by Marta Perry
Her dark curls brushed against her shoulders as she rapidly shook her head in disbelief. “You’re the director of the Community Renewal Program?”
“That’s what’s on my nameplate,” Jordan joked, trying to lighten the tension that stretched between them. He gestured to the chair across from his desk. “I take it you’re my new assistant. Have a seat.” He fought the urge to rake his hand through his dark hair, a nervous habit he refused to show.
Allie hesitated, then nodded. “Thank you.” She settled into the chair and smoothed her skirt over her legs. But her shocked expression betrayed her prim posture.
He could relate. His own smile felt plastered with surprise. Jordan eased back into his own seat, trying not to stare. Time had done little to change Allie’s beauty. In fact, it might have even enhanced it. He steepled his fingers on his desk. “So, Allie…” Her name felt foreign on his lips, and he cleared his throat. “How’ve you been?”
“Good.” She fiddled with a piece of lint from her skirt.
Jordan sat back in his chair and tried to look casual, hoping Allie would follow his lead and relax. Her back was held so straight and rigid that she had to be getting a cramp by now. “It’s been…years.”
“Ten, to be exact.” She looked up, her eyes holding a pointed challenge.
Jordan nearly smiled at the hint of her old spark. No matter the subtle barb was pointed straight at him. He neatly dodged it. “Right. So, where’d you end up after graduation? The community college?” He might be hitting too close to their infamous moment in history, but if she was going to be his new secretary, he needed to know her background.
Or at least that was his excuse.
Allie drew a deep breath. “Actually, I went to the University of Kansas and majored in business.”
She’d left town for school. The realization slapped Jordan across the face. The argument that precipitated their breakup that fateful night had been based on how they wanted different things—he’d wanted to go to university, as his parents wanted, and Allie had wanted to go to the local community college and then work for her family’s Christmas-tree farm. They’d been two different people on two very different paths. Jordan quickly brushed aside the negativity toward his family. Everything had worked out for the best.
“I spent the last three years working for an independent bookstore in Kansas City that recently went under.” Allie leaned forward in her chair. “I have plans of opening my own bookstore and coffee shop soon. So it seemed a temporary job here was ideal.” She hesitated. “It is temporary, right?”
“Yes, it is. I just need someone through the holidays.” Jordan nodded slowly in an attempt to hide his surprise. Who would have guessed small-town Allie James would have been living life in a big city all these years? Last he’d heard, she’d planned on staying in Ginger Falls forever—only one of the obstacles in their past relationship, though perhaps the biggest. What would have happened if, at eighteen years old, he’d chosen Allie over his planned future? What irony. He’d gone away to fulfill his parents’ dreams and left his own at the town gazebo that chilly Christmas Eve night.
Allie stared at him, and Jordan realized with a start he’d been quiet much longer than he’d realized. He quickly tried to recollect his train of thought. “It sounds like you’ll be a great asset to my vision for Ginger Falls. The agency made a good choice.” Jordan waited a beat and then lowered his voice. “But, Allie, if this is too weird, I understand. I don’t want things to be awkward between us.”
He held his breath, waiting for a sign, anything to indicate her interest. Somehow, he needed her to take this position, and that need stemmed from something more than a desperate requirement of a competent secretary.
But for now he refused to acknowledge what it was.
Chapter Two
He’d grown at least two inches since senior year. Allie clenched her purse in her lap and tried not to stare at the dusky shadow covering Jordan’s chiseled jaw and the way his dark hair waved to perfection over his forehead as he waited for her response. Attractive or not, this was Jordan Walker—the man who broke her heart as a freshman in college and ruined Christmas for her.
But she desperately needed this job. And the agency probably wouldn’t be nearly as understanding as Jordan seemed to be if she refused the position. It was a guaranteed paycheck—if she could just focus on the present and ignore the painful memories of the past. She finally nodded. “It’s fine, Jordan. Things won’t be too weird at all.”
Unable to mask the relieved sigh that floated from his lips, Jordan said, “Great. You won’t regret this, Allie.” His gaze met and held with hers, and she drew a shaky breath before looking away, out the window.
“I’m not sure how much the agency told you, but I need someone in the office and out in the field with me five days a week, regular hours. You’d be doing secretarial work—filing, organizing, things like that—when we’re not planning various events.”
Her eyes darted back to his. “Out in the field?”
“Out there.” He pointed to the window. “Your job will be helping me coordinate and carry out events that will bring revenue back into Ginger Falls—starting with the Gingerbread Festival the week of Christmas.”
“I thought they hadn’t done that festival in years.” Not since she’d graduated from college. Memories of brightly lit store windows danced before her eyes like sugarplums. The festival used to be the talk of the town, the one event everyone looked forward to all year.
“All the more reason to bring it back. Restoring Ginger Falls has become my mission.” Jordan stood and walked to the window, one hand resting against the glass pane as he stared out at Main Street. “Weeks ago, I proposed this restoration plan to the city council. The mayor and council approved a small stipend to help me get things going, but I’m also donating some of my own money. I see it as a temporary investment for a good cause.”
“This town definitely needs some help.” She couldn’t argue with that. “But what if you invest money into trying to get Ginger Falls back on the map and you fail?”
“Then I move on and try something else.” Jordan shrugged as he turned to face her. “That’s what business is about—risk. I wouldn’t have been successful with my architectural design company if I hadn’t gone out on a limb now and then.” He grinned, and Allie’s heart thudded like she was seventeen all over again. “And trust me, a few of those limbs were quite wobbly.”
“I see.” But she didn’t, not really. It was a worthy cause to restore Ginger Falls, but why did Jordan care so much?
The phone on the desk rang, and Jordan held up one finger. “I’m sorry. Excuse me just a moment.” He answered, then he spoke in hushed tones.
Allie watched the broad lines of his back as he angled toward the wall. It was so strange to see the boy she’d once loved now a man—her boss, at that. Could she really work for someone who once shattered her heart? Someone who’d almost ruined her favorite holiday?
Jordan’s cell buzzed on his hip, and still on the landline, he reached to check the caller ID. His elbow knocked a pile of papers off his desk in the process, and they fluttered onto the floor.
Instinctively, Allie jumped up and started gathering the papers. Jordan’s lack of organization apparently hadn’t changed. He really did seem to need help. Her resolve strengthened. Somehow, seeing his vulnerable side made things a little easier. She returned the papers to Jordan’s desk as he hung up the phone.
“Thanks. Sorry about that.” He exhaled. “It’s been crazy lately, but that’s good, right? It means things are happening.” Jordan smiled, and her stomach flipped like a pancake. He held out his hand. “Welcome aboard, Allie.”
She stared at Jordan’s outstretched hand beneath the long sleeve of his charcoal suit coat. The color darkened his eyes, and they seemed to flicker with something much more dangerous than her current state of unemployment.
She brushed the hair out of her eyes, stalling for time. What had Jordan said a
bout risk? She forced her hand in his and shook it firmly before she could change her mind. “Thanks, Boss.”
Jordan struggled to identify the feelings in his gut as Allie hurried out of his office. There was relief that he had a new assistant, regret over the way things had ended with him and Allie so many years ago and a nervous flutter that made him think things weren’t quite as over as he’d thought. Time had seemed to stand still when she walked in the room, parading a line of memories through his mind as if they were both back in high school, cheering from the stands at the football game. Sharing French fries at the local diner. Arguing over which movie to rent on Saturday night.
He sighed as he made another attempt to straighten the chaos on his desk. At least she’d agreed to take the job. Maybe that was a good sign that they could try to be friends again. They agreed to start fresh the next morning, allowing Allie time to settle in at her parents’ house before diving into work.
It wasn’t easy getting started in the world. Jordan knew he’d been fortunate—no, blessed—to have come as far as he had. He’d gone from a college graduate with nothing more than dreams and a laptop to a successful businessman with a large warehouse in California, stores all over the West Coast and an Internet business that practically ran itself. Who knew his architectural degree would have led him into the world of home design? A degree he now hoped would help him bring Ginger Falls—financially and physically—back to life.
Though he’d never have guessed it would have cost him his first love.
Jordan slumped in his desk chair and buried his face in his hands. Somewhere along the way, his family’s dreams had become his own, yet none of them—his parents, or grandparents—were around to see his success. His grandparents had passed away years ago, and his parents had divorced and relocated to other states. Somehow, Jordan had to leave a legacy in Ginger Falls—to make his past worth the effort.
To make it worth losing Allie.
The gazebo drew Allie like a kid to a cookie jar—even though she knew the punishment to come. She parked at an empty meter and slid out of her car. The white structure rose above her in the center of town square, a notorious reminder of crushed dreams.
She stood on the first step, noted the broken board on the second and ran one gloved hand over the stained, chipped column. In her mind’s eye, however, the gazebo remained pristine and fresh, the way it had looked ten years ago when she’d eagerly come to meet Jordan. It was the first time they’d be together in person since parting ways for college, and Allie knew it would be the moment Jordan finally professed his love. They’d dated exclusively but never spoken the big L-word. She’d hoped it’d be his Christmas gift to her. After he left town for college, she’d been concerned about their relationship. Jordan had grown distant, and she’d prayed it was just because of his busy new schedule. She couldn’t ever quite decipher his sudden lack of attention.
But he’d made it all too clear Christmas Eve night.
Allie’s gaze drifted to the broken bench. She’d thought she and Jordan would snuggle together that cold evening and whisper promises of love. She’d arrived early, taking the bus so she could ride with Jordan to get dinner later, and waited with all the anticipation the holiday could offer. But Jordan had showed up moody, having argued with his parents, and told Allie he couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. He was tired of his family hounding him, tired of being unable to keep everyone in his life happy. Something had to give.
And that something had been Allie.
He’d offered to take her home, but she’d ran off, tears blinding her eyes, preferring to freeze than ride in his truck one last time. She’d called her father, and her dad had taken one look at Allie’s chattering teeth and icy tears and turned the heater on full blast. Then he’d said, “You can let a boy ruin your favorite holiday, or you can be in charge of making your own happy memories.”
Those were the only words he’d spoken the entire drive home, and she’d never forgotten them since. With her favorite holiday CD blasting from her stereo, she’d thrown out every memento of her and Jordan and declared herself officially over him. Yet every time she heard “Jingle Bells” or saw a brightly lit tree stuffed full of shiny ornaments, memories of his rejection threatened to overwhelm her Christmas spirit.
“Ten years ago,” Allie whispered as she stared at the gazebo, halfway wishing her anger would melt the snow covering the crumbling bench. But it didn’t matter. It was ancient history. Now she was Jordan’s employee, but if she didn’t guard her heart, history would very likely repeat itself.
She turned and walked to her car. She’d learned from her mistakes and realized putting all her hopes in Jordan Walker was without a doubt the biggest mistake of her life. She might have to work with him for a few weeks, but she didn’t have to love him again—or even like him, for that matter. She’d do this job for the money, as she would for any other employer, then hightail it back to Kansas City as fast as she could.
Leaving history safely tucked away in the past.
Chapter Three
The stacks from yesterday had doubled. Allie winced as she cast a glance over the piles of papers and folders on Jordan’s desk. Where had it all come from? She dropped her jacket and purse on the chair—the only clean surface available—and hesitated. “Jordan?”
Or should she call him Mr. Walker? He was, after all, her new boss. Allie wrinkled her nose. Professionalism or not, it would be impossible to address by last name the man she’d once kissed. “Jordan, are you here?”
The closet door, partially open, cracked farther, and Jordan stepped into the room. His dark suit jacket hung open over a stiff dress shirt and black slacks. Allie looked down at her jeans and pullover green sweater. She’d forgotten to ask about a dress code and instead, had dressed to work, to move boxes and files.
He shut the closet door. “Hey, there. I was just starting to file.”
“You mean there was more than this a few minutes ago?” She gestured toward the desk with amazement.
Jordan grinned. “Actually, I meant I was starting the process of locating the filing cabinet.”
Allie pointedly checked her watch. “You do realize our workday is only eight hours?” Her stomach quivered at the thought of working beside Jordan all day long—for the next several weeks. She tried to cling to her earlier resolve.
“Yes. And now you realize why I’m paying so much.” There was that infamous smile again, dimpling his left cheek and turning down slightly on the right side.
Allie quickly averted her stare. Stay away from the dimples. She drew a deep breath and pretended to search through her purse for a pen. God, my memories of Jordan and how things ended between us was hard enough. Being in the same room together now is too much. Could You drop a few thousand dollars from the sky this time to pay my bills instead?
She glanced over her shoulder, and Jordan held up a pen. “Looking for one of these?”
Or better yet, could You just take those dimples away altogether?
Allie accepted the pen and steeled herself. “Thanks.” Maybe helping Jordan meet his goals for Ginger Falls would alleviate the gnawing ache in her stomach that reminded her of her own failures—and distract from the high school girl inside of her that wanted to jump back into Jordan’s arms as if nothing had ever changed.
She settled into the chair by the desk and reached for the first towering stack, determined to stay busy and keep thoughts of kissing—and dimples—at bay. “What is all this, anyway?”
“I created profiles on all the local businesses and the available properties for sale or rent.” Jordan pointed to the scanner/fax machine in the corner of the office. “The merchants filled out the profiles for me, but I need to get them into the computer.”
Allie flipped through the pages. “Great. I’ll just finish organizing this system you’ve got going so far and get started typing.”
Jordan hesitated, and Allie couldn’t help but giggle. “You don’t have a system, do you?”
/> “I told you, I just realized the filing cabinet was in the closet.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. “I haven’t been set up in here for very long.”
Allie uncapped the pen, fighting the smile that hovered beneath the surface of her lips. Some things never changed. “Then you might want to consider ordering in lunch.”
Jordan tossed his empty sandwich container into the trash. He’d managed to wolf the ham and cheese down in between various phone calls, but Allie’s half-eaten lunch still sat beside her on the desk—which she had completely cleared in the four hours since she’d started work. Every few minutes, she’d reach over and absently take a bite of pickle from her plate and rub her fingers over her jeans then go back to the list she was making.
He suddenly felt useless in his own office. No doubt if Allie got the loan she sought in Kansas City, she’d be able to create a successful business of her own. She’d already worked wonders here.
Yet dismay tainted Jordan’s joy of being able to once again see his desk. If Allie was this efficient, she’d be out of a job by the time Christmas rolled around, which was probably exactly what she wanted. She’d made it clear during the interview that this job was temporary for her as well, and she had every intention of moving back to Kansas City. What happened to make her so eager to leave the city she once swore she never would? He’d be arrogant to assume their breakup had given her that kind of motivation. Something else had to have happened. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He realized breaking up with her had cost him not only love but his best friend.
He watched as Allie took a long drink from her soda. That night at the gazebo had been the worst fight they’d ever had. He hadn’t intended to actually break up, but Allie’s lack of understanding about his family’s pressure on him had pushed him over the edge. She’d left the gazebo first, practically shoving him down the stairs in her rush to get away. He’d hurried to follow her, but she’d blazed a trail through the snow toward the highway. No way was he letting her walk miles to her house—but when her father’s car pulled over on the side of the street, Jordan knew he’d lost any chance of convincing her he still loved her.
