Our First Christmas (13 page)

“I'm Sawyer,” he said with the tip of an imaginary hat. Anya looked even better than she had in the picture. She had beautiful porcelain skin, black hair, and China blue eyes. She was dressed as if she was in a gallery in London. High heels and a beautiful cream suit. Her buttons weren't undone like some kind of floozy. That was the last time Dani would listen to Sawyer. She wanted to reach down and button hers up but she didn't want to be obvious. This European stunner was in love with Nate? Her small-town beach bum of a boyfriend? Dani wanted to cry on the spot. She thought Nate liked blondes. Like her. What was he doing? Did he really want to listen to that obnoxious accent the rest of his life? Would their children run around sounding like offspring from
Downton Abbey
?
Mummy, can we please have a spot of tea?

The shop was filled with artwork and worktables. Dani knew immediately which pieces were Nate's. Like the four-foot Christmas tree made entirely out of starfish. It was adorned with little crystals and topped off with white lights. Absolutely gorgeous. She reached out, stopping just short of touching it. The price tag screamed out at her. $1300. Dani gasped. She told him every year he needed to put a worthy price on his work. He normally gave them away. Although she would have suggested something way more affordable. This was Wilmington, not London. This was
her
doing. It had to be. The tree was gorgeous, though. She should show her support and buy it. She should get the magazine to buy it. He also had several wreaths made out of driftwood. She knew what the cover photo for the magazine should be. Dani and Nate, lying naked on the floor with nothing but wreaths covering their nether regions. The starfish trees could encircle them. They would each be quoted on the right.

NATE:
I never stopped loving her. She stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life.

DANI:
He's all I want for Christmas.

“Why are you staring at bits of wood?” Sawyer said in her ear. He had a knack for making everything sound dirty.

“It's Nate's,” she said. Dani knew Nate's work like she knew her own heart.
He's mine,
she thought as she looked at Anya.
He's mine.
“Get a picture of the starfish tree,” Dani told Sawyer. He lifted his camera.

Anya stepped forward and slapped her hand over the lens. “No photos,” she said. Sawyer turned the camera and snapped a picture of Anya instead.

“We're with a New York magazine,” Dani said.
“The Softer Side.”

“I've never heard of it,” Anya said.

“Have you heard of New York City?” Dani asked without a trace of sarcasm.

Sawyer belted out a laugh. “We're a start-up, but we do have quite a following,” Sawyer said. “In New York and beyond. We'll be in Barnes and Noble for Christmas this year. We're doing a feature called ‘A Southern Christmas.' But if Nate doesn't want his work promoted on such a scale—”

“We should really ask him directly,” Dani said. “Although I'm sure he appreciates his sales clerk being so protective.”

“I'm his partner,” Anya said.

“His partner?” Dani said. “In what sense?”

“In the sense that I own half of this store and I am engaged to be married to him.”

Sawyer was staring at the starfish tree. “I imagine that would start to smell after three days,” he said with a loud laugh. Dani glared at him.

“They've been glazed,” Anya said. “To smell like pine.”

“Pardon me, ma'am,” Sawyer said, dialing up his Texas accent. “I'm just a bumbling cowboy.”

“Seriously?” Dani whispered. Sawyer reached back and pinched her on the butt. She was going to wallop him the minute they were alone.

“Nate isn't here right now. Where are you staying? I can leave a message with your hotel after I've spoken with him about this. I'm sure we can arrange something.”

“I'm sure,” Dani said. “We'll be in touch.”

“Don't wait too long,” Anya said. “Otherwise you'll have to fly to London.”

“London?” Dani said. “You're going to London?”
Don't say on your honeymoon, don't say on your honeymoon.

“Of course,” Anya said. “Nate Hathaway is highly in demand as an artist. This sleepy little town isn't meant for someone like him. We're moving to London right after we get married.”

“Congratulations,” Sawyer said.

Judas
. Nate was moving to London? Dani wanted to scream. How did she get him to do that? He must be going out of his mind. Forget that, his grandmother must be going out of her mind. Who did this woman think she was? Nate loved this sleepy little town. And it wasn't that sleepy. It just took a lot of naps. She had to remain calm until she could formulate a plan of action. “When are you getting married?” Dani said. She could barely choke out the words. “In a year or so?”

Anya's eyes lit up and she clasped her hands under her chin. “Christmas Eve,” she said. “We're getting married on Christmas Eve.”

“Did you hear that? Did you hear that?” Dani was practically screaming. She and Sawyer had just rounded the corner onto Market Street.

“I'm sorry, Dani, I really am,” Sawyer said.

“Sorry! I'm not. I'm thrilled.”

“Did you hit your head on the door when I was carrying you in?” Sawyer said.

“Did you not hear what she said?” Dani exclaimed.

“Did
you
not hear what she said?” Sawyer replied.

“They're getting married on Christmas Eve,” they said together.

Sawyer threw his arms open. “What am I missing, woman?” he said.

“First of all, don't call me ‘woman'. Second of all—he's still heartbroken. He scheduled the wedding for Christmas Eve because he's trying to replace the worst night of his life.”

“With what he hopes will be the best night of his life,” Sawyer said. “With someone else.”

“It just goes to show his state of mind,” Dani said. “He's not in love with her. He just wants to stop hurting.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Why else would he get married on Christmas Eve, the same exact date he proposed to me, unless he was desperately trying to replace me?”

“Why is it you think ‘desperately trying to replace you' is something that works in your favor?”

“Because where I come from, marrying out of desperation doesn't scream true love. You saw that woman. Do you really think she wants to be someone's emotional Band-Aid?”

“I think you're taking great liberties with your interpretation,” Sawyer said.

“That's because you don't know Nate.”

Without discussing it, Sawyer headed into the ice cream shop and Dani followed. The smell of waffle cones baking enveloped them.

“Ice cream is on me,” Sawyer said.

“I'm too excited to eat,” Dani said.

“It's not eating, it's indulging. You don't have to be hungry to indulge.”

“In that case I'll have a triple scoop—coffee, peanut butter, and chocolate, from bottom to top, in a waffle cone, please.”

Sawyer stopped and studied her. “You've given this a tremendous amount of thought,” he said.

She laughed. “I've been here before,” she said.

“You're high maintenance,” he said.

“I am not.”

“I'm just getting one scoop of chocolate-chip mint in a cup.”

“Can you not smell their waffle cones? You're insane,” she said. Soon they were standing outside with her high maintenance order and his boring scoop, just as the horse and carriage came in from a tour. They ate their ice cream in silence. Sawyer finished his first and tossed his empty cup in the nearest bin. Dani realized it was going to take her much longer to finish hers, and ice cream was starting to drip down the side. She was trying to figure out how she was going to finish it when Sawyer snatched it from her and took a gigantic bite.

“Hey.”

“You're right,” he said, diving into it again. “These waffle cones are divine.” He tried to hand her back the last few bites. She glared and tossed it into the trash bin behind her. “What's the matter? Afraid I have cooties?” Sawyer stepped so close to her he could have kissed her.

“No,” she said. “I know you have cooties.”

Sawyer laughed. A few feet away, the horse whinnied. Sawyer turned to it and winked at the horse as if they had been in cahoots. “Is the tour any good?” Sawyer asked.

“Actually it is. Especially at night, at Christmas.” Two years ago she should have been on it with Nate. With a diamond ring on her finger. Getting married on Christmas Eve! That was ten days from now. Could she stop a wedding in ten days? Sawyer was right, it was a disaster.

“Do you think it would be wrong to kidnap Nate?” Dani said. “Just until he's in love with me again?”

“I think a night in jail would be a great addition to the feature,” Sawyer said. “You might get lucky and get thrown in with a couple of Santas on crack.”

“Very funny.”

“Just tell him how you feel,” Sawyer said. “And this time I'm not talking about Santa.”

“What do you mean?” Dani said.

Sawyer stepped uncomfortably close again. He gently placed his hand on the side of her face. “I love you,” he said. “Like it or not, and let me tell you, I don't like it—I've loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you, and I don't think I could stop even if I wanted to.” Dani could feel the ice cream in her stomach freezing up all over again. Sawyer held eye contact, then smiled and stepped back. “If he's still in love with you, that's all it will take.”

Dani prayed to God that Sawyer couldn't see that he'd thrown her off balance. For a heart-stopping second she actually thought
he
was telling
her
that he loved her. It was a good thing that she absolutely hated him, because otherwise that would have been cruel of him.

“Except I wouldn't end my sentence with a preposition,” Dani said.

“What?”

“Even if I wanted to. You ended your declaration of love with a preposition.”

“It's all about the romance, Ms. Webster. No girl would give a damn if a man said that to them.”

“It's not how I would do it at all.”

“Oh yeah? How would you do it?”

“Never mind.”

“Oh, I mind. Show me.”

Dani walked up to Sawyer, and not to be outdone, she put both hands on his face. She gently rubbed her thumbs along his jawline. They were so still she could hear his heart beating. “You're mine,” she whispered. “The odds might be against us, and I might be high maintenance, and you might be the most frustrating man I've ever met, but I'm telling you right here, right now. You're mine.” Then, she stood on her tiptoes, slid her hands around his neck, and kissed him like he was going off to war. Then, just as she felt his hands start to wrap around her waist, she pulled back and pushed him off. “That's how it's done, cowboy.”

“Well played, woman. Throw in a kiss like that and you can end your sentences with a hundred prepositions.”

Dani couldn't help but smile. “Don't call me ‘woman'.”

“Dude. Should I call you dude?”

“My name is Dani.”

“Your name is Danielle. Or Bright. I'll just call you Bright.”

They had begun to walk again and were standing near the artificial tree. Dani could hardly bring herself to look at it. “Nate hasn't accepted one phone call from me since that awful night.”

“Doesn't that tell you something?”

“Yes! That's he's sensitive.”

“Or he's moved on,” Sawyer said.

“We grew up together. We went steady for three years.” Sawyer was laughing, then coughing, trying to cover it up. “What's so funny?”

“Went steady,” Sawyer said. “Never heard anyone of our generation use that term.”

“You are unbelievably juvenile.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. Ma'am. Did he give you his class ring and letter jacket?”

“We were in love!”

“If you say so.”

“He was my first.”

Sawyer stopped laughing. He put up his hands as if surrendering. “I'm sure, for you, that's hard to get over.”

“Not just for me.”

“Okay.”

“Why? Who was your first?”

“I'm not having this conversation.”

“Too late. Who was your first?”

“You really want to know?”

“Yes, I really want to know.”

“Mrs. Bentley from across the street.” A large grin spread across Sawyer's face and he raised his eyebrows. “Man, she had stamina.”

“Disgusting.”

“How dare you. It was a beautiful, albeit secret love affair.”

“You were what? Fifteen?”

“I was sixteen, thank you very much.”

“Disgusting.”

“She made the best corn bread I've ever had.”

“Is that a euphemism?”

“No. She put jalapeños in it. It was sweet and set my mouth on fire at the same time.” He smiled again and arched his eyebrows. For a horrifying second, Dani imagined him kissing his way down her stomach.

“Are you ever serious?”

“Sometimes. And believe me. If I was, you'd know it.” He held her gaze, as if trying to tell her something, plant some kind of future seed. Dani headed for the car, not caring whether Sawyer was following or not.

“Why exactly did you say ‘no'?” Sawyer asked. He had a very loud voice. Dani turned around.

“What?”

“You turned down Nate's proposal. Why?”

Dani threw her arms open. “Because. I was too young. I wanted to go to New York, try and be a writer.”

“And now?”

“Now what?”

“You're only two years older, and you are in New York, and you are a writer.”

“And your point is?”

“Do you really want to give all that up and come back here and marry Nate?”

“Why else would I be here?”

“I don't know. Maybe you heard Beth Green jump on your feature, and the competitive shark in you wasn't going to let her have it.”

“First of all, there is no shark in me, competitive or otherwise. Second of all—I love Nate. I want him back.”

“If you say so.”

“Don't say it like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I don't love Nate. Like I don't want him back.”

“Fine. I will keep my opinion to myself.” Sawyer vocalized the warning ditty from
Jaws
.

“Fine!” She unlocked the car door. Sawyer stayed on the sidewalk. “What opinion?”

“Never mind.”

“I want to know.”

Sawyer looked away, then back at Dani. “I think if you had truly been in love with Nate, you would have said yes. I think when we're in love, we can't help ourselves. I think you said no because deep down you knew he wasn't the guy for you.”

Dani looked out in the distance. She wasn't going to show him how irritated she was with him anymore. Of course that wasn't why she said no to Nate. She'd always known he was the right guy for her, hadn't she? “Hogwash. Hogwash, hogwash, hogwash.”

“Well. I guess I can't very well argue with hogwash, hogwash, hogwash.”

Sawyer was even more maddening than she'd ever imagined. “Off I go. Figuratively, and literally. Time to go see the folks.”

“Hopefully you can squeeze in a nap,” Sawyer said with a wink.

“And hopefully you won't sink on your sailboat,” Dani said with extra enthusiasm.

“I think I might just have a drink first.” God, that sounded good. Not that she wanted to have a drink with Sawyer. But after meeting Anya, finding out that Nate was getting married on Christmas Eve and then moving to London—she certainly wouldn't mind a cocktail or two. Maybe her parents would have eggnog. “What's good around here?”

“It's a college town, so there are bars all over the place—but I think you might like the Duck and Dive.” Dani gave him the short walking directions to the bar and then got in her car. It felt weird to leave him here. And then it felt weird that it felt weird.

“I'll call you in a few hours,” Dani said. “Mom will probably want to have you over for dinner.”

Sawyer tipped an imaginary hat at her and smiled. “Bright,” he said.