Twelve Days of Christmas

by Debbie Macomber

  “You got me coffee?” Astonished that he would do something so thoughtful, she could barely get the words out.

  “Not coffee. A latte. That froufrou drink you like so much.”

  “My peppermint mocha?” For one wild moment, Julia thought she was going to break into tears of gratitude. “That is so sweet of you.” She took a sip and the warmth of it immediately settled into her stomach, chasing away the chill.

  He had a Macy’s sack in his hand, which he opened, and brought out a long scarf. “Here, put this on. It will keep your neck warm.”

  Her lower lip started to quiver then, and she sniffled. “You’re being so kind and I was awful to you.”

  He grinned and looked so wonderful that tears made her vision go blurry.

  “You still cold?”

  If he’d asked her that earlier, she would have denied it on her deathbed rather than admit she felt half frozen. Right then, lying wasn’t an option, and she answered him with a reluctant nod. “I forgot to move my feet and now I can’t feel my toes.”

  Cain stood behind her, leaning in so their bodies aligned and touched. Then he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. It demanded every bit of restraint she could manage not to lean back and let him take her weight. Right away his warmth seeped into her and she relaxed.

  “You volunteered for this?” he asked.

  “Yes, last month.”

  An elderly woman stepped up and inserted a bill into the red kettle.

  “Thank you,” Julia called out after her. “Merry Christmas.”

  “How much longer do you need to stand here?” Cain asked.

  Julia checked her watch. “Not long. Ten minutes or so.”

  Thankfully, the woman who was due to take her place was five minutes early. Julia relinquished her bell. “This is a great spot,” she told her replacement.

  Cain continued to hold her close. “Okay, that’s it. You’re done for the day.” Before she could stop him, he stepped halfway into the street and hailed a taxi. A yellow cab pulled up to the curb and Cain ushered Julia inside.

  As soon as she scooted into the car, she was surrounded by warm air, which was pure heaven. Cain climbed in after her. “Do you feel up to a light dinner?”

  “Sure.”

  Cain gave the driver an address she didn’t recognize.

  “We aren’t going to the apartment?” She’d assumed they’d grab something from the deli, which was only a couple blocks from their building, and take it back with them.

  “No, this is a place I know. You okay with that?”

  “Of course.”

  “You’re not too tired?”

  “I’m feeling better now.” She was exhausted but unable to refuse herself time with Cain. “You don’t need to do this, you know, but I’m glad you are.”

  “You said you couldn’t do dinner tomorrow night.”

  “I know, I feel bad I can’t.”

  Cain reached for her hand, which was encased in a glove. He intertwined their fingers and stared down. “You’re something else.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  The driver pulled up to the curb outside a high-end restaurant, one that had a reputation as being among the best in Seattle. Julia didn’t know anyone with the right connections to get a reservation, which rumor claimed required weeks.

  Cain seemed to read the surprise in her eyes when she saw where they were. “The owner is a good friend of mine.”

  Cain had friends? As soon as the thought passed through her mind, Julia realized how ridiculous she was being. Of course he had friends. Just because she’d never met one didn’t mean Cain was an island unto himself. He didn’t need to explain that by taking her to meet his friend, she should feel honored. This was a step forward for both of them.

  Cain paid for the cab and helped her out. Once inside the restaurant, they were greeted by the hostess and escorted to a plush booth. The hostess pulled the table out, which granted them both easy access to the seat.

  “I hope you’re hungry enough to appreciate this,” Cain said from behind the tall menus.

  “Truth is I’m ravenous.”

  He lowered the menu and smiled at her. “That’s my girl.”

  His girl. This was the second time he’d referred to her that way. The first time it’d unsettled her, but now…now she felt a little thrill.

  She didn’t have time to give much thought to this subtle or not-so-subtle change in Cain, because a man stepped up to the table assessing her, clearly curious. For a second she thought she saw something else, too, although she couldn’t be sure she read him correctly. It looked like a warning, perhaps a plea that begged her not to abuse Cain or his heart. She smiled, letting him know without words that she would never do anything to hurt Cain.

  Cain made the introductions. “Julia, this is Tom. Tom, Julia.”

  They exchanged smiles before Tom returned his attention to Cain. “Been awhile since you last brought in a dinner date.”

  Cain shrugged. “I’ve been busy.”

  “He’s a stubborn fool, you know,” Tom said to Julia. “Stingy, cantankerous, and remote.”

  Instantly, Julia’s hackles rose. “He most certainly is not,” she said. She barely knew this friend, but it didn’t matter. She wasn’t about to let him dis Cain. That very evening Cain had gotten her a scarf. And now that she’d had a good look at the fabric, she saw that it was cashmere, which wasn’t cheap. Not only that, Cain had delivered her a hot drink to ensure she stayed warm. And when he thought she wasn’t looking, he’d inserted a large bill into the red bucket. “Cain has been thoughtful and generous.”

  “I did steal your newspaper,” Cain reminded her, a smile twitching at the edges of his mouth.

  “I’ve forgiven you for that,” she told him, barely able to tear her gaze away to look toward his friend.

  Tom’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “That’s low, Cain, taking the poor girl’s newspaper. You should be grateful she didn’t turn you in to the FBI.”

  It took Julia a moment to realize Tom was a tease. “You two been friends long?” she asked.

  “We were college roommates,” Tom explained.

  “My bestie was my college roommate, too. Actually, this was her idea,” she blurted out, before she realized what she’d said. Right away she wanted to grab back the words.

  “What idea?” Cain asked.

  “Stuff,” she said and swallowed tightly. “All kinds of stuff. Cammie’s like that; she’s creative and inventive. She’s married with a couple kids. Are you married, Tom? What about kids?” She realized she was talking almost nonstop and quickly snapped her mouth closed.

  “Married, two kids. Cain is the godfather to the oldest.” Tom brought out his phone and showed off family photos.

  The waiter stopped by the table and they ordered following Tom’s suggestions. He left them alone as soon as the waiter had written down their selections.

  No sooner had he stepped away from the booth when two glasses of wine magically appeared. One sip relaxed Julia and she rested her head against the thick cushioned booth.

  “I like your friend,” she told him. “Has it really been a long time since you brought a woman to dinner here?”

  He met her gaze and then looked away. “Five years.”

  “Why so long?”

  “My last experience burned me on relationships. It was a woman from work. I became her advocate at the office and we got close. Apparently, my feelings for her were more serious than hers toward me. She was up for promotion, I recommended her, and once she got the position I was no longer of use to her.”

  Julia was convinced there was a lot more he wasn’t telling her. That he’d been willing to share this much was big, and it helped explain the look his friend had given her.

  “She didn’t deserve you,” Julia said with meaning. “Her loss.”

  “I enjoyed the way you defended me to Tom,” he said, grinning.

  She smiled, too. “It took me a minu
te to realize he’s a tease.”

  “I’m glad you aren’t holding it against him.” Cain held his wineglass by the stem. “Tom and I are close; he’s been with me through a lot and I’ve been there for him, too.”

  “It’s the same with Cammie and me. I’d like you to meet her one day, and I know she would like to meet you. I don’t see her often since she moved to Denver, but we still talk nearly every day.”

  “She knows about me?”

  “A little bit.” She feared saying too much.

  “What did you tell her?”

  This was starting to unsettle her. She’d almost blurted out about the experiment already, and Julia was afraid of what else she might let inadvertently slip. “Just that you’re fast becoming a good friend.”

  Cain reached for her hand, gripping it in his own, and then raised their clenched fists to his mouth, kissing the back of her hand.

  “I’m not someone who has a lot of friends. It takes time for me to warm up to people.”

  “No kidding,” Julia joked.

  “But once I do, I’m a friend for life.”

  Her heart melted a little. “I’d like to be your friend,” she whispered, and realized she hoped that in time she would be a lot more.

  His gaze held hers prisoner. “I think that can be arranged.”

  Julia was convinced that if they had been someplace other than a busy restaurant Cain would have taken the opportunity to kiss her. And not a peck against her forehead, either. If the look in his eyes was anything to go by, she would have felt that kiss like fire burning through her soul. She wanted that, yearned for it.

  Cain must have read the longing in her eyes because he emitted a low groan of warning. “Best not look at me like that while we’re in public,” he murmured.

  Just then their food was delivered and the spell was broken, which in retrospect was a good thing. They lingered over their dinner. Julia told him about dropping out of college midpoint in her junior year.

  “I ran out of money and didn’t want to spend the rest of my adult life paying student loans.” That was the excuse she’d used but it was only the partial truth. She set aside her fork and placed her hand in her lap.

  Right away, Cain noticed the change in her. “Julia?”

  “I broke up with Dylan my junior year. We’d been dating for nearly three years and I assumed he was the one.”

  Cain seemed to know this was important. “You loved him?”

  “Very much. It wasn’t that he cheated on me or that he’d done something unforgivable. We both seemed to realize we weren’t right for each other. At the time it seemed the logical thing to do, to go our separate ways. In retrospect, we were right. I thought we were being so mature, and as a matter of fact, we were. What I didn’t expect was how hard it would be or how hurt and abandoned I’d feel, even though it was a joint decision. Within a week Dylan was dating someone new and I…I floundered, second-guessing myself. It got to be so incredibly painful to see him with another woman that I dropped out of school. It took me six months to make the decision to return. By then Dylan was engaged and I was strong enough emotionally to wish him well.”

  “And now?”

  “Now?”

  “Anyone serious since?”

  She shook her head. “It’s silly, I suppose, but there hasn’t been anyone of consequence since.”

  Reaching for her hand, Cain kissed her fingertips. “Thank you for telling me.”

  She did her best to put on a happy face and return to her meal. Rarely did she mention Dylan or even think about him any longer. But Cain telling her about his coworker had left the door open for her to share her own disappointments.

  By the time they finished, Julia was so exhausted she nearly fell asleep at their table. Cain helped her with her coat, his hands lingering at her shoulders, his breath teasing her ear as he bent down and kissed the side of her neck. Immediate sensation ran down her arms and she shivered.

  “It was selfish of me to drag you out when you’re just getting over being sick.”

  “I wouldn’t want to have missed this. It was a lovely ending to a very long day. Thank you.”

  Outside there was a taxi waiting for them, one Tom had ordered.

  Cain held open the car door for her and she climbed inside. When he joined her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she rested her head against him and struggled to keep her eyes open. She felt his kiss on the top of her head.

  Cocking her head to one side, she studied him and her heart did a little flip-flop. In fact, she couldn’t look away. He’d completely mesmerized her. It took her only a moment to realize what was different, and when she did, it felt as if her heart was ready to explode.

  The cab dropped them off and they rode the elevator to the third floor in silence. For her part, Julia was caught up in her thoughts and the blog she would write that evening.

  Cain walked her to her apartment and hesitated in the hallway. “I had a good time tonight.”

  She turned to face him, her back to her door. “I did, too. Thank you…for everything.”

  “You’re welcome.” His voice was rich and low. He didn’t seem in any hurry to leave, and she was in no rush to see him go. Slowly he ran his index finger down the side of her face, following the curve of her jaw. His gentle touch felt hot against her skin, and she released a small, incoherent gasp.

  If he didn’t kiss her soon, she was going to reach for his lapels and jerk him close and do it herself.

  Just when she was about to stand on the tips of her toes and kiss him, Cain leaned down and captured her mouth. His kiss was exactly how she’d imagined. Her entire body swayed toward him and he wrapped his arms around her in a hold that half lifted her from the ground.

  Julia’s arms slipped around his neck as she gave herself over to him. The kiss was intense and deep: a mingling of passion, need, want, desire, and longing. It went on for what seemed like several moments. When they broke apart, they both swayed as if their entire world had made a shift…and for Julia it had. This was above and beyond anything she could ever have predicted.

  Cain pressed his forehead against hers. “I knew you’d taste like heaven.”

  His words felt like warm honey.

  “You’re going to be addictive, aren’t you?” he murmured.

  “I…I don’t know…maybe…I’d like it if I were.” With everything in her, she hoped what he said was true.

  “One taste will never be enough.”

  She grazed her lips over his in a near kiss, enjoying the freedom to tease him.

  His arms remained around her. Her own were tucked about his waist. “You still going to buy me coffee in the morning?”

  “My word is good.”

  “Mine, too.”

  Straightening, he kissed the bridge of her nose. “I’ll see you in the morning and then you can tell me all about Jeremy.”

  Julia smiled softly. “In the morning,” she promised.

  Julia’s Blog

  TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

  December 21

  The Plot Thickens

  * * *

  * * *

  There’s been a major development. I’m so excited I barely know where to start. I went into this experiment wondering what the effects of kindness would be on my grouchy, no-fun neighbor.

  What I never expected, what took me by complete surprise, was how that kindness would be returned. For example, this evening I stood in the cold, volunteering as a bell ringer for the Red Bucket Brigade, when Ebenezer brought me a latte.

  But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s been a major shift in our relationship.

  I’m talking seismic.

  During my first run-in with Ebenezer, I was caught off guard by his eyes—they were dark and blank. I believe the word I used in talking to a friend was sinister. Ebenezer had sinister eyes. It was that very comment that led my friend to suggest I kill him…kill him with kindness.

  This evening that dark look was gone.
It had vaporized completely. When I looked at him, his gaze sparkled with life, with humor, with warmth. At first I doubted myself. Surely I was seeing things. But there was no mistaking what I saw. I’ll readily admit it thrilled me. The thing is—and I’m being blatantly honest here—the look in his eyes might have been a reflection of my own.

  As a kid I can remember my mother telling me that our lives are merely a reflection of what we see and do. If we are kind, others will treat us with kindness. If we love, we will be loved. If we care, we will be cared for. For a good portion of my life those were just words to me. Good words. Words I wanted to believe.

  Now I know they’re true.

  I’ve been kind to Ebenezer and now he’s kind to me. More than kind. He’s been sweet and wonderful. It’s my mother’s theory of reflection in action. There’s far more to this man than I ever expected. Don’t be surprised, my friends, but I’m coming to think Ebenezer might be a Prince Charming after all…

  Cain had a difficult time sleeping. His head was full of Julia. It was happening; he could feel it. Despite everything, he was falling for his neighbor and falling hard. It’d been utterly selfish of him to take her to dinner, but he’d wanted—no, needed—more time with her. After working all day and then volunteering, she’d been exhausted. Her tiredness was complicated by the fact that she was coming off the flu. But she had to eat, and Cain suspected she’d skip dinner entirely and he didn’t want that to happen.

  That was the excuse he’d used to have Tom get them a table. In retrospect, he’d gotten more than he bargained for. Cain tended to be a private person who kept his emotions in check. A woman he’d dated a few times recently insisted he hid himself behind a brick wall. He didn’t disagree with her. He was well aware of his tendency to keep his private life private.

  What he learned about Julia was that she, too, lived behind a brick wall, only hers was cleverly hidden behind a bright smile and effervescent personality. In the time they’d spent together, and admittedly there hadn’t been much, he’d learned relatively little about her life. She’d talked freely about her family and seemed close to her parents and siblings, which was all well and good. What she’d avoided was anything deep, including any reference to previous relationships.