That Christmas Magic, page 19
Unable to verbally acknowledge his apology she simply shook her head, letting him know that she understood what he was saying.
“So you work at a Mexican restaurant?” he asked, after taking a sip from the steaming cup.
She wasn’t fooled by the veiled interest. He’d commented on the fact she’d taken a second job once before, and he hadn’t been pleased then.
“I only work odd hours, less now that I’ve paid off the loan,” she answered, her finger making lazy loops around the rim of her cup.
He pinched his mouth tightly shut, and she recognized that he was biting back words. She wondered how he managed in business confrontations when she found him so easy to read.
Taking another sip of coffee, he stood and moved into the kitchen to put the half-full cup into the sink. “I should go.”
She followed his movements. “I haven’t thanked you. I…I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come.”
Her appreciation seemed to embarrass him, because his mouth thinned. He lifted his coat off the back of the chair. “I said I wanted you to call me if you needed help. I’m glad you did.”
She walked him to the door. “How’d you get to Kent so fast?” Asking him questions helped delay the time when he would leave.
“I was already in the car when you phoned. It was simply a matter of heading in the right direction.”
“Oh,” she said in a small voice. “I apologize if I inconvenienced you.”
“You didn’t,” he returned gruffly. His eyes met hers then, and again she found herself drowning in those dark depths.
Clenching her hands at her sides, she gave him a falsely cheerful smile. “Thanks again, Cooper. God go with you.”
He turned. “And you,” he murmured, surprising her.
“Have a nice Thanksgiving.”
“I’m sure I will. Are you spending the day with your family?”
“Yes, Mom’s making her famous turkey stuffing, and Jeff and his wife, Marsha, are coming.” Jeff was her younger brother. John, the youngest Robbins, was working in Spokane and had decided not to make the long drive over the Cascade Mountains in uncertain weather.
Cooper didn’t elaborate on his own plans for the holiday, and she didn’t ask. “Goodbye, and thanks again.”
“Goodbye, Ashley.”
As she watched him walk away, she had the strongest desire to blow him a kiss. Immediately she quelled the impulse, but she couldn’t help feeling disappointed and frustrated. Closing the front door, she leaned against it and breathed in deeply. She was filling her head with fanciful dreams if she dared to hope Cooper would ever come to love her. Wasting her time and her life. But her heart refused to listen.
* * *
—
As Cooper promised, her moped was delivered safely to her apartment the following afternoon. Webb drove her home from school, and once she dropped off her things, he took her to the Department of Motor Vehicles, where she applied for new license plates. Granted a temporary plate, she was relieved to learn she could now ride Milligan. The moped might not be much, but it got her where she needed to go in the most economical way.
Webb was tall and thin, his facial features almost gaunt, but he was one of the nicest people Ashley had ever known. When he dropped her off at her apartment, she invited him inside. He accepted with a smile.
“Got plans for the weekend?” he asked over a cup of cocoa.
She shrugged. “Not really. I wanted to do some Christmas shopping, but I dread fighting the crowds.”
“Want to go skiing Saturday afternoon? I understand the slopes are open.”
“I didn’t know you skied?” Ashley questioned, her eyes twinkling.
“I don’t,” Webb confirmed. “I thought you’d teach me.”
“Forget that, buddy. You can take lessons like everyone else, then we’ll talk about skiing,” she said with a laugh. “You could invite me to dinner instead,” she suggested hopefully.
“Fine, what are you cooking?”
“Leftovers.”
“I’ll bring the egg nog,” he said with a sly grin.
“Honestly, Webb, how do you do it?” she asked, laughing.
“Do what?”
“Invite me out to dinner, and I end up cooking?”
“It’s all in the wrist, all in the wrist,” he told her, flexing his hand, looking smug.
Thinking about their conversation later, she couldn’t help laughing. Webb was a fun person, but what she felt for Cooper was exciting and intense and couldn’t compare with the friendship she shared with her co-worker.
With Cooper she felt vulnerable in a way that couldn’t be explained. But then she was in love with Cooper Masters, and that was simply pointless.
Disturbed by her thoughts, she went to change clothes. As part of her preparation for the coming holidays and the extra calories she would consume, she had started to work out. Following the instructions on the DVD she’d purchased, she practiced a routine that used Christian music for an aerobic dancercise program. Dressed in purple satin shorts, pink leg-warmers and a gray T-shirt, she placed her hands on her hips in the middle of the living room and waited for the warm-up instructions. Just as she completed the first round of exercises, the doorbell rang.
She paused, and with her breath deep and ragged, she turned off the player and checked the peephole in the door. She wasn’t expecting anyone. To her horror, she saw it was Cooper.
The doorbell buzzed again, and for a fleeting second she was tempted to let him think she wasn’t home, but overriding her embarrassment at having him see her dressed in shorts and a T-shirt was her desire to know why he’d come.
“Hello,” she said as she opened the door.
He walked into the apartment, his brow marred by a puzzled frown as he glanced at her. “Maybe I should come back later.”
“Nonsense,” she mumbled, dismissing the suggestion. She grabbed a towel to wipe the perspiration from her face. “I was just doing some aerobics. Care to join me?”
“No thanks.” The corners of his mouth formed deep grooves as he suppressed a smile. “But don’t let me stop you.”
His attempt at humor amazed her. It was the first time she could remember him bantering with her—or anyone. “I think I’ll skip the rest of the program,” she said and laughed.
“Is that coffee I smell?” he asked as he sat on the edge of the sofa.
“No, cocoa. Want some? If you want coffee, though, it’d only take me a minute to brew a pot.”
He shook his head.
Looping the towel around her neck, she sat cross-legged opposite him. Her face was glowing and red from the exertion, and she noted the way Cooper couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Her heart was pounding fiercely, but she wasn’t sure if it was the effects of seeing him again or the aerobics.
For a long moment silence filled the room. “Did you get Madigan back?” he eventually asked.
“Milligan,” she corrected.
“How’d you happen to name a moped Milligan?”
“It was the salesman’s name. We went out a couple of times afterward, and I couldn’t think of the bike without thinking of Milligan, so I started calling it by his name.”
Cooper’s mouth narrowed slightly. “What do you do when it rains?”
“Wear rain gear,” she returned casually. “It’s a bit of a hassle, but I don’t mind.” Why was he so curious about Milligan? Certainly he’d known—or at least known of—someone who rode a moped before now?
“They’re not the safest thing around, are they?”
“I suppose not, but I’m careful.” This line of questioning was beginning to rankle. “Why all the curiosity?”
Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees, then quickly shifted position, placing his ankle across one knee as if to give a casual impression. “The more I thought about you riding that moped, the more concerned I became. In checking statistics I discovered—”
“Statistics?” she interrupted him. “Honestly, Cooper, I’m perfectly safe.”
He closed his eyes for a moment in apparent frustration, then opened them again. “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. You’re as stubborn as Claudia,” he said, and expelled his breath slowly. “I’m going to worry about you riding around on that silly bit of chrome and rubber.”
“I’ve had Milligan for almost two years,” she inserted, feeling the color drain from her face.
“Ashley,” he said, his gaze lingering on her. “I want you to accept these and promise me you’ll use them.” He took a set of keys from his pocket and held them out to her.
“What are they?” Her voice trembled slightly.
“The keys to a new car. If you don’t like the color we can—”
“The keys to a new car?” she echoed in shocked disbelief. “You don’t honestly expect me to accept that, do you?”
“No,” he acknowledged with a heavy sigh, “knowing you, I didn’t think you would. If you insist on paying me—”
“Paying you!” she cried, leaping to her feet. “I just cleared one loan—I’m not about to take on another.” Her arms cradling her waist, she paced the floor directly in front of him. “Don’t you realize how many enchiladas I had to serve to pay off the last loan? I can’t understand you. I can’t understand why you’d do something like this.”
He inhaled deeply, his look full of trepidation. “I don’t want you riding around on a stupid moped and getting yourself killed.”
“You know, Cooper, you’re beginning to sound like my father. I don’t need another parent. I’m a capable twenty-six-year-old woman, not a half-wit teenager. What I ride to work is my prerogative.”
“I’m only trying to…”
“I know what you’re trying to do,” she stormed. “Run my life! I have to admit, I was fooled.” Her hand flew to her face and she wiped a thin layer of moisture from her brow. “You gave me your phone number and told me to call, but you didn’t tell me there were strings attached.”
“You’re overreacting!” Although he appeared outwardly calm, she knew he was as unsettled as she was. Bright red color was creeping up his neck, but she doubted that he would vent his emotions in front of her.
“I’m not overreacting!” she exclaimed at fever pitch. “You think that because I phoned you, it gives you the right to step into my life. Keep the car, because I assure you I don’t need it.”
“As you wish,” he murmured, his voice tight and controlled. Standing, he returned the keys to his pocket, his expression a stoic mask. “If you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment.”
“I hope the car isn’t in the apartment parking lot, because the manager will have it towed away.” The minute the words were out, she regretted having said them.
“It’s not,” he assured her coldly. Brushing past her, he let himself out, leaving her feeling deflated and depressed. The nerve of the man…He seemed to think…Her thoughts faded as she felt a hard knot form in her stomach. Now she’d done it, really done it.
* * *
—
“Happy Thanksgiving, Mom.” Ashley laid the freshly baked pie on the kitchen countertop and leaned over to kiss her mother on the cheek.
“Hello, sweetheart.” Sarah Robbins placed an arm around Ashley’s waist and hugged her close. “I’m glad you’re early, dear, would you mind peeling the potatoes?”
“Sure, Mom,” she agreed, pulling open the kitchen drawer and taking out the peeler. Ashley had hoped for some time to talk to her mother privately. “How’s work?” she asked in what she hoped was a casual tone. “Is Mr. Masters cracking the whip?” Her mother would have thought it disrespectful if she’d called Cooper anything but Mr. Masters, but the formal title nearly stuck in her throat.
“Oh, hardly.” Sarah wiped the back of her hand across her apron. “He’s always been wonderful to work for. I must say, he certainly loves those nephews of his. There are pictures of John and Scott all over that house, and I swear the only reason he moved out of the condominium was so those boys would have a decent yard to play in when they came to visit. That’s all he ever talks about.” Opening the oven door, she pulled out the rack to baste the turkey with a giblet broth simmering on the top of the stove. “Have you heard from Claudia and Seth?”
Ashley was chewing on a stalk of celery, and she waited until she’d swallowed before answering. “We chat all the time. I’m hoping she’ll be here for Christmas.”
“That’ll please Mr. Masters. I think he needs a bit of cheering up. He’s been in the blackest mood the last couple of days.”
“He has?” She hoped to disguise her attentiveness. Her family, especially her mother, wouldn’t approve of her interest in Cooper. Her feelings for her mother’s employer had never been discussed, but she had sensed her mother’s subtle disapproval of even their shared role as godparents more than once. In some ways Sarah Robbins and Cooper Masters were a lot alike. Her mother would view it as inappropriate for Ashley to be interested in an important man like Cooper.
“Did you cook a turkey for him this year?”
“No, he said he’d fix himself something, said he didn’t want me fussing, when I had a family to tend to,” she said on a soft sigh. “He really is the nicest man.”
“I think he’s wonderful,” Ashley agreed absently, without thinking, and colored slightly when she turned to find her mother staring at her with questioning eyes. She was saved from answering any embarrassing questions by her sister-in-law, Marsha, who breezed through the door full of the joy of the season. She was grateful that she and her mother were never alone after that, and soon the meal was on the table.
Everything was delicious, as all her mother’s cooking was. As they sat around the table, Ashley’s father asked the blessing, then opened the Bible to Psalms and read several praises aloud. After a moment’s silence he asked each family member to verbally state one of the blessings they were most thankful for this year. Tears shimmered in Marsha’s eyes as she announced that she and Jeff were going to have a baby. The news brought shouts of delight from Ashley’s parents. When it came to her turn she thanked God for the rich Christian heritage she had received from her parents and also that she was going to be an aunt at last.
Later, as she helped with the dishes, Ashley’s thoughts again drifted to Cooper. Here she was, with a loving family surrounding her, and he was probably alone in his large house. No, she told herself, most likely he was sharing the day with friends or business associates. But she wasn’t convinced.
Hounded by constant self-recrimination since their last meeting, she had berated her quick temper a hundred times. He had only been concerned about her safety, and she’d acted as if he’d accosted her.
“Mom,” she said and swallowed tightly. “Would you mind if I took a plate of food over to a friend who has to spend the day alone?”
“Of course not, dear, but why didn’t you say something earlier? You could have invited them to dinner.”
“I wish I’d thought of it,” she said.
When she was all set with a large cooler overflowing with turkey and all the extras, Ashley’s father loaned her the family car.
Her heartbeat raced frantically as she pulled into Cooper’s driveway in the exclusive Redondo area of south Seattle. She wouldn’t blame him if he closed the door on her. He’d purchased the house with the surrounding two acres of prime view property shortly after Claudia had given birth to John. Ashley had never seen the house although her mother had told her about it several times.
Now the large, two-story brick structure loomed before her, elegant and impressive. Adjusting her red beret, she rang the doorbell and waited. Several minutes passed before Cooper answered. He wore a suit, and she couldn’t recall ever seeing him look more distinguished.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Cooper,” she said with a trembling smile. If he didn’t invite her inside, she was afraid she would burst into tears and humiliate them both.
“Ashley.” He sounded shocked to see her. “Come in. For heaven’s sake you didn’t ride that deathtrap moped over here, did you?”
“No.” She smiled and cast a glance over her shoulder to the older model car parked in the driveway. “Dad loaned me his car.”
“Come in, it’s cold, and it looks like rain,” he offered again. He held out his hand, gesturing her inside.
Ashley didn’t need a second invitation. “Here.” She handed him the cooler. “I didn’t know if you…” She hesitated. “Mom sent this along.” Might as well jump in with both feet. Being underhanded about anything went against her inherent streak of honesty, but if her mother questioned her later, she would explain then.
Cooper took the cooler into the kitchen. She followed close behind, awestruck by every nook of the impressive home. The kitchen was a study in polished chrome and marble. It looked as clean as a hospital, yet welcoming. That was her mother’s gift, she realized.
“Let me fix you something to drink. Coffee okay?” His eyes pinned hers, and she nodded.
After he poured her a mug, she followed him into a room with a fireplace and book-lined walls. His den, she decided. Two dark leather chairs with matching ottomans sat obliquely in front of the fireplace. He took her hat and red wool coat, hung them in a closet and motioned for her to sit in the chair opposite him.
Centering her attention on the steaming coffee, Ashley paused before speaking again. “I came to apologize.”
A movement out of the corner of her eye attracted her gaze, and she watched as Cooper relaxed against the back of the chair.
“Apologize? Whatever for?” he asked.
Her head shot up, and she swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth. He wasn’t going to make this easy for her. “I was unforgivably rude the other day, and I have no excuse. You were being thoughtful, and…”
