Jackie Braun - Christmas with Him

Dawson exhaled slowly and shook his head. He felt irritated, frustrated and, God help him, invigorated. “You’re something else.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m not sure I intended that as a compliment.”

“No? Well, that’s all right.” She brought her cheek close to his and he felt her breath caress his ear when she added, “I’m going to take it as one anyway. Lemons from lemonade, that’s my motto.”

Dawson gave in and let Eve lead for the rest of the song. It was either that or he was going to continue to knock knees with her and step on her toes. He preferred not to make an even greater spectacle of himself, even if it meant handing over control.

Thankfully, by the time the song ended, they weren’t alone on the floor any longer. Several other couples had joined them, including his parents. Clive and Tallulah were smiling at him. He could only imagine what conclusions they were reaching, especially when, as another slow song started, Eve was still in his arms.

“Care to do this again?” she asked. She sweetened the deal by adding, “I’ll be good and let you lead.”

Because he felt just a little too tempted, he shook his head and released her. “Maybe another time.”

They stayed at the ball for another hour and a half, which was long enough to hear the results of the silent auction. Eve didn’t win the theater tickets, but then Dawson had known that her bid, generous though it was given her means, ultimately wouldn’t be enough. Indeed, the winner had outbid her by nearly five hundred dollars. This was for charity, after all.

“Oh, well,” she said when the winner was announced. “I’ve got the musical’s soundtrack.”

“Maybe you can listen to it while you dine on lobster,” he said, referring to her earlier mention of having to eat salads if she won.

But she was shaking her head. “Lobster? I’m from Maine. Once you’ve had it there, where it’s caught in the morning and on your plate that afternoon, you’re pretty well spoiled. I’ll have a steak. A nice, juicy T-bone cooked so rare that it melts in your mouth.”

His own mouth began watering when she made a little humming noise. To his mortification, her benign talk of red meat was whetting far different appetites. He glanced at his watch. It was just after ten. He was relieved that the evening was almost over, and not just because of his unexpected attraction to Eve.

Even though the point of bringing her had been to introduce her to his family and some of the other people on his Christmas list, he wasn’t sure he appreciated the way she’d been received. Everyone liked her. No surprise there. She was a likeable woman, not in spite of her outspoken nature, but in some ways because of it. But it was more than that. He saw the speculation in their gazes and read between the lines in their comments. He knew what they were thinking: he had finally moved on with his life.

Nothing illustrated this more than his mother’s question while he and Eve were saying their goodbyes.

“Will you be coming to dinner tomorrow afternoon?” Tallulah inquired.

Sunday dinner with his parents was a tradition, or at least it had been until the accident. He, Sheila and Isabelle had rarely missed it. In the intervening years, however, he could count on one hand the number of times he’d shown up.

So he shrugged. “I don’t know, Mom. I have a lot I want to wrap up.”

Tallulah nodded, not quite able to hide her disappointment. “Before you leave for Cabo.”

He swallowed. “Yeah.”

She forced a smile to her lips and sidled closer. “Well, if you change your mind, I hope you’ll bring Eve. She’s delightful, Daw.”

He cleared his throat. “It’s not what you think, Mom. Eve and I aren’t … serious.”

“Maybe you should be.”

Dawson thought about his mother’s remark during the ride home. Eve was seated next to him on the limousine’s plush leather seat. She was wrapped up in her long wool coat. Even so, the scent of her perfume kept drifting to him, just as it had on the dance floor. It was sexy, dangerous. It slipped over and around him and cinched like a lasso. He found it a small consolation that the woman was completely unaware that his insides were being trussed up like a rodeo steer. She was talking business.

She had pulled a personal digital assistant from her clutch and was entering in some notes as she talked. “I couldn’t help but notice your mother’s jewelry. She’s obviously very fond of gemstones.”

He snorted at the understatement. As far as he knew, it was his mother’s one weakness. “If it sparkles, she’s got to have it.”

“There’s a boutique in town that carries one-of-a-kind pieces from a Venetian artisan. His work is quite remarkable and of the highest quality. I was in the shop last month to purchase something for another client and remember seeing some lovely rings. I’ll pay him a visit first thing Monday and let you know what I find.”

She shifted in her seat, undoing the top button of her coat and loosening the silk scarf beneath it. Her perfume wafted to him and once again had him thinking about sex—the act itself and how long it had been since he’d engaged in it. He’d work out when he got home. Thirty minutes with the free weights should do it. Followed by a cold shower, he amended when she began to suck on the end of the PDA’s stylus.

“Okay,” he managed.

“As for the boys, that’s easy. They’re salivating for that new gaming system.”

“Every kid in the country is,” he said on a snort. “It’s the hot toy this year.”

“I know. When we were in the ladies’ room, your sister admitted to me that she hasn’t been able to find one anywhere. All the stores she’s tried have been sold out and they can’t guarantee they’ll get another shipment in before Christmas. She was thinking of going online and paying a private seller whatever price it takes. I talked her out of it. I told her I was pretty sure you’d already gotten them one. You should have seen the look of relief on her face.”

“Great. How are you going to track one down if she’s been unsuccessful?” he asked.

She sent him a wink. “I have my ways.”

He meant it when he said, “If you pull this off, they’ll be in heaven.”

“Yes, and you’ll be their hero, Uncle Dawson.” She sent him a grin.

He glanced away, uncomfortable to be cast in that role. “I’ll just be happy to redeem myself for the chemistry set fiasco.”

“Did you pick out that gift yourself?” she asked.

“No. Actually, Mrs. Stern was the one who bought and sent it.”

“Why am I not surprised?” she muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She waved a hand and then went on. “During dessert I heard Lisa say something to your mother about a Misty Stark dress she bought recently. I was thinking that a handbag from the designer’s new collection might be a winner.”

“She likes handbags,” he said. “She probably needs a walk-in closet just to accommodate the ones she has now.”

Eve smiled at him. “I knew I liked her.”

He folded his arms. “What is it with women and purses? How many do you need?”

“One to go with every outfit and to suit every mood. In other words, you can never have too many. Handbags are like shoes that way.”

“God, you sound like my wife.” The words were out and, judging from Eve’s stunned expression, he wasn’t going to be able to pretend he hadn’t said them.

Nor was he going to be able to change the subject, he realized, when she said, “Do you mean as in ex-wife?”

“No. As in late wife. She … she and my daughter died in a car accident.” He swallowed the bitter memories and absently rubbed a hand over the raised scar that was partially hidden in his hairline.