“So in this example,” I said after popping another appetizer into my mouth and swallowing it down. “I did what I felt was right. More than that, I know it’s the first step in turning that factory around. If I go back to the States and certain members of the bored are pissed off at my call, well…”
“You know that they’re not your people.”
“Exactly,” I said. “After all, it takes a certain kind of person to think it’s a good idea to make employees toil in those kinds of conditions—and over the holiday no less.”
Isla shook her head at the idea of it.
“I felt so bad for them,” she said. “And I’m so glad you did what you did.”
“See?” I said with a smile. “I made a decision and I found my people.”
Her face lit up.
“Well, Mr. Forde,” she said. “I’m very, very happy to be one of your people.”
“The feeling is mutual, Ms. Marten.”
Chapter 10
Isla
I took one last bite of the bolo de rolo, letting the sweet, delicious pastry linger on my tongue for a moment before eagerly chewing it. Then I set my fork down and I was done.
“Okay!” I said, raising my hands in defeat. “That’s it—all done.”
“You sure?” asked Adam with a smile. “We could work our way down the dessert menu, try a little bit of everything.”
“How about you can and I watch,” I said.
“I just might,” he said with a grin.
The dinner had been amazing. The wine, the food, the company—all of it had added up to easily being one of the most memorial nights of my life.
“So,” said Adam, his glass of wine held in front of his broad chest. “Good Christmas so far?”
“Amazing,” I said. “One of the best I’ve had in years. And it’s not even the actual day.”
“That’s right,” he said. “We’re not due back until the day after Christmas. I wanted to give the aircrew the holiday off.”
“In keeping with the theme,” I said.
“Naturally.”
“And the factory’s closed,” I said. “So that means no work. I mean, I’m sure I can find something to do if you need me to—”
I felt a tinge of panic as I spoke, fearing that I’d come off as lazy. But Adam beat me to it, raising his palm and signaling for me to calm down.
“No work,” he said. “That’s the only rule. We’ve got great suites in the hotel, and everything’s on the company. You want to explore the city, go for it. You want to chill out and watch TV while room service waits on you, do it.”
Both options sounded great. But strangely, the only thing I really wanted at that moment was to spend the day with…him.
I stopped the thought dead in its tracks, my eyes going wide.
“You okay over there?” he asked.
I quickly cleared my throat.
“Yeah,” I said. “Fine. I think I’m ready to get moving, though. A walk after a good meal is always nice.”
“Totally agree,” he said.
He flagged down our waitress and quickly took care of the bill. After one more sip of wine, the two of us were off, the family wishing us a final “Feliz Natal” before we headed back out onto the city streets.
The evening was well on at this point, the sky a deep black above. We were far enough away from the city proper that it was even possible to catch a few glimpses of starlight above. It was so peaceful, so perfect.
And as we walked my eyes kept flicking down to Adam’s arm. I hated to admit it, but all I could think about was how wonderful it’d be to have him wrap it around me and pull me close, for me to rest my head on his shoulder.
How the hell was it possible that I was feeling this way about a man I’d only just met? Sure, he was handsome and kind and confident and charming, and I was pretty sure he’d been flirting with me all the way through dinner…
I groaned internally as I realized I’d answered my own question. But even in my distracted mind, I knew that anything happening between us was a bad, bad idea. And not even likely—surely he had his pick of women to date. Why would he choose me out of all of them?
He’s just being nice, I thought. Maybe he can smell on me the fact that my dating life is totally nonexistent, and he’s taking pity on me by throwing me some attention.
I dismissed that thought, deciding I was being far too negative. But still, I’d been out of the dating game for so long I’d been starting to feel like I was totally out of practice.
Practice, I thought. That’s the best way to look at it. I’m hanging out with one of the most gorgeous and eligible bachelors in the city. If I can keep it cool with him, I can keep it cool with any guy. Right? Just look at it as a baby step back into dating.
A knot in my stomach loosened a little at this thought. Nothing was going to happen between the two of us, as nice as the idea sounded, so why subject myself to any pressure? It’d be enough to enjoy the food and the wine and the sights and the smells and everything else. And the lovely company was the cherry on top.
As we turned a corner I glanced up at Adam. He had that expression on his face that I loved, the one that let me know he was in the middle of some serious thinking. And maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the change of scenery, but I was more than curious to know what was on his mind.
I opened my mouth to speak, but before did I heard the low buzz of a cell phone.
Adam reached into his pocket and took out his phone. As he read what was on the screen, he stopped where he stood, a small smile forming on his lips.
“What is it?” I asked.
“One of the board members,” he said. “Letting me know that the news of what we did here today has reached home.”
We. Both fear and excitement in equal measures ran through me at the notion of me being a part of this.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Whatever happens here is on me. You’re not going to be on the hook if Mr. Corliss decides this is something worth blowing his top over.”
And again, before I had a chance to say anything else, Adam’s phone buzzed. Then it buzzed again, then again. This was no text—it was a phone call.
“Uh-oh,” he said. “It’s the big man himself.”
My blood went cold. Sure, Adam had assured me that he would take full responsibility, that I wouldn’t face any consequences. But knowing that the phone call buzzing in Adam’s hand right at that moment was the freaking boss of the company, one of the richest and most powerful men in California—hell, the entire country—was enough to make my head spin.
But instead of answering, Adam hit “silent” and dropped the phone back into his pocket.
“What?” I asked, shocked. “Aren’t you…”
He shook his head.
“Nah,” he said. “Didn’t you hear what I said back at the factory? No working over Christmas for Corliss employees. And the last time I checked, I was one of those.”
“Isn’t…isn’t he going to be mad?”
“He’ll be fine,” he said. “Edward’s not the type to blow his top over an unanswered call—too cool and calm and composed for that sort of thing. You and I are going to finish our night out, and he’s just going to have to wait.”
There he was again—so calm and fearless. It was admirable. It made me wonder if there was anything that could shake this guy.
And more than that, I was kind of excited about it. Adam had really made his boss wait so he could have a nice night with me? What did that mean?
“Anyway,” he said, gesturing forward. “Let’s go.”
We continued on, but I couldn’t shake what had just happened.
“I mean,” I said. “I guess you could tell him that the reception was crappy.”
Adam shook his head.
“I’m not big on lying like that,” he said. “Better to be straight with people. I’d simply tell him that I was busy with an employee and getting ready to take the holiday off.”
More admirable
behavior. I began to feel a little silly about suggesting a lie.
“But let’s really start the holiday break by taking the subject of work off the table.”
“That’s more than fine with me,” I said. “But…what do you want to talk about?”
“How about you?” he asked, not hesitating in the slightest.
The same feeling of embarrassment that arrived whenever I became the subject took hold.
“You want to talk about me?” I asked. “There’s nothing really to talk about.”
“I doubt that’s true,” he said. “How about what you do for fun? Hobbies?”
“Does ‘work’ count?”
“Work is the opposite of a hobby,” he said, chuckling.
“I can’t think of anything else,” I said. “Ever since I graduated from college, I’ve been obsessed with making sure that I’m self-reliant, that I’d never be how I was back when I was growing up. You know, totally dependent on other people.”
“I get that,” he said. “But surely there has to be something that takes up your free time. Boyfriend?”
My embarrassment went from “partial” to “all-consuming.”
“Um, no,” I said.
“That’s a surprise. I’d think a woman like you would have every single guy in town trying to buy you a drink.”
I blushed, and as soon as I felt the heat rush through my cheeks, I turned away. I didn’t know what to be more bashful about—that he was asking me about my nonexistent dating life or that he was asking me if I was single.
Did that mean anything? Was he trying to see if he had any competition?
Easy, Isla, I thought. The man’s just trying to make conversation. Quit reading into things.
“You’ve got to have something you do when you’re not at the office.”
“Well,” I said. “There’s something. But it’s kind of stupid.”
“The stupider the better,” he said.
Oh God, I thought. You’re really going to tell him, aren’t you?
“You know those really cheesy movies on the family channels?” I asked. “The ones about, like, a woman from the city going back to her hometown and falling in love with someone she knew from high school?”
“Are you kidding?” he asked. “I love them!”
I stopped in my tracks.
“Are you serious?” I asked. “Or are you just messing with me?”
“I’d never mess with anyone about such an important subject,” he said. “I watch those too. Kind of a guilty pleasure.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Part of me was convinced this was some kind of joke, that he’d stop at any moment, laugh and tell me he was only screwing with me.
“The Christmas ones are my favorite,” he said. “I’d probably be watching a half-dozen of them if I weren’t out here working during the break.”
“Same!” I said. “At home, maybe a little wine, some corny but strangely touching holiday romances on the TV.”
He flashed me a smile.
“A woman after my own heart,” he said.
Okay, I knew that this was only a figure of speech. But it was still enough to give me pause. That and the revelation he was just as into these movies as I was.
“You see Twelve Wishes last year?” he asked.
“Oh my God, yes!” I exclaimed. “Where the bitter businesswoman from New York comes home for the holidays, and the spirit of Christmas comes to life and tells her she can’t leave until she grants twelve Christmas wishes for people in town?”
“That’s the one,” he said. “And she, of course, falls in love with the handsome art teacher.”
“The one who was too ‘weird’ for her in high school,” I said, a giggle escaping me.
“And they’re doing the sequel this year,” he said. “We might have to catch the reruns though.”
“Maybe they get the channel here?” I asked. “Exploring the city sounds fun, but cheesy movies sound just as good.”
“One by day, the other by night,” he said. “But you might be right about getting them here. Or maybe you’d have to learn Portuguese overnight.”
“Hey,” I said. “I’m a quick learner.”
We continued on, and as we did I caught Adam looking at me out of the corner of his eye.
“Do I have something on my face?” I asked, feeling self-conscious.
“No,” he said with a smile. “Just thinking about what I told you on the plane, about your attitude.”
“Is that right?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Killer employee, but an even better way of looking at the world. And your guilty pleasure…just makes me wonder what else you have hidden away. Maybe something that you don’t even know about.”
Another blush. And as I tried my best to hide my reddening cheeks, I noticed that Adam was still simply regarding me.
“I know, I know,” I said. “I blush easily. It’s embarrassing.”
“No,” he said. “Not that.”
“Then what?” I asked.
Another warm smile.
“Just admiring what you are.”
With that, he continued on. I, on the other hand, was frozen in place.
What was happening between us? And was it wrong of me to kind of love it?
Chapter 11
Adam
Damn that wine.
I’d gotten caught up in everything—the evening, the booze, and, of course, her. And just like I’d had to remind myself over and over again from the moment I’d laid eyes on Isla at the airport, I did my best to keep myself in check. At the very least I’d stopped at two glasses. God only knew how difficult it would be to stay professional if I had a little more wine in me.
So, after chiding myself just enough to get my head straight, the two of us continued on.
The town grew quieter as the shops around us closed one by one, the owners heading home for Christmas. Before too long the hustle and bustle subsided, and there was only us and a handful of other people out, some of them clearly couples in love.
“I hope you’ve had a nice night so far,” I said.
“It’s been great,” Isla replied. “Exciting and relaxing at the same time.”
Part of me wanted to keep the night going, maybe see if there was a cozy little bar still open where she and I could share one more drink and see where the rest of the evening took us.
No, I told myself. Enough’s enough—time for the hotel. You’ve got a whole other day of keeping yourself together tomorrow.
But damn, she was simply so nice to be around. It wasn’t just her beauty—it was everything about her.
“Hey!” she said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Look at that!”
She pointed ahead, and I stopped to see what she was referring to. Further down the road was a small crowd in front of an illuminated building that I recognized right away as a church.
“I bet it’s a Christmas service,” she said. “Want to check it out?”
“Sure,” I said.
We picked up our pace and were soon close enough that I could see that the gathering was in front of a live nativity scene, complete with mules for the wise men.
“Wow!” Isla said. “That’s so cool!”
She was right. I’d seen plenty of nativity scenes over the years, but this was something different, something special. Maybe it was the almost out-of-time feeling of the town around us, maybe it was the company.
As I’d done so many other times that day, I glanced over at Isla out of the corner of my eye. An expression of wonder was on her face as she watched the proceedings. Something about the way she looked made me smile without even having to think about it.
The host of the performance stepped out in front and began speaking, the entire crowd watching him in silence.
“You getting any of that?” Isla asked quietly.
“Portuguese isn’t my strong suit,” I said. “Spanish, French, sure, but not this one.”
She appeared impressed th
at I spoke any language other than English. But her eyes were soon back on the show. I watched right along with her, allowing myself to be caught up in the experience.
As I watched, however, I noticed that one of the mules seemed a bit…restless. The other two were still and well-behaved, but this one shifted where he stood, as if he wanted to be any place other than standing there in the middle of that scene.
I tried to turn my attention back to the speaker, but the mule continued in his bad behavior. In fact, it began to get worse—to the point that other people around us began to notice.
Finally, I couldn’t resist.
“What’s up with that mule?” I hissed.
“Not sure,” she said. “I’ve been watching him. Whatever’s up, it looks like he’s about to have an old-fashioned mule freak out.”
“Is that a thing?”
“It’s a thing,” she said.
“You sound…very confident about this.”
She nodded.
“You know when I told you that I got shuffled from family to family back when I was younger?”
“Of course.”
“Well, one of those families was more…rural than the others. Learned a thing or two about how to handle animals like that. And what to look out for when they’re going to go off the rails.”
“What would mean the mule is about to go…off the rails?”
She said nothing, her eyes widening slightly.
“You see that?”
She pointed to the mule, who by this point had begun to buck, the other actors doing their best to calm him down.
“That’s what that means.”
“Is this bad?” I asked.
“It’s bad,” she said.
And then it got crazy. The mule let out a noise that sounded like a bark and a whinny all at once. If anyone had been trying to ignore the animal before then, they couldn’t do it any longer.
One of the wise men tried to grab onto the animal, but it bucked again, its legs kicking back into the air, barely missing the wise man. Then it took off in a run, cutting through the rapidly spreading crowd and out into the street.
Ho-ly shit.
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