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A storybook kiss on New Year's Eve at the Big Sky Mavericks Masked Ball in Marietta, Montana should have been the beginning of a grand romance for Gretchen Zabrinski and Daniel Andrews. But when Gretchen overhears a phone call from Daniel to his brother about what he really wants from a woman, she takes off...without leaving so much as a glass slipper behind.
Daniel wants a family. Gretchen will never be able to give him that. So why does fate keep throwing them together so cruelly? First, at a Copper Mountain Chocolate Shop Speed Dating event, then when he’s hired to open a new division at her PR firm. But competing, shoulder-to-shoulder, to sell the most exotic chocolate kisses for charity really is the last straw.
Is love a cosmic connection or a karmic joke? Sometimes, the answer reveals itself in a kiss—a sweet kiss shared beneath a warm Montana summer sky.
Excerpt:
CHAPTER
ONE
Gretchen
pursed her lips to apply the unnaturally bright and shiny Liquid Sin
to her lips. Liquid
Sin.
Gretchen had laughed out loud when the woman at the makeup counter
had picked out the aptly named color for Gretchen’s
spur-of-the-moment makeover.
“Girl,
you’re going to make Prince Charming’s knees go weak when he sees
you at the ball.”
Except
Gretchen’s Prince Charming was a stranger. A blind date arranged by
her new boss. A man someone on social media had labeled The
Prince of Playboys.
Playboy.
“Strange
word.” She blotted her lips with a piece of tissue. Too outdated
for someone as hip and cool as Daniel Andrews. She tapped her phone
to see his online profile photo again.
A
squiggly thrill ping-ponged through her upper chest.
Heartbreaker-slash-modern-day-pirate
worked better than playboy. Thick, gorgeous hair. An earthy loam
lightened either very professionally in a salon or very fortuitously
by the sun. His lovely square jaw sported a beautifully masculine
shadow of beard.
Will
I get whisker burn when we kiss at midnight?
In
high school and college, she’d only dated boys who were clean-cut
and wholesome looking, the kind who fit her good-girl image. An image
that, with luck, was going bye-bye tonight.
One
doesn’t reinvent oneself and keep all of one’s old baggage.
Like the virginity she’d naïvely saved for the father of her
future children.
A
familiar tightness in her chest made her stare critically in the
mirror. Too much cleavage? Maybe
I should have left my hair down.
She
gave a tug on the silky material of her dress for modesty’s sake.
She knew what Samantha, her sister the pastor, would say when she saw
Gretchen’s outfit—but tonight was about change, about letting go
of old dreams and opening to fresh possibilities in Marietta,
Montana. Her new home.
Not
a move Gretchen had anticipated or planned for, but sometimes life
didn’t give a choice.
A
light tapping sounded on the door of the parsonage’s guestroom
where Gretchen had been staying for the past couple of weeks. “Knock.
Knock. Your date just drove up, Auntie. In a limo.” The last came
out with a squeal.
Makayla.
Fifteen. Amazing. Gretchen still remembered holding her newborn niece
for the first time at age seven. From that moment, she’d known
beyond any doubt that she, too, would be a mother. Someday.
She
swallowed hard against the lump in her throat and pushed to her feet.
Her ankles wobbled on her ridiculously high heels, and she bumped her
thigh against the old desk she’d been using as a makeup table.
“Coming.”
Did
her voice sound tight and squeaky? Darn. She needed to work on
throaty and sexy if she were going to seduce the playboy prince
tonight.
She
threw open the door and stepped back, hands out. “Well, what do you
think? Will my date be impressed?”
Makayla’s
mocha, heart-shaped face lit up with excitement. “Oh, my gosh,
Gretchen, you’re gorgeous. He’s going to fall in love with you.”
She reached out to touch the soft, nearly liquid material of the
gathered, floor-length skirt. “Your dress is amazing.”
The
bodice was made of the same material but cleverly fitted to her form
with a sweetheart neckline and beaded cap sleeves that gave the dress
an almost off-the-shoulder look. The inch-wide belt made her waist
look thinner than it normally was. Six months of stress and
depression had killed her appetite.
“I
can’t believe your boss gave you a designer gown.”
“Technically,
it’s on loan.”
Krista
Martin, one of the partners of BlueSky Promotions, was a
self-proclaimed Hollywood brat who had access to hand-me-down
designer gowns through her actress sisters. “Krista would have worn
this if she wasn’t on the West Coast with my date’s older
brother.”
Gretchen
slipped the white, fake fur jacket that had come with the dress off
the padded hanger and picked up the small silver purse she’d filled
earlier in the day. “Would you carry these for me, honey? I hope my
date remembered the invitations. I’ve heard this event is pretty
hoity-toity.”
Makayla
laughed. “Funny word! Must be a Detroit thing. I’ve heard Mom use
it, too.”
“Speaking
of Sam. Where is she? Not grilling my date on the stoop like Dad
would, is she?”
Makayla
made a pouty face. “Probably. Luckily, Gage is here, too. He helps
tone down Mom’s…um…enthusiasm some.”
Gretchen
smiled. Her sister was the most zealous pastor she’d ever met.
Samantha never tried to convert a stranger to the church, but she’d
talk an arm and a leg off to bring them into the family fold—and in
Pastor Sam Zabrinski’s opinion, everyone was family.
Gage
Monroe, Gretchen’s brother-in-law, had already proven invaluable in
keeping Sam from prying too aggressively into Gretchen’s reasons
for moving to Montana. At the Christmas Eve cast party for members of
Cornerstone Mission’s Living Crèche, he’d stood between Gretchen
and Sam like a referee when Samantha’s second eggnog made her
demand to know the real reason behind Gretchen’s impulsive move.
“Your sister will tell you in her own good time, Samantha. Give her
some room to get settled.”
“We’d
better hurry. I don’t want him to hightail it and run the other
way. Krista told me the food was prepared by a famous chef and the
dessert bar is to die for.”
She
took her niece’s hand and squeezed it the way she had whenever
they’d walked together throughout Makayla’s childhood, from
toddler to teen. Until Gretchen left for college, she’d probably
seen Sam and Makayla every day. Then, two and a half years ago,
Samantha was offered her own ministry in the small town of Paradise,
Montana—a short drive from their father’s family in Marietta.
“You’re
not coming home tonight, are you?” Makayla asked in a low whisper.
“I heard you and Mom talking.”
Gretchen’s
cheeks heated up. “As I told your mother, I have no expectations,
one way or the other. But I’m done setting limits on myself, too.
I’ve played by the rules all my life. Now, I’m not.”
She
stopped short of the living room door and put her lips close to her
niece’s ear. Makayla’s tightly curled Afro tickled Gretchen’s
nose and made her smile. “But I’m twenty-two and a half. You’re
not. Don’t forget that.”
Makayla
rolled her eyes. “Yes, Mom.”
Mom.
A brutal shaft of pain sliced through Gretchen’s chest wall,
exposing the still-bruised heart she’d fled to Montana to nurse.
“Idiopathic premature ovarian failure,” the specialist had said.
“With the right dosage of estrogen, you should live a long and
healthy life, free of complications. You just won’t be able to bear
children.”
Just.
The
word still brought a spurt of anger. Such a small thing, right? Only
the one truth she’d considered an integral part of her chemical,
biological, and emotional makeup for her entire life.
She
plastered a fake smile on her face and inhaled deeply. “Let’s go
meet Prince Charming.”
#
Daniel
stood on the stoop of the old parsonage, gloved hand raised to the
door. The exterior temperature gauge in the limo read nineteen
degrees. He needed to grab his date and get back in the warm car, not
stand there like a teenager at prom, shifting from one foot to the
other, hoping the soles of his Salvatore Ferragamos wouldn’t wind
up encased in ice.
Just
do it. Knock and get this over with.
He’d
mastered the complexities of dating in college. Women were fun,
interesting, and interchangeable. And this particular one—Gretchen
Zabrinski—was a one-off. A favor for Krista, his future
sister-in-law. A break from the mindless boredom of dog-sitting for
his parents, who were due to return in three days.
He
glanced over his shoulder at the nearby church steeple backlit by a
bright moon reflecting off the recent snowfall. His date lived in a
church rectory? How had he missed any mention of that in the
fifteen-plus texts he’d received throughout the day from Krista
Martin?
“You’ll
be a gentleman, right? I’m starting to get nervous about your
reputation. Jonah called you a playboy.”
He’d
shot off the sort of reply he would have sent his brother. “Playboy?
Who says that? Did you two go through a time warp in California?”
He
barely knew Krista. They’d commiserated over wine and pasta about
the unwelcome news she’d received concerning her mother’s health
before she’d handed him three dog leashes and raced out his
parents’ door to track down his annoying older brother in
California. Now, Jonah and Krista were zipping along the sunny, warm
West Coast while making plans to move in together.
News
Daniel hadn’t seen coming and was still coming to grips with. Jonah
was supposed to be the bachelor geek of the family. Everyone knew it
was only a matter of time before Daniel found Ms. Right and settled
down. But then the holidays hit with a vengeance. Daniel’s
girlfriend of six months broke up with him on Thanksgiving, declaring
he wasn’t “marriage material,” and eloped with their company’s
head of human resources two weeks later.
Since
the company closed from Christmas to January third, Daniel honestly
wasn’t sure what this awkward situation would mean when they got
back to work.
Daniel
hadn’t been in any rush to return to Denver after celebrating
Christmas in Florida with his parents and sister. When Jonah begged
him to fly to Marietta and watch the dogs for a few days, Daniel had
boarded the private jet Jonah chartered for him and, after a quick
stop in Denver to pick up warmer clothing, came home. The shocker was
finding Krista bawling her eyes out on his mother’s kitchen floor.
Daniel
still wasn’t sure how he felt about Jonah’s romantic windfall.
For a guy who once settled a ridiculous palimony suit outside of
court because he felt his ex had a point—“Living with me isn’t
easy, Daniel”—to wind up falling madly in love with the co-chair
of a Marietta charity Mom and Dad had been involved with for years,
defied understanding. After just a few weeks together, Jonah and
Krista were talking marriage, babies, getting a dog, and buying a
house.
Jonah
wins.
Again.
A
dinging sound made him reach into the pocket of the dark gray woolen
overcoat he’d impulsively worn when he’d boarded the plane in
Denver. Too dressy for dog-sitting but warmer than his ski jacket.
Besides, he liked it.
A
new text from Krista showed up on the screen. “Gretchen’s
a sweetheart and needs a little TLC. Just be nice, okay?”
“Nice?”
What did that mean exactly? Polite? Attentive? Charming without a
full-court press resulting in hot, meaningless sex?
If
it hadn’t required him to remove his lined leather glove, he would
have typed: “I’m
always nice. Want testimonials? A thousand women can’t be wrong.”
Instead,
he pocketed the phone, adjusted the wool scarf at his throat, and
then used the side of his fist to rap on the tiny bit of space
outside the huge holiday wreath encircling the frozen knocker.
Nothing.
He
leaned sideways to put his ear to the door. Christmas music. Still?
The
multicolored lights spilling from behind the curtains of the picture
window should have been his first clue. These were holiday people.
Daniel had deconstructed the holiday décor Jonah and Krista set up
at his parents’ home the day after Christmas.
The
tips of his gloves were too thick to get under the brass knocker but
he managed to dislodge the tapper part, rattling it with some force.
The door swung open a second later, nailing him in a swatch of
bright, golden light. He blinked, trying to make out the backlit
figures opposite him.
“Good
evening. Happy New Year. I’m Daniel Andrews. Here to pick up
Gretchen.”
The
taller of the two shadows grabbed his hand in a firm, commanding
shake. “Daniel. Welcome to the lion’s den. I’m Gage, and this
is Sam.”
“Come
in. Come in.” Sam, the woman who barely reached his shoulder,
leaned out, grabbed the sleeve of his coat, and tugged. “My sister
is almost ready. You have no idea how exciting this is. I missed her
prom. Never forgave myself. Now, we have a second chance. Sort of.”
She
slammed the door and spun about on calf-high Uggs. Her reindeer-print
fleece pajama bottoms were tucked into the boots and her red
I-Heart-Paradise sweatshirt sported a necklace of crumbs and a blob
of what looked like whipped cream just above the pink heart. Hair
pulled into a messy topknot and no makeup, she obviously had the
what-you-see-is-what-you-get thing down to a science.
“I
need pictures.” She poked her hands into the pockets of her PJs.
“Where’s my phone? Makayla?” she hollered. “Do you have my
phone?”
“I
think I saw it in the kitchen. Be right back,” Gage said.
The
man walked away with a long-legged gait that didn’t fit in the
small house. Daniel could picture him on a ranch somewhere doing an
honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage.
“I
bet Makayla has it. She’s been trying to play fairy godmother all
day. Thank God for Pinterest. That’s all I can say.” The woman
marched off in the opposite direction toward a hallway leading,
presumably, to the bedrooms.
Alone,
Daniel removed his gloves and unbuttoned his coat as the comforting
heat from a wood-burning stove filled the room. Homey holiday
decorations clustered on a mantel with a pine-bough background. Three
regal angels with wings made of real feathers were grouped together,
not far from a lighted ceramic nativity scene. The other anchor point
was a white church with a tall steeple not unlike the building
adjacent to this home. A candle—fake, he hoped, for safety’s
sake—flickered inside, showing off the building’s stained-glass
windows.
Gage
returned first, smartphone in hand.
Daniel
nodded toward the six-foot tree, its green boughs nearly obscured by
ornaments and twinkle lights. “Still have your tree up, I see. My
mom is the same way. Milks the season for all it’s worth. Dad, on
the other hand, would take down their tree on Christmas night if Mom
would let him.”
The
man, who probably had ten years on Daniel, held up his free hand and
crossed his fingers. “I’m shooting for the Super Bowl. If it
stays up any longer, the Volunteer Fire Department may have a say in
the matter.”
Daniel
had just loosened his scarf when Sam came hurrying toward them. “Here
she comes. I know I’m going to cry.”
She
charged into her husband’s open arms.
When
he showed her the phone, she gave Gage a noisy buss on the cheek. “My
hero.” Then she spun about, phone upraised. “Wait. Wait. Not yet.
I need to turn on the video.”
She
managed to get the camera working just as a slim, ethereal vision
with dark, upswept hair stepped into view. Her dress of liquid silver
moved with a faint hushing sound, as if to still the common riffraff.
A young, adoring minion followed a step behind, carrying the
princess’s white fur coat and sparkly purse.
“Wow,”
he and Gage said together.
So
beautiful. An
invisible elephant resting on his chest made it hard to take a full
breath. His lungs seemed to have forgotten how to work. He
experienced the oddest sense of stepping outside his body as he
walked toward her, hand out in greeting. “It’s lovely to meet
you. You look like a dark-haired Princess Diana. Regal and elegant.”
His
glib greeting brought a natural blush to her beautifully sculpted
cheeks.
She’s
perfect.
Also
sweet and much too innocent for you, buddy boy.
The
last came across in his brother’s voice.
Daniel’s
shoulders straightened as he brought her hand to his lips. “I’m
Daniel. I have a feeling I’m going to be the envy of every man at
the ball tonight.”
Then
he reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pulled out the two
masks he’d purchased that morning in Bozeman—one black, the other
silver.
“Oh,
it’s beautiful. Silver. How did you know what color to buy?”
She
showed it off to her sister and niece with obvious delight. When she
ran her fingers lightly over the crystal beads outlining the eyes, he
felt a shiver pass down his spine. It was as if she were touching him
intimately.
“Your
fairy godmother told me.”
At
her delightfully mocking look, he leaned closer to whisper, “Krista.
The Queen of Texts.”
Her
laugh did something crazy to his equilibrium and her perfume made him
want to bury his nose in her neck and come up for air next year.
Which, with luck, might well be the case tonight.
#
The
orchestra finished playing the Big-Band-era classic “The Way You
Look Tonight” as the MC for the evening walked to the microphone.
Austen Zabrinski, CFO of Big Sky Mavericks Charitable Group and older
brother of Paul Zabrinski, who Daniel vaguely remembered from high
school, cleared his throat and waited until the crowd on the dance
floor quieted.
Daniel
reluctantly released his hold on his date and checked his watch. Holy
crap. We’ve been dancing for three hours?
He
couldn’t remember the last time he’d danced so much. “Do you
think someone spiked our champagne with a magic youth serum?”
She
tossed back her head and laughed. “We are young. What I can’t get
over is how great you dance. You make me feel like I know what I’m
doing. I don’t want the night to end. I’m having a ball.”
From
the moment he’d helped her into the limo and handed her a glass of
champagne, Gretchen’s surprise and delight had made his heart swell
and contract in a crazy way he didn’t have the words to explain.
Her infectious, wide-eyed wonder made him want to readjust the
slightly jaded spectacles through which he looked at life.
He’d
not only attended dozens of high-end fundraisers over the years, but
he’d also organized a few for clients who demanded only the best.
He knew what to expect from the evening—dinner, an auction, maybe a
speaker or two promoting the goodwill and accomplishments of their
charitable cause. Normally, that would be his cue to write a generous
check…then dance his date straight to the hotel he’d splurged on
just in case things went as he hoped they would.
But
tonight, he oddly wanted to slow things down. He needed time to
memorize the softness of her hand nestled trustingly in his. To
recall perfectly the slightly crooked smile she’d flash when
someone bumped into them on the dance floor. Kind and gentle weren’t
words that came up often in his normal life.
Austen
motioned toward the orchestra. “May we have a big round of applause
for our band, please. Like last year, we’ve invited them to dine
with us, then join the party when our fabulous DJ takes us to the
final countdown of the year.”
Gretchen
applauded politely before leaning toward him to whisper. “I loved
the ballroom dancing—I truly did—but I’m going to need a faster
beat to work off all the fats, protein, and carbs I plan to eat
tonight.” Despite the glittery mask that made reading her
expression a challenge, he recognized the flirtatious twinkle in her
eyes when she added, “Unless you can think of some other cardio
activity to burn off calories and get our heart rates up.”
His
brain drew an instant picture of naked, sweaty bodies tangled in fine
cotton sheets and nothing else. His pulse spiked, erasing from his
mind every glib, uber-cool sexy comeback he’d ever used to seduce
an interested female. And Gretchen was interested. He had no doubt
whatsoever.
Austen
filled in the dead air, thank goodness. “Feel free to head toward
the tables, where dinner will be served momentarily. Those of you
planning to wait till the last minute to bid on silent auction items
should make your last-ditch effort sooner rather than later.”
As
the crowd around them started to move, Gretchen put her hand on his
arm. “I hope you don’t mind. I bumped into my aunt, Sarah
Zabrinski, in the restroom. She invited us to join their table for
dinner. I said yes without thinking you might have made other
arrangements. I’m sorry.”
The
women he usually dated didn’t apologize for anything. They were
professional types who fought tooth and nail for the success they
quite rightfully achieved and didn’t feel the need to explain
squat. “I’m embarrassed to say I hadn’t given our table
arrangements any thought.” Because
my mind doesn’t work right when I’m with you.
“I’d be happy to join your family. I grew up in Marietta,
remember? I’m sure I’ve met a few of your cousins, although I’ve
haven’t been back much since I left for college.”
She
let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you. Hopefully, they’ll be too
busy eating to grill you too badly. I think Sarah and Uncle Robert
are trying to keep an eye on me for my parents.”
He
tilted his head. She’d already told him she was twenty-two. And
that she’d lived in a dorm for two years and had been sharing a
house with three other students for the last year and a half. “Are
your folks a bit overprotective or is this a youngest-daughter
thing?”
“Probably
a bit of both. They weren’t crazy about my moving to Montana. But
here I am.” She did a little pirouette that made her gorgeous dress
float about her ankles in a Disney-princess sort of way.
A
feeling of bone-deep yearning made him reach for her hand, but at
that exact moment, a male server around ten years older than Daniel
bumped into him, causing the giant serving platter laden with
cloche-covered plates to wobble and tip. Adrenaline kicked in, and
Daniel grabbed one edge of the platter to keep the contents from
sliding to the floor as the server caught his balance.
“Oh,
man, thank you so much. I was hurrying too fast when I clobbered you.
I’m sorry. That could have been a disaster.”
Daniel
waved off his apology. “Been there, done that. I waited tables all
through college. Go. Do what you gotta do. It’s all good.”
Gretchen
sidled up to him and slipped both arms around his middle. “My
hero,” she said, unknowingly echoing her sister’s words from
earlier in the evening. The look in her eyes made his heart jump
painfully.
Adrenaline
overload or something else?
He was afraid to look too closely for an answer. Instead, he pointed
toward the dining area, where the beautifully set tables were quickly
filling up. “Lead the way, milady.”
She
pretended to curtsey. “I’m starving. My cousin, Mia, told me they
serve bison steaks so tender you can cut them with a fork, and their
vegetables are flown in from an organic farm in California. And the
dessert bar includes a special treat Copper Mountain Chocolates
owner, Sage Somebody, makes especially for this gala. I love
chocolate. How ‘bout you?”
“Who
doesn’t?”
She
rose on her toes to search for her family’s table. “Which is your
favorite? Dark? Or milk?” She turned so abruptly she nearly tumbled
into his arms. “If you say white, I will make you sit at a
different table.”
A
grin the size of the steak on a nearby plate stretched his facial
muscles, dislodging the mask he’d nearly forgotten he was wearing.
A lightness he hadn’t felt in years made him want to shout or dance
a jig or blurt out something equally inappropriate. Instead, he
forced himself to whisper in her ear, “Dark.” Like
my soul…until you appeared.
“Gretchen,”
a voice called. “Over here. We saved you a place.”
Once
seated, Daniel noticed nobody at the table was wearing a mask, so he
removed his, too, and used it to tap Gretchen on the nose. She turned
her back toward him. “Can you undo my tie?”
Her
proximity made the heat between them rise. The sweet curve of her
bare shoulder begged to be kissed. The innocent glimpse of flesh
displayed by the décolletage of her dress made him instantly hard.
His hands trembled in his haste to untie the silver ribbon.
She
caught the mask and set it in her lap, followed quickly by the large,
black cloth napkin. Once settled, she looked around and smiled. “Hi,
everyone. I saw most of you at Sam’s Christmas open house, but it’s
good to see you again. I’d like to introduce my date, Daniel
Andrews.”
Daniel
shook hands with those close by and nodded to the couples on the far
side of the table. Some faces seemed familiar, but most were
strangers. Under normal circumstances, he would have made more of an
effort to work the room, so to speak, but tonight, his focus had
narrowed to three things. Midnight.
Kissing. Gretchen.
As
their salads were delivered, Gretchen gamely tried to include him in
her conversation with the couple to her right. “Daniel, did you
know my cousin, Mia, is
the C.E.O. of Big Sky Mavericks Charitable Foundation? Her husband
Ryker is a world-famous photographer.”
Daniel
recognized the name. “Ryker Bensen? I bid on a couple of your
photographs in the silent auction. They’re amazing.”
“Thank
you. Do you live around here?”
“Denver.
I’m the substitute dog-sitter for my parents. It was either fill in
for my wayward brother or join friends in St. Barts.” He looked at
Gretchen. “No contest. I’m right where I want to be.”
He
hadn’t realized he’d said the last bit out loud until every woman
at the table sighed in unison. He was saved from too much
embarrassment by the arrival of the same waiter he’d helped
earlier. The man delivered each plate with a flourish as he detailed
Daniel’s act of “heroism.”
Luckily,
the food lived up to its hype. Within seconds, everyone appeared
focused on the meal, instead of Daniel.
“The
bison is delicious. Thank you for suggesting it,” he said after
washing down a bite with a sip of the fabulous merlot Ryker had
poured for him. “Note to self—find out the name of the chef for
future reference.”
“You’re
welcome. And while your risotto looks good, I’m afraid you made a
terrible mistake by not ordering the potatoes-au-gratin.” She
shoveled a giant bite on her fork and held it toward his face. “I
taste three distinct kinds of cheese.”
He
laughed because he couldn’t remember the last time someone tried to
feed him. After he took the bite, he chewed with his eyes closed to
savor the unique flavors. When he opened his eyes, he noticed the
matriarch of the Zabrinski clan watching.
“You’re
right. Amazing. But let’s see which of us wins the dessert
challenge of milk or dark.”
Unfortunately,
when it came time to visit the dessert bar, Daniel didn’t have room
for another bite. He sipped the cup of coffee their favorite waiter
poured and watched his date fill a plate to share with the table.
Mrs.
Zabrinski took what looked like a white truffle adorned with bits of
candy cane. “Oh, my, this is tasty,” she said.
“Sage
has outdone herself. Be sure and thank her for me if you see her
before I do,” the woman told Gretchen. “I know she does a lot of
business with your company. Robert and I will be busy watching Meg
and Hank’s kids for a week so they can have a long overdue
honeymoon.”
Mia
smacked her lips in appreciation of a dark chocolate morsel and then
chimed in, “They’re going to Tahiti. I’m so excited for them.
My sister deserves this trip so much. She was the surrogate for our
twins, Daniel. Would you like to see their pictures?”
“Daniel,
you haven’t sampled a piece of chocolate yet,” Gretchen said,
shifting his way. “Or I could get you a piece of the layer cake. It
looked amazing.”
He
set down his cup to look at her. Was he the only one who heard the
near panic in her tone?
Apparently,
yes. At least, her cousin seemed oblivious to Gretchen’s sudden
distress as she handed him an oversized phone glowing with the image
of two toddlers, a boy and a girl, sitting on Santa’s lap. “Cute
kids,” he said, passing it back to her. “That sounds like quite a
story.”
“It’s
pretty amazing,” Mia said. “We are truly blessed. One of Ryker’s
old friends owns the resort where Meg and Hank are staying, and he
plans to treat them like royalty.”
Sarah
Zabrinski tapped his shoulder and motioned for the serving dish.
“Thank you. Gretchen, you should bring Daniel by the house
tomorrow. Very laid-back. Lots of food, family, and a few friends.
And lots of kids, of course.”
For
the first time all evening, Gretchen’s smile struck him as fake.
“Thanks, Aunt Sarah. I’ll try.”
Or
not. He
hoped her dissembling meant she planned to be with him at his hotel
on New Year’s Day, but maybe that could be wishful thinking on his
part. Before he could ask, a loud voice came across the PA.
“Happy,
happy New Year’s Eve, revelers. Are you ready to dance your shoes
off?”
Gretchen
jumped to her feet. “Daniel, I believe they’re playing our song.”
“We
have a song?” He got up, tapped his napkin to his lips, and then
nodded to the table. “It’s been a pleasure.”
But
the pleasure was nothing compared to what he hoped was coming once
the clock struck midnight.
##
The
reliable slow-song crowd pleaser “My Girl”
made
it easy for Gretchen to relax in Daniel’s arms. She’d taken
ballroom dance to fulfill a P.E. requirement, but none of her
partners danced as well as Daniel. “Not sure. Don’t people throw
them in the air after they kiss? Or is that graduation?”
“I
can’t remember. Maybe I’ve had too much champagne. What was the
question?”
He
spun them out of the way of another couple, his arm tightening with
just the right amount of pressure across her mid-back. A thrill of
sexual tension coursed through her body. A viable pull had blossomed
between them, beginning in their first moments in the back of the
limo.
“I
don’t care. I’m ready to see your face without the silver
crystals. You’re more beautiful than this thing.”
He
snatched the mask from her face so smoothly she might not have
noticed if not for the sudden coolness on her skin and the slight tug
of the band that got hung up in her hair. When she pulled it free, a
lock of hair tumbled lazily across her shoulder.
“You’re
a natural-born rule breaker, aren’t you? I took a class in early
childhood education on how to handle mischief-makers.”
“Ooh.
Discipline. Tell me more.” Even with his mask still in place, she
could see the teasing look she’d fallen a little in love with over
the past five hours.
Another
desire-laced thrill shot to her girl parts. She liked him.
But
do I like him enough?
Enough
to spend the night with him?
A
resounding
yes
echoed throughout her brain.
If
he asks.
And
if he didn’t?
Then
she’d make the first move. Or second. Or whatever number they were
on by the time they kissed at midnight.
Not
that she was worried. They hadn’t left the other’s side for more
than a few moments since they arrived. They’d even managed to carve
out small, private moments while dining with the loud and boisterous
Zabrinski family.
She
could have lived without listening to Mia recount the miraculous
birth of her twins. One day, hopefully, her heart would grow enough
scar tissue that she’d be able to look at baby photos without
breaking into tears.
Luckily,
they’d been able to escape to the dance floor before she
embarrassed herself too badly. Dance. The perfect excuse to touch
him. To breathe him in like rarified oxygen.
“How
did you become such a wonderful dancer?”
“Lessons.
My parents are both teachers. They don’t believe in leaving
anything to chance—and given my father’s terrible lack of rhythm,
Mom refused to inflict that on any woman in case two left feet was a
dominant gene.”
“Please
tell her I owe her a debt of gratitude.”
“You
can tell her yourself. Dad called this morning. They’re starting
home in the morning. My
sister is ready to deal with her new reality alone. She might move
back to Montana at some point, but for now, she doesn’t want to
uproot the kids on top of adjusting to losing their dad.”
He’d
alluded to a sad mystery surrounding his late brother-in-law’s
death, but there were too many getting-to-know-each-other topics to
get into any one conversation too deeply. Including her reason for
dropping out of college and moving to Montana.
That
would come out later.
After
the music ended. After the countdown began. After their kiss. After a
night of unimaginable bliss in each other’s arms.
She
crossed her fingers and stopped thinking. Tonight was about feeling.
About taking risks and experiencing life to the fullest.
Moments
later, the DJ played an Ed Sheeran song Makayla had shared with her
earlier that week. Perfect.
A shiver ran down the length of her spine.
She’d
immediately downloaded the song and added the video to her playlist.
She imagined the love story he sang about was her love story—the
one that never happened. She squeezed her eyes tight, wishing she
still wore a mask.
Daniel’s
hold tightened a tiny bit, then he kissed a bare spot where her neck
and shoulder met. “Nice song. I’ve never heard it before, but you
truly do look perfect tonight.”
She
swallowed the lump in her throat. “Thank you. I love my Cinderella
dress. Krista’s sister has great taste.” He pulled back, a
questioning look in his eyes. Did he think she was pretending to show
false modesty or fishing for compliments? She blurted out a question
she’d meant to ask earlier. “So, do you always take a tux with
you when you travel to a dog-sitting gig?”
“My
best friend has a key to my condo. He took it to a shipper I use all
the time.” He looked down. “Luckily, he remembered my Ferragamos.
Dancing wouldn’t be quite the same in snow boots.”
She
recognized the designer’s name even if she hadn’t recognized the
brand on his feet. My
first time is going to be with a guy who can afford designer shoes.
In
what felt like a blink, Austen returned to the stage, carrying a
large digital clock and a microphone. “We are fast approaching the
bewitching hour, my friends. A new year is about to begin. On behalf
of the Big Sky Mavericks Charitable Group, thank you all for coming.
We promise to put your generosity to beneficial use locally, and
we’ll see you next year.”
On
cue, people started shouting, “Ten…nine…eight…”
Gretchen
turned in Daniel’s arms so their fronts were pressed together.
Reaching up, she slipped her fingers under the rim of his mask and
pulled it free. They looked into each other’s eyes as what she
hoped was an unspoken understanding passed between them.
She
looped her arms across his shoulders and brought her face closer to
his. “Two…one…Happy New Year!”
His
lips were warmer than she’d expected. And softer. And when she gave
a little “Oh,” his tongue slipped inside her mouth. Curious,
friendly, interested. His taste was hers. His smell? Completely his
own and something she’d forever identify as Daniel Andrews.
She
melted against him, needing to touch as much of her body to his as
possible. Gretchen wanted him to be the one. Her first. From what
she’d learned about him on social media, he was a fun-loving
go-getter who didn’t seem the least bit interested in settling
down.
Perfect.
When
it came to women, he was…um…experienced. Perhaps a bit of a
player.
Works
for me.
She
wanted to be with someone who would treat her with gentle finesse…or
maybe not-so-gentle finesse. How would she know what she liked until
she tried it?
An
unnatural buzzing sensation near her breast made her startle.
Daniel
groaned and pulled his phone from his inside jacket pocket. “My
brother. Do you mind? He and Krista are in California. Different time
zone.”
“Not
at all. We wouldn’t be here if not for them. Please.”
“They’re
on FaceTime. With all the noise, we won’t be able to hear a thing.
Oh, well.”
He
touched a button. A second later, two faces appeared on the screen.
Krista let out a squeal of glee. “Oh, Gretchen, you look fabulous.
Show me the dress, Daniel. Show me the dress.”
Daniel
rolled his eyes, but he took one step back. He lowered and raised the
phone as Gretchen did a spin. Then, he pulled her in close again.
Krista
blinked as if to keep away tears. “I absolutely love it. You look
like a fairy-tale princess. Are you having fun?”
“It’s
been magical. Daniel hired a limo, and he dances like a dream. He’s
been a perfect gentleman.” Until
later, I hope. She
bumped her nose against his cheek. “Thank you so, so much for
making this happen.”
“No
thanks necessary. Jonah and I are having a wonderful time, too. We
only called to wish you Happy New Year.”
Jonah
squeezed in. “We’re an hour behind you, so we get to make out in
public twice.
But hey, Daniel, quickly, did you leave the TV on for the dogs? In
case someone starts shooting off guns? You are in Marietta, Montana,
after all.”
Gretchen
missed Daniel’s reply when Sarah Zabrinski walked up to them.
“Aunt” Sarah was Gretchen’s father’s first cousin by
marriage, but because of their age difference, people forgot they
were part of the same generation.
She
gave Gretchen a quick hug. “You two are just the cutest couple. We
really enjoyed meeting Daniel. I hope you bring him tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
Since
she’d never spent the night with a man, she didn’t know what to
expect from the morning after.
Gretchen
made what she hoped was a noncommittal reply and waved goodbye as the
crowd swept Sarah away.
She
turned back to Daniel. She reached out to touch his shoulder but
stopped when she heard him say in a low, confidential tone, “I
never thought I’d say this, brother, but I think I just kissed the
mother of my future children.”
She
sucked in an involuntary gasp when a pain as sharp and gut wrenching
as the one she’d felt in her doctor’s office the day he’d
explained the ramifications of her diagnosis made her knees wobble.
Panic hit a second later.
No.
No. It’s not supposed to be like this. Tonight is mutual fun, no
commitment. No future. Period. Anything else wouldn’t be fair.
Especially
to Daniel.
But
she couldn’t speak those words aloud because then he’d ask
why…and she hadn’t said those words to anyone. Not yet.
Intent
on disappearing, she turned and melted into the crowd exiting the
party. She grabbed her jacket from the coatroom, grateful her tiny
purse held her cell phone. Her Uber app showed one driver in her
area. Three minutes later, she was on the road back to Paradise. Her
sister and niece might not be expecting her, but Sam would
understand. And that was all Gretchen wanted. Someone who wouldn’t
ask for something she couldn’t give.
Thanks for sharing, Amy!
ReplyDeleteXOXO,
Deb