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ABOUT TWO HOURS LATER, I was wrapped in a fluffy blanket, sitting in front of the fire. Tom was bustling around the kitchen, making us hot chocolate, as I gazed lazily out at the flames. The water heater had kept things hot for a long time—a really long time—but unfortunately, the second we’d opened the door to the bedroom, we’d discovered that the house was built at a slant and the entire dam of water we’d been keeping in went rushing over the floorboards.
Since the bed was pretty much soaked, Tom compromised and spread out a bunch of thick fur blankets on the floor in front of the fire. It was here that I had perched, stretching out my legs, and warming my toes by the flickering flames.
“I hope you like marshmallows.”
I suppressed a little smile. “I don’t, actually.”
He settled beside me and shook his head, scooping my marshmallows into his. “First you don’t like Christmas; now you don’t like marshmallows... Let me guess—you also have a severe dislike of kittens and all things pink.”
I chuckled along with him and clinked my mug against his. “Pink’s not really my color.”
My hair fell in between us, hiding my grin, as I stared down into my mug. His blue eyes sparkled as he tilted up my head and suddenly kissed me. My breath caught in my throat, and I tried my hardest to keep from grinning like an idiot. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to him kissing me—not matter how many times it happened.
“I’ve...never done something like this before,” he said.
I smiled and he continued.
“I’ve never asked an employee out.”
I smirked. “I’ve never went out with anyone from my job before. I try to keep my job and personal life separate.”
“Me too.”
“I guess this is the first time for both of us.”
“It’s exciting.”
“I see why your brother does it.”
He laughed. “I think for him, it’s more about breaking the rules.”
The admission surprised me. I would have thought that he would’ve dated employees in the past. It was literally made for people like Tom. People without a lot of time, who lived under constant media scrutiny. I’d automatically guessed that he was much more experienced at it than I was. After all, he was so quick to offer his cottage.
But the more I looked around at the cottage, the more I wasn’t so sure. This place didn’t exactly fit the Larchwood brand. It was small, sparsely filled, and a little run-down (the flimsy shower being evident of that just by itself). And yet, there was something tenderly familiar in the way Tom bustled about it. Something fond and nostalgic in the way he moved. And then, of course, there was the box of childhood ornaments...
“This was your parents’ old cottage, wasn’t it?”
He stopped cold, and I instantly regretted my sudden guess. I knew that both of his parents had started out with absolutely no money, and had built the empire together. I also read, along with the rest of the world, when his mother died in a car crash a few years back.
If my cheeks were pink before, they now burned bright red. “I’m sorry.” I set my mug down and shook my head in shame. “I didn’t mean to—”
“It did belong to my parents,” he said. “They bought it when they first moved to New York and lived here for a few years. When the firm took off, they moved into the city and left it behind.” He glanced around, releasing me from that impossible gaze. “But I always loved it here. When my mom passed away...” His voice trailed off, and he moved on quickly. “I bought it a few years ago and have been keeping it up ever since.”
We both looked up as the steady drip of shower water echoed through the house.
He grinned. “Well, ‘keeping it up’ is a generous way of putting it.”
I laughed softly, and before I knew it, I was squeezing his hand. “It’s a beautiful place,” I said almost shyly. “I’m glad you asked me to come here.”
A strange looked flickered across his face as he studied me in the light. “So am I.”
I flushed again and decided to try a little honesty myself. “I have to admit—I’ve never done something like this either. You should have seen the way I packed...”
“Let me guess...thick woolen sweaters?”
“How did you know?!” I demanded. “Did you look in my bag?!”
He laughed aloud. “No, I’m just getting to know you, Miss Harks. You’re the type of woman who likes to be prepared for anything.”
“Well, I certainly wasn’t prepared for this.”
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them and I dropped my eyes to the floor. Rose was right. I couldn’t date without getting all emotional. What was I playing at here? All alone, sitting by the fire in his parents’ old cabin? How could I not be feeling something?!
I was almost afraid to look at him, but he tilted my face up to meet his with two fingers under my chin. Then he swept back my hair in a sudden, tender gesture and both of us froze.
“I wasn’t either.”
He kissed me, long and hard.
The hot chocolate mugs were forgotten as the two of us stretched out on the fur blanket, tangling around each other in sweet, unrestrained delight.
I was surprised, then, to find him packing up the car when I wandered down the stairs Sunday night.
“Hey,” I mumbled sleepily, from my short nap in front of the fire. “What are you doing?”
He rushed in to meet me, flushed pink with the cold. “We’ve got to hit the road, kiddo.”
I glanced at the clock. “Now? I thought—”
“Tomorrow’s Christmas, Jenna.” He said this as if it answered everything.
And in a way, I guessed it did. Of course, he would have plans on Christmas. Probably doing the whole family dinner/gift-exchange thing. I was silly not to have realized...
“Of course,” I said softly.
Just a few minutes later, we were sailing out of the trees and heading back to the city. The air in the car seemed to get colder the closer we got back home. There were no suicidal geese this time, no distractions. We made it back in just a little over an hour, and before I knew it, I was standing back on my curb, suitcase in hand.
“So,” he asked with a small grin, “did I convince you? Do you love Christmas?”
I forced myself to smile, unwilling to let it all come to an end. “Not quite yet...but I think it’s safe to say I’m definitely getting there.”
“Is that so?” He climbed back into his car and revved the engine, flashing me the most peculiar look as he did. “Then I guess I still have some more work to do...”