A Stonecreek Christmas Reunion

by Michelle Major

  “I like chocolate milk,” Joey reported.

  “Of course you do.” The boy had no idea what he was talking about, but he was talking. The mere fact made Griffin smile for the first time in weeks.

  With a little luck, he’d get his life back on track sooner than later.

  Chapter Two

  Maggie glanced around the illuminated town square later that night. Just as Jacob promised, everything looked perfect. She was relieved and grateful that so many residents had attended the lighting of the town Christmas tree and were now taking part in the Winter Wonderland festival. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of which event was happening on what night. Stonecreek’s community calendar was as jam-packed as a socialite’s in the middle of the Season.

  But they were a small town without any big industry or corporation to anchor them. Tourism was a huge deal, all year round. The popularity of Harvest Vineyard helped with that, especially during the fall. That fact didn’t make her breakup with Griffin any easier, just as it had complicated calling off the wedding to Trevor in the spring. Somehow she and their mother had managed to keep a friendly working relationship. Jana Stone had even become something of a mentor to Maggie, although they hadn’t spoken much in the weeks since Griffin left for Seattle.

  She hoped that could change now that he’d returned, whether or not he chose to stay. Maggie liked having an experienced woman to talk to and bounce ideas off since she was trying to pull back from discussing town business with her grandmother.

  Grammy meant well but it was often difficult for her to remember that she’d retired from the position of mayor, and although Maggie loved her, she wouldn’t be a puppet to her grandmother’s whims regarding how the town should be run.

  “Everything looks beautiful.”

  Maggie whirled around to find her grandmother standing directly behind her, Christian Milken, the CEO of LiveSoft, at her side.

  Grammy frowned. “Mary Margaret, are you blushing?”

  Maggie pressed a hand to her cheek and smiled at them both. “No, of course not. I think it’s the cold.”

  “It’s still nearly fifty degrees,” her grandmother pointed out. “Unseasonably warm for December.”

  “I’m wearing a coat,” Maggie said, even though the light jacket she’d worn over her red fit-and-flare dress offered little warmth, as it was more for fashion than function. She shrugged out of it anyway.

  “That’s a lovely dress,” Christian said.

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m curious to know what you were thinking of just then.” Grammy shook her head and lowered her voice to a whisper. “No time to sit on your laurels, girly. We started off the competition with a bang but we’ll need to keep up the full-court press if we’re going to convince LiveSoft to choose Stonecreek.”

  “Right.” Maggie offered an awkward smile to Christian. Even Grammy’s quiet voice had a way of carrying. Now she really was blushing, embarrassed that her grandmother had so quickly and carelessly reduced an evening of holiday cheer to something almost mercenary in nature.

  Yes, she wanted to win the competition—her town could use the influx of revenue and jobs. What town couldn’t?

  But tonight was also about having fun and kicking off the holiday season. Maggie loved Christmas. Some of her fondest memories from childhood, before her mother’s death, were of how special the holidays had been. They’d cut down a real tree out in the woods every year, strung popcorn as garland and sung carols around the fire. Her mom had been a fantastic baker, and Maggie had been so proud to deliver cookies to neighbors and friends.

  She’d tried her best to keep some of the family traditions alive once her mom died, but it hadn’t been easy. Then she’d gotten busy with her own life and it felt like her family had lost something precious. She’d moved back to her house two weeks ago when the tenants she’d rented it to had decided to return to Alabama a few months early. But she’d vowed to make this Christmas extra special for her younger siblings, Morgan and Ben, and their father. Along with her extra work on the town’s campaign for LiveSoft, she hoped to keep herself so busy she wouldn’t have any time to miss Griffin.

  “I need to talk to Dora about the uneven icing on her cookies,” Grammy said, already looking past Maggie. “Mary Margaret, entertain Christian please.” Without waiting for an answer, Vivian walked away, much like Maggie imagined the queen would after giving an order to one of her faithful servants.

  “I used to know how to juggle,” she told Christian with a shrug. “But I’m pretty rusty and fresh out of props.”

  “Know any magic tricks?” he asked, raising a thick brow. “Or a good knock-knock joke?”

  Maggie laughed and shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. But I do know the ladies over at the high school boosters’ booth make the best hot chocolate in town. Would you like to join me for a cup?”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  She glanced at Christian out of the corner of her eye as they got in line at the booth. He was handsome in a country-club sort of way, short blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He was always clean-shaven from what she’d seen and favored tailored shirts and pressed jeans with expensive-looking loafers.

  She’d done her research on the CEO, born and raised in Boston to a former senator and his homemaker wife. Christian had attended private schools and then graduated from Harvard before moving to the West Coast to start LiveSoft. He’d been one of the company’s founders, although she remained fuzzy on his role in developing the app. However, he’d become the face of the brand and was thought to be responsible for much of the company’s meteoric growth.

  In fact, social media and marketing were his specialties. The public campaign to help choose the company headquarters had been his idea.

  “I hope you enjoyed tonight,” she said, inclining her head toward the towering Christmas tree in the center of the square. “And not just because of the competition, despite what Grammy would have you think.”

  “It was great,” he said. “Very Norman Rockwell.”

  “We’re all community spirit around here,” she said, then cringed. “I hate that everything I say to you sounds like I’m selling Stonecreek.”

  “I don’t mind,” he insisted. “We were in Timmins last night and they tried to manufacture snow and ended up causing a minor flood in the elementary school gym.”

  “Oh, my,” she breathed. They stopped at the back of the long line for hot chocolate. “At least we didn’t go that over the top.” She arched a brow. “Unless you like over-the-top and I’ll make sure to ramp things up.”

  “Move aside, people!”

  Maggie glanced sharply toward the covered booth in front of them as the crowd parted. Grady Wilson, who ran the only locally owned gas station in town, made his way forward, elbowing people out of the way as he did. Grady’s grandson was the quarterback for the high school football team, so he and his wife were very involved in the boosters.

  Grady grinned at Maggie. “Our beloved mayor and potential beloved town savior shouldn’t have to wait for a hot drink.”

  “It’s fine,” Christian called, waving a hand. “I don’t mind waiting my turn.”

  “Town savior?” Maggie muttered, shaking her head. “I guess we’ve got over-the-top covered after all.”

  Grady approached them with a wide smile, a steaming cup in each hand. “Nonsense,” he insisted. “I gave you both extra whipped cream too. Our Maggie here’s a big fan of whipped cream.”

  Christian raised a brow in her direction, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

  She felt color rise to her cheeks again. Grady certainly didn’t mean his comment to sound like a sexual innuendo, but somehow it came out that way.

  As she thanked him for the hot chocolate, she noticed the assistant who’d filmed the lighting of the town tree earlier standing a few feet to the side, her phone
held aloft like she was taking a video of this episode.

  “You stick with Maggie,” Grady told Christian. “She’ll make sure you’re in good hands.”

  Maggie darted another look at the camera then forced a bright smile. “Everyone in Stonecreek is excited about this opportunity,” she announced. “Aren’t we, folks?”

  The people in line gave an enthusiastic round of applause—bless them—and Christian toasted Maggie’s cup of hot chocolate. “To new opportunities,” he said, making his voice loud enough to carry and earning more clapping.

  As they turned to head back toward the center of the square, he leaned in closer. “And to extra whipped cream,” he whispered, his voice teasing.

  “That did not mean what you might have thought it meant,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “Are we still on camera?”

  He shrugged but kept his gaze forward. “Danielle was going to get some extra footage in case she needed filler, but I doubt it will be used and there’s no audio with it.”

  “Okay, good. I’m not used to my every move being documented.”

  “Aren’t you on social media?” he asked, brows pinching.

  “Yes, but I’m not active. It doesn’t come naturally to me.”

  “That’s why you need LiveSoft,” he told her. “The app can organize everything for you in a way that makes it less overwhelming and more streamlined.” He pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead. “Now I sound like a walking advertisement for my own company. Sorry.”

  “No need to apologize. You have a great product. I do plan to use the app, although I’m horrible with technology.”

  “I could give you a tutorial,” he offered. “Maybe over dinner one night next week? I’m heading out early tomorrow to get ready for a meeting on Monday, but I’ll be back by the end of the week.”

  “Dinner?” she said, her voice coming out in a squeak.

  “You’ve heard of it, right?” His smile was teasing and more than a little flirty.

  Christian Milken was flirting with her. She fought the urge to check on the camera again. How was it possible that she’d just sworn off men, and suddenly, in the span of twenty-four hours, Griffin had reappeared and Christian was asking her out? Okay, wait. Maybe she was reading too much into this. If Stonecreek was chosen as LiveSoft’s headquarters, he’d be relocating here. He probably was just being friendly...neighborly even.

  “Of course,” she said with forced cheer. “Dinner would be lovely.”

  “Not as lovely as you,” he murmured and lifted his hand to trace a finger along her jaw.

  So much for being neighborly.

  A throat cleared behind Maggie, and she whirled around to find Griffin standing there, a wine bottle in each hand. His expression was dark as midnight, his green eyes intense on her.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting,” he said through clenched teeth.

  She shook her head, swallowing down the lump of emotion that welled in her throat at the sight of him.

  “Have you met Christian Milken?” she asked stepping back to include the CEO in the conversation.

  “That’s why I’m here.” Griffin’s voice was tight but he gave Christian a friendly smile. “I’m Griffin Stone from Harvest Vineyard. We donated a few bottles of wine for the silent auction earlier, and I thought you might like to add a couple to your collection.”

  Christian took one of the bottles Griffin held out and studied the label. “Pinot Noir. That’s my preferred type.”

  “I heard.” Griffin flicked a glance toward Maggie then back to Christian. “We’re all excited about the potential of having you make Stonecreek your new headquarters. I can tell you it’s a fantastic place for a growing business. The town does its best to make sure the business community is taken care of.”

  Maggie’s fingers tightened around her cup of hot chocolate. Here was one more example of a perfectly innocuous comment sounding vaguely suggestive to her ears. Like she was personally responsible for servicing local business owners. She knew Griffin didn’t mean it that way, any more than Grady had, and hoped Christian understood it too.

  “I’m coming to appreciate what Stonecreek has to offer more with each moment,” Christian said, inclining his head toward her.

  Griffin’s broad shoulders went even stiffer, if that was possible. Not that Christian would notice. Griffin wore faded jeans, another thick flannel shirt and a baseball cap with the Harvest Vineyard logo stitched on the front. To the casual observer, he’d appear to be relaxed and easy-going, just another resident helping to make a good impression.

  But Maggie could feel the tension radiating from him.

  “The business owners around here support each other,” she said with patently fake cheer. “It’s one of the things that make us stand out.”

  “Among others,” Christian murmured softly.

  “Harvest is a great example of that,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Griffin’s father founded the vineyard. From the start, and especially in the past few years, they’ve become a leader in the Oregon wine industry.”

  Christian adjusted the scarf wound around his neck and nodded. “I met your brother last week,” he told Griffin. “He has some big plans for expansion.”

  “Yes, he does,” Griffin agreed almost reluctantly. “But we’re also focused on environmental stewardship and the type of community we create. Our entire team contributes to the end product. We want to make our company healthy for the land and the people who work for us.”

  “I like the sound of that.” Christian’s blue eyes lit with interest. “Work-life balance is one of the tenets LiveSoft was founded on.”

  Maggie drew in a steadying breath as the two men discussed company culture as well as environmental building practices. She also had a moment to observe the two of them, both attractive but so different in looks and temperament. Despite his obvious enthusiasm for the topics, Christian remained almost aloof as he spoke with Griffin, every inch the tall and lean corporate executive. Griffin was earthy and raw, gesturing with his hands, his brows furrowing as he considered the other man’s ideas. And when he scrubbed a hand over the stubble that shadowed his strong jaw, Maggie’s insides tightened.

  Would she ever not have that kind of visceral reaction to him?

  “I’d like to set up a time to visit your operation,” Christian said. “I was only planning on staying in town for a day next week, long enough to shoot footage for the next installment of the social media story. But if you could carve out an afternoon, I can push the next stop on my small-town tour?”

  “Sure,” Griffin said, glancing at Maggie. “Happy to show you around. Anything for Stonecreek.”

  She knew he wasn’t happy to spend any more time with LiveSoft’s polished CEO than was absolutely necessary. The look he shot her was brief, a slight raise of his brows and a flash in his green eyes. In that moment she understood the only reason he was being the least bit cordial was to help her.

  What was she supposed to make of that after she’d just cut him out of her life a day earlier?

  “Thank you,” she told him.

  “You should come out too, Maggie May,” he answered with a far too innocent smile. “Our plans at Harvest might interest you, as well.”

  She opened her mouth to argue but Christian put a hand on her back. “Great idea. We can talk more about how LiveSoft might fit into the current community and what our employees are looking for with regard to the balance between work and their personal lives.”

  “Sure,” she answered, her cheeks aching from so much fake smiling. “Um...text me.”

  “I will.” Both men answered at the same time, only adding to the awkwardness of the moment, at least for Maggie.

  She turned up the wattage on her smile, surprised her cheeks didn’t begin to crack. “Sounds good,” she answered both of them at once. “Right now I’m goi
ng to go help with cleanup.”

  “Doesn’t Jacob Snow usually handle that?” Griffin asked.

  “I’m here to support everyone,” she said sweetly. “You fellas have a great evening.” Without waiting for a response from either of them, she turned and walked away.

  After tossing her empty hot chocolate cup into a nearby trash can, she massaged her fingers against her temples. Was it possible she’d sworn off men only to find herself torn between two of them?

  * * *

  Griffin stalked into O’Malley’s Tavern after finally ditching Christian Milken. The man might run one of the hottest app-development companies in the industry, but he seemed like a total tool to Griffin. His distaste had plenty to do with Milken’s obvious infatuation with Maggie.

  Griffin had come to the Winter Wonderland festival under the pretense of checking on the Harvest wine donation, but he’d also hoped to see Maggie. His life might be an unholy mess at the moment, but he wasn’t ready to give up on her. He understood the way he’d left had hurt her, and he wasn’t ready to talk to her about Joey, but he’d returned to Stonecreek and planned to stay. Now he just needed Maggie to let him back into her life.

  Granted, she wasn’t aware of either of those revelations yet. In fact, Griffin had just made the commitment to himself earlier in the day. It was walking the fields with Joey that had done it. The boy had been fascinated by the rows of vines, reaching out to touch the curving stalks and listening intently as Griffin explained the growing cycle of the grapes. As his mother noted, the boy’s interest had reminded Griffin of himself when he was a kid. No matter what had been going on in his life and how bad things had gotten with his dad, he’d always found solace in the fields.

  He understood that Joey’s grief from the loss of his mother couldn’t be easily overcome, but he believed with his whole heart that being in Stonecreek would be a help rather than a hindrance to the boy’s healing.

  As it had become for Griffin.