Blush Duo - Marriage Under the Mistletoe & The Christmas Inn

by Helen Lacey

  “Go on,” Luke said, suddenly interested. If the buyer they had was backing out, he might have a chance at putting in a bid. He didn’t know where he’d find the money—there having been no return call from his father—but he’d wait and see what Angus had to say.

  “While we’re negotiating with the buyer, we need to discuss your place within our organization.”

  They were about to disassemble the life he’d made for Ethan and himself with one short speech to him about his value to the organization.

  His anger toward these people who didn’t give a damn about him or his life threatened to get the best of him, and he realized he had to get away from them, if only for a few minutes. “I’ll get a chair and be right back.”

  Pushing open the door, he nearly ran headfirst into Marnie, her eyes huge with surprise. He closed the door quietly behind him. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Nothing. I was just on my way to the—to my car.”

  “Without a jacket in this weather? You were listening at the door, weren’t you?” he accused her.

  “Well, someone left it open a tiny bit, and I couldn’t help it. I’m worried about you.”

  He couldn’t look into her imploring eyes, aware of how much he loved her, and how their future together could now be in jeopardy. He had to focus on finishing the meeting, and getting these men back on the road to Boston.

  “Marnie, please do not get involved in this,” he said.

  “Did they tell you who the buyer is?”

  He shook his head, longing to hold her, a reprieve from all the harsh reality playing out in his office. “I need to get a chair from the reception desk,” he said, gathering all his reserves to walk past her down the hall.

  On the way back, she reached for him. “Luke, I’ve got to do something, but I’ll be right back, I promise. Wait for me, and please don’t worry. I’ve got a plan.”

  “A plan?” he whispered. “The only thing that will save the inn is if we can find a buyer.”

  “There has to be someone out there who would see the inn as a great investment,” she whispered back. “Let me work on it.”

  In the midst of this unsettling event, he’d found an ally, a friend, and someone he could rely on. He no longer felt isolated from the world around him. “I love you,” he whispered.

  “Ditto,” she whispered, her smile consuming her face.

  Inside his office, the room felt stuffy. The scent of men’s colognes was overpowering. “So, you were saying that you’re going to sell the inn.” He set his chair down along the wall near the door.

  “Yes, we are, but we want you to know that your position is safe here until the purchase is finalized.” Andrew crossed one long leg over the other, and checked the knife-sharp seam on his pants.

  No one’s position was safe during a transition, regardless of what these men said. “Do you have an offer pending?”

  The man hunkered in the corner—his nervous gaze flicking from his BlackBerry to a spot on the wall behind Luke’s head—spoke up. “In the event our buyer doesn’t go ahead with the deal, a photographer will be up—” the man grimaced “—January second.”

  “Well, that answers most of my questions,” Luke said, angered that these people couldn’t wait until after Christmas to come up here. If they’d waited until after Christmas, thus giving him and the staff a chance to enjoy the holiday, this decision might be easier to accept.

  “There’s so much going on within the company at the moment. I felt we needed to come here and see you personally,” Angus said.

  How could these three men sit there with their smug expressions and not care what they’d just done to him and the rest of the staff? They might be able to ruin his Christmas, but that didn’t mean they could take up any more of his Christmas Eve. “I understand, but right now, I have a Christmas Eve celebration to host, and as you said earlier, you need to get back to your own families.” He rose and started toward the door.

  Angus caught up with him. “Luke, I’m sorry to have dropped this news without giving you a heads-up first, but the company is going through so many changes at the moment, many of which I’ve had to address rather quickly.”

  Your stupid excuse doesn’t cut it.

  “You do what you have to do.”

  “And I mean it, Luke, this job is yours at least until the new owner takes over. And you have my word that I will personally recommend that you be retained as manager in one of our hotels.”

  And you expect me to believe you?

  “I appreciate that,” Luke said, holding the door open for them.

  Watching them troop out, his courage deserted him. He suddenly felt completely exhausted and bereft. He was certain the staff would be waiting to hear the outcome of the meeting, but he didn’t have the heart to break the news to them right now. He simply didn’t have anything left to give anyone.

  All he wanted was to find Marnie and make love to her, to forget everything that had happened in the past hour. Closing his office door, he picked up the phone and called her room. No answer.

  Where was that piece of paper with her cell-phone number on it? After searching for what seemed like forever, he found the scrap of paper, dialed her number, his spirits lifting at the expectation of hearing her voice, a voice he needed to hear more than anything in the world.

  The call went to voice mail.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  MARNIE HAD BEEN ON HER WAY to her room, her hand on the newel post, about to ascend the stairs, when Jack intercepted her.

  “Mary just told me what’s been going on. Can we talk?”

  She didn’t want to talk right now. She had to come up with the money to buy the inn. “I can’t. I mean I have to get to my room and call my brother.”

  He frowned. “What for?” he asked, his tone wary.

  Marnie could understand him being suspicious. Jack had to know about the survey by now. “I… We need to see if we can line up some financing for this inn. Do you think Luke’s parents would help out?”

  “Luke’s parents have been indifferent all of Luke’s life.”

  “Indifferent?”

  “Yeah, you know. Luke spent most of his childhood away at boarding schools, and even now, with Christmas here, there hasn’t been a peep from them. Not so much as a card.”

  “No gift for Ethan?”

  “Not unless it was held up by the storm.”

  “When was the last time they were here to visit?”

  “They were here for about two weeks after Anna died.”

  “That was three years ago.”

  “And they kept talking about Anna’s accident until Luke couldn’t listen anymore.”

  They sounded like a totally useless set of parents, but if they could help in other ways… “Do you think there’s any chance they’d be willing to loan him money?”

  “According to Luke they live beyond their means. No spare cash, I assume.” Jack gave her a grim look. “Marnie, you’re a smart woman with lots of business experience, but a piece of advice.”

  “And that would be?”

  “Don’t go messing around in Luke’s life. He doesn’t like it. The inn may be for sale, but Luke will make it through this. He’s tough.”

  “But if I know someone who might be willing to back him, should he decide to put in a bid, would that be a problem? He can’t lose this inn, it means everything to him.”

  Jack touched her arm. “You don’t know the half of it.”
He shrugged. “If you know someone…”

  “When Luke comes out of his office, tell him I’m in my room.”

  “Doing dirty deeds?” He winked.

  “The dirtiest of dirty. I’m going to see how much cash I can wheedle out of my family.”

  He looked at her with a mixture of skepticism and amusement. “You know what?”

  “What?”

  “I see why Luke likes you so much. You’re pretty damn special, going out of your way like this to help him.”

  “He told you he likes me?”

  “Luke’s a changed man since you came on the scene. We’ve all noticed how much happier he is, how much more engaged. And I’ve been told that you and Ethan are buddies.”

  “Best buddies. He is the cutest little boy.”

  “He’s a huge favorite around here. Of course now that we have James, he’ll have some competition.”

  “How is James, by the way?”

  “He’s great! Lindsay is spending all her time either sleeping or feeding him. I’ve been relegated to errand running and grocery procurement.” He smiled. “But I’m about to be granted a reprieve. Lindsay’s mother arrives tomorrow.”

  “It all sounds wonderful…”

  “Hey. Is that a sad tone I hear? It better not be,” he teased. “With a man like Luke ready to beat down your door you’ve already gone where few women have gone before.” Jack moved to the bottom of the stairs. “Marnie, trust me about Luke, will you?”

  “I will,” she said. Somehow she had to convince her brothers to do what they could to help her. If she succeeded, it would be the miracle of all Christmas miracles.

  * * *

  BY THE TIME SHE REACHED the third floor, she was even more determined to do what she had to do. Her family would reproach her for being impetuous, but she was ready for them.

  Her happiness was at stake.

  Marnie closed the door to her room behind her and picked up her cell phone. Scott answered on the first ring. “I want to talk to you, Liam, Gordon and Alex as soon as possible. I’ve got something I need you to do for me.”

  “Sounds intriguing. Tell me more.”

  “Not right now. I have to talk to all four of you together. Can you line up a conference call?”

  “You do realize that it’s almost time for Santa Claus to do his thing.”

  She’d completely forgotten. “Oh, sorry,” she said. “I’ll bring my presents to everyone the day after Christmas.”

  Scott whistled. “Hey, it sounds like you’re on a mission.”

  “I’ll tell you all you need to know as soon as you line up the conference call.”

  There was what could only be described as a loaded silence on Scott’s end of the line. She was just about ready to give up and say something funny to break the awkwardness when he spoke. “Marnie, there’s something I want to tell you before we talk with the other three.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I realize that I’ve sounded pretty domineering over the last few years. And there were times when you were annoyed with me.”

  “Tell me about it.” She snorted.

  “I have a confession to make. You know how much we all worried about you when you had to have heart surgery as a kid, and how the whole family got into the whole protection racket, as you called it, after your accident.”

  “How could I forget? So what’s your point?”

  “Me and Liam, and Alex and Gord… We’d been raised to look out for you. It just became a natural way for us to think where you were concerned. Then when the accident happened and you were sent to hospital with so many injuries, all four of us were terrified that you wouldn’t make it.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

  “I don’t know. Being big dumb jocks has its drawbacks, I suppose.”

  Her heart warmed, and tears welled up in her eyes. Deep down, she’d always adored Scott, the brother who had always been there for her, who had protected and cared for her, and who now had the grace and class to tell her the truth about how he felt. “What happened to make you see things differently?”

  “Mom. She called me after she talked to you. In case you’re interested, yours isn’t the only conference call we four have been on recently.”

  “Mom talked to you guys about me?”

  “She did. She said we needed to cut you some slack. She even admitted to relying on you too much, especially at Christmas. Then Dad got on the phone and talked about how much he was waiting for all of us to come home for the holidays, how much they were looking forward to seeing all of us. It was a pretty teary scene. And all because of you.”

  “I’m going away more often if one little vacation can produce this kind of change in the way you all see me.”

  “Yeah. We made a mistake by insisting on overseeing your life. It’s not going to happen again.”

  “Does that mean you’re not going to do a background check on the next man I bring home?”

  “Well, we might slip up now and again, but we’re going to do our best to change.”

  “I love you guys,” she said, smiling through her tears.

  “Before I hang up and get the conference call organized, I want you to know that I’ve always loved you best.”

  “Scott…don’t make a confession you’ll regret,” she warned, trying for a teasing tone and failing miserably.

  “I’m serious. Now get off the phone, and I’ll call you back as soon as I can round up your brothers. Oh, and by the way, hope you’re having a great time. That man, what’s his name?”

  “Luke.”

  “I hope he’s worth it.”

  “He is.”

  “Well, then, I’m really pleased you’ve found someone special. You deserve to be happy.”

  A lump the size of a golf ball formed in Marnie’s throat. “The age of miracles is not over,” she said, fighting to maintain a light tone in her voice, all the while wishing her brother was within hugging range.

  “Talk soon, Peanut. Whoops! Sorry!”

  “It’s okay. Just this once,” she said, feeling closer to her brother than she ever had in her life.

  * * *

  LUKE COULDN’T STAND it any longer. Marnie wasn’t answering her room phone, and her cell phone kept going to voice mail. He had to talk to her, to tell her what happened and what it could mean for both of them. He headed for the stairs, almost running into Jack, who was coming out of the library.

  “Whoa! What’s up?” Jack asked, looking a whole lot like he had a secret he wanted to share.

  “I’m on my way to find Marnie. You haven’t seen her, have you?”

  “As a matter of fact I have. She and I chatted for a bit, and then she took off to her room, as if she was being chased by demons. I hear that the Advantage people were here to deliver some bad news. Sorry that this had to happen, and especially right at Christmas. What a bunch of jerks.”

  He wasn’t surprised that Jack would be up to speed on everything. “You’ve got that right. But maybe this will turn out better than it seems.”

  “Do you mean Marnie?”

  “How did you— What have you been up to?” Luke gave him a glowering look, eliciting a chuckle from Jack.

  “I haven’t been up to much, but Marnie is. She’s on the warpath. You’re one lucky man to have a woman like her in your life.”

  Luke was on the verge of denying the implication of Jack’s words, and then reconsidered. Why should he
deny his feelings for her? “Yeah, I’m lucky, all right.” He shoved his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out how much he should tell his friend. “I’m lucky in so many ways, especially in the way she loves me.”

  “I knew it! You two are in love. I told Lindsay last night that there was something going on between you two. My wife owes me a date with her, just the two of us.”

  Luke nodded his head, soaking in Jack’s words, feeling them to his core. That was it. He and Marnie were meant to be together, to be there for each other through thick and thin. “We are in love. All this time, I thought…” He grimaced at the memory of all those evenings he’d spent with Jack, going over what happened to Anna, trying to put it in the past, and be a good dad while trying to juggle his work life. “You know what’s been going on with me since Anna died, all I’ve had to deal with. But it’s as if I’ve been given a second chance to be happy, and it’s so…”

  “You deserve every second of it.”

  “It’s as if everything is new, so much to look forward to,” Luke went on, realizing for the first time that Marnie had set him free of the past.

  Jack clapped him on the back, a smile lighting his rugged features. “Go tell that woman how you really feel. She deserves to know, and you’ve both earned the right to be happy.”

  “Tell Marnie what?” Marnie asked from halfway down the carpeted stairs.

  Jack winked at Luke. “It’s now or never, my friend.”

  * * *

  MARNIE SCURRIED DOWN the remaining steps, trying to be cool, wishing she had long hair to flick off her shoulders. Slowing at the bottom of the stairs, she clutched the newel post and waited for Luke to cross the couple of feet of carpet separating them.

  This man of hers was so gorgeous, and how she loved the expression on his face right now—half joy, half humor. “Were you and Jack talking about me?” she asked, teasingly.

  The smile in his eyes would melt icebergs. “Guilty as charged,” he said, covering her hand with his where it rested on the post, his fingers gently massaging hers.