by Dana Pratola
Amy fixed him with her hazel eyes and put on the sulky pout he remembered only too well. Some useful devices were timeless. But, they wouldn’t work on him.
“So, what’s your story about? Maybe we can help each other,” she suggested, batting her lashes. “I’m at the Radisson over on Superior, if you—”
“Um, nothing you’d be interested in. The uh…resurgence of caribou in the area.”
Her face went blank and before she could think of something to say, he turned and backed away from her. “As a matter of fact, I’m just going to meet my guide. We have a long night in the cold ahead. See ya.”
He bumped into a passerby and quickly excused himself as he headed to Olympia’s hotel as fast as he could without breaking into a run.
****
“You’ve got trouble.”
Olympia’s face must have registered pure shock when her head snapped up from her pancakes to find David Della Santina standing at her elbow. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, dropping her napkin beside her plate.
“Your mother invited me.” David pulled out a chair next to her.
Infuriated, she grasped her fork like a weapon. “She wouldn’t do that. Why would she do that?”
“You’ll have to ask her. Listen—”
“Well, I didn’t invite you to sit with me.”
He sat anyway. “You have trouble,” he repeated.
“What are you talking about?”
“I just ran into a reporter.”
“Did you swat him with a rolled up newspaper?”
David smirked. “Funny. No, and this one won’t go away no matter how much you swat her.”
“Her?”
“Trust me.”
There was something about the way he said that, that had the muscles in her jaw tightening. “Sounds like you know her well.”
“We used to date back in Boston.”
Olympia dropped the fork with a clatter and sat back, crossing her arms. There was an unpleasant jab just under her breastbone. “Isn’t that a coincidence?”
Unbuttoning his coat, David sighed. His face was pink, and she could feel the cold air emitting off his clothing.
“Let me guess, you’re going to share a by-line?”
“I didn’t know she was here,” David barked, causing more than one head to turn in his direction. “I haven’t even spoken to her in fifteen years. And I’m here to give you a heads up. She’s here to do a feature on you and your crazy Christmas husband round-up. She knows where you’re staying. Why would you register under your real names?”
Olympia’s chest tightened. “Because we’re not fugitives. We’re not hiding anything.”
“Finish your breakfast, and then let’s go. We don’t have much time.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Mom’s getting her nails done, and then we’re going shopping.” She picked up her fork to return to her meal, when a thought struck her. “And how do I know you’re not working together? Or that you’re using this other reporter as a threat to herd me toward you? She might not even exist.”
In a flash, he grabbed her by the hand, tugged her out of her seat and pulled her across the dining room.
“Where are we going?” She pulled back, but he didn’t release his grip until they reached the elevator.
“Unless you want to be on TV, and I don’t think you do, we’re going to move you and your mom to another hotel under an assumed name.” He punched the elevator button. “And don’t tell anyone where you’re going or staying. If Amy knows you’re in town, there’s no telling who else knows.”
“Yes, I guess you guys all come out of the woodwork when you get a scent. Like rats.”
Even though he didn’t react, she regretted saying it.
“I think you’re being a little ridiculous,” Olympia said. “I seriously doubt anyone’s that interested in how I spend my holiday. It’s just fun, and games and you’re turning it into some kind of sport.”
He looked down at her, so long that her mouth started to go dry. So long that the elevator doors opened and were starting to close again. He stuck his arm through the narrowing gap and the doors sprung apart.
Inside, he punched the button for her floor. She needed to have a talk with her mother. How could she ask him along without telling her?
“Hurry. Please,” he said, as she unlocked the door to her room.
Her mother wasn’t back yet, so Olympia moved around the room, gathering their things.
“Here,” David said, handing her a blow dryer.
“That belongs to the room. Don’t try to help.”
“I’m trying to get us out of here quickly.”
She retrieved the few items she’d placed in the bathroom and tossed them on top of her suitcase which still stood half full in front of the closet.
“So, is this a competitive edge thing?” she asked. “Don’t want another reporter to scoop you?”
He chuckled. She hadn’t expected him to and the surprise of it, combined with the tone of the sound, caused her to stop and stare at him. She already knew his face so well. Over the last week, she’d looked him up online, read all his articles, his bio, social media pages. She’d started to feel a little like a stalker, but looking into his incredible blue eyes now, allayed that fear. Who could not want to see more of him? It was perfectly normal.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
Oh boy. How long had she been staring? “Uh, just wondering when my mom will be done.”
“You should call her.”
“You know, you didn’t even ask if we want to move to another hotel.”
David shrugged. “Trust me, it’s for the best.”
“You don’t know that. In the future, I’d like to be asked.”
David took two steps in her direction until he was close enough to touch. “All right. What would you like to do?”
She rubbed a hand over the back of her neck, meaning to look indifferent, while actually trying to see if she was as warm as she felt. She was.
“I’m…just going to see if I missed anything.”
Olympia took her mother’s suitcase from the floor of the closet and stood it beside hers, unzipping the top only far enough to squeeze in the few items she’d found. Why did she feel this uncomfortable around David? It wasn’t like her to let anyone get under her skin so much, yet he’d done it from the moment they’d met. Even when he wasn’t present!
David took out his cellphone and dialed a number. Olympia stood, hands on hips as he tried, unsuccessfully to get them a room.
“What?” He sat on the bed.
“You’re doing it again.”
He raised his brows, seemingly with no idea what she was talking about.
“You’re making decisions for me again. Shouldn’t I have a say where we go?”
His mouth opened, but rather than speak, he handed her the phone.
She looked down at it, then handed it back. “I don’t know where to call.”
With a smug smile, David returned to his hunt for a room while Olympia called her mom and explained the situation.
3
It was no coincidence that the only available room was in his homey, Victorian inn on the fringe of town. He carried the bags to their room, down the hall from his. He should probably feel a little guilty for pretending to call other hotels, only to have them “booked solid,” but he didn’t. He had a logical reason for wanting Olympia close by. And others that weren’t logical at all.
Yes, he had a better shot at running interference if he saw Amy nosing around, but, more than that, he felt better being near Olympia. He’d only met her once, and been in her tumultuous company for far too short a time, but it was enough to burn her image in his mind, to make him want to get to know her better.
What kind of woman was so straightforward and grounded, yet believed in fairytales? Yes, she tried to make him think this Christmas mission was just harmless fun, but he sensed she wanted it to be true. Hoped it was. He smiled at
her back as she opened the door. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by a woman like this?
“Thank you, David, for going to this trouble,” Sharon said, unbuttoning her coat. “This place is charming. I can’t believe there was a room to be had here.”
He set the bags in front of the bed. “It was my pleasure, Mr. and Mrs. Darby.”
Sharon giggled. “Using fake names was smart, but, mercy, I would never have thought to use Mr. and Mrs.”
“Yes, he’s nothing if not clever,” Olympia said.
David ignored the sarcasm. “I’m going to take a walk and pick up a few last minute gifts. I guess I’ll be seeing you ladies around town later.”
“You should come with us,” Sharon said. “That’s what we were going to do after my creative gift bow class.”
“Maybe,” Olympia added.
OK, if she wanted to be difficult about it, he would accommodate her. “Great. And while we’re out you can show me just how you go about catching a man. Is there special bait? Or liquor involved?”
Olympia shook her head, slow. It put him in mind of the water being sucked away from the beach before a tidal wave hits.
“You’re not going to be flapping your notebook around asking us questions.”
“No. I wouldn’t want to chase off any prospects,” David replied, trying to keep the humor from his voice. “But, what do you do once you’re out there? You ride a wedding float covered in flowers down Main Street? Gallop through the town on horseback waving a veil, asking if there are any takers? What?”
“You’re an idiot,” she said, then turned to her mother. “I’m not going anywhere he’s going to be. And right now, I’m going for a walk. Let me know when your class is over.”
David laughed outright the moment the door was closed at her back. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Mayweather, I can’t resist teasing her.”
She smiled. “Is that so? And it’s Sharon.”
“I don’t know what it is about her,” he confessed. “She just gets so fired up.”
“You must bring it out in her,” Sharon said. “She’s actually quite an even-tempered girl.”
He’d have to witness that for himself.
“If you got to know her, you’d see she’s a loving, caring—”
“You don’t have to sell me, M—Sharon,” David said, backing toward the door. “I’m already sold.”
****
The May Inn adorned the crest of May Avenue like a blue shuttered jewel, and from its wide wrap-around porch, David spotted Olympia marching down the hill. He called out to her, but rather than quicken her pace as he anticipated, she waited for him.
“Mind if I walk with you?”
She didn’t answer, but started walking, slowly.
“It really is cold.”
Still no reply.
“It feels like snow.”
Olympia turned to narrow her gaze at him. “Yes.”
He withheld the chuckle. And walked on with her fifty yards or so before speaking. “It’s a quiet town, huh?” He looked straight ahead to where Duluth lay sprawled before them, its gray water snatching whatever menial light the cloudy sky doled out, and then casting it right back.
She gave a non-committal lift of a shoulder. “It’ll pick up tonight, when you can see the lights better.”
He watched her as she lifted her head and drew in a long breath. A tiny curve of her lips told him she was having a pleasant thought. He wanted to know what it was. He wanted to know all her thoughts. She was an interesting girl, that was for sure. In their brief association, he found her sincere, and accommodating, albeit reluctantly so. And unlike many of the women he’d known, Olympia had no ulterior motives. He knew she was looking for a husband, but she wasn’t looking for it to be him.
That thought gave him a hollow feeling he couldn’t explain. Why couldn’t it be him? He was considered a catch by some very knowledgeable women, as well as their discerning mothers. A gust of wind smacked him in the face. Right, he was being stupid. He wasn’t looking for a wife. Just a story, about a quirky family.
A plump woman stepped out of a house along the way, sweeping the dirt from her porch into the whirling air. “Merry Christmas!” she called to them, and went back inside, closing her bewreathed door against the chill.
It was brief and random, but it seemed to brighten Olympia’s spirits, and she started to chat, making idle conversation about the state of the properties and roads in this part of town, and whether he would attend the fish fry dinner she’d heard about. They walked toward the Aerial Lift Bridge, taking their time, since they had no place special to be.
****
“Do you have brothers or sisters?” Olympia asked.
“Three sisters. All younger.”
She smirked. “Ah, I should have known.”
“What do you mean?”
“You seem very patient. Three sisters can do that to you. Believe me, I know.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I guess. Especially since they’re all so much younger than I am. I’ve got nine years on the oldest. And after my father died, I had no choice but to learn patience. Someone had to spend time with them, keep them in line, while Ma was working.”
At hearing his words overflow with affection for his family, Olympia couldn’t help the smile that spread. There really was so much more to this man than she’d originally believed.
“So, did they make you play dress up and have tea parties?”
“No.” He stopped, facing her. “I did it because I wanted to. It was so much fun letting them paint my face with green eye shadow and that pink stuff, and wrap me from head to toe in scarves. I especially loved when half my football team showed up at my house on ballet movie night.”
Even as her laughter broke forth, her heart gave a pull in his direction. She had to stop her feet before they followed. His laughter erupted with hers until she had to wipe her eyes in order to see. And what she saw before her was a good man. A sweet man. A man she could fall for.
That thought prompted her to start back down the hill. She felt his gaze, but wasn’t ready to meet it yet. Best if she just faced forward and tried to get some distance between herself and this uncomfortable, light-headed, out of control feeling that had suddenly come upon her.
But, he fell in step beside her.
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked.
She shook her head quickly. “No. It’s nothing—it’s cold, that’s all.”
It really was. Olympia tugged the zipper of her parka up the last centimeter. The only real defense against this kind of cold was to avoid it completely.
“Let’s stop in here,” David suggested, when they came upon a small corner craft store.
“Taking up crafting?”
“You never know what kinds of odds and ends will make interesting gifts.” He pulled the door open, his arm forming an arch for her to walk under.
****
The immediate warmth was heaven, caressing his face. By the time he removed his gloves and opened his coat, Olympia was already Ooing and Ahing over items on a shelf beside the register.
“You like to shop?” he asked.
“This is adorable!”
Flashing him a dazzling smile, she held up a metal coffee pot overflowing with purple flowers and tiny green vines. He didn’t know if it was adorable, but she was, with her chocolate eyes excited and twinkling, her face pink from the cold, and that wonderful mouth bent with glee. Why had he not noticed before how full her lips were?
He thought it would be wonderful to taste her. And suddenly he was. The contact took them both by surprise, and for the space of several second, Olympia didn’t move. Then, he felt the pot at his back and her other hand pressed against his waist as her lips moved beneath his.
By the time he realized they were standing in the middle of a store, the kiss had gone from cautious sampling, to eager exploration. And it wasn’t just on his part. A soft sound emerged from her throat and he pulled her closer. David suddenly wanted to see how
far she would let it go.
And he might have gone on kissing her, if not for the laughter behind them.
“Oh, my, would you look at this?” said a woman approaching from the back of the store.
She was short and thin, with large, almond eyes in a rectangular face. Her smile was warm and bright as she passed them and moved behind the counter.
“Forget all those people who don’t like public displays of affection.” She waved a dismissive hand. “When you’re in love you should show it for everyone to see.”
David thought for sure Olympia would correct the sales clerk, but did no more than touch the back of her fingers to her lips. Deciding not to press his luck, he returned the woman’s smile and wandered off to search the shelves and tables. But despite the distance, his heart refused to return to its normal tempo.
Thirty minutes later, David and Olympia bid farewell to the clerk and the shelter of her cozy store. Despite an appealing array of items to choose from, neither purchased a thing. Considering what knick knacks might suit which person on his Christmas list was beyond him right now, when he wasn’t able to think of anything except Olympia.
He imagined—hoped—it was the same for her. She had been pretty quiet inside, and was more so now, with her coat once again cranked to her chin, and her scarf wrapped around half her face. He wondered if he should bring up their kiss. Not mentioning it seemed to give it more weight, and he was feeling crushed beneath it.
Just when he was about to speak, Olympia stopped and turned to him.
“You’re a really good kisser.”
The statement set him back a bit. Was it possible the brutal wind blowing through his ears made him think she’d just said he was a good kisser?
“Um, thanks. So are you,” he said.
“That being said, I didn’t tell you to kiss me, and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t do it again. How would that look?”
She turned to continue her walk, but he stepped in front of her, halting her on the sidewalk.
