Blush Duo - Marriage Under the Mistletoe & The Christmas Inn

by Helen Lacey

  “One California Chardonnay.” The bartender interrupted their conversation, his gaze sharp as he placed the wineglass on a Christmas napkin in front of Marnie. “Are you staying at the inn?” he asked.

  Sweet relief! Saved by a drink. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Nice spot. I’ve never been here before, but it’s really lovely,” she said, happy to chat with him rather than answer questions that would raise the issue of her being here alone. She’d have to be careful to keep a low profile while she worked on the questionnaires.

  “You’ll love it here, trust me. Isn’t that the truth, Cindy?” he asked, taking the drink order of the woman sitting next to her—a dry martini.

  “It is. We’ve come back here on our anniversary the past two years. And Jack’s the best martini maker in the state. I had my first martini right here at this bar on my wedding night.”

  “I remember that night. The entire inn was booked for your wedding,” Jack said, taking down a bottle of gin from the shelf at the back of the bar.

  As he moved down the bar to prepare the martini, Marnie watched him, searching her memory for some of the questions she’d need answered in order to complete the bar section of the survey.

  Cindy gave him a grateful smile when he returned. “Thank you,” she said, reaching for the glass.

  He placed the napkin in front of her as she took the glass. “Enjoy.”

  Jack turned to another customer, leaving Marnie to observe the efficient way he moved, mixing drinks while keeping up a flow of conversation with the patrons. He certainly knew his job, she mused, watching him as he loaded a blender with ingredients from the fridge and the counter in front of him.

  “Is this bar always this busy?” she asked Cindy.

  “Yes. And I’m sure Jack has a lot to do with it,” she said, her voice trailing off. Again her gaze moved to the door. “What could be keeping my husband? I’d like you to meet him.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be along soon,” she offered to ease the woman’s obvious anxiety. “Do you live in Boston?”

  With a huge smile, Cindy answered. “We live in Boston. I’m a kindergarten teacher, and I love it. The four- and five-year-olds are so cute.”

  “Like Ethan?”

  “Oh, you’ve met him already? Isn’t he the sweetest little boy? And so sad that he lost his mommy.”

  “Yeah. It must have been hard for his dad, too.” Marnie checked her watch, wondering where Luke could be.

  “I see we’re in the same boat.” Cindy nodded at Marnie’s watch. “We’re both waiting for the men in our lives.” Cindy smiled at someone behind Marnie. “And here’s mine now.”

  Marnie turned on her stool and nearly fell off. Coming toward them was Brad Parker, the man she’d nearly married eleven years ago. The man who told her he couldn’t marry her because he didn’t want a wife who put her career first. What he really meant was he couldn’t give up the playmate he’d stashed away in an apartment in downtown Boston.

  For about ten seconds Marnie considered walking out of the bar to avoid him. But she hadn’t done anything wrong, unless you counted falling in love with a loser. A love that died the evening she’d grown suspicious of his frequent business demands and followed him across town to his girlfriend’s place. She’d nearly turned her brothers loose on him, but she decided that he wasn’t worth it.

  She watched, waiting for his phony smile to come her way, as she knew it would. Brad could never resist sizing up the women in any room he entered. And sure enough, after a smile tossed his wife’s way his eyes swerved to her. The muted light of the bar was still bright enough to expose the sudden blanching of his skin and the rigor mortis smile claiming his handsome features.

  “Marnie, this is my husband, Brad Parker. Brad, this is Marnie.” Cindy looked from Marnie to her husband, her face beaming.

  Feeling nothing for the man standing in front of her, Marnie waited for Brad to say something to smooth over the awkward moment, something Brad was very good at when he wanted to be. If he used his usual technique, he’d make some remark about where they might have met, and she’d take her cue from him.

  He hesitated. Then he moved in between them, his arm going around his wife’s shoulders as he stared at Marnie. “Do I know you?” he asked.

  “You look familiar,” she said, her smile easy, despite her shock at seeing him and his refusal to at least acknowledge her.

  “I’m often mistaken for other people. Don’t know why,” Brad said, his cautionary gaze fixed on Marnie.

  Leave it to Brad to take the coward’s way out, but Cindy clearly loved her husband, and Marnie wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. She forced a smile. “Probably that’s it.”

  There was a long pause during which Brad waved the bartender over. “I’ll have a double bourbon.”

  Cindy finished her drink in one long swallow, and placed the empty glass on the bar. “Honey, I’m going to the ladies’ room, but I’ll be back, and then the three of us can have a drink together.”

  “I’ll be right here, waiting for you,” Brad said, pulling her hard against him and kissing her on the mouth.

  Marnie waited until Cindy left the bar. “Brad, I—”

  “What are you doing here?” Brad asked, as he looked her up and down.

  For years she’d dreamed of meeting Brad somewhere and calling him out on his scandalous behavior, but not tonight. Tonight she intended to rise above all the pain that he’d caused her.

  But as she gazed into his eyes and saw not a hint of remorse for what he’d done the words spilled out. “I’m here to enjoy myself, and that means staying away from you. Remember me? I’m the woman you almost married. Let me see, it was just a couple of weeks before our wedding day as I remember it, and you and…what was her name?” She frowned to cover the hurt she was feeling inside. “You had an urgent meeting in her bedroom. I believe she was a lawyer from the law firm your company dealt with—Mary Ellen something or other.”

  He downed his drink. “Marnie, I’d really appreciate it if you’d not mention this in front of my wife.”

  “Give me a little credit,” she snorted.

  He glanced past her, frowning as he twirled his empty glass. “We’re here for the Christmas getaway, or whatever the hell they call it.”

  “Trying for a few brownie points? Is she catching on to your story? The one where you pretend to be so busy at work that you can’t be at home with her?”

  “Your bitchiness is showing,” he muttered.

  She caught the bartender watching her, bringing her back to her senses. “Brad, I want you to know that as angry as I was back then, I now realize that marrying you would have been the biggest mistake of my life.”

  “Okay, so can we leave it there?” he asked, anxiously glancing around.

  “Is everything okay?” Cindy asked, appearing around the corner of the bar and startling them both.

  “Everything’s just fine, darling.” He put his arm around Cindy, towering over her. “I’ve got a surprise for you. I was saving it for tonight.”

  “What’s that?” Cindy asked, her face turned up to his.

  “We’re going back to our room and ordering champagne, followed by room service, followed by a little rug time in front of the fireplace.” He winked at Marnie behind his wife’s back.

  Cindy blushed and smiled sheepishly at Marnie. “I’m sorry, but can we have a rain check on the drinks? I’m sure we’ll see each other again during our stay. Maybe you and your boyf
riend can have dinner with us some evening.”

  “Sounds lovely,” Marnie said, dredging up as much sincerity as she could muster.

  “Then it’s settled. Maybe you and I could go into Wakesfield to shop tomorrow?”

  “Maybe,” Marnie said, making a mental note to steer clear of both of them.

  “Let’s go,” Brad said urgently.

  Cindy giggled and linked her arm through his as they moved off toward the door, and Marnie immediately started planning how to stay clear of Brad and Cindy for the remainder of her stay. Since they were here on their anniversary they wouldn’t come down early for breakfast, she figured. As for lunch, she’d be sure to arrive early and sit at a table for two, and for dinner she could always order room service—whatever it took to avoid them.

  She was still mulling over her plan when she saw the bartender approaching her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, why?”

  “You looked…anxious, a little upset.” His squint was quizzical. “Are you friends with the Parkers?”

  “No. No, I… We were just talking,” she mumbled, struggling to remember if either she or Brad had raised their voices.

  She didn’t want any reports going back to Luke about her behavior at the bar. He was already far too paranoid about her being here alone. Learning that she’d had some sort of interaction with one of his precious getaway couples could wreak a whole lot of havoc. And she was definitely not into havoc.

  Jack hesitated. “Can I get you anything?”

  “No, I’m waiting for Luke. He must have been delayed.”

  Upset and out of sorts over her altercation with Brad, she took a good big sip from her glass of wine and gave the drink menu the once-over as she planted a pleasant expression on her face and offered up a prayer that Luke Harrison would make an appearance soon.

  * * *

  LUKE SIGHED AS HE LISTENED to Jack describing a woman at the bar, a description that fit Marnie McLaughlan perfectly. Why had he agreed to meet her there of all places? Why had he agreed to have dinner with her? “Yeah, that’s her.”

  “Still no indication as to when the husband’s arriving?” Jack asked, over the din of the bar.

  “None, and I talked to her not that long ago.”

  “And what did she say?”

  “Not much. It’s a long story. I wish her husband would show up.”

  “Might be a good idea. She just had a pretty heated discussion with the Parkers before they left for dinner. I can’t be sure what it was about, but she and Brad definitely knew each other.”

  Luke groaned inwardly. He couldn’t have Marnie involved in anything having to do with the guests until her husband arrived. He had a lot riding on the next few days.

  He glanced at his watch. He’d agreed to meet her at the bar and he was already late. “I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

  “I invited her to dinner.”

  “You did what?”

  “You were the one who encouraged me to have her as my guest for dinner, remember?”

  “True. And maybe that’s the answer…until the husband shows up. I’ll see you when you get here.”

  Luke got up from his desk, leaving behind his operating-cost projections for the first quarter of next year, and adjusted his tie. When he entered the bar, Marnie was sitting by herself, reading the drink menu, her slim legs creating a smooth, enticing line from the hem of her short skirt to…bright yellow three-inch high heels. Who wore yellow shoes with a black dress? Who looked that good in yellow shoes and a black dress?

  Jack was polishing glasses, his gaze locked on Marnie. A quick survey of the room showed him that all the men were watching her. The success or failure of the Christmas Getaway event appeared to rest on one sexy woman who didn’t seem to notice any of the attention directed at her.

  Steeling himself for any questions she might have around his earlier behavior and her earlier argument over why she needed a husband here with her, he strode toward the bar. She caught sight of him, a smile lighting her face and warmth shining in her clear gray-green eyes. All he could think about was how attractive she was, how the dress fit her body like a glove.

  A beautiful, sexy woman was waiting for him—Luke Harrison. It had been three years since anyone had waited for him. He sucked in a breath as he struggled to remember why he’d been so annoyed with her. “Sorry I’m late,” he mumbled as he slid onto the bar stool beside her.

  “That’s okay. I’m glad you’re here.” She took a sip of her wine.

  “Why? Did something happen?” he asked, hoping she’d give him her side of the story around the Parkers.

  “No. It’s nothing. I’m just not used to being stared at.” She gave him an apologetic smile as her fingers pleated the napkin under her half-finished glass of wine.

  With this beautiful woman’s eyes focused solely on him, he couldn’t think of an intelligent word to say. And if that wasn’t enough, he suddenly felt awkward, out of his depth. “Why don’t we go to my office before we go to dinner? I need to talk to you about something.”

  She wrinkled her perfectly smooth brow. “If you’d like.” She slid off the stool and waved to Jack who waved back, and then winked at Luke. “But if your concern is over my room, I’m quite happy with it, and I’m really looking forward to having a spa treatment tomorrow.”

  His thoughts rattling around his mind like marbles in a tin can, he followed her from the bar, mesmerized by her walk, and the curl of hair snaking down the nape of her long neck.

  You need to get out more, date a few women.

  When they reached his office, he closed the door and moved quickly to sit behind his desk. He needed to be behind his desk, otherwise he’d be tempted to touch her, and touching her was out of the question.

  “Ah, we have a problem,” he said, forcing himself to get straight to the point.

  “A problem? With what?” she asked, looking completely perplexed and totally endearing.

  For a few minutes he considered backing out of his decision to find out what was going on with this woman and her reservation. But tomorrow was the first day of an event that was critical to the success of the inn’s winter season, a season he’d spent thousands of dollars of his advertising budget on, and he couldn’t let it be jeopardized.

  His conversation with Jack made it even more urgent that he find out what was going on with her. “You’re aware that this Christmas Getaway event is starting tomorrow, and those couples signed up because they want to have a stress-free Christmas vacation, right?”

  “Yes, you explained all that.”

  “Your reservation is for two people.” He cleared his throat to ease his nervousness. “Will your husband be joining you tomorrow?”

  “My husband?” she asked, her expression one of complete disbelief.

  “Your reservation is made out in the name of Mr. and Mrs. Scott McLaughlan.”

  She choked. “What?”

  Why the surprise? Had she planned all along to come without her husband and now she’d been found out? Was she meeting one of the other guests? Surely not Brad Parker. He and his wife seemed so happy when he met them at the reception desk earlier. But if there was something going on between Brad and Marnie, it might explain why she insisted on staying here.

  He pulled the reservation from the pile of papers on the corner of his desk. “See, there it is.
” He pointed to the names on the reservation. “We’ve been heavily promoting this package. Your husband would have been informed when making the booking that it was a couples event.”

  She read it slowly, her lips pursed into a stubborn arch. “You wouldn’t have accepted the reservation unless I was coming here with…my husband.”

  “Not for the next few days. The package officially starts tomorrow, the 22nd, and runs until the 26th of December. We have a dinner party as the final event.”

  “So, what do you want me to do?” she asked.

  She hadn’t made any comment about her husband’s name being on the reservation, and she hadn’t offered any explanation for his absence. “It would be helpful to know when your husband is going to join you.”

  She started to speak, then lowered her head and peered at her hands resting in her lap. “I don’t know.”

  “Is he delayed?”

  “He’s… I’m calling him this evening....”

  He rubbed his face, a deep sigh escaping his lips. “In the meantime, we have to come to some sort of…arrangement.”

  “An arrangement.” Her voice dropped twenty degrees, but two bright red spots appeared on her cheeks.

  What in the hell was he doing? What arrangement would work that wouldn’t get him into more trouble? “Please try to understand my predicament. If you’re to stay here alone until your husband arrives you’ll have to keep a low profile. It might work best for you to be my…assistant.”

  An assistant? Any other brilliant ideas?

  She gave him an incredulous look. “You need a date that bad? None of the local girls want to go out with you?”

  “No, I don’t need a date. You’re just too…too much of a distraction. The men here are supposed to be concentrating on their wives.”

  “And if they don’t, it’s my fault?” she said, her voice rising.