Sweet Christmas Kisses (64 page)

The conversation abruptly ceased when Kim entered the room and all three occupants focused upon her. Her gaze met Rock’s stunned silence as he took in her appearance, one curve at a time. Her breath refused to leave her lungs, but she couldn’t tell what made her more nervous, the situation with his mother or his shock at seeing her in sexy clothes.

It was show and tell time...

She cleared her throat. “Rock, I—”

“Oh, there you are, darlin’,” Rock responded quickly, cutting her off. “We’ve been waiting for you.” He met her in the center of the room and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. His arm encircled her waist, pulling her close as he gazed down at her with adoration. Tremors shot up her spine as his hand caressed her lower back. “Did you have a good time shopping?”

Sasha let out a snort and disappeared inside the carrier.

“Y-yes, I did.” His strong grip held her with surprising gentleness. She gazed into his deep brown eyes and swallowed hard. Boy, he sure took this
wifey
thing seriously. “Sorry I’m late,” she managed to say, but the words came out in a breathy-sounding squeak. “Ginny and Sarah insisted on having dinner at Roberto’s and you know how slow their service can be.”

He laughed, making it seem as though Ginny and Sarah were close friends.

“Mother,” he said, turning toward the regal woman in the wheelchair, “allow me to introduce my lovely wife, Diona Daye-Henderson.” Then to Kim he said, “Diona, meet my mother, Zelda, and her nurse, Marie.”

At the announcement of her name, Marie went as rigid as a post. Instead of extending her palm to shake, she simply stood with white-knuckled hands gripping the chair and stared at Kim.

“Marie doesn’t speak English,” Zelda stated with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Kim set her bags on the floor and extended her hand, forcing herself to hold it steady. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zelda. Rock has told me so much about you.”
As much as he could divulge in five minutes, anyway
.

“The pleasure is mine,” Zelda replied with a slight British accent. Her throaty voice, though authoritative, sounded slightly raspy. Her thick, white hair, styled short in a razor cut, gave her rectangular face a distinguished look. Her full red lips pursed together as her sharp-eyed gaze examined every inch of the new Mrs. Henderson. She took Kim’s hand and gripped it firmly. “My goodness,” she exclaimed as she examined Kim’s naked fingers, “where’s your wedding ring?”

Rock’s face drained whiter than the starched collar of his shirt. “Ah...” he said and looked down at Kim, obviously stalling until he came up with a plausible excuse. “It’s...ah...it’s at the jewelers. The bands didn’t fit right so we needed to have them re-sized. We wouldn’t want her to lose it swimming in the ocean on our next romantic getaway, now would we?”

Zelda gave him a mother’s stare, silently communicating that she had a good mind to smack him across the back of the head for smarting off. After a tense moment, however, she let it go and turned back to Kim. “In any case, I’m delighted to finally meet you, Diona.” She launched another disapproving glance at Rock. “My son has been keeping you a secret and I don’t understand why.”

Rock’s arm tightened around Kim’s waist. “Mother, I’ve already explained this to you. We went to Vegas for the weekend and on the spur of the moment, tied the knot. That’s all. There is no sinister plot to keep our marriage from you.”

“Las Vegas, of all places!” Zelda’s steel blue eyes flashed brighter than her dazzling diamond studs and she leaned her stout frame forward in her chair, as though she might jump out of it at any moment. “What a disgrace to the institution of marriage! I supposed you went to one of those cheesy little chapels where they play canned music and pin a two-dollar corsage on the bride. Did Elvis perform the ceremony, too?”

“We don’t need a big, fancy wedding to have a good life together,” Rock implored and gazed down at Kim. “Do we, darlin’?”

The tone of his last sentence plainly indicated he wanted her agreement
now
. Rock had her by the waist, Zelda had her by the hand—a Henderson family ‘how-do-you-do’ tug-of-war. This did not bode well for a fun-filled week. Kim drew in a deep breath to speak, but Zelda beat her to it.

“Rubbish,” Zelda snapped. “You will have a proper wedding in the church. I’ll speak to our clergy about it right away. After all,” she clutched the almond-sized diamond pendant hovering over her heart, “I’m not going to be around much longer. I want to leave this life knowing that at least one of my sons is happily situated. That’s my dying wish.” Zelda lifted her chin and stared pointedly at her son. “Well, that and a few grandchildren.”

She wants a few grandchildren? Kim blinked in horror. Rock hadn’t mentioned anything about that. Just how long did she plan to hang on, anyway?

Rock’s muscles tensed as though Zelda’s announcement had taken him by surprise, too. A large vein on his neck began pulsing erratically. Kim tugged her hand from Zelda’s grasp and placed it on his chest. “A church wedding would be wonderful,” she said to Rock in a sugary sweet voice, though his mother was the intended target. “But there’s no hurry since we’re already married. Let’s just enjoy Christmas as a family and wait until after the holidays to talk about future plans.”

Rock glared at her, the sizzle in his gaze conveying the message—
What do you think you’re doing?

She ignored him and turned to Zelda. “A fabulous wedding, if done properly, takes at least a year to plan. Don’t you agree?”

Zelda looked flustered, as though she had not expected Diona to receive her demands with so much enthusiasm. “I—of course. If you want everything to be perfect, I suppose you’d need that much time. The farther out you place the date, the more likely your wedding planner will be able to retain the reception hall of your choosing and the best service providers.”

Kim nodded, knowing she had given the old lady exactly what she wanted. “Then let’s wait until after the holidays when we can give it our full attention and decide on a date that satisfies everyone.”

Rock nuzzled his lips into her hair. “You’d better have a good explanation for this...”

Kim smiled innocently. Why should she care? He was the one who’d created this mess. She wasn’t going to be here long, anyway. After she got his vote, the wedding plans were his problem.

“Well...” Zelda said and stared at her son again. “I don’t know if I can hang on that long. We’ll talk about it again before I leave. We don’t have to decide tonight.” She waved a bejeweled hand toward the sofa and motioned Kim to take a seat. “Come here and sit down so we can chat. I’d like to get to know you better.” She pointed at her son. “Rock, be a gentleman and take her coat. Where are your manners?”

Kim unzipped her jacket and allowed Rock to remove it, his long, deft fingers sliding across the fine fabric of her sweater, caressing her arms as he slid the fur off her shoulders. Never mind, she told herself and dismissed the giddiness in her stomach. He could put on the devoted husband act to impress his mother, but if he intended to turn his attentiveness into seduction once they were alone, he was in for a surprise.

Zelda shoved an empty stemmed glass at the nurse and spoke curtly to her in French. The tall, willowy woman didn’t argue, but the way she pursed her lips and stomped toward the kitchen spoke volumes about her attitude of taking orders like household help.

Zelda turned to Kim. “She’s fetching me a fresh glass of Perrier. I told her to refresh the wine as well. Would you like a glass?”

Kim nodded and handed Rock her shopping bag then gingerly took a seat on the sofa, feeling like a bug under a microscope. She set Sasha’s carrier on the floor next to her. As soon as it landed on the plush carpet, Sasha began to yip through the mesh window.

Zelda raised her brows and looked warily at the floor. “Is that a dog in your bag?”

“Yes, it’s my Chihuahua. I apologize for the racket she’s making. She’s just excited to have company.” Kim leaned forward and reached into the bag, stroking the dog’s sleek coat. “Hush, Sasha!”

“My word, but she’s a tiny thing,” Zelda remarked and peered at the wet, button-like nose peeking through the opening, sniffing the air. She extended her hand to pet the dog, but snatched it back when Sasha responded with a low, frightened growl. “Oh! She snapped at me!”

Mortified, Kim placed her hand into the bag again to calm the dog. Of all the things to go wrong, this should not have topped the list!

“I’m sorry, Zelda,” she said in a rush, even though Sasha had not actually attempted to bite, but instead had shrunk back at the intrusion of a strange hand in her portable bed. “I don’t know what’s come over her. She never reacts to women that way.”

The nurse returned with a tray containing two wine glasses and Zelda’s water. Kim reached for a glass, but her fingers barely wrapped around the stem when the tray moved and the wine sloshed, spilling over on her hand. She could have sworn the nurse did that on purpose, but let it go and smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Marie.”

The nurse ignored her. Instead, Marie fixed her gaze on the hallway where Rock had disappeared to hang Kim’s coat in the foyer closet.

“This is wonderful Riesling,” Kim said after downing an unladylike gulp, desperate to calm her frayed nerves.

Zelda gave her a puzzled look. “It’s not Riesling; that’s Chardonnay.”

Oops
. Kim stared at her glass, too embarrassed to look up. “You’re right. I don’t drink much white wine, except the sparkling kind. Mostly, I prefer red.”

“That’s odd,” Zelda remarked in a questioning tone. “My son prefers white, like I do. Rather, like I used to. I find it interesting that you and he have opposite tastes.”

“Well, you know what they say,” Kim countered with a sheepish giggle. “Opposites attract.” Her answer sounded as inadequate as she felt, but she couldn’t take it back now.

The nurse leaned over and whispered something in Zelda’s ear. Rock’s mother whispered something back, nodded to her and then turned to Kim as Marie watched the doorway, presumably waiting for Rock to come back. “So, my dear, I understand you’re related to the Daye family of Martha’s Vineyard. What is your relationship to Arnie and Barb?”

Who?

Kim panicked, wondering how much Zelda knew about the real Diona Daye, but without Rock around to add his two cents, she had to punt this time. “Um...they’re my aunt and uncle.”

“Really?” Zelda’s steel gray eyes became beacons. “They used to be neighbors of mine before my late husband passed away. Strange, but I don’t recall ever hearing them speak of your mother. Her name is...?”

“Veronica,” Kim blurted without thinking, “but you probably have never heard of us because we only saw them once a year at a family picnic, er, reunion.”

That much rang true. Veronica had family in Martha’s Vineyard, but she’d become estranged from her parents before Kim’s birth and only came back to visit a friend and one cousin once a year.

“I see.” Zelda sipped her water, her mouth prim. “Well, the next time you see Arnie, tell that dear old chap to ring me up. I’d love to hear from him.”

“I will,” Kim replied and suddenly focused all her attention on sipping her wine.

“I’m curious,” Zelda continued. “If your family is from New England, how did you end up in Minnesota?”

“I went to the University.”

Zelda leaned forward. “Why did you pick this one? Why not Radisson or Smith? Certainly you could have attended a higher caliber school than what Minnesota has to offer.”

That remark stung, but Kim resisted the urge to get upset. “My best friend and I came here together. She had an athletic scholarship and I just wanted to go somewhere new. At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do and I’ve never looked back. After all, if I would have gone to a private college out east, I’d have never met Rock.”

Zelda pursed her lips, clearly showing her difference of opinion. “What sorority did you belong to?”

Kim’s smile froze. Sorority? “Um...” she faltered, thinking furiously. “Delta Nu?” Her voice wavered, sounding shrill.

Marie coughed and turned away. Did she just roll her eyes? Things were going downhill fast if even the nurse could sense her panic.

“And what is your degree?”

“I have an MFA, majoring in art history.” Not really, but it sounded glamorous, like something the real Diona Daye might choose.

“Where does one work after receiving such a degree?”

“She doesn’t need to work outside our home,” Rock broke in as he re-entered the living room and sauntered past Marie, ignoring her. “Kim has plenty to do here, taking care of me and handling the entertaining of my clients.”

With anyone else, Kim would have bristled at such a sexist comment, but given the situation, she breathed a silent sigh of relief and welcomed his matter-of-fact tone, making it plain she didn’t need to answer the question.

Zelda scrutinized the two of them, as though she enjoyed interrogating them. “But, how did you meet?”

“Through a friend,” Rock replied.

“At an association meeting about a year ago,” Kim said at the same time. Everyone stared at her. “I live—I mean I
used
to own a condo on the sixth floor. Rock was dating a mutual friend who also lives in the building and she introduced us.”

In truth, Shelly Gartner didn’t count as a genuine friend and her only motivation for introducing Rock to Kim that day centered exclusively on showing off her golden catch to every woman at the meeting, but neither Rock nor Zelda needed to know that now. Rock had quickly tired of Shelly, anyway, leaving the vain witch to swallow her pride and cry in the fancy eighteen-dollar Cosmopolitans she regularly consumed.

Sasha’s steady growling became impossible to ignore. Kim tried to quiet the dog by gently stroking her back, but Sasha wouldn’t settle down.

Zelda looked around the apartment and grunted with distaste. “Well, I suggest you sell this expensive attic and buy something more sensible. My son needs a home with a beautiful garden and room for children to play. I know just the property in St. Petersburg and I’ll set up an appointment with my agent for you to view it when you come to visit me in February on my birthday.”