Betty had gone to town, bringing up wrapping paper galore, premade bows, ribbons, gift bags and tape into the employee break room.
“Wow,” the boys cried, setting their presents on the long break table.
“Have at it,” Joy said.
She and Ed stood in the doorway watching the frenzy.
“We’re going to need a cleaning crew in here when we’re done,” Joy said, laughing as Tim stuck a bow on his head.
“Who’s your favorite son, Dad?” Jake called out, batting his eyes.
“You, son…on any given day.”
“Is today one of the days?”
“You know I never tell that part,” Ed scolded, laughing.
“Yeah, he doesn’t tell because we all know I’m the favorite,” Jake assured his brothers.
Their response was to wing wadded-up wrapping paper scraps at him.
“Good answer, Dr. Hall. You know, they really are great kids,” Joy told Ed, voicing her earlier thoughts.
“I thought you had an allergy to boys?”
“Maybe I did, but I seem to have recovered. Maybe your kids are like allergy shots…they’ve built up my immunity.”
“Better yet, they’re like a fungus, they grow on you.”
“Or—” The phone in the break room rang, interrupting the silliness. Joy picked it up.
“Joy, you’ve got a call on line three,” Betty said.
“I’ll run across the hall and take it in my office.” She smiled apologetically at Ed. “Give me a sec and we’ll pick up with our analogies for your boys when I return. I’ll be right back.”
Ed nodded that he’d heard, the boys were too busy to miss her.
Her office seemed almost too quiet as she walked in. She punched line three and said, “Hello?”
When she finished the call, she noticed Ed was standing in the doorway. “Everything okay?”
She smiled her reassurances as she nodded. “More than okay. That was Mrs. Jeffreys. The family came home and was overwhelmed. Anne came over to see if Mrs. Jeffreys knew who left the gifts, but she denied all knowledge. But Anne knew. Mrs. Jeffreys said she broke down and cried.”
He stepped into the office, moving closer. “You did a good thing.”
Joy’s heart sped up, racing wildly as he closed the space between them.
“We did a good thing,” she corrected. “You and the boys were such a help. I couldn’t have done it without you all.”
“Speaking of all of us…” Ed started, then stalled.
“Yes?”
“I know you said you’re new to the area, and I asked earlier if you had plans for tonight. You didn’t answer, so this leads me to believe you might not, in which case, I wondered if you’d be interested in joining the boys and me for dinner?”
She knew she’d enjoy spending more time with the Halls, but didn’t know if she liked the idea of horning in on the holiday. “Ed, I don’t know. I mean, it’s Christmas Eve.”
“I know, I know. The idea of eating with my three is daunting, but I have rules that cover mealtimes,” he reminded her.
“Rule Number Fifteen, no food fights, right?”
He smiled and nodded. “Right. We’d really like to have you join us.” He paused a moment, smiled and added, “I’d really like to have you join us.”
Joy liked Ed’s smile.
To be honest, there was a lot she liked about Dr. Edward Hall.
She liked how he handled his boys.
Liked the concern he had for his patients.
Liked his sense of humor.
Liked his rules.
And she was pretty sure that she’d like having dinner with the Halls.
“You’ve been so kind to spend the day with us,” he continued, “and I’d like a chance to repay you.”
“Oh, repayment.” She felt let down. She didn’t want to be his charity case dinner invite. “I don’t think so. I mean, it’s a family sort of holiday, after all. Not quite the proper venue for repaying a debt.”
“Joy,” he said, his voice all soft and amused. “There’s maybe an element of repaying you, but there’s something more. We’d enjoy your company and would love to have you join us. And…” He paused and looked decidedly uncomfortable. “Listen, I’m really out of practice. I mean, I’ve got three boys, one of whom occasionally dates girls—you’d think if nothing else his experiences would serve as a refresher course, but…”
Ed ran his hand through his hair. “Listen, I’d just like a chance to spend an evening with you. More than just an evening, I suspect, but I hate to push you too fast, so let’s just start with tonight. I’d like to have dinner with you. And it’s Christmas Eve. We’ve got a huge catered meal coming, and I swear I won’t play any Christmas music.”
She could read his other reasons in his eyes. It wasn’t parent-speak, but man-speak. He was saying that this wasn’t about repayment. She thought about the kiss under the mistletoe and realized that was what it was about. He was as attracted to her as she was to him.
“Well,” she said slowly, grinning, “maybe a little Christmas music wouldn’t be so bad, I mean as long as it wasn’t rap.”
He smiled in return. “That means you’ll come?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He blew out a long breath, as if he’d been holding it as he waited for her answer. “Great. That’s just great. Let’s go see how the boys are doing. I’ll confess, I’m concerned about your employee lounge.”
She started toward the door, then realized that Ed wasn’t following her.
She heard him clear his throat and she turned.
He was standing underneath the mistletoe.
“We have a rule about mistletoe, remember?” he asked in a mock-scolding sort of tone.
“Does it have a number?” she countered.
He didn’t even pause to think, just nodded. “Number Twenty-eight.”
“Twenty-eight, eh?” she said, stepping into his open arms. “I guess I know better than to mess with the Hall’s Family Life Lessons.”
She stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his. And at that moment, for the first time since leaving San Diego, Joy O’Connell felt as if she’d come home.
As the kiss ended, Ed pulled her closer. “I’d like to say something poetic and eloquent here, but the best I can come up with is, wow.”
“Wow will suffice.”
“What time did you say you were closing the store?”
“Six.”
He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost that time. What if we hang around and wait for you? You can follow us to my place.”
She knew she should probably protest, should tell Ed that he didn’t have to wait around. But instead, she simply smiled and said, “That would be nice. There shouldn’t be that much that can’t wait until I get here the day after Christmas.”
“Then it’s a date.” He took her hand. “Let’s go see how the wrapping has progressed.”
They walked across the hall to the employee break room.
“Oh,” was all Ed said as they peered in the room.
Joy couldn’t have been any more articulate. It looked as if someone had exploded Santa’s bag of toys in the room.
Three faces turned to them both as they stood surveying a whirlwind of paper and ribbons.
“Tell you what, you go finish up your work, and I’ll just help the boys see if we can locate the furniture under all this paper.”
“Really, Ed, you don’t have to.”
“I think we’ll be adding another rule to our list. What do you think, guys? If you make the mess, you get to clean it up.”
The boys’ response couldn’t exactly be called enthusiastic. Actually, as the three surveyed the havoc they’d wreaked, they groaned.
“That was a yes, of course we’ll clean up, in case you were having trouble translating,” Ed assured Joy. “Just leave this to us and go get your work done. The sooner you finish, the sooner we get to go.”
“I’ll be back soon.
”
Joy hurried through the items on her desk that couldn’t wait until the day after Christmas, and made a very important call to the electronics department and arranged to have the game she’d had them hold wrapped and sent up to her office.
It was an extravagant gift for kids she’d just met today, but she’d been so touched that they’d given up their gaming system for their mother, that she couldn’t resist.
Maybe she could talk Ed into letting them open it tonight. They could teach her the finer points of the system after dinner.
Gift delivered, urgent work completed, she gathered up her things. This morning she’d been in such an Ebenezette mood, bah-humbugging the whole holiday season. But now? Thanks to the Halls, she felt almost giddy with anticipation.
She hurried down the hall and opened the door to the break room, not sure what she’d find. She sucked in a breath as she surveyed the scene. The room was sparkling.
“Wow, when you guys set your mind on something, you do it right,” she said.
The boys beamed at the praise.
Jake spoke up. “Dad said you’re coming to dinner.”
“If that’s all right with you?” She didn’t have long to wait for a response.
“Sure,” T.J. said. He eyed the wrapped box in her hand. “Uh, Ms. Joy, what’s that?”
“Oh, just a little something for three kind of special guys I know.”
“Did you get Dad anything?”
She reached into her briefcase where she’d put the frames. “I didn’t get this one wrapped but…”
Ed pulled his out of its box and turned it around to show it to the boys. “My new favorite picture.”
The boys groaned as they studied the family with a particularly grumpy-looking Santa.
“I thought it really captured your true essences,” Joy assured them. “I think your dad should keep it on his desk in his office.”
“My poor patients,” he said, shaking his head. “Okay, guys, gather up your stuff and take Ms. Joy home for dinner.”
“You’re lucky Dad’s not cooking,” Jake said. “We’d be eating hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for sure.”
The boys all chatted about Ed’s less than stellar favorite dishes as they moved out of the store, which seemed eerily quiet now. Joy realized she sort of missed the Christmas carols.
The security guard stood at the door, ready to lock up when the time came.
“Good night and Merry Christmas,” Joy told him.
“You, too, Ms. O’Connell.”
“She’s coming to eat at our house tonight,” T.J. told the man.
“Well, I hope you all have a wonderful dinner.”
“Dad’s not cooking so we will,” Jake assured the guard.
They all stepped outside, the sky seemed even darker than when they’d left to deliver presents earlier. The air was brisk and heavy.
“We’ve settled tonight’s plans, but there’s still a question that needs to be asked. You see, I’ve got to make a trip to Raleigh. It’s a long drive there and back. And I wondered what you were doing tomorrow?”
“Spending my day taking a ride with a certain rheumatologist and his three sons?”
“Make that a statement, not a question, and you’ve got it right.”
Joy laughed as she repeated it as a statement this time. “Spending my day taking a ride with a certain rheumatologist and his three sons.”
“Good answer. Now, how about New Year’s?” he pressed as they started out into the now almost deserted parking lot.
“I don’t know. What am I doing New Year’s?”
He leaned in close, his breath a whisper on her ear lobe. “Maybe a real grown-up date, no boys allowed?”
“Make that a statement, not a question, and you’re on.”
He draped his arm over her shoulder and pulled her tight.
“Ew,” the three boys chorused.
As they walked through the practically deserted parking lot, it started snowing in earnest. There was more than Christmas music playing, as far as Joy was concerned. A sense of possibilities and potential seemed to echo all around her.
“So, what are you doing the Fourth of July, Dr. Hall?”
For an answer, Ed pulled her into his arms and kissed her. There was more than potential and possibility in the kiss…there was a sense of recognition. A sense that this…this man was what she’d been waiting for.
“Gross,” was the boys’ response this time as they made gagging noises.
At that moment, wrapped in Ed’s arms, listening to a trio of joking boys, Joy realized she was very…very joyful, that is.
JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH
ROMANCE
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ISBN-13: 9781460382424
DASHING THROUGH THE MALL
Copyright © 2006 by Harlequin Books S.A.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:
SANTA, BABY
Copyright © 2006 by Sherryl Woods
ASSIGNMENT HUMBUG
Copyright © 2006 by Darlene Hrobak Gardner
DECK THE HALLS
Copyright © 2006 by Holly J. Fuhrmann
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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Dashing Through the Mall: Santa, BabyAssignment HumbugDeck the Halls Page 24
