Billy followed behind, sitting opposite her on the loveseat. Alexandra kept her eyes on him. She hoped he had answers to all the questions she was about to ask. All she wanted to hear was the truth of what happened and why someone was impersonating a doctor.
Silence lingered over them for a few minutes before Alexandra spoke. “I need to know exactly what is going on, Billy. And what diamonds he was talking about. Billy,” she lashed out, “what the hell are you mixed up in? I need to know right now.”
Alexandra uncrossed her legs and sat back on the couch, placing both her hands on her lap. Her eyes watched Billy’s every move. She felt his uneasiness, almost sensed him being nervous, but in his eyes, she saw love and relief.
“I’m not going to tell you any lies, because there is no need to.” Billy took a deep breath. “I’ve told you my whole life story except for this part, and that’s because I was sworn to secrecy by my grandfather.”
“I’m listening, not judging,” she said.
“Thank you.” Billy moved sideways on the couch next to her. He pushed loose strands of her hair behind her ears, before taking her hands in his. “I was just a teenager when my grandfather died. A few weeks prior, he had brought me up into his attic. He told me he needed me to move some things around for him.” Billy closed his eyes for a brief moment and chuckled. “I was up there for over twelve hours with him.”
“What did he have you doing?”
“At the time, I couldn’t understand. He sat in the middle of the attic in his chair with his cane next to him. It had taken him over fifteen minutes to get up the twelve attic stairs.”
“He was sick?”
“Very bad arthritis in his back and knees, but he was bound and determined to get up there.”
Alexandra slid her hands out of his. She leaned over Billy, lifted his chin and softly kissed his lips. “Tell me more.”
“After going through at least fifty boxes, I came across one that was hand decorated with papier-mâché. It was in that box that my grandfather took out another decorated box with a black satin tied bag. Inside the bag, he took out the engagement ring that I have given you. The ring had been my grandfather’s mother. It is a perfect two and a half carat blue diamond.”
Alexandra looked down at her hand. She went to slide it off but Billy stopped her.
“My father borrowed fifty thousand dollars from Ralphie and put up a dozen fake diamonds as collateral, when there was actually only one. They shook hands on the deal. My dad could never find it because I had kept it all these years waiting for the right person to give it to. Now Adams has come to me to pay up on my father’s debt. ”
“I don’t understand why that man was in my room.”
“He was looking for me. Ralphie sent him to collect my father’s debt and to bully me into giving him a percentage of our café.” Billy dropped his eyes to his lap and frowned. “I am so sorry you became involved in this. I’m sure he thought you knew where the diamonds were.”
“But this?” she pointed to the engagement ring, “If it’s going to follow us the rest of our lives, then give it back. I don’t need it. I love you, not the ring.”
“That is yours. I held on to it for over twenty-five years. Even at my lowest, I never sold it. I had made a promise to my grandfather to give it to the girl of my dreams, the love of my life. And that’s you. I want to start planning our wedding tonight and get our dream café up and running for our reception.”
Alexandra eyes watered. “I am always ready for the next adventure with you!”
THE END
About the Author
Karen Cino has been writing since she was fourteen years old. She started her career by writing poetry, short stories and writing articles for her high school newspaper. Her daily walks down at the boardwalk are what gets her muse going. It clears her mind and helps her find realistic plot ideas and the characters boosting up her muse. Karen loves writing about local places that people can relate to.
Karen loves the summer, loves the beach. Her previous books were written and take place in various places across Staten Island. Karen relocated to Barnegat, New Jersey in 2015. She traded in the Staten Island Boardwalk for the shoreline in Long Beach Island. Her Camp Mirage Series takes place in Barnegat, NJ.
Karen is a member of Romance Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writing Association and Liberty States Fiction Writers.
Karen has two adult children, Michael Giordano who’s a singer, songwriter and producer and Nicole Giordano who works in Retail Management and is also a photographer. In 2014 Karen married John Gatti. Her husband is an actor, teacher and attorney.
Currently, Karen is working on Women’s Fiction as well as a Cozy Mystery series.
You can email her at: [email protected]
KAREN CINO SOCIAL MEDIA
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Other Books By Karen Cino
Roses
The Boardwalk
Love Challenges and Desires
MYSTICAL WONDERS SERIES
Circle of Friends
Second Chances
The Right Call
Survival
POETRY
Love Poems
SEASIDE BOULEVARD SERIES
The Perfect Pitch
A Different Kind of Perfect
Another Side of Perfect
COOKIE CUTTER COZY MYSTERY SERIES
New Beginnings
Chaos at the Compound
Finding Love
A Christmas Crush #1
Krista Ames
About the Story
Melanie Chambers is a slave to a job she loves. She works a lot of hours, has no social life but is content with her tiny apartment and her new puppy. She also happens to be in total love or maybe lust with a guy she works with. Isn’t that wrong?
Grant Summerlin is the owner of an award-winning advertising firm in Chicago. He has everything a man could want and just happens to be in love with his vice president’s secretary.
On Christmas eve, alone in an elevator, can Melanie and Grant face each other and their feelings or will the job be forever awkward?
To you and yours at this holiday season and always !
Chapter One
“Going up?” The man standing at the button panel asked nicely when the doors slid open.
“Oh, no, thank you, I’m going down.” She smiled weakly at the patrons as the elevator doors closed.
Melanie couldn’t believe it was December 23rd already. Two days before Christmas, it was way past dark, and she had been ready to leave work for hours. She stared lifelessly at the blinking red and green lights outlining the elevator doors, second guessing herself, and wondering if she shouldn’t have stayed longer at her desk. The backlog of papers piled under the miniature Christmas tree on her filing cabinet would no doubt take many hours to process with no end in sight.
There was only one good reason to go home besides wanting to. She’d gotten herself a new puppy. It was an early Christmas present to herself. By this time of the day, or night rather, her rapidly growing black Lab had probably left his smelly little treasure piles all over her white plush flooring. Obviously, there were no thoughts of dirt or dog poop when she’d picked out that carpet. And being new to the whole holiday thing, the few presents under her measly tree were more than likely in shreds strewn all over the living room floor, by now. She’d never thought once about the fact puppies lived to chew on anything in sight. Oh well, at least she had someone happy to see he
r when she got home, even if it was only a dog.
The ding of the elevator shook her from her thoughts. She looked up to see which arrow was lit, deciding this was the one she wanted to be on so she pushed her way through the crowd to the back corner—her senses triggered as soon as she entered.
He stood along the back as well, cool and confident as always—Grant Summerlin, President of Summerlin Advertising. The very one she worked for.
Melanie would have recognized the man anywhere, just by his cologne. His was a distinct, fresh woodsy musk with a hint of cinnamon and spice that made the scent deliciously unique. Carefully, she watched him until he caught her staring, making her head snap forward and her heart rate plummet.
Good grief, could the elevator go any slower? Maybe she just never noticed, but the descent was taking forever. It could have something to do with her office being on the floor second from the top, in one of the tallest buildings in Chicago, or maybe just that it was so packed with people causing a distraction. She did like to people watch versus interacting but she was afraid it just wasn’t the case. The ride and the people were pretty much routine. The problem was, Melanie was just plain nervous—and even that was an understatement. The mere presence of Mr. Summerlin, too close to her personal bubble, was enough to make her hyperventilate. Why didn’t she just ride the elevator up? It would have to come back down sooner or later and at least she would have been on board before he got on.
Stop after stop, co-workers from other floors cleared out of the elevator back to their offices. Must have been an upper level meeting she wasn’t privy to. But wait, why weren’t they leaving for home? She knew most of them had families they needed to be getting home to. Guess she should just be glad it wasn’t her, because they’d all probably have an additional pile of work because of that meeting. Seemed Mr. Summerlin was the only person besides her leaving the building. Didn’t seem quite fair that the boss was leaving while all his employees were going back to work.
As Melanie leaned back and closed her eyes to endure the slow ride to the ground floor, she couldn’t help but imagine— What if they ended up the only two people left on board? Could she work up enough gumption to even talk to him. Let alone to share with him all the things she’d been fantasizing about. Her heart felt like it might beat out of her chest if she kept up those thoughts. She knew she wasn’t that daring.
Phew! I need off this elevator.
Of all the places for them to end up together, why did it have to be this spot?
Nonstop for months, Grant had imagined this very thing. He would be only too thrilled at being caught here, alone with her, hitting the red panic button so he could do so many wicked things to Melanie. He had to be seeing things at this point but it seemed so real. Every time he looked toward her, she was watching him but then would look forward again when their eyes met.
Grant was off his rocker to think someone like Melanie might somehow have the same feelings he harbored for her. He was crazy out of his mind for her, even made up excuses why he needed to visit his V.P.’s office because she was the secretary. How pathetic could he get?
Until now, she hadn’t been anything but the professional employee his company paid her to be, much to his disappointment and frustration. Grant could even mouth the words as she would say them, “Good morning, Mr. Summerlin. Go right in, Mr. Parrish is expecting you.”
Hoping for a small miracle or a tiny speck of interest, he stole a look across the cramped space again, and caught her looking at him, too. This time however, she didn’t look away. She seemed to be in a trance and unaware he was staring as well. The sight of her was breathtaking. He would chalk it up to the heat in the elevator, but her cheeks held a rosy tint, similar to the reaction of just being kissed for the first time. Her playful auburn hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders, perfect for running his fingers through. It wasn’t a usual look for her because most times, she wore it up in a professional bun. She was a tiny woman but for sure tall in stature. His best guess would put her at five-foot-five and a buck twenty-five dripping wet.
A perfect fit. For him.
Because he made sure to see her every day, he already knew Melanie possessed unbelievably sensuous blue green eyes that sparkled when she smiled and lips so luscious they beg to be kissed and….
“A-hem, excuse me, Mr. Summerlin.”
“What? Oh, I’m sorry. Hello, Ed.”
Damn, of all the times to be caught in a fantasy, and by none other than the resident employee police, Ed Schwartz. He was a nice guy and a good accountant, had even been with his firm the better part of fifteen years but overly protective of the women and way too watchful of the men. Ed was best known as the unofficial S.H.P. of Summerlin Advertising—Sexual Harassment Police. Good thing Grant’s brief case currently hid the obvious proof of his interrupted fantasy. He had weekly write-ups in the complaint box about Ed being creepy from a lot of the women. He just hadn’t seen any proof to approach him about it yet.
Ed cleared his throat again. “Yes, ah, I just wanted to inform you,” he paused while stealing a short but disturbing glance at Melanie, “the meeting was very productive and my report will be on your desk by morning.” He was nothing if not efficient.
“Thanks Ed,” Grant said, “but it’s really not necessary. Go home to your family and enjoy the holiday. That report can wait until the new year.”
Thank God, they’d finally reached Ed’s floor. Once the man got to talking with his terribly dry accountant humor, he’d never shut up.
“Oh hey, looks like your floor Ed. Have a Merry Christmas, and I’ll look forward to reading your report.”
They shook hands as Grant propelled the shocked man backward out the doors before they slid shut.
He collapsed back in his corner of the elevator, eyes closed momentarily, and anticipated the departure of the remaining employees—leaving him alone with the woman he’d been secretly adoring for months. The mere thought sent decadent warmth throughout his entire body.
Chapter Two
Once the doors slid shut with the creepy accountant on the other side, Melanie sighed a breath of relief. That guy made her extremely uncomfortable…seemed to always be watching her— ugh. However, now she was all about a different kind of nervousness. The legal department, which included one of her friends, was the next and last group to depart the elevator that would leave only her and Mr. Summerlin.
Alone.
When they started moving again, her friend Amy turned toward her which she should have expected.
“Hey sweetie, you headed home? Any big plans for the holidays?”
“Hi Amy. Yes, I’ve done all I can do tonight and I’m exhausted.”
She really liked Amy a lot, they even ate lunch together on many occasions. This time though, it kind of made her uncomfortable to discuss her holiday plans, or lack thereof, in front of the boss. Even though he’d spent a lot of time on her floor—which she loved—they’d never had more than polite and short idle chit- chat and a lot of secret drooling—
At least on her end.
Any time she was around him, alone or not, her insides filled with butterflies, totally screwing with her inner calm.
“Honey are you ok?” Amy interrupted her thought processes.
“Oh gosh, yes, I’m sorry Amy. I’m just tired. It was a long week. I’m just anxious to get home and get some sleep. Oh look, this is your floor,” she added quickly. “Don’t work too hard, Amy, and I’ll see you after the first of the year? Make sure to call me soon.”
She leaned forward to hug her friend as the doors once again slid open and she and the lawyer Amy worked for, exited.
“Thanks Melanie, I’ll check on you later. Have a great holiday.” The secretary waved as she hopped into the hallway.
How awkward was that? She’d make a point of calling Amy later and apologizing for being so short with her. No one knew of her fantasies about their boss so she’d just explain it away as the stress of the job.
Melanie leaned back against the wall, suddenly realizing that everybody else was gone. Her hands flattened against the cold metal panels. This was exactly the reason she wanted the elevator to hurry in the first place but now she was scared to death. Being alone with Grant had been a pipe dream for so long she just wasn’t sure what to do now. She needed to stay calm.
Her palms were sweating like crazy.
Okay. You can do this, deep breaths, eyes forward.
She could talk to herself til she was blue in the face, she’d never been able to make herself calm down. Besides, the doors were reflective so he could see her. She looked upward praying silently for help, wondering how she got herself into this. The next thought that popped into her head had her thinking he would accuse her of being a total nutcase. People didn’t climb out the top of the car to get away from another person, they only did things like that in movies when the elevator was about to plummet down the shaft it was hanging in. She wasn’t against getting away, she just wasn’t crazy about heights. That and it sounded like a lot of upper body strength she did not possess.
Thank God.
Grant breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally alone. Isn’t this what he’d been waiting for, for so long? Now, did he have the balls to talk to her as a person instead of a boss talking to an employee? It was extremely forward of him to think she would just agree to a date but that was as good a place as any to start. It would be his luck she probably didn’t even like him.
Whispers of Winter: A Limited Edition Collection of Winter Romances Page 141
