When the doorbell rang at noon, she was in a panic. The caterers weren’t due for hours and the party planner wasn’t coming until two, so she was shocked to see Brody’s mom at the door.
“Hi, Stacy. I didn’t expect you to show up until the party tonight.”
Stacy waved her hand. “Oh, please. Did you think I’d let you handle all this by yourself?”
Tori laughed and made room for Stacy to come in. “It’s no problem. It is my job, after all.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t use some help.”
Grateful for the assistance, they talked about table placement and food and drink as well as door prizes and who had RSVP’d. Stacy helped her wrap some gifts and put the finishing touches on the enormous Christmas tree she’d coerced Brody into buying.
“I brought over some of Brody’s childhood ornaments,” Stacy said, bringing out a box. “I thought those would make a nice touch.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet. Thank you. I know those will mean a lot to him, this being the first tree he’s put up in here.”
Stacy shook her head. “You’d think with this being the perfect spot for one, he’d have put one up before now.”
“That’s what I told him.” She hung the ornaments, loving the Baby’s First Christmas and the sports-related ones, especially the one with the gap-toothed photo of an eight-year-old Brody in his baseball uniform.
“It’s going to be a great party tonight,” Stacy told her after they’d finalized everything. “You’ve done a remarkable job.”
“Thanks. I hope so. I’m so nervous, since this was my idea. If it bombs, the buck stops here.”
“It’s not going to bomb. Everyone’s going to have a great time.”
She hoped so. They’d never let her plan another Christmas party again if this one failed.
Stacy stayed until the setup crew arrived and put all the tables and decorations in order. Tori grabbed a jacket and went outside to supervise the placement of the heaters and fire pit. As she scanned the sky, she noted the gray clouds overhead.
As cold as it was getting, it could possibly snow. She hoped it would hold out until after the party. She’d really love people to be able to use the heaters and pit out here. They’d brought in some lovely, comfortable furniture and it was going to be toasty warm for folks who wanted to step out for some fresh air tonight.
Stacy left after everything was set up, saying she’d be back before the guests arrived. Once everything was in place, Tori dashed off and showered, did her hair and makeup and threw on a robe. She’d put on her dress right before the caterers came. The caterers were going to bring the food and set up the bar an hour before the guests were due to arrive, so she had the timing all planned out.
Brody came home early to help—she was so grateful for that. She directed him to the shower first.
She was in the bedroom ready to put on her dress when he came out of the bathroom smelling fresh and clean, a towel slung over his hips.
She took one look and pure lust took over.
“If I hadn’t already done my hair and makeup, you’d be in trouble right now.”
He gave her a look that made her swell with arousal. “You’d better get that dress on, or your hair is gonna get mussed up and then you’ll be mad at me.”
She grabbed her dress and shoes and dashed into the spare bedroom to dress. Much as she’d like to spend the next hour naked and in his arms, that would spell disaster. The last thing she’d need was to be lying in bed with Brody and have the caterers ring the doorbell.
But it was something fun to think about as she climbed into her dress.
She couldn’t do the back zipper, so she slid into her heels and went back into the bedroom. She stalled at the doorway. Brody was slipping into his jacket.
He very rarely wore a suit, typically reserved only for important business meetings and the company Christmas party. Usually he was a jeans and T-shirt or Henley kind of guy, or shorts in the summer.
Lord, the man cleaned up well. Though honestly whether he was naked, dressed up, or anything in between, she loved him. It didn’t matter what he wore—or didn’t wear.
“You look amazing,” she said. “And I need help with this zipper.”
He turned with a smile, but his smile disappeared when he saw her.
He came toward her and she turned her back to him, shocked when she felt his lips against the side of her neck.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. How did I ever get so lucky?”
She shuddered, then his fingers brushed her bare back as he pulled the zipper up.
“Later, I’ll be dragging this zipper down when I get you out of this dress.”
Her body in flames, she turned to face him, laid her palms on his chest. “I’ll be thinking about that all night.”
“You know, I could make love to you without messing up your hair.”
He leaned in and her heart stuttered, every female hormone in her body gravitating toward him. “Is that right?”
The doorbell rang.
“Dammit.”
She laughed and gave him a quick kiss. “Something to think about all night.”
She dashed around him and went to the door, grateful the caterers were on time, even if they did put a crimp in her love life.
Brody’s gaze tracked Tori like a hungry animal. He couldn’t help himself. One look at her in that shiny black dress that hugged her body, and he was a goner. She’d left her hair down tonight, the waves spilling over her bare shoulders like a shiny red waterfall. He wanted to be close to her, to inhale the scent of that shampoo she used that smelled like strawberries, to lick that spot on her neck that never failed to raise goosebumps on her skin. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go.
He couldn’t wait to get her alone. And out of that damn dress that had been haunting him since he’d first seen it.
Mainly, he just wanted to touch her, to have a minute alone with her. But since the caterers arrived, it hadn’t happened. Because then his mom and dad showed up, then Wyatt and Calliope, then Ethan, minus Riley, of course, who was home with the kids. After that, people started spilling in and he had to play host. So did Tori, who smiled and greeted people and showed them where the food and bar was.
She’d spent the past several hours flitting around like a hummingbird, and his house was packed with people he had to talk to, be nice to, visit with and welcome into his home.
Bleh. He knew it was a part of business, that he and his brothers put on this party every year not only for business partners and customers, but for the community. It fostered goodwill and brought in even more business. It was a necessity. Usually he enjoyed the Christmas party.
But tonight, he had more important things on his mind—his woman. He wanted alone time with her, to touch her, taste her, and eventually have a very important conversation with her.
“Brody. I hear you’re going to be spearheading the building of the new supermarket.”
The mayor. Time to put his work face on. He shook Stanley Shims’s hand. “Mayor Shims. Yes, I am. We’re very excited about this project.”
“So are the citizens of Deer Lake. We’ll be watching its progress closely. When do you think you’ll break ground?”
He spent several minutes tied up with the mayor discussing the supermarket project. Members of the city council stuck their noses in, too, so he was cornered, and lost sight of Tori. When he finally extricated himself, he went to the bar to grab a much-needed beer. Wyatt met him there.
“Having fun?”
Brody rolled his eyes at his brother. “Tons. You?”
“About as much as we can given the circumstances. But it’s a good turnout.”
“Yeah. Whiskey?”
“Hell yes.”
Brody ordered two shots of whiskey. “To another good year.”
“I’ll definitely drink to that.”
“Hang on.” Ethan showed up, ordered another shot.
“You can’t toast without me.”
“In that case, to another good year, and another Kent in the family.”
Ethan grinned, and they drank, then laid their glasses down on the bar. Brody followed up his shot with a long swallow of beer, turning to face the crowd. “We’re very lucky.”
“We are,” Ethan said. “Business has been steadily picking up the past two years. We’re adding people. Wyatt and I have gotten married and I just had a baby.”
Wyatt turned to Brody. “Now it’s your turn. So when are you going to ask Tori to marry you?”
Brody frowned. “I don’t want to talk about Tori.”
“Why?” Ethan asked. “You two have a fight?”
“No.” He finished his beer, pushed the empty bottle toward the bartender, then grabbed a fresh one. “What’s between us is our business. Not family business.”
Ethan arched a brow. “Ooh. Touchy.”
Wyatt leaned against the bar. “Agreed. Why is that, Brody? You know we only want the best for you. And for Tori. So why do you act like such a dick whenever we bring up her name?”
“I’m gonna go mingle.” Brody wandered off and visited with some of his clients, trying to put the conversation with his brothers out of his head. He found his parents sitting in the living room.
“Are you having a good time?” he asked.
His dad grinned. “I’m so proud of what you and your brothers have done with the company, Brody. You’ve really built the business well. I couldn’t have left it in better hands.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Where’s Tori?” his mom asked.
“I have no idea. Doing her job and making sure our clients are happy, I would imagine.”
“How are things going with you two?”
His jaw tightened. “Fine.”
His mom smiled. “Will we be hearing wedding bells in the future? Maybe an engagement at Christmas?”
What. The. Hell. What was it with his family trying to push him into something he wasn’t ready for? Or maybe he was ready for it, but why couldn’t he do it himself and not feel like his entire family was behind him, prodding him.
It was pissing him the fuck off. “I see someone I need to talk to, Mom. Excuse me.”
He wandered off, beer in hand, heading outside for some fresh air. Maybe there was someone out there who didn’t know he was dating Tori and wouldn’t give him the third degree about his intentions.
He found Lee Alison and Tim Dyson, two building contractors they often worked with.
“Great party, Brody.”
“Thanks.” It was cold outside, but Tori had been right. The heaters made it comfortable enough to sit outside and enjoy the night. He took a seat next to the guys and finished off his beer. He visited with Lee and Tim, talked shop for a while.
“I hear you’ve been dating that hot little number in your office,” Lee said.
“Tori, I think her name is,” Tim said. “Is she off the market now? Heard you two have been exclusive for a while.”
So far tonight he was getting engaged, picking out rings and proposing. He was so tired of having his goddamned life with Tori planned out for him. Why couldn’t he do this at his own pace? Why couldn’t his relationship with Tori be what he wanted it to be?
He wanted everyone off his back about it. “We’ve gone out. It’s no big deal or anything.”
“So, your reputation is still intact, huh?” Tim asked with a laugh. “I’d hate to see the notorious Brody Kent off the market. I mean I’ve been married for twelve years now. Who will I live vicariously through if you’re not with a different girl every week?”
Brody laughed and slapped Tim on the back. “No problem there, Tim. I’m still a free agent.”
“So your fling with Tori is nothing special?”
He looked over at Lee, wanting to tell him exactly how he felt about Tori, how special she really was to him. But at the same time he was so damn tired of everybody knowing his personal business, and the corresponding advice he’d get about love and marriage, the only reply that spilled from his lips was, “Yup. Nothing special.”
* * *
Tori stopped at the doorway, her forward motion halted at Brody’s words.
She was nothing special to him. He was still a “free agent.”
All this time she’d thought they’d been headed toward something. She didn’t know what, and frankly hadn’t cared, because they’d had a connection. She knew what it was—or she thought she knew. He had made her feel special, like she was the only one in his life, that this time it was different, that his playboy days were over.
God, she was so stupid. He’d played her, and she’d fallen for it.
Maybe all this time he’d been seeing other women, and she’d been so myopic about seeing only him, falling for only him, she hadn’t even noticed.
She turned around and headed inside, her face flaming. She headed straight for the master bedroom, one of the rooms off limits to the guests tonight. She went into the bathroom and locked the door, staring at her flushed face in the mirror.
“Idiot,” she said to her reflection, forcing the anger instead of the heartbreak.
She’d known who he was all along, yet she fell for it—for him—anyway.
His conversation with Lee and Tim outside still hurt, the raw pain tearing through her almost unbearable. She wanted to grab her keys, get into her car and go back to her apartment so she could crawl into her bed and cry until there were no tears left.
But she couldn’t—wouldn’t do that. Because she refused to lose her job over that asshole. She took pride in the work she did, and she’d fight him to the death over keeping her job.
She paced back and forth, taking deep breaths until she’d calmed herself enough to walk out of the bathroom. Then she grabbed a bag and packed up all her things, sliding the bag into the closet before heading back out to the party.
Thankfully things had started to wind down, because if she had four hours of this to put up with she didn’t think she could take it.
Avoiding Brody would be easy. She’d wanted to be with him tonight, but she’d been so busy—and so had he. Now she was grateful for it.
“Hey, honey. Roger is tiring, so we’re heading out.”
At the tap on her shoulder from Stacy, she squeezed her eyes shut, mentally preparing herself. She put on a smile and turned around. “I hope you had a good time, Stacy.”
“We had a great time, and everyone I spoke to tonight loved the fact the party was held here. It was so much fun, and the dance floor you had put over the floor in the dining room was perfect.”
“I’m so glad.”
“It was a good idea, kiddo,” Roger said, pulling her in for a hug. “I always knew you had smarts.”
She hugged him and Stacy and saw them to the door, then said goodbye to several other guests who were making their way out. She saw Brody try to ease his way to her, but she ducked out through the kitchen and went out back to pick up a few discarded bottles, then headed around the side toward the garage, adeptly avoiding him.
By the time the party closed down, it was just Brody and her and Wyatt and Calliope. Ethan had left early to be with Riley, Zoey and the baby. The crew came in to remove the tables and all the equipment, and they helped the caterers remove the rest of the food.
Calliope turned to her at the door when she and Wyatt walked out. “Call me tomorrow?”
She nodded. “You bet. You all be careful going home.”
“I’ll walk them out and I’ll be right back,” Brody said.
She nodded, but as soon as he headed out the front door, she hurried into the bedroom, grabbed her bag and her keys and threw her bag in the car. She was standing in the kitchen, keys in hand, when he came back.
He frowned. “Going somewhere?”
“Home.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m nothing to you.”
“What? That’s not true.”
“It is. I heard you say i
t tonight.”
“Wait. Tonight? What are you talking about?”
“I walked outside when you were talking to Lee and Tim, assuring them that manwhore Brody Kent was still alive and well, that I was nothing special to you and they had nothing to worry about. You were still a free agent.”
He had the decency to look away. “Oh. That. Let me explain, Tori.”
“No, thanks, Brody. I fell for your lines once. I won’t fall again.” She turned and went into the garage, the gust of cold wind making her shiver. She needed it, needed that reality to slap her across the face.
Because she’d been living in a fantasy for far too long.
Brody followed her to her car. “Tori, if you’ll just let me explain...”
She slid into the car and started it up, closed the door and locked it, not even bothering to look at him as she backed the car out of the garage, down the driveway and headed out onto the street.
He could explain all he wanted, but there would never be anything he could say again that she’d ever believe.
Her phone vibrated in the seat next to her. She didn’t bother to look or to answer. It was Brody, no doubt ready with a pack of lies that she’d never believe again.
As she headed toward home, the first snowflakes started to fall.
And so did the tears sliding down her cheeks.
Hopefully she’d make it all the way home before she completely fell apart.
* * *
Brody listened as the tenth call he’d made to Tori went to voice mail.
He got in his truck and, despite the snow coming down harder, drove to her apartment.
He breathed out a sigh of relief to see her car parked in the lot. He went up and knocked on her door, not surprised when she didn’t answer. He knocked again, harder this time. And again, when she didn’t answer.
“Tori. Open the door. I know you’re in there.”
She didn’t. He leaned against the wall, still in his suit, and watched the snow come down. It was getting colder and he hadn’t grabbed a coat, hadn’t thought about anything other than getting to Tori so he could explain what he’d said.
Not that there was a reasonable explanation.
Romancing the Holiday Page 28
