Unforgettable Christmas - Gifts of Love (The Unforgettables Book 3)

by Mimi Barbour

  “I don’t know how to thank you for standing by me and helping me, Josh.”

  “Don’t even think about it, please. I was incensed when I heard of the sums he embezzled from the shops’ account. Enough to pay for your mother’s therapy, your law school, and allow you to live comfortably. What will you do with the auto shops once you get rid of these scumbags?”

  Sadness filled her heart. “These shops were my father’s life. I spent so many happy hours there. But I can’t keep them now.”

  “I agree with you. They need full time management, the way your father did it.”

  “I’ll sell them as soon as possible. I want to finish my studies and get my law degree.” She sent him a lopsided glance. “Maybe you’ll hire me as a lawyer.”

  “You don’t have to leave the firm to go back to law school. Paid tuitions are part of the employees’ benefits. It’s the only time we let our staff work part-time, while they study. So we’re keeping you.” Humor flashed in his eyes. He met her gaze head-on and added, “And I’m keeping you.”

  As if to prove his point, he enfolded her in his arms and kissed her senseless. Still reeling from the bad news, she clenched her fingers on his collar and pressed against him. Who cared if she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t talk, couldn’t think. In his arms, she felt protected and secure, excited yet relaxed.

  “No wonder he didn’t call.” The booming voice hardly pierced the fog surrounding Emma’s brain.

  Josh lifted his head and muttered. “You have lousy timing, Dad.”

  “Sorry, son. I’ll be downstairs.” The loud laughter jerked her back.

  A surge of heat burned her face. “Oh my God. Oh my God.” To be caught by Senator Howard in his son’s room. Darn, they were not teenagers driven by wild hormones. “How on Earth am I going to face your parents?”

  “Don’t pay attention.”

  “Are you kidding me? I'm so embarrassed.”

  “Listen, my parents appreciate you a lot. They probably think I am the no-good who’s taking advantage of you.”

  “I’m not that innocent.” Her head tipped down. “Hmm, I mean I kind of enjoyed your kisses too.”

  He chuckled and cradled her face. “You sure know how to tempt a sinner trying hard to repent. Since we’re already in trouble who cares?”

  “Josh, no.” She placed her palms on his chest to push him back.

  “Why not? We can’t be judged twice for the same crime.”

  His mouth captured her lips, cutting off more protests. Not that she really wanted to protest. His kisses were addictive, luscious and mind-boggling, like a cocktail heavy on the vodka. Relinquishing all rational thoughts, she focused on the pressure of his lips molding her own, the dance his tongue carried on inside her mouth, her heart beating against his muscled chest.

  He suddenly pulled his head away. Too late she realized that she’d slipped onto his lap.

  They’d better go down before she found herself in more compromising positions.

  She stood and scanned the room. “Any mirror around here? I need to check...huh...” She smoothed her skirt, patted her hair and combed it with her fingers.

  “The bathroom is this way.”

  She followed him out of the room and excused herself for a moment.

  Meeting his parents presented less danger than snuggling in his teenage cozy nook where the whole air whispered of laid-back attitude, smooth pleasure, and unconscious lust.

  And wistful love.

  ~*~

  Josh knocked on the door of his father’s office although it was wide-open. Both his parents jumped to their feet and came to greet them.

  A frown knitting her forehead, Emma started in a shy voice, “I’m really s—”

  “So good to see you,” Nancy interrupted and hugged her. Dad came to Emma with a big grin and kissed her on the cheek.

  Eager to pull Emma out of this place that made her nervous at the moment, Josh approached his father. “Okay, Dad, what was the emergency you called about yesterday?”

  “I think you’ve already started to fix things.” His father’s meaningful look and subtle smile spoke volumes and annoyed the heck out of Josh.

  Catching the kids playing lovebirds must have delighted his dad and led him to think Josh had finally given into their plan. Tough, he’d never agree to let Emma act as his fiancée.

  A fake fiancée. No way. Actually he found the whole idea repulsive. Their kisses were too good, too real to be degraded and used for promotion material in Senator Howard’s campaign.

  “I’m too busy at the office to think of anything but work.”

  His father’s face reddened which meant he was getting upset and would soon blurt regrettable words. “Well you’d better think of—”

  “Dad.” Josh let his eyes convey a stern warning but he immediately realized that responding to his father’s frustration with anger wouldn’t help. He heaved a deep breath. “Something upset you last night.” He gentled his tone. “Tell me about it.”

  Nancy and Emma exchanged worried gazes, then his mother said, “I’ll bring coffee and dessert. Would you come and help me, Emma?” Always diplomatic his mother tried to shield Emma from a discussion that could hurt her. As usual, Mom never failed him.

  But Emma remained rooted in place.

  His father walked to his desk. “This.” He pointed at an open newspaper.

  Another tabloid magazine. How? He’d been tied up at work for the last four weeks and could take an oath on the Bible that he’d behaved. Hmm, except here, in the privacy of his old little office.

  He took the paper and read.

  “The little b...” He caught himself in time. “Come and see this, Emma. Part of your education as a lawyer. An excellent example of tabloid based on fake news. Bunch of lies,” he fumed. When Emma stepped beside him, he pointed to a column of the magazine and a couple of pictures showing him with the treacherous woman. “Tammy Burt, a paralegal working at the court, answering the paparazzi’s questions, and claiming that Joshua Dutton has asked her to marry him. Wedding set for next month. God forbid. And she’s given them several pictures taken two months ago.”

  “Why would she do that?” Emma’s lips pinched and her eyebrows gathered.

  “Because on the same night you came here with your mother, I was supposed to take her out. Well, I completely forgot. She called and yelled at me. I said sorry and never called her again.”

  Emma’s frown relaxed and her lips curved into a reluctant smile. “She’s retaliating. Not very classy.”

  Sweet Emma. Josh wanted to kiss her to thank her for trusting him. He turned to his father who still harbored a thunderous scowl. “Ignore it, Dad. This gossip will die soon when no one sees me out with her or any other woman.”

  “That doesn’t help me. In two months, just at the critical moment of my campaign, this woman will claim that Senator Dutton’s son dumped her. Bingo: don’t vote for the father. I need you to deny this gossip in an irrefutable way.” Dad’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “By getting engaged for real. What do you say, Emma? Can you help us here?”

  “Oh my God.” Her eyes wide with disbelief, Emma backed away.

  “How dare you, Dad?”

  “Howard, stop this nonsense,” Nancy said with a strong voice.

  His father banged his fist on the desk. “No, my dear, I’m not going to let his scandals ruin my political career. I said it before we invited Maria. I’m saying it again. Emma is the ideal girl for him. He needs to get engaged, if only for a few months until this mess disappears. And I recall we all agreed.”

  “Damn.” Why had his father added the last sentences? Total loss of control, he’d probably regret in an hour. But the damage was done.

  Emma stared at him as if she’d seen a monster. “Is it true? You agreed to get engaged to me...for a few months... to stop the tabloids? Before you even met me? Is it true, Josh?”

  “Please trust me, Emma.” Josh sighed. She had the right to hate him. Regret and compassion
overwhelmed him. “As soon as I saw you, I couldn’t do it.”

  “But it didn’t bother you to kiss me that evening, right? Were you checking to see if I’d be adequate for the role? And tonight... Oh my God, it was all fake?” Her voice wobbled with emotion and disbelief.

  “No, Emma. This is real and special.” He looked at her and saw fear draw sharp lines in her face. He touched her arm, but she shrugged him away. Just when he’d finally had something genuinely good going on in his life, his father had to spoil it. “Let’s go. We’ll talk somewhere else.”

  “Take me home, please. Mr. and Mrs. Dutton, thank you for everything you did for my mother.” Her back straight, her chin high, she strode to the door, followed by Nancy.

  “Don’t be angry at Josh, Emma. Since the moment he met you, he hasn’t been out with another woman.” At least Mom sided by him.

  Silence hovered over them as he led Emma to his car. He started the engine and drove out of the gate.

  “What my mother said is true. Since I met you, I haven’t thought of anyone but you. Remember how I asked you to reform me? Well you did it without intending. Just by being yourself.”

  She didn’t answer and her head turned to the window.

  “Talk to me, please, Emma.”

  “What can I say? We owe you and your family a lot. My job, my mother’s therapy and improvement, the money I’m making now. And I still need you to confront Scott Garett. If your father needs me to help, maybe I should do it. At least I’ll repay my debt.”

  Her words stung with their hopelessness and dejection. She couldn’t have hurt him more.

  “Don’t talk about debt. You know I’m attracted to you. It’s the only reason I’ve been kissing you.”

  She leaned her head against the back of her seat and closed her eyes. He respected her emotion. After he helped her recover control of her shops, he’d convince her he never took advantage of her.

  Suddenly she spun her head toward him. “Your father said ‘we all agreed’. Was my stepmother part of this agreement?” It was the first time he heard Emma refer to Maria as stepmother and not mother.

  He wouldn’t add to her resentment. “I never saw Maria before that dinner.”

  “Regardless, it’s not like Mom to accept help easily. If she’d accepted Nancy’s generous offer, it’s probably because...” Emma’s voice trailed as she connected the pieces of her puzzle. “Oh God, even her.”

  Her pain stabbed him.

  Because of him, she’d even lost her trust in her mother.

  Chapter Six

  When Josh stopped in front of her house, Emma gave him a curt, “’Night,” and ran inside. Good thing, Maria was already asleep. Emma needed time alone to pull herself together, to get her emotions in check so she wouldn’t fall apart. She called Rino and placed a bowl in front of him. “Eat now while I change.”

  In her room, she kicked off her high heel pumps and exchanged her skirt and blouse for a pair of sweat pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt, and then slipped on her sneakers.

  A couple of minutes later, she was back in the garage and fastened a leash to the dog’s collar. “Come, we’re going for a walk.” With her impressive canine friend at her side, no one dared approach her while she strode through the pitch black neighborhood. Her head still reeling from tonight’s revelation, she vented her frustration and explained to Rino the lousy deal between Maria and the Duttons.

  “Can you believe it? They wanted me to get engaged to Josh just for a few months, only to stop the tabloids. They had it planned before he even saw me. No wonder they were going to pay the expensive therapy. In a way, they were buying me.” A whimper escaped her. “And Mom agreed, and Josh agreed. The jerk. His kisses were part of the plot. To keep me happy and quiet.” Heavy tears rolled on her cheeks. “The worst part is that I was happy. So happy.” Heavy sobs shook her body. “I want him so much. And I hate him for toying with my feelings.”

  Rino pulled on the leash and growled. His eyes focused on her with a warm gaze. Poor thing, he wasn’t sure who was hurting her now and how to protect her. He moved his head right and left and barked a couple of times in warning.

  Emma stopped and bent to wrap her arms around him, drawing a needed peace of mind from his strong neck and familiar scent. Content, Rino wagged his tail.

  “You’re the only one I can trust.” He licked her face and nuzzled her head so hard she fell backward on the sidewalk. “Thank you for loving me so much.” She laughed softly and then sighed. “Enough. Let’s go home. I have to work tomorrow. How am I going to face him?”

  ~*~

  Sitting at her desk the next day, Emma had trouble focusing on her research case. She hadn’t slept much last night, not when she’d cried for hours, punched her pillow pretending it was Josh’s head, and crumbled her blanket the way she’d like to scratch his eyes.

  In the morning, Emma hadn’t related any of last night’s events to her stepmother. Maria was a romantic at heart who’d always wanted her husband close by her side. She must have imagined that by playing the role of Josh’s fiancée, Emma would succeed in winning his heart and a proposal.

  To be honest, Emma herself had been on cloud nine at the beginning of the evening. Josh’s eagerness to meet her, his insistence to protect her from Scott Garett and his passionate kisses had convinced her they had a budding relationship which could turn into... Wistful dream.

  To please his father, Josh had stopped dating. But being the confirmed bachelor he was, he absolutely couldn’t let go of his freedom—even for a few months. That’s why he never breathed a word of his parents’ plan. Yet he didn’t mind sampling a few benefits. And like a naive idiot she made it easier for him.

  A deep sigh granted her a moment of calm. If she wanted to continue working at his firm, she’d have to forget his kisses and the whole incident, and remain calm, composed, professional.

  She could do it. With a lot of effort. Think of Mom, think of your future as a lawyer, think of the crooks who are trying to steal Dad’s auto shops. Now back to work.

  Determined to regain the equilibrium that vanished every time she thought of Josh, she opened the file she’d been reading yesterday and immersed herself in her work.

  Two hours later, her phone rang. A call from Josh, triggering painful tingles in her heart. Her jaw locked and her fingers trembled.

  What if she ignored it? Pretended to be in the restroom? The phone kept chiming. Remembering he was her boss and several people in adjoining booths might wonder why she didn’t answer the boss’s special tune, she pushed the talk icon. “Emma speaking.”

  “Morning, when you have enough information on the OKS case, bring it over ASAP.” She hated his curt tone.

  “Yes. I will.” She’d been working on this case for three days and didn’t need being reminded of its importance, but for some reason she couldn’t make sense of what she was reading.

  The scent of freshly brewed coffee wafted to her cubicle. A good cup of coffee might refresh her mind. From the door of the kitchenette, she saw Sue, a paralegal, and Connie, the receptionist, in deep conversation.

  “He’s becoming a real pain,” Sue muttered. “Hey, Emma. How was he with you?”

  “Okay, I guess.” She kept her tone neutral.

  “Is he still in a crappy mood?” Connie asked. “He’s driving me insane today with his orders.”

  “I’ve been working in this place for four years. I’ve never seen him so cranky,” Sue added.

  “His tone of voice grates on my ears. I almost ignored his phone calls a few minutes ago,” the receptionist said. Emma, too, had wanted to let it ring.

  Sue gasped. “Don’t do that. You may end up being fired if it’s an important call.”

  Good advice. “I need strong coffee.” Emma poured herself a cup.

  The other two nodded. “I can see why, considering you’re working on his top-priority cases.” Sue jutted her chin toward the corridor. “Poor Colin and Zach have been in his office for two hours.”


  “I better go back to work. He needs my research ASAP.” Emma grabbed her cup and walked out.

  Connie’s voice reached her. “It looks like everyone in this place got an ASAP job today.”

  Coffee cleared her mind and she concentrated on her research. Until the familiar ring chimed.

  “Emma speaking.”

  “Don’t forget the OKS case.”

  “I’m working on it.” She couldn’t suppress a huff that was met with a menacing silence. “It’ll be ready tonight.”

  But he’d already disconnected.

  Talk about a cranky mood. Was it all due to their visit to his father? Had she caused part of his aggravation?

  Pain lanced through her heart. Aggravation was nothing compared to the emotions twisting her insides. Her hope of a successful future at the firm had been badly crushed.

  Right now she couldn’t afford to dwell on her feelings when deadlines loomed over her head. By four-thirty p.m. she’d almost gathered as much information as possible on the OKS case. In another hour, she’d be able to send him her report.

  The infamous ring pierced her ears. What now? She sighed and took her call.

  “Emma speaking.”

  “I’m sending you a file. Top priority. Get on it right away.”

  “But I’m almost done with the OKS and—”

  “New priority. Amedin versus Ohio State.” He ended his call.

  Her fingers clenched the handset of her phone. A new priority meant she’d have to stay late tonight, when she couldn’t wait to get out of this place. Poor Rino would have to wait for his supper and walk.

  Sue showed up at the entrance of her booth. “Do you need another coffee?” she said with concern.

  “I’ll get one. Looks like I’m working late tonight.”

  “Many of us are.” Their sighs echoed.

  They strode together to the kitchenette. Emma swallowed a cup of coffee right away and got a refill to take to her booth.