Authors: Cat Johnson
At Jason’s frown, Peggy hooked a thumb behind her. “And you have to speak with Mr. December.”
Ahh, of course. He hadn’t recognized him with his clothes on. And then, through the haze of exhaustion, Jason realized that just hours before he’d had his tongue down Mr. December’s sister’s throat. He sat up a little straighter in his desk chair. This guy looked even bigger clothed and in person than he did shirtless in the calendar photo. Hmm. Maybe it was a good thing he’d been using a fake name to date his sister, although, how was big brother going to react to Jason’s lying?
Troy O’Donnell, AKA Mr. December came forward, arm extended. Jason’s heart thudded until he realized Troy was smiling and only wanted to shake hands.
The thought of shaking hands left Jason momentarily staring at the other man and wondering if the stomach virus that he’d been afflicted with yesterday was still contagious. Jason would have to risk it or offend him, so he shook warmly, vowing to wash with anti-bacterial soap at the soonest opportunity.
“Mr. Bryant, I have to apologize for yesterday,” Mr. December began.
Jason held up a hand to stop him. “Really, no apology necessary. We…uh…had no problem finding a last minute replacement.” He widened his eyes and shot Peggy a look that he hoped said to keep her mouth shut about who that replacement was.
Troy nodded. “I know. My sister was here and was very impressed by him.”
“Oh, was she?” Really? Well. Good to know. His heart beat a little faster at the mention of Tessa.
The fireman nodded. “Seems so. She went on a date with him last night. That’s the other reason I wanted to stop in, besides apologizing. I wanted to meet this guy and make sure he’s decent. You know, since it looks like my sister is going to be dating him. I thought maybe you could tell me about him.”
Jason swallowed. Not only did Tessa have an extremely huge weightlifter of a brother, he was also a hyper-protective one.
“Peggy, could you go inform the bridal shop staff about the change in location?” Jason had to give her credit, for once she did as he asked without argument, but he was pretty certain she’d have her ear pressed up against the outside of his door.
He opted to keep the nice sturdy wooden desk between himself and the Hulk. “Please, Mr. O’Donnell, have a seat.”
“Only if you call me Troy. Mr. O’Donnell is my father.”
Jason released a short nervous laugh. “I understand exactly how you feel. I’m in the same situation right now, except it seems I’m unable to escape from the shadow of my family name no matter how hard I try. That’s how I got myself into a very sticky situation, Troy.” Jason swallowed hard. “I’m hoping you’ll help me get out of it.”
Tessa’s brother raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know how I can help, but I’ll try. You and Bryant’s have been really good to us at the firehouse so whatever I can do.”
He wondered if he would feel so generous after the revelation. “Well, you see, yesterday when you were sick I came up with a plan…” Jason launched right into his confession, preparing to duck should a brawny fist come his way.
Instead of the dreaded show of violence, he was surprised that the conclusion of his story was greeted with Troy’s deep stomach-clutching laughter.
He waited it out in silence until Troy caught his breath and wiped his eyes. “Oh, man. You’re in deep shit.”
Hmm. Perhaps Troy routinely laughed before he beat someone up, kind of a mental tactic. Not that a man that large needed mental tactics, physical ones probably worked just fine for him. “I know, and I’m more sorry than I can say.”
Troy laughed and shook his head. “Don’t apologize to me. Tessa’s the one you have to worry about.”
Finally breathing again at the realization he might not be flattened at the end of Troy’s muscle-bound arm, Jason nodded. “All right. So how do I approach her to apologize? Flowers? Jewelry? Designer shoes? Groveling on hands and knees? Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.”
Troy let out a long loud breath through pursed lips. “Tessa hates nothing more than a liar.”
“She seems to hate rich people also, which is how I got into this mess.”
Troy shook his head. “Nah, uh. She may stand on her soapbox and preach about the rich and the poor, but she will not abide being lied to.”
Realization sank in. “She’s been hurt by a man who’s lied to her, hasn’t she?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Troy blew out a breath. “You’ll have to ask her about her personal life.”
Jason cleared his throat. “Um, is his still alive and walking? The guy that lied to her.”
Troy frowned, and then realization dawned. He smiled. “I usually don’t have to resort to killing or maiming Tessa’s boyfriends. Just threatening to is enough. Besides, she hates when I interfere in her love life, and Tessa is someone you don’t want pissed at you. Believe me.”
Jason cringed.
Troy grimaced. “Sorry, man. I’m just telling you the truth.”
“That’s all right. I made this mess, I’ll have to figure out a way to clean it up.”
Troy stood. “Yeah, well good luck with that. I gotta go get suited up for the kiddies.”
Jason laughed. “Good luck to you with that.”
Troy’s face lit up. “Eh, they taught us how to handle just about anything in Santa School.”
Ah, ha. Santa School. No wonder Jason had been so unprepared for the experience.
Troy continued, “I’ll be fine. I love kids. Can’t wait for Amy to get these damn wedding plans wrapped up so we can get started on our own.”
Jason frowned. “Wedding plans, huh? What about that? You’re going to be in the bachelor auction, aren’t you?”
Troy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, since I’m officially not married yet, the chief said I couldn’t get out of it.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how’s your fiancé handling it?”
“Oh, she’s fine with it. She’s planning on buying me herself, especially since the money goes to the children’s hospital.”
“You look skeptical.”
Troy laughed. “Amy doesn’t know this but I, uh, used to date
a lot
.”
“You’re thinking there may be some old flames there bidding against Amy?”
Troy shook his head and let out a breath of frustration. “God, I hope not. But yeah, I’m worried.”
It did Jason’s heart good to see Goliath worried too. He cringed in a show of sympathy. “I’m sorry.”
Troy shrugged. “Nothing you can do about it, but thanks. I’ll see you later.”
Jason nodded. “Sure. I’ll be around if you need anything.”
They shook hands again, two men against a world full of women. “Thanks.” Troy paused in the doorway. “Oh, one more thing. Tessa goes absolutely insane if the guy doesn’t call right away, I mean like the day after the date. I wouldn’t wait too long to call her if I were you.”
If Troy was giving him Tessa tips, he must have won sibling approval, which was fabulous. He wanted nothing more than to talk to Tessa, if only he knew what to say and more importantly, who he was going to be when he called. At that thought, he stifled a groan.
Chapter Five
It was nearly noon when Tessa picked up the phone in her apartment and dialed the number she’d found in the directory for Bryant’s Department Store. She listened to the ring, once, twice, and then slammed the receiver down.
What was she doing? First, she didn’t even know JB’s last name or in which department he worked. Second, Tessa O’Donnell did not call a man the day after a date. Sure, she believed in women’s rights as much as the next girl, but some things were sacred. When it came to women, men should hold open the door, change flat tires, kill spiders and be the first to call after a date.
She probably would have felt less up in the air about JB if things hadn’t gone so strangely the night before. She loved eating dinner with him and discussing the store and so many other things. He was so passionate when he spoke and equally attentive when he listened. Speaking of passionate and attentive…he’d nearly left her melted in a puddle of hormones and desire in the parking lot after dinner.
Tessa let out a shaky sigh.
Left her
was the operative phrase. She didn’t doubt that JB, who ate with the proper fork and with his napkin spread neatly in his lap, would also be the type to play the gentleman when it came to sex on the first date. But the attraction between them was undeniable and left her hot and bothered and very alone and awake in her bed until late into the night when she finally fell into a fitful sleep.
Last night’s fantasies starring JB still fresh in her mind, Tessa grabbed her tote bag and camera equipment and decided to head to Bryant’s. Troy was feeling better and playing Santa today. She could snap a few photos of him for the bachelor auction and calendar promotion. Yeah, that was a good idea. And maybe while she was there, she could wander around a few of the departments to see more of what Bryant’s sold. Since that had been one of the main topics of conversation at dinner last night, her interest was piqued. Of course, if she happened to run into JB, that would be good too.
When she arrived, Bryant’s parking lot was packed, of course. ’
Tis the season
. She tried to hold onto her holiday cheer as she was forced to play stalker and tail a woman walking with two armloads full of packages to her parked car. Tessa slapped on a little lipstick as she waited for the shopper to load her trunk and finally buckle herself in and pull out of the space.
Tessa realized she really should try to get at least some of her own shopping done soon herself. This madness was only going to get worse the closer it got to December twenty-fifth. If she weren’t careful, she’d be at the mall at closing time Christmas Eve instead of at her parents’ house for dinner.
She sighed. If only she was crafty, she could make all her own gifts, avoid the aggravation of holiday shopping, save a whole lot of money and have all her relatives be impressed with how creative she was. She wondered if she could learn to knit and whip out a dozen or so scarves in a month. She’d have to see if she could find instructions on the internet when she got home. You could find information on how to make a nuclear bomb online. Surely there was something about knitting a scarf on there too.
Once parked and inside the store, Tessa’s first stop was the North Pole to annoy Troy. She took her sisterly duties very seriously, and number one on the list was to be a pain in the ass to her big brother.
Unfortunately when she arrived there, Troy looked so cute and happy surrounded by all the kids, she didn’t have the heart to tease him. Hmm. When had she become such a softy? Perhaps it was that biological clock thing women talked about.
Nah, it didn’t feel like baby lust. More like the generous spirit of the holidays infecting her, although being an aunt might be cool. She’d definitely have to learn how to knit booties or a blanket by the time Amy got pregnant.
She snapped a few photos of Troy with the kids. He noticed the flash and looked over. He smiled and waved as she wound her way behind the ropes and stood behind the big gold Santa chair. “I can read the article now.
Mr. December, who will be entertaining ladies of all ages at the Children’s Hospital charity Hot Firemen Bachelor Auction, takes time to play Santa at Bryant’s for some good little boys and girls.
”
He screwed up his face. “Yeah, great. Thanks for reminding me about that auction.”
“Oh, come on. They’re only making you walk down the runway shirtless. At least they’re letting you wear your pants. And considering you had such a hissy fit and refused to wear the strategically placed Santa hat I suggested for your calendar page, I would think you’d be happy about that.”
“Yeah, that Santa hat was a real great idea. Thanks a lot for suggesting it.”
“Hey, all the other guys were naked. And as much as I so didn’t want to see my own brother like that, I figured it would look funny if you were the only one all covered up in a ski parka or something. Besides, the way you lift weights, I thought you would be dying to show off your body. You got it, might as well flaunt it, muscle man.”
Troy rolled his eyes. “Well, I don’t see you flaunting anything. When I do, then you can talk. Actually, scratch that. I’d better
not
catch you flaunting anything. What are you doing here anyway, beside bothering me?”
She shrugged in what she hoped was a casual way. “Oh, you know. Taking a few photos, doing some shopping, maybe I’ll visit JB.”
Troy suddenly got very interested in the line of children. “Okay, well, have fun. I’ve got things to do, kiddies to see.”
She looked at him surprised at the brush off. “All right. See you later.”
“Sure. Fine. Bye.”
Humph. Men were just too strange. It didn’t matter whether they were brothers or boyfriends. Why women bothered with them, she really had no idea. Then she thought back to JB’s kisses and decided that maybe some men, and some things you could do with them, might be worth the trouble.
Hmm. Now where to start her search... JB had been very interested in ladies clothing during their dinner last night. Since she was sure he wasn’t gay, judging by a certain bulge she’d accidentally bumped into while they were kissing against her car, she figured the interest must come from his work. She’d check the women’s clothing departments first.
Search as she might, she didn’t see hide nor hair of JB. Tessa had been through the Juniors, Misses, Plus Sizes and Petites and was about to give up when she decided to swing upstairs and take a quick look in Bridal. She was running out of options. He had definitely said he was working today, so he had to be somewhere.