by Laura Ann
“Treatment was pretty rough and everything, as you can probably imagine. I was already a scrawny, teen boy, made more so by the fact that I couldn’t keep food down. I looked like the walking dead. No hair, sallow skin, all the usual stuff.” He took another deep breath. “Anyway, we kicked the disease into remission, much to my family’s delight and I eventually got better. I finished growing, picked up the usual teenage boy appetite and put on a bunch of weight. Although I tried to make sure most of it was muscle.” He forced himself to turn and wink at Grace in order to keep things light, but the sorrow in her eyes was too much.
Clearing his throat, he brought his gaze back to the snow. “I’ve actually stayed healthy and strong all this time, but I go in often for checkups.” He paused, gathering his courage. “A few months ago, we had a bit of a scare at one of my checkups and had to do additional testing.” He felt Grace stiffen and knew she had caught onto the timeline. “Everything came back negative, I’m still in remission, but it made me realize something.”
He sat up and faced the stunning woman at his side. “I don’t deserve someone like you, Grace Monson. No matter how well we hit it off, or how much my heart aches for you, it wouldn’t be fair for me to take you.” He fought back the emotions trying to drown him, refusing to stop now that he had started. “Unlike other men, I can’t guarantee tomorrow. I can’t promise forever. I don’t know if I have six months or sixty years, there’s just no way for me to know. And that’s not fair to you. You deserve so much more than that.”
“That’s why you pushed me away,” Grace whispered thickly.
Vaughn nodded. “Yeah.” He chuckled derisively. “You know, I’d never met someone like you. From the moment I saw you, I knew you were different.” He pushed a hand through his hair. “I’ve never been one to believe in love at first sight, but man... you pretty much convinced me otherwise.” He shook his head. “It was like I knew you before we ever actually met.”
Tears began to stream down her cheeks again and Vaughn couldn’t help but wipe them away, then pull her in and press their foreheads together. “You were... are, perfect. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman, but I can’t have you.”
After a moment, to Vaughn’s surprise, Grace growled and pushed him away. “And where is my say in this?”
“What?” Vaughn sat back, shocked at her anger.
“You say you can’t promise me forever, but guess what?” Grace stood and then leaned over into his space, her finger inches from his nose. “No one can! Any person could be killed on their way home tonight. Accidents and deaths happen all the time. No one can guarantee how long they’ll live whether they’re sick or not. That’s just part of life.” Her face crumpled and she stepped back. “Did it ever occur to you that I would rather risk a short time with you than not have you at all?”
Vaughn shook his head in disbelief. “You can’t mean that! What if we got married, had kids. What if it came back and I died, leaving you with obscene medical bills and babies to take care of. What then?” Now he was standing too, his frustration manifesting in his body language.
Grace put her hand on his heaving chest and suddenly the anger was gone. Her touch whisking it away as if it never happened. “Then I would cry every night because you weren’t with me anymore, but I would smile and laugh and share our wonderful love story all day long with the children we created because of that love.”
She stepped closer, putting her other hand next to her first. “Can you really deny me that choice? We could have something so beautiful together, Vaughn. How can you shut it down?”
He closed his eyes and hung his head. “Because I’m a coward. I’m scared, Grace.” He opened his eyes. “No man wants to be a burden. I’m terrified of losing it all.”
“You don’t have me to lose, Vaughn” Grace said bluntly. “You’ve thrown me away without trying because of that fear. So is it better to guarantee we’ll never be together? Or to step into the unknown and take the chance that we’ll have a great life together, even if it is shorter than you would have wished?”
Vaughn wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on top of hers, letting her words penetrate. “That’s why I’m a carpenter, you know,” he finally murmured.
“What do you mean?”
“I became a carpenter because it’s what I loved, even if it isn’t the most lucrative career. I knew life was short and I didn’t want to waste it on a job I hated.”
She brought her face up. “So that’s why you get on me about not showing people my art,” she breathed in revelation.
He nodded. “Yeah. You never know how long you’re gonna have to actually make that art, so why hide it? Enjoy it. Let the world enjoy it!”
A slow smile crept across her face, the brilliance of it tugging at Vaughn’s heart. “Tell you what,” she said softly, running a hand into his hair. “I’ll promise to take the risk in my painting if you promise to take the risk on us.”
Vaughn studied her for a moment, memorizing the lines and angles of her face. He knew he couldn’t fight it any longer. Doing so had only made both of them miserable and was definitely not worth any heartache it would save in the end. “You might have to help me, but I’m willing to try,” he said softly before leaning down to seal it with a kiss.
Grace eagerly welcomed him and Vaughn was just about to pull her closer when he felt a shiver run through her body. He reluctantly pulled back. “I need to get you inside.” Guilt hit him. “You’ve got to be freezing.”
“Not really,” Grace muttered.
Vaughn shook his head and laughed before taking her hand and opening the door.
CHAPTER 6
Grace put her hands over Vaughn’s as they wrapped around her from behind. They were standing in the doorway to the ballroom, just watching the party.
“So... should we keep up the pretense of the fiancé thing?” he whispered in her ear, causing another tremble to run down her spine.
“Um...” It took a moment to get her bearings back enough to answer intelligently. “We should probably just go with the boyfriend/girlfriend thing, don’t ya think?”
“Mmmm...” Vaughn ran his nose along the shell of her ear. “Or... we could just take a little extra time to get that ring sized. Nobody would have to know any differently. People have long engagements all the time.” He nibbled her lobe.
“Whatever you think best,” Grace said breathily, her head tilting to the side as she enjoyed his attentions.
“What I think, huh? Well... in my quick count, there’s over a dozen chunks of mistletoe hanging around the ballroom. What I think would be best, is if we made sure to hit every single one.”
Grace snapped her head up and turned to look at him over her shoulder. “What? You’re crazy. What would people think?”
Vaughn grinned mischievously. “Now see, that’s the kicker. Everyone would think I can’t keep my hands off you, and they’d be right. But right now we’re in public, so the mistletoe gives me the perfect excuse to hold you.”
Grace had a random thought that caused her to turn in his arms and put a hand to his cheek. “You are okay, aren’t you? I mean, we kinda glossed over the whole you’ve been sick thing. But you’re healthy now? You’re fine?”
Vaughn rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, heading inside the ballroom. “I’ll be fine, as soon as we start ticking those mistletoe kisses off my list.”
Grace couldn’t help the too-big smile that stretched across her face. She sped up her step so he wasn’t pulling her and leaned in close. “Then I guess we better get started.”
*Sigh*
I don’t know about you,
but I love how sweet their story is.
Interested in seeing what happens
with the rest of the girls?
Faye’s story is up next in
“Mister Mistletoe”
Tired of Christmas stories?
Keep scrolling to read the first chapter
in my “Overnight Billionaire B
achelors” series.
What happens when three brothers find a hidden
treasure and suddenly become billionaires
overnight? Paparazzi, drama and turbulence on the path
to true love, that’s what!
Read on!
“Her Billionaire Boss”
CHAPTER 1
“Well, Mrs...”
“It’s Miss. Miss Monson,” the woman sitting across from Eli interrupted.
“Sorry, Miss Monson. As I was saying, everything appears to be in order.” Eli’s face was emotionless as he shuffled the papers in front of him before looking up at the middle-aged women in front of him. “We will be contacting people later in the week to let them know the results of our hiring.” He stood and the woman eagerly jumped to her feet, fluffing her hair. Eli held out a hand. “Thank you for coming in, we’ll be in touch.”
“You’re welcome.” Miss Monson smiled as she gripped his hand and fluttered her eyes a little. “I mean, thank you for your time.” She giggled and shrugged her shoulders.
“Yes, well,” Eli’s long legs took him over to the door of his brand new office and he quickly opened it. “Have a nice day.”
“You too.” She watched him as she walked past, wiggling her fingers in goodbye as she slowly moved out into the hall.
Eli shut the door firmly behind her. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he moaned as he slumped into his desk chair. The smooth, buttery leather of the seat didn’t so much as squeak as he settled in. “Money might not buy you happiness, but at least it buys comfortable chairs,” Eli mumbled as he lay his head back and closed his eyes.
“How goes the job hunt?” Hayden asked as he stormed into the office.
“Probably about as well as yours.” Eli peeked through one eye. “Have you filled all your spots in the kitchen?”
Hayden huffed and fell back on the sofa on the far wall. “Half the people coming in to interview are women looking for a date, not a job.” He ran his fingers through his hair.
Eli held in another groan. Last year, the three Truman brothers had become instant billionaires, not to mention media sensations, when they had discovered a room full of hidden treasure in the old castle they were struggling to renovate. Low on funds and down on their luck, they had plans to redo only enough of the castle to rent out a few rooms and open a bed-and-breakfast.
When they had literally struck gold, they had jumped at the opportunity to turn the old castle into a resort destination with each brother overseeing a specific part. Eli worked in hospitality, Hayden was a chef and had built an in-house restaurant and Nelson had created an outdoor program that utilized the several hundred acres that had come with the castle. They had even made plans to move their twin sisters to the resort once they were graduated and help them find a place to work.
Now, a year after their discovery, the resort was set to open, but the brothers were struggling to find good candidates to fill all the positions necessary to make it run. Hundreds of resumes had come flooding in, but the vast majority were from single ladies wanting to get a glimpse of what the media had dubbed ‘The Overnight Billionaire Bachelors’.
Eli smirked. “How many of them left in tears?”
Hayden scowled. “I haven’t made anyone cry today.”
“Yet,” Eli mumbled.
“Shut up.” Hayden growled, then quirked an eyebrow. “Have you filled all your spots?”
Eli groaned. “No, I’m running into the same problem you are. The last one in here had to have been at least fifty, if she was a day, and she giggled at me. Actually giggled!”
Hayden chuckled. “I don’t think I got that one in the kitchen. She must only be after the oldest brother.”
Eli threw his stress ball at Hayden, who caught it with a laugh. “Anyway, I still have a couple more interviews today.”
“What position are they for?” Hayden tossed the ball in the air and caught it.
“Front desk clerk,” Eli replied after looking at the paperwork. “It shouldn’t be that hard to find a friendly person who can answer phones and make reservations. It’s not rocket science.”
Hayden smirked before throwing the ball back. “Good luck with that,” he said as he stood and headed to leave.
“Oh!” A feminine voice gasped when Hayden suddenly threw open the door.
Eli’s head snapped up at the sound; a slight shiver running down his back. What the heck is that?
“Sorry,” Hayden said gruffly.
“No, no. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have been standing so close. I was just about to knock, because, I mean...” The voice sighed. “Sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous. I have an appointment with Mr. Truman.”
Hayden folded his arms and smirked. “Which one? Technically, there are three of us.”
“Oh, right,” the voice gave a light laugh that resembled the tinkling of a bell. “Sorry. I’m looking for Mr. Eli Truman.”
Without conscience thought, Eli jumped to his feet and hurried toward the doorway. “I’m Eli Truman,” he stated louder than necessary, coming up behind Hayden. Whoa...
A petite, redheaded beauty stood in the hallway. Light from the large windows in the foyer was playing around her head, giving her porcelain skin an otherworldly glow. But it wasn’t her skin that drew Eli’s attention. It was the set of full, pink lips that were shaping a perfect ‘O’ that caught and held his stare. Holy-
When he managed to drag his eyes from her lips up to her eyes, he nearly choked. Wide, emerald eyes, almost too wide for her petite features, stared back at him.
“H-hi,” she stuttered out. “I have an appointment.”
“He’s ready for you,” Hayden said, turning to slap Eli on the back.
The whack woke Eli from his trance. “Uh, yes. Of course. Come in, please.” He schooled his features into the stoic facade he always put on for the public. Beautiful or not, this is just a job interview.
“Good luck, Brother,” Hayden said with a chuckle.
Eli scowled at him, but Hayden closed the door before he could see it.
“So, you are...” Eli forced himself to walk calmly around to his desk and look at his schedule. “Miss Thompson?”
“Yes, Ivy Thompson,” she said softly, still standing awkwardly by the door.
“Have a seat, please,” Eli waved his hand toward one of the chairs sitting close to his desk.
“Thank you,” Ms. Thompson murmured and followed his directions. She sat down, primly folding her hands in her lap.
“I have here that you are looking for a position at the front desk?” Eli glanced up at her.
“Yes, sir.”
“You can call me Mr. Truman,” Eli stated.
“Yes, Mr. Truman, sir.”
Eli glanced up and noticed a small smile on her face. It slowly melted when he didn’t smile back. “So, tell me Miss Thompson, why you are looking to work at Avangarde Castle?”
“Well,” her eyes dropped to her lap, “I’m looking to make a change and recently moved to this side of the state.” She looked up and tried to smile at him again.
Eli watched her in fascination. Her whole countenance was sweet and airy and seemed to shine a light on the dark parts of him that had shut down after his divorce.
“I was planning to start looking for work soon and saw this pop up in the paper. It seemed ideal.” She gave a light shrug.
“Do you have any experience in hospitality?” Eli kept his eyes firmly on the paper in front of him. Being attractive doesn’t make her qualified.
“No. But I’ve worked in retail, so I’m pretty good at handling people and solving problems.”
Eli grunted. “You understand that working at the front desk would mean handling multiple things at once? You have to be able to answer phones, take reservations and solve issues that might arise from those staying at the hotel?”
“Yes, Mr. Truman.” There was no teasing in her tone anymore.
Good. She knows I mean business.
“Just
how old are you, Miss Thompson?” Eli blurted out before he thought better of it.
Her eyes widened, and she stiffened in her chair.
Eli closed his eyes. Now you’ve done it. You’re not allowed to ask those kinds of questions. “I apologize, Miss Thompson. It’s just that you look too young to-.”
The petite woman in front of him sniffed and crossed her legs. “Being small makes me look younger than I am. And yes, I know you’re not supposed to ask me that, but just to ease your mind, I’m twenty-five.”
Too young for you, Eli. Better steer clear of this one. He shook his head. What the heck? I’m steering clear of all of them! No more women for me, thank you very much. “Good to know,” Eli said curtly. “Thank you for your time, Miss Thompson, we will be contacting people at the end of the week, after we have finished all the interviews.”
“All right, thank you for your time, Mr. Truman.” Miss Thompson stood and stepped forward with her hand outstretched.
Eli reached across the desk and took her proffered fingers. After a quick shake, he dropped her hand like it was a live coal. A frisson of warmth had shot straight up his arm from her touch and he had no desire to examine why her touch had affected him so.
Eli stood, stoic and silent as she quickly walked out of the room, leaving the door ajar as she disappeared.
Once she was out of sight, Eli’s knees gave out and he dropped into his chair. His hands shot out, catching himself on the desk when the wheels shifted.
“Did you give her the job?” Hayden leaned his grinning face inside the room and waggled his eyebrows.
Eli scowled. “No, why would I do that?”
Hayden rolled his eyes. “Because she’s pretty.”
Eli mimicked Hayden’s eyeroll. “I can’t hire someone just because they’re good looking.”