Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance (17 page)

“He said he was going out of
town.”

It wasn’t the words that
frightened Maddie. It was the cool, unemotional way they were delivered, as
though the picture meant nothing. But Maddie knew better. Lily had taken a leap
of faith when she’d agreed to go out with Chase Drummond, and he had let her
down in the most hurtful way possible.

Lily looked down at the picture
again, studying it as though to memorize it. Then she folded the paper, shoved
it under the grate in the fireplace and lit it. Standing with her back to
Maddie, she faced the fireplace while the newspaper flared and then burned to
ashes.

Maddie knew better than to say
anything. Lily walked into the kitchen, rinsed out her coffee cup and poured
some fresh. Her brow furrowed as she tapped her fingernails restlessly against
her cup.

“The thing is,” she said,
shooting a quick glance at Maddie to make sure she was listening, “I don’t know
whether to be mad at him or at myself. I saw this coming the other night at the
fundraiser, but I chose to believe him when he said they weren’t together.” She
raised her eyes toward the ceiling. “How ridiculous is that? When I saw them
together I should have walked...” Her phone rang. She looked at it and
grimaced. “My mother. Just what I needed.” She picked up the phone. “Hello,
Mom.” She listened for a moment.

“When was this?” Her voice had
become brisk and businesslike. She grabbed a notepad from the counter and started
to make notes. “And you’re with him now?” She held the phone away and checked
the time. “Okay. It’s ten thirty here now. I’ll be there before dinner tonight.
What do the doctors say?” She listened, nodding her head. “That’s good, Mom.
What you need to do now is keep it together until I get there.” She started to
make a “hurry up” motion with her hand. “Okay, but while I’m talking to you I
can’t be booking a flight or packing a bag. Yes, I’ll phone you from the
airport and let you know when I’m getting in.”

She disconnected and stood for a
moment, staring out the window. “My dad’s had a heart attack.” She walked
toward the bedroom.

Maddie jumped up and followed. “How
is he?”

“He’s still alive but the doctors
say they won’t know anything for sure until tomorrow.”

Maddie felt helpless. “What can I
do? Anything?”

“You could go online and see what
flights there are. I think Air Canada and WestJet would be the best bets.”

Maddie had just finished her
search when Lily came out with a small suitcase.

“There are several flights between
now and three o’clock. Do you want me to book one, or will you check at the
airport?”

Lily gave it only a moment’s
thought. “I’ll wait until I get there. I might have a better chance of getting
on.”

“That’s what I think, too. I’ve
already called a cab. It should be downstairs.” Maddie walked her friend to the
door. “What about work? Anything I should know?”

Lily shook her head. “No. Greta
will probably come in and finish up the big t-shirt order, but other than that,
the place is closed.” She gave Maddie a quick hug. “Okay, I’m outta here.”

Maddie called after her as she
ran down the hall and stabbed at the elevator button. “What do I do if Chase
calls?”

Lily hesitated for a split
second, then continued walking. “Tell him to go to Hell.” The elevator doors
opened, and she was gone.

Lily opened her eyes and for a
moment she didn’t know where she was. She looked at the ceiling and saw the
stars. Faded now, they had glowed when she was a child. Many of her dreams had
been launched looking at those stars.

Her mother’s voice came floating
down the hall and memories of what happened yesterday washed over her. She’d
rushed directly to the hospital and on seeing her, her mother had burst into
tears. A strong woman, she’d been holding herself together until Lily arrived,
but the sight of her only child weakened her defenses.

“It’s okay, Mom.” Lily held her
mother in an embrace. “Cry if you like. You’ve been under a lot of stress.”

The back of her father’s hand was
bruised where they’d tried to set up an intravenous feed. A heart monitor stood
beside his bed and she’d watched it for what seemed like a long time, looking
for any change.

The most striking thing about the
man lying still in the bed was that his hair hadn’t been combed. Her father was
meticulous about his appearance and for some odd reason she’d found herself
focusing on the fact that he wouldn’t be pleased if he saw himself in a mirror.

She swung her feet out of bed,
pulled on some clothes and padded down the hallway toward the kitchen. Her
mother was just hanging up the phone. She stood for a moment, hand on the
receiver, and stared out the window into the back yard. Her mother was a
beautiful woman but Lily had suspected for some time that she was also the
brains behind her parents’ successful business. Her father was respected and
most of his male colleagues preferred to do business with him, but he often
deferred to her mother when it came to important decisions.

“Good morning, Mom.” She
interrupted her mother’s reverie. “Any word?”

Her mother turned. It was
difficult to tell if she’d had any sleep. “They say he’s resting comfortably.
He woke up once earlier this morning then went back to sleep.”

“Is that good?”

“Apparently, yes.” Her mother
forced a smile. “It looks like we won’t be taking that trip.”

Her parents often went to Taiwan
on business, but this was the first time they’d planned a pleasure trip. The
slow-down between Christmas and New Year presented the perfect opportunity to
get away, and she knew her father had been looking forward to it.

“You’ll go some other time.”

Her mother waved a hand
dismissively. “It’s not important. I don’t even know why I mentioned it.” She
studied her daughter for the first time since she’d arrived. “You need to eat
something. You’re too thin and you have dark circles under your eyes.”

Lily grinned. Things were going
to be okay if her mother was commenting on her appearance. She gave her a quick
hug. “I’ll grab something at the hospital.” She glanced at the clock on the
stove. “Come on, let’s get going. The doctor said he’d talk to us again around
ten.”

* * *

“Hi, Boss. How was your weekend?”
Zelda arrived laden down with bags from the deli. She’d stocked up on baskets
when the craft store went out of business. Once again, Maddie was thankful for
her assistant’s foresight as it looked as though they could sell every gift
basket they could make before the week was out.

“It was crazy. Did you happen to
see the newspaper on Sunday?”

Zelda nodded. “I know. What’s up
with that, anyway? I thought you said Chase had invited Lily to the ball.” She
hung up her coat and started to work right away. “I’ve gotta say, that
surprised me. He seems like such a nice guy.” She glanced up quickly. “I’ll bet
his brother is a nice guy, too.”

Maddie nodded. What her assistant
said was true. That’s why their behaviour didn’t make sense.

“That’s not all. Early Sunday
morning, Lily’s father had a heart attack. She flew to Vancouver right away.
I’m going to call her in a couple of hours to get the latest.”

“The latest what?”

Maddie recognized Chase’s voice
and stopped in the act of putting away supplies. She turned slowly and faced
him. He was as unbelievably handsome as ever, but she had an almost
uncontrollable urge to grab him by his starched white shirtfront and shake some
sense into him.

“The latest news on Lily’s
father,” she said coolly. “He had a heart attack yesterday.”

“Oh no.” He took a few steps
closer. “Is he going to be all right?”

Maddie shrugged. Why was she even
talking to him? He had no right to Lily’s personal information. Anger surged
inside her and she gripped the counter so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“I’m not sure if she’d want me to discuss this with you.”

His eyes darkened, and a muscle
in his jaw twitched. “I beg your pardon?”

Maddie’s patience snapped. “Come
on, Chase. She saw the picture in the paper on Sunday. How could you do that to
her?”

He turned his head as though he
hadn’t heard her properly. “
What
are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the picture of
you and your fiancée in Sunday’s paper.” Her anger suddenly drained away, and
she lowered her voice. “You broke her heart, Chase. What I don’t understand is
why you had to do it in such a public way.”

Understanding dawned on his face
as she spoke. He turned abruptly and strode to the elevator without a word.

“That was interesting.” Zelda
continued to assemble gift baskets. She’d learned to do several at once. “He
looked more angry than anything.”

“Did he? I didn’t notice.” Maddie
sat down on a stool. “I don’t usually lose my temper like that.” She looked
around the small shop, lost with nothing to do. “I think I’ll go and get us
some coffee.”

She returned a few minutes later,
pushed through the revolving door and stopped beside David’s desk. “Uh-oh,” she
said, seeing Chase back at her shop.

David gave her a curious look. “I
think he’s waiting for you.”

Maddie braced herself. “Then I
guess I’d better see what he wants.”

She spotted the newspaper on the
counter. The society section had been folded so the photographs were front and
center. He jabbed the photo with his forefinger.  “Lily saw this?” He brushed his
own question away with a wave of his hand. “Of course she saw it, why am I even
asking?” He leaned on the counter, the intensity in his gaze unsettling.
“Laurel is not my fiancée, no matter what it says here.” He raked his fingers
through his hair. “I’ve just been on the phone with her. She talked them into
writing that photo caption.”

“Yeah, right.” Maddie gave him a
skeptical look.

He picked up the paper and
slapped it down again on the counter. “Her father owns the paper, dammit. She’s
a spoiled brat who’s always managed to get what she wants.”

“Including you, it seems.”

“No.” He looked down at the
picture, and his eyes hardened. “Not this time.”

Maddie was beginning to feel
sorry for him, but wasn’t ready to let him off the hook. Not yet. “So why did
you tell Lily you were going away for the weekend? Why did you have to lie to
her?”

He took a few steps away, then
came back. “If I’d told her about the wedding, do you think she’d have agreed
to go to the ball with me?” He stood silently, waiting for her answer.

Maddie had to admit that he had a
point. “No.”

He spread his hands. “Exactly.”
He started pacing again, then pulled out his cell phone. “I need her number,
Maddie. I need to call her and explain this whole mess.”

She recalled her roommate’s
parting comment and shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

His voice softened. “Please,
Maddie.”

She shook her head. “I tell you
what. When I speak with her later, I’ll ask her if it’s okay. That’s the best I
can do.”

He seemed to accept her decision
and shrugged. “Okay, I’ll be back.”

She watched him walk away, but
she had the distinct feeling that Chase Drummond wasn’t going to give up that
easily.

* * *

Chase stopped by the reception
desk as soon as he stepped off the elevator. “Cancel my appointments for this
morning, Marilyn.”

The receptionist didn’t miss a
beat. This was the second time the boss had come storming into the office
today. Something was up. Thankfully his personal secretary had filled her in on
the details of his appointments before she’d left for holidays. She pulled up
his schedule on her  P.C. and began to dial.

The Rockies were visible in the
distance from Chase’s office window. He stood there now, fighting for composure.
Brent had warned him several times that Laurel would cause him problems, and it
looked as though his brother’s prophesy was coming true. He could use Brent’s
advice right now, but he’d called home last night, sounding frustrated that he
might be delayed a few more days. He thought for a few more minutes, then
reached for the phone.

“Hello?” That was an odd way to
answer a business phone. Chase quickly checked the number, but he had dialed
correctly. “Is this Lily Hsu’s studio?”

“Yes, but it’s closed.” The woman
had a faint accent.

Chase was tempted to ask why this
woman was answering the phone if the business was closed.

“Lily’s had a family emergency.
Her father has had a heart attack, and she went to Vancouver yesterday. The
thing is, I need to contact her and I’ve lost her cell phone number.”

Silence greeted his announcement.
“Hello?” he said. “Are you there?”

“Is her father all right?”

“As far as I know, but that’s why
I need to call her. I want to check on him.”

“I can’t give out that
information. I’m sorry.” The person on the other end of the line hung up and he
stared at his phone in disbelief. People simply didn’t hang up on Chase
Drummond. There was only one thing to do. He grabbed his coat and left his
office.

A blue compact car sat alone in the
parking lot.

Chase tried the front door, but
it was locked, as he had expected. There was no bell, so he knocked. No
response. He knocked again and called out, “It’s Chase Drummond. Could I come
in?”

The light came on in the front
office, and a woman peered at him through the side window before deciding to
open the door.

“Yes?” She stood in the open
doorway.

He gave her his most winning
smile. “I’m a friend of Lily’s. I think I spoke to you on the phone a little
while ago. May I come in?”

She moved back and he stepped
into the reception area. “I’m very anxious to get in touch with her, as I
mentioned on the phone. Would you please reconsider and give me her cell phone
number?”