The December Deception

by Dana Volney

  “Lorelei.” His stern tone froze her. “I never promised you anything. I realize how this looks, and this week”—he shook his head—“not everything was always cut and dried. As far as quitting with one day’s notice, that is far from the professional I know you to be.”

  She didn’t turn around or give him the satisfaction of continuing the conversation. She made it all the way to her car in his driveway before the tears started flowing down her cheeks. She’d go in the morning to clean out her desk when no one else was around. That way it would be less embarrassing when she cried. And she wouldn’t have to see him again. Wouldn’t have to look into his eyes and see a glimpse of a life she’d dreamed about for a brief moment.

  She’d meet him in the courtroom, no doubt. Then she’d be prepared. He wasn’t going to break her twice.

  Chapter Eight

  The dawn of Christmas morning didn’t catch him by surprise. He’d tossed and turned most of the night. It was stupid that, this year, he’d had high expectations of this day. With Lorelei around all week, and—he sighed. Well, she hadn’t been wrong. Something had started between the two of them. Something that he was having a hard time letting go of. Granted, it was only twelve hours ago that she’d walked out. Still, usually, he could quickly wrap his head around outcomes of cases and arguments either won or lost, but this all seemed surreal.

  When had she gotten so under his skin?

  Lorelei had been in his life for more than two years now, and all of a sudden, he felt like he couldn’t live without her in his arms full-time. There was a hole in his chest where she’d warmed him this week. Heck, maybe she’d had this effect on him the whole time, and he’d never realized it.

  Screw the pretense of professionalism. Not that she’d say that. The job was the only thing keeping them together, and that was on a lifeline, considering she’d sort of quit last night. Sort of—there he went, fooling himself again. Her eyes had been full of rage. She’d definitely, for sure, washed her hands of Hale Law.

  Man, he’d messed up big.

  He stood from the kitchen seat where he’d been perched all morning feeling sorry for himself. “I have to go.” He had to get to the office before she did, stop her from clearing out her desk. He’d wait there all day, every day, if he had to. He couldn’t lose her. Professionally or personally.

  “Where? It’s Christmas,” his mom said while she made a cup of coffee on the Keurig.

  “I have to catch Lorelei.”

  “You never did say why she left dinner last night.”

  “Because I’m an idiot.” He grabbed his keys from the counter, adrenaline causing him to clutch them a little too tightly.

  His mother’s eyes turned soft, and she nodded with understanding. “Think of a good speech.”

  No kidding. He reached the office in record time. He jogged into the building, swung through the glass door, and bolted for her office down the hall.

  He braced both hands on the doorframe.

  Gone.

  Everything was gone. She was gone. He was too late.

  His head sank onto his chest for a moment as his entire world shut down. She really had been serious. There was probably a letter sitting on his desk right now, telling him off. He took a heavy step into her office. The red, orange, and yellow flower arrangement on the edge of her desk was gone; the turquoise office supplies that usually peppered her space were gone. The only thing of hers that still lingered was her scent and a wrapped package on her empty desk.

  He picked up the brown bundle tied with a cream bow. There wasn’t a name on it anywhere, but it seemed like a sign she had left for him.

  He pulled the string and undid the bow. He ripped into the brown paper and unwrapped the entire thing, flipping it over to see the front.

  A chill ran down his spine. A Hardy Boys book—The Disappearing Floor. What an appropriate name for what was happening to him right now. And the sweetest gift he’d ever received. She’d paid attention and given him a present that actually meant something to him.

  Ah, hell, she meant something to him. The world. She meant life to him.

  He opened the book and red-marker writing caught his eye.

  To Henry, thanks for the best Christmas ever.

  xo Lorelei.

  Guilt pinched at his heart.

  He clutched the book and stood. He had a place to be. Wherever she was. He had to try to win her back. He couldn’t lose her for good. Not now. Not after finally realizing he loved her.

  He ran back to his car and drove straight for her parents’ house, where she said she was spending Christmas Day. If she wasn’t there, he’d go to her house, and then start scouring the town until he laid eyes on her again and told her how he felt. It was the very least he owed her. And himself.

  He’d never manned up this week and told her how he felt or asked what she thought of their exploring a relationship. Now it may be too late. Either way, he had to explain himself to her and hope and pray she hadn’t shut the door on them forever.

  • • •

  Lorelei poured another glass of water from her parents’ Britta pitcher and sauntered back to the couch. She’d had way too much wine last night, and today her body was saying no to the pitcher full of Mimosas her mom had made. Although, if this hangover didn’t go away soon, she was going to subscribe to the “hair of the dog” method.

  “Are you feeling well, sweetheart?” her mom asked as she sat near her on the couch.

  She’d not told her parents about the blowup with Henry last night. She couldn’t bring herself to look them in the eye and tell them she’d quit her job and had her heart broken. How stupid did that sound? Not to mention, if last night was any indication, no amount of wine was going to get Henry out of her head or heart.

  “Yeah, Mom, just a lot going on. It’s nice to have a relaxing day.”

  “We’ll have lunch soon and open presents. Did you ask Henry if he wanted to join us?”

  “I sure didn’t. He’s got his own family stuff. And he’s not my boyfriend. He’s my boss.” Was my boss. Now he’s the enemy. She directed her next question to her father, who was opening the newspaper. “Could we drive around and look at the lights later?”

  “Absolutely, pumpkin. We haven’t gotten out yet to see what people have done this year either.” He smiled at her over the paper. “The theme downtown is Cowboy Christmas this year, so the houses should be interesting.”

  They were watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Normally, she still found the perfect old Christmas movie funny. Today, she did not.

  The sadness she felt went down to her core. The trauma of it all was too much to process; there was going to be a lot of fallout from her actions. She had savings, but she didn’t want to run through it. This morning, she’d made a list of people she’d contact next week to set up meetings, but no one ever really looked to hire a new lawyer; it just sort of happened when the fit was right. For her, the fit was going to be right anywhere there wasn’t a Henry Hale involved.

  Even though she would hate it, she could capitalize on her mother’s good name and move out East. Getting in with a well-known firm would give her a lot of experience. Then, when she returned to Casper, she’d come back better than ever. Henry was one person. She could move on. She would. And then nothing that happened this week would matter ever again.

  She sighed. Who was she kidding? She didn’t want to work anywhere else or with anyone else. After all that wine last night, she’d fallen asleep on her couch but then woke up with the sun and couldn’t fall back asleep. Her mind wouldn’t shut off. And she’d cried through a whole box of Kleenex in the car after packing up her office at the crack of dawn.

  The doorbell rang, and her father got up to answer it. She heard the mumbling of male voices and then the door shutting and felt a whoosh of cold air. She glanced over to the hall, expecting to see her dad coming back to the living room. Instead, she set eyes on Henry.

  He was breathing hard, and his normally c
oiffed brown hair was disheveled.

  “What happened?” she asked, sitting forward, uncrossing her legs. “Is it Fisher or Silver?” What else would make him come here?

  “No, nothing happened. They’re fine. Well, I assume. I haven’t spoken to them in a couple of days.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But you are right—something’s wrong. Everything is wrong.” Henry had a deer-in-the-headlights look going on with the hair and terror flitting across his wide, blue eyes.

  Lorelei’s dad sat down, and her mother stood. “Henry, this is my husband, Phil. Phil, this is Henry, Lorelei’s friend.”

  “We just met at the door, Fran.”

  “It’s nice you’re joining us today, Henry,” her mom continued, unfazed. “Can I get you a drink? We just started the movie.”

  “No, thank you, Mrs. Sullivan. I just need to speak with Lorelei.”

  “Henry, I think you should leave.” Lorelei’s words were clipped. She did not want to have any sort of conversation with him, let alone one in front of her parents. Ruining Christmas Eve wasn’t enough for him, he had to come after the actual day itself now? He needed to leave her alone to wallow in her own self-pity.

  “I can’t. Not until we talk.” He put his hands loosely on his hips.

  “No.” She stood and crossed her arms over her blue sweater. She’d worn her yoga pants because Christmas was a time to be comfortable in the Sullivan house. Now, she wished she’d done her hair and makeup and put on a dress so that Henry could see what he was missing.

  “Son.” Her tall, fit father, who had a full head of white hair, stood. “It’s time you left.”

  Henry stepped to the side so that he could continue to hold her stare. “I love you!” he practically yelled.

  Her dad stopped and turned to Lorelei, his bushy white brows raised, then looked to Francis.

  “I don’t care who I embarrass myself in front of.” Henry’s gaze bopped between her parents and her.

  “We have a present to go find and wrap.” Her mother grabbed her father’s arm and dragged him toward the solarium. They were probably still going to listen in. Great.

  “What are you doing?” Lorelei demanded. Was he drunk?

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “You’ve had a long time to talk to me. So far, it hasn’t been that impressive.” She didn’t budge. “You are aware it’s Christmas, right? This couldn’t have waited?”

  He shook his head. “I was wrong to stonewall you out of becoming a partner. I’m sorry. I don’t trust that easily, and the thought of relying on anyone is terrifying.”

  Nice words, but that’s all they were—words. She shook her head. Three minutes ago, she’d been mentally updating her résumé and rebuilding the brick wall around her heart.

  “Please come back to Hale Law. To me. I was wrong.”

  “And if I don’t love you back, is the partner offer off the table?” This was entirely too messy. Everything was connected now. The line between personal and professional had been decimated the first time they’d kissed. She couldn’t work with him without loving him now that she’d opened that door. It would be too hard to see him every day, knowing they could’ve had something special, something real in this world.

  Frustration started to knot her stomach. Why should she punish her career because of him?

  She had to give him credit, though—he didn’t flinch at her comment about not loving him. There was hope in his eyes.

  “The partner position at Hale Law is on the table permanently. You’re an amazing lawyer, truly gifted. I’ll get over my issues.”

  “How do you plan to do that?”

  He stepped toward her. “One day at a time.” He smiled, flashing his white teeth.

  She almost melted but stopped herself. His charms would no longer worked on her. She was impervious to Hale the Conqueror. “I’ll have to think about it.” She squeezed her arms around her chest, a little for comfort but mostly to stay resolute. “A lot has happened over this past week.”

  That was no lie. She couldn’t process the new offer. She thought this door had been shut.

  “Fair enough.” He took another step closer to her. “Let me submit the following for arguments. One, we work well together. We always have, especially when we need to brainstorm a case problem. Two, we both have the same drive for success and a genuine love of the law. There is no one out there who is more dedicated. And that type of energy is infectious to be around. And, three, you’re the only one I want to share the firm with, talk to about decisions, and discuss the future with. You, Lorelei, make me want to lose control.”

  “Number three sounds awfully personal.” All his numbers were delicious. He was the perfect partner for her. In all the ways.

  He took another step. She could reach out and wrap her arms around him if she wanted. “That’s because you are personal to me. I want to talk about my day with you and hear about yours. I want you in my space permanently. Everywhere. I want to go to movies with you, share inside jokes with you. I want to know your hopes and dreams so I can make them come true. I want you as my partner, for everything in life. I love you. I don’t want to have a firm if you’re not in it, and I don’t want to go another day without you knowing how sorry I am about last night and not being honest with you this week. I got caught up in getting to know you and didn’t want it to stop. I knew you’d pull away, and I selfishly wanted all the time I could get with you.”

  “That’s quite a speech.” She dropped her crossed arms, and her hands fell by her sides. “But you hurt me. I let you in. I cared about you.” She shook her head. He’d just bared his soul, but she couldn’t even say the words out loud.

  “I’m human.” He reached down and laced his fingers with hers. “I can’t say that I’ll never mess up. Again. But I can promise that I won’t make a stupid mistake like not telling you every day how in love with you I am.”

  Tears ran down her cheek. His smooth voice was too much. And the way he looked at her with such openness. She’d never experienced this type of clarity before. She loved him. If she didn’t tell him now, she could be making the same mistake he had this week, and it was unacceptable not to learn from others’ mistakes.

  She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. For a second, peace flooded her soul, and her chest felt lighter. Henry was the man for her. By his side is where she wanted to be.

  She pulled back to look into his beautiful blue eyes. “I want our partnership agreement in writing.”

  “Done.” He smiled crookedly, and his one dimple appeared.

  “I don’t want any flak about making partner at Hale Law for any other reason than that I earned it.” This point was unbelievably important to her.

  “Done. It’s the truth. People know you. They know your work ethic and respect it. No one will be surprised you were named partner.”

  “I want the name changed to Sullivan and Hale Law.”

  “Don’t push it.”

  A small chuckle escaped her lips. “And I don’t want any of this half-in, half-out business. If we’re doing this, we are both completely in with no deception and no out strategy.”

  “Agreed.” He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a package wrapped loosely in red tissue paper, and handed it to her. “This was for just in case I had to resort to bribery.”

  She slid the paper away to find the mask of the horrid Krampus. It was scary, creepy . . . and perfect.

  He smiled and leaned down to press his lips on hers. She happily obliged. She wanted to kiss him for the rest of her life. “I love you, too,” she said into his kiss.

  She’d never been so sure about anything in her life. And that was saying something.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to Crimson Romance, Simon & Schuster, and Tara Gelsomino for being such an awesome publisher! You are a fun and accomplished group of people who make the publishing process enjoyable every step of the way. I appreciate your continued support!

  To my beloved edi
tor, Julie Sturgeon, thank you for sticking with me every step of the way. Your insights are invaluable! It’s always fun to celebrate Christmas in August with you. This year in particular has been special—we’ll always have Disney, rollercoasters, and all the Little Mermaid everything.

  To Jami Wagner, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—you’re my rock! I am so appreciative of your friendship and enduring support. We’ll get our goals down for the year and then rock them out together! Congrats on your nuptials, Mrs. Rogers!

  To my unfailingly encouraging family, thank you for championing me! I appreciate you more than I’ll ever be able to put into words.

  Thank you to my friends, family, and readers who have and continue to support my dreams. You inspire me every day and are appreciated!

  About the Author

  Dana Volney lets her imagination roam free in Wyoming, where she writes romances and helps local businesses succeed with her marketing consulting company. Splitting her time between telling sexy, fast-paced suspense stories and sweet holiday romances, she likes to try new adventures in real life whenever she can (which, let’s face it, means tasting all sorts of delicious cuisines). Dana is bold, adventurous, and—by her own admission—good with plants, having kept a dwarf lemon tree alive for six months.

  Turn the page for an excerpt from

  The December Deal

  CHAPTER ONE

  Lilia Carrigan set her cup down on the small table in the coffee shop and took her seat in the corner with a view of the mountains. There had to be something she could do to raise money quickly. She opened her laptop and slouched in the hard wooden chair. She and her siblings had set up a GoFundMe campaign to ask for donations and pooled what little extra money they each had, but it wasn’t nearly enough. A fundraiser at the pub was a viable idea, but they needed hundreds of thousands of dollars, and their friends weren’t that rich. Twelve thousand dollars was only five percent of what they actually needed.