White-Hot Holiday(13)

“Just make sure you keep warm,” she’d said near the end of their call.

“Mom, it’s like a hundred degrees here.”

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot.” She’d laughed. “We had two inches of snow yesterday.”

“Have a cold one for me, son,” his dad had yelled in the background. “And we’ll see you when we see you.”

They were too understanding, his parents. Like him, they must have thought that if he hadn’t cut the timing of his flights so fine, he wouldn’t be in this predicament. Because of his desire to minimize Christmas in Mecklenburg as much as possible, he was going to miss it altogether.

For eleven years, he’d resigned himself to the annual ritual, knowing he couldn’t get out of it without hurting his family’s feelings. Now, he had the perfect excuse for not making it. So why wasn’t he happier? No forcing himself to eat everything his mother put in front of him, no helping his dad fix the Christmas lights in the freezing dark, no listening to the small town gossip which never varied from one year to the next. No having to wear the garish holiday sweater his mom bought for him. No sidestepping his sister’s attempts to fix him up with one of her single girlfriends. No need to keep up with his brother-in-law’s passion for the Giants. He was off the hook this year.

But instead of being glad and relieved, he had an uncomfortable knot in his stomach, and nothing he did could lift his spirits. His mood wasn’t improved when Tyler arrived home from work alone. Naomi, it seemed, had gone out with friends and would meet them later at the carols by candlelight event.

Aaron wasn’t paranoid. Naomi had been avoiding him ever since last night when the call about his flight cancellation had interrupted their kissing. When she’d learned he was hanging around for a few more days, she’d looked startled and embarrassed, and had hurried off with some excuse. One minute she was dynamite in his arms and they were enjoying the most amazing make-out session, and the next she couldn’t bear to be with him. The abrupt reversal jarred him, and he was waiting for an opportunity to get her alone and have it out with her.

Christmas carols usually made Aaron shudder, but this time he was keen to accompany the Maguires to the park in the middle of town where the carols by candlelight event was taking place. The throngs of people in shorts and dresses sitting on picnic rugs put him in mind of Fourth of July celebrations in Mecklenburg. Except here people wore reindeer antlers and tinsel necklaces, someone handed him a sheaf of carol lyrics, and a young man in an elf costume sold him six candles. They had settled on the grass with another family when Aaron spotted Naomi with a group of friends on the other side of the lawn.

A guy was chatting keenly with her. He had one hand resting on the tree beside her, the thumb of the other hooked into the belt of his jeans. Classic body language of a guy who was interested. Jackass. The knot in Aaron’s stomach tightened. Why was he unpleasantly surprised? Naomi was gorgeous and friendly and one heck of a kisser. Of course she’d have men running after her now that she’d ditched her douche-bag boyfriend. By this time next year, she’d be holding hands with a man who thought himself the luckiest guy on earth.

Maybe he should go over there and check out this jackass monopolizing Naomi’s attention. Before he realized it, he was on his feet and striding across the crowded lawn. The choir gathered in the bandstand had begun to sing the first carol, but Aaron plowed on, his attention fixed on Naomi. She spotted him when he was still a distance away, and her face, which had been relaxed, stiffened slightly before she pasted on a smile.

“Hi, Aaron,” she called out, sounding overbright.

She introduced him to her friends, and he made casual conversation with them. Some were old school friends of Naomi’s, including the guy who’d been paying her so much attention. But Naomi seemed fidgety and uneasy, and Aaron couldn’t help thinking it was because of his presence. He decided that instead of trying to draw her aside, he should hang around until she was more relaxed, which meant he had to sing a few carols.

As he mumbled along to “Silent Night,” he marveled at the lengths he’d go to for this woman. Eventually there was a break in the carol singing, and Aaron found himself temporarily alone with Naomi as her friends went in search of a bottle opener. He’d wanted to speak with her in private all day. Now he had the chance, but he didn’t know how to express himself.

Naomi played with her can of soda, seemingly as ill at ease as he. “Did you speak with your parents?” she asked, breaking the stilted silence.

He nodded. “They were very understanding.”

“I’m so sorry.” Her brow furrowed in sympathy. “For them, I mean. I know you don’t mind missing Christmas with them.”

“I thought I wouldn’t mind, but I don’t feel as carefree about it as I’d imagined.”

“Oh?” She glanced up, gazing at him fully for the first time since last night. A tiny smile curled her lips. “Could it be possible that Aaron Cade isn’t the Big Bah Humbug he likes to make out he is?”

He grinned, glad to see her smile again, even if it was at his expense. “I never claimed to be the Big Bah Humbug. That was you.”

“True.” As her eyes warmed, he moved closer, drawn to her like the proverbial moth to a candle. The choir started up once more. Around them, everyone began singing, except them.

“I’m glad you’re smiling again,” he said under cover of the singing. “I thought I’d mortally offended you last night.”

She looked away, the cusps of her cheeks turning pink. “You didn’t offend me.” She paused, then shook her hair back. “It’s just that I thought you’d be thousands of miles away by now. That’s why I” She made a circling motion with her hand as her cheeks grew rosier.

“Why you gave me the most fantastic kisses?”

“Fantastic?” Her eyes widened at him. Her lips parted, and he ached to taste them again right here in the middle of this crowd singing goddamn “Jingle Bells.”

“You thought you could let yourself go because I’d soon be safely out the way. I understand.” He brushed his fingers against the back of her hand. “I don’t want you to be embarrassed or feel you have to avoid me.”

She stared at him, and as “Jingle Bells” reached its crescendo, she nodded and gave him a self-deprecating smile. “Thanks. I feel silly now.”

“Don’t.” He leaned forward to whisper in her ear as the crowd began to applaud. “And if you want to give me a repeat performance of last night, I wouldn’t say no.”

Flushing, she shook her head. “That’s, er, flattering, but I’m sure I’ll be too busy.” But the shine in her blue eyes told him she wasn’t too averse to the prospect.



Naomi checked her wristwatch. It was Christmas Eve, with only ten minutes left until noon, when the doors of Java & Joolz would close and they could officially start celebrating Christmas. She looped a length of ribbon around the gift she was wrapping for a waiting customer.

“Oh hi, Aaron,” Tyler called out from the other side of the store.

At the sight of Aaron’s tall, broad-shouldered figure, Naomi’s heart gave a small leap, and the bow she was tying slipped through her fingers. She managed to finish the wrapping and hand the gift to the customer before Aaron came up to her counter.

He smiled, and she couldn’t help smiling back. “I need your help,” he said suavely.

How could she resist those dimples of his? “Sure.”

“I want to buy a few Christmas presents.”

She arched her eyebrows. “Now? We’re closing in ten minutes.”

Hands on hips, he surveyed the shop. “I need gifts for Luke’s sisters. There’re four of them including your mom, right? I thought this would be the perfect place to pick up something.”

“But we shut our doors in ten minutes! Honestly, what is it with this last-minute Christmas shopping?” She mimicked his hands on hips stance. “Besides, no one expects you to come up with a sackful of presents when you’re stranded here.”

“I know that, but over the years I’ve heard a lot about Luke’s sisters, and I’d like to give them gifts.” He shrugged. “My family’s used to my idiosyncrasies, but I don’t want your entire family thinking I’m a weird Yank who hates Christmas.”

“We won’t think anything of the kind. And we don’t go in for extravagant gifts anyway. A box of chocolates would be more than sufficient.”

Aaron tapped his fingers on the counter. “Jeez, not getting very good customer service here. I’m giving you carte blanche to sell me stuff, and you’re actively discouraging me.” He winked at her. “Maybe I’ll ask Tyler instead.”

“Well of course I’ll help you,” she quickly replied. “I know what my mum and aunts like.”

He grinned in triumph. “I thought as much.”

She took him around the art gallery, showing him various gifts. In a few minutes, he picked out handmade pottery tea sets, brightly colored sarongs, and some of the eclectic jewelry made by Tyler.