Now, she was staring at the ringing phone in her hand the morning after the bachelor auction. Highstone Acquisitions’ number lit up the call display, and she was torn about answering. She wanted this job. But she also wanted Jake—even if he turned out to be damaged and delusional. And if he refused to leave Brookhollow and return to the city with her, she had a choice to make. An impossible one.
“Can you get that? Your ringtone is driving me crazy,” Victoria said, poking her head around the corner. Her eyes widened. “Is it about the job?”
Heather nodded.
“Answer it!” She rushed to take the empty seat behind the desk, obviously planning to listen in on the call.
“Can I have some privacy?”
“I haven’t had privacy to pee since Harper was born. Why should you get any? Come on, hurry up,” she said, her knees bouncing.
She cleared her throat. “Hello?”
“Heather?”
“Yes, this is Heather.”
“This is Mike Ainsley calling. Have I caught you at a bad time?”
Three weeks ago would have been better. Before she’d started to get to know Jake, started to fall for Jake, kissed him several dozen times. “No, not at all.”
“Well, I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you, but I was away for a few days.”
“No problem at all.”
“Anyway, I’m calling to offer you the position, starting January 4.”
She couldn’t pinpoint any particular emotion. Happy and excited—yes. She was finally going back to New York, to work for a fantastic company in a fantastic office with a fantastic view of the city, fantastic health benefits... But she was also disappointed and anxious. January 4 was less than three weeks away.
“You are still interested in the position?” he asked when she was silent.
“Did you get it?” Victoria whispered.
She nodded, answering them both.
Victoria did a silent squeal of delight, and Mike spoke. “Heather?”
“Yes, sorry, sir. Yes, I’m definitely still interested. Thank you for this opportunity.” Victoria was going to kill her for what she was about to say next. “Um, is it okay if I have a few days to think about it?”
Victoria’s mouth dropped open, and Heather stood and moved away from her.
“Oh...okay, of course. I’ll have Amy draft up the official offer for you this afternoon. If you could let us know by early next week, we would love to have you join us for our holiday party on the twenty-third and have you sign off on the position that day, as well.”
The twenty-third...seven days... January 4 had seemed too soon. “Of course, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you again for the opportunity, Mr. Ainsley.” She disconnected the call and faced Victoria, preparing for a what-were-you-thinking speech, but to her surprise, her friend was smiling.
“What?” Heather asked.
“You’re in love with Sheriff Matthews.”
It wasn’t a question, and she almost wished her friend had yelled at her for not taking the position immediately. This conversation would be worse.
“I’m not,” she said. Apparently all she could muster at the moment was a two-word lie.
“You totally are. Why else would you need to think about taking the position?”
She scoffed. “I didn’t want to seem too eager...”
“Does this mean you’re actually thinking about staying?”
“I haven’t thought about anything yet. I mean, this is stupid. Who chooses a potential relationship over a definite career?”
Victoria’s eyes narrowed. “This girl right here.” She pointed to her own chest.
“That was different. You and Luke were made for one another.” And Luke wasn’t a closed-down, guarded man who refused to talk about anything near to personal. “And besides, you loved your job, but when you came back here, you knew it was the right thing to do.”
“No, I didn’t. I was terrified. I had no idea if I was doing the right thing.”
“So why did you do it?”
“Because I love him, and everything else worked itself out.”
“So you think I should stay?”
“I can’t give you an unbiased answer to that, so all I’m going to say is—do what your heart tells you to do, but don’t sacrifice who you are.” She stood.
“Hey, where are you going?” Now she was giving her privacy?
“To leave you to decide between your heart and your head.”
* * *
VICTORIA MIGHT NOT have been able to give Heather an unbiased opinion about what she should do, but her sister had no trouble. “I can’t believe you asked for time to think about it,” Cameron shrieked into the phone later that day.
Clearly, news traveled fast in the Highstone Acquisitions offices. And Rob had wasted no time ratting her out to her sister. They were going to have to set some ground rules if they were going to be coworkers. Work stayed at work, family stuff was personal. “I’m—”
“You’re killing me, that’s what you’re doing. For the last six months, all I’ve heard is how bored you are out there, and how you’re desperately looking for a job in the city. Then Rob puts his neck out for you...”
Puts his neck out? “Hey, I’m a good agent. Rob didn’t put anything on the line recommending me.” Where was her pep-talking sister? The one reminding her how she was wasting her talents in Brookhollow? She’d liked that one better.
“Maybe not. But how do you think it will reflect on him if you turn the job down? They were considering three other applicants,” she said.
Heather bit her lip. She had to get an answer to Mike Ainsley soon. She couldn’t leave him or the other applicants waiting. She wished she knew what to do.
“Call him right now and tell him you want this job.”
“Cam, it’s not that simple anymore...” Her sister was career-driven and focused. Her family had almost happened by mistake; she would never understand Heather’s current dilemma.
“If this is about Sheriff...”
“Matthews.”
“Yes, him,” Cameron said tightly, “then I think you’re a fool to be stalling.”
“Cam, not all of us are made of steel, okay? I have feelings for him, and as much as I’d like them to go away, I can’t just reduce them to a minor inconvenience and move on. I’m not like—” She stopped.
“Me? You were going to say me.”
The hurt in her sister’s voice made her wince. “It’s not an insult. You’re amazing at what you do because you put it first, but I’m not sure I’m that driven. I kinda want to find that...balance between work and home.”
“Only since you met this guy!”
“I’ve never cared about anyone this much before, I guess.” It was true. Her relationship with Mel had consisted of one weekend together a month, if they were lucky, and she’d been okay with seeing him that infrequently. She should have recognized that maybe that was telling her something. She saw Jake almost every day, yet leaving him sucked. The more time she spent with him, the more time she wanted to spend. Whatever this was with him felt different than anything she’d experienced before. It felt right. And she wasn’t ready to give up on it...even if he was impossible to figure out.
Her sister sighed. “Look, I get it. But I can’t say this strongly enough—making a decision about your future based on a guy you only started to have feelings for a few weeks ago is a mistake, Heather. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”
She didn’t doubt for a second that her sister was right, but she had a feeling her common sense would take a leap off a New York high rise the moment she saw Jake later that evening...
* * *
“WE ARE NOT supposed to be here,” Jacob said, as Heather picked
the lock on the barn door. “And what you’re doing is illegal, by the way.” He shifted his weight nervously, glancing around the dark property.
“So, arrest me,” Heather said with a teasing smile that made him want to lock her up and throw away the key. “Ta-da!” She held up the lock and opened the door.
“I can’t believe you talked me into breaking and entering,” he muttered, following her inside.
“Oh, come on. It’s not like we’re going to vandalize other floats...or worse, work on our own after the permitted hours,” she said with a laugh. “I just want to see yours. The ladies are all whispering about how wonderful it is.”
He sensed jealousy in her tone again and couldn’t help but play on it. “They think I’m wonderful.”
She flashed him a glare. “Watch yourself, buddy.”
He reached for her hand and drew her to his chest. Staring into those hazel eyes he couldn’t seem to get enough of, he said, “I think you’re wonderful.”
“You think I talk too much.”
“That’s true. But we figured out a cure for that, remember?” he whispered, lowering his lips toward hers.
She pushed away from him.
He frowned. “Hey! Get back here.” He reached for her, but she ran toward his stall.
“Not until you show me your float.”
He sighed. If that’s what it took to get a kiss, so be it. And the quicker they got out of there, the better. Getting caught breaking the law was the last thing his reputation needed. He raced after her and opened the door to his stall. The float was almost finished. Having the extra workers had really helped make it happen. “Here it is,” he said, moving aside to let her in.
Her mouth fell open when she saw it.
“Like it?”
“How did you do this?”
“Impressed?”
“Not at all,” she said, recovering and plastering on what he assumed was her best competitor’s face. “I mean, it’s okay...” She touched a gingerbread man eating a candy cane on the back of the float, and shook her head. “I can’t even pretend this sucks—you suck!” She hit him. “You didn’t tell me you were actually good at this stuff. Though I should have started to worry after I saw your tree.”
He laughed.
She continued to circle the float, taking in the gingerbread house and all the colorful candies, the white sugar draped from the roof that looked like candied snow. “Okay, I know you said your family was creative, but this is unreal. Where did you even come up with this idea?”
He shrugged. “As a kid I loved candy.”
She shot him a look.
“Hey, you can’t get type one diabetes from eating too much sugar!” he said. “Anyway, one year when I was about five or six, my dad—on one of the rare occasions he wasn’t buried under a pile of work—took my sister and me to a gingerbread-house contest.” He walked around the float toward her. “After that, I was hooked. Every year, I spent weeks designing my own and entering them in every contest I could afford.”
“Did you ever win?”
“Not at first, but after a while, I got better and better, and then no one could beat me,” he said with a cocky smile.
“Of course not. Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
He shrugged. “I’m a bit of a perfectionist when I get fixated on something.”
“I’ve noticed,” she said. “You certainly seem fixated on me.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Is that a problem?”
“I’m just not sure what you’re going to do when I leave.”
“I’m not worried. I’m sure I’ll find something else to fixate on.”
She went to smack him again, but he caught her hand, bringing it to his lips. “I was kidding,” he whispered. Her not being around wouldn’t change how he felt or how he thought about her every waking moment when they weren’t together. Being apart was only going to make it worse.
Her eyes searched his, and she opened her mouth to say something, but for once, she didn’t speak.
“Okay, come on—show me yours.” Keeping her hand in his, he led the way out of the stall.
“No way...not now. Mine needs more work first.”
“Thought you said it was done?”
“I thought it was, until I saw yours.”
“Fine, I’ll wait, but can we please get out of here before we get caught by Mrs. Dawson? I wouldn’t put it past her to be sitting guard.”
Heather shook her head. “No. That’s what the cameras are for.”
His stomach flip-flopped. “Cameras?” He glanced at the ceiling. He didn’t see any cameras. Maybe they were hidden in the beams, or... When he looked back at her, she was laughing. “Okay, and then you say I suck?” He grabbed her and started tickling.
“You really are a goody-goody, aren’t you?” she said between bouts of laughter, wiggling away from him.
“I don’t know. Is this a kiss that a goody-goody would give you?” he asked before covering her mouth with his.
* * *
JACOB PULLED THE squad car onto the parking lot of the community center the next morning. “There you go,” he told the young boy, Troy, in the passenger seat. The sixteen-year-old had been hitchhiking along the highway, and he’d picked him up, recognizing him as one of the kids who mentored other kids at the center. His car had broken down.
“Thank you, Sheriff Matthews. I appreciate the ride.”
Jacob nodded. “Don’t forget to call the tow truck once you get inside. You’ll want your car towed to Bailey’s before the heavy snow falls, and it gets buried.”
“I will, sir. Thanks again.” Troy grabbed his backpack and climbed out of the car.
Through the windshield, Jacob noticed Luke Dawson and several men from the bowling league near the side entrance, carrying boxes into the center. He hesitated momentarily before shutting off the car. He raised the collar on his jacket against the blowing snow and wind as he crossed the lot.
“Hey, Sheriff Matthews,” a boy clearing the steps said.
“Hi...uh...”
“Dominic. You busted me for graffiti a few months ago, remember?”
Jake frowned, trying to reconcile this young man with the tall, skinny, scared teenager he’d caught defacing the community center wall back when they thought the place was going to be torn down. The kid appeared to have matured a lot in the past few months. “Sorry, I haven’t seen you here much.” And he’d been looking. His daily patrols included several tours around the center, where some of the town troublemakers tended to congregate, though their meet-ups hadn’t been as common lately.
He had to admit Heather was right: Noah did keep a close eye on the Turnaround program kids. But Jacob was happy his extra presence seemed to be helping, as well.
“I was away at college in Boston,” Dominic said proudly. “Just back on winter break to spend the holidays with my mom.”
“That’s great.”
“What brings you by?” the kid asked cautiously. “Someone in trouble? Troy?”
“No. Nothing like that. His car broke down. I just picked him up.” He kicked at a lump of snow at his feet. Why was he still here? He wasn’t exactly sure. All he knew was that since he’d loosened up a little and started participating in things around town, living in Brookhollow had become more bearable. Heather had a lot to do with his sudden change in mood, but she’d been right about getting involved with the community. “I noticed the guys bringing in a bunch of stuff, and I thought I’d see if there’s anything I could do to help.”
Dominic smiled. “That’s awesome, man—uh, I mean, Sheriff Matthews.”
Jacob laughed. “Believe it or not, I prefer ‘man.’” He tapped the boy on the shoulder as he went inside.
The community center was busy with teens pi
nning up holly and colorful garlands. Glittering silver snowflakes from the bachelor auction still hung from the ceiling, and Christmas music blared from the stereo system. Luke Dawson and his nephew Steve were carrying long tables in through the side entrance, so Jacob made his way over to them and held the door open. “Hey, guys, what are you setting up for now?”
“The Christmas craft fair is this weekend, and we need to get the vendor tables set up so people can start bringing in their sale items.”
Noah joined them. “Thanks, guys,” he said, before turning to Jacob. “Sheriff Matthews, how are you?”
“Good... I thought I’d see if you guys needed a hand.” He shrugged.
Noah nodded. “Awesome, that’s great. All the kids are on break until after Christmas, but we could certainly use your help in the new year...”
New year... Noah had misunderstood. Jacob hadn’t meant to volunteer with the Turnaround program. He hoped to be back in the city before the end of January, at the latest. He just nodded, though. “Sure.”
“But since you’re here, we could use an extra pair of hands setting up,” Noah said, as Luke and Steve went back to Luke’s truck to grab another table.
Jacob removed his jacket. “What can I do?”
“I think those guys could use some help with the Santa staging area.” He pointed to the corner of the room where a group of teens struggled to place a red velvet underlay beneath the big green Santa chair and Christmas tree.
“No problem,” he said, rolling up the sleeves of his sweater.
“Thanks, Jake. It’s good to see you finally settling in.”
Jacob paused. He was far from settling in. In fact, that was the last thing he wanted to do. Especially when the woman he was falling in love with was leaving the small town and taking his heart with her.
* * *
HEATHER PRINTED OFF the job offer from Mike Ainsley, and sitting at the B and B’s front desk, she reread the details. Eighty thousand to start, until her commissions started rolling in, and then a base of fifty thousand and a ten percent commission on her deals. Within six months, she would be back to making over a hundred thousand a year. She could easily afford her own place within a month of getting back to the city. Full health benefits and a gym membership. Company business expense card when traveling. The offer was exactly what she’d been hoping for.
Love, Lies & Mistletoe Page 17
