Their Yuletide Promise

by Stacy Connelly

  “Something,” Evie muttered. But not the kind of meal that would impress the wealthy guests who would be attending Alexa and Chance’s wedding. Not the kind that would impress Alexa’s hard-to-please and influential grandmother.

  Trust me.

  Evie had trusted Griffin. With her life as he took the controls of his plane. With her body as they made love. But with her heart? With Hillcrest House?

  That idea scared her far more than soaring through the clouds at several thousand feet or stripping naked in an out-of-the-way cabin. The last time she’d given a man that kind of trust, she’d lost everything. Not just her heart. Not just the opportunity to run the hotel. Not just the money to pay for a wedding that never happened.

  She’d lost her faith, her hope, her trust. In love, in happily-ever-after, in herself. She had always been the smart one, from the time she was a little girl. So how could she possibly have been so stupid as to fall for Eric? Maybe she wasn’t so smart after all. Maybe she didn’t deserve this second shot to follow her dream.

  Trust me.

  And wasn’t there, despite everything, a part of her that wanted to do just that? To trust in whatever Griffin had in mind even as she met with the kitchen staff to come up with a backup plan of her own?

  “Maybe if we call Aaron, he could—” Evie cut herself off as she caught sight of the disbelieving and disapproving lift to Rory’s dark eyebrows. “What?” she demanded. “It’s not like he’s actually on his honeymoon.”

  “No, he’s actually in the hospital with food poisoning.” Standing up, Rory circled around the desk to lean one hip against its smooth surface. “Is everything okay between you and Griffin?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “The last few days, you’ve been acting so un-Evie. And seeing you and Griffin together, the way he looks at you... I had my doubts at first, but I want you to know I couldn’t be happier for you.”

  Evie swallowed back the tears gathering in the back of her throat as her cousin bent to give her a wildflower-scented hug. She didn’t know why she was getting emotional when Rory was always so free with her affections, hugging perfect strangers given the chance. But her cousin’s happiness for her only magnified Evie’s mixed-up feelings.

  Stiffening in her cousin’s embrace, she said, “As wonderful as Hillcrest House is, there’s no magic here that makes people fall in love.”

  Rory gave a little laugh as she leaned back. “How can you say that after everything that’s happened? First me and Jamison, and then Chance and Alexa. Now with Trisha and Aaron eloping? Not to mention the most powerful proof of all.”

  She grinned, looking exactly as she had when they were children and she knew something Evie didn’t. “Who would ever have thought my cynical, anti-love cousin would fall in love and get engaged after such a whirlwind romance? You can’t tell me that isn’t Hillcrest magic!”

  “It’s a lie.”

  Rory’s smile faded into confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  Shoving back from her desk, Evie stood and ran both of her hands through her hair as she paced the small office. “Everything about my relationship with Griffin has been a lie. Convincing everyone that Griffin and I are a couple when—when we’re not.”

  Evie hadn’t planned to say the words, hadn’t planned to admit the truth to anyone until the charade was over—and maybe not even then. But it was better this way. Better that Rory knew the truth and stopped believing that what Evie and Griffin had was love. Stopped the ridiculous hints about engagements and weddings. Stopped thinking that Griffin’s teasing words, heated looks and soul-stealing touches were anything more than temporary. She needed to stop believing in happily-ever-after when Evie knew it wasn’t true.

  Rory frowned. “Why would you do that? Any of that?”

  “It’s all Aunt E’s fault.” Filling Rory in on the business meeting that had taken place over a month ago, Evie concluded with, “So, you see? From the moment Griffin stepped out of my bathroom wearing nothing but a towel, the whole thing has been all for show.”

  “All of it except for one thing, Evie.” Reaching out, Rory caught Evie’s arm as she stalked by and gave an understanding squeeze. “You did a pretty good job fooling the family, but something tells me you’ve done an even better job fooling yourself.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I know you, and, sweetie, you’re not that good of an actress. Somewhere along the way you stopped pretending to be in love and started falling in love instead.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The sun was sinking into the ocean, painting the sky a gorgeous sorbet-colored mix of orange and pink and purple as the wedding party gathered inside the gleaming white tent for the rehearsal dinner. Though the forecast promised rain, the weather had held so far and Evie hoped at least that much continued to go their way.

  A white lattice arbor stood on a dais, the spot where Chance and Alexa would exchange vows before moving into the hotel ballroom for their reception. The flowers would arrive in the morning—garlands to drape the archway, small sprays to decorate the back of each chair, along with centerpieces for each table for the reception.

  Everything was perfect, poised and waiting, for this final walk-through...except for one thing.

  “Griffin didn’t say where he was going? Or when he’d be back?” Worry pulled at Alexa’s eyebrows as she stared hopefully at Evie and clutched Chance’s hand.

  “I’m sure he’ll be here,” she promised. “He has a plan.”

  Her cousin frowned in response. “A plan? What kind of plan?”

  Evie had no idea, and yet she was somehow counting on it. On Griffin. “Look, Chance—”

  “Hey, everyone, let the wedding march begin!”

  The three of them turned at the sound of the familiar voice filling the tent. Griffin stepped inside, looking gorgeous and slightly windswept, grinning as if he knew they’d been waiting for him.

  The way she’d been waiting her whole life for someone like him...

  Chance had no such patience. “Where the hell have you been?”

  “Picking up a last-minute wedding present,” Griffin said as he held his hand out and spoke quietly to someone standing behind him.

  Evie wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it wasn’t the petite blonde who stepped inside the tent with a tentative smile and uncertain wave. “Um, hi, everyone.”

  “This is Simone d’Arnaud. She is—was,” Griffin corrected himself with a slightly chagrined smile, “the executive chef at the James hotel in Carmel before she decided to open her own catering company. She has graciously agreed to fill in for Aaron while he’s on his honeymoon.”

  “I thought he was in the hospital,” Simone whispered in an aside that carried throughout the tent.

  Griffin shrugged. “In this case, same thing.” Catching Evie’s attention, he offered an audacious wink that set her pulse pounding.

  A chef. He’d found another chef. And not just any chef, since Evie was certain James Hotels would hire the best of the best. He’d come through for her in a way that only Griffin James possibly could. The trust she’d placed in him had been rewarded—with a Michelin star.

  All around her, the bridal party was thanking Griffin for saving day—even Chance grudgingly offered his hand. Griffin, being Griffin, shrugged off the gratitude, but she could see the pleasure he took in making the people around him smile.

  It took everything in her not to rush straight to him, throw her arms around his neck and kiss him just like she had on the beach. Just like a woman in love...

  Only she wouldn’t. Because she wasn’t.

  Somewhere along the way you stopped pretending...

  Rory would think that. It was practically her job to think that, but Evie knew better.

  Yes, Griffin had flown in to save the day, but soon he would fly away. To Miami or Dubai
or Japan. Or maybe he would even pursue his own dream and a career separate from his father’s—a career that would still have him flying off to exotic, exciting locales.

  Either way, he was bound to leave, but until then... Until then, who would blame her if she closed her eyes and let herself pretend that Christmas wishes really came true?

  “I don’t know how to thank you for this,” she told him as he made his way over to her while the rest of the bridal party took their places.

  “Maybe you should wait until you’ve actually had a chance to try Simone’s food.”

  “I don’t need to wait, Griffin.” Brushing a kiss filled with promise against his lips, she whispered, “I already know how amazing it’s going to be.”

  * * *

  As the bridal party raved over a mouthwatering meal of perfectly blackened salmon, creamy garlic parmesan potatoes and tender-crisp broccolini, Griffin slipped out the French doors and onto the balcony.

  He dialed his father’s number only to disconnect the call and shove the phone back into his pocket at the sound of the recorded voice. Had his father been someone else, Griffin might have thought his father had turned his phone off. But his father was Frederick James, and every day was a workday. His phone was never out of reach, so Griffin knew his father had received each of his messages and was choosing not to return a single one.

  Blowing out a frustrated breath, he gripped the cold metal railing along the balcony and breathed in air tinged with the slightest hint of woodsmoke from a distant fireplace. He turned at the click of the latch behind him to see Evie step outside. Earlier in the evening, she’d shed her suit jacket, leaving her clad in a straight skirt and an elegant ivory blouse that bared her slender arms. Her skin gleamed like alabaster, her eyes as dark as the night sky.

  “What are you doing out here?” She tilted her head, gesturing to the room behind her. “You’re about to miss out on dessert. And after that dinner, skipping dessert would be something of a crime. Are all the James hotel chefs so amazing?”

  “Simone is an incredible chef. We tried to convince her to stay, but she left to follow her dream.”

  And it was time he did the same. Even if his father never understood, even if Frederick never forgave him, Griffin had to chart his own course. Maybe Evie was right; maybe his father had held on to the ties to his trust as a way to hold on to him, but he couldn’t stay grounded, tethered to the legacy of James Hotels any longer.

  But before he said anything about his own plans, he wanted to make sure his father kept his distance from Hillcrest House. Evie seemed confident that she’d done enough to convince her aunt that both the hotel and her love life were in good hands. Griffin hoped she was right. Because he was done. Done pretending he was falling in love.

  His heart stalled as she moved closer, then revved like a turbojet engine as she placed her hands on his chest. “I still can’t believe you did this.”

  “You would have come up with something.”

  She gave a small laugh, her hair falling forward to curtain her face. “Chance’s bright idea was to serve hot dogs,” she murmured.

  “See?” Brushing the silken strands back, he added, “You already had a backup plan in place.”

  A hint of vulnerability softened her expression as she admitted, “He said he didn’t care what we served. All that mattered was that he and Alexa were getting married.”

  “Well, I never thought I’d say this, but Chance is right. Love is all that matters.”

  “Careful,” Evie warned. “Don’t let Rory hear you say that or she’ll think you’ve been touched by Hillcrest’s magic.”

  “It wasn’t the hotel’s magic, Evie.” He stared into her midnight eyes, feeling like some long-ago explorer relying on the constellations in the sky for his bearings. He searched for some sign, some glimmer that Evie felt the same way he did. Without that star to guide him, he would be well and truly lost.

  But she only laughed, not taking his words seriously, not taking him seriously, and it killed him a little that even now she wouldn’t admit what Griffin knew was true in his heart. “Of course not. There’s no such thing.”

  The words he’d spoken during their dance at the Holly and Vine event echoed in his mind. Those who don’t believe in magic will never bother to look... Frustrated, Griffin didn’t know how to make Evie see what was right in front of her.

  Or maybe she did see it, because hadn’t he heard something off in her laughter? Something the slightest bit brittle around the edges that told him she was trying a little too hard? That she was pretending.

  “Evie...”

  She stopped him, afraid, perhaps, of what he might say by wrapping her slender arms around his neck. “If you’re not interested in dessert in the dining room, maybe we can take something to go.”

  Griffin didn’t have any trouble reading what Evie was offering as she rose to her toes to brush her lips against his in a kiss that tasted like champagne. The instant flare of desire marked a path that would be so easy to pursue. A familiar road he’d traveled so many times before with other women. Sinking his fingers into the warm fall of her hair, Griffin kissed her. Pouring everything he felt, everything he hadn’t said, into the kiss, into the sweet, slow seduction of his lips against hers.

  No such thing as magic? Evie might as well have dismissed the very air he breathed...

  Her body swayed, drawn closer by the emotion she denied, even as Griffin broke the kiss. His body thrummed with desire, ready to follow wherever Evie led, just as he’d promised, but the rules of the game had changed.

  “I told you once that when I kissed you for the first time, it wouldn’t be pretend.” Sucking in a deep breath of the cool evening air, he managed a wry smile. “Well, when I take you to bed for the second time, I want that to be real, too.”

  * * *

  When I take you to bed for the second time...

  “Ugh! It’s not like I asked him to take me to bed,” Evie muttered to herself as she stalked across the crushed-gravel path from the cottage to the hotel, the plastic garment bag slung over one arm crinkling with each step.

  At least not in so many words.

  In a few minutes, she would have to put on her beautiful bridesmaid’s dress along with her happy bridesmaid’s smile, but she had yet to work out her...frustration over the way things had ended with Griffin the night before.

  I want that to be real, too.

  “And it’s not like I faked anything!” she continued, her argument gaining a head of steam.

  Every kiss, every sigh, every caress had been real and raw and honest.

  But that wasn’t what Griffin meant, and she knew it.

  He wasn’t talking about making love; he was talking about being in love. But what would it matter and why would he care unless...

  Was it possible that Griffin had feelings for her? Real, raw, honest feelings for her?

  “There you are!” Rory called out the moment Evie stepped into the bridal room at the back of the hotel and stopped short.

  Everything inside her screamed to run away as she took in the five women in various states of undress, talking and laughing as they crowded around the vanity table and mirrors with every possible form of curler, hair dryer and straightening iron known to humankind in use.

  “Do not make me go in there,” she muttered to her cousin as Rory took her arm and started pulling her into the madness. With everyone crammed into the small space, Evie didn’t know how she was supposed to find room to breathe let alone change into her dress.

  “Don’t be silly. Getting ready together is half the fun.”

  She didn’t even want to guess what the other half was supposed to be. Carefully stepping around Alexa’s long beaded train, Evie ducked behind the dressing screen and hung the garment bag from a hook in the wall. She’d no sooner zipped up the ice-blue sheath—this time without a single hit
ch—when Darcy Pirelli, who owned the beauty shop in town, appeared at her side.

  Fifteen minutes later, Darcy stepped back with a flourish and spun Evie’s chair to face the mirror. “Voila!”

  Evie stared at a woman she hardly recognized. Her reflection blinked back at her with a pair of ridiculously long lashes. Her lips had been painted, her eyes smoked and her hair styled and sprayed into an updo that seemed to defy the laws of gravity.

  “You look amazing.”

  “That’s supposed to be my line,” Evie protested as she looked away from the mirror to watch as Alexa made a final adjustment to her veil. Unlike many mother-to-be brides, Alexa hadn’t gone with an empire waistline that would slightly camouflage her pregnancy. Instead, the long-sleeved, beaded ivory gown hugged her curves, including her belly, and she looked as glamorous and stunning as an A-list celebrity flaunting her baby bump on the red carpet. “Chance isn’t going to know what hit him.”

  “That is the idea.” Alexa’s lips curved in the self-satisfied smile of a woman who knew she was loved. “Although, I may be the one holding Griffin up on the walk down the aisle once you totally knock him off his feet.”

  “Alexa...”

  With a glance at the other bridesmaids, who were busy with final touch-ups of their own, the bride-to-be leaned close as she murmured, “Rory told me about your ‘plan.’”

  “Then you know this whole thing was for show.”

  “I know that’s what you say, but I also know what I see.” Turning Evie back toward the mirror, Alexa met her gaze in the reflection. “And that is a woman in love.”

  * * *

  Standing outside the tent as they waited for the music to change, Griffin gave Alexa’s arm a slight squeeze. His old friend looked gorgeous, but more than that, she radiated happiness. “Are you sure about this? Because I have the plane ready to go if you want to make a run for it.”

  Alexa laughed at the ridiculous suggestion. Griffin had the feeling that if he hadn’t been standing by her side, waiting for their cue, she would have already rushed the tent. Heaven help any hapless bridesmaid or flower girl who might get in her way.