Stranded: A Winter Romance Duet

by Samantha Chase

  “No. But once Beckett’s father passed, all of a sudden there were Logan and Julie trying to call in favors and get a place in the company – with Beckett’s financing! They didn’t want to earn a place or contribute anything; they wanted a piece of the pie without working for it, to just sit back and collect their money. His sister Julie was the one who broke his heart the most. She wasn’t even asking on her own behalf. She wanted Beckett to financially back her boyfriend, well, Colton’s her husband now, but back then he was just her boyfriend.” She shook her head. “Beckett cut them both out of his life and what surprised me the most was that neither of them ever tried to see his side or call to apologize. Beckett’s stubborn but I think he was genuinely hurt by their actions.”

  “And rightfully so. That’s horrible.” No more horrible than Ted leaving her behind to do his job so he wouldn’t get fired, so she totally understood where Beckett was coming from. However, she wasn’t sure she could completely cut her brother out of her life. She might be temporarily angry with him, but to never talk to him again? She just couldn’t imagine it. “Do you think they’ll ever make up?”

  “It’s been a long time. If it hasn’t happened by now, I don’t think it will.”

  “Maybe they all just need a little…nudge.”

  “That may be, but it’s not going to be from me,” Norma said as she shook her head again. “Those three are like my own children and I still talk to Logan and Julie all the time. I miss them terribly but I wouldn’t betray Beckett by inviting them here without his permission.”

  “Do they ever talk about it?”

  Norma nodded. “They’ve both admitted that they handled things wrong but they feel that Beckett overreacted too and that he’s the one unwilling to open the lines of communication.”

  “Maybe I could mention it to him. You know, sort of feel him out.”

  Norma looked at her warily. “If anyone might be able to do it, it would be you. Just be prepared for Beckett not to be very open to the idea.”

  Hope chuckled. “Believe me, after this last week, I’m prepared for just about anything.”

  ****

  The Christmas tree looked spectacular.

  The house was positively festive.

  And Hope felt like she was going to throw up.

  Alone in her room, she relished the quiet. Beckett had mentioned having a few more calls to make and even though it was Christmas Eve, Hope had no doubt that he didn’t have a problem wrapping up business when most people were getting ready to celebrate with their families.

  She didn’t mind. It gave her some time to get her thoughts together. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled. It wasn’t often that she dressed up; working from home by herself left very little reason to dress up, but standing here now, she realized that she liked it.

  The dress came down almost to her ankles but the entire garment hugged her body. In crushed hunter green velvet, she felt festive and pretty. The sleeves were long and she found herself pushing them up out of habit, but the look still worked. She kept her hair long and loose and even slipped on a pair of stilettos that matched the dress. Hope had no idea how dressed up Beckett was going to be but she figured that this dress would work either way.

  Norma had prepared a lovely meal but she had left an hour ago to spend the night with her own family. Hope knew how to get everything plated and served for just the two of them. That wasn’t a problem. She was nervous, however, about bringing up the subject of his family. As much as she felt it was important and something that they needed to discuss, she was so looking forward to the night that she didn’t want to do anything to ruin it.

  Her only hope was to play it by ear and see if there was a way to weave it into the conversation.

  She was just about to step out of her room when her phone rang. Looking at the screen, she saw Ted’s name pop up. “Merry Christmas,” she said cheerily.

  “What in the world is going on?” he demanded. “You haven’t answered any of my calls and…”

  “I texted you. Everything’s fine. I just decided to stay and have Christmas here.”

  “With Mr. James?”

  “With Beckett,” she said and smiled at the fact that for five years her brother never bothered to find out Beckett’s name.

  “I don’t understand, Hope. You freaked out about my leaving you there and then you decide not only to stay but to stay for Christmas. It doesn’t make any sense. You guilted me about spending the holiday together and then you don’t come home!”

  “I know, I know,” she said as she looked at her reflection and fluffed her hair. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “Try me.”

  She told Ted about the time she had spent with Beckett, without knowing he was Ted’s boss, before coming to the mountains. “I was shocked when I realized who he really was, and now that I’ve spent some time with him, I realized that he’s not that bad.”

  “He fired me, Hope! Or have you forgotten that?”

  “No, I haven’t forgotten that, but you did that to yourself. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

  “Sure you can! You can talk to him and convince him to give me my job back! The whole situation just got out of hand. Certainly now that you’ve spent so much time cozying up to him he’ll listen to you.”

  “First of all, stop it. Second of all, I’m not cozying up to him for you or for anyone else. I like Beckett, a lot. And I’m not going to use the relationship that we have for your benefit. If you want your job back, then you’re going to have to come and talk to him – man to man.”

  “Geez, you’re something else, you know that?” he snapped. “I can’t believe that after all the complaining that you’ve done over the years about him that now you’re…you’re…what? You’re dating him or something?”

  “I jumped to the wrong conclusion.” Sort of. “I needed to get to know him.”

  “Well I did know him, damn it! I knew him as my boss and you nagged the crap out of me about him! And now I’m screwed and out of a job and you’re playing house with him!”

  “No one’s playing house and you’re overreacting,” she said calmly. “Look, we’ll talk about this after I get home.”

  “I’m coming up there tomorrow,” Ted said emphatically. “You need to come home and I know I should have done it sooner, but I’m driving up there first thing in the morning.”

  “No, you’re not. Tomorrow is Christmas Day and we have plans.”

  “Then set another plate at the table because I’m going to be there.”

  “Ted…” But it was too late. He’d hung up. Hope knew it wasn’t ideal but the situation was only one of the elephants in the room and maybe the sooner they dealt with it the better. Plus, it was the exact opening she needed to introduce the subject of Beckett’s siblings.

  With a sigh, she opened the bedroom door and made her way down the stairs to the kitchen. “Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la,” she sang as she went. The dining room table was already set and a quick glance at the clock told her their appetizers would be ready to serve in less than ten minutes. There was no sign of Beckett yet, so she walked down to his office to see if he was still working.

  He wasn’t.

  She walked into the study to see if he was in there and the sight of the tree all lit up just stopped her in her tracks and made her smile. “We did that,” she whispered and reached out to touch one of crystal ornaments.

  “Yes, we did,” Beckett said from behind her.

  Hope didn’t turn around; she knew he’d come in close and wrap his arms around her. It was a habit he had and one that she really loved. “I think it’s the most beautiful tree in the world.”

  He chuckled. “I don’t know about that but it’s certainly the most beautiful tree I’ve ever seen.” He kissed her cheek. “And you’re the most beautiful woman.”

  She blushed. No one had ever called her beautiful before, only Beckett. She turned in his arms and, thanks to her heels, she was the perfect height t
o kiss him properly without having to stretch. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “I have to admit, I wasn’t so sure how I’d feel about all of this, having the house decorated and actually celebrating, but with you here, it just feels…right.”

  No words could have meant more to Hope. She had felt the same way. This was different from any other Christmas she had ever celebrated and on some level she was expecting it to feel foreign or uncomfortable but everything about it just seemed to fit. It gave her hope that she was healing. She’d never get over missing her parents, but seeing that she wasn’t alone and had something to look forward to was a wonderful feeling.

  It would have been so easy to just stay like that, but the kitchen timer went off. “That would be our appetizers,” Hope said and disengaged from Beckett’s embrace and walked toward the kitchen.

  “Can I help you with anything?”

  “Why don’t you pour us some wine while I make our plates?” Together they worked in silence and when they were ready to sit down, Beckett held out the chair for her before taking his own seat.

  Holding up his glass, Beckett looked over at her and smiled serenely. “Shall we toast?” he asked and Hope nodded. “To a most surprising Christmas.”

  With her glass in hand, Hope reached out and touched hers to Beckett’s. “To us.”

  The smile on Beckett’s face broadened. “To us.”

  They drank and then began tasting the delicious hors d’oeuvres Norma had prepared for them. Each plate had a crab and risotto cake, two stuffed mushrooms, zucchini fritters and grilled scallops wrapped in bacon. After her first taste of the crab cake, Hope purred with delight. “Oh, my goodness. How does she do it?”

  “She’s amazing, right?” Beckett said as he popped a scallop into his mouth.

  “I know that she was making enough to take to her family and was kind enough to leave these for us, but I’m so glad she did!”

  After they were finished, they sat and talked about everything and nothing before it was time for the main course. “Is it wrong to say that I’m still kind of full from the appetizers?” Hope asked as she stood when the second timer went off.

  Beckett followed her into the kitchen with the dirty dishes. “No, it’s not. Norma outdid herself this year. We can always keep the dinner warm and have it later if you’d like.”

  She considered her options and decided that it would be a shame to reheat the crown roast. “Let’s eat it now. We don’t have to have a whole lot. Besides, once we’re done eating, I have other plans for us.” She winked at Beckett and almost laughed at the stunned expression on his face.

  “What kind of plans?”

  “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

  They worked together once again to put dinner on the table, neither speaking much. Hope knew she was rushing through the meal and she had a sneaking suspicion that Beckett was doing the same. It was almost a relief when they each put their utensils down and declared themselves finished.

  Hope cleared the table while Beckett did the dishes and when there was nothing left to do, he shut off the lights in the kitchen and came to stand in front of her. “I believe you mentioned something about plans for after dinner?” he teased.

  “Did I?”

  He nodded. “I believe you did.”

  Taking Beckett by the hand, she led him to the study. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace and between it and the lights on the Christmas tree, there wasn’t a need for any more. Hope walked over and flipped the wall switch to shut off all of the excess lighting. Then she moved over to the tree and knelt down in front of it and motioned for Beckett to join her.

  Silently, he sat beside her. Hope rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “I know we didn’t talk about it, but…I got you something.”

  He shifted and looked at her with something akin to shock. “Like a present?”

  She nodded. “I don’t expect anything in return,” she said quickly. “I just wanted to give something to you. It’s nothing big. I…you made me look forward to Christmas when I didn’t think anything could and I want to thank you.”

  Hope reached under the tree and pulled out a medium-sized wrapped package and handed it to him. Much like he had on that first night when she gave him the tin of cookies, he didn’t take it right away. “Please, Beckett.”

  He finally took it and Hope could tell that he wasn’t fully comfortable with the situation. Slowly, he began to unwrap it and once the paper was dispersed with, he looked up at her. “You really didn’t have to do anything, Hope. We never talked about…”

  “Christmas is about giving, not receiving. I wanted to give you something. It’s nothing big. I mean, we went shopping together so I really didn’t have a chance to look around too much. I hope you like this.”

  Beckett swallowed hard and opened the box. Inside was…a drawing. No…it was a sketchpad full of drawings. Looking up at her, he frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “Remember when I told you I used to draw comic books?”

  He nodded.

  “Well, while you’ve been working these last couple of days, I’ve been drawing this for you. It’s silly, I know, but…it’s the story of a man who is all alone in the world and then he discovers that he has superpowers. He creates beautiful places for people to stay and helps those who are also alone to celebrate the holiday that is most important to them.”

  Beckett watched her intently as she spoke, not looking at the book. “Does he have a cape?”

  Hope visibly relaxed and smiled. “Of course. Every superhero should have a cape. No matter what they said in The Incredibles.”

  “I…I don’t know what to say. This…this is the most amazing gift anyone has ever given me.”

  Her smile grew. “Good. I didn’t know what to get the man who has everything.”

  “What if I’d already had a personalized, hand-drawn comic book? What would you have done then?” he teased.

  Hope stood and took a step back. Reaching behind her, she tugged the zipper on her dress down and then shimmied a bit until it hung from her shoulders and then let it fall to the ground to pool at her feet.

  “I must have been a very good boy this year,” Beckett murmured reverently. Hope stood bathed in firelight and the glow of the lights on the tree wearing red silk and lace underwear, her stilettos and nothing else.

  “I believe you have,” she whispered.

  Slowly, Beckett came to his feet, his hands shaking as he reached out to touch her. “You should have told me you were going to do this. I would have loved to unwrap you.” His voice was thick and husky as his eyes devoured her.

  “I left the most important pieces for you to handle,” she said as she boldly stepped forward and pressed up against him from chest to toe. “Unwrap me, Beckett.”

  “My pleasure.”

  ***

  Later, they were still on the floor of the study in front of the fire, but Beckett had found a blanket to cover them with. Hope’s back was against his chest and she was using his arm as a pillow. He wished they had moved into his bedroom, but it seemed absolutely perfect for them to make love here in front of the tree, in front of the fire.

  “Are you awake?” he asked softly and smiled when she barely nodded. “Because if you are, I actually have a present for you.”

  Slowly, Hope turned in his arms until she was facing him. “Oh, really?” she asked and then yawned. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

  “Because your gift blew me away. I was barely able to speak.”

  She giggled. “That was what I was going for.”

  “You know, a less secure guy might take that to mean that you don’t want them to talk.”

  Hope rolled her eyes. “Really? We’re going to go there now?”

  “You’re right. Sorry.”

  “So…a present?”

  “You’re not the only one who had to be secretive,” he said as he rolled her onto her back so that he could reach beyond her and pull a box
out from under the tree. It was a bit larger than the one she had given him and square. Sitting up, he handed it to her.

  Hope pulled the blanket up to cover herself a bit and took the gift from him. “Oh my goodness. It’s heavy,” she said as she smiled and looked at him. “What in the world…?”

  “Just open it.”

  Delicately, she tore away at the tape and then did her best to take the wrapping paper off without actually ripping it. When she finished, she took the lid off of the box, moved the tissue paper aside and gasped. “Oh, Beckett…what…? Oh, it’s beautiful!” Carefully, she pulled the musical snow globe from the box. The scene showed a house that looked a lot like Beckett’s surrounded by trees and snow and when you shook the globe, it looked a lot like his did during the snowstorm. “What does it play?” she asked, her eyes never leaving the snowy scene.

  “Wind it up and find out,” he said, his voice gruff.

  She did and when it began to play, tears welled in her eyes. “Winter Wonderland” filled the room. “It’s the most perfect gift I’ve ever received. Thank you.” Leaning forward, she kissed him softly on the lips.

  “No matter where you are, you’ll always remember our Christmas here.”

  Hope swiped away some of the tears that now fell. “I won’t need a snow globe to remind me. I’ll always hold the memory dear, right here in my heart.” Taking one of his hands in hers, she held it over her heart.

  They sat like that until the music stopped and then Hope cuddled up beside him. “There are still quite a few presents under the tree,” she said. “I know that a few of them are the ones that I had with me to bring to Tara and I did buy something for Norma and there’s even one for Ted.”

  “Any more of them for me?” he asked, sounding a little like a kid.

  “Maybe. But you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to open them.”

  He pulled back and looked at her. “I was only kidding, Hope. Please tell me you didn’t do anything else.”

  “I know how many gifts I put under that tree. What about you? Who are all those other gifts for?”

  He shrugged. “There are a few there for Norma and I know she put a couple under there for both me and you.”