“How poetic.”
“Thank you.” He smiled.
“You mentioned band mates, did your band ever play here?”
“Nah, we never left our garage. We weren’t ambitious enough. Our guitarist was always on dates, the drummer would be sick, and our keyboardist didn’t care for it and took on a second job instead. We played for fun.”
Families filled the markets wearing Santa hats and foam antlers. Her eyes lit up with wonder as she walked to the site. They passed through an aisle of food trucks, the mini donuts tempting her the most. It was the combination of hot oil and cinnamon drifting underneath her nose.
Stopping in her tracks, she cleared her throat, giving one glance at the truck. He chuckled, pulling out his wallet.
“Have you tried their... oh right, you haven’t.” Grinning wider, Damien purchased chocolate dipped Twizzlers with the donuts.
Moving away from the food lines, he led her to one of the outdoor attractions. Naturally, she hooked her arm around his, and held him close as they watched a lumberjack carve Santa Claus out of a pillar of ice.
Behind them was a snow castle, with kids zipping down the ice slides. After they finished their dessert, they took turns sticking their head through plywood cut-outs. Damien chose the busty figure skater, while she opted for the yeti.
How did downtown turn into a Festive wonderland? Damien checked his phone. Weird, her co-worker had the same phone case but Jesse would never in this century go out to that restaurant or with her, or shave his beard, or his hair, or dress nice, or... this guy had to be different.
Yes, he was, because Damien hadn’t been excruciatingly irritating, his cologne smelled amazing, and his clothes didn’t have any signs of wear, plus the glasses.
“Is everything alright?” he asked as she pulled her coat collar up, covering more of her blushing face. However, she wasn’t the only one burning up. Peeking at her, his glasses fogged up. “Did you want to ride the carousel first? Ooh, what about the Ferris Wheel?”
“Isn’t it dangerous in these temperatures?”
He shrugged, “Come on.” Reaching out his hand, she took it, clasping on tight. A current passed through them, and for a moment she thought she was the only one who felt it, but he brushed his thumb over hers and the sensation only intensified. She could picture him being a brat in his youth with that toothy grin on his face.
“You’re more fun than Bryson.” The words escaped her once they were strapped in and the mechanisms were slowly carrying them into the air. It was a clear night. The inky sky was dotted with twinkling stars. She mouthed her wonder. The moonlight shone over the tips of the distant trees.
“I’d hope so. Let’s not talk about him. Okay?”
“Is that a no go on the first date?”
He rolled his eyes, then smirked. The blaring music below pulled her back to the festival coiled with colourful LED lights, flashing to the rhythm of the current carol. Screams of laughter erupted from the children chasing each other around the snowmen, running in and out of the elaborate snow forts. She found a polar bear with a candy cane scarf walking his circuit, as Damien pointed out the gingerbread man pausing for pictures.
It was absolutely breathtaking and worth enduring the cold.
“I meant, he was stuffy and...” Oops, there she was nervously rambling on again. He turned to her, and she exhaled a nervous breath. “I’ll stop.”
He smirked, nodding to the view below. At the top, they looked down to the Christmas lights strung from street to street, plus the trees and hedges swirled in vibrant colours. It had to have been more magical than Christmas itself. For years she assisted organizers with their events, working endless hours in the background. How rare was it for her to sit back and soak in the ambiance, the joy, and take part in the festivities. His arm stretched behind her as he turned to her.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
She nodded as she relaxed into him.
“Speaking about exes... took one up here years ago. I was fourteen and, just my luck, the Northern Lights shone overhead.” He gestured above them like it was a big fish story; he flashed her with another grin, “Kidding. It rained on us the whole night. We had colds on Christmas and she dumped me.”
“So the Ferris Wheel is ‘your move’ huh?”
He shrugged, “It’s in the dating handbook. It’s a must for all couples.” He chuckled, “You really don’t have much experience in the dating department, do you?” Their eyes met under the moonlight, and he licked his lower lip, “This could be fun.”
Inside the concert hall, Jesse stood in line with Collette by his side. Her feet must have been sore in those heels and at this rate they would miss the first song. Vendors walked by with antlers and elf hats. He held up his hand, gave the young teenager in a Love 146 t-shirt the cash, and plopped the green felt cap on Collette’s head.
“What? It’s for charity.” He brought out his phone and snapped the picture. Ezekiel wouldn’t believe him otherwise. Yes, this was happening. Collette was wearing a festive hat and she was enjoying it. And yeah, it was him who made her blush.
“Nuh-uh.” She plopped the hat on him, leaning in for him to take another picture of them together. “Much better.”
“No, what would be better is if we could...” He wondered if the side door he used to drop off the extra tables would still be unlocked. Taking her hand, he pulled her out of the line. She squawked but with a hand gently resting over her mouth, he hushed her. Around the bend, they waited until the hall was clear, then he escorted her inside. Her eyes bulged from the audacity—nothing new, but there could have been someone coming around the corner, so he shoved her in. Her heels clacked on the hard floor, but with a firm grip around her waist, he stabilized her. Backstage was pitch black, but all it would take is a quick skip and a hop to make it to front row seats.
“Welcome everyone! Wow what a turnout. Ah... looks like we have more people scrambling in,” the singer announced.
Jesse’s chest tightened; they were trapped together in the dark. The moment she found him out, he was dead. No. If her dad found out, he’d be murdered. What he needed was express shipping on a bulletproof vest.
“Oh look, free backstage passes.” He placed the hat back on her head. His fingers brushed her blonde curls, but the music wasn’t helping him calm these racing thoughts. She gave him joy and he would gladly bring her to another concert for that smile. Except that would mean continuing this ruse, and the whole purpose of this fake date was to show her the truth, not be dazzled by the shimmer of her cerulean eyes. He was supposed to shatter the idea of ‘Mr. Wright’ and prove to her he doesn’t exist. But with Collette in his arms, he wanted to be Mr. Wright—because it just felt right.
“You’re more elf-y,” he murmured to distract her from the situation, the one that made him question the line between ruse and romance.
She flicked him, but each touch was turning more and more dangerous.
A musician returned backstage. Forewarned by his footsteps, they scurried farther behind a mountain of miscellaneous props. The wood legs of a table scraped. Collette caught a metal chair mid-fall. Garland fell on their shoulders. A glimpse of stage light shone on them. In the shadows, Jesse’s arms wrapped around hers as they stood tightly wedged in the darkest corner, watching silently as the guitarist swapped his acoustic guitar for an electric.
He felt her heart race in his grasp and while the guy was back on stage, he refused to let go.
Worse, Collette didn’t fight it. No, she smiled wider in his arms, like she was the one with the trick up her sleeve.
“What?” he whispered.
The band began their next song which had the crowd riled up. Actually, it was a cover on a song he loved, and it had him singing along too.
“You’re serenading me.”
What? No, he just liked the song, he... oh yeah. He continued singing without missing a beat, emphasizing various notes, especially low ones for that forever-endearing smile. Didn’t h
er cheeks hurt? Why was she so cheery?
Freeing a hand, Collette pointed up to the hazardous mountain of props leaning towards them, interrupting him from his jam. There was a leafy ball dangling by a thread on one of the abandoned stage props. A fake flower? On what... a wedding arch? No, it couldn’t be...
Relaxing his arms, he climbed on the wobbly desk and pinched the broken prop.
Upon closer inspection, he realized he was in fact holding mistletoe in his hands. What were the odds?
“It’s tradition,” she whispered, nabbing it from his hands and holding it above their heads. Collette could pat his head, that’s how noticeable their height gap was but it didn’t stop her from staring him in the eye and telling him what she wanted.
Or what he wanted to hear.
“Funny, I didn’t take you for the kiss-a-stranger-for-the-sake-of-tradition type.”
“If you’re uncomfortable with the idea of kissing me this early, I understand. We don’t have to. I can wait. In fact, I’m usually the kind of girl who likes to be sure and waits maybe a couple months before—” she giggled at herself, “I just thought with your letter you...” She licked her lips. All night she had been turning her shoulder to discreetly reapply her lip balm, like kissing him had been on her mind.
The music slowed and the audience swooned over the singer’s intimate love song. If he checked to see if they were swaying too, he might have missed his cue.
Jesse raised his eyebrow. He was not waiting a couple months. She was beautiful and she was in his arms. That’s when he realized in his heart that the way things currently stood between them at work, he would never be given a chance like this ever again. If he were to kiss her as Damien Wright, so be it. All evening she blabbed on about her ex, and it was about time he erased him out of her mind completely. That jerk never deserved her.
For far too long he wondered what it would be like to kiss her and here he was, a few years later actually going in for the kill. He spun her into his embrace, cradling her, tipping downward until their lips met.
She responded, taking his glasses off for him and pulling him deeper into the kiss.
He was swept away in the moment, weightless among the clouds. This was more than a kiss with a stranger, more than a drunken bet, more than acting out on liquid courage, more than more.
Her palms pressed into his chest. Harder, proving she liked his physique. His ego was shooting with the stars. How could one person, one little action both belittle and empower him at the same time? There was little movement, simply shared breaths. His conscience weighed heavier than it ever had before. He had to tell her the truth, but he could smell her fruity shampoo and her coconut lotion. He could taste the cinnamon and red licorice on her tongue.
Her skin was so soft, yet he was putty in her hands—melting from her touch. A gasp, then his lips met hers again with uncertainty, but she melted into him, her arms around his neck. She was that kiss worth waiting for, worth collapsing in a pile of jagged props, worth the risk of being caught by security. She was a woman of great value, and this gift was the most precious of all.
It was a prank.
It was tradition.
It was real. Everything he said and felt was one hundred percent real. Jesse Damien Thorne couldn’t lie to his heart any longer. This kiss revealed the truth. She showed him, oh she showed him good. He was a man hopelessly in love and the joke was on him.
Chapter 7
“Wow.” Ezekiel jerked back, stunned by Jesse’s new appearance. He was wearing a black band t-shirt and a pair of worn-out dark wash jeans like usual, only with the Santa hat draped on his head to keep his buzzed head warm. “Let me,” he took the hat off, then circled him for a three-hundred-sixty degree view. “Dang. You’re committed.”
Jesse smiled, his cheeks warming by the second. There was no hiding it. He hadn’t put much thought into Monday morning. He was over the moon with sweet dreams of Collette. Whatever punishment lay ahead would have to be worth the pain, worth the wait. He should have been up all night tossing and turning, but that kiss brought him such peace, the moment he laid his head on the pillow, he conked right out.
“How did she take the news?”
Jesse ignored Ezekiel, counting the gathered supplies from the concert hall, thankful he had his four hours of sleep before he had to jump right at it again to clean everything up. The warehouse was cold, so he stole his hat, slipping it back on.
“What are you going to do when she finds out?”
“When who finds what out?” Collette asked. Her head was down, looking over the notes on her clipboard as she stepped into the room.
Ezekiel squawked like a parrot. His feet were cemented to the ground but his body quivered in fear. Jesse jumped, diving behind the forklift. The act completely failed him as she peered around the corner.
“Damien?”
On his side, he shifted in a position he would hope she’d find irresistible, pushing his body weight on the one arm, laying on his side while waving at her charmingly with the other hand. Not suspicious at all! It gave her extra time to inspect the tattoos and rip the hat off his head.
“Jesse Damien.” He grinned fearfully, expecting her to throw the clipboard at him. “Ha ha... joke’s on you.”
She stared at the Santa hat, at him, at Ezekiel, to her desk hidden behind the wall, like she was calculating each step and this was a heist movie. The same Santa hat, he would drop on her head all month when she was concentrating on responding to company emails.
“Mr. Wright doesn’t exist,” Jesse voiced out for her.
“So there’s no Mr. Wright?” She cringed the moment she said the name out loud. “Of course there’s no Mr. Wright.” She threw the hat at him. “The letter?” Jesse smirked but it made no one feel better, including himself, but she should at least let him explain what he thought was a brilliant scheme at the time. Maybe she would understand.
“No one actually writes love letters—”
“That’s how you knew Damien Junior was a boy! Oh my goodness, I can’t believe you gave me a cat. Only you would...” she growled. Holding her fists high, her fury made her whole body shake.
Jesse sat up, standing closer than professionally appropriate, maybe he could use some of that Sunday night charm on her. Though he was wise enough to not risk reaching for her hand, he shoved his into his pocket, using wisdom to prevent their dismemberment.
“I thought you liked it.”
“Him!” Collette stepped back, glaring daggers that reached his soul. “And our... I... why... you let me kiss you.”
“And that’s a problem, how?”
Ezekiel turned to Jesse, “You kissed her, wait, you didn’t tell me that part of the—”
“You lied!” she screamed, pivoting on her heel to return back to her desk. It was only the beginning of her shift and already she was acting like the weight on her shoulders had doubled.
Jesse followed her, hat back on.
“Not entirely, who doesn’t lie on the first date anyway? If you wanted to kiss me, who was I to stop you?” He grinned, riding on the high of how undeniable their chemistry was when they were together. “What did you think about my smooth face?” He stroked his jaw, the stubble coming in strong. “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, Lottie. I may never shave again... unless, you convince me otherwise.” The truth was out; once she accepted it, she would leap straight into his arms. Only, she wasn’t jumping.
“I thought I was kissing Damien!”
“Yeah... Jesse Damien.” He gestured to himself, as if he was the real deal, the full package. So frazzled, she took the lid off the paper shredder and dumped all the little bits on his head.
“Okay. I deserved that.”
“Oh you deserve more!” she snarled with a vicious twinkle in her eye. One that warned him he was in deep cahoots. A part of him loved the thrill, yet something warned him this was different, horribly different. She walked up to him, took a sip of her water, glanced at the bottle, the
n laughed maniacally.
What did he do?
Ezekiel peeked through a crack in the warehouse door. Jesse might have literally broken her. Uncapping her bottle, she dumped the rest of its contents on him. It shocked him, having the refrigeration chill from the water cooler as it dribbled over his bald, shaven face.
“I swear I didn’t know about the breakup.”
“I don’t care!” Snarling, she took the poinsettia on the edge of her desk. “Oh and you can have your stupid flowers back. I don’t want them.” She chucked the foil lined pot. He ducked, falling to his derrière. Being in a plastic pot, it didn’t break, but rolled off the shelf dumping the dirt down his shirt.
“I didn’t...” he glanced down at the unopened envelope, swiping it into his pocket. “They weren’t from me.” he mumbled to himself, puzzled by the gift.
The front door opened, bringing another icy chill with it.
“What is this?” Sophia hissed at him, pointing to the mess. “What dumb game did you do now?”
Rowan patted her shoulder, “Hey Jesse, a word in my office.”
Before he was into the other room, Collette stomped her heeled boot into his meshed runner toe. “Hmmph!” She crossed her arms and sat down in her chair, refusing to look back at him, her head held high, nose in the air. One peek at Ezekiel through the window, and he leaped into the forklift pretending to look busy.
“Maybe we should have a chat too.” Sophia pulled up a chair beside Collette’s desk.
Rowan closed the door and ushered Jesse away from his wife’s chair. It was much comfier than the others.
“She will kill me if you get dirt on it.”
“All the merrier,” Jesse teased, “It’s not what it looks like. I had it under control, I swear.”
Rowan leaned back in his captain’s chair, lifting his coffee to his lips, “Oh. I’m not worried. Actually, I’ve been wondering when this would happen.”
“When Collette would go off her rocker?”
'Tis the Season for Love: A Charity Box Set Page 98