Adam approached the desk in a slow saunter. “What are you up to now, Bates?”
“Me, sir?” He nodded toward the screen. “I’m looking at the property values for your mother’s home. She could make quite a profit on it.”
“Don’t you dare tell her that.”
“Then I suggest you speak with your brothers and come up with a way to convince her to hold on to it.”
Adam backed away, his eyes narrowed in challenge. “I will.”
Rupert gave him a polite smile that toned down his inner glee at manipulating his boss into doing something that would make Maureen happy.
Together, they would give her the holiday surprise she wanted.
Chapter 7
Maureen inched along with rush-hour traffic on the Edens Expressway, humming along with the Christmas carols on the radio. Her meeting with Gretchen had been far more successful than she’d imagined. They’d unearthed a beautiful antique claw-foot tub that would be perfect for one of the units. Afterward, they found a gorgeous tile that would add a modern touch to the bathroom and add to the harmonious fusion between historical and modern that they hoped to achieve. Finally, they agreed on using exquisite Shaker-style cherry cabinets for the kitchens. And with each decision, she grew more and more excited to start the renovations.
Then “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” came on the air, and without warning, she teared up. The thrill she’d known moments ago vanished, leaving an empty ache in its wake. No one would be coming home for Christmas this year.
Her loneliness continued to grow as she thought about going home to her empty house. A tear fell down her cheek.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, her mind scolded. You’re stronger than that.
She pulled a tissue from her purse and checked her reflection to make sure she hadn’t earned a pair of raccoon eyes from her mascara. Then she instructed the Bluetooth in her car to call Emilia.
When her friend picked up, she asked, “Do you have any dinner plans tonight?”
“Nope. I just got home.”
Maureen checked the GPS screen for the estimated arrival to Highland Park. “How about meeting me at Abigail’s in twenty minutes?”
Emilia laughed. “Do you have a reservation for that place?”
“Not yet, but I can get one.” Sometimes it was good to make friends with the hostess.
“You know everybody, don’t you?”
“No, but I’m always open to meeting new people. See you in a little bit.”
She hung up and dialed the café, getting their names on the list after a short, sweet conversation with Kara, the hostess and one of Gideon’s former classmates.
Emilia was waiting for her when she arrived, and a few minutes later, they were sitting at a table in the packed restaurant.
“Are you feeling better?” Maureen asked after they’d given their orders.
“So much better. And I was thrilled to learn that you won the tournament this weekend. I was so worried I’d let you down.”
“It wasn’t as if you’d asked to get the flu. Besides, Rupert was an absolute darling for swooping in to rescue me. I admit, I was a little worried at first because I didn’t know how well we’d play together, but once the game started, it was like I’d been playing with him for years.”
“Rupert?” Emilia leaned closer. “Isn’t he the man who works for Adam?”
“He is, and he’s been such an angel lately.” She started talking about the property she was restoring and all the help he’d given her. Before she knew it, they’d finished their dinners and had been handed the check.
Emilia gave her a knowing smile. “You sure think highly of Rupert.”
“Of course, I do.” The heat crept up her neck and jaw. She wanted to blame it on a menopausal hot flash, but after today, she wondered if it was due to something else.
Time to move to the subject she’d wanted to discuss with her friend. “Emilia, did you ever consider dating again after Paul died?”
Her friend blinked rapidly several times before shaking her head. “I was a single mom with a young child to support. There was no time for dating.”
“Even after Lia grew up and moved out?”
“By then, I was too set in my ways,” Emilia answered with a laugh. “But I suspect that’s not the case with you.”
Maureen’s heart fluttered again as she thought of Rupert. “Maybe, but I can’t shake the guilt of having feelings for another man. Mike was the love of my life, and we had so many happy years together.”
“Do you really think he’d want you to spend the rest of your life alone?” Emilia dropped her voice into a conspiratorial whisper. “Especially when there’s someone out there who obviously makes you happy?”
She twisted her wedding ring around her finger. Would Mike be upset if she dated Rupert? The longer she thought about it, the more her initial guilt slipped away. Mike had always thought highly of Rupert. Surely, he would give any relationship she had with Rupert his blessing.
But what about her boys?
The touch of a hand on hers pulled her from her thoughts. She looked up to find her friend wearing that knowing smile again.
“I understand what you may be feeling, what may be holding you back, but listen to your heart, Maureen, and pray on the matter. You’ll get your answer.”
She squeezed her friend’s hand. “Thank you.”
Maureen signed the check and rose from the table. “And while I’m praying, I suppose I can throw in a few prayers for Adam and Lia.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve been praying for grandchildren since they got married.” Emilia made a light-hearted sign of the cross. “Here’s to hoping their trip to Hawaii will have been fruitful.”
They laughed together and made their way to the parking lot, where Emilia gave her a farewell hug. “You’re a good person, Maureen—don’t ever forget that—and you deserve whatever happiness you can find.”
“I just need a good friend to remind me of that.” She waved good-bye to her friend and drove home.
When she walked into her house, the only greeting she received was the insistent nudging from Jasper to be let outside after being cooped up indoors all afternoon. But she ignored him and paused in front of the family portrait hanging over the fireplace. It was more than twenty-five years old. In it, Gideon, her youngest, was still in diapers. But her attention lingered on the handsome, smiling man standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder, and her eyes stung with tears.
“Please give me a sign, Mike,” she whispered.
Chapter 8
“I know Jenny’s pregnant, but she’ll only be six months along,” Adam argued with his brother, Dan, over the phone. “Sarah’s pregnant, too, and she’s coming.”
“But work is crazy, and I have call that would need to be covered…”
“Did I mention Mom is talking about selling the house?”
His younger brother seemed to snap to attention. “What?”
“You heard me. She’s all down because none of you were coming home for Christmas and is saying things like the house is too big for just her.”
“But we came last year.”
“And Jenny was just as pregnant then as she is now.” Adam leaned on his desk and sighed. “Please, Dan, even if it’s just for Christmas Day. I arranged for a chartered flight for Frank to bring him and his family up early Christmas morning and take them back to Atlanta later that night. I can do the same for you.”
A polite knock pulled him from his conversation. Bates stood in the doorway with a file folder in hand. The second Adam nodded for him to enter, he placed the folder on his desk and departed.
“Let me talk to Jenny, then.”
“Thank you.” Adam hung up and put a check mark next to Dan’s name. So far, he’d recruited Ben, Frank, Ethan, and Gideon into coming home. Caleb was still waiting for permission from his commanding officer for leave, but at least he’d get most of his brothers home for the holidays.
He op
ened the file folder to find Bates had already booked travel arrangements for each of his brothers who said they’d be there, right down to chartered flights for the ones who were still professional athletes in the middle of their respective seasons. They’d only be able to stay for the day, but his chest puffed up with pride to see they were making the effort. And just like he’d hoped, Bates had managed to schedule the arrivals while his mother would be at mass.
He carried the folder with him to Bates’s office, only to catch the man as he was in the process of leaving. “Going somewhere?”
“Yes, Mr. Kelly,” Bates replied while donning his coat. “I have to check on the progress at both the Lincoln Park and the Humboldt Park properties.”
“Lia’s been pretty nervous about her new restaurant being ready to open on time.”
Bates tucked his scarf into his jacket. “Why do you think I’m making a trip there and reminding the contractors of their agreed-upon deadline?”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Adam held up the folder with his brothers’ itineraries to give as an example. “Thanks for all your work on this.”
“I know how much it means to your mother.” He started for the door, then paused. “Am I correct in understanding that this is meant to be a surprise for her?”
Adam nodded. “And since I have the sneaking suspicion you’ll be meeting her at the Humboldt Park house, please keep it that way.”
Bates tapped the side of his nose with his finger twice and winked before leaving the office.
Adam returned his office and stared out over the city skyline. Two weeks ago, he’d been in the air to Hawaii, and even though he was glad to be back home, there was still a part of him that longed to be in that tropical paradise once again. But with Christmas only being eleven days away, he needed to pull everything together for the holidays. He’d never realized how much work it involved and wondered how his mom managed to do it year after year without pulling her hair out.
The Christmas lights twinkled along the streets below, reminding him that his mom hadn’t even bothered to decorate her house this year. A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. Mom always made a big fuss about the holidays, from the years of special ornaments she’d collected during his childhood to the fresh pine garland draped along the fireplace mantle. Home wouldn’t feel like Christmas without those things.
He started to ring for Bates to have him order a tree and all the trimmings for his mom, but caught himself. Not only was Bates busy elsewhere, but if all those things showed up on his mom’s doorstep, she might get suspicious. Best to probably wait and talk his mom into placing a few decorations up. Maybe this weekend…
He shifted his focus to the never-ending stack of work that needed his attention, and before long, it was time to pick up Lia from La Arietta.
She was waiting for him in the garage when he arrived.
Worry churned in his gut. Usually, she was still in the kitchen at this time, finishing up the cleaning and going over her sales for the night. “Are you sick?”
She shook her head, but when she climbed into the car, her movements appeared heavy with fatigue. “Long night. Julie offered to wrap things up for me.”
He reached over and pressed his hand to her forehead. “You feel a little warm.”
“I just left the kitchen.” She gently pushed his hand away and fastened her seatbelt. “I wonder if I picked up something from Ma.”
“Do you think she’s still contagious? I mean, it’s been two weeks since she was sick.”
“I don’t know. I just feel…off.” Lia leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes.
Adam considered the possible causes for Lia’s malaise as he drove home. Stress. Long hours. Residual jet lag. Low B12 or thyroid. But no matter what he came up with, there was always that one hopeful explanation.
“Lia, when was your last period?”
She popped her head up, her green eyes filled with confusion. “I think four weeks ago. Let me check.”
She opened an app on her phone. “Yes, four weeks ago as of yesterday.”
His heart pounded as he drew the conclusion he’d been hoping for. “Which means you’re one day late.”
Some odd emotion flickered across her face. He couldn’t tell if it was hope or fear or surprise. “I’m not pregnant, Adam.”
“You could be.”
“I’m not.” She closed her eyes again in an attempt to end the conversation.
“Prove it,” he challenged.
“Fine. I’ll pee on a stick and prove you wrong when we get home,” she replied with her eyes still closed.
When they arrived at their condo, she went straight to the bathroom and opened the door a couple of minutes later. “Start the timer.”
They’d been through the drill so many times already, he had a timer programmed into his phone. He activated it and pulled her into his arms. “No matter what, I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She kissed him and added, “And who knows. Maybe you’re right.”
“It would be nice to not have to bother with IVF.” He chuckled as he remembered what his mother had said about the waters in Maui being magical. “Maybe our little vacation was just what we needed to set everything in motion.”
She chuckled, but her eyes darkened with desire. “Maybe we need to bring a little bit of Hawaii into our home.”
“I’d be fine with that,” he answered, fondly remembering the passionate nights they’d had there.
The timer beeped.
He met her gaze and saw the same anxious anticipation in her eyes. Hand in hand, they entered the bathroom and peered down at the small white piece of plastic.
Lia’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. “Negative.” She picked up the test with a wad of toilet paper and threw it away. “I told you it would be.”
He kissed her forehead. “We’ll keep trying.”
“I know. But right now, I just want to go to sleep.” She slipped past him and changed into the old T-shirt she liked to sleep in before crawling into bed.
Adam leaned on the bathroom counter and stared at his reflection. Was it so selfish of him to want a child? Could they still be happy without kids?
Frustration leached whatever energy he had left. He stripped off his clothes and crawled into bed, cradling Lia in his arms long into the sleepless night.
Chapter 9
Rupert frowned as he walked up to Maureen’s front door. It was a week before Christmas Eve, and she hadn’t even bothered to hang a wreath. Very unlike her.
Which made his visit all the more necessary. Even though he’d agreed to keep Adam’s plans a secret, he refused to let the Kelly boys come home to a house that wasn’t filled with its usual holiday cheer.
He wiped his hands on the only pair of jeans he owned and rang the doorbell.
Maureen answered, wearing a soft, fuzzy jumper that matched her eyes. “Rupert, what are you doing here on a Sunday?”
“I was dropping by to help you pull out your holiday decorations.” He pointed to the seven-foot fir tree on top of his Mercedes. “I even took the liberty of bringing you a tree.”
“Really, that’s quite unnecessary—” She was cut off by grabbing Jasper by the collar before the rambunctious dog tackled him.
“On the contrary, I think it’s very necessary. You’ve been moping, Maureen, and I decided you needed a little holly and plum pudding in your life before you turned into Ebenezer Scrooge.”
That earned one of her brilliant smiles. “I suppose you’re right, Rupert. I have been moping.”
“Then let’s remedy it.”
“Give me a moment to put my snow boots on.” She invited him inside while she donned her wellies and coat. “Is that a balsam fir?”
“It is.”
“My favorite.” Her smile widened, and she marched out into the snow.
His chest puffed up with pride. She’d recognized his attention to detail. “I wanted to make sure I picked the p
erfect tree for you.”
Together, they cut the ropes binding the tree to the car and dragged it to the front porch, Jasper barking excitedly between them. After a few quick shakes to remove most of the snow on the needles, they brought it inside.
He didn’t need to wait for directions on where to place it. Decades of holidays with the Kelly family had shown him the treasured spot for the Christmas tree.
Maureen laughed as he leaned it against the wall in the corner of the living room, next to the fireplace. “You didn’t bring a stand for it, did you?”
“No, because I knew you already had one.” He swept up the fallen needles with his shoe. “And I apologize for the mess.”
“It’s part and parcel of the holidays.” She doffed her coat and kicked off her boots. “Do you mind helping me bring down the Christmas stuff from the attic?”
“It would be a pleasure.”
They spent the next half hour shuffling boxes around until they found the ones they needed. At one point when she touched his arm, he caught a glimpse of surprise. A shy smile followed, and his pulse quickened. Moments like these gave him hope that she saw him as more than just an employee.
More than just a friend.
They were pouring water into the stand’s basin when the doorbell rang again. Maureen didn’t have a chance to answer it before Adam’s voice filled the entryway. “Mom?”
“In the living room, dear.” She knelt to tighten the screws holding the tree in place and wrapped the tree skirt around the stand. “Look at the beautiful tree Rupert brought over.”
He turned to find his employer standing slack-jawed in the doorway with a five-foot Scotch pine in his arms, ignoring the excited mass of white fur hopping in front of him. “Bates, you didn’t tell me you were bringing a tree.”
“I suppose I should’ve informed you that I was taking it upon myself to ensure your mother was in a proper holiday mood.” And at least I remembered how much she preferred firs over pines.
Romancing the Holidays: Twelve Christmas Romances - Benefits Breast Cancer Research Page 5
