Blush Duo - Marriage Under the Mistletoe & The Christmas Inn

by Helen Lacey

  “I’m not convinced.” He slid his arms around her, his mouth searching for hers. Unable to resist him, she leaned into his embrace, touching his chin, angling her fingers into the open neck of his shirt. His lips moved along her cheek, close to her ear. “But right now, we have a more urgent matter to attend to.”

  Oh, God. Was she about to get her wish? Were they headed back to her tiny room? “And that would be?”

  “Want to play a duet?”

  Why did she always have to be wrong? And when would she get her wish? “What did you have in mind?”

  “How about ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’?”

  “You got it,” she said, her gaze going to the windows and the snow outside.

  “No kidding! Okay. Follow my lead,” he whispered, placing his hands carefully on the keys as his gaze held hers.

  She followed his notes with tinkling high notes on her end of the keyboard, harmonizing with him, as they sang the song’s verses together.

  Caught up in the moment, Marnie’s spirits soared with each note. She’d never done this before with a man. Piano had been her mother’s idea, and she’d gone along with it to make her mom happy. But now, she wished she could go on making music with Luke forever. As the last notes rose then faded, she met his gaze and saw the raw need in his eyes.

  “That was awesome,” he said. Without touching her, he kissed her lightly, the tension in his body matching hers, and then pulled her into his embrace. Her head was spinning with the sensation of being held so tenderly. With his arms encircling her, he whispered. “We have an audience.”

  She pulled away. “There goes your story about me being your assistant.”

  He held her fast. “Maybe we can drop the story and go for the real thing.”

  “Meaning?” She held her breath.

  “Marnie, I’m feeling so different. As if suddenly my whole life has changed, and you’re the reason. Why don’t we go somewhere private? No one will miss us.”

  His breath on her neck was hot, demanding. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’ve worked my butt off the last couple of days. I can disappear for a few hours and no one will blame me for taking a little time for myself.”

  She wanted him to make love to her. But she didn’t want a casual fling. Yet, here he was waiting for her to say yes to his offer....

  “Why are you hesitating?” he asked.

  “Because I don’t want… I need to believe we have something—”

  “I can’t promise you that everything will work out between us, but I want it to.” He sighed. “You mean a lot to me. I’m happy when you’re around.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “You… We deserve the chance to know if what we’re feeling for each other is real. I’ve seen those feelings in your eyes, and I feel the same way.”

  “But I’m a born loser when it comes to love.”

  “You’re hung up on ideas about yourself that aren’t true. I understand how your track record when it comes to relationships could make you shy away from anything new. But if you never give it a try, you could miss out on something incredible.”

  “And what if we start a relationship, and Ethan gets attached to me, and then something happens between us? He doesn’t deserve to be hurt again.”

  “Ethan has a whole group of people here who love him, and look out for him. They’ll be there for him no matter what happens.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Are you looking for excuses?” he asked, exasperated.

  “I…I don’t know.”

  He held her shoulders in his powerful hands and looked her straight in the eye. “I’m not worried about you and me. In my opinion we’re meant to be.”

  She shook her head, focusing on anything but his face.

  He touched her chin, raising her eyes to his. “Are you willing to give up on us so easily?”

  The hurt in his eyes tore through her with the force of a hurricane. This very kind, gorgeous, sexy man was offering her the chance to share his love, and he had a son she adored.

  Go ahead, do your usual thing. Make a joke. It’s how you usually get out of an emotional situation.

  “Stay right here. I have to go make a phone call. I’m sorry, but it can’t wait. “

  He stared at her, not moving, not saying a word, then grasped her head with both his hands and kissed her hard this time, before pulling away. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Marnie got up, and fumbled her way out of the dining room, past several guests who smiled at her. She ignored them. She couldn’t seem to clear her thoughts, her pulse pounded in her head. All she wanted was to get up to her room before she embarrassed herself by crying. She’d waited so long for a chance with a guy like Luke. A guy who made her feel valued…cherished…special. But most of all, he offered her what she’d missed out on all these years—the opportunity to have a real relationship.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  SHE’D NEVER DEFIED HER MOTHER, not openly at least. What a sad thing to have to admit at the age of thirty-five. But that had been her life…so far. She’d always complained about her family running her life, her brothers’ interference, but Luke had made her realize that she had allowed her family to control her life.

  She was aware that her family was especially protective of her, all because they were concerned about her health, but their concern after her accident had become a habit of constantly weighing in on her life and how she lived it. Still, she hadn’t fought back or stood up for herself—until she’d decided to sell her salon.

  It was time to call her mother.

  When Eleanor McLaughlan answered, there was impatience in her voice. “Honey, you haven’t called me all week, and I was worried. Scott said you were coming home today, and I’ve been waiting. Have you forgotten what day this is?”

  “Christmas Eve.”

  “Where are you? Your brothers and their families are due here later this afternoon. I need you. I have your Mrs. Claus outfit all ready. We agreed—”

  “We didn’t agree, Mom. You just assumed I’d show up.”

  There was a moment of silence in which Marnie suddenly wished she could simply pack up and go home, erase the flat line of her mother’s lips and once again be the person in the family whom everyone could always rely on.

  “Well, yes, of course your father and I have expectations of you, and your brothers do, too. You’re part of this family, and part of our Christmas tradition. Have you forgotten we’ve got everyone coming over after church tonight, and you’re the one who leads the Christmas singing?”

  “No, of course I didn’t.”

  “Then, tell me what’s going on with you. Why did you leave home without saying anything to your father and me? How am I supposed to host our Christmas party without you? And what’s this about you selling your business?”

  Guilt made her stomach pain and her head throb. She’d let her mother down by not doing what was expected of her. How easy, how completely automatic, it would be to utter the words that would appease her mother—to go home to her old bedroom at her parents’ house over Christmas, and get the requisite cashmere sweater and Guess bag.

  How easy and how awful.

  And it would continue to be that way for as long as she allowed it. If she didn’t take control of her own life, she’d soon be booking a room at her parents’ seniors residence so she could continue her daughterly duties. Visions of her and her parents playi
ng cribbage or bridge or some other game popular with the retired set popped into her mind.

  She might not be an athlete, and she hadn’t graduated from college, but she shouldn’t have to do her family’s bidding. She was a successful businesswoman who had earned the right to make her own decisions. “Mom, I won’t be home for Christmas,” she said.

  “You what!” Her mother’s voice held a mixture of anger and disbelief.

  “I’ve been away trying to figure out what I want to do with my life now that I’ve sold my business. And I think… No, I’ve found what I want to do.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” her mother said, indignantly. “Why don’t you wait and discuss it with the family when you get here?”

  “Mom, what I do with my life has to be my decision.”

  “Why are you acting so…so unlike yourself, honey? Why didn’t you postpone your decision to sell your business until we had a chance to talk it over with you?” she asked, her voice taking on that familiar tone suggesting that once again Marnie hadn’t quite reached the goal set for her.

  “I’ve met someone.” Marnie swallowed against the flood of feelings engulfing her. She wished Luke was beside her, to offer support. But Luke didn’t know she loved him.

  She closed her eyes, letting her feelings for Luke wash over her, a smile forming on her lips. “I’m in love for the first time in my life. Genuinely, truly in love with a man who has a little boy.”

  Eleanor gasped. Marnie could picture her fingers flying to her throat, clutching her single strand of Mikimoto pearls, her look of shock as she peered over her half-glasses at Dad. “But, Marnie, how could this happen so fast? How do you know him? Where does he live? What does he do for a living?”

  “Mom, slow down. His name is Luke, and he’s—”

  “Why not bring him here for Christmas? The family needs to meet him.”

  “He can’t come, because he runs an inn, and he has to be here for Christmas. And I want to be here with him and his son, whose name is Ethan. I’ve been staying at his inn, and there was a snowstorm, and I helped him out. His best friend and his wife had a baby during the storm.”

  “What an emotional time for you, honey, but maybe that’s all this is. Simply an emotional reaction to the circumstances?” she asked, her voice warm and soothing, the implication clear. The only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlan could not possibly be right about something they had no input on.

  Her fingers tightened around the phone. “No, Mom. It’s not like that at all. I love him. Please understand. I’ve never felt like this.”

  “Marnie, you know your father and I worry about you, and want you to be happy, but are you certain about this? I mean it’s so fast. You’re often so quick in your decision making, and sometimes it’s had a negative influence on your life.”

  She wished her mother could behave differently toward her, just this once. She knew it wasn’t going to happen, and it made her very sad. She closed her eyes, steeling herself against her mother’s disappointment. “Mom, I won’t be there until probably the day after Christmas. I’ll call you.”

  “By all means,” her mother said, her words stiff.

  Marnie got off the phone, awash in sadness. Why did every important conversation with her mother leave her feeling inadequate? Why couldn’t her mother try to be happy for her?

  Her cell phone danced in her hands causing Marnie’s heart to pound. This call was bound to be from her father, her mother’s trump card when it came to getting Marnie to do her bidding.

  Instead, it was Scott. It had been a long time since she’d welcomed a call from him. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Marnie, I’ve got good news,” Scott said.

  “Good news for you or for me?”

  “For you. Advantage Corporation has decided not to go through with the survey after all.”

  “Well, I have news for you, too. I decided not to turn in the results.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Because it felt too much like spying on someone I care about. I couldn’t do it. I was going to tell you today.”

  “That’s it? So, you’ve been sitting up there surrounded by luxury, enjoying a great vacation? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “It’s a long story. Mom can fill you in on the details.”

  “You’ve been holding out on me, haven’t you?”

  “It doesn’t really matter. I won’t be home today.”

  “Do Mom and Dad know?” Scott sounded shocked.

  “Yes. I just got off the phone with Mom.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Oh, you know. The usual stuff.”

  “Well, I guess there isn’t much more for me to say. One great thing came out of all this, though. Advantage wants me to make a proposal for their next major ad campaign.”

  “Did they say any more about their plans for the Mirabel?” she asked.

  “They’re on their way there now.”

  “On Christmas Eve? You’ve got to be kidding. Who does business on Christmas Eve?”

  “Welcome to a new world of decision making, my dear sister.”

  “Does Luke know?”

  “The manager? I assume so.”

  Why hadn’t Luke said anything? What if he didn’t know? “I’ve got to go.”

  “Wait! When will you be back in town?”

  She couldn’t think about that now. She needed to get to Luke. “Soon, I hope. Talk to you later.”

  “Merry Christmas, Marnie.”

  “Yeah, you, too,” she said. It might not be a merry season for Luke, and she had to find him. “I’ve got to go.”

  * * *

  LUKE HAD TRIED TO WORK on his cost projections for next year, but his mind wouldn’t cooperate. All he could think about was Marnie, why she’d rushed off and hadn’t returned. He was pacing and worrying about her when the office phone rang. Relieved to have a distraction, he answered.

  “It’s Angus McAndrew here. I need to speak with Luke Harrison.”

  Oh…no. “Speaking.”

  “We’ve been going over the financial reports you sent us, and we’d like to meet with you. I realize it’s the holiday season and all, but this can’t wait. We have a board of directors meeting the first week of January.”

  Luke’s stomach tightened in anticipation of the board’s decision. “When would you like to meet?”

  “We’re on our way up from Boston now, and we should be there in a couple of hours. I have my accountants and acquisitions people with me.”

  “Are you planning to put the inn up for sale?”

  “Yes, that will be part of the discussion.”

  Anger toward this man who could be so uncaring not to see what he was doing to Luke’s life, not to mention the lives of all his staff, wiped all other thoughts from his mind. If there was even the slightest chance that he could convince McAndrew to let him make a counter offer, he’d do it. But he needed money to make a bid for the inn, and that meant finding a backer. “I’ll be here,” he said.

  The conversation ended with the usual pleasantries, and he couldn’t wait to get off the phone. He twirled his steel pen in his fingers. He’d try his father first. He might know someone interested in financing the purchase.

  His father’s cell phone went immediately to voice mail, and he left a message. As he hung up, someone knocked on the door. He rose to answer it. Marnie stood there, her eyes wide. “Oh, Luke, something’s happened,” she said, a frown drawing h
er eyebrows together. She slid into his arms, hugging him close. Love swelled through his chest: love and need and want and all the emotions he’d ever felt for a woman, as he enfolded her in his arms.

  “I just got off the phone with Scott. The people from Advantage Corporation are on their way here.”

  “I know. They called here a few minutes ago.” He continued to hold her close, to soak in the feeling of her in his arms, a wave of yearning sweeping through him.

  She rubbed his back as she nestled her body against his. “What did they say?”

  “They’re coming to talk about the inn, about selling it.”

  “No. Does that mean you still have a job?”

  He tightened his arms around her, seeking reassurance. “I assume so, but it will ultimately be up to the purchaser, and they may bring in their own manager. Or Advantage might offer me a job at another one of their hotels.”

  “Where would that be? I mean, would you have a chance at a job somewhere else around here?”

  “They have a group of boutique hotels spread out all over the world. It could be anywhere they have a position they think I could fill,” he said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

  She gazed up at him, her eyes searching his. “Would you move?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t leave here. My life is here. Ethan loves it here, and these people are my family.” He had no other family, none he could count on, at any rate.

  “Maybe they’ll decide not to move you until they have a buyer.”

  “That’s possible.”

  “Is there another option? Anything else we might be able to do?”

  He eased out of her arms, aware of the anxiety in her eyes, and wished he had another choice. “Unless you have a couple million or so dollars hidden away somewhere, there’s not much we can do. The owners will be here soon. They’ll look over the facility, probably offer me a position elsewhere, then leave and go home to their families for Christmas.”