Hearts in the City

by Banks, Sherilyn

“Hey, I’m joking. I already knew time would be limited. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get to see you knocking walls down especially in those high-heeled boots you wear.”

  Olivia smiled at him. “Why? Would it have turned you on?”

  “Slightly, yes.” Alistair gave her a devious grin.

  “Can’t fault you for being a man, I guess.” She gently rubbed his hand. “I’m surprised the whole process is moving as quickly as it is. Other than living in one, the whole house buying experience is new to me. Owning Mom’s house is all I know.”

  He gave her a thoughtful look. “Would you ever sell it, do you think?”

  Immediately lifting her head off his chest, she looked at him with a look of horror on her face. “God, no. Never,” she said, shaking her head. “There’s no way. It’s all I have left of her.”

  He pulled her gently back onto this chest, rubbing her back as her shoulders relaxed. “I can see how it would be a hard thing to do.”

  “All my memories of Mom and my childhood are there. It’s not something I could just leave behind.”

  “I see where you’re coming from,” Alistair said, nodding slowly. Although taken aback by her vehement reply, his face gave nothing away. She was clearly very attached to her mother’s house. As strong and independent as she was, he could see she was vulnerable about the only lasting attachment to her mother. He realized it was a touchy subject with her and would be careful not to revisit it any time soon. “We’re going to be demoing the kitchen next week,” he said, changing the subject immediately.

  “You mean like ripping out cupboards and sinks?” Olivia asked.

  “I thought you might want to give some input on what style of cabinetry we should use.”

  “Two words,” Olivia said. “Granite countertops.”

  He was impressed. “Glad to see you’ve been keeping up with popular house trends.”

  “Give women what they want—granite countertops.”

  Alistair let out a husky laugh. “Oh I’ve got some granite for you all right...” He slid his hand up her leg.

  “Behave yourself.” Olivia playfully smacked his hand away.

  “Okay, I’ll be good.” Alistair’s imagination ran wild with possibilities. Exercising restraint wasn’t easy when it came to her.

  “I’m going to be popping in for another inspection soon and that’s what I’ll be expecting to see.”

  “Duly noted.”

  Olivia gave him a sideways grin. “Glad we agree.”

  “We’re partners. We’re supposed to agree on things.”

  “Well as long as the end result is some nice, young family coming along and falling in love with what we’ve done to it and putting in their very first offer on their very first house, we’ll have succeeded.”

  He nodded in agreement. “And coming from a realtor’s point of view that’ll make it worth every penny we put into it.”

  “Umm-hmm...” Olivia said.

  He relaxed comfortably as she traced a finger up and down the back of his hand. “So...Christmas will be here soon and I’ve been meaning to ask what your plans are for the holidays?” He had decided to come right out with it. Sure, they’d only been dating for a few weeks, but with Christmas not that far off, he was hoping that by some miracle they’d be able to spend it together.

  “Christmas...hmmm I don’t know,” Olivia said thoughtfully. “Jazlynn and I usually spend it with Aunt Von. She’ll be flying down within a week or so. It’s been her tradition for years.”

  Alistair carefully hid his disappointment. He knew it was short notice, but was hoping against hope she would have been able to say yes anyway. It was selfish of him, but he wanted her all to himself. “Oh. I see.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m just asking.”

  “Come on...seriously. Why?”

  He glanced at her briefly, his gaze then moving to the fireplace. He studied the rising flames for a moment. “Damn woman,” he laughed. “Must you be so persistent?”

  “Well can I help it if I know when words are left unspoken? Talk to me. What’s on your mind?”

  She already knew him too well. “Well...” he said, raising his brow. “I was kind of hoping you would join my family for Christmas.” He watched her, waiting for her response. She seemed to let his suggestion sink in for a few moments. Her response seemed like an eternity in coming.

  “That would be great, but Aunt Von will be really disappointed if the three of us don’t spend Christmas together.”

  “Then tell her to join us. Mom would be more than happy to have her come, too,” Alistair said.

  “She’d never go for it. Besides it is a little too soon for that sort of thing.”

  “What sort of thing?” he asked, amused. “Enlighten me.”

  She gave him a playful swat. “Oh come on. All I’m saying is that it seems a little soon to be bringing both families together.”

  “Baby...” he said slowly, giving her an endearing smile. “It’s just Christmas dinner. You know—that time of year when everyone gathers around the table for turkey dinner?”

  “It’s more than that,” she said curtly. “It’s the most important gathering of the year. We’re talking Christmas dinner here, so don’t downplay it.”

  Alistair suddenly sat upright from his laying position. “Touched a nerve, did I?”

  She glanced up at him, reached for her glass, picked it up, and took a sip. “Oh please...”

  “Jazlynn is planning on spending it with us. At least that’s what she said anyway.”

  Sitting up suddenly, Olivia set her goblet down on the floor with a loud clunk. “Excuse me?” she asked, her expression changing. “She’s what?”

  Alistair put a hand up in defense. “Hey now. I’m not trying to start anything here. I’m just telling you what she told me.”

  “Well just when the hell was she planning on telling me?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just the messenger. I assumed she’d already told you.”

  Olivia shook her head in annoyance. “She didn’t tell me anything. I don’t know what she’s trying to prove here. Christmas has always...”

  “Liv, baby...” Alistair said, trying to calm her down.

  “She and I are going to have to have a talk.”

  Alistair was surprised by her sudden abrasiveness. “Liv...it’s okay.”

  “It might be okay to you, but it’s not okay to me.”

  He repositioned himself so that he sat crossed legged. “Calm down.”

  “I am calm.”

  He gave her a skeptical look.

  “It’s just a little soon. That’s all I’m saying.

  “For what? For us?”

  “No.”

  “For what, then?”

  “Christmas together. I know Jazlynn is her own woman, but she should have talked this over with me first.”

  “She’s was assuming you were going to join us. She said so last week.”

  “Well she shouldn’t have assumed anything.”

  “I guess she just assumed that with her and Trey, and now that you and I are acquainted with each other...”

  “Oh so that’s all we are?”

  Alistair gave her a look of surprise. “No. That’s not at all what I meant. Obviously I want more...that’s why we’re here isn’t it?”

  “Well why say it that way, then?”

  She was challenging him again and even though it was a part of her he’d always found amusing, he was just a little perturbed right then. He wanted to be accommodating but not at the risk of letting her take over. He was his own man and not even this woman who had been the object of his desire for so many long months would take that away from him.

  “It was a bad choice of words. And I could have sworn you wanted this as much as I do.”

  “I do,” she responded.

  “Well okay then,” he said, not hiding the irritation in his voice. “Forgive me if I was out of line in asking y
ou to spend Christmas with me and my family. I just thought it was the right thing to do because I knew Jazlynn was spending it with us. And as for Jazlynn not telling you, I thought she’d already mentioned it to you. If I had known she hadn’t I would never have brought it up to begin with.”

  She looked at him as though she’d just been stung. “I’m sorry.”

  “No need to apologize,” he said calmly, feeling the tension between them release.

  “Look, I really do appreciate your invitation, but I can’t imagine telling Aunt Von we’re not having Christmas dinner at our place at all this Christmas. It’s been a tradition of ours for almost ten years.”

  Alistair sympathized with her. He could certainly respect that the tradition was so close to her heart, but at the same time wanted her to experience things differently, too. Maybe that was selfish of him. “Well, I’d like nothing more than for you to spend it with us, but I understand what your traditional Christmas dinner means to you.”

  “I feel good just knowing you asked.”

  “Well that makes me feel good.”

  “Well good then,” Olivia retorted with a smile.

  Alistair gave her his famous sexy smirk. He leaned in towards her, taking her chin in his hands and giving her a soft, full kiss. Satisfied with the warmth from her lips he eased into a comfortable position again.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Olivia’s head was bowed over a stack of papers when Megan poked her head in the door. “Are you ready?”

  She’d been so busy catching up on paper work and answering emails that she’d forgotten she was supposed to go to lunch with Megan and Alicia. “Honestly, I’d forgotten all about it. Actually, I think I’m going to stay here and catch up on some stuff anyway.”

  Meagan shook her head. “Uh-uh...you’re not allowed. Remember you promised you’d try to get away from your desk for lunch from now on?”

  Yes, Olivia had agreed to the idea a few weeks ago, but she was in a different place now. She was preoccupied with her relationship with Alistair and Christmas was just around the corner. She was also trying to come to grips with the fact that Jazlynn would be moving out within a few weeks. She had a lot going on and was trying to figure out how things could be so good, yet so stressful at the same time. “Oh Meg I’d love to, but I have a lot to catch up on and would like to get out of here at a decent hour today if possible. I need to get to the mall and get some Christmas shopping done before the crowds get too big.”

  “You sure?” Megan asked.

  Olivia nodded.

  “Okay then...” Megan said, turning and heading out the door. “Catch up with you later on, then.”

  “All right, Meg. Thanks,” Olivia called after her, returning her attention back to papers stacked in front of her. She didn’t feel like socializing with the girls anyway. As soon as she finished up a few more things at her desk, she planned to head down to Sheffield to pick up a quick lunch from the deli and bring it back to her office to eat.

  She clicked the calendar on her computer open and glanced over the next week’s activities. Normally around this time of year, she felt a sense of excitement as she and Jazlynn anticipated Vondrelle’s arrival. The three of them usually spent the last few days before Christmas shopping, cooking, and baking together. With her TV show taping schedule as hectic as it was, Vondrelle’s being there and spending quality time with them meant everything. Olivia couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but something was off in her spirits. At a time when she should have been feeling celebratory, she was feeling quite the opposite. What kind of Christmas would it be this year if Jazlynn was spending it with the Davenports and she and Vondrelle spending it with just the two of them? It was an issue of contention between Olivia and Jazlynn, but Jazlynn had made up her mind that she was spending Christmas with her man and his family and that was that. She’d told Olivia as much the night before as well as told her she was a fool for not seeing plainly what was in front of her.

  “Chill the hell out and get real. As fine as Alistair is don’t be thinking he’s going just going to stick around forever if you’re not going to give him what he wants. And in case you were wondering, there are plenty of other women out there who would kill for a guy like him,” Jazlynn said airily as she gathered up her things from the kitchen table and sauntered out of the room.

  Jazlynn’s words echoed in Olivia’s ears as she sat at her desk stacked high with briefs and other projects. She went back to closely studying her calendar and all of the events the next week would bring, running her finger across the screen and scanning through a few of them. There was the firm’s annual Christmas dinner this Friday evening. Alistair had graciously accepted her invitation to go with her which made her feel guilty considering she had turned down his offer to have Christmas dinner with his family. She sensed he was secretly offended by it, even though his behavior had given away nothing to the affect. She wanted so badly for things to work out between them. She worried she wasn’t giving him what he wanted. It was unsettling. She shook her worries off momentarily and logged out of her email, grabbed her purse, coat and gloves, and headed out the door.

  The moment she entered the over-crowded deli she wished she’d brown-bagged her lunch instead. She had too much work to do to be spending time waiting in line. After finally paying for a Montreal smoked meat on rye, she was just about to head out the door when she caught a glimpse of Alistair. She was just about to head over to the table to express her surprise at seeing him there when she realized he wasn’t alone. She stood on her tippy-toes to see over the plant blocking her view to get a better look. When she realized it was a woman, her heart sank. Awash with nausea, she bolted toward the door. She pulled it open, almost colliding with another customer. Rushing outside into the crisp late December air, taking what seemed like five steps at a time, she finally made it to her car and shakily fumbled inside her Birken handbag for her key, blinking back the tears stinging her eyes. She had no intention of ever wasting tears on a man again. How dare he betray her? He’d come off acting like he was perfectly into her and now that he’d snagged her he was putting her on the shelf so that he could explore other possibilities? Well she had news for him! She rustled frantically around, shifting papers aside, looking everywhere in her cramped handbag. Where the fuck were her damned keys? Recalling laying them on the counter as she handed her debit card to the cashier, she realized she must have left them in the deli. Dreading the idea, she was about to go back inside to look for them when she saw Alistair running across the parking lot towards her, calling out to her. How had he managed to see her when he’d had his back turned towards her? As she watched him running, her eyes flared at the sight of him. Everything he’d said about looking for a good woman to grow old with had been utter bullshit. He’d killed them before they had even started.

  “Don’t even bother saying anything. I’m not interested in anything you have to say,” she said, angrily pointing a shaking finger at him as he came to a stop across from her, his mouth already open to speak. “I’m done. It’s over.” She waved him off with her hand. “Now run along...go enjoy your quaint little lunch with your latest flavor of the month.” She couldn’t have hid the pain in her voice if she tried. “Really have to hand it to you though...you do have good taste in women.”

  “No, no, no...Liv...listen...please let me explain,” he said, placing his hands on her arms. A wide grin formed around the corners of his mouth, his deep, hazel-brown eyes boring into hers. “Let me explain.”

  “Take your hands off me,” Olivia hissed at him, wriggling out of his grip. “I’m really glad you find this funny. I come to pick up a quick lunch and run into you hitting it up with another woman behind my back and you find it funny? You’re an idiot!” she said, angrily drawing the last word out. “I’m just glad I saw your true colors before I got any further involved with you. Just buy me out of the flip that way we can be done with each other all together.”

  “Liv, Liv...let me talk—please!” Alista
ir said, his grin now gone, the cheeriness replaced with frustration. “Look, I know what you’re thinking but you’re wrong. This isn’t at all what you think it is. There’s no other woman and I’m not cheating on you.”

  “I wasn’t born yesterday. I know what I saw.” Olivia didn’t care one iota what he had to say. “I’m glad you find playing games with my heart so amusing. Now move the hell out of my way,” she said, practically shoving him aside so she could go back into the deli to retrieve her keys.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, stepping to aside to make way for her.

  Olivia found the entire exchange very disturbing. He had just devastated her by creeping around with another woman yet was acting as though he had done nothing wrong. She was ready to slap him. “I forgot my keys inside,” she said in a pronounced tone laced with sarcasm. ”I’m going to get them. What part of get out of my way did you not hear correctly the first time?”

  He reached for her hands. Despite her anger she allowed him. Even in her anger, it was hard to resist him.

  “Baby, if you’ll just let me explain...” He paused, looking down at her with the same intense gaze he’d mesmerized her with the very first day they’d met. Then in the next instant he shook his head and let out a laugh as he gripped her hands in his huge masculine ones. “You’re getting riled up over nothing. That’s my sister Marquise in there. She’s home for Christmas.”

  Olivia let out the breath she’d been holding in. She relaxed her shoulders, trying to stifle the grin on her face. She stared wordlessly at him for a moment, trying to think of something to say. “Okay, so now that I feel entirely stupid.”

  Alistair put his arm around her shoulders and laughed. “No biggie...I’d have misunderstood had I been in your shoes, too. Baby, I’m really sorry I upset you.”

  “It’s okay. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge you.”

  “Come on, don’t be silly. Like I said, I’d probably have assumed the same thing in your shoes. Now come on so I can introduce you two. She’s been dying to meet you.”

  “Liv, meet my baby sis, Marquise. Marquise, this is the one and only, Olivia,” Alistair said, introducing the two women once they were back inside the deli.