A Temporary Christmas Arrangement

by Christine Rimmer

  “I’m not. I’m only trying to clear the air, you know? And what I’m getting at is that it’s still about consent. If we ended up in bed together, it wouldn’t be harassment because I can promise you, I would not go to bed with you unless I wanted to be there. Are we perfectly clear?”

  “We are, yes. So very painfully clear.” He looked more than a little uneasy. The muscles in his arm flexed beneath his snug sweater as he rubbed the back of his neck. “So what, exactly, is happening here?”

  Was she giving him a headache?

  Probably.

  But she’d come this far. Might as well drill her point home. “We are coming to an understanding on the harassment question—meaning that there isn’t any in our situation. And now that we’ve got that settled, we are tabling this discussion.”

  He seemed more confused than ever—and a little unsure as to whether he should allow himself to look directly at her. “Harper, I’m not completely clear as to what you’re telling me. Are you still the nanny?”

  “Do you want me to still be the nanny?”

  “God, yes.”

  “And I need the money. So okay, then. I didn’t really quit, and you don’t want me to quit.”

  He shook his head and then he nodded. “Works for me.”

  “And I’ve made you uncomfortable, haven’t I?”

  “Yeah, kind of. But I’ll get over it.” He arched a sable eyebrow. “Champagne?”

  She longed to say yes. But she’d made too big a deal about the harassment thing and now it was awkward between them. She needed to keep her feet on the ground here, to remember that, while she might feel sometimes that they were close and growing closer, they weren’t.

  They had a very temporary and practical arrangement. She needed to remember that she really didn’t know him. He’d been engaged way too recently and acting on her attraction to him was a bad idea. When the holiday season was over, they would be headed in different directions.

  “So, then.” He was watching her, more wary than ever. “That’s a no on the champagne?”

  “Yeah, I think I’d better pass—and tomorrow’s Saturday. I thought I would go with our original plan and take weekends off?”

  “Of course.” Did he look surprised? Upset?

  Why wouldn’t he be—on both counts? She’d handled this whole conversation with all the finesse of a toddler about to throw a tantrum. Probably by now he just wished she would shut up and leave. “I can get a lot done at the theater if I can work straight through a couple of days in a row.”

  “I understand. No problem.”

  “Well, okay then. See you Monday, around one?” She stared at him, waiting for... What?

  There was nothing else to say.

  With a plastered-on smile and a quick nod, she turned for the arch that led to the front door.

  * * *

  “I’m thinking these for the angels’ robes...” Harper held up a stack of old white sheets. She and Hailey were downtown at the Pacific Bargain Mall, scouting props and costume materials for the Christmas show. “They’re soft from years of washing, which means they’ll be comfortable to wear and easy to handle. We’ll just cut and fold and hem them at the neck hole. I’ve got a bunch of those gold graduation honor cords we can use as a tie at the waist. And gold foil on the wings and for the halos, I think. It’s simpler and also showier from the stage than trying to do feathers...”

  “Sounds good.” Hailey paused. “Look at me.”

  Harper met her eyes. “What?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Huh? Nothing.”

  “Liar.” Hailey grabbed her arm. “Buy the sheets and let’s go get a coffee.”

  Ten minutes later they had white chocolate peppermint mochas and a corner table at the Steamy Bean, which wasn’t far from the Bargain Mall. John Legend crooned “By Christmas Eve” from a speaker above the espresso machine. Outside, the sky was gray and overcast, but evergreen wreaths hung from the streetlamps. Across the street, the Salvation Army bell ringer stood by her red kettle in front of the bookstore.

  Hailey licked the whipped-cream mustache from her upper lip. “Is it the move? You’re nervous about how it’s going to work out?”

  “Yeah. No. I don’t know...”

  “Well, that’s specific.” Hailey put her hand over Harper’s. “I’ll miss you so bad.”

  “And I’ll miss you.”

  “But, Harp, it’s the right decision for you. And I’ll come with you when you go, stay with you in Seattle until we find you a good place and you’re all settled in.”

  “You’re the best.” Harper turned her hand over and gave her sister’s fingers a squeeze. “But it’s not really the move.”

  “Hmm. Must be the guy, then.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Hailey scoffed. “Stop. It’s not like I can’t read your mind.”

  Harper covered her face with both hands and let out a groan. “I like him. I like him too much and I’m acting weird with him and... I don’t know. It’s like I’m thirteen again with a hopeless crush on Deacon Marsh.”

  Hailey grinned. “Wow. Deacon Marsh. Yeah, that didn’t go well.” Deacon was three years older than Harper. He’d played drums in a garage band and had zero interest in the skinny eighth grader with braces.

  “I followed him everywhere.” She put her face in her hands again. “He was always dismissing me, growling at me to get lost. It was so painful.”

  Hailey gave Harper’s arm a comforting stroke. “I know. I remember.” She sat back and had another sip of her peppermint mocha—a slow and contemplative one. “But you got over him.”

  “Yeah. One day, I woke up and...my heart no longer yearned for Deacon. I started going out with Brad Joiner.”

  “You notice how you always sound so blah about Brad?”

  “Because I am blah about Brad—and I was blah at the time. I liked Brad. But he was no Deacon.” She picked up her spoon and poked at the whipped cream on her coffee. “There was never that thrill just at the thought of him, never the burning need to see him, be near him, to get him to smile at me...” Glancing up, she met her sister’s eyes.

  “Enough about Brad. What happened with Linc?”

  “Thanksgiving night...”

  Hailey leaned in again. “I knew it. Things got cozy, didn’t they?”

  “We had hot chocolate by the fire after the kids were in bed. There was kissing. He stopped it and then apologized for taking advantage of me.”

  “Was he taking advantage of you?”

  “No. But now it’s awkward. I’m awkward. I’m thinking that I haven’t felt this way since Deacon Marsh, that I’ve never had a boyfriend who thrills me, you know? I pick the blah boyfriends and I have the occasional fun, easygoing hookup. And my lack of experience in all the big, passionate emotions only makes me feel worse about the whole situation.”

  “So...you’ve got that thrill with Linc. You’ve got the burning need.”

  “Well, that just sounds ridiculous.”

  “No. It sounds like you really like Linc Stryker. And there is nothing wrong with that. I mean, come on. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  “He’ll tell me it’s gotten too weird and awkward. He’ll tell me to get lost—in a kind and gentle way, and I’ll lose several thousand bucks that I can put to good use in February.”

  “Meh.”

  “Seriously? You’re meh-ing me?”

  “Yes, I am. You weren’t counting on that job before you got it. I know you’ve got savings and at least half of your inheritance left.” The Bravos had all received some family money at the age of eighteen. “And then there’s Valentine Logging.” They all owned shares in the family business, which paid modest quarterly dividends. “And if all else fails, you can get money from Aunt Daffy or Uncle Percy or Daniel
or Liam—and hey. There’s also Roman. He’s got plenty. I’m happy to hit him up for you if you need it.”

  Harper snort-laughed. “I do not need to go scrounging funds from the people I care about.”

  “My point exactly. You’ll manage with or without this nanny job—though I do love the Hollister kids, and you’re really good with them. That would be kind of sad, if they lost you. But then again, they’re losing you at the first of the year, anyway.”

  “Okay, now you’re just making me sad.”

  “You want to be sad. And conflicted. You need to stop with the whining and go after the hot CEO from Portland.”

  “But...”

  Hailey waived a dismissing hand. “But what?”

  “I have reasons.”

  “Of course, you do.”

  Harper glared at her sister. “Good reasons.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, he was engaged until a week ago yesterday.”

  “Is he engaged now?” Hailey immediately proceeded to answer her own question. “No, he is not. You need to enjoy your time with Jayden and Maya and let things happen with Linc if they’re going to happen. Get out of your own way, Harp. Be open to...possibilities.”

  “Now you sound like Daniel,” Harper muttered.

  “What’s Daniel got to do with this?”

  “He took me aside at Thanksgiving. He likes Linc and he picked up on the attraction between us. He just wanted to encourage me to be open to whatever might happen with Linc.”

  Hailey reached across the table and tugged on Harper’s single braid. “You are amazing and powerful and don’t you forget it. And Daniel is right. Whatever happens in life, a woman should never miss the chance to get with the guy who has her burning and yearning.”

  “What if he breaks my heart?”

  “What if he doesn’t? What if he’s as crazy about you as you are about him? What if this is the guy for you and you’re too busy with all your thousand reasons why it can’t work with him to relax and give him a chance? What if you lose him and then you meet another Brad or a second Kent and you settle?” Kent was her boyfriend at UO. “You’re not a settler, Harp.”

  Hailey’s voice had grown louder as she made her point. “If you settle for some guy who doesn’t ring all your bells, you’ll never find the happiness you deserve, and I think you know that. You’ve got to put yourself out there, open your heart, make yourself available for all the good things to be yours. Fortune favors the bold and she who hesitates is screwed and don’t you forget it!” Hailey pounded the table for emphasis. Their mochas jumped.

  They stared at each other, realizing simultaneously that it was suddenly way too quiet in the Steamy Bean.

  And then the two baristas started clapping. The three women at the next table joined in. A guy by the window whistled and stomped his feet.

  Ever the diva, Hailey got up and took a bow.

  Chapter Five

  When Harper let herself in the front door of the Stryker cottage Monday afternoon, silence greeted her. “Anybody home?”

  Nobody answered.

  But from the foyer, she could see that the tree was lit up in the living area. They all must be upstairs or maybe in the office. She swallowed down the nervousness that came from not quite knowing how Linc would greet her after the way they’d left things Friday night. Every time she thought about that, she cringed. She’d lectured him and turned down the wine she’d previously said yes to—and then raced out the door.

  Really, she could hardly blame him if he found ways to avoid too much contact with her now. And the more she thought about it, the more she worried he might be rethinking the wisdom of keeping her around at all.

  Welp. No time like the present to find out.

  She hung her coat on the rack by the door, dropped her tote on the hall table and went on into the living area, where the beautiful tree, ablaze with lights, stood in the window and the fire burned bright. She was about to detour to the kitchen when she spotted the trifold brochure on the coffee table.

  Intrigued, she picked it up. The front had a company name, Acevedo Hybrid Homes, in a bold font, surrounded by color photos of modern-looking, boxy houses, with lots of windows and an interesting industrial feel.

  She recognized those houses. They were increasingly popular all over the country. There was even a show about them on HGTV—Container Homes.

  Made from retired shipping containers, the houses were sturdy and affordable. You could use them to create a tiny, eco-friendly, low-cost home with a modest footprint. You could also go big, find interesting ways to link them together, construct a shipping container mansion or even a whole apartment complex.

  Was Linc considering building a container house? Or maybe investing in this company, Acevedo Hybrid Homes?

  With a shrug, she dropped the brochure back on the table where she’d found it and turned for the kitchen.

  That was when she heard a tiny giggle, followed by Jayden whispering, “Shh. She’ll hear us.”

  The sounds were coming from over by the tree. As she watched, the branches shook and ornaments clinked together.

  She put a hand to her ear and asked, “What do I hear? It sounds like there might be elves behind the Christmas tree.”

  Another giggle, followed by more whispering—and then by both kids crawling out from behind the tree.

  “Harper!” Jayden shouted, jumping up. “It’s us!” He came running.

  “Hawp!” It took Maya longer to get upright.

  She managed it just as Jayden reached Harper. “We missed you!” he declared, gazing up at her with a giant smile of greeting. “You’ve been gone for two whole days.”

  “I missed you, too. But I’m back now.” She dropped to a crouch to gather them both in just as Linc’s tall, broad form unfolded from behind the recliner not far from the sofa.

  “Surprise,” he said a little sheepishly.

  She hugged her two favorite “elves” and grinned like a long-gone fool at the handsome man by the fireplace.

  “Hawp, Hawp!” Maya caught Harper’s face between her little hands. “Hi!”

  “Hi, sweetheart. It’s so good to see you.”

  As usual, Jayden had questions. “Harper, are we going to go to practice for the Christmas show today?”

  “Yes, we are.”

  “Are we going now?”

  “Very soon. Did you have lunch?”

  “Yes, we did!”

  “Up!” Maya commanded. Harper gathered her close and stood.

  Linc came toward them. He wore a steel blue thermal shirt that hugged his big arms and broad chest. His smile was so warm, like he’d been waiting forever for her to walk back in his door. All her apprehensions about seeing him again seemed kind of silly now that they stood face-to-face.

  “Good weekend?” he asked.

  She beamed up at him. “Very productive, yes. You?”

  “Changed a lot of diapers, helped build a blanket fort and went camping right here in the living room in that bare spot in front of the tree.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  Maya lifted her head from Harper’s shoulder to announce, “Fun!”

  “It was!” agreed Jayden.

  Linc said, “And I haven’t even mentioned that we wrote letters to Santa.”

  “Mine was really long,” added Jayden, looking up at her eagerly.

  Harper grinned down at him. “Did Angus and Mitsy come by?”

  “Yes, they did!” Jayden replied. “I really like Mitsy and I really want a puppy, but I promised not to keep asking for one. And the lights outside look bee-u-tiful. Wait till it’s dark. You’ll see what I mean.”

  Linc nodded. “It’s true about the lights. Angus did a fine job.”

  “And we made cookies,” Jayden added. “They’re sugar cookies, Harper. But t
hey’re kind of hard...”

  “You’re in for a treat,” Linc said with a definite note of irony. “And I’m getting pretty tired of my own cooking. I was kind of hoping that you might be willing to stay late this evening?”

  “To cook dinner, you mean?”

  “Please.” He put his hands together, prayer-fashion, and tapped the tips of his long fingers against that mouth she couldn’t keep herself from hoping she might get to kiss again. “I am begging you.” His voice was crushed velvet and that look in his eyes...

  No doubt about it. If he’d been upset with her when she left Friday night, he’d gotten over it.

  She gave him a slow, teasing smile. “Love that overtime.”

  “I was hoping you would say that.”

  She laughed. “I’ll bet you have work to do.”

  “It’s piling up, yeah. But my priority is right here in this living room.” Why did she feel he meant her, in addition to his adorable nephew and niece? Oh, the guy was dangerous. In the best kind of way. “I mean it,” he insisted. “Whatever you need my help with, I’m on it.”

  “Go,” she said. “Work.”

  “You sure?”

  Jayden’s small fingers closed around her free hand. “Yeah, Uncle Linc. You can go. Harper’s here. We have things we need to do.”

  * * *

  That night, when she came down from tucking Jayden in, she found Linc in the kitchen.

  They had a moment—her in the doorway, him by the counter, neither quite sure what to do or say next.

  Harper remembered her sister’s strong words. Fortune favors the bold. “It’s been a long day. I’ll take that champagne tonight—if the offer’s still open.”

  He stepped away from the counter as she fully entered the room. They met by the island and then just stood there, grinning at each other. Her heart felt so light, like she might just float up to the gorgeous coffered cedar ceiling overhead.

  “Champagne it is,” he said.

  “After all, it’s Monday.”

  “You’re right. There should always be bubbly on Monday.”

  She got down the glasses and he popped the cork. They went on into the living area to enjoy the tree and the fire.