by Nina Singh
“I suppose we better discuss some of the logistics,” he said as she showed him in. She motioned for him to take a seat.
“We should probably leave within a day or so,” she said with a sigh. “It’s about a three-hour drive. Depending on traffic.”
“I didn’t bother to rent a car. I’ll have to do that.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I can drive you. It’s my hometown.” Not like she had a real choice. It would have been rude and unprofessional to not offer him a ride. Though no doubt it would be the longest ride of her life. “I’ll pick you up from the house tomorrow morning.”
“Can you recommend a place to stay?” he asked.
Carli nodded. “I’ll have Jocelyn arrange it. There’s a nice B and B near the beach. Within walking distance of the store.”
“What about you?”
She shrugged. “I can stay with my parents. My childhood room is still empty, believe it or not.”
“Won’t that be a burden? On your mom and dad on such short notice?”
She blinked at him. A burden? On her own parents? The thought would never have occurred to her. Or her parents, for that matter. In fact, she was certain her parents would absolutely be thrilled that she was finally making her way back. “No. My parents are used to constant visitors at their house. I have a large family.”
“How large?”
“I’m the middle child of five kids. All girls.”
His eyes grew wide. “Wow.”
“All my sisters still live in town. The younger ones are still in high school so still at home. My parents will hardly be fazed by another adult child visiting for a few days.” They’d been gently pressuring her to do so for months. She didn’t add that last part out loud.
He seemed to consider that like it was some sort of novel idea. Of course, he’d grown up with a single mom. Most likely in penthouses and palatial summer estates. Wait till he got a load of the small colonial house and rinky-dink town she’d grown up in.
“Maybe I’ll get a chance to meet them all,” Justin said, shocking her. She groaned inwardly. Introducing her worldly, sophisticated boss to the messy chaos that was her family was going to be another treat to this whole experience.
“I have no doubt,” she told him. The Tynan clan wouldn’t have it any other way. Once they found out she was in town with the other Hammond brother, all hell would break loose. Not just with her family either; the Westerson gossip mill would go into full swing.
“I’m sure my mom will want to feed you at some point. She’s famous for her homemade lasagna.”
He smiled at that. “That would be nice. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in I can’t remember how long.”
She couldn’t tell if he was just being polite or if he really meant that. Probably the former, she decided. This man was used to dining in the finest restaurants all over the world, after all.
“Speaking of which, I should probably call her and let her know we’re coming.” She picked up her cell phone, already anticipating her mother’s pleased excitement that she’d be returning after close to a year. Even if it was for business purposes.
Justin took the hint and stood to go. “Until tomorrow morning then.”
CHAPTER SIX
BY THE TIME Carli arrived to pick him up the next morning, Justin was ruing his decision to ever come back to Boston in the first place. He should have never listened to his mother. He should have put his foot down and told them both, her and his father, that he wanted nothing to do with Hammond’s Toys. When all this was over, he was going to return to the West Coast and try never to set foot in this state again.
This trip to the Cape was futile. It wasn’t going to warrant any more information. In the end, he would have to be firm and reiterate the decision he’d already made. And upset Carli further. His final opinion wasn’t going to be any different; he would just have to break Carli’s heart.
He refused to let himself feel guilty about that. This was simply business. She had to understand that. He would expect no less if the shoe were on the other foot.
How many times had he been turned down by venture capitalists when trying to launch various projects? He’d been immensely disappointed too every time it had happened. But he’d moved on, found another way.
The Westerson store and its employees could do the same. And besides, the final decision wasn’t his. He was merely there as an outside consultant. He had no intention of fabricating an untruth simply to tell people what they wanted to hear.
He just hated that he’d be the one delivering the lesson.
That was a completely new experience for him. Never before had he second-guessed himself about delivering a recommendation. But now, for some inexplicable reason, he hated that he’d be the messenger of bad news. It had everything to do with Carli.
She pulled up in front of the driveway and popped her trunk open. After tossing his bag in, he slid into the passenger seat.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“You’re welcome. We should be there way before after noon sometime. I can take you to the inn, and then we can talk about where to start. Mr. Freider is expecting us.”
Justin recalled the name as the store’s manager. “Sounds good.”
“And I hope you haven’t made any plans for dinner,” she told him.
He laughed to himself. What kind of plans would he possibly have? He didn’t know a single person in the town he was about to visit. He barely knew a soul in all of New England. Except for Carli.
“None whatsoever. Why?”
“I was right about my mom. She insists we have dinner with them this evening. Won’t take no for an answer.”
“That’s very nice of her.”
She signaled and looked over her shoulder as they merged onto the highway. A double-wide semi blew past them, barely slowing down. He’d only been here a few days and had already found Boston drivers deserved their nasty reputation.
“You may not think so once you get there,” Carli warned. He couldn’t even tell if she was serious.
“Come again?”
“It won’t be a quiet affair. Dinner at my parents’ house never is. All four of my sisters will be there. One of them with her husband. Along with my nephew. Who may actually bring a friend.”
Justin pulled down the visor against the harsh morning glare. How many people were going to be at this dinner? “That does sound rather, um, busy.”
“You mean chaotic, don’t you?” Carli asked, not taking her eyes off the road. “Like I said, they don’t take no for an answer. I tend to pick my battles when it comes to my parents.”
The way she said the last few words held a wealth of emotion. He had to wonder what the story was there. Then he had to wonder what made him so damn curious about this woman. It was really none of his business why her voice grew wistful sometimes as it had just now. Just like it had the last time she’d spoken of her family.
“Sounds like you’re all very close.” That much at least was clear.
“Sometimes I think we may all be way too close.”
He waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t expand on the comment. This was going to be a very long ride if he couldn’t figure out a way to move the conversation forward. The last thing he wanted to do was bring up the closing of the store. That would just make the air too thick with tension. And how was he supposed to say anything relatable to her about her large family? He had only one sibling, and he’d rarely seen James over the years.
“You mentioned you have a young nephew?”
The tight line of her lips spread into a wide grin. “Yes, he’s four. Quite a little dynamo.” Her voice held genuine affection. Even a hint of awe.
“I have zero experience with children.”
She gave him a quick side-eye. “Yeah,
you don’t really strike me as the babysitting type.”
He chuckled. “Believe me, I’m not. I can’t even keep a cactus plant alive.”
“Well, don’t let little Ray be a nuisance. He can be quite chatty. Just tell him to run along if he starts to bother you at dinner.”
“How bad of a nuisance can he be?”
Carli’s laugh was so deep and so sharp that he twisted in his seat to face her. “What?”
“You really haven’t been around children, have you? And definitely not around four-year-olds.”
“Never,” he admitted.
“Well, you are in for a novel experience.”
“I’m guessing you don’t mean that in a good way?”
Her answer was another laugh.
“I’m starting to worry a bit,” he admitted, only partially joking.
“Don’t get me wrong. My nephew, Ray, is absolutely a little love. One of the biggest joys in my life. But he can resemble a tiny destructive tornado at times.” She adjusted the heat setting on the dashboard, then continued, “It takes his two parents, all his aunties, a set of grandparents and practically most of the town to handle him. We take turns finding ways to channel all his considerable energy.”
“It takes a village?”
“For Ray it certainly does.” Despite her words, the love and affection she felt for her nephew were clear in the tone of her voice and the set of her jaw as she spoke about him.
Justin couldn’t help but summon his own childhood memories. Carli was describing her nephew the same way he might have been characterized as a child. All he’d had were his mom and dad and slightly older brother. James was just a child, barely older than him. His father was gone most of the day. Various nannies and babysitters eventually just threw their hands up in utter defeat.
His mother was too busy trying to defeat her own demons to pay him any mind. The isolation had only grown worse when she’d finally left Jackson and James, taking only her younger son with her. They’d moved from one city to another, and she’d dated a string of men, never finding one who quite fit her needs.
His only paternal figures had been nannies who changed every time they moved. By the time he was a middle schooler, he’d known better than to develop any kind of affection for any of them.
Unlike Carli’s nephew, Justin hadn’t had anything resembling a village in his corner.
* * *
They were making good time until about halfway through the ride. Traffic suddenly slowed and then, much to Carli’s dismay, became an annoying pattern of stop and go.
“Is there some sort of accident?” Justin asked.
Carli sighed and shook her head. “No. I’m afraid it’s just impossible to time Cape traffic. You never know if you’re going to hit a bottleneck.”
“Sounds like California traffic,” Justin commented.
“It’s especially tricky this time of year, with the outlet mall along the way. Christmas shoppers looking for bargains.”
“Another mark against the season.”
Carli turned to look at him. How could he be such a downright Grinch? She gave her head an exasperated shake.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Carli uttered as a mini-hatchback swerved and cut her off. “It’s just that the irony of it all is almost too much. The second heir of Hammond’s Toys, the biggest toy retailer in the Northern Hemisphere wants nothing to do with Christmas.”
“Well, like I said at your party, we didn’t celebrate like normal people. For us, it was mostly about the business. And things always got even more heated between my parents.”
Carli felt a deep surge of sadness at his statement. He really had no clue what he’d missed out on. Or maybe he did. She couldn’t decide which would be sadder.
“You don’t have any good memories of that time of year? Not at all?”
“Not many.” He seemed to hesitate. “There was maybe a...”
“What?”
“Nothing really. Just one time when I was about six. We were driving back from some store event, it was early evening. There was this drive-around with multiple light displays. The sign said Christmas Wonderland. I don’t even remember what town it was.”
He looked out the passenger side window. “Much to James’s and my surprise, my father actually had the chauffeur drive through it. The displays and lights were magical. I thought so as a child anyway.”
Carli felt a smile touch her lips. So he was human.
But then he added, “It was the first and last time we ever did anything like that.”
How incredibly sad that as a child he hadn’t been exposed to more such experiences during the holidays.
Then she realized what was up ahead, just off the next exit. It was almost too perfect. And since they were just sitting here stuck in traffic anyway.
“You happen to be in luck,” she told him.
“Yeah? How so?”
“We happen to be very close to just such a setup. It’s not exactly a wonderland, so to speak. Just a town park to walk through. But every year they put up various Christmas displays and panoramas. Of course the lights won’t be on this time of day, but we can go check out the decorations and everything else. I think we should stop in.”
He laughed at the suggestion before turning to study her. “You’re serious.”
“Of course, I’m serious. It’s just off the next exit. We can spend the time there waiting for the road to clear rather than sitting in stop-and-go traffic for an hour. It’s not exactly as spectacular during the day, but it’s better than watching rear taillights.”
“Carli. It’s really not necessary. It was just a useless childhood memory in answer to your question.”
Useless. Why was he so stubborn? Did he ever allow himself to do anything just for fun or kicks? “Then do it for me. I could use the time to stretch my legs on a little walk. Not to mention, they have a stand that serves the tastiest hot spiced cider. And I’m feeling a little thirsty.”
He sighed in defeat. “Then far be it from me to keep you from quenching your sudden thirst. Or depriving you of a good leg stretch.”
“Thank you. It’s the least you can do for your long-suffering driver.”
“My empathy knows no bounds.”
That made her laugh, and she was still chuckling several moments later as she turned her blinker on and got off the expressway at the next exit. Moments later they pulled into the parking lot of the town recreation area, which was now set up as a holiday bazaar. A large sign at the gate read Santa’s Village in big bright letters. Several children ran past it shrieking and laughing as three harried moms followed close behind.
“This is it,” she declared as they both got out of the car.
“Why exactly are we doing this again?” Justin asked. Judging by the hint of a smile on his face, he couldn’t be too put out about it.
She ignored the question. “Let’s start with the cider.”
“Whatever you say.”
“Follow me.”
He did so but paused as they approached the barn where several children were feeding the livestock. “Are those reindeer?” His disbelief was audible.
“They are indeed.”
She took him by the arm and continued their walk. “I don’t recommend petting them before we get the cider.”
“I had no intention of petting them at all.”
In her haste and distraction, Carli didn’t notice the patch of ice before planting her foot square in the center. Her leg slid out from under her, and then the other leg followed and gave way. Carli braced herself for the fall and prepared for the impact of falling hard on her bottom.
Until a strong arm suddenly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her up. Instead of on the ground, she found herself braced against Ju
stin’s hard length. Her heart did a jump in her chest.
“Nice reflexes.” Her voice caught as she said it. There was that spicy, sandalwood scent again. She fought the urge to lean in closer to get a better whiff.
“Careful,” Justin admonished. “I’d hate to present you to your family with any broken bones.” He made no attempt to let her go, and heaven help her she didn’t try at all to pull away. Her gaze dropped to his chin. He’d nipped himself slightly with the razor, the smallest of cuts near his ear. That observation led to an unbidden image of him shaving in the morning, shirtless.
Carli sucked in a breath and tried to regain some focus. What had he just said? Oh, yeah, something about her breaking a bone. “Thank you for saving me from such a terrible fate. That would certainly put a damper on the holidays.”
He smiled at her, and she had to remind herself to breathe. Reluctantly, she pulled herself out of his grasp. “For that, the cider is on me.” On wobbly legs, she resumed walking, making sure to watch where she was going this time. She didn’t need Justin to have to catch her in his arms a second time. Though it was more tempting than she wanted to admit.
That thought made her visibly shudder.
Justin must have misread her reaction as a response to the temperature. He removed his scarf and held it out to her. “Here. You appear to be cold.”
She wasn’t about to explain what her shiver had really been about. “I can’t take your scarf.”
He ignored that and stopped her with a hand on her arm. “The only reason you’re out here in the cold is because I foolishly revealed some long-lost memory that you’re kind enough to help me try to relive. The least I can do is give you my scarf.” Turning her to him, he wrapped the featherlight material around her neck.
It smelled of him. Carli sank into the sensation of the soft material against her skin as this time she allowed herself to breathe in Justin’s scent.
Carli cast a furtive glance in his direction as they continued walking. Once again, she had to remind herself he was her boss. And there was way too much at stake for her to entertain any romantic illusions where he was concerned. Regardless of how handsome she found him. The last thing she needed at this point in her career was any gossip that she’d gotten ahead professionally by pursuing the boss’s second son. She’d had enough of gossip to last her an entire lifetime after her last relationship. According to her oldest sister, the hometown folks were still talking about the details of her breakup a year later. Even if most of it was concern on her behalf, it wasn’t the kind of attention she needed nor wanted. Something like that would be all the worse if it was happening to her in a professional capacity.
