Snowflakes and Ice Skates: A Holiday Romance Anthology (Utah Fury Hockey)

by Brittney Mulliner

  I pulled on my robe and hurried down the stairs. When I got to the door, Vince was tapping off the snow from his boots.

  “You?”

  He stopped and looked at me. “Me?”

  “That was you scraping off the snow?”

  He nodded.

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “So you wouldn’t have to.”

  “That was you the day we had to go to the grocery store.”

  He nodded.

  “Why?”

  He chuckled. “I just told you. So you wouldn’t have to later.”

  “I can take care of things myself.”

  He smiled. “I know you can.”

  Ugh. He was so frustrating. “You can’t do things like that.”

  “I can’t get the snow off your car?”

  I nodded.

  “Why not?”

  “Because.” I huffed, and his smile grew. “It’s not something you do for a friend. It’s what my Dad does for my Mom or for me.”

  “I think it’s a small act of kindness you can do for anyone.”

  I narrowed my eyes. He was right, but it felt like something more.

  “Stop being kind to me.”

  He laughed. “You want me to be mean?”

  “It would be easier.”

  His eyes narrowed. “For who?”

  “Me.”

  He sighed and took off his coat. “I came to talk to you.”

  He walked past me and into the family room, making himself comfortable on the couch.

  I sat across from him and waited.

  “I messed up.”

  I didn’t argue.

  “I’ll probably keep messing up too.”

  I nodded. Probably.

  “But I want to have the chance to try.”

  “Vince.” I sighed. We’d been through this.

  “Hear me out. I know you’re not planning on staying. I know you don’t want to keep us a secret. I get all of that, but I want to talk about a compromise.”

  “Like what?”

  “I’ll tell your parents and Steven and anyone else you want me to. I’ll buy a billboard if you want. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, but I need something in return.”

  I nodded.

  “I need you to stay.”

  I opened my mouth, ready to argue, but he leaned forward and took my hands in his. “Harlow, I’m willing to do this. To go in one hundred percent, but I can’t do that if you’re going to be planning your escape at the same time. I want you to stay.”

  “I can’t.”

  He smiled. “You can. You even have a job here.”

  “What?”

  “Our company is growing, and we have a marking position open. I want you to come work for us.”

  I shook my head. This was too much. “I can’t work for Steven.”

  “You won’t. You’ll work with him.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I don’t want to be that girl.”

  “What girl?”

  “The statistic. The girl that stays in Roseville forever. That never moves on. Never makes a name for herself.”

  “Why does living here automatically make you a failure?”

  Saying it like that felt too extreme. “It doesn’t.”

  “It seems like it does in your mind.”

  I shook my head. This was too much. As much as my heart wanted to give us a shot, he was right. We couldn’t be together. Not while it was my dream to leave.

  “Look, I don’t want you to say anything right now. Just think about it.” He dropped my hands and stood. “When you’re ready to talk, call me.”

  I nodded and watched him walk out of the kitchen.

  Things weren’t going to change. We wanted different things. I needed to accept that.

  Twelve

  A minute after the front door closed behind him, my entire family descended upon me. Mom and Dad looked disapproving and Steven was shaking his head.

  I looked at each of them feeling unease. “What?”

  Mom looked at me with a mixture of pity and concern. “Harlow, you can’t really let this opportunity pass.”

  “You heard that?”

  Dad shook his head. “No, we gave you privacy.”

  “Then how do you know?”

  Steven smirked. “Who do you think had the idea to hire you?”

  I looked around the room feeling more confused than ever.

  Mom sat next to me. “We know you have dreams of leaving and making a name for yourself, but have you ever considered the possibility of staying? At least giving it a chance?”

  I shook my head. I really hadn’t.

  Dad sat next to Mom and leaned forward. “Vince really cares about you.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “How do you know?”

  Dad smiled. “He’s been talking about you nonstop since you got home. He asked me for permission to ask you out last night. He said he wanted everything out in the open.”

  He took the risk.

  “What did you tell him?”

  “That our family loves him, and I couldn’t picture a more perfect man for my favorite child.”

  Steven scoffed, but the rest of us laughed.

  “He knows he has to treat you well, or he’ll have me and your brother to answer to.”

  I looked to Steven and sighed. “And what do you think?”

  He shrugged. “It’s a little weird that my best friend likes you, but I guess it’s a long time coming. We all know you’ve loved him since the day you first saw him.”

  I rolled my eyes even though he wasn’t exactly exaggerating.

  Mom put her hand on my arm and gently squeezed. “He told your father that his biggest concern was ruining things with us. We won’t let that happen. No matter if you two end up together or not, Vince is a part of this family.”

  “Yeah, so don’t screw it up!” I glared at Steven, but he just laughed.

  I nodded but didn’t say anything. I needed to think. “I’m going to go get ready.”

  I left before anyone could stop me. I appreciated that they all liked Vince and approved of us dating, but what about me? Is this what I really wanted?

  Once the shower was warm I stepped in and let the water wash over me. Could I stay here and be happy?

  It had been my dream to leave. Make it in a big city, but dreams could change. I wasn’t giving up if I chose to stay. I could still make a name for myself. I could work at their company and help it grow.

  Was he worth it?

  That’s all this came down to.

  After I got dressed and dried my hair I sat on my bed and stared at my phone.

  Could I do this?

  He’d taken the leap, and now it was my turn. He’d put everything in my court and was letting me decide where we went next. After years of crushing on him from a distance, I was finally the one in control.

  Vince was everything I’d ever wanted. His charm and sexy smile. The way he puts other people first. He was hard working and driven. He fit in with my family.

  He was worth it. Getting my heart broken would be worth time with him.

  I’d rather take a chance to see what we could be than hide and never know.

  I picked up my phone and asked him to meet me.

  While I waited for his response, I got ready and tried to remind myself to keep calm. There was nothing to be nervous about. This was Vince. He’d seen me through puberty, braces, and some awful style choices. If he could look past all of that, he really was something special.

  When my phone rang I hurried across my room and snatched it. “Hello?”

  “Come outside.”

  Vince hung up before I could respond. I looked out the window but didn’t see him. I rushed down the stairs and threw open the door. He was standing huddled, leaning against the frame.

  “Hi.”

  I blinked, and he was moving in. His lips were on mine before my brain caught up. Despite the cold, I felt warm. I slid my hands around his neck and pulled him
closer. He sighed and pulled back just enough to smile at me.

  “I guess I should ask what you decided.”

  I smiled. “I’m staying.”

  His smile could have lit the Christmas lights on the entire block.

  “Really?”

  I nodded. “I want to give us a chance.”

  “You won’t regret it, Harlow.” He kissed me again and I knew he was right.

  Love at First Lift

  One

  I was late. So late. Normally, I wouldn’t be too concerned, but I had a department meeting starting in ten minutes, and I was supposed to be giving the main presentation.

  I pressed the elevator button again as if that would make the floors of the building go by faster. Then I sighed and checked the time on my phone again. Three minutes before the meeting starts. If this stupid piece of machinery would hurry, I might make it in time to catch my breath and grab my laptop before people notice my absence.

  It wasn’t my fault that I was late today. The subway was running fifteen minutes late, but since the app wasn’t updating, I had no way of knowing that. Not that it would have made a difference anyway. It would have been way too expensive to take a cab from my apartment on the Upper West Side to Midtown. Plus, traffic would have delayed me more than the subway.

  Ding. The elevator doors in front of me opened at a glacial pace. I stepped aside to let the occupants exit before slipping inside and hitting the button for floor eight. I groaned as the elevator filled to capacity, knowing every button between here and my floor would be pushed. It was a law or something that whenever you were in a rush, you were stuck in the slowest elevator in the building and it would stop at every floor.

  As the sixth floor approached, I shifted forward so I could jump off soon, but a large man bumped into my shoulder, knocking me back. I almost fell, but someone caught me. I glanced over my shoulder and nearly gasped.

  The most beautiful man I’d ever seen was looking at me with a concerned smile. “Are you okay?”

  His golden eyes hypnotized me. It was as if we were the only two people in the elevator. I memorized his strong jaw, sharp cheekbones, and the tiny scar above his right brow.

  His dark-brown brows lowered. “Are you hurt?”

  My brain decided to function again, finally, as I straightened and moved out of his arms. “Yeah, sorry.”

  His smile grew, making the corners of his eyes crinkle. “Good. I was worried there for a second.”

  I laughed, but the high, airy sound sounded foreign to my own ears. “Thanks for catching me.”

  He nodded and gave me a smile before looking beyond me. “Is this your floor?”

  The doors were open to my office, and no one else was getting off. “Oh! Yes.” I hurried out, but when I turned to thank him again, the doors had already closed.

  No.

  I only had a second to lament his disappearance before the alarm in my head went off. My meeting!

  I ran to my desk and grabbed my laptop before spinning around and rushing into the meeting just as Matt, my boss, stood to start. He gave me a questioning look but didn’t call me out.

  “Thanks for getting here early, everyone. I know we’re all in holiday mode still, but we have two days to wrap up our plans for the first quarter.” He continued to ramble, glancing at me occasionally, and I wanted to hug him. He was giving me a chance to pull myself together before I had to present. I’d have to get him a coffee this week.

  I opened my presentation and leaned back in my seat, signaling to him that I was ready. He gave me a tiny nod before wrapping up. “Taylor has the mockups for the concepts we discussed last week.”

  I stood, moving to the front of the room while sending my presentation slides to the flat screens around the room. With one more calming breath, I began.

  Somehow I managed to get through the presentation, questions, and remainder of the meeting without crumbling. A few of the requests for changes would take a while to finish, but I’d be able to get them done once we got back from the New Year’s break.

  A white cup hit my desk, making me jump. I looked up to see Cora, my coworker and best friend, smiling down at me. “Peppermint hot chocolate.”

  I lifted the cup to my nose and inhaled my favorite drink. “Mmm, thank you.”

  She took a sip of hers and gave me a sly smile. “I heard you needed it.”

  I glanced toward Matt’s office and sighed. “It was a rough one.”

  “Sorry I missed it. Next time we can trade, and you can go to the budget meeting.”

  I cringed. “No thanks.”

  Once a month, Cora had the opportunity to meet with the company’s controller and finance team to review the previous month’s marketing budget and negotiate the budget for the next month. Matt called it an ‘opportunity’ because he hated going and wanted to pass it off to someone else. Cora called it ‘the monthly battle’. The higher-ups always wanted us to bring in more money by spending less. It a challenge that Cora gets to fight every month.

  “Guess what.” I smiled at her before taking another sip.

  She leans against my desk. “What?”

  “I saw someone today.” I bit my lip while waiting for her to guess.

  She tapped her pen against her chin. “Ryan Seacrest?”

  I shook my head. “Better.”

  This was one of our favorite games. Since we were both New York City transplants, spotting celebrities and politicians was still exciting.

  “Ryan Reynolds?”

  I huffed. “Man, I wish. No, this one was much…” I trailed off while searching for the perfect word. “Closer to home.”

  She frowned. “You ran into someone from your hometown?”

  I shook my head again. “No, that was a bad hint. Someone pretty amazing.”

  “More than Ryan Reynolds?” She brought her hand to her chest in mock offense.

  “This is better because it’s real life.”

  She leaned in closer. “Who?”

  “I don’t know his name.” I sighed and leaned back.

  Her eyebrows pulled together in a frown. “What do you mean?”

  “I was on the elevator this morning and someone pushed into me. I fell back, literally into his arms.”

  “Tell me more.”

  “Cora, he was gorgeous!” I whispered. “Tan skin, dark-brown hair, and the most beautiful golden eyes.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “But you didn’t get a name?”

  I shook my head. “No. It all happened so fast. I thanked him, then he pointed out that we were on my floor.”

  Her shoulders dropped. “So you don’t even know what level he was going to?”

  “Nope.”

  She blew out a breath. “Well, we’re going to have to find Goldie.”

  My stomach tightened as my nerves set in. “Goldie?”

  She nodded, looking like she’d just won a prize. “Yes. We’ll find him and reunite you two.”

  “How? I don’t even know if he works in this building or if he was just here by chance.”

  Her smile grew. “We’ll do some recon work.”

  I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “I think it’s helpless. Maybe we were just meant for that one moment.”

  She waved me off. “Don’t worry. We’ll find out more.”

  I appreciated her support, but I was already ready to give up on my crush. It wasn’t normal to obsess over someone when you didn’t even know their name. “Maybe I just need to meet more people.”

  Cora grunted. “People suck.”

  She was a bit jaded at the moment. Her boyfriend of five years recently decided he no longer loved her and left her alone in an apartment she couldn't afford. So not only did she have to adjust to the single life, she was forced to find a roommate fast. That’s how she ended up with crazy Irene, who slept through the day and worked at night. With Irene cooking, cleaning, and making noise all night, Cora had been having a hard time sleeping, which made her grumpier.

  Listeni
ng to her stories made me grateful for my own roommate. Holly might not be around very much, but at least we weren’t on opposite schedules.

  “What are you two doing?”

  I jumped in my seat and spun around to see Matt giving us a stern look. “It sounds like I’m missing out on something.”

  I laughed and shushed him. “Don’t draw in more of a crowd.”

  He smiled and sat down on the corner of my desk. Matt was a unique boss. He trusted his team to get their work done and made sure we stayed on task but he was also a good friend. Between growing up with sisters and being married, he was used to the gossip and drama of crushes.

  Cora caught him up while my cheeks heated.

  He turned to me with a wide smile. “No wonder you were so scattered when you walked into the meeting.”

  I hid my face in my hands.

  “Oh, don’t be embarrassed. It sounds like we have a mystery to solve.”

  “How? I don’t even know what floor he was getting off on.”

  “We can check the cameras?” he offered, but I rolled my eyes.

  “There’s no way security would show us without a real reason.”

  He shrugged. “Probably true.”

  I shook my head and turned back to my computer. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Cora stood, giving me a mischievous smile. “You’re never going to meet that special someone if you stay in your comfort zone, Taylor.”

  She winked before walking off to her own desk. But she had distracted me so thoroughly that I just stared at my screen and thought about Goldie. I knew I was a little bit crazy for having a crush on a guy I didn’t know. It felt like it was borderline stalking now that Cora and Matt were involved, but it was a fun distraction.

  I didn't have a whole lot in my life at the moment to distract me from the fact that I was alone in a big city. I had moved to Manhattan four months ago when I got a job offer from Matt to be the junior marketing specialist. I uprooted myself from my life in Virginia, where I grew up and had friends and family, to chase my dream of living in the big city. I didn’t want to make it on Broadway or become a hugely successful lawyer. I just wanted to prove I could build a life on my own. No family influence, no help or handouts. Just me and my merit.