A Fairytale Christmas (12 page)

“It did turn out pretty good, didn’t it?”

He shot a look in Gill’s direction. She smiled.

“How do you think the interview went?” he asked, once the reporter and her crew had turned their attention.

“I think Roberta’s right; you’re going to attract quite a few donations. Your commitment really shines through. The center’s lucky to have you fighting its corner.” Anyone would be, she caught herself thinking.

He smiled, those eyes of his warm and something more. “You, too. You weren’t kidding when you said the center would benefit. I guess I…” he rubbed the back of his neck, a now familiar gesture “…owe you another apology.”

“A thank-you will suffice.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The air between them settled. Gill wasn’t sure what to say next. She should move, head over to where Roberta was shooting, but she couldn’t seem to move. Oliver’s close presence had her pinned.

“Good thing Carlos isn’t here,” he added with a grin. His eyes looked upward.

Following, Gill saw the mistletoe above them. “Think he’d take advantage?”

“A fellow would be foolish if he didn’t.”

In a flash they were back in Oliver’s truck, with the dark, evergreen-scented air swirling around them. Gill swore she could feel him move closer. “I suppose a fellow would.” She ran a tongue over her lower lip.

“Oliver? Can we get a couple shots of you moving the kids’ trees around?” Roberta called over. “I want to get some B roll footage.”

Was that reluctance or relief crossing his face? Relief, she
decided. On both their parts. Because business didn’t mix with pleasure. It simply didn’t.

And yet, as she watched Oliver cross the room, the restless vagueness returned.

“Did I see the
Eyewitness News
truck driving away?” Maria walked into the community room shaking snow from her jacket. “What happened? Something wrong?”

Oliver was in the middle of moving the mini-trees back to their original places. “Nothing’s wrong,” he replied. “Gill convinced them to do a piece on the party.”

“Wow—second reporter in three days. She’s good.”

“That she is.” Very good. Though right now his mind was more on her standing beneath the mistletoe. Since the other night in his truck he hadn’t been able to shake her spell. Simple things, like the smell of pine or a piece of stray tinsel, and
boom!
He was thinking of her.

“Gill came with them?”

“She wanted to make sure the reporter got her facts straight.”

“Oh.”

“What, oh?”

“Nothing,” Maria replied, in a voice that said anything but.

Oliver set down the tree he was carrying and looked her straight on, giving her what he hoped was a mirror image of her intimidating stare.

“I can’t help noticing she’s been here a lot this week. Every day, in fact.”

Yes, she had. Which didn’t help keep her out of his head. “The party’s only a week away. She wants to make sure things are done right.”

The volunteer arched her brow. “Why? Doesn’t she trust us?”

“She does. She’s just hands-on.”

“Hands-on, huh? Is that what we’re calling it now?”

Oliver shot her a scowl that had her tossing a fiercer one back.

“Don’t give me that look. I’ve seen you two looking at each other. This party ain’t the only thing Ms. McKenzie’s interested in.”

Trying his best to ignore the way his gut jumped at Maria’s pronouncement, Oliver shook his head. “Nice try, Maria.”

“You gonna tell me you don’t like her?”

“Doesn’t matter.” One of Becky’s decorations fell off its branch. He bent down to retrieve it. “I know her type. Come the day after the party, she’ll move on to bigger and better things.”

“Wow, you’re harsh. She seems really dedicated to helping the center.”

She’s dedicated to getting a promotion, Oliver thought to himself. He
had
to think that way. He had to remind himself that all her hard work was for personal gain. Otherwise he’d fall more under Gill’s spell, and he was already treading a very thin line.

“Not harsh, Maria. Realistic.”

His friend folded her coat over her arm, taking a long time to smooth the nylon material. “I think maybe you’ve been in the neighborhood too long. For a guy who preaches the sky’s the limit to his kids, you’re pretty jaded.”

A
FTER
a week of off-and-on snow showers, Sunday found itself bright with sunshine. Gill found herself staring at the blue cloudless sky while sitting at her desk. Having spent so much time this week working on the McNabb party, she’d fallen behind with other projects. As a result, she had a small mountain of paperwork to get through—e-mails, client correspondence, and one new client proposal—but she couldn’t concentrate. Restlessness had taken hold. All of a sudden her apartment felt too empty. She thought about calling Gwen, but her sister would be busy selling Christmas trees with Drew and their family.

Family.
The word unsettled her more, made the apartment feel that much more lacking. She needed to do something, occupy herself somehow, but work didn’t appeal to her.

Her gaze drifted across the street, to the public Commons and the crowds making their way to the Frog Pond. Oliver had said he was taking the kids skating today. She wondered if he was there yet.

Why? It’s not like you’re joining them.

She opened an e-mail from Elliot Rosenthal. He wanted a report on year-end activities. Great, another project.

Her eyes went back to the window. She bet Oliver was a good skater. He looked like an athlete. She could picture him
now, leading kids by the hand around the pond. It’d be fun to watch.

What the heck? A short break wouldn’t hurt. Might even quell the restlessness.

It wasn’t until she reached the rink entrance and her pulse sped up that she admitted her true motive: a chance to see Oliver. Why she’d pretended otherwise was beyond her; she’d been making up excuses to see him all week long. Although during the week she cloaked her motives behind business excuses. What would she say today? Maybe she should go back before Oliver got the wrong idea.

She was just about to turn around when she heard, “Look, it’s the tree lady!” Carlos, the mistletoe plotter, stumbled toward her. He wore a protective helmet and gripped the guardrail with both hands. His grin was brighter than the sun. “You ice skating, too?”

“Carlos, her name is Miss McKenzie, not the tree lady,” Oliver skated up behind him, wearing a thick coat and a battered ice hockey helmet that covered his sandy brown hair. He managed to look simultaneously dashing and silly.

“Nice helmet,” Gill remarked.

“Isn’t it, though? It’s what all the cool skaters are wearing—right, Carlos?” He knocked playfully on top of the boy’s helmet. “Safety first. We don’t want anyone cracking their head on the ice.”

Watching the exchange, Gill felt her heart flip-flop. His obvious affection for the kids was something she was quickly coming to adore about him.

She realized he’d turned his smile on her. Catching his gaze, she smiled back. The winter air disappeared in a wash of warmth. “I was working and remembered you were taking the kids skating, so I thought I’d take a break and see how things were going.”

“The kids are having a blast.”

“I can skate backwards,” Carlo piped in. “Watch.” Still holding on to the railing, the boy took several baby steps to the rear. He looked so ridiculously proud of himself Gill had to laugh.

“Nice job, pal.”

“You going to skate, too? You can be my partner.”

“That’s a nice offer, Carlos, but I—uh…”

“Ms. McKenzie already promised to be
my
partner.”

Gill looked to Oliver, whose eyes had taken on an expectant light. He smiled and reached out a hand. “What do you say, angel? If you’re worried about falling, I’ll catch you.”

Too late, Gill thought, her insides tumbling.

Ten minutes later she found herself sitting on a bench while Oliver laced her rented skates. “Do I get a helmet, too?” she teased.

“Do you need one?”

“No, but I wouldn’t want to give the kids the wrong impression.”

“Don’t worry about them. I’m sure they’d prefer you kept the snow bunny look.” He grinned and smoothed his palms around her ankle. “I know I do.”

Gill’s insides tumbled a little more. She reached for the hand he offered. “It’s been a while since I’ve been on skates,” she warned him. “I’m going to be a little rusty. You better keep your promise to catch me.”

“Believe me, I will. I never break a promise.”

No, she thought, from what she’d seen these past couple of weeks, he didn’t. The knowledge made her feel safe and protected. Oliver was definitely a man you could count on. A good man. The kind of person a woman would be lucky to have in her life.

Except you’re not looking for a relationship, remember? You’ve got bigger fish to fry.

“You don’t look so rusty to me.”

Lost in thought as she’d been, she hadn’t realized they were already navigating the ice. Oliver still held her hand. His gloved fingers wrapped around hers felt so natural.

“I think I’ve been misled. You skate better than me.”

Doubtful. Just as she’d expected, he moved on the ice with the natural grace of an athlete. “What can I say? I played a mean game of pond hockey in my day.”

“Pond hockey, huh? Somehow I pictured you more the figure skating type.”

“Nah, I left that to my stepsisters.”

“I thought it was only you and your twin?”

They must have hit a chip in the surface, because she stumbled slightly. Oliver’s strong hand steadied her from behind. The comment came out unconsciously. “That’s because as far as my father is concerned my sister and I don’t exist.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she said, cutting off his sympathetic expression before it could take hold. “That chapter in my life closed when I left Towering Pines. I’m a different person now.” The pronouncement didn’t feel as certain as usual. Probably because she was reliving a childhood activity.

“Well,” Oliver said, giving her ponytail a playful tug, “he certainly couldn’t ignore you today. That ski jacket is the pinkest creation I’ve ever seen. Is that standard color for pond hockey?”

“Oh, look who’s talking, Mr. Fashion Statement.” She gave him a nudge with her shoulder.

He pretended to stumble a little, pulling her close. Their bodies slipped together in perfect alignment. “That how they
check in pond hockey?” he asked. His breath was warm and moist against her cheek.

She turned, bringing her lips inches from his. “You’d be surprised how tough those games got.”

“I like surprises,” he replied.

“Miss McKenzie, watch!” Becky came stumbling by, more walking than skating behind a plastic milk crate.

“Looking good!” Gill called out. “Try taking a break between steps and see what happens. Step, step, step, glide.”

The little girl followed the directions and glided half a foot before catching her balance. “Hey! I skated! Carlos, look! I can skate.”

Suddenly Gill found herself surrounded by kids from the center, all clamoring for instructions. For the next thirty minutes she held an impromptu and not very accurate skating lesson. By the end the kids weren’t much better than when they’d started, but they could all chant, “Step, step, step, glide!” and everyone laughed. A lot.

Gill decided she’d laughed the most. If someone had told her last week she’d be having the time of her life ice skating with a bunch of kids, she’d have told them they were crazy. She would have told them she was too busy to waste an afternoon like that. But today…today the decision felt natural. Like holding Oliver’s hand.

Speaking of which, while he’d relinquished physical contact, Oliver’s presence had stayed with her the entire afternoon. She’d needed only to look up to catch his smile or see his warm expression, and she could feel him.

“You look like you could use a hot cocoa,” a familiar voice purred in her ear.

She wished she could relish the warm body behind her, that they were alone so she could lean up against him. “Sounds good to me.”

Leaving the kids to practice, they made their way side by side to the concession stand. Gill could feel the back of Oliver’s hand brush hers, and she wondered what he’d say if she entwined her fingers with his here, off the ice. She settled for giving his hair a tussle when he removed his helmet. “You better put a hat on that damp hair or you’ll catch a chill.”

He leaned into her space, coming dangerously close. “Then I’ll have to find a way to warm up.”

Shivers that had nothing to do with the cold danced down Gill’s spine. Lack of personal space wasn’t the only danger they were flirting with. Looking into Oliver’s eyes, she saw a heat that told her their thoughts were the same.

“Fresh air agrees with you,” he said, his eyes dipping to her mouth.

“You, too.”

For a moment it looked as if he would lean closer. Instead, he quickly pulled back. “Heads up, we’ve been spotted.”

“Mr. Oliver, can
we
get cocoa?” Carlos burst upon them, nearly falling as he hit the lip of the rink. “I’m thirsty.”

Several other kids echoed the request.

“I have to pee, too,” Becky added.

After much discussion, begging and disorder, it was decided Gill and another two chaperons would take restroom duty while Oliver and Maria would order the group hot chocolate.

Standing in the crowd at the refreshment stand, Oliver pretended not to notice Maria giving him the eye.

“Someone’s having a good time,” she said, clearly not deterred.

“Isn’t that the point of a field trip?” he replied.

“I’m not talking about the kids. Interesting Gill showed up, don’t you think?”

“Not really. She lives across the street. The kids asked her
to stay.” He didn’t want to think about how excited he’d been to see her standing there. Like a teenage kid. She had to be the most beautiful woman at the rink. Even if she hadn’t been wearing Day-Glo pink he wouldn’t be able to tear his eyes off her. Every smile she shot in his direction went straight to his gut. It was ridiculous, but his insides swelled with pride that this gorgeous creature was looking at
him.

“We should get chips to go with the drinks,” he said to Maria. “The kids have to be hungry.”

“Stop dodging the conversation. Why don’t you just admit you like her?”

Admitting it wasn’t the problem. He
knew
he liked her. Hell, watching her with the kids today, he’d begun to more than like her. “Okay, I like her. You satisfied?”

“From the looks of things she likes you, too.”

Yeah, she did. That was the real problem. Every time he looked in her face and saw a desire matching his, the free-fall feeling he got terrified him. Say they gave in to their feelings—what then? A woman like Gill belonged in a world with designer clothes and luxury apartments. How long before she tired of a man whose life was anything but? How long before she dumped him for bigger and better?

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of pink approaching. “How about we just focus on the kids and leave my personal life for another day?”

“Okay.” His friend sighed. “But I think you’re missing the boat.”

Better to miss then have to disembark, Oliver replied in his head.

There was only one picnic table available, so they did their best to crowd in. Playing the gentleman, Oliver stood to the side, intending to let everyone else rest, but Gill scooted over, making space.

“Here,” she said patting the bench, “there’s still space. If you don’t mind squishing up against me.”

With the entire table looking, he had no choice. He perched on the corner. Even then Gill’s body nestled next to his cozily. The contact sent his nerve-endings into overdrive. From the look flashing in her eyes, it did hers, too.

God help him, but resisting was getting near impossible.

The group drank their cocoa and enjoyed the warmth. With Christmas around the corner, most of the conversation focused on the upcoming holiday. The younger kids, like Becky, still believed in Santa and looked forward to finding presents under the tree Christmas morning. Fortunately, the older kids were polite enough to keep the secret. One of them asked Gill what she was doing for Christmas.

“Are you going to visit the magic trees?” Becky asked.

“Actually, I am. My sister lives on the farm where they grow.”

The word farm started a slew of questions, about chickens and milking cows and other stuff. Oliver watched as Gill answered all of them. She shared what it was like to take a sleigh ride, and cut down your own Christmas tree. By the time she got to Christmas morning and how she and her sister baked apple muffins, Oliver was as enchanted as the kids.

“Sounds like a great time,” he said.

“It is,” she replied. “Though thanks to work, I probably won’t get to stay more than a day, maybe two, before coming back.”

“But you’re coming to our party, right?” Carlos asked.

“Are you kidding? Wild horses couldn’t keep me away. It’s going to be the highlight of my holidays. Well, that—” she tugged Becky’s ponytail “—and Santa.”

“So you’ll definitely be there?” the boy prodded.

“I promise,” Gill replied.

“Cool.” There was a gleam in his charge’s eye Oliver recognized all too well. The boy was smitten.

Get in line, Carlos,
he thought, stealing a glance at the woman next to him.
Get in line.