Olivia’s laugh seeped through him, warming him against the chill in the air. “That sounds far more appealing than my father’s formal dinner.” She looked over Gracie’s head at him and smiled. “I’d love to come.”

  His heart stuttered. He quickly pulled his gaze away. There had been something about her from the day he met her, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on that attracted him. At the time, he figured it was her looks. She was so delicate, with that mop of streaked blond and brown hair that he desperately wanted to slide his fingers into and those big blue eyes he got lost in every time he looked at her.

  It was so much more than that, though. It was the suggestive way she waggled her eyebrows at him when she was playing around, the smile she always held firmly in place, and the tender way she interacted with Gracie. There was so much about her to love. Love? Where did that come from? He shook off the thoughts and tuned back into the happy conversation between Olivia and Gracie.

  “And Dad’s taking me to Times Square to see the ball drop this year. He couldn’t take me last year, but this year he promised.”

  Olivia looked at him, her brows drawn together in confusion. He discreetly shook his head, praying she wouldn’t say anything to Gracie just yet. He knew he was going to have to tell her he had to go to the Harrises’ New Year’s Eve party, but he didn’t want her Thanksgiving to be ruined. He’d tell her soon.

  Olivia’s eyes filled with sympathy before she turned her attention back to Gracie’s babbling.

  He studied Olivia, her cheeks flushed with the cold, her eyes wide with excitement. His feelings for her were getting stronger, there was no denying it. Too bad I’ll never be able to act on them.

  “DID YOU HAVE A good time today?” Garrett took the dish Gracie held out to him.

  She took another from the dishwasher and handed it to him. “I had the best time ever. It was awesome.”

  He smiled at her. She looked exhausted, but she fought going to bed. She said she wanted to stay awake and share some special time with him. “Why don’t I finish up here, and you can go get the pillows and blankets and put them on the couch. When you’re done, come back and we’ll make the popcorn together.” He didn’t even know how she was still standing upright.

  “Sure, Daddy, but I get to pick the movie tonight.”

  He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “You bet, sugar.”

  She skipped from the room. She’d be asleep two minutes after she settled in for the movie.

  They’d found a fairly quiet spot to watch the parade, but still hadn’t been able to see much through the crowd. Gracie had bounced up and down on his shoulders, though, thrilled beyond belief to see the giant balloons and hear the music.

  He put the last of the dishes away.

  Olivia had gotten along so well with his family. Kids seemed drawn to her, and it was quite obvious she loved being with them.

  “Okay. Everything’s ready, Daddy.”

  “I’ll be done here in one more minute.” Gracie stood beside him, and he lifted her onto the counter. She sat with her feet dangling over the side, while he got their snacks and drinks.

  “Dad?”

  He paused with the refrigerator door open and looked over his shoulder. “Yes?”

  Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

  Uh . . . oh.

  “Is Livvie your girlfriend?”

  He blew out a breath and let the door fall closed. “No. She’s a friend from work. You know that, Grace.”

  “Oh.” Her disappointment beat at him.

  He poured them each a glass of milk and returned the carton to the fridge.

  “I like her.”

  “I like her, too, Gracie.”

  “So why isn’t she your girlfriend?”

  Frustration started to creep in, and he worked to keep it from his tone. “She’s just not. We’re friends.”

  “Don’t you want to have a girlfriend?” She looked at him hopefully.

  “Gracie, I don’t have time for a girlfriend.” Not to mention the fact he didn’t trust anyone anymore. Stephanie’s involvement with the man who’d been embezzling from the company in Florida had seen to that. Had it not been her father’s company, she’d have had a lot more explaining to do, and he probably wouldn’t have been fired. He pushed the thoughts aside. It didn’t matter anymore. He was happy now and so was Gracie, and that was all that mattered.

  “—come for Christmas, too?”

  “What?” His thoughts had strayed too far and he’d lost track of the conversation.

  “I said, is Livvie coming for Christmas, too?” She blew her bangs off her forehead in a far too mature gesture of frustration.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  He put the bowl of popcorn and two drinks on a tray, lifted Gracie from the counter, and put her on the floor. “Olivia has her own family, Gracie. I’m sure she’s spending Christmas with them.”

  “Oh.” She looked at him with disappointment clouding her eyes, and a pang of regret shot through him. Then her eyes cleared. “I know! She can come to Times Square with us on New Year’s Eve!”

  The regret turned to guilt. He held her gaze but still didn’t have the heart to tell her he couldn’t take her to Times Square on New Year’s Eve as they’d planned. Couldn’t even spend the night with her at all, actually. “We’ll see, Gracie. Maybe.”

  Her answering smile soothed him, but only for a moment. He had to figure out what to do about New Year’s Eve. How would he attend the Harrises’ party without disappointing his daughter?

  SEVEN

  OLIVIA TOSSED THE FOLDER onto the desk and leaned back. She rubbed her eyes, hoping to ease some of the strain, but it didn’t help. She just couldn’t read another thing. “I need a break.”

  Garrett looked up from the computer screen. He hesitated, glanced back down, and closed the top. “You’re right.” He massaged the back of his neck.

  Olivia stifled the impulse to move behind his chair and do it for him. A smile played at the corners of her mouth. I wonder what he’d do. Maybe if I just—

  “What’s so funny?”

  She looked up to find him staring at her. “Ummm . . . I was just thinking about something.” Yikes, better change the subject. I do not want to go there. She stood and stretched her back. “You know what? I’m going to take a break and grab something to eat. Do you want to come with me? We could come back and finish organizing these files after we’re done.” She held her breath and waited.

  He glanced at his watch and pushed his hand back through his thick, dark hair, a move he’d repeated numerous times throughout the night, leaving it sticking up in tufts around his head. “All right. We may as well. I’m not getting anywhere here.” He pushed up from the chair and almost ran into Olivia. His gaze locked onto hers. Held. “I’m sorry . . . I . . .” He lifted his hand to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered, brushing a featherlight caress along her jawline.

  She couldn’t look away. Her heart rate kicked up, hammering through her. She didn’t bother to resist the urge this time. She raked her fingers through his hair, smoothing the mess he’d made of it back into place.

  The rhythm of his breathing changed, increased, and became more shallow. He didn’t pull back. His fingers traced a line down her neck and he leaned toward her. Slowly.

  Ring . . .

  He jerked back, tearing his gaze forcefully from hers.

  I am going to murder somebody.

  Garrett busied himself, shoving folders into his briefcase. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

  Her gaze lingered on him a moment longer. “Sure.” May as well. She fished the phone out of her bag and looked to see who had just ruined her life. “Hmmm . . . that’s weird.”

  Garrett glanced at her but quickly turned away.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Olivia.”

  “Hi, George. What’s going on? Is everything okay?” Silence met her from the other end, and she pulled the phone away from her ear and checked the screen to see if she’d lost the connection. “Are you there?”

  “I’m here.” He sucked in a breath that echoed loudly through the line. “Olivia. I’m really sorry about this.”

  Oh . . . no. No, no, no.

  “I’ve had to cancel your New Year’s Eve party.”

  “What are you talking about, George? I booked that over a month ago. You can’t just cancel it.” Olivia’s pulse hammered through her head, keeping time with the pounding of the headache that had settled there. What am I going to do? George’s frantic apologies finally broke through the haze of fear enveloping her, and she struggled to focus her attention on what he was saying. Maybe she could find a way to salvage this.

  “Senator Gordon found out about it and squashed the whole thing. I got a call from the owner about an hour ago, telling me to call you and apologize. He wanted me to tell you we’d accidentally overbooked.” George’s indignation found its way through the line.

  Olivia exhaled slowly. “Okay, George. It’s not your fault.” If Chip’s father wanted the party canceled, there was no way around it. Cresthollow wouldn’t be hosting her party. “Thank you for being honest with me.” She hurried through her good-byes, tossed the phone on the desk, and flopped back onto the chair.

  What could she do? The senator still placed the blame for Olivia and Chip’s breakup squarely on her shoulders. Of course, he didn’t know about George. She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

  “Is something wrong?” Garrett was staring at her, concern etched in his frown.

  She blew out a breath. “That was George, from Cresthollow Country Club.” She paused, dreading the rest of the conversation, wishing desperately she didn’t have to deal with this. “They’ve canceled the New Year’s Eve party.” She winced as the full implication of those words slammed through her.

  “What do you mean? They won’t let you have it at the country club?”

  She bit her lip, hesitant to answer, and then sighed. “My father is very influential at Cresthollow, and George is an old . . . friend. I called George and asked him to set up the best New Year’s Eve party ever, and he agreed.” But Dad must not have as much pull as Senator Gordon.

  Garrett stiffened.

  “He was taking care of everything. The venue, the food, the music . . .” Bile crept into the back of her throat.

  Garrett just stared at her.

  “So you called Daddy and had him take care of it for you?” Anger poured from him in waves.

  Olivia bristled. Why is he so angry about this? What difference does it make who plans it as long as the Harrises have a great party? Besides, her father hadn’t had anything to do with it, really. The people at Cresthollow simply went out of their way to accommodate her because of his name. “That’s not fair. I got bulldozed into organizing this thing, and you know it. I just wanted it to be nice!”

  “I’m sorry, Olivia. I shouldn’t have said that.” The apology seemed sincere, yet there was still a distance between them that hadn’t been there before. “What are you going to do now? It’s kind of late to find a venue for—”

  “Ms. Calloway.”

  Olivia glanced over her shoulder as the door slammed open and bounced against the wall, revealing a very stern-looking Charlotte Harris.

  Ugh . . . can this get any worse?

  “I just received a phone call saying my New Year’s Eve party is canceled. Is that true?”

  Apparently, it can get much worse. Think, think, think. What could she say? There really was no way to resolve this. “Yes, Ms. Harris. I’m sorry, I—”

  Ms. Harris put her hand up, palm toward Olivia. “I don’t want to hear it. It’s too late at this point to put together another party. You’re fired, Ms. Calloway. Collect your things and go.”

  Olivia stared at Garrett for a split second, then picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and stormed out the door. As she strode toward the reception desk, Jill’s smirk followed her out the door. She lifted her chin and kept walking, fighting off the tears until she reached the street.

  OLIVIA SLAMMED THE DOOR shut behind her and threw her bag onto the nearest chair. She tried to wrestle the sobs under control. How could she have screwed this up? She wanted to keep this job so badly and had tried so hard.

  She grabbed a box of tissues and flung herself onto the couch. Garrett. A dull ache settled in her chest. She’d probably never see him again. He’d never forgive her for messing this up.

  Anger seeped in. It began to fester and grow, starting to nudge some of the sadness aside. Chip. “This is all his fault. If he had the nerve to be honest with his father, the senator wouldn’t have done this to me.” She ripped the phone from the base and punched the numbers that would give her a target for her anger.

  Barney whimpered and padded over to sit beside her. He lowered his massive head onto her lap and pinned her with his soulful stare.

  Her finger hovered over the final number. She bit her lip and lowered her hand. “It’s not really his fault, is it, boy?”

  The thought of calling her father briefly flitted through her mind, but she dismissed it just as quickly.

  Barney lifted his head, and Olivia set the phone gently back into its base. She inhaled deeply. Barney tilted his head to the side and she reached out to scratch his head, allowing the easygoing dog to bring her comfort.

  “You’re right. This whole thing is nobody’s fault but my own. I shouldn’t have asked George to plan the party. I should have done it myself.” She sighed.

  Barney followed her when she pushed off the couch and headed for the kitchen. Filling the teakettle, she wracked her brain for a solution. Nothing came. She put the kettle on the burner, grabbed a mug, and dropped a tea bag into it. Her mind was a total blank. No answers jumped out at her, and she returned to feeling sorry for herself.

  The resentment that had poured off Garrett would be hard to overcome, but maybe he’d listen if she apologized. Who am I kidding? He probably hates me. A vision of his eyes, hardened in anger directed at her, assaulted her.

  The kettle’s whistle dragged her from her pity party. She couldn’t deal with all of this right now. She put her tea on the table, grabbed her computer, placed it beside the mug, and sat. Barney lowered his bulk to the floor beneath her feet. “All right, boy. First things first.” She turned the computer on and took a sip of tea. Warmth flowed through her, doing nothing to relieve the chill that had overtaken her.

  “I need a job.” She blew the wavy bangs off her forehead and studied the help-wanted ads. “There has to be something I can do. Everyone’s good at something. Right?” She glanced down at the big dog, but he only snored in response.

  She returned her attention to the computer screen. She scanned through the list of available jobs. No, no, no . . . A small ad caught her eye. Hmmm, maybe. Be your own boss, work from the comfort of your home, set your own deadlines.

  A gust of wind rattled the window, and Olivia turned toward the sound. The gray sky mirrored her mood. She took another sip of tea. An image of herself—snuggled in a blanket, cup of tea at her side, computer in her lap—took form. “This is perfect. I’ll be able to stay home with you and work.” She clicked on the ad and read through the terms of use.

  Barney rolled over to lay spread-eagle on his back. “You could be a little more appreciative, you know.” A ding from the computer called to her as she scrolled through the list of available jobs. Website building. No. Graphic design. She laughed. No.

  “Here’s one. Proofreading. How hard could that be?” She forced her attention to the task at hand. A small surge of satisfaction started to blossom. She didn’t need the Harrises. She would start her own proofreading business. That had been her original goal, and with only three weeks left before New Year’s Day, it was time to act on that resolution.

  She filled out the sections needed to create a profile, then sat back and stretched. Now she just had to wait for people to send her work. The sense of accomplishment was short-lived, though, as images of Garrett flooded her now unoccupied mind. Garrett shoving his hand through his hair in frustration. Garrett smiling at her after she’d screwed something up. Garrett hugging Gracie close, a look of pure love shining in his eyes. Gracie.

  A stab of grief shot through her. Olivia had become more attached to the little girl than she’d realized. The subtle way she managed to get her father to do what she wanted, the bubbly smile when she was excited about something, and the awe that filled her eyes when she’d seen the first giant balloon coming toward her down the street.

  A small measure of comfort finally offered some warmth. She pushed her chair back, and Barney surged to his feet. “Oh well, at least Gracie will get to spend New Year’s Eve with her dad,” she said out loud, a wry smile in her voice. Gracie’s happiness at having her daddy with her on New Year’s Eve was the only silver lining in this mess. “Maybe he’ll even take her to Times Square.” She dropped her cup into the sink and headed down the hallway with Barney on her heels. “Stay, boy. I’m going to take a bath.” She rubbed her eyes, still strained and puffy from her earlier crying jag, and trudged off to let steam and bubbles do their magic.

  EIGHT

  GARRETT SLAMMED THE PHONE down and logged off the computer. It was no use. He couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t drag his attention from the hurt that had been etched on Olivia’s face. Knowing he’d put it there was more of a burden than he could take. He rubbed his hands over his face.

  The door to his office banged open. “Hi, Daddy.” Gracie ran across the room and dropped her book bag on the floor. He glanced at his watch. Was it that late already?

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8