As she reached the checkout, she spied him at the store’s entrance in conversation with a woman who was a tad touchy-feely. He was laughing as the stranger’s hands danced over his chest and down the length of his arms, an occasional finger gliding along his profile. Bianca felt herself bristle, something like jealousy flooding her spirit. The emotion was disturbing and it surprised her. She took a breath and then two, inhaling and exhaling deeply before making her own exit.
As she made her way to her car, she tossed him a wave of her hand. “It was good to see you again, Ethan!” she called out before sliding into the front seat of her mother’s Camry, pulling out of the parking space, and heading in the direction of home. She meant every word.
Wheatgrass. He’d given her a whole dissertation on wheatgrass, as if there’d been nothing else for the two of them to talk about. Ethan could only imagine what Bianca had to be thinking about him. If she was even thinking about him at all. And why was he even concerned? As his son had repeatedly reminded him, Bianca Torres was young enough to be his daughter.
Ethan shook his head suddenly aware that he was still sitting in his car in the supermarket’s parking lot. Their chance meeting hadn’t been by chance at all. He’d overheard the young woman’s conversation with her mother and, knowing the organic venue would be the only place Sharon Torres would send anyone shopping for her, he’d come purposely hoping to run into her. Now he was feeling slightly foolish.
It also hadn’t helped that he’d run into Vanessa Langston, the widow of former Mayor John Langston. The woman had made it quite obvious that she was in want of a new husband and he was high on her list. Ethan had been running from her advances for over a year, having no interest at all. He hated that Bianca had seen the two of them together, with Vanessa’s hands practically down the front of his pants.
His cell phone suddenly chimed for his attention, a text message noted on the screen. He read the message quickly and a bright smile filled his face. Sharon Torres needing help had suddenly given him an opportunity to redeem himself with her daughter. Her timing couldn’t have been better.
Bianca found herself humming along with her parents, the couple both singing Christmas carols at the top of their voices. She couldn’t help but smile at the absurdity. She had texted her buddy Cilla to complain, and Cilla had texted back that if she couldn’t beat ’em that she should join ’em. Bianca had taken the advice to heart, and she’d actually been having a great time in the kitchen with her mother.
The whole house smelled of vanilla and cinnamon and as she pulled the last pan of cookies from the oven, Bianca had to admit that she was starting to enjoy being home with her parents for the holiday.
She suddenly began to sing out loud, joining them in a rendition of “Gloria in Excelsis.”
Her mother clapped her hands excitedly.
Bianca rolled her eyes skyward as her parents both chuckled warmly. Her mother suddenly gasped out loud.
“What’s wrong?” Bianca exclaimed, eyeing the woman with concern.
“I forgot to have you pick up some extra trays from the dollar store. I want to send cookies to the EMS boys that came to get me up off the lawn and the nurses at the hospital who supported me right after my surgery.”
“I can go back out now if you want,” Bianca said with a nod.
“Do you mind, baby? I would really appreciate it.”
“No, ma’am! I don’t mind at all. Let me grab my coat.”
A few short minutes later, Bianca was bundled warmly. She moved back into the room with her parents. Her mother was on the phone, deep in conversation. She waved her index finger in Bianca’s direction.
“I really appreciate that,” Sharon said into the phone’s receiver. “Bianca is headed to the store for me now. She should be there in a few minutes.”
There was a momentary pause in the conversation, and Bianca suddenly sensed her good mood turning. She was curious to know whom her mother was speaking with and what it had to do with her running what was only supposed to be one quick errand.
Sharon finally disconnected the call. “That was Ethan Christmas. He picked up the poinsettias for the church, but he won’t be able to drop them off at the bishop’s office before he has to go to practice. Jarrod is going to meet you in the shopping center, if you would please just collect them for me. Your father will make sure they get delivered to the church when you get back.”
“Why can’t Jarrod just take them to the church himself? Wouldn’t that make more sense?” Bianca asked.
Annoyance washed over her mother’s face. “It would, but he’s doing something at the hospital and that’s in the other direction. Why are you being so difficult?”
“I just asked a question!”
“Well, don’t,” Sharon admonished. “You’ll be doing all of us a service.”
“And it will give you and that nice Jarrod boy a chance to see each other again,” her father added, a smug look on his face as he struggled not to laugh out loud.
Bianca threw her hands up in frustration. “I’ll be back,” she snapped, grabbing her mother’s car keys.
“Thank you!” Sharon chimed. “And you might want to think about asking Jarrod out for coffee or something. He’s such a nice young man,” her mother called after her.
As Bianca reached the front door Sharon tossed in one last comment. “And you two are so cute together!”
Bianca had pushed the speed-dial number on her cell phone before she pulled out of the driveway. She waited for her call to connect as the phone engaged with the car’s Bluetooth system.
Jarrod picked up on the third ring. “Hello?”
Bianca screamed, a loud, ear-piercing shriek intended to wake the dead.
Jarrod laughed. “Is it that bad?”
“It’s worse than bad,” she said. “If one more person makes one more crack about you and me being a perfect couple I’m going to commit bloody murder!”
Jarrod laughed again. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault. I’d be a perfect partner for any man. I’ve got it like that!”
His deep chortle made her smile. “So how long before you get to the shopping center?” she asked.
There was a moment of silence and Bianca could almost see the confusion on his face. “You don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?”
“Sorry. Should I?”
“My mother said you were bringing poinsettias for the church. That I’m supposed to pick them up from you.”
“I don’t know anything about that,” Jarrod said. “However my father did just leave the house. He might be on his way with them.”
Bianca reflected on the comment for a brief moment, her mind spinning a mile a minute. “You don’t have something to do at the hospital here?”
Jarrod shook his head into the receiver. “No. I don’t have privileges at any hospital here in N.C. Besides, I’m on vacation, remember? Why would you think that I would be working at the hospital?”
“Something my mother said,” she finally answered. “I guess I misunderstood.”
“Well, I was actually about to go meet some old friends from high school for drinks. Do you want to come along?”
“I appreciate the invite, but I’m going to pass. I have a feeling I’m going to find something more interesting to do,” she said with a low chuckle.
“Then I’ll see you Saturday for that baked spaghetti dinner you’re making.”
Bianca laughed. “Bring booze. You’re going to need it.”
“Oh,” Jarrod said before disconnecting the call, “tell my father I’m giving him a curfew. He needs to be home before midnight. And Bianca?”
“Yes?”
“Go easy on the old guy! I don’t think he has a clue what he’s getting himself into.”
Minutes later, Bianca was still laughing heartily.
Ethan was standing in the parking lot when Bianca pulled into an empty space beside his car. He looked slightly nervous, and that made her smile.
Putting two and two together, she’d peeped his hold card and was amused that he’d gone out of his way to see her.
Since their earlier encounter, he’d changed his clothes. He sported black slacks, a black turtleneck, a black wool blazer, and black leather Timberland boots. The ensemble was classic and casual, and as he stood with his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his pants, he looked like a GQ cover model. The man was breathtaking.
“Hi!” she exclaimed brightly. “What are you doing here?”
Ethan tossed her an easy smile. “Your mother is expecting these,” he said, gesturing toward a multitude of poinsettia plants that rested in the cargo space of his SUV.
“Oh, I thought Jarrod was bringing them,” she commented, her eyes meeting his evenly.
Ethan smiled again. “Something came up so I said I would bring them.”
“Oh, really?” Bianca said.
Ethan laughed. “Don’t sound so disappointed.”
“I’m not disappointed. I’m not disappointed at all. In fact,” she said as she leaned back against her own vehicle and crossed her arms over her chest, “I’m glad you came instead.”
Ethan shifted his stance, his gaze still locked with hers. “Does that mean I might be able to convince you to come have a cup of coffee with me? Maybe dinner?”
Bianca barely hesitated before responding. “Dinner sounds like a plan. But I’m thinking we might want to drop those plants off at the bishop’s office before we do. I wouldn’t want to be you if anything happened to the church’s poinsettias. I can’t save you from my mother,” she said as she walked around to the passenger side of his vehicle and climbed inside.
Two stops later, the two were seated across from each other at the Southern Kitchen and Bar. Bianca’s mother had been overly excited to hear that Bianca wasn’t coming right back home, stopping to spend time with Mr. Christmas. Bianca hadn’t bothered to clarify which Mr. Christmas. She felt only a little guilty allowing her mother to assume that she was hanging out with Jarrod, but the little white lie was well worth being able to spend time with his father.
He’d ordered the lobster mac and cheese for her and a beef Manhattan sandwich for himself. They were both enjoying one of the restaurant’s signature coffees, the BFK, a mix of Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur, Kahlua, and a locally roasted gourmet coffee.
“So what do you do in Raleigh?” Ethan asked, swiping at his lips with a cloth napkin.
“I’m a pharmaceutical scientist for Merck. I spend most of my time in a laboratory discovering how different compounds interact with disease-causing cells and organisms. Then I investigate how those compounds interact with the human body to ultimately determine if they can become new drugs.”
“So you’re a geek!”
She smiled. “I have my moments. How about you. What do you do in this retirement village?”
Ethan laughed. “Well, I’m hardly retired. I dabble in real estate investments.”
“Dabble?”
He shrugged his shoulders slightly. “I own a number of properties, and properties with a certain cache.”
“So where do you fall in the ranks with moguls like Trump, Steve Wynn, and the Rockefellers?” She leaned forward, resting her chin atop her hands and her elbows on the table.
Ethan smiled, then chuckled softly. “I like to think I’d make the list. If there was a list, of course.”
“Is that your arrogance speaking?”
“That’s nothing but confidence.”
Bianca gave him a bright smile. “I think I like you, Ethan Christmas. I think I like you a lot.”
“Would you still like me if I was a plumber?”
“Would you like me if I was a waitress?”
He nodded. “Yes, I would. I definitely would.”
“I’m impressed by your confidence, sir, not your career of choice.”
There was a slight bob to his head as he reflected on her comment.
Bianca grinned. “So tell me something interesting about you, Mr. Christmas?”
“Only if you promise to stop calling me Mr. Christmas. It makes me feel old and I’m only fifty-three.”
“Fifty-three? That’s ancient!”
“Says you. And exactly how young are you anyway?”
“I’m twenty-eight.”
“Almost thirty.”
She laughed. “Cute! I’m almost nothing. I just turned twenty-eight.”
“Jarrod says you’re too young for me.”
“Your son doesn’t want to see you get your feelings hurt.”
“Are you going to hurt my feelings?”
“I’m twenty-eight, not eighteen. And I’m not looking for a sugar daddy. I think you’re safe in my hands.”
“So what are you looking for, Bianca Torres?”
Their gazes locked and held, something heated wafting thick and full between them. It was comforting and safe, and satisfied a yearning neither had known existed.
Bianca took a deep breath and held it until her lungs burned. Ethan shifted his head slightly, the gesture seeming to repeat his question.
“I’m not sure,” she finally answered. “But I have a feeling I’ve already found it.”
The grandfather clock in his foyer had just struck twelve when Ethan secured the lock on his front door. He had just closed the hall closet after hanging up his winter coat when the lights clicked on in the family room. Jarrod sat upright in one of the leather recliners. A rerun of Criminal Minds was playing on the big screen television, the volume barely audible.
“What’s up?” Ethan said, moving to take a seat on the upholstered sofa.
Jarrod grinned. “I should be asking you that. I see that you got my message,” he said as he stole a quick glance at his Seiko watch.
Ethan’s gaze narrowed curiously. “What message?”
“I told Bianca to tell you that you had a midnight curfew.”
“You talked to Bianca?”
His son nodded. “She called me earlier. Something about some poinsettias for the church?”
Ethan laughed out loud realizing that Bianca had caught him red-handed.
“Did you have a good time?” Jarrod asked.
His father nodded. “I did. I had a really great time. We—”
Jarrod held up his hand, an open palm waving at his father. “Please, spare me the details. Bianca is my friend, and if whatever is going on with you two goes south, I want her to still be my friend.”
Ethan nodded, sighing deeply. “She’s an amazing woman. I really like her,” he said. “But I guess you already figured that out.”
Jarrod nodded, his brow knitted. “It’s too weird for me, Dad. It’s like you’re trolling the school yard.”
“I take offense at that.”
“The high school yard, not preschool,” Jarrod clarified.
“And that makes it better?”
“Not really. It’s still weird having my father chase a teenybopper.”
“First, I’m not chasing anyone. Second, I don’t think Bianca would appreciate your assessment. She’d be offended, too.”
Jarrod chuckled warmly. “I can’t wait to give her a hard time.”
“You two seem very close.”
“We’ve become good friends. She has great energy.”
“Does it bother you that I like her?”
Jarrod shifted forward in his seat. He shook his head. “Not really. I can appreciate what you see in Bianca. She’s a very special woman and you deserve someone like that in your life. But don’t get yourself twisted if it doesn’t work out. I don’t think dating Bianca is an easy thing for any man to do. She’ll tell you she’s high maintenance and demanding. She isn’t going to make it easy for you.”
“Well, we’re not that serious, son. We just enjoy each other’s company.”
Jarrod laughed. “If you really believe that, I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you.”
“I’m serious! We’re just getting to know each other, that’s all.”
“The
next time you two are in a room together look in a mirror. If you see what I see, you won’t tell that lie.” The young man moved onto his feet. “It’s all good, Dad. Don’t let it bother you. I’m headed up to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Sleep well, son,” Ethan said, and the two men bumped fists.
Ethan watched as Jarrod took the steps two at a time. When he heard his room door close, he leaned back in his seat, swinging his legs up onto the sofa. He extended his body lengthwise, drawing both of his hands behind his head as he stared at the television screen, watching a late-night infomercial hawking the latest and greatest Chia pet.
He was still reeling from his good time with Bianca. The beautiful woman challenged him, and he liked how that felt. Their conversation had been easy—light-hearted banter about everything and about nothing. Then there had been those moments when they had caught each other’s eye or laughed as they instinctively finished the other’s thoughts when he’d felt something simmering deep in his core. The emotion had caught him off guard and he’d found himself fearing it and craving it at the same time.
He had hated for the night to end. The ride back to her car had been fraught with sexual tension and it hadn’t helped that Bianca was a tease to the nth degree. The innuendo and not-so-subtle banter had left him hard and wanting, his condition fodder for her amusement. She’d left him with a friendly kiss on the cheek, but her lips had languished a second longer than necessary, a warm palm resting high on his thigh. The tips of her fingers had been heated and teasing, and then she’d eased from his car into her own and had disappeared out of the parking lot.
Ethan took a deep breath and then another, blowing them out loudly. He should have been tired but he wasn’t. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was making a mistake, thinking about his friends and neighbors and what they might think of him. And then he realized he really didn’t care. Being alone and being lonely had taught him much about himself over the years, and what he knew best was that life was short. He wasn’t promised tomorrow, and he didn’t take his blessings lightly. He lived a good life, and what he wanted most for himself was someone to share that with. He wasn’t going to let an opportunity for happiness pass him by.
A Christmas Kiss Page 22
