Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance (10 page)

Lily couldn’t bring herself to
play games. “Yes, that would be fine.” She glanced at the wall clock. “What
time will you be here?”

“About two, if that’s all right.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”
Flustered, Lily wondered how that sounded. “I’ll look forward to seeing Annie.”
She hung up and looked at her shaking hand. If she was going to finish cutting
that fabric, she’d better get herself under control.

* * *

Maddie took four more orders in
the space of an hour; it was a good thing Zelda would be starting soon. The
young woman’s enthusiasm and ideas had given her a much-needed lift; she was
surprised at how much she was missing Brent. She’d known him for such a short
time, and yet every time she thought about him, she smiled. And he’d said he’d
like to see her when he got back...

Her phone rang again. She’d downloaded
Dashing Through The Snow
as her ringtone and it was getting old already.
She put a smile in her voice. “Hello. Gift Wrapped for Christmas.”

“Maddie?” The husky voice made
her heart beat a little faster. “How are you?”

She glanced around the lobby and
lowered her voice. “I’m fine, how are you? I didn’t expect to hear from you
this soon.” She gave a low, intimate laugh, not caring if he could tell how
happy she was to hear from him. “But I’m glad you called.”

“Maddie?” the voice changed, and
her heart sank when she realized that it wasn’t Brent.

“Allan?” Stunned to hear from the
man who’d so brusquely dumped her six months prior, she couldn’t think of
anything to say.

He gave a nervous laugh. “I
wasn’t sure you’d remember me.”

What a stupid thing to say. What
kind of games was he playing? She allowed some anger to creep into her voice.
“What do you want, Allan?”

He cleared his throat. “I’ve been
thinking about you a lot recently, and I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”

Was he kidding? Jumbled thoughts
chased each other through her mind. She was angry at him for not being Brent,
but she was also angry at herself for having given him her phone number. He’d
asked for it when she first moved, while she’d still felt a connection to
Connor, and she’d given in.

“Excuse me, Allan, but I’d like
to take this opportunity to remind you that you have a fiancée. It’s bad form
to be thinking of someone else.”

“Actually, that’s what I wanted
to talk to you about. Marie is a lovely girl, but that was a mistake.” He
paused and took a deep breath. “I’d like to come and see you.”

“No!” She didn’t have to think
twice. “Definitely not.” She noticed a couple of people in the lobby staring at
her; she must have raised her voice. She reeled in her temper and forced
herself to speak calmly. “Don’t do that, Allan. Don’t come here. There’s
nothing between us.”

“Can’t we at least be friends?”

Maddie pressed the fingers of her
free hand to the center of her forehead. She was starting to get a headache.

“We are
not
friends,
Allan. Friends don’t date you for over three years, act as if you have a future
together and then turn around and announce that they’re going to marry someone
else. That’s not what friends do.” A customer walked up to her shop and picked
up the brochure outlining her services. “Listen, I have to go. I’m sorry things
didn’t work out for you, but as far as you and I, that was over the moment you
dumped me.” She didn’t wait for him to respond. “Goodbye, Allan.”

She disconnected, gripped the
counter to steady herself and smiled at the customer.

“Hi, I’m Maddie. Let me know if I
can answer any questions.”

“Uncle Chase, this is so
exciting.” Annie had been vibrating with enthusiasm ever since Chase told her
they were going to visit Lily’s studio. “Do you know how to find it?”

He pointed to a folded piece of
paper in the console between the seats. “I printed out a Google map. You could
help me navigate if you like.”

Lily’s business was located in
the industrial section, in a plain white building. The business name appeared
on a discreet sign beside the entrance door and a small loading bay sat off to
the far side of the front of the building.

Chase parked in a stall marked
“Visitor” and grinned at Annie. “Ready?” he asked, acknowledging to himself
that his question was as much about him as it was about his niece.

They stepped into a small but
tastefully furnished reception area. A receptionist looked up and welcomed them
warmly. “You must be Annie and Mr. Drummond.”

Chase extended his hand. “We’re a
few minutes early, I hope that’s all right.” The wall behind the receptionist
was mostly plate glass and overlooked the production floor. He scanned the
space, looking for Lily. Annie squirmed at his side and was about to say
something when the door opened, and Lily came out. She glanced at Chase and
then smiled at Annie. “I’m so glad you could come. Welcome to my shop.”

Chase couldn’t stop smiling as
Lily greeted Annie. They were soon chattering together like best friends. He
didn’t know which one made him prouder...the woman he’d fallen for or his
niece.

Lily raised her head, and he was
treated to the full effect of her amazing eyes. There was something different
about them today. There was no mistaking the wariness there, but the gaze she
gave him was softer, more receptive. A glimmer of hope took up residence inside
his chest.

“You can wait out here if you
like, or you can come with us.” She smiled at him. “I’m not sure if you’ll find
it very interesting.”

He managed to find his voice.
“I’d like to tag along, if you don’t mind. I already have a question.” He held
open the door to the work floor, and she stepped under his raised arm.

“What is that?” she asked,
touching Annie on the shoulder, keeping her part of the conversation.

“That odd-looking rectangular
contraption over there.” Chase pointed to a metal rack that held fabric
suspended from fine hooks. “What’s going on with that?”

Lily nodded. “It looks like some
sort of a torture device, doesn’t it?” She was relaxed and in her element. “We
use it for the velvets, mostly. Keeps the fabric from getting crushed.”

It was Chase’s turn to nod.
“Makes sense.” He stepped back. “You and Annie go ahead. I’ll just tag along.”

He followed while Lily took Annie
through the various processes. The child was particularly fascinated by the way
the screens for multi-colour projects fit together. Lily had set up a screen
with a design from the Calgary Stampede and showed Annie how to produce a
t-shirt. The child watched carefully and then asked if she could try to apply
the last colour. Chase stood back and watched as the two heads came together,
Lily’s hair shimmering black and heavy, and Annie’s fine and red. Lily spoke to
Annie as an adult, and he could see the child’s confidence growing as Lily
carefully explained the different processes.

“And over here is our fashion
department.” Lily led them through a door into a long, narrow room. Sketches
and fabric samples adorned one wall and stacks of fabric, all carefully marked,
filled a massive set of shelves. Chase counted six industrial sewing machines,
but only three were in use.

Lily noted the direction of his
gaze. “We haven’t started our spring production yet.” She waved a hand.
“Actually, a large percentage of our garments are produced by piece work.”

Chase’s business instincts came
to the fore. “Do the workers ever let you down?”

Lily smiled sweetly. “Not twice.”

He grinned down at her. “Remind
me not to get on your bad side.”

Her lips twitched, and she tilted
her head, acknowledging his remark. Then she turned to Annie. “There’s not much
else to see, but do you have any questions?”

The child looked around,
wide-eyed. “Only about a million,” she said, looking from Lily to her uncle and
then back to Lily. “There’s so much to see.” She touched one of the sewing
machines reverently. “I’m going to start saving my allowance so I can get a
sewing machine.”

“Good for you. Let me know when
you get it, and I’ll show you some of the basics.”

“Would you?” Annie wrapped her
arms around Lily’s waist then stepped back, embarrassed. “That would be so
cool.”

“Of course I will.” She pulled
Annie to her side and shot a look of defiance at Chase. “I’ll have you sewing
in no time.”

Chase felt as though he’d missed
part of the conversation, but let it slide. “Well ladies, if the tour is over,
can I take you out for tea? I understand there’s a little place a few blocks
away. It’s not fancy, but they make their own cakes and pies.”

Annie tugged at Lily’s hand.
“Please come,” she said. “It’ll be fun.”

Chase held his breath waiting for
her response. Something flared in her eyes as she looked up at him. “Okay,” she
said, returning her attention to Annie. “That sounds like fun.”

Annie crawled into the back seat.
Chase held the door for Lily, and her scent invaded his nostrils. “Thank you,”
she murmured. Once she was settled he handed her the seatbelt and their fingers
brushed together. A spark of static electricity startled them both; she looked
up at him under dark lashes, and his heart lurched inside his chest.

Annie peppered Lily with
questions during the short drive to the small coffee shop. Lily turned sideways
in her seat to answer, and they talked as though they’d known each other all
their lives. A warm sensation washed over him. Perhaps he was being foolish,
but he didn’t think he’d ever been this contented.

They sat in a corner booth, an
old-fashioned semi-circle. Placed between the two adults, Annie beamed with
pleasure as she ordered banana cream pie.

“And for you?” Chase tried not to
stare at her. She’d removed her work smock before they left the studio,
revealing a blousy white silk shirt which she’d cinched at the waist with a
thin black leather belt. Her luxurious hair was down and she shoved it back,
revealing simple gold hoops. He’d better stop staring before she pulled away
from him again.

“I think that double chocolate cake
sounds good.” She gave the waitress a dazzling smile. “And some Earl Grey tea,
please.” She leaned into Annie. “What about you? Shall we share a pot of tea?”

“Yes, please.”

Chase ordered coffee and apple
pie with a slice of cheddar, then turned his attention to Annie. “So what did
you think of Lily’s studio?”

Annie rolled her eyes, back to
being a typical ten year old. “It was amazing. I can’t wait to tell my
friends.”

“Remind me to run in and get that
t-shirt for you when your uncle drops me off. I made it for you.”

Annie beamed her pleasure. “Thank
you.”

The food arrived, and Lily dug
into her chocolate cake. “Good,” she murmured, patting the edge of her mouth
with a napkin and going in for another forkful. Her movements were decidedly
delicate and feminine, and yet he sensed she could challenge a trucker to an
eating contest.

He recalled the last time he’d
dated Laurel Carmichael. She’d pushed her food around her plate, trying to make
it appear as though she was eating. When he’d inquired if she would like some
dessert, she’d looked at him as though he’d lost his mind. A few weeks ago he’d
agreed to accompany her to an upcoming wedding of mutual friends. He regretted
that decision now, but he didn’t see how he could cancel. It would be agony to
be with Laurel when the only woman he wanted was sitting across from him.

Chase waited until Lily had
finished her cake, then leaned forward. “If you don’t mind me asking, do you
provide all the t-shirts for the Calgary Stampede?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Just some
specialty items.” She scooted forward on the bench seat, completely changed as
she talked business. “I looked into it a few years ago, but the numbers are
staggering. Not only from the production standpoint, but price point. They can
buy so much cheaper elsewhere.” She lifted her shoulders. “I can’t blame them
for that. I’d do the same.” She tapped the side of her cup with her
fingernails. “There are probably t-shirts being produced right now for next
year...somewhere.”

He watched her reaction. “You don’t
resent that?”

“Not really. I can only be
competitive on orders up to around five thousand, and even that’s pushing it.”
She smiled at Annie to include her in the conversation. “Just think. If I
committed myself to massive numbers like that, I’d never have branched out and
designed my resort wear line.” She nodded to herself. “And my staff would be
bored in no time. I’ve never wanted to work in an environment where I had to do
the same thing every day.”

“Wait a sec. Did you say you
designed the resort wear?” Chase’s respect for her was growing.

“I probably shouldn’t admit this,
but it wasn’t that difficult. It’s not haute couture, and I’ve been on the
fringes of design for most of my life.” She held up a finger. “I did hire a
pattern maker, though. That’s a special skill.”

“I wonder,” he murmured, mulling
over an idea in his head.

“You wonder what?” She was
looking at him with a challenge in her eyes.

“Sorry. I was wondering about a
charity event I’m involved in.” He was having a hard time concentrating, but
this opportunity was perfect.

She remained silent, waiting for
him to speak.

“I’m on the board of a low-key
charity that supplies sporting equipment to children who can’t afford it.”

Lily’s eyes lit up, and he
continued.

“We don’t get a lot of press. We don’t
want any, to tell you the truth.” He gave her a quick smile. “There were just a
few of us involved when we first started, but now there are...oh...two dozen
active members. It’s only in Alberta, and our sole purpose is to help out kids
in need.” He gazed into the distance for a moment. “You’d be surprised how much
money it takes to outfit a kid for hockey, not to mention the costs to be
involved in a league. Two years ago we added the same service for girls as
well. There’s been a surge of interest in hockey by young girls since our
Olympic success.”