“Oh. Is that it? I guess I was thinking he was older. But still, too old for me. I’m only twenty-two. He’s quite a bit older than me.”
Dorothy shook her head. “Not so much older that it wouldn’t work.”
“But he’s my employer. My father would kill me if I screwed up this job.”
An eye-roll and a snort came from Dorothy. She poured the hot liquid into a mug.
“And besides, he’s mean and grumpy.”
“Who’s mean and grumpy?”
Charley jumped at the sound of Alexander Norris behind her. Before she could think of something plausible to say, words started tumbling out of her mouth. “My father’s...gardener. He’s terrible.”
Alexander’s eyebrows rose. It looked like he didn’t believe her, so she just kept talking. “Yep. He curses...at the roses. And talks down to the lilies. I don’t even know why my father hired him. He’s so rude.”
Alexander stared at her, his face a mask of stone.
She slid off her stool. “Well, I best be getting back to work.”
“Don’t forget your hot chocolate.” Dorothy handed her a mug.
“Thanks.”
Dorothy turned to Alexander. “Do you want a cup?”
He frowned. “I don’t drink chocolate.”
Charley was going to slink off into the garage, but sometimes her mouth ran away with itself. This was one of those times. “Maybe you should. Maybe it would make you smile more.” Before he could answer, she opened the door and walked out, her fingers shaking.
How could she have talked to him like that? She was asking to be fired. But it had felt good to say that to him, and she hid a smile as she sipped her cocoa. The door to the garage opened and Mr. Norris stepped out.
Crud. Here it was. He was going to fire her now. She set her mug down on a shelf she’d cleared off yesterday and clasped her hands together in front of her. “Do you need anything, Mr. Norris? I mean, Alexander?” It felt weird to call him that.
His gaze traveled over the boxes remaining in the garage. He stayed silent for a moment, taking in the space she’d cleared out. Then he stepped back. “Your work so far has been satisfactory. You may stay and finish.”
Charley knew she should shut up and let him leave, but she couldn’t help it. Words came flying out of her mouth. “Satisfactory? Really? I can’t believe it. I’ve done satisfactory work!” She clapped her hands together. “I must go tell all my friends on social media.”
Alexander’s lips twitched. “You might want to tone down the sarcasm, Miss Davis. I could still let you go.”
“Wait, I thought we were on a first name basis here. Now I’m back to Miss Davis?” Why was she still talking? Charley knew she should get back to work and ignore his condescending tone, but for some reason, her mouth wasn’t obeying her.
He took several steps closer to her, until he was standing just inches away. “I made a mistake yesterday.”
She swallowed, suddenly aware of his broad shoulders and musky smell of his cologne. He towered over her, and it made her feel even shorter. “A mistake hiring me?” she asked, her voice small.
His lips twitched again, but they stilled so quickly she thought maybe she imagined it. “No. A mistake in telling you to call me Alexander.”
“Oh.” She had to break eye contact because his gaze was so intense. The garage grew suddenly too hot. “What should I call you?”
He leaned down closer to her, until his mouth was next to her ear. Her heart pounded at his proximity. “I honestly don’t care anymore. Just don’t call me the gardener.”
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as he stalked toward the door. Before she could think of something to say, he was gone. Charley stood there, staring at the door handle, wondering why her breath seemed to be so shallow. Why had the simple conversation shaken her so much?
Chapter 5
Alexander sighed and slumped into his office chair, a headache beginning behind his forehead. He was tired and suddenly depressed. He pulled up a file on his computer and stared at the numbers. He needed to get this report to his accountant.
He clicked on the keyboard, but his thoughts wandered. Since when did he become such a sour person? He had not thought of himself that way before, but overhearing Charley talk about him, he had to admit he had been quite rude over the past two days.
When did his life turn into something so boring? He had known he was a work-a-holic, but he thought that just made him passionate about his business. Looking at it from someone else’s perspective, it made him bitter and alone. He frowned, not liking that assessment.
The kitten hopped up onto his desk and he picked her up, stroking her fur. “We need to get you a home,” he said out loud. He didn’t care if it made him look senile, talking to a cat. For some reason, it soothed him. And maybe he could pretend that he wasn’t turning into a crabby old man at the age of thirty.
The kitten licked the side of his hand, then curled up in his arms, purring. Now he couldn’t type and finish his work. He sat back in his chair. Oh, well. He could take a break. He scratched her fur behind her ears.
His office door burst open and Charley ran in, almost stumbling on his rug but catching herself before she face-planted. “I’m sorry to disturb you, sir, but I just couldn’t wait to show you what I found.” Her smile stretched wide, her dimple deep. She held a book in her hands.
“This is truly a treasure. Look at the dust jacket. It’s in fantastic shape. That almost never happens. Most of the time, the dust jackets are completely gone. When they’re not, they’re torn, but not this one. The book was printed in 1897, and some of the illustrations inside are hand-painted. Hand-painted! I estimate the value to be over five thousand dollars.” She gingerly held the bird-identifying encyclopedia out so he could see. He immediately recognized it, and his throat closed.
Charley kept talking, but he was no longer listening. He was back in time, the day his wife had given him the book. It had been his birthday, and she was so excited to share with him what she’d found. The memory of the pure joy on her face made his stomach clench. His heart hammered in his chest and he could barely swallow, looking at the familiar pages.
“Silence!” he yelled. The kitten jumped from his arms and scampered across the room, through the open door. He ignored it and turned to Charley, his emotions barely in check, his muscles shaking. “I told you to set aside anything of value for auction. I did not tell you to come inside and interrupt my work.” His voice was low and menacing, and she flinched at his words.
She stood there, blinking for a moment. “I’m sorry,” she finally said, her voice a whisper.
Guilt immediately surged in him, but the pain from seeing the encyclopedia overrode it and he clenched his hands into fists. “You will not disturb me again. Is that clear?” He hadn’t meant to raise his voice again, but it echoed through the room.
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she nodded. “Yes.” He could barely hear her. She turned and fled from the room, clutching the book to her chest. As she entered the hallway, he heard a sob escape her, and his guilt overpowered him. Why had he yelled at her like that? She didn’t understand why something like that would upset him. She was young. Had no understanding of a loss like he’d experienced.
He sat back down in his chair, staring at the open door, feeling like the worst person in the world. He was truly horrible. She’d been so excited to find something of value in the piles of junk that she’d just wanted to share it with him. And what had he done? Acted like a tyrant. What had she called him? Mean and grumpy? That’s exactly how he’d been.
He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm his shaking body. Sadie. Her face flashed through his mind and he grew even more embarrassed at the way he’d reacted. Sadie would not have liked that. She was a gentle woman. If she were watching, she would be hiding her face in shame.
Thomas entered his office, the tiny kitten in his hands. “I found her climbing up the curtains in the music room. I s
uspected she got out.”
Alexander stood and crossed the room, taking the cat from Thomas. “Thank you.”
Thomas turned and headed out of the room. He closed the door behind him. Alexander stroked the kitten as he walked to the window. How had his life become like this? How had he allowed himself to grow into such a terrible person? He hadn’t always been this way.
But even as the question sifted through his mind, he knew the answer. He had allowed his grief to overtake him. He was becoming what he hated most. He was his father.
The thought took him aback and he stepped away from the winter scene out the window. He was not like his father, cold and impersonal. He would not allow himself to become this way. Even if it meant going and talking to Charley. He was not going to be his father.
He set the kitten down by her water bowl and stalked across the room. There was no time like the present. He had to get it done. Better to do it before she hated him even more.
He walked through the house, his footfalls sounding harsh to his ears. He softened his step as he approached the garage. Dorothy gave him a frown, but he didn’t have time to take any guff from her, so he ignored her disapproving look and entered the garage.
Charley started when he entered, then turned away from him, her eyes red. She quickly wiped at her face.
His heart softened and he crossed the room, stopping behind her. He suddenly felt self-conscious. What was he going to say to her? He couldn’t explain. He didn’t have it in him to talk about Sadie. He sighed. “I need to apologize.”
She turned to him and shook her head. “No need. You told me what to do. I was the one who broke the rules.”
“Broke the rules? Heavens, that sounds awful.” Was that how she saw him? A grumpy man who had rules she had to follow?
She stared up at him, confusion entering her gaze. “What?”
He shook his head and rubbed his forehead. “When did I get to be that person? The one who has strict rules and whom no one crosses or they regret it?”
Charley didn’t seem to know what to say to him. She stood there, staring at him. He reached down and took her hands in his. Her fingers were cold, and he rubbed them to warm them. “I fear I’ve become something I never wanted to be. What did you call me? Mean and grumpy?”
Her cheeks reddened and her lips parted. “I—”
“No, it’s all right. You’re right. I’m terribly mean and unquestionably grumpy. And I don’t want to be either one.”
She dropped her gaze. “I was out of line. I never should have—”
“Charley.”
She closed her mouth and threw him a questioning look. He squeezed her hand. “I came to apologize. Would you let me do it?”
She glanced down at their hands. “I suppose.”
He worked his jaw, trying to find the right words. The ones that would make him feel better. That would maybe explain a little bit of what he was going through. “My wife died two years ago.”
“I know,” she said, her voice quiet.
The fact that she knew about his wife surprised him, but then again, he should have known Dorothy would tell her. He swallowed, more emotion surging in him at the thought of Sadie. “It was terribly difficult for me. That book was something special she gave me. The memories were too raw. When I saw it, I didn’t react well.”
Charley nodded and bit her lip. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry. It’s still very hard for me to be reminded of her.”
“I should have thought about that.”
“No. You wouldn’t have known.” He let her hands go. “And I am going to try to be more civil.”
“And I promise to do my job and not lose my head if I find something else I think is exciting.” She pinched her lips together, and he stared at them. Then he wondered why he was staring at her lips. What an odd thing to do.
“Okay,” he finally said, stepping back. “I’m glad we cleared that up.”
“Thank you.”
Alexander cocked one eyebrow. What did she mean by that? “For what?”
“For coming out here to talk to me. You didn’t have to. And I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you. But you sure made me feel better. I was afraid I had messed up for the last time and you were going to fire me.”
He’d yelled at her, treated her like dirt, and she was afraid she’d messed up? Now he felt even worse. “No. I’m not going to fire you.”
She smiled at him, and he realized she had a lovely face. He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t noticed before. “Let me know if you need anything else,” he added before turning and walking out of the garage.
As he walked to his study, he felt good about how the conversation went. He thought he’d smoothed things over with her quite nicely. And he didn’t feel so much like a horrible person. Like the cold man his father had been before he’d left Alexander to be raised by his grandfather.
Chapter 6
Charley plopped down on the couch in front of the fireplace. Thomas had started a fire and she loved the way it crackled and danced. The living room was cozy, the leather furniture comfortable. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Heather. Her best friend answered on the first ring. “Hello?”
“Heath. How are you?”
“I’m great. What’s up? How’s the job?”
Charley looked around the room. No one was around. She lowered her voice. “It’s interesting. I did not expect this.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
“I’m cleaning out some guy’s garage.”
Heather paused on the line. “You’re what? I thought you were there to appraise stuff.”
“Yeah. Not really. I’m here digging through boxes of junk and taking them to Goodwill.”
“What’s it pay?”
Charley leaned back against the couch. “That’s the thing. He’s paying me ten thousand dollars.”
Heather whistled. “Holy cow. Why don’t I ever get jobs like that? I can totally take stuff to Goodwill. If you don’t want the job—”
“No, I’ll take it,” Charley said, laughing. “I don’t mind the work. And I can totally use ten thousand dollars. I’ve got to pay rent now.”
A scoffing noise came through the line. “Yeah, don’t remind me of the swanky new place you have. You live a charmed life, I swear. I never could have gotten an apartment like that for nine hundred dollars a month.”
“It is nice.”
“What’s the guy you’re working for like? Is he mega rich?”
Charley fiddled with the top of her sock. “Yeah. Mega.”
“Is he hot?”
She giggled, thinking of how she had almost fainted earlier when he was staring at her. “Yeah, I’d say so. He’s super tall, and he’s got gorgeous black hair. And dang, he smells good. He’s got these dark brown eyes that just penetrate through you, you know? I have to catch my breath every time I look at him. But don’t get any ideas. He’s much too old for me.”
“How old do you think I am?”
Alexander’s voice made her freeze. He would be standing right behind her; that was just like something that would happen to her. “Uh, I gotta go, Heath.” She clicked off the call and turned toward him, plastering on a smile and trying to ignore the heat creeping up her face. “I didn’t know you were there.”
His lips did that twitching thing again. “I know. I was eavesdropping. It’s no fun to eavesdrop if the person knows you’re there.” He walked around the couch and sat down next to her. “So, how old do you think I am?” He leaned his elbow on the armrest. He was still wearing his white dress shirt, but he had taken off his tie. The top button was undone, and she had to force herself to stop staring at the small part of his chest that she could see.
Charley swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling funny. “Dorothy said you were thirty.”
“And that’s too old for you?”
How was she supposed to answer that? Surely he wasn’t asking because he wanted to date her. That was absurd. He didn’t even like her. But
as she stared at him, she could see a hint of a smile on his face. “Are you teasing me? Because I never thought you’d be the kind of person who would do that.”
He shook his head, and his expression sobered. “Of course not. I don’t tease.”
“That’s what I thought.” So odd. Why did it feel so hot in the room now? She tucked her legs under her and hoped that her face wasn’t bright red. She wondered exactly how much of the conversation he’d heard but decided it was better to pretend it hadn’t happened. She didn’t really want to know if he heard her talking about his eyes. Or his gorgeous hair. She would rather sink into the floor than think that he might have heard that part. It was best to change the subject.
“I noticed something when I was on your deck last night.”
His eyebrows went up in what she was quickly learning was his signature questioning gaze. “Really?”
She curled her hair behind her ear. “I thought I saw a hot tub below the deck.”
“You did.”
“Does it work?”
“Yes. But it’s drained and winterized.” There was something behind his statement, but she didn’t ask about it. He seemed to withdraw from her.
“Oh.” She didn’t mean to sound disappointed, but it came out that way.
He studied her. “Why? Did you want to use it?”
Another wave of heat rose to her face. Why did she even bring it up? “No. I mean, that’s too weird to ask, right? ‘Can I use your hot tub?’ That’s like something you don’t say to a guy you just met.”
He half-smiled and shook his head. “I don’t care. You can fill it with water. I’ll show you where I keep the chemicals.”
Excitement filled Charley, pushing away her embarrassment. “Seriously? Because when we stayed at that cabin in Minnesota there was a hot tub outside and it was really awesome to sit in it and look up at the night sky. It was my favorite part of the vacation.”
“All right, then. I’ll help you get it ready.”
“Tonight?” The look on his face told her she was pushing it. She pinched her lips together. Why was she always saying the wrong thing around him?
Christmas with the Recluse Page 3
