A Temporary Christmas Arrangement

by Christine Rimmer

  He didn’t say a word for several seconds. She just knew he was going to say no to her invitation. She should be relieved about that, but instead she braced herself to feel let down.

  “I have to confess,” he said at last.

  “Hey.” She kept it light. “It was only a suggestion. We’d love to have you, but I understand if you want it to be just the three of you.”

  He gave a low chuckle, an intimate sound that made her feel all warm inside. “Are you kidding? We would love to come.”

  Her unacceptable disappointment vanished like morning mist in sunlight. “Great.”

  “As for my confession, I was trying really hard to make you take pity on me. I might feel a little guilty about manipulating you—but not guilty enough to let you off the hook now that you’ve offered to let me and the kids crash your family party.”

  She slanted him a chiding glance. “You were playing me.”

  “And I’m so glad that it worked. I pictured you at some big family dinner, and I couldn’t help wishing I could give that kind of Thanksgiving to the kids.”

  She whacked his rock-hard shoulder with the back of her hand. “I can’t believe you set me up.”

  He laughed again. “It’s too late now. We’re invited. You can’t take it back.” He picked up the wine bottle, offering her more. She held out her glass. As he poured, he asked, “So what do we do with the turkey and all the other stuff you bought?”

  “No worries. It won’t go to waste.” She indulged in a slow, delicious sip. “I’ll take some of it to Daniel’s, if that’s okay?”

  “Of course.”

  “We all try to bring something, so I’ll bring what I bought with your money.” She gave him a flirty little smile with that.

  “You’re a crafty one.” He said it admiringly.

  “Oh, you better believe it.” Really, she was having far too much fun—and she probably ought to slow down on the wine.

  He’d rested his arm along the back of the sofa. She could feel the weight and warmth of it there, behind her shoulders, and she liked having him so close. All cozy and companionable.

  Hailey was right. It was just possible that she might have a slight crush on her temporary boss.

  * * *

  This girl.

  What was it about her?

  It just felt so easy with her—and yet with an edge of excitement, too.

  He probably shouldn’t compare her to Imogen, but he did it anyway. Had he ever had fun with his ex-fiancée? He asked himself the question and kind of wished he hadn’t. Imogen could be charming and friendly when it suited her purposes.

  But she’d never been someone who just liked hanging out. For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine bringing her here to the cottage. She would have been bored out of her skull within an hour of walking in the door.

  He wondered at himself sometimes—at how damn oblivious he could be. Oblivious enough that he hadn’t even realized how unhappy he was with the woman he planned to marry. He’d been too busy working to realize that he was turning into his father and that Imogen had all the makings of Alicia Stryker 2.0—meaning even colder and even more calculating than his mother.

  And then he’d lost his sister and become the guardian of the two sweetest kids on the planet, after which he’d spent ten months living in the same house with Jean and Alan and found out what a real marriage was.

  The bald truth? When Imogen got fed up with him putting the kids first and dumped him, he’d dodged a bullet. Being around Harper brought that hard fact sharply home.

  He sipped more wine and wondered about the pretty woman on the sofa beside him.

  She slanted him a quick smile and then stared into the fire again. It was quiet in the big room. And it felt good, just to sit here beside her, saying nothing. Harper was someone who enjoyed the moment. She didn’t waste any energy looking for somewhere better to be—the latest, hottest restaurant or a trip to fashion week in Manhattan.

  Was she with someone? He couldn’t stop himself from wondering.

  She’d never mentioned a guy...

  But why would she, necessarily? It might feel like he’d known her a long time, but they’d only just met.

  He didn’t like wondering if she might already belong to someone. Could it be that the sole reason she sat here next to him now was because he’d asked her to stay? He was her boss, after all. Until the end of the year, anyway.

  No.

  She didn’t have anyone. She couldn’t. He would know if she did...

  Wouldn’t he?

  That he even dared to assume such a thing should have been ridiculous to him.

  She turned to him again. Those beautiful baby blue eyes had him thinking of clear summer afternoons and the Pacific Ocean on a windless day.

  And what was his problem here, really? A simple question would resolve this issue one way or another. “Got someone special waiting for you back at that cottage of yours?”

  She looked at him so steadily. “I used to share it with my sister, but now I’m there on my own.”

  “No boyfriend trying to talk you into moving in with him?”

  Her thick eyelashes swept down and then fluttered up. “No.”

  Warmth radiated through him. He’d been right. There was no one. But he double-checked, just to be sure. “Not seeing anyone at the moment, then?”

  Her mouth curved sweetly in a smile that seemed a little bit sad. “Not for a while. I was with a guy at UO. We broke up my senior year.”

  “Why?”

  She stared into the fire again. “Let’s just say that he and I grew apart.”

  It was an obvious evasion. He hoped she might get honest about it.

  And then she did. “Okay, the truth is, he and I were never all that close. I was interested in my studies, in the next design problem I needed to solve—whether as a set builder or for a project in a 3D modeling class. It was nice to have someone to be with now and then, but he wasn’t exactly the love of my life.”

  “You sound sad when you talk about him.”

  “Yeah, well. Most women my age have been in love at least once. For me, there have been dates and hookups and two steady boyfriends—the guy at UO and a boy I went out with in high school. But I’ve never actually found that special someone—you know, the man I would drop everything for. I’ve always had interesting work I wanted to do, my sister for a BFF and a big family to count on. Men have kind of taken a back seat in my life, you know?”

  He got that. In a lot of ways, he was the same—minus the big family and the sister who was also a best friend. He had loved his sister, but once they grew up, they’d chosen different paths. Until Megan and Kevin went down in that plane, his life had centered on Stryker Marine.

  “What about you?” she asked. “Anyone special?”

  He’d figured that was coming. Still, he hesitated, though he knew it would be better just to put it right out there. Rip the bandage off, so to speak.

  “Trying to decide how much to say?” she teased.

  He went ahead and busted himself. “You got me.”

  Her big eyes had grown wary. “So there is someone, then?”

  “No—but I was engaged until recently.”

  She blinked. Probably not a good sign. “How recently?”

  “We broke up last Friday.”

  Chapter Three

  Last Friday?

  Until four days ago, Linc was engaged?

  Harper couldn’t hide her dismay. “What happened?”

  He didn’t answer immediately. She knew he was choosing his words with care and that did not reassure her. “I realized we weren’t a good match, after all.”

  “So you just ended it?”

  “No. She did—and that’s good. As I said, we wouldn’t have been happy together.”

  She wanted t
o know more, every detail. Who was this woman? How long were they together? Why had his fiancée broken it off just as he conveniently decided that the engagement wouldn’t work?

  And hold on a damn minute here...

  Eighty bucks an hour, she reminded herself.

  She needed to remember her goals. And her goals did not include getting too personal with Linc. Yeah, she liked him and she felt drawn to him.

  But why take the chance she might ruin a good thing? This great job watching the kids could blow up in her face. She needed not to get too close.

  The man was in flux. He’d been engaged until Friday.

  Exactly, a devilish voice in the back of her mind cut in. That could mean he not only needs a nanny to look after his adorable niece and nephew, Linc Stryker just might be a prime candidate for a rebound fling.

  They could have a good time. It could be just for fun, until New Year’s, in the evenings, like now, when the kids were in bed.

  And it could be good for her, too—like a Christmas present to herself. Something sweet and hot and temporary...

  No.

  Bad idea. It was just too risky.

  Eighty bucks an hour.

  She would make that her mantra every time she got carried away gazing into those warm brown eyes, longing to hear all his secrets, wanting to feel those perfect, hard arms wrapped around her and those sexy lips pressed to hers...

  “Hey.” He looked worried now. “You’re very quiet...”

  She set down her empty glass. When he moved to pour her some more, she put her hand over it. “I should go.”

  He tipped his head to the side, studying her. “The very recently broken engagement kind of freaked you out, huh?”

  “No...”

  “Don’t lie.” He said it so gently, and that caused an ache in the center of her chest.

  Why? Nothing at all had been lost.

  Yet she felt something really good slipping away.

  Carefully, she guided her heavy braid back over her shoulder. “Well, I guess what you just told me did remind me that we have a great thing going here. You get help with the kids and I get to beef up my savings. Getting too close to each other could mess with the program, you know?”

  “Not if we both went into it with our eyes wide-open.”

  A hot shiver raced down her spine. She sat back away from him. “What does that even mean?” she demanded, though she knew very well what it meant. A moment ago, she’d been thinking the same thing.

  He said nothing for several seconds. When he did speak, it was cautiously. “I’ve offended you. I’m sorry. I really like you, Harper. Maybe too much. I find myself behaving in contradictory ways.”

  Her heart kind of melted. “Oh, Linc. I like you—and you surprised me, is all.”

  “Be specific.” It was a command. His take-charge tone sent another giddy little shiver sliding down her spine.

  She answered him honestly. “Well, a minute ago, I was thinking along the same lines as you, that maybe we could, you know, get together, just for fun, until New Year’s.”

  Now he looked kind of mournful. “But then you realized that would be a bad idea?”

  She nodded. “Too risky.” They shared a long, intense look. The things they didn’t say hung in the air between them. “I need this job with you, Linc.” He gave her a slow nod in response. She rose. “And I’d better get going.”

  He walked her to the foyer, where he held her coat for her like the gentleman he was. “See you tomorrow.”

  “’Night, Linc.” Pulling her coat closer around her, she went out into the chilly darkness.

  * * *

  Harper arrived on Linc’s doorstep at one o’clock sharp the next day.

  Her plan? To get the kids and get out.

  In the evening, she would cook dinner if he needed her for that—and head straight back to her cottage as soon as the kids had been tucked in.

  Absolutely no hanging around for wine by the fire.

  But first, Linc had to be brought up to speed on her schedule for the day and on the Bravo family Thanksgiving tomorrow. She had the key he’d given her, but she rang the bell just to give him fair warning that she’d arrived. As she let herself in, he appeared in the arch to the living area, wearing a sweater the same honey-brown as his eyes and perfectly fitted dark-wash jeans that probably cost more than the costume budget for the Christmas show. Maya toddled along beside him.

  “Hey.” He gave her a cautious smile.

  “Hey.”

  “Hawp!” Maya came right to her.

  Harper scooped her up. “How you doin’, pretty girl?”

  “I pwetty!” She wrapped her little arms around Harper’s neck.

  “So pretty,” Harper agreed. She asked Linc, “Where’s Jayden?”

  “In his room playing with his train set. Expect him to come barreling in here, talking nonstop, any minute now.”

  There was a moment. A little awkward. Too quiet. But somehow, with sparks.

  Linc broke the silence. “They’ve had lunch.”

  “Terrific. So we’re still on for Thanksgiving at Daniel’s tomorrow?” She needed to ask. After last night, maybe he’d changed his mind about that.

  “I’m looking forward to it,” he replied.

  She felt altogether too pleased at the news. “Great. I’ll take the side-dish stuff home with me tonight.”

  “I appreciate this. Whatever cooking you have to do, consider it on the clock.”

  “No. It’s Thanksgiving. I would be cooking anyway—except this year, my boss has covered the cost of all my ingredients. So thank you for that. I’m thinking we should leave about eleven or so tomorrow?”

  “We’ll come pick you up.” He looked at her so steadily.

  She imagined banked fires smoldering in his eyes. Like in those old romance novels where the men looked like Fabio and all the heroines had tumbling hair and heaving bosoms—and what were they talking about?

  Focus, Harper. “Eleven, then.” She made her tone brisk. “I’ll be ready. As for today, I spoke with my sister and she’s found slots for both kids in the show. So I would like to head over there now. I can get them started, introduce them around. Hailey and the other children will make them feel welcome. It will be fun. We should be back around five, if that works for you?”

  “No problem. I’ve got no end of online meetings before everyone takes off for the long weekend. You think you can stay until bedtime tonight?”

  “Of course.” More hours. Excellent.

  “About dinner...”

  “I’ll be happy to cook.”

  “I really hoped you would say that.” He gave her one of those warm, grateful smiles—the kind that could so easily have her forgetting all the reasons the two of them would never be a thing.

  She summoned her most businesslike tone. “No problem. As for today at the theater, Maya and I will be winging it.” She met the little girl’s eyes and they shared a smile. “If it doesn’t work out for one reason or another, we can always come home and then go pick up Jayden later.”

  “Sounds good. Take the Range Rover. Keys are in the bowl there.” As he spoke, his cell rang in his hand. “I need to get this...”

  She had no business feeling dismissed—and yet somehow, she did. Probably because she barely knew him, and yet already, she wanted more from him than was wise, more than she could afford to let herself have. “All right, then. See you at five.”

  With a wave of his hand, he turned for the room he’d set up as an office, answering the call as he went. “This is Linc...Hi, David. Of course. Just heading into my office to switch to the laptop now...”

  * * *

  The afternoon at the theater worked out even better than Hailey had hoped. Jayden reconnected with kids he’d met last year and made some new friends.

 
Maya did great. Hailey’s mother-in-law-to-be, Sasha Marek Holland, was there to help backstage. Sasha was amazing with the little ones. And between Sasha, Harper, Hailey and Hailey’s assistant director, Rashonda Kyle, someone was always available to keep a close eye on Maya.

  Harper and the kids were back at the cottage by five as promised. She made spaghetti with her favorite bottled sauce and cut up a salad to go with it. They sat down to eat at a little after six.

  Too soon, it was seven thirty and she was tucking Jayden into his bed as Linc put Maya in her crib.

  Downstairs, she saw that Linc’s office door was shut. She gathered up the food she wanted to take to Daniel’s tomorrow and then tapped on the office door.

  Linc pulled it open. He had his cell phone in his hand.

  “I’m out of here. I’ll see you at eleven tomorrow.” Did she hold out hope that he might try to coax her into spending a few minutes with him, decompressing a bit at the end of the day?

  She most certainly did. Even if the expectation was completely unreasonable. Hadn’t she made it painfully clear that they wouldn’t be sharing wine by the fire again anytime soon?

  He gave her a quick smile. “We’ll be there, thanks.” He put the phone to his ear as he shut the door.

  Dismissed.

  No doubt about it.

  She returned to the kitchen to grab the bags of groceries and went home to her cottage, where she assembled a sweet potato casserole, made some cranberry relish and tried a new recipe for cheesy baked brussels sprouts. By the time she finished prepping the food, it was almost ten.

  And she didn’t feel the least bit tired.

  She ended up in the living room, working on costumes for the Christmas show with Little Women on the flat-screen TV, trying not to feel sad and lonely. Practically everyone she knew was coupled up, leaving her on her own in the quiet cottage, wishing for things she couldn’t allow herself to have.

  It was after one when she finally went to bed. Sleep was elusive. She stared at the shadowed beadboard ceiling overhead and tried not to regret drawing the line on Linc the night before.