‘You look beautiful,’ he told her and it almost finished her off because it reminded her of what tonight had started out as. It just hadn’t finished that way.
‘Thank you, it’s very kind of you to say so.’
He looked around him. ‘Where’s Myles? You didn’t leave him there did you?’ He laughed but soon realised he’d pretty much hit the nail right on the head.
Darcy confirmed it was a bourbon he wanted, went around to the other side of the bar area and made up the drink. When she caught sight of her reflection in the splashback behind the bottles, she longed to take the earrings out, the reminder of the man she’d hoped would be the start of something different. She should’ve known he was too good to be true. All polished and shiny like a piece of jewellery, he wasn’t quite the same underneath.
‘Myles is talking business,’ she replied simply. ‘I’ve left him to it.’
Her cell phone buzzed and after she’d handed Ian his drink she checked her messages. Sure enough, as she suspected, it was Isabella, desperate to know how the date had gone tonight.
Darcy texted back: ‘There won’t be a second date, put it that way.’
Isabella wanted to know everything but Darcy replied that she was busy working with guests right now so she’d talk to her tomorrow. Isabella knew the deal. She knew her friend’s job wasn’t one she clocked on to at nine and off again at five. Darcy had a suspicion that even if Ian wasn’t here right now, she would’ve said she was busy anyway.
‘What did he do?’ Ian asked when Darcy took out a broom to sweep the floor, an endless task at the Inn.
‘He didn’t do anything.’ She refused to be drawn in to the conversation. In a few short days it would be Christmas Eve, her favourite day of the season. Or at least it usually was, but her enthusiasm this time round waned. She blamed Myles for that too.
‘What did he do?’ His voice softer, Ian repeated the question.
Shaking her head, she relented and told him all about the email, the Cinderella reference, Myles’s anger at the Christmas tree. And it felt better than expected to offload it all on someone else.
‘I must admit I was surprised to see it in his apartment,’ said Ian. And he hesitated before he added, ‘Christmas is a hard time for Myles.’
‘It’s no excuse.’
‘It’s not.’ He shook his head, smiling. ‘I told my niece only the other day, for goodness’ sake, don’t write personal things down. Don’t text someone saying so-and-so is annoying you, don’t email it or post it on social media. It’ll only come back to bite you in the ass!’
His summation made Darcy laugh. ‘Well yes, quite right. This one has bitten Myles very hard on the ass!’
‘You know, Myles doesn’t take dating women lightly.’
Darcy looked at him, trying to judge whether the comment was made flippantly or whether he was attempting to give her an insight into his son’s character.
‘He wouldn’t date simply because he didn’t have anyone else to take to this party. He would’ve asked you because he wanted to get to know you better. Myles rarely gets involved with anyone, so it would surprise me if he was anything less than one hundred per cent genuine where you’re concerned.’
His words were just what a girl wanted to hear. But she’d seen too much collateral damage from relationships and she’d been hurt before by someone’s dishonesty and disrespect. She had no intention of letting it happen again.
‘I think we’re just too different,’ she concluded, leaving Ian and moving over to wipe down the bar counter, refill the pot of straws, clean down the board that had been used to slice a lemon earlier.
Her cell phone pinged again and when she saw Myles’s name at the top she tapped on the message. It said he was on his way back to the Inn.
‘That him?’ Ian didn’t miss much.
‘Can I get you another?’ She noted his empty glass.
‘I’ll make myself scarce. I think you two need to talk.’
Darcy took his glass, ready to deposit in the kitchen. ‘I think we’re done talking. I shouldn’t have got involved with a guest in the first place. It wasn’t professional, it was a mistake. Goodnight, Mr Cunningham.’
And with that she took the glass out to the kitchen and went up to her own apartment. She’d wait until all was quiet once again and she’d check the front door as she always did, ensure the Inn was ready to leave at peace for the night. But other than that, she just wanted to go to bed and forget that tonight had ever happened.
Chapter Twenty
Myles
It was a long time since he’d confided in his dad. He’d gone to him in the past when he had a business problem to be resolved – they were good at tackling those – but they were strangers to any issue that could be classed as personal.
‘I messed up,’ Myles admitted as he made them both a cup of coffee upstairs in his apartment. He doubted he’d be able to sleep tonight anyway, with everything swirling around in his mind. From a work point of view tonight had been a total success. The client Neil had in his sights had been suitably wowed, which was more than could be said for Darcy. Myles knew it would be a battle to get back on her good side again and he wasn’t sure he ever could. He got the impression she rated trust and honesty over everything else, and he wasn’t sure how he could come back from this.
They sat in the lounge area on the Chesterfield sofas, from where they couldn’t ignore the Christmas tree.
‘It’s a great tree,’ said Ian.
Myles nodded. ‘I’m afraid I wasn’t too grateful when Darcy surprised me with it.’
‘So I hear.’
‘She told you?’
‘I think she needed someone to talk to, although she shut down pretty quickly. She looked upset.’
‘I think I’ve upset her one too many times.’
‘The way I see it, is that she wouldn’t be upset at all if she didn’t care.’
Myles looked into the depths of his coffee, black, strong, just how he liked it. ‘I met her once before you know. When I was still living in England. Remember that time I came over and told you about the itching powder in my bed?’
‘That was her?’
‘No, she didn’t do it, but she lost her job as a result of my complaint.’ He elaborated on exactly what had happened. ‘So you see, I don’t think she’ll trust me now I’ve wronged her twice.’ He leaned back against the sofa, trying to summon the same enthusiasm as the twinkly lights on the tree. ‘This is why I don’t usually do relationships.’
‘She doesn’t seem your type, I have to say.’ Ian chose his words carefully, uneasy too at this kind of conversation.
‘And what is my type?’
‘Corporate, hard, expensive taste.’ When his dad met his gaze, they both burst out laughing.
‘High maintenance I think is the phrase I’d use, given my track record.’
‘What was the name of that young lady you brought home a few years ago, the vegetarian?’
‘Veronica?’
‘That was it. Now she was definitely high maintenance.’
Myles sighed in good humour. ‘She was. I still can’t believe I asked her to meet the family – I’m not sure why. I think it was to prove to the rest of you that I was normal, that I could go on dates. It was round about the time Winston kept trying to set me up with friends of Victoria’s and I wanted it to stop.’
Ian cleared his throat. ‘Your mum and I didn’t set a very good example, did we?’ The question was rhetorical. ‘I pushed and pushed for you boys to do well in school, to go on to get top jobs, be independent, but with your mum having her own problems, there was nobody there to balance it out.’
‘I loved my work, Dad. I still do. I can’t imagine ever being without it and I think I get that from you. It’s not something I resent.’
Ian put down his coffee cup and sat forwards, arms resting on his knees. ‘I met your mum and at the start everything was great, but I know I took her for granted. I was too busy concentra
ting on my work, and although I was doing it for my family, it was only in the last few years that I’ve looked back and can see that there’s little point doing it for your family if it’s only money you generate. Relationships need more. They need commitment, dedication, hard work, and your mum was by my side without question but she deserved more. It’s why I’m here in New York, now.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I can never give her back those years when I was absent so much, both physically and emotionally because my mind couldn’t let anything else in other than the job. But what I can do now is help to bring her sons back to her. Winston is just about there, but with you taking off to another country, she feels like she’s losing another part of you and won’t ever get it back.’
Over the years Myles had become more and more distant with his family. Occasionally he tried to be a bigger part of it, like when he introduced Veronica to everyone, but his heart had never been in it. Closing that gap between them had always seemed insurmountable. And when Darcy had put the Christmas tree in his apartment it was like an oversized reminder that something between him and his mum broke a long time ago, and perhaps it would never be completely fixed.
‘Those Christmases will be etched on my mind forever too,’ said Ian, and Myles knew which memories he was referring to. ‘But I’ve put them behind me. It’s the only way I stop myself going crazy with the unfairness of it all. I really think it’s time you tried to do the same.’
In his head Myles could hear the carols that had played in the background all those years ago; he could hear Winston’s excited voice as they took charge of their first turkey dinner; he could see his dad’s face when he sent them to bed without touching the Christmas tree they’d waited so long to decorate; he could taste the chocolate ice-cream he’d savoured moments before the happiness had been replaced by this great big weight that settled over their lives for years to come. How could he simply move on? Was he to blame for their family problems too? Had his grudge driven a wedge between them that steamrolled his mum’s emotions and drove her to the depths of despair all over again?
He couldn’t think. He filled a glass of water and drank it down in one. He made another coffee and when it had been stirred, he set the spoon down on a napkin beside the mug.
‘Darcy is special to you, isn’t she?’ Ian didn’t let his son wallow in silence for too long.
Although things were a mess between them, hearing her name settled Myles in some way. ‘She’s different, like you say.’
‘What’s different about her?’
‘She’s kind. I mean really kind, from the bottom of her heart. She does things because she’s thinking of other people. I’ve seen her with guests and this is more than a job to her, it’s the way she is. She doesn’t expect anything in return and she has this positive energy that can be frustrating.’ He exhaled, his shoulders relaxing a couple of inches for the first time since he’d seen her walk into that elevator. ‘But she’s addictive to be around. She’s beautiful too. When she smiles it’s like a sign that everything will work out. It blocks out all else, stops me thinking about the negative and, instead, focus on the positive.’
Ian was smiling and Myles realised he’d completely laid his heart out in the open.
‘I need to call it a night.’ He patted the top of Myles’s hand. ‘Don’t give up on her just yet,’ he added. ‘I have a feeling you’ll both sort this out.’
Myles hoped he was right, but doubted it.
‘There’s another woman you need to talk to, son.’
Myles put both coffee mugs in the sink and said nothing.
‘Call your mum.’
‘I always do.’ He faced his dad now. ‘I’ve never lost touch with her.’
‘You know what I mean. Have a proper conversation, really talk to her. It’ll mean the world to her. Christmas is surely the best time to start over.’
‘I thought that was what New Year’s was about,’ Myles grinned.
‘I suppose it is, but why waste time?’
‘I’ll call her, Dad. But I can’t make any promises.’ If he detected she was drinking, he’d have to put the phone down straight away. No way did he want to have anything else to remind him of the way she’d once been. It might be happening, but over the years he’d got quite good at blocking it out. It was the way he carried on, the only way he knew how.
Ian put a hand on Myles’s shoulder. ‘Darcy will come round too. Remember, a relationship in your life will be one of the most important things you do. It’s what makes everything else make sense.’
When his dad left him to it, Myles stood beside the Christmas tree looking into the dense foliage interrupted by ornaments. There was an owl clutching a book, a squirrel covered in white glitter as though a frost had settled on his fur, silver bells tied on branches with matching string, a jolly Santa Claus carrying a sack of presents. As kids, Myles and Winston had been allowed to choose a new decoration every year. Late November they’d trawl the shops and find that special something to hang on the tree. Myles could still remember the snowman on skis he’d bought that first terrible Christmas. He didn’t remember seeing it after that. Perhaps it had been rehung every year, precariously dangling. Or maybe it had long since been thrown away, discarded along with his good memories.
Winston had once joked that Myles’s inability to let go of the past could only be remedied by the love of a good woman. He’d been hopelessly in love at the time, had just proposed to Victoria, and his mind was filled with mushy thoughts that Myles simply laughed at. But perhaps he’d been right. Apart from his initial anger at seeing the tree Darcy had put up in his apartment, Myles had managed to tolerate its presence every day since. Perhaps it was all because of her. Perhaps she was the reason he could put up with the smell, the twinkling lights, the welcoming and homely feeling it generated every time he returned from the office.
This girl was special and if he had one wish this Christmas it would be that he could convince her to give him another chance.
Chapter Twenty-One
Darcy
Two days until Christmas
Darcy refused to let what happened with Myles make her enjoy the season any less. The Inglenook Inn was at full capacity, the fire was crackling in the grate giving the lounge an ethereal glow, Christmas music played low on the speaker in the corner, and she’d just finished a FaceTime session with Sofia, Gabriella and Kyle. They were all geared up for Christmas in Switzerland and, although they missed New York at this time of the year, the backdrop they had shown Darcy was spectacular.
During her FaceTime call Myles had poked his head around the doorway on his way out to work. He’d hovered and she could tell he wanted to talk to her, but thankful for a reason not to, she kept chatting away. If it had been any other guest she would’ve paused the call, but not for him, not now. She’d seen him yesterday too, on his way out the door, but she’d been talking with the boys from upstairs at the time, listening to their stories about Central Park and how they wanted it to snow some more so they could build the biggest snowman anyone had ever seen.
The O’Sullivan family were next downstairs and settled in the dining room to a sumptuous breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup, hot buttered toast cut into doorstep-size pieces just like the kids wanted, and freshly squeezed orange juice. When the boys’ attention was on Rupert, who had allowed them to watch through the old-fashioned hatch as he flipped more pancakes high in the air with a practised ease, Darcy asked Adele when she wanted to start wrapping the presents.
‘We’re off out today,’ Adele explained, ‘going over to Brooklyn to meet up with friends, so how about tomorrow?’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Darcy whispered conspiratorially. ‘I have wrapping paper, Sellotape, tags and ribbons.’ She’d offered the additional service to guests and Adele had been delighted to take her up on the offer.
‘This is such a lovely added extra,’ Adele enthused, ‘and between you and me, I hate wrapping!’
; Darcy giggled. ‘Good job I don’t mind it then. We’ll get it done in no time.’
Darcy cleared some of the breakfast dishes and cutlery, stacked the dishwasher, ordered some new towels for the Inn before she totally forgot – she’d noticed some were getting threadbare and while they had enough, they couldn’t use a lot of them for guests and the last thing she wanted to do was run out. She paid another bill, scheduled a January inspection by the fire department, and then called Geoff’s brother on the number from the business card she’d kept in the top desk drawer since the night at The Plaza. She crossed her legs, fingers and anything else she could think of but she needn’t have worried because he’d been expecting her call. He scheduled a visit to the Inn for mid-January with a view to lining up corporate bookings soon after.
The snow had stopped for now, which was better for her guests even though Darcy knew the boys upstairs wouldn’t be too happy about it. But at least it meant they would be able to get downtown and head to Brooklyn more easily. It made it easier for anyone who had last-minute gifts to buy, those who were still working until they stopped to enjoy their own Christmas.
Tomorrow, the snow could come. It could tumble down and blanket the Inn, because it was Christmas Eve, and it was going to be a wonderful Christmas. She could feel it.
Darcy checked through the refrigerator in the kitchen and the huge pantry, anxious to make sure everything was in place for the big day.
‘You’ve done that a million times, Darce,’ Rupert scolded, using the name he sometimes gave her, particularly when he was in a jovial mood.
‘I know I have. I just want everything to be perfect.’
‘It will be, don’t worry.’ He’d finished with the lunches so shrugged on his puffy jacket and picked up his bag, prepared to head out into the cold. ‘I’ll be back by four o’clock in time for dinner.’
‘The O’Sullivans are out, I haven’t heard from a couple of the guests, but Holly has requested dining in. I emailed you her selections.’
Snowflakes and Mistletoe at the Inglenook Inn Page 20