Jacquie D’Alessandro - A Sure Thing?

Jilly froze at the familiar name. "Carol Webber? Have you met her?"

"Yes. Just this morning. Jack introduced us."

"Is she a tall, slim, attractive blonde with a small beauty mark above her lip?"

Adam nodded. "That's her." He shot her a curious look. "You know her?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Jilly quickly filled Adam in on Carol Webber, the "nurse" who'd charmed Jack at the winery. "Obviously she found out Jack was going to be there, and she showed up with the intention of luring him away from Maxximum," Jilly fumed.

"And she succeeded."

"I wonder what Jack's reaction was when she told him she wasn't really a nurse?"

"Clearly he wasn't all that devastated," Adam said dryly. He shrugged. "It's unfortunate, but we've both been in this business long enough to know that playing dirty often reaps results. And while I'm not happy about losing out on ARC's account, it's over and done with, and there are other potential clients to consider-which is the next thing I want to discuss with you. Millenium Airways has just signed on with us, and I'm looking for someone to head up their campaign. There's a sizable bonus involved, not to mention some free flights on the airline. There'd also be a lot of traveling involved with the account. You interested?"

Interested? In heading up a prestigious account like Millenium Airways? A bonus? Free flights? Travel? She'd be crazy not to be interested. It sounded incredible. So why was she hesitating? Yet even as she asked herself the question, she knew the answer.

"Listen, Adam, as much as I appreciate the opportunity, I think you should give the Millenium account to Matt."

Adam shot her a hawklike look. "Why is that?"

"Because he'd do a great job. I recall him once mentioning that he worked on Global Airways' last campaign at his previous firm, so he has experience with the airline industry. And even though Jack Witherspoon didn't choose Maxximum, Matt's ideas for ARC were brilliant. Personally, I think Jack made a huge mistake."

"Are you telling me that you think Jack should have chosen Matt's ideas over yours?" There was no mistaking the surprise in Adam's tone.

"I think we both came up with excellent ideas, but there was a simplicity to Matt's that really appealed to me. He's very talented." She smiled. "I am, too. But I think Matt is a better choice for Millenium Airways, therefore, I respectfully decline."

Adam's narrowed gaze seemed to cut right through her, and Jilly experienced the uncomfortable sensation that he could divine her thoughts. "Something happen last weekend I should know about, Jilly?"

"No. I just believe in assigning the best person to the job for the good of the company. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I think I'm the right person. In this particular case, however, I think Matt is."

"Well, I'll certainly take that under advisement." Adam stood, indicating their meeting was over. Jilly rose, shook his hand, then exited the office. She walked quickly to her cubicle where she gathered her overcoat, laptop and briefcase, then headed toward the bank of elevators. She had a meeting with a client in thirty minutes, but her thoughts were far away from the new ad campaign she was about to present. No, all she could think about was Matt, and what a great job he would do for Millenium Airways.

By the time Jilly left her client, it was nearly six o'clock. Since she was only three blocks from Penn station, she decided not to return to Maxximum's offices, but go directly home. She'd already called Kate and canceled their club hop. She was tired and her feet hurt. All she wanted to do was strip off her suit, throw on her rattiest sweats, and dig into the double chocolate brownie fudge ice cream beckoning her.

During both the short walk to Penn, then her thirty-minute Long Island Railroad train ride, she thought about Matt. Good grief, there could be no doubt that she loved the guy. If she didn't, she never would have done such an unprecedented thing as decline Adam's offer to head up the Millenium Airways account and suggest Matt for the position. But Matt deserved it. And he really was the best man for the job.

He's also the best man for you , her inner voice stated emphatically during the short drive home from the train station to her modest, Cape Cod house. Jilly heaved out a long sigh. Yes, he was. And over the course of this weekend, she planned to apply herself to formulating a plan of action for convincing Matt to resume their affair. Surely it shouldn't prove too difficult. He'd seemed open to the idea at the beginning of the week. Yes, being with him, and having to endure the eventual end of their affair would be painful, but, damn it, not being with him was already painful-so why not suffer with him instead of alone? One thing was for sure-it was time to cash in her chips and claim her prize. And as ill-advised as it might be, she wanted Matt for her prize.

She turned onto her quiet, tree-lined street. Holiday lights twinkled in windows, forcibly reminding her that tomorrow was Christmas Eve. The remnants of last weekend's snowfall coated the lawns with a blanket of white, bringing to mind a vivid, aching image of her snowball fight with Matt.

She slowed as she drew closer to her house, peering through the darkness at the black car-a very familiar black car-parked in her driveway. Her heart skipped a beat, then thumped hard.

With her insides quivering, she pulled in behind the Lexus. Almost immediately, the driver's door opened, and Matt climbed out. Her headlights played over him, dressed in a dark wool overcoat, a Burberry plaid scarf tucked around his neck, one hand jammed into his coat pocket while the other clutched a plain, brown shopping bag. He looked tall and beautiful and serious and good enough to eat. And here .

But why was he here? Well, she certainly wouldn't find out sitting in the car, and she definitely wanted to know. Drawing a bracing breath meant to calm her jangling nerves-and which utterly failed-she turned off her ignition. Be calm, be cool. Great advice. Only problem was she felt extremely un calm and un cool.

Grabbing her purse and other belongings, she slid from the car, then bumped the door closed with her hip. Forcing a display of nonchalance that deserved not only an Oscar but an Emmy and a Golden Globe as well, she said, "Well, this is a surprise."

"Not an unpleasant one, I hope."

Jilly cocked a brow. "Depends on why you're here."

"I'd be happy to tell you-" his gaze drifted toward the house "-if you'd like to invite me in." When she hesitated he added, "It's kinda cold out here, and I forgot my gloves."

Another image of their snowball fight flashed through her mind. He'd forgotten his gloves then, too. The image was followed immediately by a mental picture of them kissing in the snow.

"How did you know where I live?"

"Well, I'd love to dazzle you with my brilliance and say it was very complicated and required a great deal of detective work, but actually I just looked you up in the Nassau county phone book."

"Ah. Mystery solved. How long have you been waiting?"

"About an hour."

"And how did you know I'd even come home tonight?"

Something flashed in his eyes. "I didn't," he said softly. "But I hoped you would."

Surely he had to hear her heart beating. She could hear the thump, thump, thump in her own ears. And the rapid puffs of cold vapor emanating from between her lips were surefire giveaways of her uncalm, uncool state.

Commanding her legs to move and her eyeballs to quit gawking at him, she nodded toward the cement path leading to her front door. "Well, I don't want to be responsible for you freezing to death out here, so c'mon in."

A quick grin flashed across his handsome features and he fell into step beside her. "Thanks."