A winter kiss, p.50
A Winter Kiss, page 50
She turned to him and he met her with a kiss.
But no one’s watching, she thought, and then she kissed him back.
After a few minutes she pulled away. “What?” Rob asked.
Kara didn’t really know what to tell him other than her emotions were all jumbled up. He had paid her for the Christmas party and the Christmas shopping, and she’d seen the envelope with her name on it in the console of the SUV. It felt strange to be making out in his car while the money for her time sat between them.
She had made it clear to him that she wasn’t going to go to bed with him, but she wondered if he thought she owed it to him after all.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said. She kissed him quickly on the cheek as she opened the car door.
“Merry Christmas,” she said.
She practically ran down the sidewalk to her front door. When she turned around, the SUV was still parked at the curb, but as she opened the door, it drove away.
Kara didn’t know whether to feel relief or sadness.
It took her a long time to fall asleep.
Christmas Day
“Hi,” Kara said as she got in the car.
“Hi,” Rob said back, but fell silent after that. The envelope with her money was on the dashboard and it slid around as he accelerated away from the curb.
Kara picked it up and tucked it into her purse, not looking at Rob.
He turned up the radio, signaling he didn’t want to talk. She took her cue and just looked out the window.
She was wearing the same black dress she’d worn to the Christmas party, paired with some pretty flats. She’d left her coat behind in her apartment because she figured she’d only be outside for a couple of minutes. Now she wished she’d brought it because she could disappear into it.
As they pulled up to his parents’ house, Kara got a good look at it for the first time. It was a two-story Craftsman house that had been lovingly restored and painted a pale green with dark green trim. There was a spray of fir branches hanging on the front door with gold blobs attached that turned out to be spray-painted artichokes when Kara got close enough to identify them.
Inside, the house was warm and still held that rose/citrus fragrance that Kara had admired the night before. Eleanor must have put out fresh potpourri for the occasion.
Avery and Leo were playing a complicated-looking board game in the living room and barely looked up as she and Rob entered.
The adults gave her a warm welcome, and she was introduced to Rob’s Granpa Jim, who was wearing the ugliest ugly Christmas sweater she’d ever seen, and she’d seen a few. The year before, the bakery had sponsored an “Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest” with the winner scoring a sweet box a week for the entire year.
There was an elaborate bar cart in the corner of the room and Rob led Kara over to it. “What would you like?” he asked.
She looked over the selections and spotted a bottle of Dubonnet. She’d had it before and really liked it.
“Some of that please,” she said, and Rob expertly built her a drink, pouring the aperitif over ice and adding a twist of lemon.
“If working for your father doesn’t work out,” she said, “you might look into bartending.”
“I did that one summer,” he said. “The tips were great.”
She smiled and toasted him as he poured himself a finger of Scotch.
Everyone was about to sit down at the table set for 12 when the doorbell rang. William gave Eleanor a puzzled look, then got up to answer the door.
He came back a moment later with Rob’s Uncle Jake and Danielle in tow.
I knew it, Kara thought. I knew they were a couple.
“Sorry we’re late,” Jake said. “Traffic was terrible.”
Danielle just smiled, ignoring the dirty looks she was getting from Rob and Eleanor and even William.
Rob looked at Kara. “Sorry,” he mouthed.
She shrugged. “Not your fault,” she whispered.
“Merry Christmas,” Leo shouted then. “We bring you the feast.”
Everyone turned their attention to the door to the kitchen as Leo came out with a huge casserole dish. He was followed by his mother and Eleanor and Avery, who put their dishes on the table and went back for more. Before they were through, there was so much food on the table, it looked like a Vegas buffet.
“Looks delicious,” William said, glancing over at Eleanor. She beamed at the compliment.
“I made the wild rice and walnut stuffing,” Leo said.
“I’m sure it’s tasty,” Granpa Jim said.
As everyone began passing their plates around, William carved the turkey and Eleanor served up the side dishes. When everyone had a full plate in front of them, Eleanor looked significantly at Avery, who sighed at being put on the spot, then folded her hands to say the blessing.
Afterwards, everyone started eating.
Kara noticed that Danielle just had vegetarian options on her plate—a serving of mashed potatoes, some wild rice stuffing, and a dollop of candied yams.
I hope she chokes on her food, Kara thought fiercely. She normally didn’t think mean thoughts like that but something about Danielle really rubbed her the wrong way.
Angela and Granpa Jim carried on a lively conversation as everyone else concentrated on their food.
Kara was only listening with half her attention until suddenly Jake turned to William and asked, “What’s going on with the company?”
Rob, who’d been concentrating on buttering a roll, looked up.
“The company’s fine Jake,” William said.
“Really?” Jake said. “I’ve been hearing some rumblings.”
The expression on his face was meant to convey innocent concern but beneath it, Kara could see what looked like a smirk. She leaned close to Rob and whispered. “I think your uncle is the leak.”
Rob nodded, but didn’t respond. He was watching Jake closely too.
“We’ll talk about it later,” William said, but Jake didn’t take the hint.
“I’m just worried,” Jake said.
Kara wasn’t exactly sure what got into her but at that point, she spoke up. “Rumblings?” she asked. “Should I call my broker?”
Rob turned to look at her in astonishment.
“Kira dear, this is family business,” Danielle said.
Dear?
“My name is Kara,” Kara said, “and I’m engaged to Rob, so this is very much my business.”
Danielle narrowed her blue eyes until all Kara could see was a silvery glitter. “And how long do you think that’s going to last?” she asked sweetly. “He’s brought other girls home before and they’re usually gone by the New Year. If he holds true to form, this is the last time we’ll see you.”
Kara didn’t know what to say in response, but Rob spoke up. “Kara’s special.”
“Yeah,” Avery said. “She’s not a mean girl.”
Kara glanced at Rob’s sister appreciatively. “Thank you Avery.”
Danielle shot a venomous look in Avery’s direction. Eleanor watched this byplay with a complicated look on her face. Rob’s father, who was distracted by an incoming text, missed the entire moment completely.
A heavy silence settled over the table.
“How’d you like your presents?” Kara asked Avery.
Avery gave her a look. “We don’t open our presents until Boxing Day,” she said.
“Really? So what do you do all day on Christmas?”
Avery shrugged. “Mostly we eat and watch old movies.”
And that’s what they’d ended up doing, much to Kara’s dismay. But she had another chance to observe everyone and what she saw was interesting.
William kept sneaking glances at Eleanor and his expression was very sad.
Is he thinking about divorcing her? Kara wondered.
“Have your father and Eleanor been fighting?” she finally asked Rob as she stood in the solarium and watched the snow fall.
“They were mismatched from the get-go,” he said.
“Who said?”
Rob seemed taken aback by that. “They were from two different worlds,” he said.
“You said they met on a plane ride? Was your father riding in coach or had she gotten an upgrade?”
Rob’s lips thinned. “You are such a snob,” she said, and tried to take the sting out of the accusation with a small laugh. “She knew he was moody. She married him anyway,” he said.
“Spoken like a true romantic,” she said. And then she remembered the kisses from the night before and how they had made her tingle.
“Peace,” she said, holding out her hands. “I’m just looking at things the way an outsider would.”
He grew still at that. “What do you see?”
Kara shook her head.
“You have to tell me.”
“This is just my opinion,” she said.
“I’m listening.”
“It’s not Eleanor who’s trying to undermine your company. She loves your father, and she’s been trying to be a good stepmother to you and Avery ever since she married him. But now because of your Uncle Jake, your father thinks that she’s the one going to the press with stories about his illness, affecting the stock price and generally undercutting him.”
?How do you know my father’s sick?” Rob asked, alarmed.
Kara sighed. “All this yummy food around and your father has barely taken a bite. He’s wearing a good hair piece, but his skin looks kind of gray. It’s cancer, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Rob said. “But he’s in remission. The prognosis is good.”
“I’m glad,” Kara said.
“You think Jake’s trying to drive a wedge between my father and Eleanor?”
Kara glanced over to where Jake, William, and Eleanor still sat at the main table. Jake was telling some sort of anecdote and people were roaring with appreciation.
“He’s your mother’s brother, right?”
“Stepbrother,” he said.
“So, which parent connected him to your mother?”
“Her father.”
“Not Grandpa Jim.”
“No, his name was Clarence.”
“So, when Clarence died, who inherited?”
Rob thought a minute. “My mother got the bulk of the estate. Jake got the house in Seattle and some stock.”
“And he never resented it? Never complained that he should have gotten a bigger share?”
A strange expression crossed Rob’s face. “I’ve always thought he made his money in stocks.”
“But you never checked?”
“Why would I?” Rob said, sounding impatient.
“The details that are coming out about your family business. It never occurred to you to think that they might be coming out from a family member?”
“He’s not really family,” Rob said.
“Does he know that?” Kara asked. “Where does he live? What kind of car does he drive?”
“You sound awfully status conscious for someone who says she doesn’t care much about money.”
“You sound mad,” Kara said.
“I like my uncle.”
“He works hard at making you like him,” she said. “He’s taken on the role of ‘fun uncle’ and he’s probably been playing it your whole life. I bet he was the one who bought you your first drink.”
Rob got a funny look on his face and Kara pressed on. “He probably gave you your first cigar and taught you how to smoke it.”
“It was a joint,” Rob said. “Jake always has great weed.”
Kara nodded. “Did he ever take you to a strip club?”
Rob looked away. “Once.”
“And did everyone know him there?”
“Yes.”
They fell silent as Rob contemplated what she was saying.
“He’s got expensive tastes,” Kara added. “That watch of his probably cost as much as your car.”
“It was a birthday gift from my dad.”
“Your dad is close to him?”
“Like brothers.”
“Then why didn’t your father ever bring him into the family business?”
“My father keeps business and family and friends as separate as he can.”
“Except for you.”
“Yeah,” he said. “He’s been grooming me to take over since I was little.”
“Who introduced you to Danielle?”
“Jake did,” Rob said, sounding surprised. He turned back to look at Jake.
After lunch, Danielle approached Kara as Rob was talking to Leo and Avery, who were explaining the rules of the game they were playing.
On instinct, Kara pressed the “record” button on her phone and nonchalantly set it aside.
“Hey Kara,” Danielle said. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.”
“That’s my fault,” Kara said to disarm her. “I’m still a little insecure.”
Danielle smiled. “You don’t strike me as insecure,” she said. “I think you’re a manipulative little bitch.”
Kara felt the words like a slap but didn’t answer her, curious about what else she would say.
“I don’t know what your game is, but if you think you can come in here and disrupt things, you have another think coming.”
“I’m not interested in the family business,” ‘Kara said.
“That’s good,” Danielle said, “because it’s not going to be the family business much longer.”
“Really?” Kara said. “Is this inside trader information?”
Danielle shook her head. “Everybody knows there’s a hostile takeover in the works.”
Kara took a stab in the dark. “Who’s backing Jake?” she asked. ‘He doesn’t have enough money for a move like that.”
Danielle looked taken aback.
“You’d be surprised how many friends Jake has,” she said.
“I’m an econ major,” Kara said. “I’ve seen this sort of play before. Jake will get the raiders in, but the minute they have what they want, they’ll toss him aside.”
Danielle shrugged. “Maybe. But he’ll cash out.”
Gotcha, Kara thought, desperately hoping that what she was thinking wasn’t showing on her face. “Well good luck with that,”’ she said and turned away.
And that’s when Danielle noticed the phone sitting on the chair next to Kara.
“You bitch,” she said venomously and made a grab for the phone. Kara scooted backwards so violently the chair nearly tipped over.
Everyone in the room looked towards them.
“Rob?” Kara called.
He instantly rose and came over. “What’s going on?”
Danielle’s face was a blank mask as she considered her options. She finally settled on throwing Jake under the bus.
“It was Jake’s idea,” she said. “All I did was give him bits of information.”
Rob looked at her. “What are you talking about?”
Danielle didn’t answer.
“Yes, Danielle, what are you talking about,” William said as he joined the little group.
Behind him, Kara could see Jake putting things together and heading for the door.
“Don’t let Jake leave,” she said to Rob, who immediately headed for his uncle.
William’s attention was solely focused on Danielle. “What are you talking about Danielle?” he asked.
“It was Jake’s idea,” she said again.
There was a loud crash that diverted everyone’s attention to the doorway where Rob and Jake had started throwing punches.
Granpa Jim pulled out his cell phone and hit three numbers as Eleanor and Angela tried to pull the two men apart. In the process, Angela got a fist to her chin.
“Mom,” Leo cried, and launched himself at Jake, tackling him at the knees and distracting him just long enough for Rob to land a knock-out blow. He went down heavily.
Danielle looked like she wanted to bolt, but Granpa Jim stood up and announced that he’d called the police.
Kara looked at Danielle. She suddenly had big fat tears in her eyes. Kara wondered if she was sincerely sorry or just mad that her scheme had been uncovered.
“You’ll need this for the police,” Kara said, and handed her phone to William. He nodded his thanks.
After that, everyone sat around staring at each other for what felt like an eternity before the police arrived. William and Jim met them at the door and spoke to them for a long time.
Afterwards, the cops took Danielle and Jake away and everyone started talking again, adrenalized by what had happened.
She saw William go over to Eleanor and say something to her that made her face light up. She threw her arms around him in a big hug and he hugged her back.
Kara smiled inwardly.
“You’re amazing,” Rob said as he sat down beside her and took her hand. She didn’t pull away. It felt good to have her hand resting in his. She was suddenly sorry that their little adventure was over. She’d grown to care about his family.
She’d grown to care about him.
“Glad to be of service,” she said. In response, he lifted her hand and kissed it.
“You’ve been so much more,” he said.
Kara looked at him. “It’s been fun,” she said. “Except for the part about your uncle being a crook.”
Rob looked sad. “I don’t understand why.”
“Jealousy,” Kara said. “Envy. Greed.”
“He nearly destroyed the family.”
“Your family is strong,” Kara said. “Look at your dad and Eleanor. They’re going to thrive.” Rob looked over at his father and stepmother. They were sitting together on one of the couches, watching Leo and Avery.
“I want to thrive too,” he said.
“You will,” she said.
“I don’t want this to be our last date,” he said.
Kara smiled. “I’ve been paid through Boxing Day,” she said. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” She was trying to keep her tone light but inside, her heart was racing madly.
At first being with Rob had been a wonderful bit of make-believe. She’d enjoyed stepping into his world of privilege. But after the day they’d spent at the bakery coming up with presents for his family, she’d learned so much about him and begin to feel so much closer to him. She had never though she could actually care about someone like him and the idea that he would care about her stunned her.
