Be Mine This Christmas: A Lovers in London Book

by Mary Lynn Cooper

  Darcey texted the Leighton chauffeur, Joe, to let them know Max was ready. As they waited for Max’s ride, the two guys couldn’t stop talking about football.

  “Yea, I’m glad you came with us,” she heard Max tell Nathan. “It was a fun match indeed. I was so nervous with that last kick.”

  The driver arrived and they sent Max off with hugs. The young lad couldn’t stop grinning. Darcey and Nathan were headed out into the street when they walked right into Nick. She almost forgot he was an Arsenal fan.

  “Why, hello, Nick”

  She realised Nick wasn’t alone. The girl next to him was coiled in his arm like a snake. Nick’s companion was extremely gorgeous with cascading dark hair and smooth skin.

  Nick smiled at Darcey. As soon as his gaze fell on Nathan, Nick’s face changed. Nathan looked at Nick the same way the other man was staring back. The two were obviously sizing each other up.

  “Nick, this is Nathan. Nathan, this is my friend Nicholas. And…?” Darcey gestured to the beauty next to Nicholas.

  “It’s Vanessa.” The reply came with a thick sexy French accent. Darcey extended her hand to shake Vanessa’s. Nathan extended an arm to the beauty but the two men didn’t shake hands and continued to stare at one another with steely expressions in their eyes.

  Darcey pretended not to notice the friction between the two men. “I’m Darcey, a good friend of Nicholas. How do you guys know each other?” She had never seen the French girl. Darcey’s curiosity was piqued. It was a ritual for her to meet Nick’s girlfriends, ever since they’ve been friends, almost customary for him to introduce them to her for approval.

  “We met at a party Nick was catering for. One of his assistants couldn’t come so I helped out.” Vanessa rubbed Nick’s arm and smiled at him. “I’m a chef. Working with a cutie is not hard work. The rest, as they say, is history.”

  Darcey knew Nick well enough to know that a pretty face, a French accent and a deep love for food were definitely factors that made anyone girlfriend material for Nick.

  “That’s great. I hope to see more of you soon.” Darcey meant every word and she smiled at Nick’s date. She couldn’t help but like the girl for Nicholas. She seemed sweet and smitten by him. Darcey shifted her gaze at Nick but he didn’t look too happy.

  “You don’t like football, I invited you plenty of times and you always refused.” Nick’s words held a tone of resentment, no matter how he tried to form a smile on his face.

  It wasn’t the reply Darcey expected. “Well, I still am not a big fan, but I had to.” She shrugged.

  Nick looked at Nathan and this time the uneasiness between the two men was only too obvious.

  It was Vanessa’s turn to break the ice. “I told Nick I wasn’t a big fan either, but, well, he’s so adorable I couldn’t refuse. Did you have a wonderful time, Darcey?”

  “Of course. Chelsea won.” Nathan answered for her before Darcey could say anything. There was a challenging edge in his voice and then he looked at Nick. “The better team won tonight, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t know about that, but I agree you’re the luckier one tonight.” Nick could have cut paper with the edge in his words. He stared at Darcey with a stoic expression that made her feel uneasy under its scrutiny.

  Why is he staring at me this way? Why is he so unfriendly to Nathan? She couldn’t place a finger on why Nathan looked aloof and uneasy as well.

  Nick suddenly released himself from Vanessa’s arms. He leaned over and gave Darcey a hug. It lasted longer than what seemed necessary. Nick then gave her a kiss on the cheek, whispering, “Call me later.”

  The gesture surprised Darcey yet she tried to be casual about it. Nathan’s face was harder to decipher. He smiled politely at the couple and said, “We’re going to get going, let you two lovebirds go on with your date. We don’t want to be intruding. Good night.” He placed a protective hand on Darcey’s back and led her away.

  Chapter 14

  Darcey got to her flat, wondering why Nathan and Nicholas were strangely aloof with one another. Nathan was tight-lipped on the way to the tube station. He acted cold when he dropped her off.

  The two men didn’t know each other so why the awkwardness? She hadn’t seen Nicholas agitated before. She thought of the conversation with Nathan, when he asked her about her friendship with Nick. He wanted to confirm just how close she was to the chef. The question seemed weird, like it came with a follow-up question, but Darcey couldn’t point her finger on what was going on.

  “Nick? Yea, he and I have been friends for years,” Darcey replied. “His restaurant is in South Ken. You should pop in sometimes. It’s called Amici, a tribute to his Italian heritage. I learned to cook from him.”

  Nathan was suddenly quiet and she really wanted to know what was up with the sudden change. He was happy and chatty earlier. When she got home, she walked into her bedroom, taking off her coat and her clothes. She felt relieved to finally get to relax.

  She ran a warm bubble bath and played some music, then she lit candles. She knew she deserved the bath, relax her nerves from the anxiety of the past few weeks. The thought of getting a day off the next day was making her feel elated. Thank goodness for Guy Fawkes Day. The Leightons were off to their grandparent’s country home.

  She remembered Luis invited her and Trisha for drinks at his company party, complete with a fireworks display on a boat decked by the Thames. Every year, Luis’ boss would throw a party at his boat and serve exquisite hot soups along with an unlimited supply of wine and other drinks. She leaned back, enjoying her bath and thought of the conversation with Luis.

  “Bring Dimitri,” Luis had told her.

  “Well, I haven’t seen him in a while. To be honest, the idea that he’s a shipping heir makes him very intimidating.”

  “I can’t believe you didn’t recognize the last name, darling.” Luis softly punched her arm. “But then again, you’re no fortune-hunter or gold-digger. In fact, you’re quite the boring opposite.”

  Darcey had laughed at her friend’s ribbing. “I didn’t know that when I met him.”

  “You can’t blame the lad, I’m sure he enjoys his anonymity and he’s so down-to-earth! You should look at the bright side.”

  Maybe Luis had been right. Darcy softly scrubbed her arms with a lavender-coloured sponge. Vanilla scents filled the bathroom.

  This is heaven.

  She closed her eyes and allowed her muscles to be soothed by the warm water. A few minutes later her home spa experience was interrupted. She heard someone at the door. It was almost past eleven.

  Who could it be?

  She carefully got up, rinsing herself against the screaming protest of her body. Then she wrapped herself in her favourite robe, her hair tucked under a turban. She walked briskly towards the door, expecting to find someone who lived in the building. Dimitri perhaps?

  She opened the door and felt shocked to see Nick standing outside her apartment.

  “Nick! What are you doing here at this ungodly hour?”

  “Good evening to you, too, Darcey.” He winked at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a hug. The action would have been considered casual under most circumstances but clothed in only a robe, the hug felt rather intimate.

  Nicholas was always hugging her, never afraid to show his affections. But that was because he was like that. Nick acted the same way around his sisters and his affectionate trait was so ebbed in his DNA.

  He walked inside with Darcey, making himself comfortable. He went to her rack of alcohol and poured himself a glass of brandy. He then found his way in the kitchen and grabbed some ice.

  “Let me get change,” Darcey told him and headed to her bedroom.

  “What’s wrong with your dressing gown? Don’t change on my behalf.”

  “For your information, you disrupted my bath and you were incredibly rude to my friend.” Darcey turned around to face him, one hand on her hip.

  “Does that mean you’re naked underneath?” Nick
seemed to enjoy her uneasiness.

  She rolled her eyes and walked into her bedroom, putting on flannel pajamas with baby pink and light blue-checkered prints. She rubbed the water out of her hair as she returned to Nicholas. She grabbed a drink, opting for Baileys.

  “Would you want something to nibble?”

  “I am rather ravenous. Can I poke through your cupboards and maybe whip us some quick meal?”

  Forever the chef, Nick was a fun guest to have. She would never refuse Nicholas cooking for her, not even if he was being rather difficult that night.

  “Sure. I only had a hotdog tonight.” She gave him puppy sad eyes.

  He walked towards the kitchen and she followed right behind him.

  “How about some spaghetti al olio?” he asked.

  “Actually, I have some truffle oil from Trisha. Wait, let me grab it for you.” She found the bottle and handed it to him.

  Nick turned the cap and inhaled the expensive oil. “Tartufo. Ti Amo.”

  She sipped her drink. “Lucky bottle, luckier than Vanessa. What happened to your date?”

  He grabbed a pot and filled it with water then sprinkled sea salt into it. Next, he turned on the stove. Nick did all these with so much ease Darcey couldn’t stop herself from feeling impressed. She removed some nuts from a cupboard. She had seen Nick working in his kitchen and hers countless of times. She had always thought that if there was anyone who ruled in the kitchen, it was Nick.

  “Vanessa. She’s a sweetheart.” He started chopping some onion and greens before taking Parmigiano cheese from the refrigerator.

  “What’s wrong, Nicholas? You got bored already? It hasn’t even been a month.”

  He faked a hurt look. “Ouch, Darcey, couldn’t you be more cruel? Is that what you really think of me? The man with a ‘Flavour of the month’ girlfriend?”

  “Since when did a relationship of yours last longer than a month?” She giggled. Nick was suddenly quiet and Darcey felt guilty for teasing him. She recalled how, during the previous year, she saw him heartbroken.

  “I’m sorry, Nicky. That was a bit uncalled for. I know you’re capable of falling in love. You were in love with Miss Sweden. She was the greatest love of your life.” She made sure to talk with as much tact as she could manage.

  Nick looked over his shoulder. “Is it serious between you and that Nathan guy? And by the way, he doesn’t look Greek.”

  “That’s because he’s not, you dimwit. Dimitri’s Greek.” She threw him a peanut. “Dimitri is the man I wanted you to cook for. Nathan is just a friend.”

  “A friend?” Nick sounded doubtful. “How did you meet this friend? I never heard you speak of this friend.”

  She told him the story about meeting Nathan under the confusing circumstances at the hotel. Darcey couldn’t help but start laughing as she told the story. “Can you believe it? He thought I was applying to work as an escort! But he coldly turned me down.”

  “He turned you down for his friend,” came Nick’s reply.

  “No, he turned me down because I, well, am not gorgeous enough to take to parties, balls, meetings, business travels.”

  He took a piece of pasta from the boiling water in the pot, nibbled it to make sure it was cooked al dente. “Do you like him? Dimitri, that is.”

  “Why do you ask about Nathan? Wait, I noticed you were being rude to him earlier. Do you even know the guy?” Darcey eyed Nick suspiciously.

  He didn’t answer her question. Instead, he asked, “So, when do I meet this Dimitri and give you my approval?”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  He strained the pasta and placed it in a bowl. “Why?”

  Darcey took out two plates and utensils from a drawer. “I just found out that he’s really, really, really rich.“

  Nick raised a brow. “Oh? How rich?”

  “I don’t know the expanse of his vast wealth but according to Trisha, his family probably keeps Greece afloat. Stelonakis. Heard of them?“

  “Oh, Stenolakis Shipping?” Nick generously poured some truffle oil on the pasta and grated cheese.

  Darcey set the plates and utensils on the table. “You know them?”

  “Darcey, have you not been reading the news? The Stenolakis family gets mentioned regularly. That and I went with one of Dimitri’s cousins, if not brother, to the same school. And I daresay, if you ended up with him, you would be sitting by a private island raising little Greek babies. The guy is minted. Well done, you!” Nick spoke with a bland tone as he took a forkful of pasta and tasted his creation. “Go try it. It’s ready, Mademoiselle.”

  Darcey sat down and placed a heaping of the sumptuous looking meal on her plate. “That’s the thing, I don’t think I’m interested in dating Dimitri anymore. Besides, he hasn’t really shown any interest since that time I had him over with Luis and Trisha.”

  “Why? Does his wealth bother you?” Nick studied her while twirling his fork on a spoon, pasta gliding smoothly against his fork.

  Darcey took a bite. Her chef friend never failed to please the palate. “Actually, no. In fact, Dimitri’s so down-to-earth. He’s not high maintenance at all. He’s easy to get along with. In fact, he’s very much like me. Carefree. Like, Peter Pan.”

  “Anyone for you but Nathan,” Nick retorted, venom in his tone.

  The words made her look up from her plate. “What do you mean by that? What’s so wrong with Nathan?” She eyed Nick.

  He shrugged and took a sip of his drink. “He’s a Chelsea fan for one. And he sounds arrogant and condescending.”

  “Come on, Oxbridge graduate, don’t tell me you haven’t met a few of your contemporaries around.” She poked his chest.

  “I just don’t like him. He looks extremely wealthy, too.” Nick looked more and more annoyed, as if the topic of Nathan was despicable to him. “Who knows, he might be some heir of a massive company, too. Is that good enough?”

  “No, you’re being unreasonable, Nick! And Nathan isn’t even professing undying love to me, nor does he like me that way.” Nick was confusing her.

  He looked at her, challenge in his eyes. “How sure are you, Darcey?”

  “I just am.” She met his gaze with an equal amount of challenge. “Nick, as much as you are so dear to me, you don’t have the right to tell me who I can or can’t date. You are not my mother.”

  “You’re right. I have no right.” He fiddled with his food.

  “Nick, you know your opinion is always something I take into consideration. Sometimes I feel nervous your critiques could actually change my mind about things.”

  Her statement clearly surprised him. “Really?”

  “Yes, like when I went for that job interview with that company based in Germany. You expressed your opinion about not taking it.”

  Nick looked like his appetite had returned and he took another bite. “Oh, I didn’t realize I was doing that. I just wanted the best for you. I just wanted you to wait for the right one, you know. The one you deserve, Darcey. I promise you, if I think something—or someone--is good for you, I would be the first to congratulate you.”

  “Thank you for your concern. I couldn’t ask for a better friend. I’m really lucky to have you.” She placed a hand on top of his for a brief moment.

  “Same.” Nick wiped his mouth with a piece of paper napkin.

  They continued to eat in silence. After a few minutes Darcey looked up to ask, “So, you really think Nathan isn’t the one for me? “ She didn’t know what made her utter those words but she had to know why Nick was against Nathan.

  Her friend’s eyes held hers, refusing to bow out. “To be really honest, I don’t know. But I hope he’s not the one for you. I really, really, really do hope not.”

  Chapter 15

  Darcey woke up a little later than usual. She had gone to bed late the previous night, thoughts of Nick and Nathan’s bizarre behaviour kept her up. She found herself lying in bed for hours wondering why Nick was acting so differently. He had always been
transparent with her, with the exception of the time he dated the Swedish girl who broke his heart.

  For weeks Darcey had to help Nick nurse a very broken heart. She was officially his drinking buddy. Thoughts of how Nick had behaved after the ravishing Swede dumped him plagued Darcey most of the night after the game.

  “Darcey, you know when it’s love? When you can’t live without them. But I was just her last minute guy. I’m such a fool! But you’re not like that, that’s why you’re my favourite girl,” he had said in different variations for numerous nights as he downed one bottle after another. She spent plenty of evenings as any good best friend would at his place.