “No, it’s me. There’s no way to sugarcoat this, so I’ll give you the straight-up truth. I’ve been stepping out on you with Maggie, darlin’. I knew you’d be wondering what I was up to after last night. I figured, if I honked the horn, you’d assume it was just an innocent meeting between the two of us, but you deserve better.” He reached across the low table to take her hands. “You’re a sweetheart, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you, but I’m too old for you anyway. Can you forgive me?”

  “There’s nothing to forgive, Paul.” She gave his hands a gentle squeeze before releasing them. “I enjoyed spending time with you too. But you didn’t do anything wrong. We never said we were exclusive. Besides, I have a confession of my own, and I hope you won’t be upset. I’ve started dating Aidan.”

  His brow furrowed. “I guess I was so frazzled about seeing you when I was with Maggie that I didn’t pay close enough attention to what you were up to last night. I have to be honest. I’m not sure he’s a choice your father would approve of any more than me. You’re too tenderhearted for a man like Aidan Gallagher, darlin’.”

  “Why don’t you like him, Paul? I’ve never really understood what your problem with Aidan is. I mean, I know you didn’t appreciate Kitty trying to bribe you to retire so Aidan could take your job. Or that he basically hijacked your investigation into Olivia’s disappearance and hauled me down to the station to interrogate me, but it seems like there’s something more.”

  “You’re right, none of that went over well with me. But I’ve known the Gallagher family a long time. I consider Colin a friend. So I was willing to give Aidan a chance despite my misgivings. With some convincing from you, I might add.”

  “Yes, and just so you know, we weren’t dating at the time. We weren’t even friends. Olivia had told me he needed a job to convince the judge to grant him shared custody of his little girl. I’d heard he had an excellent reputation as a DEA agent, so I thought—”

  “He did. And if he could get a handle on his issues, I doubt there’d be a better cop than Aidan Gallagher in the entire state. But he has an attitude problem, he doesn’t like or respect authority, and he’s a ticking time bomb. He’s a dangerous man. Has he talked to you about his last undercover assignment with the DEA?”

  Her fingers tightened around her mug of coffee, afraid of what he was about to say.

  Paul searched her face and nodded. “I thought not. He was an undercover agent for almost a decade and had a reputation as one of the best. Up until his last assignment, that is. He was undercover with a motorcycle gang for more than a year. Things started heating up last March, and Aidan disappeared off everyone’s radar, no communication. They learned later that his cover had been compromised. He’s lucky to be alive. He held out against them, didn’t give them the information they were looking for. It takes a different breed of man to be able to do that, Julia. I’m not exaggerating or trying to frighten you off when I say he’s dangerous. I’m just stating a fact.”

  “You implied the assignment tarnished his reputation. I don’t understand how.”

  “There’s no doubt that in some circles he’s revered as a hero. Just not by the powers that be. Aidan had help on the inside and managed to save the op and take the gang down. But from what I’ve heard, he didn’t trust the authorities t
o protect the man who helped him.”

  “Who was it?” As far as Julia was concerned, both Aidan and the man deserved a medal.

  “The younger brother of the leader of the gang. Aidan let him go.” Paul looked at her and slowly nodded. “I see you’re in the hero camp. Boys at the station would agree with you. But it won’t be only Aidan who suffers the consequences if he loses control one day on the job. It will be all of us at HHPD.” He considered her carefully. “Maybe I’m selling you short, darlin’. Maybe you’re the one who can get him to deal with his issues, get him into a good anger management program.”

  “I can. I can totally do that.” She thought about how stubborn he could be. “If I can’t, I promise to help him find a way to deal with his anger. He’ll be one of the best officers you’ve ever had, Paul. I promise. You won’t be sorry you hired him.”

  “If he ever hurts you, he’s the one who’ll be sorry.”

  “You’re a sweet man.” He was, and now she had to hurt his feelings. This fairy godmother gig was hard. “You deserve a woman who will love you unconditionally, Paul, and, um, that’s not Maggie.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lately, it seemed like Colleen couldn’t relax and simply enjoy a special event at the manor. There was always a crisis of some sort that she was trying to manage. She supposed it hadn’t been much different when she’d been alive. Though after the loss of Mary, Riley, and Ronan—Kitty’s husband and Colleen’s son—there hadn’t been much celebrating of any kind at the manor. Especially Christmas.

  Because of their grief, she and Kitty had let Greystone fall into disrepair, and business had suffered. So had the town. But Sophie, as manager of the manor, had turned things around. She’d also reinstated a long-held Gallagher tradition.

  Once the parade had made its way from the harbor to the town hall, the parade goers were invited back to the manor for free hot chocolate, baked goods, and a visit with Santa. The Widows Club provided the entertainment.