The Christmas Inn (16 page)

“You do that, and you tell her I’m looking forward to meeting
her in person in February.”

“I will,” he lied again.

He hung up, wishing he could take back what he’d said to
Marnie. Part of the reason he’d accomplished nothing since she’d left his office
was that he’d mulled over what she’d said, and despite the fact he was still
angry, he had to admit that she was right. Anna would have wanted to get back
home to him, to Ethan. Sure she should have waited for the storm to pass, but
she loved them, and she would have wanted to be home to tuck Ethan into bed and
then watch
It’s a Wonderful Life
with Luke as they’d
planned to do.

As much as he resented Marnie’s words, she had made him face
the anger he felt toward Anna. But once again, he’d been too proud to confront
how he felt, so he’d taken it out on Marnie.

Had he used his grief to protect himself from ever caring for
anyone again? Marnie wouldn’t have said the things she’d said, unless she had
feelings for him. Why didn’t he just admit his mistake and bring her back?

There was no time to lose if he wanted this to be a special
Christmas, one he would remember for the rest of his life. He prayed he wasn’t
too late, that she was already gone…probably halfway home to Christmas with her
family.

You didn’t even say goodbye to her, or
wish her a merry Christmas.

Feeling like the biggest jerk ever he left his office in search
of her. He got as far as the dining room when he heard Ethan crying. He strode
quickly in the direction of the sound, his heart pounding with anxiety. At the
hall leading to the patio, he saw his son clinging to Marnie’s neck, the tears
staining her cheeks. As he approached, Henry slinked past him down the
corridor.

Relief flooded through him at the sight of her standing there
holding his son. Until this moment he’d had no idea how desperately he would’ve
missed her if she’d gone back to Boston.

“No!” Ethan screamed louder, snow sliding off his snowsuit and
creating puddles on the floor.

“Ethan, honey, please don’t cry, or I’ll be crying with you.”
She untangled his arms from her neck and lifted his chin.

“Please stay,” he whimpered again, burying his face in her
neck, his tiny shoulders shaking as he sobbed.

There was such gentleness in the way she held his son, the
curve of her arm offering support to a little boy who obviously didn’t want
Marnie to go.

Face it. You don’t want her to go,
either.

Suddenly aware of him, Marnie lifted her head. “We were outside
playing in the snow, but I have to get on the road, so I had to bring him in. I
didn’t mean to make him cry, but he wanted me to come to the apartment and play
Lego with him.”

His chest aching with loss of what might be if he could
overcome his fears and reach out to this beautiful woman, he finally managed to
find his voice. “He’s going to miss you.”

He took Ethan in his arms, the dampness of his son’s clothing
penetrating the dress shirt he wore. He didn’t care. Nothing mattered except to
soothe his son, and to find the words that would make this woman standing here
so tentatively in front of him stay in his life.

“I’ll miss him, too, but that’s life, I guess.” She shrugged,
her eyes brimming with emotion.

“You’re really good with kids.”

“Thanks,” she said weakly.

He rubbed his son’s shoulders, wanting to take Marnie in his
arms and beg her to stay. “I was actually hoping you hadn’t left because I have
something…a message to pass on to you.”

“Not my brother again!” She groaned.

“No, a Mr. Mandel, who called to compliment you on the way you
handled his reservation.”

“He did? That’s great. I remember him. He sounded like a really
nice man who wanted to take his entire family on a skiing vacation, and needed
three rooms with two double beds in each. He also wanted the spa for après ski
recovery. I gathered from what he said that his wife and he have taken up skiing
to please his family more than anything. So, he was happy with what I put
together for him.” She stopped. “I’m babbling! This is so embarrassing.”

“Maybe a bit,” he conceded. “However, he was filled with praise
for how you handled his requests.”

“I should get him to talk to my brothers—proof that I can do
something well,” she said, a sardonic look on her face.

“But you owned a successful salon, and that takes a heck of a
lot of skill and hard work.”

“But that’s not how success is defined in the McLaughlan
family.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I think your family are job
snobs.”

“That’s an expression I’ve never heard before.” She looked
straight at him, the corners of her mouth turned up in a quizzical smile.

“My word for the day, and it describes people who subscribe to
the belief that unless you have a high-profile career and an Ivy League
education, you’re not a success. I have a cousin who’s a job snob.”

Her rich, deep laugh made Ethan frown. “I’m hungry,” he
announced.

“You’re always hungry,” Luke said, laughing with Marnie as he
put Ethan down. “I suppose I’d better find him something to eat before he
corners the pastry chef for more sweets. Would you like to come with me?”

An uneasy silence stretched between them as he searched for the
words that would erase the memory of his earlier brusqueness.

She raised her eyes to his, her expression guarded. “I’ve got
to go. Mary had asked me if I’d play with Ethan one last time.” She forced her
gaze past him, her eyes glistening. “I couldn’t refuse, but now I have to get on
the road. Thank you for having me here.” She focused her attention on the wall
behind him as she brushed past him.

Luke felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach. She was
walking away from him. He couldn’t let her go. He needed her there with him. “I
want you to stay,” he blurted.

She stopped and stared up into his face. “I’d like that, but
I’m not sure if it’s the right thing for either of us.”

His heart plummeted. He had to find the words that would change
her mind. “Could you be a little more specific? I’m not good at this type of
thing.”

“I need to know that if I stay it means you’re willing to see
the potential in us. I’ve never felt like this before, but I also know that
you’re still angry with your wife, and that means you’re not ready for a
relationship.”

No… He’d been alone long enough. “But I am,” he said, his voice
breaking.

She touched her fingers to his lips. “Don’t say that until you
mean it. I need to be honest with you. I don’t want to start another doomed
relationship. My record when it comes to relationships gets a failing grade, and
that’s not likely to change with a man who still has issues. If this hurts you,
I’m sorry, but I need a relationship based on honesty. And ours didn’t start out
that way. I’ve told you the truth now, and I really believe you need to face
your own truth. I can’t live in her shadow. If this is too much honesty, I’ll
understand.”

Was his inability to let go of his anger at Anna the reason why
he was still feeling so lost, as if he was living outside his life?

He had been angry at what Marnie had said about not being able
to let go, but the anger had allowed him to see himself through someone else’s
eyes. He didn’t want to be angry anymore. He wanted to love again, to know the
thrill of being with someone who lit up his life. And if he let Marnie go, he’d
never have the chance to find out if this woman, with her great laugh and her
infinite ability to make him smile, to encourage him to face life, was the woman
for him.

“Will you please stay? It’s Christmas Eve, a time for
miracles.” He chuckled at that. “If you stay I promise you a very special
Christmas.”

She moved so close to him that her perfume clouded his senses.
He reached for her, pulling her into his arms. “Say you’ll stay.”

“I will,” she whispered.

His lips sought hers, gently at first, tasting her, breathing
in her scent. But when her arms went around his neck and she pulled him down
toward her, her tongue on his, his reserve faded. He pulled her tighter, sliding
his hands over her hips, forcing her against his erection, his body flooding
with heat as her hands tightened around his neck.

He held her, his fingers in her hair, her body pressed to his,
the thrill of once again being alive to another person aroused him so much he
came dangerously close to dragging her off to his room, the stairwell, anywhere
they could have a few precious moments of privacy.

“Daddy!” Ethan pushed against his father’s legs. “I’m
hungry!”

Startled, Luke sucked in air, banking his need as he kissed her
once more—lightly this time, nuzzling her cheek, and hearing her sharp intake of
breath. “Meet me for dinner around seven?”

She kissed his jaw, her lips lingering. “Sounds perfect.”

His body thrummed from the touch of her lips on his skin.
“Christmas Eve is the busiest day of the holiday. So much has to be done around
here. And we’re having a traditional Christmas dinner. I’m afraid that, as my
date, you’ll have to share the hosting duties.”

She leaned back into his embrace, a teasing grin on her face.
“Another date?”

“And more whenever you like.”

“I’ll have to move back to my old room. Mary tells me all the
guests are on their way here now.”

“Have I told you I have a certain fondness for that room?”

“No, you haven’t,” she said, laughter in her voice and a
mischievous smile on her face.

“It was where I stayed while they renovated my apartment.”

“So you’ve had a few encounters with the walls.”

He laughed, a laugh that cleansed and warmed him. “I have.”

“Daddy!”

“I’m coming, big guy.” He took Ethan’s hand. “See you
later?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

A
LL
HER
LIFE
SHE
’
D
DREAMED
of a man
running his fingers through her hair, in just the way Luke had done. The men
she’d dated had wanted to run their fingers somewhere else. Not that she didn’t
want to have sex with Luke—she did—only this time it would be with the man she
loved.

As she gathered her bags to move back to her tiny room, she
marveled at what a rollercoaster ride the past few days had been. She’d have to
call her mother, and tell her that she wouldn’t be home for Christmas, a call
that would fill her with guilt. Yet somehow, she had to make her family
understand that she needed to be with Luke, without letting them launch into
their stories that proved how impulsive she was around men, how little she
seemed to know about picking the right man, and on and on and on…

She sighed as she put her makeup back in its case and checked
her appearance in the mirror. Then she lugged her bag up to her old room, put
things away and closed the door.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs and started down the
hall, she heard music. Someone was playing the piano, a beautiful rendering of
Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” Curious to see who it was, she slipped into the
dining room, and made her way over to the far corner. She found Luke playing the
baby grand piano nestled in behind a folding room divider. Ethan was sitting
beside him with his face turned up to his father adoringly.

Luke finished playing and smiled up at her. “Ethan came to
share my coffee break, and we decided to play the piano together. How’s your
afternoon going?” he asked, resting his arms on the top of the piano.

“I didn’t know you played the piano.”

“What’s that old cliché? There’s a whole lot you don’t know
about me.”

“Marnie!” Ethan shimmied off the piano seat, throwing his arms
around her legs.

“I’ve got you,” she whispered as she lifted him up, hugging his
little body next to hers. “Can I sit next to your dad? I’ll hold you on my
lap?”

He squeezed her cheeks between his hands. “Yes!”

“Ethan, why don’t you try for your indoor voice, please,” Luke
said, suppressing a grin.

“Do you play often?” she asked, sliding onto the bench beside
him, keeping her arm around Ethan.

“I don’t, but somehow this afternoon it just felt right to be
down here at the keyboard.”

As he began the opening bars of Beethoven’s ninth symphony,
Marnie couldn’t help but notice his fingers, their length and their controlled
touch on each key. She listened, feeling the emotional thrust of the cascading
notes until the melody faded and Luke lifted his hands off the keys.

“I used to play the piano before I started Total Elegance. It
seemed there wasn’t any time for the piano after that. I really miss it,
especially the songbooks from the Big Band era.”

Appreciation flared in his eyes, his gaze fixed on her. “I
prefer classical. My all-time favorite is Beethoven.”

A blush moved up her neck to her cheeks. “You were playing
‘Moonlight Sonata’ when I came in,” she murmured, as he turned toward her, his
lips inches from hers. She had an overwhelming urge to kiss him.

“Is music the way to your heart?” he asked gently.

“Music is the way to anyone’s heart, isn’t it?” she countered,
feeling suddenly vulnerable. “And yes, music is very close to my heart.”

“What else is close to your heart?” he asked, the innuendo in
his tone leading her to have thoughts of bed—his bed.

Careful. Take it slow.

“Peanut-butter cups, long walks and
The
New York Times,
” she offered.

“I’m impressed, especially the peanut-butter part.” He played a
few quick chords. “And my favorite Sunday morning occupation is reading
The New York Times
in bed.”

Visions of the two of them in bed together, reading the paper
filled her mind. “Mine, too.”

His fingers halted. “Want to play ‘Chopsticks’?” he asked, his
fingers once more moving languidly over the ivory keys, his dark eyebrows arched
in challenge.

“‘Chopsticks’?” she said. “I can do better than that.”

She adjusted Ethan on her lap, ready to show this man her one
social skill.

“I’m waiting.” He moved over on the piano bench, letting her
settle in front of middle C.

She began the opening bars of “Moon River.” Ethan plunked his
hands on top of hers and began to sing off-key in unintelligible words.

“Want to play a duet?” she asked him, kissing Ethan’s cheek,
and he immediately responded by smacking a kiss on her cheek.

The sound of Luke’s laughter enveloped her—carefree laughter,
the kind that turned heads and caused others to join in. Completely happy to sit
here and play the piano with Ethan on her lap, she slowed the tempo of the
melody, as she adjusted his fingers over hers.

“What does that music make you think of?” Luke asked close to
her ear, sending a thrill through her.

How utterly content I am right at this
moment. How easily I could stay right here for as long as you want me
to.

“I’m thinking that Ethan and I make a great duo, don’t you,
Luke?”

“You certainly do.” He grinned.

“Okay, Ethan, let’s show your dad what we can really do.”

“My cue to get out of the way,” he said, getting up off the
bench and going to stand next to the piano.

* * *

H
ER
SMILE
WENT
STRAIGHT
to his heart, filling him with a need so
strong he wanted to make love to her right then and there. Fighting the urge to
send Ethan off to be with his babysitter, Luke leaned on the piano instead, and
listened as Marnie guided his son’s fingers over the keys in an unhurried
rendition of “Tennessee Waltz.” It had been so long since he’d felt like this,
this feeling that someone special loved the piano the way he did.

Ethan tilted his head up and smiled at Luke, and all he could
think about was how much he needed this. How thankful he was that he’d managed
to convince her to stay with him, if only until tomorrow. He couldn’t let
himself consider how he’d cope when she went back to Boston, which she’d have to
do sometime soon, leaving him to feel her absence.

“The dynamic duo,” he said, trying for a lighthearted tone he
didn’t feel.

“That we are,” she said, switching to a few chords with Ethan’s
fingers clinging to hers.

“Daddy, I love Marnie.” Ethan planted a noisy kiss on her cheek
without removing his fingers from her hands.

She looked startled for a moment, and then pleasure swept
across her face. “I paid him to say that. Trying to get in good with the
boss.”

“You’re already in good with the boss.” He came around the
piano and slid back onto the bench beside her.

“Daddy, go away,” Ethan said, elbowing him.

Luke wished they could continue like this, that he didn’t have
to go back to the reality of overseeing the Christmas Eve preparations. What he
wouldn’t give right now to be able to stay where he was, to feel what he was
feeling for the rest of his life. He took Ethan into his arms to hide the raw
emotions rolling in his chest. “Love you, buddy—” Luke pointed in the direction
of the door where one of his staff stood ready to take him back to the apartment
“—but Charlene’s waiting for you over there. See?”

Ethan scrambled out of his arms and ran across the room, making
the edges of the tablecloths flutter as he passed them, before throwing himself
into the woman’s arms.

Watching Marnie from the corner of his eye, he made a decision.
“Hope you don’t mind me asking you something.”

* * *

“S
URE
,”
SHE
SAID
,
acutely aware of how
good his body felt pressed ever so gently along hers. “Ask away.”

“Have you ever considered having children?”

She glanced up at the ceiling, studying the chandelier,
stalling for time. What could she say to that? That she was afraid? That it
didn’t matter so much what she wanted, but what life dealt her? “Having children
is a huge commitment.”

“You’re ducking the question.”

“If I were lucky enough to have children, I’d want to be home
with them full-time at least until they went to school. I know that lots of
mothers work full-time while they raise their family, but I couldn’t do it.” If
she were ever blessed with a child she would keep her child close.

His fingers encircled her hand, his touch as he traced a line
over her palm, making her skin tingle. “The way you are with Ethan…you’d make a
great parent.” His voice was low, sexy and went straight to her heart.

She wanted to tell him that she loved kids, would love to have
kids, but there were some issues too painful to share. “I want a career, and I’d
love to have kids, too. But it’s a lot of responsibility…and maybe I’ve waited
too long.”

“I’m not convinced.” He slid his arms around her, his mouth
searching for hers. Unable to resist him, she leaned into his embrace, touching
his chin, angling her fingers into the open neck of his shirt. His lips moved
along her cheek, close to her ear. “But right now, we have a more urgent matter
to attend to.”

Oh, God. Was she about to get her wish? Were they headed back
to her tiny room? “And that would be?”

“Want to play a duet?”

Why did she always have to be wrong? And when would she get her
wish? “What did you have in mind?”

“How about ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’?”

“You got it,” she said, her gaze going to the windows and the
snow outside.

“No kidding! Okay. Follow my lead,” he whispered, placing his
hands carefully on the keys as his gaze held hers.

She followed his notes with tinkling high notes on her end of
the keyboard, harmonizing with him, as they sang the song’s verses together.

Caught up in the moment, Marnie’s spirits soared with each
note. She’d never done this before with a man. Piano had been her mother’s idea,
and she’d gone along with it to make her mom happy. But now, she wished she
could go on making music with Luke forever. As the last notes rose then faded,
she met his gaze and saw the raw need in his eyes.

“That was awesome,” he said. Without touching her, he kissed
her lightly, the tension in his body matching hers, and then pulled her into his
embrace. Her head was spinning with the sensation of being held so tenderly.
With his arms encircling her, he whispered. “We have an audience.”

She pulled away. “There goes your story about me being your
assistant.”

He held her fast. “Maybe we can drop the story and go for the
real thing.”

“Meaning?” She held her breath.

“Marnie, I’m feeling so different. As if suddenly my whole life
has changed, and you’re the reason. Why don’t we go somewhere private? No one
will miss us.”

His breath on her neck was hot, demanding. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ve worked my butt off the last couple of days. I can
disappear for a few hours and no one will blame me for taking a little time for
myself.”

She wanted him to make love to her. But she didn’t want a
casual fling. Yet, here he was waiting for her to say yes to his offer....

“Why are you hesitating?” he asked.

“Because I don’t want… I need to believe we have
something—”

“I can’t promise you that everything will work out between us,
but I want it to.” He sighed. “You mean a lot to me. I’m happy when you’re
around.”

“What are you saying?”

“You… We deserve the chance to know if what we’re feeling for
each other is real. I’ve seen those feelings in your eyes, and I feel the same
way.”

“But I’m a born loser when it comes to love.”

“You’re hung up on ideas about yourself that aren’t true. I
understand how your track record when it comes to relationships could make you
shy away from anything new. But if you never give it a try, you could miss out
on something incredible.”

“And what if we start a relationship, and Ethan gets attached
to me, and then something happens between us? He doesn’t deserve to be hurt
again.”

“Ethan has a whole group of people here who love him, and look
out for him. They’ll be there for him no matter what happens.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Are you looking for excuses?” he asked, exasperated.

“I…I don’t know.”

He held her shoulders in his powerful hands and looked her
straight in the eye. “I’m not worried about you and me. In my opinion we’re
meant to be.”

She shook her head, focusing on anything but his face.

He touched her chin, raising her eyes to his. “Are you willing
to give up on us so easily?”

The hurt in his eyes tore through her with the force of a
hurricane. This very kind, gorgeous, sexy man was offering her the chance to
share his love, and he had a son she adored.

Go ahead, do your usual thing. Make a
joke. It’s how you usually get out of an emotional situation.

“Stay right here. I have to go make a phone call. I’m sorry,
but it can’t wait. “

He stared at her, not moving, not saying a word, then grasped
her head with both his hands and kissed her hard this time, before pulling away.
“I’ll be waiting.”

Marnie got up, and fumbled her way out of the dining room, past
several guests who smiled at her. She ignored them. She couldn’t seem to clear
her thoughts, her pulse pounded in her head. All she wanted was to get up to her
room before she embarrassed herself by crying. She’d waited so long for a chance
with a guy like Luke. A guy who made her feel valued…cherished…special. But most
of all, he offered her what she’d missed out on all these years—the opportunity
to have a real relationship.