Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance (14 page)

She turned away, unsure if she
was ready to have him delve so deeply. Especially when he was right. “You were
thankful?” She tossed his words back at him.

“Yes, because that meant you
weren’t involved. There was hope for me.”

She turned to him and studied his
face. He really was the most deliciously handsome man she’d ever met. And yet
tonight she had seen another side of him. She’d only been here in Calgary for a
few years, but Chase had grown up here, a member of a wealthy family, respected
in the business community and pursued by at least one determined woman.
Something told her that becoming involved with Chase Drummond might overshadow
her business, and she couldn’t allow that to happen. She’d worked too hard to
build it up to throw it all away now and become arm candy for this exciting
man.

“What do you want from me,
Chase?” She couldn’t believe she’d said that, but there was too much at stake.
“What is it about me that attracts you?”

He slipped a hand around the back
of her neck and ran his fingers through her hair again. It shimmered in the dim
light, and he focused on it intently before returning his attention to her
face.

“Everything about you attracts
me, Lily.” He brushed the pad of his thumb against her lips, his hand
trembling. “You ask me what I want from you. I want everything. But first I
want to get to know you. I want to spend time with you. I want you to meet my
parents when they come home for our family Christmas.” He grinned. “They’re
leaving on a round-the-world cruise in January, so they’re only staying a few
days.” He lifted her hand and brought it to his lips. “You’ll like them, Lily.
They’re good people.”

It was everything she wanted to
hear and yet it seemed almost too good to be true. She stared down at their
intertwined hands. “Are any more women going to claim you? I’m not fond of
sharing my men.”

“Am I your man?” He said it with
such delight that she had to smile. “No. I can assure you that no other women
are going to claim me.” He tipped up her chin. “I’ve found the one I want.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Drummond, we’re
here.” Chase looked out through the tinted windows. They were parked in front
of Lily’s condo; he had no idea how long they’d been there.

“Thank you, Larry.”

The driver got out, opened the
door and stood a few feet away. Chase offered her his hand and  relished the
thrill of awareness that spiked through his body at her touch.

They stood side by side in the
elevator. Now that the evening was coming to an end, he didn’t want to let her
go, and yet he really should get back to the fundraiser.

“Thank you for everything,” he
said as they walked the short distance to her door. “Your clothes were amazing.”

“Thank you,” she said, digging
her key out of her bag. He took the key from her, opened the door and handed it
back to her.

“Would you like to come in for a
nightcap?”

He shook his head regretfully, then
gestured toward town. “Sorry, I really should get back.”

“I thought you said–” She caught
herself. “I understand.”

He wondered if she did. Did she
really understand what it took to walk away from her tonight? It was the last
thing he wanted to do, and yet he’d already breached etiquette by leaving the
fundraiser.

“I’ll call you,” he said softly
and waited for a response. He wasn’t sure if she’d heard, because her head was
down and she didn’t respond. “Will that be okay?”

She raised her head, and he
thought he caught a hint of tears in her eyes. They were so dark and luminous
it was difficult to tell. “Yes,” she whispered. “That will be fine.”

He lowered his head to kiss her and
then stopped just before their lips met. She closed the gap, and with a groan
of frustration he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his body.
She was small, delicate, and soft in all the right places. When their lips met,
he knew for sure that this was the woman he wanted. She kissed the way she
lived; she held nothing back. Fireworks exploded in his head, and his body
trembled with need as he released her.

“Wow,” he said, touching his
forehead to hers. “I’d better leave, or I’m never getting out of here.”

She nodded, then grabbed his
shirtfront and pulled him in for another kiss. When they finally parted, he staggered
backward, gave her a small wave and started down the hall.

“Chase?”

He looked back.

She pointed in the other
direction. “The elevator is that way.” Was that a smug smile on her face? He
didn’t care. He would willingly put up with a lot to be kissed like that.

* * *

Lily tossed her evening bag on
the counter and walked to the plate glass window, her heart still pounding from
the intensity of his kiss. Moments later, she saw him exit the building and
climb into the limousine. It pulled out, taking him away.

Her thoughts went back to the
fundraiser. Would that woman still be there? What was her name? Laurel? She
turned away from the window, relieved that Maddie had gone to bed. She didn’t feel
like talking tonight. Tonight was for remembering the way he looked at her, the
taste of his kisses. Tomorrow and reality would come soon enough.

* * *

Chase leaned back and closed his
eyes. After what Laurel had pulled tonight, he was lucky that Lily was still
talking to him. Her scent still clung to his clothes, and he breathed in
deeply, wishing he was with her right now. He wondered if she was aware how
difficult it had been for him to walk away.

The more he saw of her, the more
he was convinced that Lily was the woman for him. He’d known it from the first
moment he laid eyes on her, but now he was even surer. A groan of frustration
escaped his lips. Not physical frustration, although there was plenty of that
to go around. No, he was frustrated by the fact that he’d chosen to withhold
information from her. Information that could destroy their fragile
relationship. If he could only make it through the weekend without any more
mishaps, the way should be clear to pursue Lily. It was a pleasurable thought,
and he was smiling as he stepped out of the limo at the hotel.

“Chase, old man, I was wondering
where you’d disappeared to.” Nate slapped him on the back and glanced behind
him.

He knew his friend was looking
for Lily. “I took her home,” he explained, scanning the crowd.

“Laurel left, as well. Nancy got
one of her friends to drive her home.” Nate lowered his voice. “She was looking
all over the place for you. Kept muttering something about the wedding next
weekend.”

Chase gritted his teeth, and Nate
nodded knowingly. “Can’t get out of it, huh?”

“Nope.” Chase smiled at a
departing couple. “Thanks for coming,” he called, then turned back to his
friend. “I should know better than to make a commitment that far in advance.”

His friend was watching him
carefully. “You really like her, huh?”

Chase nodded slowly. “I think
she’s the one, Nate.”

“I thought so. You’ve done
nothing but talk about her for the past several weeks, but after seeing you
together tonight, I’ve gotta tell you, man. I’ve never seen you like that with
a woman.”

“That’s because I’ve never met a
woman like this before.”

His friend rolled his eyes. “Then
good luck. That’s all I can say.”

* * *

Zelda breezed into the lobby,
carrying two coffees. “Good morning, David.” She’d adopted Maddie’s habit of
greeting the concierge every morning.

He grinned broadly. “Good morning,
sunshine. How’s business?”

The young woman walked backward,
talking as she went. “Fantastic. Thanks for the leads yesterday.” She paused.
“Do you need any more business cards?”

David pulled out a drawer and
looked inside. “I’m fine for now. Have a good day.”

“Thanks.” She walked to the shop
and handed a coffee to Maddie. “Good morning, boss. I have another idea.”

Maddie looked up from her
scheduling book. She’d left home even before Lily got up this morning in the
hopes of reviewing her appointments for the next few days. Somehow she’d made
the mistake of scheduling three appointments this morning and was wondering how
she would fit them all in. She’d thought that orders would slow down this close
to Christmas, but they kept pouring in. There were times when Zelda’s
enthusiasm tired her out, but her ideas were usually good. “What is it?”

“I went to the grocery store last
night. You know that fancy new one over on the east side?”

Maddie frowned. What did grocery
shopping have to do with gift wrapping?

“In their bakery department, they
have a special area set up where the customers can watch cakes being assembled
and decorated. You should have seen the crowd of people watching.” She took a
quick breath. “So, I was thinking. “What if we set up a special time and let it
be known that I’ll be giving free demonstrations and tips on gift wrapping?”
She held up a hand. “Before you say no, I’ve thought about it, and we wouldn’t
lose any business. People who would come to a demonstration wouldn’t pay for
our services anyway, but it would be great publicity.”

Maddie held up the appointment
book. “I don’t know if we can handle any more business.”

“We’ll do it, even if I have to
work extra hours. If you decide to run this business after the Christmas
season, we’ll need all the customers we can get.”  She picked up her coffee
then set it back down. “Are you okay, Mads? You look down.”

Maddie gave her a wry smile. The
young woman was bright and energetic, but she was also amazingly intuitive. She
took a sip of coffee. “It’s just that I haven’t heard from Brent.” She gazed longingly
at her phone. “I don’t even know when he’s coming back for Christmas.”

“Can’t you call him?”

Maddie smiled wistfully. “No.
Call me old-fashioned, but I can’t. I’ve thought about it a million times, but
something inside tells me to wait until he contacts me.”

“He will.”

Maddie wished she shared Zelda’s
confidence.  She glanced at her watch and jumped up. “I’d better run. My first
appointment is in ten minutes.” She threw a long scarf around her neck. “Go
ahead on the demonstration, as long as you don’t spend too much money on
advertising it.”

Zelda brightened. “I’m not going
to spend anything.” She held up the cell phone they used for the business. “We
have a following on Facebook and Twitter already, and my roomie has a popular
blog.” She dragged out a notebook and a pen. “I’ll get started.”

* * *

Maddie dragged herself back to
the shop around one in the afternoon.

“I still can’t believe that
people are willing to spend so much on Christmas gifts,” she said, kicking off
her shoes and rubbing her feet. “I’d say it’s disgusting, but having that much
flexibility with a budget makes my job a lot easier.”

“I suppose so, but it doesn’t
make people happier.” Zelda looked wistful. “When you were a kid did you make
your own decorations at home? You know, paper chains for the Christmas tree and
all that?” She pulled up the clear cellophane around a gift basket, deftly tied
a ribbon and curled the ends.

Maddie thought back to happy
times, working on the kitchen table while her mother supervised. “Yeah. And
mucilage.” She smiled. “Remember mucilage? Remember how it always hardened
around the rubber tip and you had to chip it off to get it to work the next
time?”

Zelda stopped what she was doing.
“Speaking of childhood memories, I just remembered. Annie stopped by. School’s
out early today.”

Maddie instinctively looked
around, although she knew the child wasn’t there. “I’m sorry I missed her.”

“She said she’ll be back, and
that she had something to show you.”

Maddie smiled. “Probably
something she made at school.”

“She was quite...” Zelda stopped
mid-sentence. “Speak of the devil. Look who’s back already.”

“Maddie!” Annie ran through the
lobby, her backpack on one arm and a shopping bag on the other. “I’ve missed
you.”

Maddie gave the child a big hug.
Annie’s cheeks were cold, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I’ve been
shopping,” she stated proudly.

“Buying Christmas presents?”
Maddie eyed the bag; it wasn’t from a store she recognized.

“No. I bought something for
myself.” Annie placed her backpack on the floor and opened the bag. “It’s the
picture!” She smiled at it. “It’s the one I took of you and Uncle Brent that
day at the rink. Remember? I bought a frame for it so I can keep it in my
bedroom.” She looked up with trusting eyes. “It’s my happy picture.”

Maddie could scarcely see the
picture through the sudden onslaught of tears. “I remember.” She touched the
glass that covered Brent’s face. “I remember everything about that day.”

“Maddie, why are you crying?”

She gave her head a quick shake.
“I’m not crying. Not really.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and she realized
how ridiculous that must sound. “I think I must be tired. That’s all.” She
stroked the child’s fine hair. “It’s a lovely picture, Annie.”

Her stomach growled. No wonder
she was getting emotional. She hadn’t eaten today except for half a muffin this
morning. “Shall we go for tea?” She turned to Zelda. “You don’t mind, do you?
Have you had lunch?”

“I brought a sandwich from home.
You guys go, but bring me a chai, okay?” She reached for Annie’s backpack.
“Here, I’ll hold onto that for you.”

Annie scooted out from behind the
shop and came to a standstill. All expression left her face as she watched a
woman crossing the lobby. Maddie turned in time to see an elegantly dressed
woman walking toward them. Perfectly made up, she looked like she’d stepped out
of the pages of a fashion magazine.

“Cynthia.” Annie’s greeting
couldn’t have been less enthusiastic if she’d tried.

“Hello, Munchkin.”