by Nina Singh
Miranda stood staring at the two of them as an awkward silence settled. Carli cleared her throat. “So, how do you two know each other?” she finally managed to ask.
Miranda gave Justin’s arm an affectionate squeeze. “Oh, he and I go way back. I used to babysit this little hurricane when he was no more than a mischievous toddler. When I first started out in the Hammond secretarial pool and needed some extra cash.”
She turned to Carli. “They were always looking for a sitter for this one. Couldn’t handle him without a little help. He was constantly getting into trouble.”
He still was, Carli thought. If the tabloids were to be believed.
“I just about fell over when I saw him in the hallway this afternoon,” Miranda continued. “Almost didn’t recognize him.”
Justin gave her a playful wink. “I’ve changed just a bit, huh?”
“You still look plenty mischievous.” The older woman laughed. “You should have seen some of the disasters he used to get himself into,” Miranda said Carli. “Always in trouble. His parents were at their wits’ end most days.”
The tone was lighthearted, Miranda laughing merrily. But Carli couldn’t help but notice Justin fidgeted as she spoke. He turned the watch on his wrist and pulled on the band. He was clearly uncomfortable. Probably regretted having come here now that he realized this was her party.
“I’ve since matured a bit,” he offered.
“I would certainly hope so.” Miranda laughed again. “You were quite the hellion.”
“Yes, I recall my parents not being able to wait to rush out of the house as soon as you showed up.”
Carli detected an undercurrent in his tone, a hardness. As the middle daughter in a family with five girls, she could certainly relate to growing up in a chaotic, messy household. But she couldn’t remember her parents ever trying to “rush out” to get away from any of them. Lord knew, they’d given both Mom and Dad plenty of reasons to want to.
“At least I got to leave at the end of the night. Your parents were stuck with you, weren’t they?” Miranda gave him a playful pinch on the cheek.
“I’m surprised you kept coming back.”
“There were plenty of times I was tempted not to.”
For such a playful conversation, Carli couldn’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable. All she really knew about the Hammonds was that the parents had split while the boys were ten and twelve respectively. And for some unfathomable reason, one parent stayed with one son while the other took off with the other to live on the West Coast. She knew for a fact James hadn’t seen his mother more than once or twice since the divorce. And she suspected the same of Justin and his father.
It was an incredibly sad scenario if one really thought about it. For all the turmoil and hassles of growing up with four siblings, Carli couldn’t imagine years going by without seeing any one of them. Even after what had happened last year between her and her sister Janie.
She winced at that memory before realizing that Justin had just said something to her. Also, Miranda had excused herself and walked away.
“I’m sorry, I missed what you said.”
“I was commenting on how festive your apartment is. You’ve obviously put a lot of effort into decorating for the holidays.”
It was clearly an attempt to change the subject, but she couldn’t help but feel a little flattered at the compliment.
She was about to give him a warm smile and answer that this decorative effect had taken weeks to achieve. But then she remembered what he wanted to do with the Cape Cod store.
“Thank you,” she said with a curt nod. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other guests I should attend to.”
* * *
Justin watched Carli walk away and grabbed a glass of wine off one of the trays sitting in the corner. It was hard not to appreciate the view as she made her way across the room. The woman was shaped like sin.
Looked like his apology hadn’t quite cut it as it was clear she was still unhappy with him. He wasn’t sure why that bothered him so much. It really shouldn’t have. He’d only just met the woman this morning. They wouldn’t even be working together for that long. He’d do what was asked of him by his father and return to the West Coast in a few days. Really, the opinion of some midlevel executive at Hammond’s Toys should be the last thing on his mind.
Still, he had to admit he was vexed. His transgression toward her this morning wasn’t that bad. Was it?
He bit out a silent curse as he thought about it. Yeah, he was fooling himself. It was bad. To assume she was his father’s mistress. Simply based on the hour of the day and the way she looked. He couldn’t blame her for still being upset.
Doubtful his older brother, James, would have ever been careless enough to make such a mistake. No, James probably always displayed the utmost professionalism and leadership. Usually, Justin wouldn’t hesitate to describe himself the same way. Apparently not when he was here, however. In Boston and around Hammond Enterprises, Justin was out of his element to the point of near incompetence.
Clearly, Justin was a Hammond in name only.
The question was, what was he going to do about it as far as Carli was concerned?
Someone tapped on his shoulder as he tried to find Carli from the crowd of people in her apartment. He turned to find a petite, dark-haired woman smiling at him. It took him a minute to recognize her. Jocelyn, Carli’s assistant. She looked different without the professional ponytail she’d been wearing this morning.
“Well, hello,” Jocelyn said, loud enough and with enough enthusiasm that two people turned to see who had spoken.
“Hello.”
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
He spread his arms and bowed slightly. “Here I am.”
“Fantastic. We were sort of sad that James was going to miss it this year. And here you are in his place.”
Justin tried not to snort with irony. As if there was any way he would ever be able to take his brother’s place in any way, shape, or form. Not as far as Hammond’s was concerned. And certainly not in his father’s eyes.
He gave Jocelyn a neutral smile. “Glad I could make it.”
“I’m glad Carli saw to it that you came,” Jocelyn said, and took a sip of her ruby red wine.
He had no intention nor desire to correct her. Actually, he had no intention of staying around much longer. There was no feasible reason he hadn’t left as soon as Carli walked away.
Other than some silly desire to see her again this evening. Funny how he’d never been a glutton for punishment until this very day. Carli didn’t want anything to do with him.
He spotted her coming out of the kitchen with more drinks. Several people stopped her along the way; she gave one woman an affectionate air kiss. Several men approached her as well, one taking part of the load off her hands. They seemed friendly but not overly familiar. These men were all clearly just colleagues.
Not that it was any of his business. For all he knew she already had a steady boyfriend or partner. Women who looked like Carli and who had as much going for them weren’t single for long.
Jocelyn waved a hand in front of his face. “Hello? Where’d you just drift off to?”
He smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I was just admiring all the Christmas decorations. Carli’s got quite a talent for it.”
“Really? Is that what you were admiring?”
Uh-oh. He had to be careful here. He couldn’t be caught ogling his father’s project manager. “What else?”
She gave him a knowing look but luckily dropped the matter. “Anyway, I’m glad two Hammond men will be at Carli’s party after all.”
Justin turned his full attention to her. “Excuse me?”
“You and your father. He never misses one of Carli’s soirees.”
> Damn. The last thing Justin needed was to run into his father right now. Their brief meeting this morning had been awkward enough.
“I don’t see him yet though,” Jocelyn added. “He always seems to arrive much later. Likes to make an entrance.”
That definitely sounded like the attention-craving father Justin remembered from his childhood. And from everything he’d been told or had read about the man.
He still had the chance to make his getaway before Jackson arrived. All the more reason to leave right now. So, what was stopping him?
He should have never come in the first place. He knew it had been a mistake. He never even went to these events at his own company. But seeing Miranda again after all these years, remembering how she’d always been so kind to him. Even as he’d been making her life miserable with one childish antic after another.
Still, he had every intention of gently turning Miranda down. But the woman had not taken no for an answer.
Someone turned up the volume on the sound system and “Holly Jolly Christmas” started pounding through the room. Great. Now he was going to have to put up with the damn Christmas carols again.
Jocelyn squealed as the song came on. He’d almost forgotten she was standing in front of him. Again. “I love this song!” she exclaimed. “Let’s dance!”
Before he had a chance to protest, she pulled him into the center of the room where two other couples were already bouncing along to the tune. This wasn’t the traditional version of the song he was used to. It was a bouncy, bassy remake of some sort. With a bit of urban rap lyrics thrown in between verses. As if the original song wasn’t annoying enough. He was supposed to dance to this?
Pretty much a version of hell. Still, he knew what to do. Several years of mandated dance lessons thanks to his society-norm-conscious mother came in handy during moments like this. He matched Jocelyn’s steps and earned a girly giggle when he dipped her.
By the time the song ended, Jocelyn was smiling from ear to ear. “You are quite a dancer, Mr. Justin Hammond.”
“I am a man of many talents.”
“Well, I don’t want to hog you all to myself,” she said, and before he knew it, she had somehow managed to steer them toward where Carli stood talking to a middle-aged man with a bad comb-over.
“You are the host of this party. You should be dancing too,” Jocelyn admonished as she pulled Justin in front of her. “Justin is a terrific dancer. And he needs a partner.” She turned to comb-over guy. “Tom, may I have the honor of this dance?”
Justin watched with both bemusement and dismay as Jocelyn and Tom walked onto the middle of the floor and started dancing.
“My assistant is not subtle,” Carli said. “Obviously.”
“Does that mean you’re not interested in dancing with me?”
She tilted her head. “I’d never dream of making you dance. To a Christmas song, no less. I know how much you dislike them.”
With that flippant comment, she tried to walk away. But he wasn’t going to let her. It was about time they hashed out some stuff, he figured. Otherwise, he was just going to keep letting her get under his skin. That would not bode well for either of them. Even if he was only going to be around her for a few days.
“On the contrary, I’d love a dance,” he said as he gently took her by the arm and led her to the makeshift dance floor.
The protest died on her lips as he spun her around toward him and started swaying with her to the music. He was close enough to sniff a hint of her perfume, a flowery subtle scent. Jasmine perhaps. It suited her.
As did the cocktail dress she wore, a silky, drippy number that hung on her curves in a tasteful, flattering way. He noticed she had whimsical snowman earrings dangling from her dainty lobes.
“See, I can dance to anything. Even annoying versions of Christmas songs.”
She gave an exasperated huff. “How can you not like Christmas carols? There’s got to be one that you’re fond of.”
He shook his head. “Can’t think of one.”
“Not even ‘Jingle Bells’?”
“I find that one particularly grating.”
The look she gave him was one mixed with both sympathy and bewilderment.
Justin sighed. She must think him the biggest Scrooge. “Christmas wasn’t quite the jolly and wonderful time in the Hammond household as it was for most people,” he admitted.
He twirled her around playfully as he said it.
“Makes no sense, I know,” he added. “Given how we make our livelihood. In some ways it just made things worse.”
“How so?”
“Well, for one thing, my father became even more obsessed with sales figures and profit projections. He’d go into the office early and come home late. Even more so than usual. His increased hours gave my parents yet one more excuse to argue.”
He almost laughed at that. Argue was hardly an adequate word for the knockdown, soul-crushing fights his parents used to have.
“It made for less than a peaceful holiday,” he added. Why was he telling her these things? This wasn’t something he particularly liked to talk about with anyone. Let alone a woman he’d just met a few hours ago. A woman who’d made it painfully clear that she didn’t seem to like him very much.
“That’s so very sad. I can’t imagine Christmas being a time of turmoil for a young child.”
Well, now she felt sorry for him. “I wasn’t looking for sympathy,” he said, with a little more force in his voice than he’d intended. “Besides, it’s not like I helped the situation. I was a bit of a frustrating child. As Miranda just pointed out.”
“You were just a child.”
“A rambunctious, unruly, very disobedient child.”
She shook her head. “But still a child.”
The look in her eyes was intense, he had the disquieting feeling she was looking deep into his soul in the most intimate way. What a silly notion that was. They were in the middle of an office holiday party, surrounded by people.
Before he could respond, the music changed. The upbeat, bouncy rhythm of “All I Want for Christmas” transitioned to the slow, rhythmic melody of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
Carli immediately stopped. But he wasn’t ready for this to end just yet. Whatever this was. Before he could give it too much thought and before she could turn to go, he stepped closer to her and took her by her waist. She felt warm and soft under the silky material of her dress. After a gentle nudge, she began to move with him to the slower tempo of the song.
Justin pulled her closer, until they were mere inches apart. Her eyes grew wide with shock but she didn’t make any kind of move to pull away.
Good thing, he thought. Because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to let her go.
CHAPTER FOUR
WHAT IN THE world was she doing?
Carli knew she should excuse herself and slip out of Justin’s arms. Instead, she just stayed there, lulling herself into the cocoon of his embrace. Not even the fact that her guests were starting to stare could seem to make her pull away. And they weren’t merely guests, she reminded herself. These were her colleagues. She’d never been anything less than professional and straitlaced in front of every single one of them. But for the life of her, she couldn’t bring herself to end the dance.
Justin was indeed an ideal dance partner. He moved with fluid grace and coordination. It was hard not to enjoy being with him this way.
More than that, she couldn’t stop thinking about the things he’d just confessed to her about his childhood. She’d heard rumors about the Hammonds’ failed marriage, of course. Hammond’s Toys was no different than any other company when it came to office gossip. But she’d never given the matter much thought. And certainly neither James nor Jackson had ever broached the topic.
She’d ha
d no idea things had been that bad before the marriage ended.
“Let’s talk about something else,” Justin said quietly in her ear. His proximity sent a shiver down her spine. “I’m bordering on party-pooper status here.”
He’d just given her the perfect opportunity to bring up the disturbing topic that had been looming in her mind. The Cape Cod store. She could try to make a case for giving it another chance. The numbers weren’t that bad, and surely they could be turned around. But she couldn’t bring herself to answer with such a daunting subject. Not right now.
After all, was this really the time or place?
“What would you like to talk about?” she asked instead. She’d find some way to bring up the matter at some point. When the time was right.
And that decision had nothing to do with the way he was holding her right now.
“How about you? Tell me what your Christmases were like. You obviously have fonder memories related to the holiday than I do.”
“What makes you say that?”
He laughed softly at the question. “It’s rather obvious. One big clue is the sheer amount of decorations in here. You’d give the Hammond’s Manhattan store a run for its money in comparison. The garland alone is impressively lavish.”
“I have a confession to make,” she admitted.
“What’s that?”
“These are my regular Christmas decorations. Not just for the party.”
His laughed once more, and Carli found herself smiling in return.
“This is what your place looks like under normal circumstances?”
“Only at Christmastime.”
“And you did it all yourself?”
“Who else?”
He shrugged. “We always hired professional services to do our holiday decorating and to hang our lights. First at the house and then the various apartments my mom had us living in over the years.”
Carli tried to imagine watching as strangers handled her delicate ornaments, or the tiny figurines that made up her Christmas village. She treasured every one of those items. Some she’d paid for with her own hard-earned funds, and others had been cherished gifts from friends or relatives. Every piece was a part of her in a tiny yet significant way. Each time she set one out, it triggered a special memory. Some of them even made her homesick. The idea of strangers handling such sentimental trophies made her shudder.
