“LET ME LICK them. Please.” Samantha held out her hands for the beaters from the mixer.
“You can have one and I’ll have the other.” Kara couldn’t resist the sweet buttery taste of cookie dough.
They were both licking at the creamy batter when a knock sounded. Sunday afternoons were notorious for impromptu visits from her parents. She continued savoring the sweet treat on her way to the door. She peered through the window, finding Jason.
Jason? What was he doing here? Maybe she’d forgotten something at his place yesterday in her haste to get home.
She yanked the beater down to her side and wiped away any evidence of her childish behavior before opening the door. When she looked into Jason’s dreamy blue eyes, her heart started beating in double time. “Hi. What are you doing here?”
“Thought you might want this.” He moved to the side, revealing a lush evergreen lying on the sidewalk.
“You got us a tree?”
“You said you always wanted a real tree, so here you go.” He peered around her and she turned, finding her daughter lurking behind her.
“Samantha, you remember Mr. Greene, don’t you?”
She nodded and moved to stand beside Kara. “Is that for us?”
“Yes, it is. Do you like it?”
Samantha’s head bobbed up and down, while a huge grin showed off her pearly whites.
Kara ushered him inside. “You’re letting in all the cold.”
“I didn’t mean to stay. I just wanted to drop this off. Unless, of course, you already put up your tree.”
“We didn’t,” Samantha volunteered. “Mommy didn’t have time. Can we have it, Mommy? We’ve never had a real tree. Ple-e-ease.”
Kara eyed her pleading stare. “Fine. Mr. Greene, can I help you carry it into the living room?”
“I’ve got it,” he said.
He picked it up with ease and moved forward, favoring his leg more than usual. Concern swirled in Kara’s chest as she quickly ducked into the kitchen to drop off her licked-clean beater. She wanted to ask him about his leg but reminded herself that it wasn’t her concern. They each had their own lives to lead, and he didn’t need her nagging him about his health.
Kara held the door wide-open while he maneuvered the chubby pine through the doorway. Her living room was small and cozy. She didn’t have a clue what they’d do if the tree was too big. Samantha would have a fit. But they’d cross that bridge when they got to it.
“Put it here,” Samantha called, pointing to a spot in front of the window. “This is where we always put the other one.”
Jason glanced at Kara and she nodded in approval. “Just give me a second to slide the chair out of the way.”
In a matter of seconds, the tree stood prominently in front of the window, with a few inches of clearance between the tip-top and the ceiling. Kara breathed a sigh of relief. Jason had already anchored it in a red-and-green metal stand, attached to a piece of wood. All she’d have to do was add water and a tree skirt.
Samantha clapped her hands together and beamed. “Mommy, isn’t it great? Now you don’t have to find time to drag down that dang tree—”
“Samantha! That’s enough.” Kara’s cheeks warmed with embarrassment. Apparently her daughter had overheard her muttering to herself in frustration at the overwhelming prospect of putting all their Christmas decorations up this weekend.
“Sorry.” Samantha didn’t look the least bit sorry as she grinned at the tree as if she’d never seen one before.
But when her daughter’s blue eyes settled on Jason with that same ear-to-ear smile, Kara knew she was in trouble. She didn’t need these two to bond. No way.
“We’re making cookies,” Samantha said. “Wanna decorate ’em with me?”
Jason rocked back on his heels. His hesitant gaze traveled to Kara. Working with him would be tough enough. She didn’t need him befriending her daughter. She gave a slight shake of her head, praying he’d get the message.
“Thank you. That sounds great....” His gaze ran to Kara again, as though he was actually interested in spending time with a six-year-old.
Part of Kara wanted to relent and have him stay, to make her daughter happy, but she knew in the end that it’d end up hurting Samantha when he walked out of their lives. He wasn’t a forever kind of guy. When the going got rough, Jason got going. Reliable definitely wasn’t in his vocabulary.
And what was even worse was that he represented the one thing Kara couldn’t give her daughter—a father. Up until this point, Samantha hadn’t shown any curiosity about her dad, but the day was coming when she’d be full of questions. And Kara couldn’t help but wonder if her little girl would blame her for never marrying and giving her a father figure. Still, Jason wasn’t an ideal candidate.
Kara steeled herself and gave another shake of her head. Jason was a gentleman and explained that he had a previous engagement, causing her daughter’s smile to morph into a frown. Kara couldn’t blame her. If she wasn’t careful, she, too, would get sucked in by his charms.
He walked to the door, then turned to Samantha. “I almost forgot. I have something else for you. I’ll be right back.”
Samantha raised her bright eyes to her mother and practically bounced with excitement. “I wonder what it is.”
“I don’t know.” Truly she didn’t, but she had to admit she was curious.
When he rushed back up the walk, he was holding a small box. It looked familiar, but Kara couldn’t quite place it.
He held it out to Samantha. “This is for you, but on one condition. You have to finish baking with your mother and help with the cleanup before you open it. Can you do that?”
Her head bobbed. “Sure.”
“What else do you say?” Kara prompted.
“Oh, yeah. Thank you. Come on, Mommy.” Samantha pulled at her wrist. “We have cookies to make.”
Jason chuckled. Kara hadn’t seen him this relaxed in all the time she’d spent with him at his place. Apparently he related to little girls more easily than he did to big ones.
“Have fun baking.” He waved and strolled down the walk, whistling a little ditty.
What in the world had put him in such a good mood?
“Mommy. Mommy. Look at this.”
Kara closed the door and turned, to find her daughter had ripped away the snowman wrapping paper and opened the cardboard box. “You promised to wait to open it, remember?”
Samantha shrugged, peering inside the box. “I know. But I just wanted to peek. Isn’t she beautiful?”
She held up the box for Kara to get a good look at the contents. The angel. Jason’s Christmas angel.
When Samantha made a motion to reach inside the box, Kara yelled, “Don’t! Your hands still have cookie dough on them. Hand me the box.” Samantha frowned, but did as instructed. “Now go wash up. We have cookies to finish making before we decorate the tree.”
Kara carried the heirloom into the living room. What had Jason been thinking when he’d decided to give away this treasured memento from his childhood? She’d thought for sure, with the memories of his mother the angel invoked, that he’d hold on to it. This just went to prove that she really didn’t know him at all.
After another quick glance at the angelic figure, she placed it atop the bookshelf for safekeeping. He might not be ready to appreciate such a fine gift from his past, but she’d hang on to it for him, until his heart was open to the joy of Christmases past and the hope of Christmases future.
Jason Greene, for all of his faults, was hard to resist when he turned on the charm. His visit today had chipped away at the hard edges around her heart. She glanced out the window, but he was long gone.
She still needed to talk to him about so many things. Not only did they have the past to straighten out, but now his father’s Christmas wish was weighing on her. She prayed there was some way to broker a bit of peace between the two men. The sands of time were running out for this father-son reunion.
Jason sat behind a large, solid wood desk—the same desk where his grandfather used to hold him on his knee and tell him that one day this place would be his. That day had finally come. He’d just never imagined he’d be working alongside Kara.
His gaze lifted and met hers. He’d been doing most of the talking for the past hour, explaining his vision for the future of the resort. He’d noticed her raised brows a couple of times when he’d covered how he thought they could cut back on expenses. However, she never interrupted, just continued to take notes.
Now it was time to get to the part where she could really be helpful to him. “While I work on finding the appropriate balance between year-round and seasonal workers, I’d like you to get new quotes from all the available vendors.”
“Which one did you have a problem with?”
“It isn’t that I have a problem with any of them, but it’s a smart business practice to periodically get quotes and make sure no one is gouging us.”
She shook her head. “They wouldn’t do that. We’ve been doing business with these companies for years now—”
“And when was the last time you received quotes from the competition?”
“Never, but—”
“Exactly what I thought. My father always did take the easy route. I’m sure that’s why this place is in the red.”
“I should have been on top of this. Is this really what has the business in trouble?”
He didn’t want her blaming herself. “There are many things that contributed to the financial mess, but it’s not one single person’s fault. We’re going to put into place new procedures and policies, so we don’t end up in a rut again.”
“Which vendors did you want me to work on?”
“All of them. From the liquor to the vegetable supplier and everything in between.”
“But surely you don’t want to get rid of Pappy Salvatore’s.”
Jason searched his memory. The name didn’t ring a bell. “Who’s this Pappy?”
She cast him a look of disbelief. “He’s a childhood friend of your father’s. He and his sons have been providing us with the freshest vegetables longer than I’ve been here. They’re punctual and their produce is of the finest quality.”
Jason paused and stared at her. Throughout this meeting, she’d accepted what he’d said about overhauling the mechanics of the place. Her occasional frown let him know she didn’t always agree with his methods, but she’d kept her mouth shut. Why in the world would she pick this one particular vendor to defend? Was it possible there was more going on with the Salvatores than just business? The thought soured his stomach.
“How well do you know this Pappy? Or perhaps you’re more familiar with one of his sons?”
She glowered at him. “Don’t twist this into something it’s not. Yes, I know Pappy. He used to come to the resort once a month to go over the order with me...and your father. He’s a sweet man and his whole family is involved with the business.”
Still not getting the reason for her to defend their business ties so ferociously, Jason prompted, “And...”
“And he was instrumental in convincing your father to give me the promotion to office manager. He was so impressed with how I’d reworked the various menus, giving each of our food outlets a different ethnic flair.”
“Of course he was. He wanted you to swing him more business.”
Her eyes narrowed and her chin lifted. “He didn’t need to. Your father had already awarded him the resort’s full order years ago. He did it because I impressed him with my ideas.”
Jason rocked back in his desk chair. He liked this Pappy and he hadn’t even met him. He also liked Kara’s strong sense of loyalty. He could only wish she’d hold him in such high esteem one day. But how he’d manage to get there, he didn’t know.
“That still doesn’t put the Salvatores above review. Get the quotes. We’ll talk later.”
Kara’s lips pursed together as her pen flew over her notepad. “Is that all?”
“There’s one more thing. Could you check on the furniture we ordered for the Igloo Café?”
She nodded, got to her feet and headed for the door.
Not wanting her to go just yet, he said, “I meant to ask you if Samantha liked the tree.”
Kara clasped her notepad to her chest. “She did. Depending on what time I get home, we’re supposed to finish trimming it.”
“There’s no need for you to hang around here tonight,” he said, deflated by the fact that she hadn’t extended him an invitation. “I’ve got all the files I’ll need. Go home and enjoy the evening.”
Her green eyes widened. “Are you sure? The reopening isn’t far away.”
“Positive.” He wanted this Christmas to be special for their daughter, whether Kara let him share it with them or not.
She hesitated at the doorway. Was she having second thoughts about inviting him over? Hope rose in his chest. Christmas still wasn’t one of his favorite holidays, but for Samantha’s sake, he could learn to like just about anything.
“Did you need something else?”
She nodded and pulled an envelope from the back of her notebook. “I need you to read this.”
Disappointment hit him hard and fast. He struggled to keep his poker face in place as he held out his hand. “Is it something I need to go over tonight?”
She worried her bottom lip. “Time is of the essence.”
“Pass it over and I’ll give it top priority.”
When he glanced at the envelope and saw the return address, he groaned. Now he knew why she was acting so strange—it was from his father.
“Kara, take this back.” It’d be filled with more accusations about how he’d failed as a son. He couldn’t—no, he wouldn’t let that man inflict any further pain.
“You said you’d read it. You said you’d make it a priority.” Her brows scrunched together as her eyes pleaded with him. “You can’t pretend he doesn’t exist. And you’ll regret it if he dies before you have a chance to make peace with him.”
Jason didn’t want to hear any of this. “I’m the injured party here. My father was the one who pulled away after my mother died. He’s the one who turned to a liquor bottle for comfort. He never thought of me or my needs.”
“I’m so sorry, Jason. To lose your mother and then for all intents and purposes to lose your father, too, must have been devastating for you. But it’s not too late to try and undo some of the damage.”
“Why is this so important to you?”
“This will be your father’s last Christmas.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “If a person can’t forgive, they can’t know real love. It’s a lonely life. Is that what you want for yourself?”
“You think I can’t love?”
She shrugged. “Joe wasn’t always a bad father. You told me.”
Jason’s jaw grew rigid. She was a good talker, but he just couldn’t put himself out there for his father to throw all his misdeeds back in his face.
Jason held out the letter, but she turned her back and walked out of the room.
With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair as her last comment settled in. It was true. His father hadn’t always been a bad man. In fact, Jason could remember a few fishing trips to the state park. They’d hardly caught a thing, but his dad hadn’t seemed to mind, as the two of them talked a lot about sports. Jason had just been glad to have his father pay some attention to him.
Then his mother had gotten sick and there were no more fishing trips. It was at his mom’s bedside that he first saw his father cry. That was when Jason knew his mother was never going to get better—and that was when he’d really needed a father. But his dad retreated to his study and wouldn’t let anyone in. Bottles of Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam had kept him company, putting him into a numbed, drunken stupor.
“Damn.” Jason threw the envelope on the desk.
Since the first night he’d run into Kara, she’d been on this blasted campaign to reunite him and his father. And no matter how much Jason wanted to please her, he couldn’t do what she asked of him. Too many damaging words had been inflicted. The deep emotional wounds had festered over time, not healed. It was best to leave them alone.
He shook his head, trying to chase away the unwanted memories. His teeth ground together. This was Kara’s doing—unearthing his past. She’d wanted him to remember, but it wouldn’t work. This was one Christmas miracle even she couldn’t pull off, with all her good intentions.
But if she truly thought he couldn’t love, she was wrong. As much as he wanted to deny it, she had a permanent spot in his heart. And as for their daughter—he’d fallen for her at first sight.
Now he just had to find a way to show Kara that he wasn’t the heartless creep she imagined him to be.