Maybe Kailey was right. Maybe Fallon should take her best friend’s advice and move back to Starlight Hill.
The two police officers referred to the Santa as Jack, as if they knew him. So maybe he was an off-duty cop. The cops handcuffed the would-be robber, read him his rights, and then shoved him into the back seat. They asked Fallon some questions and a few minutes later were on their way. Fallon was still standing at the curb trying to remember how to breathe when she noticed Santa Jack near her front door. Specifically, next to the overgrown Oleander.
He crooked a finger in her direction.
She walked over. “Thanks so much. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll get these bushes trimmed. Makes it too easy for someone to hide while they break in. He was coming in through the window. Or trying to.”
She’d never thought about it. The bushes were supposed to give her added privacy. Who knew they would give crooks the secrecy to conduct their crookedness?
She worried a fingernail between her teeth. “Could you…I mean is there any way that you would...I know it’s silly, because you caught him, right? But what if his…what do you call those people who hang out with the criminal?”
He squinted. “Accomplices?”
“Accomplice! What if his accomplice got in somehow when you weren’t looking and he’s in my house right now hiding in the closet like in the movies? The ones where you want to yell at the stupid girl for walking inside all by herself. ‘No, no! He’s inside, you idiot!’” She took a breath. “Maybe you could just…make sure.”
He moved closer to the front door. “I’d be happy to check for you. Ease your mind.”
“Thank you,” Fallon said and unlocked the front door. “Do you have a gun?”
“Nope. Santa doesn’t need a gun.” He lowered his fake beard.
Holy Santa Claus! She got a good look at an easy smile and the light scruff of a sexy dark beard. He had deep brown eyes, too. So what if he was a little chunky around the middle? As he went through her duplex, opening closet doors, walking through her bedroom and checking the bathroom, Fallon couldn’t help but check him out. Because this off duty Santa, as Santas went, was sort of five-alarm-fire hot. He took off his hat to reveal a full head of chocolate brown wavy hair.
Her ovaries wept.
When he pulled off his red and white coat, he also pulled off his fat belly. “Sorry. This is hot.”
Oh boy. Yes, she would have to agree. She’d never in her life, except when she was about seven, been so attracted to Santa Claus. But now that the jacket was off she could see a trim, athletic physique under there. He’d worn a white long sleeved t-shirt under the jacket that seemed a half size too small, given the way his muscles strained at the fabric.
“Cleared,” he said and turned back to her. “You’re good to go.”
Fallon batted her eyelashes. “Thank you so much, officer…officer…”
“Jack Cooper, but just call me Jack. I’m not a cop anymore. As in permanently off-duty. By choice.”
“I’m Fallon McQueen.”
She might have thought him younger if she went by his lean and agile build, but a long look into his mocha eyes said otherwise. The eyes were edgy with small crinkled lines that led her to believe he’d lived a full and possibly dangerous life.
“So what are you going to do now, Santa Jack? Canvas the neighborhoods to rescue poor women like me?”
“Nah. First, ‘rescue’ poor women like you? Don’t think so. Without me here, pretty sure you would have shamed that burglar to death. Anyway, I’m headed off soon. Blowing this pop stand.”
“Where to?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know yet. Going to figure it out as I go.”
Sounded wonderfully odd to Fallon. She’d spent the past few years working two jobs. When an opportunity had come up to make serious money working in L.A. as a celebrity stylist two years ago, she’d made the move. Eventually she planned to have her own hair salon on Rodeo Drive, if she could ever find an affordable lease. But as a single mom, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to let it all go. Crazy with a capital K, probably.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
This got to her. He was so incredibly assertive and confident even while stating the most ridiculous fact. Who started over at their age? She’d pegged him to be like her, around mid-thirties. They were supposed to be elbow deep in their careers, moving up the ladder two or three rungs at a time. Kicking off the fools behind them so there might be more room at the top.
“Starting over,” Fallon said. “So you have no immediate plans?”
“That’s the idea.”
This guy seemed perfect. Her Christmas miracle. He was gorgeous, Alpha-protective, strong, obviously loved kids and sounded wide open. He had the dark hair and eyes she’d described to Mom. His name wasn’t Bud, either, but she could figure something out later. As an added bonus, when Ted laid eyes on this man, his balls would shrivel up inside him and die. Who cared what he did or didn’t do for a living? They could always make something up. All she’d told Mom was that her fake boyfriend had a ‘very important job.’ Mom would finally stop trying to fix her up with all her friend’s bachelor nephews.
This deal had to be done just right, carefully and with the utmost finesse so she wouldn’t scare off this super-hot guy before he could agree to go to the destination wedding with her and pretend to be her boyfriend.
“How about some milk and cookies?”
2
“Why not?”
The blonde was hot and leggy, two of Jack’s favorite qualities in a woman. She was dressed in a tight short red dress with white fur lining the edge…very Christmas of her.
Look who was talking. He was dressed as Santa Claus.
So far, this evening didn’t bode well for taking it easy for the next few months as he’d planned to do. He’d known her, a perfect stranger, five minutes if that and was already worried about her, which didn’t help his personal situation any. He was supposed to be shedding his white knight syndrome, not rescuing someone. But he’d been walking to Original Joe’s for a drink after his Santa duty was over, minding his own damned business, when he spotted the low life. One month out of the force and he still couldn’t get away from the criminal element.
He watched now as Fallon moved to the small kitchen, poured two glasses of milk and set them on the table. For the first time, he noticed her composure slip as she walked a little unsteadily on her feet. Despite the bravado she’d showcased outside, she had to be dazed and frightened. Break-ins happened every day all over the city, and the victims always felt violated. Even though he’d stopped it, she’d been a witness to how close the crime had come to happening.
“You okay?”
“Oh, sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” She set a package of Oreo cookies on the table and sat.
“It’s normal to be rattled.” He took a seat at the table.
“I’m fine.” But her right hand shook slightly as she raised a glass of milk to her lips.
“Maybe I should come by tomorrow and trim those bushes back for you.” He didn’t seem able to help himself. It was a sickness.
“No worries. I’ll get the landlord to do it.”
“Good.” He almost sighed in relief, except for the fact that he knew damned well he’d drive by tomorrow to make sure it had been done.
“So is this Santa gig something you do every year?”
He nodded. “We take turns for the police officer’s association kid’s night we have every year. Tonight I was filling in for my friend Henry.”
“You must love Christmas.” She said this conversationally, as if she hadn’t just stepped over her would-be assailant.
To Jack, this meant she might be good at compartmentalizing. They probably had a lot in common besides the red outfits. “I do love Christmas.”
Her green eyes lit up. “My little boy loves Christmas.”
“You married?”
&n
bsp; “No!” She almost shouted. “Why would you think that? I’m divorced, like half of the population.”
“Hey, I’m sorry. Take it easy. I assumed you live alone, and I was kind of hoping maybe you didn’t.” He wouldn’t worry half as much. “No roommates, either?”
“It’s just me.”
Craptastic. “So where’s your little boy?”
“He lives up in Napa Valley with his father. That’s where I’m from.”
“Kind of had a feeling you weren’t from L.A.”
She frowned. “Are you? From L.A.?”
“Born and bred.”
“You would appreciate my small town.”
“Bet I would. I’m sick of the city. Maybe I’ll check that place out when I think about landing somewhere.” He took a bite of a cookie. Stale. She didn’t like these cookies nearly as much as she enjoyed the Little Debbie cakes, given there were several empty wrappers in her bedroom trash can.
“Jack…I’m really grateful for what you did tonight. I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if I had come home and surprised him…” The hand holding a cookie trembled.
The significance of what had just happened appeared to dawn on her. No doubt she’d lose sleep tonight and that pissed him the hell off. When the criminals couldn’t take your property, they stole your peace of mind.
He was still working on getting his back.
“Look, here’s my phone number. Call me if the landlord doesn’t take care of the bushes tomorrow and I’ll do it.” He reached for his wallet and took out his old business card. Juan Carlos Cooper, Detective, Homicide Division-L.A.P.D. “That’s my cell number. Still got the same one.”
“Thanks.” To her credit, Fallon took the card and barely blinked when she glanced at it. “So Jack is a nickname?”
“Everybody calls me Jack, including my family.”
She gave him the flirty smile again. That smile had him thinking of her long legs wrapped around his back. Given that he was dressed as Santa, he forced his thoughts to more G-rated ones.
“I appreciate what you did for me tonight, and I think you deserve a break from the city. A change of scenery and some fresh air is what you need. A little vacation in wine country.”
“It’s an idea.”
“So I have a proposition for you.”
First an attempted burglary in progress and now a proposition from a sexy woman. This night had taken a turn from worrisome to intriguing. “A proposition.”
“Well, don’t make it sound slutty.”
He leaned forward and hooked his thumb to his chest. “Do I look like someone who has a problem with slutty?”
“I’m trying to do you a favor. You sound like you need some direction in life, and you’re a nice guy. You saved my life.”
“Let’s not get carried away.”
“You might have saved my life! And I’m going to help you out.”
He managed a grin. That might make two in the last ten minutes. Wasn’t this an exceptional night? Check him out with all the grinning. “What kind of proposition?”
“I’d like you to be my date.”
He cleared his throat. “And how do you know I don’t swing the other way?”
“Uh. Sorry.” She winced and grabbed the edge of her kitchen table, white-knuckling it. “Do you?”
“No, but that was fun.” This time the grin went so wide his cheeks hurt.
Fallon let a breath out. “I have to go to a wedding in Starlight Hill.”
“Uh-huh. When is this wedding?”
“Next Saturday, but I’m getting there a few days earlier for the tree lighting and the parade. And here’s the thing. It would be nice if you could also pretend that we’ve known each other a little bit longer than we have.”
“Longer than—” He glanced at his watch. “Fifteen minutes?”
“More like six months. You’d be doing me a huge favor and this wedding will be a nice diversion for you. Think of it as an all-expense paid vacation in wine country.”
“A vacation would be nice.” He hadn’t thought of wine country up north, more like a beach in Maui, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
“And also if you could, like, pretend that you’re in-love with me.” Fallon wouldn’t look him in the eye. “That would be such a help.”
“You don’t ask for much, do you, Sweetcakes?”
“Sweetcakes? Where do you get off calling me Sweetcakes?”
“The Little Debbie cakes.”
“You checked my bedroom garbage can?”
“What can I say?” He shrugged. “I notice stuff.”
She didn’t say anything for a long beat but then laughed and smacked his shoulder. “All right, I’ll forgive you for nicknaming me after my favorite late-night snack. What do you say? What else have you got going on, pal?”
“Let me see if I understand this. You want me to go with you to a wedding and pretend I’m madly in love with you.”
“It’s not like you have other plans. You’re just leaving and were going to figure it out on the way. All I’m doing is giving you a plan.”
“Why? Because you can’t stand anyone not having a plan?”
“You have to admit it’s a little stupid to be our age without a plan.”
He found the whole idea incredibly amusing. It had to be the first time he’d ever been asked out by a woman while wearing his Santa suit. “Do I have to put out?”
Her face flushed pink. “Absolutely not! All you have to do is stay through the wedding on Saturday and then you can just go on your merry way the next day.”
“Huh. No putting out.”
“No.”
They sat quietly for the next few minutes as he drank his milk and she picked at her cookie. Truthfully, she was right in that he could use a break from his surroundings. He’d have probably been headed up to Oregon to see his family for Christmas soon anyway, so he could just make this one big trip.
A road trip.
He finished drinking the last dregs of his milk and leaned back in his seat. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Oh, thank you!”
“It’s crazy, yeah, but I’m going to be doing crazy for a while. So this is going to fit right along with my current plan.”
“Ah ha! So you admit you have a plan!”
“I do,” Jack said meeting her gaze. “I have a plan not to have a plan. That’s my plan.”
“You are so argumentative, you know that? I’ll make you a reservation to fly out next Wednesday.”
“Nope.”
“Does Wednesday not work? You said—”
“Do you have any idea how expensive that plane ticket is going to be?”
“Yes, but I’ve got miles I’ve been saving up. Don’t worry about the cost.”
He couldn’t let her do that when he had a much better idea. “If we’re going to do this, it’s going to be my way.”
“And what way is that?”
“Road trip.”
“Are you kidding me? You want to drive for hours, fighting over the music, making pit stops and getting on each other’s nerves? We just met.”
“That’s all the more reason to spend more time together if we’re supposed to pretend we’ve known each other for months. Plus, I haven’t done a road trip in years. Always wanted to go up the Pacific Coast Highway.”
“Highway One? That could take forever!”
Driving up north the scenic route could take a good eight hours depending on traffic, but it could definitely be done in one day. He folded his arms across his chest and let her take it all in. He was dead serious about this. If she wanted him to participate in her con, she would do it his way—which in this case literally was the highway.
“This is ridiculous,” Fallon said.
Did she mean his idea or hers? “And we’re pretty much smack dab in the middle of ridiculous. It should feel homey to you by now.”
She threw her head back and groaned. “Fine. Road trip it is.”
He rose to leave, grabbing his red jacket and hat. “Lock up tight. Like Fort Knox tight. I’ll see you next week.”
3
The timing was perfect for a road trip. Not to mention the fact that Jack would have company in the form of one captivating woman. She was sexy and funny, even if her idea for him to pose as a man desperately in-love with her when they’d just met at the scene of a potential crime seemed a little…off-kilter to say the least. But a scenic drive up the Pacific coast would set anyone’s head straight, and he had a good feeling that he wasn’t the only one who needed a break from the city. He should have taken the time for a trip like this before now, and not waited until the job had eaten away at him bit by bit until he was little more than an empty corn husk.
For once in many years, he had the time. He had the company. He had the destination. Now he needed the right vehicle.
“Will it make it up the coast?” Jack ran his hand down the hood of the classic Mustang convertible in Pete’s Garage.
Pete had retired from the L.A.P.D. and now rebuilt cars in his spare time. He’d completely rebuilt the engine, added chrome rims, and had been trying to find a buyer for months. Being that his friends and clients were all a bunch of police officers, he hadn’t been able to unload it until it had passed smog.
“It will get you there in style.”
Jack walked around it, kicking the tires.
“Hey, man. You sure about this?” Pete said.
“That’s not the greatest sales pitch I’ve ever heard.”
Pete scowled. “I mean leaving the department, genius. You’re the best cop I’ve ever known.”
“Thanks. But I’m done.”
“Maybe you just need a break.”
He did. He’d pushed too hard for too long. Lost people he cared about and relationships that meant something, and nearly lost himself. But he wasn’t here to argue. He was here to buy a car. The new and improved Jack was going to be carefree and loose and let people take care of their own damned problems. This week would be about a wedding in wine country. Fun. Carefree.
“Why the hell did you paint it red?” The car had a black top and tricked out rims, but that red reminded him too much of Santa’s sleigh.
THE STARLIGHT HILL COMPLETE COLLECTION: 1-8 Page 116