Winter's Magic (Music City Hearts Series)

by Cynthia Gail

  Stepping off the elevator and into the lobby, she couldn’t wait to tell Nick about her meeting with Mr. Wilkens. He’d been speechless when she’d shown him her thorough documentation.

  Knowing she’d played their game and won was exhilarating. It would be a few weeks before they announced their final evaluation in a formal letter, yet she knew they would see the truth.

  Before she could say anything to the receptionist, Beth saw Lauren Parker storming out of the main corridor. Feigning a smile, ready to say hello, Beth watched her stalk by and step into the second elevator without a glance.

  “May I help you?” The receptionist didn’t seem fazed.

  “Hi, I’m Beth Sergeant. I’m here to see—”

  “Yes, ma’am. Nick’s expecting you. Let me show you to his office.” Beth followed her halfway down the hallway where she could see Nick on the phone, sitting behind a massive mahogany desk.

  “Thank you,” she said, and the receptionist headed back toward the lobby.

  Nick had a scowl on his face as she heard the words, “Call me when you find something out.” When he didn’t lay down the receiver, she watched from a distance as he pressed a series of buttons.

  He finally lifted his gaze and found her standing just outside the doorway. His eyes were wild, and he looked like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar as he slowly laid down the receiver. She didn’t speak, just stared at the smudge of red lipstick at the edge of his mouth.

  He rose before the chair could recede completely and bumped the top of his thighs. Beth covered her mouth, barely holding back the laugh erupting in her chest. Who would believe this was the same unruffled man who had settled her nerves and taken care of the chaos last night?

  Stepping around the desk, he held out his arms and the scowl turned into a hesitant smile. “I’m not exactly smooth today.”

  She didn’t say anything back, just raised an eyebrow, which made him stop short.

  “Are you okay?” His voice was strained.

  Beth opened her purse and pulled out a tissue, then had the satisfaction of watching his eyes grow wide as she wiped the red lipstick from his mouth.

  “The red clashes with your brown tie, don’t you think?”

  Despite the warm, genuine smile she gave him, his face froze with alarm. Then he stepped back and dropped into a large, leather guest chair. “Damn it. It’s not what you think. Let me explain.”

  Her initial desire to hold back a response and let him stew was overtaken by the hollow pleading in his eyes. “I know.” Sitting down on his lap, she took his face in both hands and kissed him.

  When she drew back, he was staring at her. “You believe me?”

  “I saw the frustration on her face when she stalked past reception.” Beth slowly dropped her hands to her lap, following them with her eyes. She knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. Hadn’t given Lauren what she wanted. Yet she couldn’t stop the all-too-familiar insecurities from squeezing her chest.

  “I’d still like to know what happened, though.” She hesitated, not sure how much to say. She wanted to be completely honest.

  Nick touched her chin, bringing her face back up to his and gave her a brief, playful kiss. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

  “I kind of owe you one after last night.”

  “Nick.” She heard the voice just before a blond-haired man stepped into the office. “Oh, excuse me. I didn’t know you were busy.”

  Beth started and tried to get up. Nick had his arms around her waist now and held her in place.

  “Hey, come on in. I want you to meet someone. This is Beth Sergeant. Beth, this is my business partner, Brandon Dorsey.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” they both said at the same time. The surprise on his face was clearly visible as she watched him take in the scene. Given Jenny’s description of Nick’s privacy rules, she’d bet Brandon didn’t find women sitting on Nick’s lap in the middle of his office on a regular basis. The thought brought renewed warmth to her heart and pushed away the images her mind had been trying to create.

  Brandon must have realized he was staring. His attention suddenly moved back to Nick. “I stopped in to tell you I’ll be out this afternoon. I’m going over to Jenny’s to help wrap presents for the children’s clinic.”

  “Have a good time. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Nick said.

  Brandon left and shut the door behind him, leaving an awkward silence in the room. Nick raised a hand and started twirling a wave of her hair around his finger. “Are we okay?” he asked. “I didn’t invite Lauren. I didn’t even know she was back in town.”

  “What did she want?”

  “To see me again.”

  “And?” This was the important part. The part that would tell her the truth about where they stood.

  “I said that I’ve moved on and there isn’t anything to talk about.”

  “And the lipstick?” She felt his body tense beneath her as she said word.

  “She asked me to come over tonight. Then she kissed me.” He had those pleading eyes again. “I swear I didn’t encourage her. I didn’t kiss her back and I have no interest in seeing her.”

  Beth let a long silence pass between them before answering. More for effect than disbelief as she thoughtfully stared at the top button on his shirt.

  When this conversation ended, she never wanted to discuss Lauren again. He said he was moving forward, with her. She had to get past her insecurities if that was going to be possible.

  “So, what are you doing tonight?” She smiled up at him just as he let out a deep breath.

  “I was hoping to spend the evening with you. Need any more help getting ready for tomorrow?”

  Good answer.

  “Can you put pre-cut cookie dough on baking sheets and watch a timer?” she asked. “And you are the expert on Santa hat ornaments.”

  “You’ve got a deal.”

  Nick arrived at the clinic on Friday morning with so much food it took four adults three trips to carry everything in. The party had just started and dozens of children were lined up to see Santa Claus.

  Beth sat in a rocking chair with a little girl, helping her open a new coloring book and jumbo box of crayons. He felt the oddest sensation flow through him as he watched her holding the child. He’d tried hard to find something wrong with her ever since their date Sunday night. Instead of finding faults, though, he kept seeing her kind and loving nature.

  Her reaction to Lauren’s visit to his office was the perfect example. Already stressed out with the bank audit, she could have left his office and refused to listen. But she hadn’t. She’d seen the truth and trusted him.

  When she caught him staring, her radiant smile drew him to where she was sitting.

  “Melissa, can you show Nick what Santa Claus brought you?”

  In two-year-old jabber, little Melissa said, “Color book,” and held it out for him to see.

  “Oh, that’s a pretty color book.” He took a seat next to them.

  Melissa smiled as she scooted off Beth’s lap and came over to his. Nick picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck, then sat on his knee and pointed to Santa Clause, who was still passing out gifts.

  “Sa na cas,” she said.

  “Did you get your picture taken?” he asked.

  “Sa na cas,” she said again and nodded her head.

  Before he had the chance to say anything else, Melissa hopped down and ran toward a woman, whom he assumed was her mother, just a few seats down. He could hear her repeating “Sa na cas” all the way.

  “Let me help you get the food set out so everyone can eat,” Beth said as they rose from their seats.

  She looked so cute wearing a Santa hat and a red, fitted turtleneck with blue jeans and fur-lined boots. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her until Christmas. This probably wasn’t the right place . . .

  “Nick?”

  What had she said? Oh, the food.

  “Good idea.” He laid
his hand across the back of her shoulders and turned toward the tables. “I like the hat,” he whispered and watched her cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink.

  Once the parents and children were eating, Jenny, Beth, and Nick set up tables for the ornament project.

  “There are forty-six kids, so let’s set up these nine tables and put a red felt hat with three large and one small cotton ball at each seat.” Beth emptied craft sacks full of glitter pens, glue, and ribbon. “There are only a few children whose parents couldn’t be here today, so I think we have enough volunteers to make sure each child has an adult to help.”

  “What time did you say the choir would be here?” Nick asked.

  “Any minute,” Jenny said. “They won’t take long setting up and can play while we work on the crafts. We should finish before they do, and then we’ll let the kids sing a few carols with them.”

  “What about the children that couldn’t leave their rooms to come to the party?” he asked.

  “Beth and I made arrangements to have Santa Claus visit them individually and drop off presents later this afternoon.”

  “Let me know how many there are and I’ll wrap up cookies to be dropped off, too.”

  “That would be great, Nick. I’m glad you came today and thanks for all the help last night.”

  “I enjoyed it.” He paused. “You know, it’s weird. You’ve been working with us for about four years now, and I just realized last night how little I know about you. Brandon talks about you all the time.”

  “He does?” She seemed shocked.

  “I assure you, he always has glowing compliments.” He laughed. “I guess I’m just too busy and only half-listening most of the time. I know you two have everything under control. Business is growing, so you must be doing something right.”

  “Of course. Your success is all because of our amazing advertising campaigns.”

  Beth’s hat caught his eye from across the room where she talked to a young father. An unsettling knot clenched in his stomach as he watched the man touch her shoulder when he spoke.

  “Nick? Is everything all right?” Jenny asked.

  He checked himself, replacing the glare he felt with what he hoped passed for a smile. Typically, he was unreadable. Though, he’d started noticing that anytime Beth was involved, he seemed to have less control over his expressions.

  “Perfect. Everything is great.” He left the table they had just finished setting and headed toward Beth with a determined stride.

  Just as she finished a conversation with one of the parents, Beth felt Nick’s arm slide loosely around the back of her shoulders.

  “Are the crafts ready?” she asked.

  “Jenny has everything under control.”

  “Good.” She pointed to the gentleman. “This is Brian, Melissa’s father. They found out this morning her leukemia is in complete remission.”

  “That’s wonderful news. I can’t imagine a better Christmas present.” Nick reached out and shook the man’s hand.

  “I was just telling Beth how much this party and the weekly visits mean to the children.” Brian paused to clear his throat, then turned his attention back to Beth. “Thank you.”

  As Brian stepped away and headed toward his wife and daughter, Jenny’s voice came over the speaker. “If everyone is finished eating, please join us at the tables to make ornaments. I think Saint Mary’s Children’s Choir is ready to sing for us.”

  “I forgot to tell you Mr. Wilkens called this morning.” Beth watched the children and parents gathering on the far side of the room.

  “He did?”

  “He apologized at least four times and said the investigation has been dropped. He even thanked me for the documentation and wished me a Merry Christmas.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Can you believe? He’s already faxed me an official closure letter.”

  “It probably didn’t take their accounting department very long to see your paperwork was in order. I’m glad it’s over.”

  “Me, too.” Beth slid her hand around Nick’s waist as he drew her closer to him. His hand slid up and down her back in a gentle caress as they listened to the soft chattering at the tables mingled with the beautiful sounds of the children’s choir. She felt a sudden stinging in her eyes as they sang through the first verse of “Silent Night.”

  “Beth?” Nick asked.

  She nodded, unable to speak. Swallowing hard, she tried to will the flush from her cheeks and touched the corner of one eye to make sure it hadn’t spilled over, just as the first tear did.

  “I’ll be right back.” Beth patted his waist before leaving and deliberately controlled her steps as she strode down the hallway leading to the restrooms. Once inside, she went straight to the paper towels.

  Carefully dabbing the corners of her eyes, she tried to remove all evidence of tears. More fell, but she contained the onslaught that had threatened to release and waved the cloth in front of her face to cool off. What had come over her? These feelings hadn’t surfaced in over a year. She thought she’d buried them too deep to ever show again.

  She’d been twenty-seven when her doctor called and said her annual physical had shown abnormalities. Further testing revealed cervical cancer. Relief from early detection and a quick recovery from a hysterectomy had outweighed the repercussions. And she thought she’d moved on.

  Yet, watching the children take their turns on Santa’s lap and open their presents with such excitement and delight on their little faces had ignited a yearning deep inside. She’d tried to squash the feelings. She didn’t need all of these emotions swimming in her head. Then Nick had arrived and she’d watched the tenderness pour out as he held Melissa in his arms.

  Suddenly, she realized she had a bigger problem than a few tears. At what point in a relationship do you tell someone you can’t have children? Date Number One didn’t seem right. Thank you for dinner, I had a great time. By the way, I’m barren. However, waiting for the engagement ring seemed too far down the road. Yes, I’ll marry you. But I hope I’m enough. As if she didn’t already have a dozen reasons to worry about being enough.

  Nick went to work Saturday morning with the same lack of focus he had the week before. This time, it wasn’t due to anticipation of his date with Beth. Not completely. He couldn’t get the look on her face out of his mind.

  She was wonderful with the kids. They loved her. And her smile grew brighter every time one of them came running to her just to show off a new toy. His initial flare of possessiveness had been replaced by an immense feeling of pride once he’d met Brian and several other parents who conveyed their gratitude for the party and everything Jenny and Beth do for the children every week.

  The thought was irrational, but through all of the excitement and joy, he’d also sensed a sadness come over her as the choir began their first song. As they’d lingered on the sideline watching, her expression had been a combination of affection and pain. Before she’d stepped from the room, he’d even caught a glimpse of a tear running down her cheek. Yet, when she returned from the restroom, her composure was back in place.

  It had taken him half the night to figure out what was wrong. Then he’d felt foolish for not understanding sooner. At twenty-nine years old, she probably wanted marriage and a family of her own. That biological clock thing started ringing louder the closer women came to thirty, didn’t it? He wondered how many children she wanted.

  Nick settled back in his office chair and felt his smile spread wider. Marriage. Wow! Talk about a punch in the gut. Up to this point, he’d never thought about tying the knot. Of course, he’d never let himself date anyone he would want to get that close to. Exactly why women like Lauren were perfect. Pretty on his arm, while never a temptation to have feelings of attachment. Low risk.

  But with Beth, he couldn’t help it. She brought out a side of him that had been buried for a long time. Life had become so serious he’d forgotten how to have fun. To laugh. To give whole-heartedly. To even relax.<
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  That carefree spirit he’d seen the first day they met as she savored a piece of chocolate and joked about her dating life. She didn’t pretend. She didn’t want anything from him. She had no agenda. She was just . . . Beth.

  And one week with Beth felt like a lifetime of renewal. It was unbelievable how everything he did now seemed different. He had more energy, more excitement about life. He couldn’t wait to leave work today and see her. They were planning to take a horseback ride in the snow she’d mentioned Sunday night.

  If he could just focus on work for one hour.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind me being out this afternoon?” Beth asked Gina as she rushed through a stack of backed up paperwork at the front desk. “I feel like I’ve been gone half the week already.”

  “We’re fine. And Anita enjoys having the extra hours. Three kids make an expensive Christmas list.” Gina smiled and gave her a quick wink. “Have fun and tell Nick we all said hello.”

  “All?” Beth closed her gaping mouth. She hadn’t thought about office talk. Of course, she hadn’t dated anyone they knew of since opening the salon. They obviously liked Nick though, which loosened the knot that had started to form in her stomach.

  “Of course. You don’t think you’re the exception to the gossip mill around here, do you?”

  “How many of you have met him?” Beth could tell from the look on Gina’s face the woman had second-guessed her comment and wasn’t sure how to proceed. “It’s okay, Gina. You just caught me off guard.” Beth laughed and then leaned toward her with a conspiring grin. “But now you have to tell me what everyone is saying.”

  “Really? You’re not mad?” Gina visibly relaxed.

  “Not as long as you share.” She couldn’t wait to hear what the staff had to say.

  “Well, Nancy and Amy were up here when he brought your flowers in last Saturday. They were dreamy-eyed for the rest of the day. Then Shelly saw him heading toward your office on Wednesday. You should have seen the concern on his face when he came in and hadn’t been able to get a hold of you. And when he told me to lock up later that evening . . . Man, you should have seen him. All protective and guarded, but soft and tender, too.”