The Christmas Bliss Romance Collection

by Jennifer Youngblood

  “This town could use a community theater.”

  Kinsley blinked a few times. She had no idea where this was going. Her head whirled. Somehow, she had to get Lillian on her side in the hope that Lillian would persuade A. G. to consider her offer. She realized that Lillian was looking at her expectantly. “Yeah, a theater would be nice,” she said dutifully.

  “You would be the perfect person to head it up.”

  She rocked back. “Me?”

  “Yes, you have all the credentials. I’ll be happy to fund it. You’d have whatever you need.”

  An incredulous laugh gurgled in Kinsley’s throat. “Are you serious?”

  Lillian looked her in the eye. “Yes, quite.”

  She shook her head. “But my life is in New York.”

  “Plans can change. Your family is here. This town is a part of who you are.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  Lillian held up a hand. “You don’t have to give me an answer today. Just think about it. You would have the opportunity to run the show. I’d give you carte blanche to write the plays you want. We’ll bring in the best directors and actors.”

  “Yes, because… it worked out so well the last time I worked for you,” she shot back, eyeing Lillian. She’d taken a summer job as Lillian’s assistant. It lasted less than a week because the woman drove Kinsley crazy with all her impossible demands. That summer, Kinsley decided she’d rather be a grocery store clerk than Lillian’s indentured servant. She wasn’t about to put herself in that same position as an adult.

  Lillian chuckled easily. “That was a long time ago. We’ve both grown up since then. I would give you plenty of space to make your own decisions. You’re the expert, not me.”

  Those were words she’d never thought she’d hear coming out of Lillian Yate’s mouth. Her own theatre. The idea was crazy! And tempting. It was a completely different path from what she’d ever imagined. Her brow furrowed. “Why would you give me such an opportunity?”

  “Your family means a great deal to me.”

  Her stomach tightened. “So, it has nothing to do with my credentials or ability.”

  “Of course it does,” Lillian countered smoothly. “You’re a talented writer. If you didn’t have the skill-set for this, I wouldn’t be presenting it to you.”

  Kinsley realized with a jolt what this was about. Lillian needed another pet project now that the treasure hunt was over. Writing plays for a community theater in North Carolina could in no way compare to writing plays for Broadway. No, she wouldn’t consider Lillian’s offer, but she didn’t want to say that outright. She needed to keep Lillian on her side to secure a meeting with A. G. Wells. “I’ll think about it,” she finally said.

  “Very good,” Lillian nodded.

  “About the meeting with A. G. Wells,” Kinsley prompted.

  Lillian pursed her lips. “I might be able to persuade A. G. to give you an audience.”

  “Thank you so much,” Kinsley gushed. “I would be so appreciative.”

  “I think I can convince A. G. to come around.”

  Hope surged through Kinsley. “That would be wonderful.”

  Lillian tipped her head, looking thoughtful. “Yes, I certainly might be able to help. If …”

  Kinsley leaned forward. “If what?” She got the feeling that Lillian was toying with her.

  “Well, there are a few things I could use help with.” She gave Kinsley a meaningful look. “You assist me, and I’ll put in a good word for you with A. G.”

  Kinsley swallowed the sour taste in her mouth. Of course, there would be a catch. She should’ve seen this coming. Lillian always had a personal agenda. Had she not needed this meeting with A. G. Wells so desperately, Kinsley would’ve told Lillian Yates to stick it! As it was, she was at Lillian’s mercy, and she could tell from the triumphant look on Lillian’s round face that she knew she had Kinsley over a barrel. Her eyes narrowed, meeting Lillian’s gaze full on. “All right. What do you want?”

  Lillian smiled. “Well, for starters, the woman who’s taking the second shift as Mary in the Live Nativity tonight has the flu. I’d like for you to stand in for her. You’ll need to report for duty at 7:30 p.m.”

  “Okay.” While she didn’t like the idea of being Lillian’s minion, that seemed simple enough. She’d have to leave the family dinner a little early, but that wasn’t the end of the world. “What else?”

  “Come back tomorrow morning, and I’ll give you another assignment.”

  Another assignment? Really? Her eyes narrowed, her voice hardening. “If I do your bidding, will you guarantee me a meeting with A. G. Wells?”

  “There are no guarantees,” Lillian said lightly. She held up a finger. “I will give you my word that I’ll do my best to convince A. G. Wells to entertain your offer.” Lillian shrugged. “That’s the best I can do. Take it or leave it.”

  Of course Kinsley had to take it. What other choice did she have? She didn’t like being backed in a corner, and she certainly didn’t like being under Lillian Yate’s thumb. “All right,” she muttered.

  “Good.” Lillian smiled broadly. “We’re in agreement.” She held out her hand. “Let’s shake on it.”

  They clasped hands. Assuming the meeting was over, Kinsley stood to leave.

  “One other thing,” Lillian said, handing Kinsley a sealed envelope.

  Kinsley looked at the envelope in her hand. “Yes?”

  “I need you to drop that off at the hardware store.”

  “Will there be anything else?” Kinsley asked snarkily. “Would you like for me to pick up your dry cleaning or get you some lunch while I’m out?”

  “Lunch would be great,” Lillian replied, her expression never changing. “How about some barbecue?”

  “Sure thing. Your wish is my command.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

  Lillian laughed. “I knew I liked you. If I’m not here when you get back, just leave the food on my desk. Oh, and tell Mindy to put the food on my tab. You can even get yourself something if you’d like. It’s on me.”

  “How kind of you,” Kinsley said mockingly as she rolled her eyes and left the office.

  When she stepped out of the Inn, her phone rang. “Hello,” Kinsley barked.

  “Hey,” Cassidy began. “How did it go?”

  She grunted out a laugh. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.” After she’d told everything, there was dead silence over the phone. “Are you there?”

  “Yeah, I’m just speechless.” Cassidy let out a short laugh. “This sounds crazy.”

  “Yep, par for the course with Lillian Yates,” Kinsley snipped.

  “What connection does Lillian have with A. G.?”

  “She says they’re close friends.” Kinsley gritted her teeth. “I can’t believe I agreed to be Lillian’s slave! No telling what she’ll have me doing before this is over.” She straightened to her full height, jaw tightening. “You know what? I’m gonna march back in there and tell her the deal is off.”

  “No, don’t do that,” Cassidy said quickly. “Think about what it could mean if Lillian can pull some strings with A. G. Wells. Sure, you’re running errands for her, but let’s be honest: What else are you going to do while you’re waiting?”

  Kinsley made a face as she blew out a long, hard breath. “That’s true,” she admitted, glancing around at the snow-covered houses. Everything seemed so quiet and still, a different planet than NYC. She bunched her brows. “I just don’t like how Lillian tries to control everybody and everything in this town. Can you believe she even had the audacity to offer me a position overseeing a community theater?”

  Cassidy’s voice escalated. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, as a heart attack,” Kinsley said dryly.

  “Do you realize what an incredible opportunity that would be?”

  Cassidy’s reaction took Kinsley off guard. “Really? Here, in North Carolina?”

  “Yeah, why not?”

  “Because I want a shot at B
roadway, remember?” Geez. She felt like she was stating the obvious. Cassidy knew her well enough to know that writing plays on Broadway was her dream.

  “Yeah, I want Broadway for you too, but think what it would mean to get the chance to call your own shots. You would never again have to peddle your plays and be at the whim of reviewers or literary managers. That sounds like a dream come true to me. I think you should consider it.”

  Kinsley blew out a long breath. “Yeah, maybe,” she said evasively, not wanting to discuss it any further. “Hey, I’ve gotta let you go. I’ve got to go to the hardware store for Lillian and pick her up some lunch,” she said darkly.

  Cassidy laughed. “Have fun. Love you,” she chimed.

  “Love you too,” Kinsley said, ending the call. She’d have to walk back home and get her car to run the errands. She trudged through the snow, her feet feeling heavier than bricks as she wondered what in the heck she’d gotten herself into.

  5

  A bell dinged overhead as Kinsley stepped through the door of the hardware store. The store appeared to be empty except for her. No one was at the front counter. She walked up to the bell and saw the note beside it. Ring for service. She tapped it a couple of times and stepped back. Only in a small town would anyone leave a store unattended. Maybe she should just leave the envelope on the counter. “Claude,” she called. “Hello.”

  A couple minutes later, she heard someone coming from the back. Her jaw dropped when Gunner stepped up to the counter. His handsome face lit up when he saw her.

  “Hey.” A smile played on his lips. “This is a surprise.”

  She tightened her hold on the envelope. “What’re you doing here?” The last she’d heard, Gunner was working as a handyman. “Do you work for Claude?”

  Amusement flashed in his ice-blue eyes. “Not exactly.”

  “Do you work here?”

  “Yes, that does appear to be what I’m doing,” he answered with a wry grin as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the counter. His posture was relaxed, exuding masculinity.

  She smirked. “Then you work for Claude.”

  He tipped his head. “How do you figure that?”

  She could tell he was toying with her and enjoying every minute. As much as she hated to admit it, the verbal exchange was stimulating. She sighed, realizing he was going to make her spell it out. A smile tugged at her lips. “You know Claude, the guy you were watching the game with last night? The one who owns the hardware store.”

  “Not anymore.”

  She shifted on her feet. “Huh? Claude sold out.” She searched her brain, trying to remember if she’d heard her parents mention anything about that. Yeah, maybe she had. It was kind of fuzzy.

  “Bingo,” he winked.

  “Then you work for the new owner.”

  “Yep.” He drummed his fingers on the counter, pulling a face. “The new owner’s a drill sergeant. Works me night and day, never letting me take a break, keeping me on a diet of bread and water.”

  She waited for the punchline, sensing there was one. “That’s terrible,” she said, playing along. Gunner’s eyes were so incredibly blue she could get lost in the depth of them. Excitement over being so close to him made her feel slightly dizzy. She expected him to come out with it, tell her the name of his boss. When he remained silent, she tipped her head, leaning forward slightly. “Who’s your boss? Do I know him?”

  Something she couldn’t discern flickered in Gunner’s eyes. “I suspect that you know him better than anyone.”

  Her heart picked up its beat, the connection between them running strong. “You’re the boss.”

  A full smile broke over his face. “Yep, I’m the drill sergeant.”

  For a second, she was at a loss for words. “When did you buy the hardware store?”

  “Last year. Claude wanted to retire. We worked out a deal, and well, here I am.”

  Her brow wrinkled. “What about your music?”

  “I still piddle with it, but don’t have a lot of extra time.” His eyes swept over the store. “This place keeps me pretty busy.”

  “So, you’re just giving up on your music?” She shot him a hard look. “What happened to you?”

  His eyes widened as he sucked in an audible breath. “Seriously? You have the nerve to look down on me?” His jaw hardened. “What happened to you? You’re the one who’s been MIA the past five years.”

  “You know why I haven’t been back,” she spat.

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Do I?” He leaned closer, his eyes hardening to balls of ice. “Why don’t you spell it out for me?”

  He was intimidating, filling up the entire space of the store with his larger-than-life, macho presence. She straightened her spine, staring him down. “Oh, no! I’m not doing this with you.”

  He chuckled, a challenging look on his face. “You say that, and yet, here you are.”

  Prickles crawled down her spine as her muscles pulled taut. Her hands itched to slap the smug expression off his handsome face. “I didn’t come in here for this,” she seethed.

  “Oh, yeah? Well, tell me, Miss High and Mighty, why did you come in here?”

  She thrust the envelope at him. “To give you this! From Lillian.”

  Reflexively, he took it, glancing down at it. An amused grin tugged at his lips.

  This is where she should turn on her heel and walk away, but she’d never been able to let things go with Gunner. “What?”

  “I see Lillian’s got you running her errands.” He shook his head in mock sympathy. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

  She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. “You’re such a jerk!”

  “Tell me, Kinsley. Why exactly are you running Lillian’s errands?” He laughed. “I’m sure this is good.”

  “I don’t owe you an explanation,” she huffed. “My dealings with Lillian are none of your business.”

  “So, I don’t get to ask you why you’re at Lillian’s beck and call and yet, you have the right to march into my store and accuse me of giving up on my music? Sounds about right,” he muttered.

  Without warning, Kinsley’s eyes grew moist. She and Gunner had such big dreams. She was going to be a famous playwright, and he was going to take the country music world by storm. “What happened to us?” she asked softly.

  He jerked in surprise. Time seemed to slow as he gave her a searching look. “It’s not too late. I still care about you.”

  A tear slid down her cheek. Angrily, she brushed it away. “Yes, it is too late.” Her eyes burned into his. “It was too late the moment you married Carol Ann.”

  His features carved grim lines. “The biggest mistake of my life.”

  The all-too-familiar, white-hot anger blistered her insides as she lifted her chin. “I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  He grunted. “If you’d really cared, you would’ve come back here and talked to me in person, rather than giving me a token phone call to ease your conscience.”

  “Is that what you think?” Her voice rose. “I loved you!” The words got strangled in her throat as she coughed. She gave him a condemning look, her body shaking with wrath. “If you’d gone with me to New York, none of this would’ve happened.”

  He pushed a hand through his hair. “I guess twenty-twenty vision’s perfect, huh?”

  “I guess so,” she snipped.

  They stood glaring at one another, a lifetime of memories falling around them like the crumbled bits of buildings after an earthquake. “I should’ve never come back here.” It was too painful, seeing what might have been. It was too painful standing here, realizing that she still cared about Gunner. Her stupid, stupid heart! How could she still care so much?

  “It’s good that you came home. We needed to work through this.”

  She grunted. “Why, so you can ease your conscience?” She was surprised to see the crooked grin that tugged at one corner of his mouth.

  “No, so I can win you back.�
�

  A harsh laugh rattled in her throat. “Fat chance of that ever happening!” She couldn’t believe he had the nerve to say that to her. And, he said it with the utmost confidence, like he really believed it. “You’re unbelievable. Did you really think you could sweep me off my feet the minute I stepped back into town?”

  His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Maybe not the minute you stepped back in. I figured I’d give you a couple days.”

  She laughed, feeling more amused than she should have. “You certainly have a high opinion of yourself.”

  “No.” His eyes locked with hers. “Of us.”

  His words were a caress that stoked a slow-burning flame in her stomach. She had the ridiculous urge to lean across the counter, throw her arms around him, and lay a long, hard kiss on his tantalizing lips. He seemed to be reading her thoughts as he let out a throaty chuckle. “See? Even five years apart isn’t enough to purge me from your system.”

  The comment jerked her back to reality. “Of all the egotistical things to say!” she spewed.

  “Go on a date with me,” he implored.

  A thin laugh escaped her throat. “Are you serious?”

  “Of course.”

  She could tell from his expression that he was. The crazy part was, she did want to go out with him, as much now as she ever had. Gunner was right. Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to get over him. That was why she’d stayed gone for so long. Deep down, she feared that this very thing would happen. She’d never been able to resist Gunner Douglas, and the cocky idiot knew it.

  “What’ve you got to lose?”

  Her heart! Her self-respect! She could go on and on. Blood pounded like a torpedo through her veins. She had to get out of here, had to put space between her and Gunner. “I don’t have time for this.” She gave him a scathing look. “I trusted you with my heart once. You can rest assured I won’t make that same mistake again.” She turned on her heel and marched toward the door.

  “Kinsley.”

  Something in his pleading tone made her pause. She looked back over her shoulder, a go-jump-in-a-lake expression written over her face.