It Started One Christmas

by Susan Mallery

  “You okay with this?” she asked Max as they headed back to Seattle.

  “Babysitting puppies for the night until Santa brings them in the morning?” He grinned. “I’m fine with it, Keira. Just being with you makes me happy.”

  He was such a good guy, she thought. They enjoyed each other’s company, and the sex was nice. Not Dalton delicious, but still way better than with Hugh the panter. She was very blessed, and she knew it. The fact that she’d lost touch with a friend wasn’t that big a deal, was it?

  They made it back to the house without any problems and took the puppies out for a pee break before settling them in the oversized laundry room for the night.

  Keira had already set up their crates. Max kept the dogs company until dinner, then joined the family. After dinner Keira took over puppy duty, playing with them until they were tired. Around ten, she took them out for a walk–slash–potty break. They were halfway across the big front lawn when a car drove into the driveway. She was so busy watching for poop that she didn’t notice who got out until Dalton was standing in front of her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said before she could speak. “I didn’t know she was like that. She was always so sweet and kind in Paris. But that night at dinner—I don’t know what happened.” He offered her a rueful smile. “We had a big fight at the airport. She said...”

  He cleared his throat. “She said a lot of things that made me see she was a huge mistake. We broke up, and I’ve been driving around the city, not sure what to do. Is it okay that I’m here?”

  Keira threw herself at him, then nearly fell as she got tangled in the leashes. The puppies jumped all over Dalton, trying to lick and trip him at the same time. Somehow they all ended up on the sopping-wet grass, very possibly in dog poo. But who cared? Dalton was back!

  “She was awful,” he said after they’d gotten to their feet.

  “She was. Rude and mean and, well, we don’t have to talk about it.” She laughed. “Of course you can stay here. I’m so excited. Everyone was asking about you, and I tried not to say anything bad about Ophelie—”

  “Yeah, how did that go?”

  “It’s not really important, is it?” She was still laughing when the front door opened and Max stepped out.

  “Keira, you okay? You’ve been gone a long time.” He frowned. “Who are you... Oh, Dalton. Good, ah, to see you.”

  “Dalton’s going to stay with us for Christmas. Isn’t that great?”

  Max nodded. “Spectacular. The more the merrier.”

  Keira thought there might be a little tension between the men but decided the best course of action was to ignore it. She walked toward the house.

  “I’m on puppy patrol tonight,” she told Dalton. “Want to stay up with me?”

  “Sure.”

  “No, he doesn’t,” Max said firmly.

  “But...” Oh, right. Max was her boyfriend. If she was going to stay up with anyone, it should be him.

  Dalton glanced between the two of them. “Are you sure it’s all right if I stay here?”

  “Yes. You’re one of us. The kids will be thrilled, as will Callie and Santiago.”

  He looked doubtful but went inside with her. Callie greeted him with open arms and repeated that of course he was welcome. As she hugged him, she shot Keira a questioning look.

  “I’ll get you settled,” Callie said. “I’m so glad you’re here. My two are going to be outraged to discover we kept puppies in the house overnight and they didn’t know. You’ll be a welcome distraction.”

  “I live to serve,” he told her and started up the stairs.

  Keira stayed in the foyer, the two puppies sniffing away. Max moved next to her and put his arm around her.

  For reasons not clear to her, she flashed back on how they met. She’d been trying her very awful French and German at a Saturday morning market. Her lack of success had left her laughing.

  “I might as well just speak English,” she’d said aloud. “You’ll understand me about the same.”

  Max had appeared, all tall and handsome. He’d introduced himself, and they’d been surprised to find out they both lived in Seattle. They’d had their first date that night and had kept in touch when he’d returned to Seattle. When she’d gotten back from her internship, they’d picked up where they’d left off.

  Being with Max was easy. She liked him, her family liked him, but he wasn’t... He wasn’t...

  Dalton.

  Her mouth dropped open as the realization hit her. Oh, no. Nooooo. She was still in love with Dalton. She’d never stopped loving Dalton. Even now, with Max’s arm around her, she was totally, madly and completely in love with Dalton.

  “Keira? Are you okay?”

  She tried to smile at Max. He was such a nice guy. He kept up on current events and remembered that she didn’t like roses and never complained when she brought her niece or one of her nephews on a date. How could she not want to be with him? Plus, he was here, and Dalton lived in Paris and according to Ophelie she wasn’t the least bit international, so that couldn’t work, plus she wasn’t beautiful and—

  “Keira?”

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m really sorry.”

  She thought he would ask why. She thought he would be confused. Instead he looked up at Dalton, who had paused on the landing.

  “It’s him, isn’t it? I always knew there was someone in your past. Some reason you weren’t willing to give your heart. He has it, doesn’t he?”

  She nodded, unable to do anything but stare at Max, because looking at Dalton meant acknowledging that he could hear everything being said, and what if she saw he really only liked her as a friend?

  “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I never wanted it to be like this.”

  “Yeah, I believe you.” He kissed her cheek, walked to get his coat then disappeared out the front door. The puppies collapsed on the floor and began wrestling with each other.

  Callie came down the stairs. “I’ll take these two back to the laundry room.” As she grabbed the leashes, she whispered, “Be brave. You’re amazing and he’s lucky to have you.”

  Keira nodded, still unable to look at Dalton.

  She sensed him moving into the foyer. She dropped her gaze to the floor. The black and white tiles were very classic, but if it were up to her, she would change them.

  “This is quite a pickle,” Dalton said, stopping in front of her. “What happened to us being friends forever?”

  She looked at him. “We’re still friends.”

  “But you love me.”

  She nodded, unable to figure out what he was thinking. He didn’t look mad, so that was good. But what if he didn’t want her love? How would she survive? Everything would be ruined, and she would be devastated.

  “How long has this been going on?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe from the first day. For sure since last year, when we...you know.”

  One corner of his mouth turned up. “Yes, I remember the ‘you know’ very clearly. It was the best ‘you know’ of my life.”

  “Mine, too, although you have more experience, so your opinion matters more.”

  “I’m not sure it does.” He sighed. “What am I going to do with you?”

  Not exactly the question she’d been hoping for. She tried not to let her dismay show. “You don’t have to do anything. We can pretend this never happened, go on like we always have. In six months you’ll be leaving Paris, and maybe you’ll go to Dubai or China or Australia. Wherever it is, you can still come here for Christmas.”

  It wasn’t as if she was ever going to have a boyfriend again. Not now that she’d admitted she was in love with Dalton. How could she? He was the one—he’d always been the one. She’d just been unable to see it.

  “I have a job offer from the University of Washington Medical Center,
” he told her.

  “What? You do? Really? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I didn’t know if I could do it. Live in this city, see you all the time and know that you were never going to be mine.”

  Time stood still. There was only silence and anticipation and hope and love that burned so big and bright, there would never be any darkness between them.

  He cupped her face in his hands. “I love you, Keira. I have from that very first Christmas. But you were so set on never falling in love that I was afraid to tell you. I decided some of you was so much better than none of you. So I buried my feelings and saw you every year and counted the days until the next time.”

  “You also dated a ton of beautiful women.”

  “None of them was you. I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner.”

  Happiness swept through her, easing the pain in her heart and making her want to float. “We weren’t ready. At least, I wasn’t. This was hard, but it’s better.” She stared at him. “When you say you love me, it’s a boy-girl thing, right? Like we’re dating?”

  He laughed. “Yes. I’d like to exclusively date you. I want to be a couple. There’s more, but that’s a great start.”

  She smiled. “Does sex come with that offer?”

  “It does.”

  “Then I’m in.” She threw her arms around him. “I love you, Dalton. This makes me so happy.” She started to kiss him, then drew back. “I have puppy duty tonight.”

  “I know. I’ll be there, too.”

  “We can’t have sex in front of them.”

  He kissed her. “I’ve waited this long. I can wait another night. Just being with you is plenty. We have a lot to work out. Like the fact I have six more months in Paris.”

  Keira paused for a moment, thinking about it. “I’ll come with you, as long as you promise I don’t have to see Ophelie. Maybe I can learn to be more international.”

  “Don’t you change anything. Promise me. I love you just the way you are.”

  She sighed. “I love you the same way. For always.”

  EPILOGUE

  “AT SOME POINT you two have to stop crying,” Keira said mildly as her friend April helped her with the diamond necklace she was borrowing from Callie for the ceremony.

  Her sister and sister-in-law both sniffed and dabbed their eyes.

  “I know,” Callie said. “If we don’t, our makeup will run.”

  “I can fix it,” Andrea, their gorgeous hair and makeup stylist, said with a laugh. “Don’t you worry. You’ll all be beautiful.”

  “See?” Delaney sniffed. “We can cry as much as we want.”

  Keira knew there was no point in trying logic, or anything else, and honestly, the emotional display made her feel all squishy inside. These women were her family, and the tears they shed were happy tears.

  The July day was perfect—clear, with temperatures in the midseventies. Sunset was at a ridiculous 8:40, which meant the five p.m. wedding ceremony would be in bright sunlight. One of the consequences of a Seattle summer wedding.

  Keira and Dalton had made sure the winery would provide shade and the reception was indoors, so bright sun or heat wouldn’t be a problem for anyone. They’d planned everything via text, phone calls and email, what with them both being in Paris until his fellowship ended.

  He’d accepted the job in Seattle, and they’d already found a cute house near the university district. Keira had used her months in Paris to continue her study of desserts and candy. She would start back at Alberto’s Alfresco in a few weeks. Their time in the City of Lights had been wonderful, and they hadn’t run into Ophelie even once.

  Now that they were home, they were getting married. Tomorrow they would fly to California for a three-night stay at the Grand Californian with a nostalgic trip to Disneyland. From there, they would have a week in Hawaii.

  “Ready?” April asked, reaching for the dress.

  Callie grinned. “I am.”

  Her gown was a Vera Wang strapless modified mermaid style. It had been ridiculously expensive, but Delaney and Callie had both loved it, and after the ceremony, it would be auctioned off for charity. Keira had to admit she loved it, too, and it gave her quite the figure.

  April helped her into the gown and started working the buttons. Delaney and Callie joined in until they were done.

  Her sister and sister-in-law would stand in as Keira’s mothers of the bride. Santiago would sit with Callie, and Malcolm could walk Keira down the aisle. In an interesting twist of fate, Max the newscaster had run into April at a Starbucks, and they’d started dating. Things had taken a turn for the serious, and Keira was expecting an engagement announcement soon.

  Malcolm opened the door to the bride’s room. “People are getting restless,” he teased. “How are we doing?” His gaze settled on Keira, and he had to clear his throat before he could speak. “You look amazing. I’m so happy for you, Keira.”

  “Thank you. I’m happy for myself.”

  Everyone laughed, then Callie and Delaney left to take their seats. April handed Keira her bouquet before stepping out into the hallway. The wedding planner disappeared to confirm that it was time.

  Malcolm tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “Dalton’s a good guy.”

  “He is. We’re going to do well together.”

  “You’ve come a long way, Keira. We both have.” He kissed her cheek. “Thank you for being my sister and my family.”

  She flung her arms around him. “You’re the best brother ever.”

  He grinned. “You say that to all the guys you meet.”

  “No. Only to you.” She shifted back to his side. “All right. Let’s get me married.”

  * * *

  #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery delivers a captivating new novel about three sisters wrestling with life, love and the price of being happy.

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  California Girls

  by Susan Mallery

  CHAPTER ONE

  “THEY’RE FRYING BACON!”

  Finola Corrado tried not to smile at the panic in her assistant’s eyes. “The cooking segment is potato salad five ways. Bacon is the cost of doing business.”

  Rochelle’s horror morphed into indignation. “Yes, and right before that is the ‘What’s New in Sundresses’ segment. I’m very familiar with the schedule.” She set down her tablet, put her hands on her narrow hips and leaned forward, as if stressing the importance of her point. Her long, dark braids moved with her. “Finola, we have models in the building. Tall, skinny, hungry models. They’re starting to look feral and turn on each other. I’m convinced it’s the smell of bacon. Can’t they cook it somewhere else?”

  And people assumed television was glamorous, Finola thou
ght, still trying not to laugh.

  “Move the models to the backup greenroom and tell them we have a humidity problem on set so they need to use extra hair spray. They won’t be able to smell the bacon after that. Tell the food prep person to clean up when the bacon is finished so there won’t be any more odor.”

  “Oh, that will work.” Rochelle, a smart, ambitious communications graduate, relaxed. “I should have thought of that myself.”

  “You will soon enough.”

  Her dark-haired, dark-eyed twenty-five-year-old assistant would soon be capable of running the show, Finola thought as Rochelle left. In a few months, Rochelle would move on, taking a job that would give her more responsibility, and Finola would hire a new assistant, to begin the process again.

  Getting your foot in the door in the TV business wasn’t easy. There were plenty of crap jobs, but not all of them gave the right kind of experience. Finola prided herself on hiring the best and the brightest. She was very clear with her demands—she expected a killer work ethic, absolute loyalty and 100 percent of their focus. In return, she would teach them about the business, introduce them to the right people and throw them a big party when they moved on to greener pastures.

  Finola’s dressing room door opened again. One of the production assistants stuck her head in and whispered, “She’s here! She’s here. I can’t believe it. I’m so excited. Aren’t you excited?”

  Before Finola could answer, the assistant was gone, no doubt to spread the joy to others.

  Finola wanted to be cynical, but even she had to admit she was looking forward to meeting Treasure. AM SoCal was a successful show in a crowded media market. Being based in Los Angeles meant more access to celebrities than most shows like theirs, but even they didn’t expect to land a massive country-pop star like Treasure.