by Alyssa Dean
“I’ve had enough wrestling matches for one month. Forget it, Amanda. I don’t want to have anything to do with Harvy. He’s a creep. Once a creep, always a creep.”
“You never know,” said Amanda. Her mind reverted to their most recent phone call. “What did Charmaine say?”
“The same thing as everyone else...she wants to get together with you.” Brandy gave her a curious look. “These relatives of Josh Larkland’s have been calling you all morning. So far we’ve had Judith, who wants to have tea with you. Shelby, who wanted to make sure you’d come to her party. And now Charmaine, who wanted you to go to some sort of cosmetology class.”
“Not cosmetology,” Amanda corrected. “Cosmicology.”
“What’s that?”
“It has something to do with being connected with the galaxy.” She leaned back in the kitchen chair. “It’s too bad I can’t get together with Charmaine. It might be interesting.” She wouldn’t mind having tea with Aunt Judith, either, or going to Shelby’s.
“So why don’t you?”
“I can’t, Brandy. The only reason these people want to get together with me is because they think I’m Josh’s girlfriend. And I’m not.” She frowned down at her list on the table, wishing that the business would really take off so they could start working out of an office, and finally get out of her kitchen.
Brandy ran her fingers through her hair. “We’ve had more phone calls this morning than we’ve had since we started this business. If they were about business, I’d be ecstatic. But they aren’t. They’re either Mr. Denton for me, or a bunch of Josh’s relatives for you.” She put her head to one side and stared at Amanda. “What did you do to those people anyway?”
“I didn’t do anything except walk into a room.” Amanda picked up a cup of coffee from the table. As she drank it, she studied the list of Josh’s relatives in front of her. “It was remarkable, Brandy. I have never been so socially accepted in my entire life. Everyone wanted to talk to me. It was almost like being back home.”
“I don’t suppose they wanted to talk about arranging some sort of business party?” Brandy said dryly.
“I’m afraid not.” Amanda studied the list, then sighed loudly. “Unfortunately, they didn’t want to talk about Christmas presents, either. All they wanted to talk about was me...or Josh.”
“All you want to talk about is Josh,” Brandy complained. “Since I’ve got here you’ve said his name about three, hundred times.”
“No, I haven’t,” Amanda objected, although she knew it wasn’t true. Her mind did keep drifting off into happy little tangents about the sparkle in Josh’s eyes, the feel of his cheek brushing against hers, the warmth of his lips...Amanda gave her head a slight shake. “I’m just trying to come up with suitable presents for these people.”
“It’s more than that,” Brandy said disapprovingly as she leaned forward. “You’re falling for Josh Larkland, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not,” Amanda said firmly. “He is a sweet guy, though, Brandy. Charming when he wants to be. Good-looking.” And a great kisser, too. She didn’t think Brandy needed to know about that. “And he has a really nice family.”
“Who he doesn’t care about one little bit,” Brandy reminded her.
“I’m not sure that’s true,” Amanda objected. “I think he cares about them. He did spend most of the evening asking them how old they were and what they did for a living.”
“Something he already should have known,” Brandy noted, sounding less than impressed.
“And he gets tired of them always criticizing him,” Amanda said, ignoring her. “They’re always trying to line him up with someone. You should have seen the women they produced at Mimi’s. I don’t think they realize that some men just don’t want to be lined up. As a matter of fact, I don’t think they understand him at all.”
“That makes two of us,” Brandy muttered. “Or, in his case, twenty-two of us.”
“He’s not that difficult to understand. He’s just one of those people who’s totally wrapped up in his work.” Amanda stared off into space again. “It’s a simple lack of communication. He doesn’t communicate with his family and they don’t communicate with him. If they got together more often...”
“Don’t do it, Amanda,” Brandy warned.
“Don’t do what?” Amanda said, looking up with an innocent expression.
“Get involved in this. You’re an executive services person, not a family therapist.”
“I know,” Amanda said softly. “But it is Christmas.”
“You can’t reform people, even at Christmas. You certainly can’t reform men. It’s like getting something on sale. What you see is what you get—missing buttons and all.”
“I’m not...”
“You’re thinking about it. We’ve both done this before. We date a guy whose an obvious loser, with the hopes of changing him. It never works. Never.” She raised an eyebrow. “Remember Kyle? You paid for all the dates, and spent hours listening to his problems. Then he dumped you and went off with some bimbo cocktail waitress from Vancouver.”
“Actually she was from Victoria. And...”
“Then there was Dwight,” Brandy said, warming to the topic. “You lent him money, helped him get a job, and as soon as he got a few bucks together, he announced he wasn’t ready for any sort of commitment.”
Amanda shifted in the chair, her face heating up. “All right,” she said. “Maybe I do have lousy taste in men. But this time it’s different.”
“Yeah right! Not only are you getting involved with Josh Larkland, you’re also getting involved with his entire extended family!”
“I’m not getting involved with any of them,” Amanda said in an unconvincing tone.
Brandy threw up her hands. “That’s not how it sounds,” she said, sounding skeptical.
“Well, that’s how it is. I doubt I’ll see his family again—unless I happen to run into them on the street.” Which she fervently hoped wouldn’t happen. She couldn’t imagine what she’d say to them. “And I won’t be seeing Josh again, either,” she added.
“You won’t?”
“No, I won’t. At least, not the way you mean. Oh, I’ll probably run into him a few times while I’m organizing his office party, although I suspect I’ll be spending more time with his secretary than I will with him.”
Brandy didn’t look persuaded. Not one bit. “You’re sure of that?”
“Absolutely positive.” She was, too. In spite of the wonderful evening and terrific kiss, she knew very well that Josh wasn’t interested in her. She was his Christmas elf, that’s all—the person who was going to solve all his Christmas problems. She doubted he even remembered her name this morning.
IN TRUTH, Josh wasn’t having any problems remembering Amanda’s name—or a lot of other things about her.
She’d drifted across his mind more than once this morning—odd thought fragments about the silky feel of her blond hair, the way she’d looked in that red dress, and the tantalizing touch of her mouth against his. Memories of Amanda kept disturbing his concentration. So far this morning he had gotten nowhere on the network interface he was supposed to be redesigning.
And if he hadn’t had his own unruly memories to remind him about Amanda, there was always his family.
A number of them had called this morning to wax enthusiastically about her. “She’s absolutely delightful, Josh.” “Such a charming girl, Josh.” And, from his Aunt Judith, for some obscure reason, “She’s so intriguing, Josh. I understand she has a green bathroom.” It seemed everyone approved of her—and wanted to see her again.
At first Josh had enjoyed their approval. However, when his mother called, he started to feel a tiny bit guilty. So when Edwina said, “I must say, there have been times when I wasn’t sure if you were going to settle down—or what kind of girl you’d settle down with. It’s such a relief to know that you’ve found someone like Amanda,” he tried to tone things down. “We aren’t exactly settled
down, Mom.”
“I know, dear,” Edwina said in a wise-sounding voice. “But you are going to keep on seeing her, aren’t you?”
“Of course I’m going to keep on seeing her,” Josh muttered. Come to think of it, though, he didn’t know when he’d see Amanda again. She’d be off doing elf-type stuff and he’d be working.
He gave his head a slight shake. Of course he was going to see her again. She was his elf. Apart from that, there was that kiss to consider. His mind reverted to the soft, luscious feel of her lips, only to be dragged back by Edwina’s cheerful “In that case, I think I should get to know her better.”
“Do you?” Josh was still enjoying the warm rush he was experiencing remembering Amanda’s kiss.
“Yes. I’d like to have lunch with her sometime.”
“Sure,” Josh muttered absently.
“How about today?”
“Today?” Josh straightened in his chair. “I don’t know about today.”
“Then how about tomorrow?”
“I’m...uh...not sure,” Josh mumbled. “I’ll have to check with Amanda.”
“Could you do that, dear? I’ve been trying to get her all morning but she wasn’t available. Maybe when you’re talking to her...”
Josh was almost positive he knew what Amanda’s reaction would be, but before he could think of a way to put his mother off, she’d said goodbye and hung up.
Josh had just replaced the receiver when Mable buzzed through on the intercom. “Hank Turnbull on line one,” she reported.
Josh studied the blinking light, then picked up the phone. “Hi, Hank. What’s up?”
Hank’s baritone, smooth and rich, eased out of the receiver. “To be perfectly honest, I’m calling to check out the gossip.”
“Gossip?” Josh echoed. “What gossip?”
“About you.” Hank chuckled. “I understand there’s a new woman in your life.”
Josh gave the phone a quizzical look. He’d been dealing with Hank for over a year now. Apart from mentioning his wife and kids, and once having to leave a meeting early to attend his son’s hockey game, Hank had never made a personal remark about himself, or Josh. “Oh?” Josh said slowly. “How did you hear that?”
“Well...” Hank chuckled again. “Ed Baigly was talking to Jon Fieldman, who knows your uncle Reginald. He mentioned you brought a woman home to meet the family last night.”
Josh had no idea why Hank would be interested in something as far away from business as this. “Uh-huh.”
“So it’s true, then?”
“Yeah, it’s true.” Josh was intrigued by Hank’s interest. “Why are you...”
“It’s not just idle curiosity,” Hank assured him. “It’s business.”
Josh struggled to understand what Hank was talking about. “Business?”
“That’s right. This might be exactly what we need to push some of those potential investors into current investors.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a question of reliability,” Hank explained. “Everyone knows you’re brilliant, but it’s the other things that make people nervous. A married man does seem less risky. More solid. More mature.”
“A married man?” Josh repeated, startled. “I’m not...”
“No, I know you’re not, but from the way Reg was talking it sounds as if that’s just around the corner.” Hank chuckled. “Is she going to be at your office Christmas party?”
“I expect so, but...”
“Excellent. Excellent. Be sure to introduce her around. Oh, and why don’t you bring her to our open house next week? Rhonda and I would like to meet her.”
“I’ll...uh...have to check with Amanda,” Josh improvised. “I’m not sure of our schedule.”
He hung up the phone and tapped his fingers thoughtfully on his desk. His Christmas elf was turning out to be more helpful—and more necessary—than he’d originally planned.
IT WAS JUST BEFORE ELEVEN when Josh phoned. Brandy was out trying to drum up more business so Amanda was forced to answer the phone. “People have been trying to get you all morning,” he complained when Amanda said a tentative hello. “Where have you been?”
Amanda lost herself in the sound of his voice. She could picture him sitting in his office, with papers strewn all over his desk. “In and out.”
“Shopping?” he asked eagerly.
Of course. That’s why he was calling. “I’m working on it,” Amanda said.
“Good. Listen, are you free for lunch?”
Amanda’s spirits rose. “Why, yes, I am.”
“Great. My mother wants to have lunch with you.”
Amanda bounced from dreamland back into reality. “Your mother?”
“Uh-huh. She wants to get to know you better.”
“Wonderful,” Amanda said sarcastically. This was some switch. Usually it was the mother who didn’t like the girlfriend. This time, it was only the mother who liked the girlfriend—and she wasn’t really a girlfriend. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You don’t?” Josh sounded as clued out as usual. “Why not?”
Honestly! “Because I don’t.” Amanda tapped her foot with irritation. “I told you last night that I didn’t want to keep misleading your family.”
“You also told me last night that you didn’t find out a whole lot of personal things about everyone.”
“True, but...”
“This would be a great opportunity to find out more. You could quiz my mother. I’m sure she knows a lot of personal stuff about people.”
There were still a lot of question marks on her gift list. Edwina would undoubtedly be an excellent source of information. “I suppose it would, but...”
“Then why don’t we have lunch with her and find out something?”
“I really don’t...” Amanda paused. “Are you coming, too?”
“Sure. I can give you a hand with the personal stuff. Besides, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”
Amanda started to refuse again, then reconsidered. From what she’d heard last night, she’d say it had been a long time since Josh had lunched with his mother—or done anything else with her. Edwina would be so pleased if he did. It would give Amanda a chance to find out more about Josh’s relatives—maybe enable her to fill in a few blanks on her Christmas shopping list.
And besides, she wouldn’t mind seeing him again, either.
“All right,” she said. “I suppose...”
“Good,” said Josh. “Twelve o’clock at Charbais. And don’t be late. Mom hates it when people are late.”
Amanda hung up the phone and smiled. At least that was one thing Josh knew about his mother.
IT WAS TWO MINUTES PAST twelve when Amanda walked into Charbais. Edwina was already seated. Josh was nowhere in sight.
He’d better make an appearance, Amanda thought as she followed the maître d’ to the table. Getting Josh together with his mother was the main reason she’d accepted this invitation. She also intended to find out as much as she could about Edwina as well as the other members of the family. Then she could erase all the question marks on her gift list. Furthermore, she was determined to convince Edwina that her relationship with Josh was extremely casual.
Actually, convincing Edwina probably wouldn’t be the difficult part. The difficult part was that Amanda couldn’t bring herself to do it. Edwina was so...delighted. Amanda realized that about six seconds after she was seated in the elegant upscale restaurant. “I’m so pleased you could come,” Edwina said as the maître d’ handed Amanda a menu. “I want to get to know you better.” She reached across the table to squeeze Amanda’s hand. “I want us to be friends.”
Amanda doubted Josh’s mother would feel that way if she knew the truth. “I’d like that, too,” she said. She took a long swallow of water. “But I really should explain that Josh and I...that is, our relationship is very, uh, casual.”
“Oh, dear,” Edwina said faintly. She took a sip from her water glass. “I wa
s afraid you were going to say something like that.”
Amanda gaped at her. “You were?”
“Yes.” Her lips turned down at the corners. “It’s us, isn’t it? We scared you off last night.”
She looked so despondent that Amanda rushed to reassure her. “Oh, no. You were all wonderful. It’s just that...”
“I know, dear.” Edwina stretched forward to pat her hand. “You have to understand, Amanda. We’ve all been’so concerned about Josh. We don’t see much of him. He buries himself in his office and doesn’t come out for weeks at a time. And he really doesn’t have much of a life—or if he does, he doesn’t share it with us.”
“I do understand, but...”
“I blame myself, you know. After all, I did marry a man with three daughters. Not that there’s anything wrong with them.” Her forehead creased. “Charmaine can be a bit odd at times, and Marilla can be excessive about her cats. But Shelby is a darling. And they all mean well.”
“Of course they do,” Amanda assured her. “I liked all of them. And I’m sure your marriage...”
“It might have,” said Edwina, sighing. “Josh was seven when I remarried. The girls are much older and...well, they spoiled him. So did Mimi and Louise. They’re Harold’s sisters. Unfortunately, neither of them have children so they lavished all their attention on Josh. It was easy to do, even then. He’s an easy person to like, don’t you think?”
“He certainly is.”
“He’s also a little self-centered, and he’s much too fond of getting his own way. That’s partly because he’s very clever, and party because of us.”
“I don’t think...”
“Yes, he is. But he can also be amazingly thoughtful, and exceedingly generous, when he gets around to thinking about it. The trouble is, he doesn’t think about it very much anymore.” She smiled sadly. “Now that you’re part of his life, I hope he’ll think about it more often. And maybe we’ll see a little more of him, too.”
Amanda would have loved to be able to tell this sweet woman that this was going to happen. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. She took a deep breath. “I’m not really part—” She started.