He raised his hands in surrender. “The lady doesn’t want me to buy her a car, I won’t buy her a car.”
“Such sacrificial gallantry.”
“Like a knight in shining armor ... in reverse.” His eyes crinkled in amusement.
Cat’s mind flew back to Ben Cooper. Every time the word ‘knight’ came up, she thought of him, and his jeans-clad rear, in the bookstore. It was distracting, and annoying. She did not need to think of him when she was on a date with a modern-day Prince Charming. She gripped the steering wheel, determined to push thoughts of Ben far, far away.
She pulled into a parking space near the rink. “We’re here.”
William grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “I’ve been looking forward to spending time with you again, Catherine.”
A Prince Charming who was completely into her.
He hopped out and strolled around the front of the car to open the driver’s side door.
“This feels backward,” he noted, one side of his mouth tipping up.
Taking his hand, Catherine eased out of the car. “I’d say this feels pretty good.”
William raised his eyebrows in pleasant surprise and tucked her arm into his. “In that case, lead on.”
“Wow, you really can skate!” she said to him a short while later, as she edged her way along the wall of the rink.
William glided next to her easily. “You can hold on to my arm,” he offered, extending his elbow.
“Not yet. If I fall, I don’t want to take anyone down with me. I’m still getting used to this again.”
“I wouldn’t let you fall, Catherine. Ever.” He gave her his best smile, shaking his elbow again.
She sighed inwardly. He really is perfect. So why did she feel tense? It’s not as if she wasn’t having a good time. She was. But something felt off. She frowned, closing her eyes briefly.
“Are you doing all right?” William asked with solicitous concern. “I can slow down.”
“No, no, I’m fine. In fact, I do feel more secure with you.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I’ll always keep you safe.”
Of course, you will. Because that’s the reason I created you, to keep me safe. She released William’s elbow and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers through his and clasping them firmly.
“I’m getting better!” she exclaimed, just before she lost her balance and started to stumble. William instantly yanked her back up, pulling her against him to keep her upright.
“See? Told you.” His cheeks dimpled in a grin.
Cat stared into his green eyes, a green the color of grass in the springtime—not the brown of chocolate, thank goodness. His face grew serious as he returned her gaze, and they stopped in the middle of the rink. He pulled her into him, brushing his lips across hers. She relaxed into his body, looping her arms up around his neck. Just as William intensified the kiss, the sound of cheering from the skaters around them caused them to break off their embrace. He gave her a sheepish grin.
“Sorry,” she said.
He touched his finger to her lips as if to silence her. “Don’t be, Catherine. I don’t mind an audience if it means I get to kiss you.”
She laced her fingers through his once more and they made several loops around the rink. She enjoyed watching the families there: fathers teaching their daughters how to skate, sons showing off for their moms, and the occasional couple taking a spin around the rink, often hand-in-hand as she and William were. After an hour of easy conversation, several near falls, and lots of laps, she said, “How about some ice cream? There’s a great place down about a block.”
“Sounds delicious. I’m glad it’s unseasonably warm outside. Ice cream in December isn’t my usual thing.”
Cat chuckled. “Mine either, but I have a craving for some with chocolate chip cookie dough in it, and I’m going to go with it.”
“I like a woman who knows what she wants,” he said as they made their way off the ice.
She almost tripped getting to the bench to change back into their regular shoes and was thankful when William didn’t notice. Did she know what she wanted? It was easy to get caught up in it when she was with him. But this was a fantasy. Would a man like William have taken an interest in her if she hadn’t written him that way?
Just do as you said you’re doing with the ice cream, and go with it already.
They walked along the Downtown Mall. “My sister Caroline would love it here,” William said. “She loves artsy stuff and antiques. I’ll have to bring her down sometime to meet you.”
Family? He wanted her to meet his family? A jolt of panic hit her out of nowhere. I’m not ready for that. I don’t belong in his world. Not really. Or rather, he doesn’t belong in mine.
“She’d love you,” William continued. “You remind me of her, actually. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I was instantly attracted to you.”
He paused for a second as Cat raised an eyebrow at him. “Th-that came out wrong. I’m not attracted to my sister, not like that. I meant I feel comfortable with you because you’re like her. Except that I’m captivated by you in a way that I’m not by her, of course.” He blew out a long breath. “I’ll stop talking now.”
It thrilled Cat that she could fluster this man who walked with ease in the world of wealth and power. “I knew what you meant,” she said with a grin. “But it was fun to watch you try to get yourself out of that one.”
“Thanks a lot,” he said wryly as they entered the small gelato shop. “Every man wants to act the idiot in front of their lady.”
She snickered. At his confused look, she said, “Sorry. I was glad you didn’t call me your ‘old’ lady.”
William laughed. “Come on, you’re not that old. What are you, thirty? Thirty-two?”
“Thirty-five,” she said with a grimace.
“Hey, me, too,” he answered, and then gave his order to the young man behind the counter.
That brought Cat up short. They were the same age? He ran a company, owned his own private jet, and traveled regularly all around the world. What did she have to show for herself at thirty-five? A bookstore that was failing, a car with nearly one hundred thousand miles on it, and a cat that ate too much.
She gave her order. Accepting her ice cream, she licked at it without tasting it, suddenly dispirited. Eliza, she reminded herself. She had Eliza. And Eliza would remind her that William was not out of her league, because she’d created him for herself. She should enjoy him. Of course, that would be easier if she could trust that he liked her for her, not just because he was written that way.
“Shall we catch dinner, now that we’ve had dessert?” he asked before licking a bit of ice cream off his spoon.
“I can’t. That’s why I suggested the afternoon. I’m sorry, I should have told you. Eliza and I are hosting Santa Claus at the store this evening. In fact, I need to head back to get ready. Santa arrives at six o’clock.”
“Oh.” William looked nonplussed for a moment. “Okay, then. I’m glad to know, at least, that you don’t have another date,” he teased.
“Not with anyone over twelve, anyway,” she quipped as they walked back out on the Ped Mall.
They strolled for a bit in comfortable silence before William asked, “Do you need any help?”
“Really?” she said, surprised. “You’d be surrounded by lots of screaming children, many with runny noses.”
“Sounds delightful. I see why you want to host it.”
“Ha, ha. I don’t, except that it generates a fair number of sales. Give away a hot drink and candy canes, and parents usually feel guilty enough to buy something. We’ll take it.”
“That’s the spirit of the season,” he gibed as they reached her car. He opened her door for her. “You’re not going to make me wear an elf costume, are you? Because I don’t look good in pointy ears.”
Cat laughed out loud as she slid into the driver’s seat. “You’re in luck because we’re all out of elf wear in your size
.” She eyed him speculatively. “You might make a good Mrs. Claus, though.”
Chapter 22
“Goodness, Eliza, I had no idea it’d be this busy. You should’ve called me.”
“And ruin your date? I don’t think so. It was only a couple of hours. Besides, Jill came in and helped out for a while. She left about ten minutes ago.”
Cat took off her coat and hung it on the hook behind the door. Smoothing her hair back, she hurried to the desk to ring up a family’s purchases.
“Don’t forget that Santa is visiting tonight,” she said to the dad. “Free hot chocolate!”
He nodded pleasantly, herding his children ahead of him toward the door.
“So nice to see a dad out with his kids, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is,” Eliza said, pausing from stuffing candy canes into a red bag trimmed with white fur. “Now spill the beans. How was the date?”
“I felt like Cinderella at the ball, marveling over this Prince wanting to dance—or skate—with me.” She didn’t mention her doubts to Eliza. Didn’t mention Ben Cooper. Didn’t mention how hard it was to trust that a fantasy could be real. She wasn’t going to think about all of that right now.
Eliza winked at her. “You deserve a Prince, darling.” She moved to arrange the hot chocolate carafe and marshmallows on the table near the fireplace. “Think we have enough? Remember last year, when we almost ran out?”
“We’ll be fine. If we do start running low on supplies, I’ll send my Santa’s helper out for more.”
“Santa’s helper?”
“Yes, William. He’s coming over in a bit. He wanted to help.”
“Wow. Now that’s a dream come true: a man willing to put up with a room full of kids hopped up on sugar.”
The door jingled. “Ho, ho, ho!” they heard, as in walked Santa Claus—or, as they knew him, Shannon’s husband. It always amused Cat and Eliza that Scott, the skinniest man they knew, insisted on donning that big suit and scratchy beard every year. But he loved it, he insisted, loved seeing all the kids come in, even his own, who apparently hadn’t yet figured out it was Daddy beneath all the red velvet and pillows stuffed into his belly.
“Hi, Scott,” Cat called out.
“That’s Mr. Claus to you, missy,” he replied jovially. “Think we’ll have a big crowd this year?”
“I hope so. Fifty-degree-weather doesn’t generally put one in the Christmas mood, but then again, people are more willing to come out in it than they are in snow.”
“True, true.” Santa took up his seat on the couch, which they’d flipped to face away from the fireplace for this event. He adjusted his bowl full of jelly. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
The door jingled again, and Cat looked up to see William enter. He smiled, crossing over to kiss her cheek. “Hello, you.”
“Hello back,” she replied. This man treated her like a princess. But Cinderella had turned back into a regular old working girl at midnight. Gone were the riches, the atmosphere, the magic. She got them back in the end, though, Cat told herself firmly. No one ever said Cinderella felt like a pretender to her throne, right?
“Hi, William. It’s nice to see you,” Eliza called from the other side of the room, where she was arranging the children’s books after an afternoon of kids playing with them.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, as well, Miss James,” he responded with a wink.
The door chimed again. “Santa!” shrieked an excited little voice, as a girl about four shot through the door and raced over to his lap, her laughing mother following behind.
“And so it begins,” whispered Cat to William.
For the next half hour, Cat was busy ringing up sales and helping people find books. She loved to see the store humming like this, and wished it would happen year-round. It felt more like it had when she was a child, hanging around with her dad on the weekends helping to restock shelves: full of life and energy and fun. She hugged her arms to herself during a slight lull in customers, praying she’d be able to keep it going.
She studied William. What would he want if we were to get more seriously involved? She doubted he’d be willing to live in Charlottesville, given his company’s needs. She frowned. She hadn’t thought about that, what she might have to give up to be with her Prince. Cinderella had escaped a bad situation, but Cat had a real life here, with people and places she loved. It was one of the reasons she hadn’t followed her family to Ohio, although she missed them dearly.
I could just write him as having his company here in town, she reminded herself. That would work, wouldn’t it? Only that felt unsatisfying. She wanted him to be with her because he wanted to, not because she’d created him to want her.
“This is a conundrum,” she muttered under her breath. She had created the Perfect Man, and yet she didn’t know if she could trust that he actually cared about her, Catherine Abigail Schreiber, rather than was just acting a part he didn’t know he’d been cast to play.
“Cat!” called out a deep voice as the door jingled again. Ben Cooper walked through the door with a little girl of about six, decked out from head to toe in a Snow White costume.
“Hi, Ben,” she replied in a friendly voice, ignoring the zing of excitement that raced through her upon seeing him. She looked at the little girl, who seemed familiar. Had Cat seen her before? “Who’s this darling princess you’ve brought with you?”
“I’m Sthnow White,” said the girl in a cheerful voice. “I’m here to sthee Sthanta!”
“She’s my niece,” Ben explained. “My sister’s daughter. Martha is home with the flu, so I said I’d bring Alice today.”
“Well, hi, Alice. I mean, Snow White,” Cat amended. “You look beautiful! I’m sure Santa will be delighted to see you. There are a few children waiting ahead of you, but you can go right over there and get in line if you’d like. Eliza can get you some hot chocolate or a cookie.”
“Okay!” Alice chirped and ran off to the area near the fireplace.
Ben remained near Cat, studying her. Her insides flipped as her cheeks filled with heat. What was up with that? She was a mess today.
“Hello,” a voice interjected. Startled, Cat looked over to see William next to her, inspecting Ben with curious eyes.
“Hello,” Ben replied, returning William’s inspection.
“Ben, this is William Dawes. William, this is Ben Cooper,” Cat said, feeling oddly uncomfortable. The men shook hands, giving each other a small smile.
“How do you know Miss Schreiber?” William asked in a pleasant voice.
“We met at the coffee shop. I’m a friend.”
“Oh, yes, Cooper. The computer science professor who fixed the computer system here once, correct?”
Ben’s eyes met Cat’s. “Yes, the computer repair person,” he said flatly.
He sounds hurt. “Oh, he’s more than that.” She smiled widely at Ben. “He’s a good friend. And he’s helped me a lot in the store, coming up with great ideas like our new Facebook page.”
William regarded her with a thoughtful expression. After a moment he said, “I guess I have some competition, then.”
Ben and Cat stared at him.
“No, it’s not like that. He’s got a girlfriend,” Cat said.
William chuckled. “I meant in terms of helping you out.” He reached for her hand. Ben watched them intertwine fingers but said nothing, a hard-to-read expression on his face.
“Uncle Ben! Uncle Ben!” Alice called, “It’sth my turn, Uncle Ben!”
“No jokes about rice,” he said to Cat as he walked over to take a picture of his niece.
“Cat, we’re almost out of hot chocolate,” Eliza called a few seconds later. She rushed over to her friend. “And there’s still a lot of kids waiting.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll go get some more,” William offered.
Eliza breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, William. If you just take this extra carafe across the street, you can get some from
the coffee shop.”
He took the empty pot from her. “I’ll be right back,” he called, heading out the door.
Cat walked over to the edge of the room with her camera, wanting to take a picture of Santa and the kids to display in the store. As she was angling for the best shot, Ben and his niece approached her.
“Thank you for letting us visit today,” he said. “Alice had a wonderful time.”
Alice beamed, showing her candy cane and the hot chocolate mustache over her upper lip. “Look, Uncle Ben! You’re under the mithtletoe!”
Both Cat and Ben glanced up to realize they were, indeed, under the mistletoe that Eliza had hung above the Romance section in which they were standing. Cat glanced quickly at the various covers of women with bosoms about to fall out of bodices, clutching intense, impossibly beautiful men. Awkward.
“You haff to kissth her, Uncle Ben. That’s what the rulesth are!” Alice insisted.
“I’m not sure—” Cat began.
“Alice, no—” Ben started to say.
Alice’s face fell. “You haff to, Uncle Ben. Mommy saysth! She makesth Daddy kissth her under the missthletoe all the time!”
“All right,” Cat said.
Ben looked at her. “Okay?”
She nodded. “We can’t disappoint a little girl at Christmas, can we?”
“I guess not,” he answered.
Cat licked her lips, suddenly nervous. Come on. It’s just a quick smooch for a little girl. It doesn’t mean anything.
Ben leaned in and she closed her eyes. His lips brushed hers and she was surprised by their softness. She was expecting a brief peck, but Ben moved his mouth over hers again, and she leaned into him, too, wanting to get closer. He tasted delicious, like vanilla. When his lips, those surprisingly soft lips, opened, she responded in kind, winding her fingers up through his hair.
Suddenly all she could feel, all she could hear, all she could experience, reduced itself to this one kiss. She no longer heard the kids wailing near Santa, no longer remembered she was standing in a store in front of a multitude of people, no longer wanted anything but to deepen their connection, deepen this kiss, which thrilled her in a way nothing else had in a long time. Not William’s kiss that afternoon. Not even Grayson.
The Magic of Love Series Page 20
