Michelle Major - A Very Crimson Christmas

What he could remember with great detail was the way Natalie had felt in his arms last night. “There’s a long way to go before any decisions are made. I hadn’t really planned on considering Crimson as a headquarters, so we have other locations in the running, as well. I’m willing to consider this town if it can offer what we need.”

“What exactly is it you need, Liam?”

The word home popped immediately into Liam’s mind. A place where he was more than just his last name or his bank account. He focused instead on the company. “LifeMap needs to attract talented, smart people. I’m going to need a team of programmers as well as marketing experts. I want to invest good money in my intellectual capital and build a company that will attract those kinds of employees. The location will be important and I’d rather not do a new build. If I can renovate something or find a spot that’s move-in ready I’d be thrilled. That’s where you’re at a disadvantage. Bigger cities have a lot more to offer.”

“I can set you up with a commercial Realtor later today. If this moves forward, we can start talking about incentives from the town. We’re small, but we mean business.” He took another sip of coffee. “If you need a contractor to oversee renovations, they don’t get any better than Logan Travers. He came back to town last year and focuses mainly on residential and historic buildings downtown, but I’m sure he could give you some great advice. Do you remember him?”

Liam felt his breath hitch as his chest constricted. “Of course I remember Logan,” he said, his voice raspy. “His twin sister died in my arms.”

Chapter Four

“If you take the medicine without a fuss, Mr. Manzia, I’ll give you an extra scoop of ice cream.”

“It tastes bad,” the older man said with a shake of his head, turning back to his newspaper.

Natalie wanted to groan. She was six hours into her shift and had a headache to match. Harold Manzia always complained about medicine. Normally she took it in stride, playing little games to see how quickly she could get him to acquiesce. But since her encounter with Liam two nights ago, she’d been sleeping worse than usual and was not on top of her game today.

“Harold, would you walk me down to the community room?” Ruth looked up from her needlework. “I’d like to get a good seat for the children’s concert this afternoon.” She gave Natalie a slow wink as Harold tossed down the paper and came to his feet.

“Be happy to, Ruthie.” It was no secret the elderly widower had quite a crush on Ruth.

“Medicine first,” Natalie said, holding out the small plastic cup of liquid.

Harold waved her away. “Later.”

Natalie moved in front of Harold. “Now.”

“I’m sure one of the other men would be able to take me if you can’t.” Ruth glanced over her shoulder. “But I was looking forward to spending the afternoon with you.”

With a growl, Harold grabbed the cup from Natalie and downed the white liquid, only shuddering a little as he did. “Nasty stuff.”

“I know,” Natalie conceded as he handed her the empty vial. “But it keeps you regular.”

“Regular is good,” Ruth added. “George Clark gets the worst gas when things aren’t moving. I can barely stand to be around him.” She stood, then reached out to pat Harold’s fingers. “I wouldn’t want that to happen to you, Harold.”

Natalie suppressed a smile as Mr. Manzia considered the possibility. She pressed a quick kiss to Ruth’s temple. “Thanks for the help.”

“My pleasure, dear,” Ruth whispered.

“About what I asked you earlier—your money and my ex-husband...”

Ruth’s sharp gaze went suddenly blank. “Liam handles my money, Natalie. You know he has gobs.”

“Yes, but—”

“It was such a shame the two of you broke up. Now that he’s back in town, maybe there’s another chance. He might ask you to the winter dance at the high school.”

“We’ve been out of high school for over ten years, Ruth. You remember that, right?”

“Oh, well...” Ruth closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and smiled. “He’ll buy you the loveliest corsage.”

Natalie bit back a sigh as Harold stepped forward. “Ready, Ruthie?”

“Harold really is my favorite,” Ruth told Natalie before turning to the older man.

Natalie watched as Harold took Ruth’s arm and headed toward the hall. The music teacher at Austin’s elementary school had arranged for the kids in his class to come to Evergreen and sing Christmas carols to the residents. As soon as Natalie finished a few charts, she’d join them for the performance.

When she turned for the nurses’ office, Liam was standing in the doorway. Heat flooded through her at the sight of him and she had to force herself not to fidget. “You just missed Ruth,” she said, tossing Harold’s empty cup into a nearby trash can, then refolding the newspaper. She wondered how much of the conversation he’d overheard.

“I noticed.” He leaned a shoulder against the door frame, unzipping his insulated jacket. For some reason, the soft colors of the senior center made him look even more rugged in comparison. Not that Natalie was paying attention. “She always had a way with the men.”

“Why do you think she never remarried after her husband died?”

Liam shrugged. “She always said she might have a lot of love in her life but there had only ever been one love of her life.” The way he stared at her as he said the words made a shiver run across the back of her neck. “Does she often come with you to the center during the day?”

“A couple of times a week before her fall.” Natalie fluffed a pillow on the sofa in the now-empty sitting room. Residents loved when kids came to visit, so people who would normally be gathered around the television or playing games in the dining hall had gone down to the community room for the concert. “Her other nurse called in sick today and I didn’t want to leave her at the house alone.”

“You could have called me.”

There was something in his tone, maybe accusation, and her defenses pricked in response. “She’s hired me to be her nurse. If I thought there was an issue with her leaving the house I wouldn’t have brought her. I’m good at what I do, Liam.”

“I’m not arguing that, but she’s like family to me.”

He probably hadn’t meant the comment as an intentional barb, but it still stung. Nothing would have made Natalie happier than to have Ruth as part of her real family. “And I’m the hired help. I get it.”

She went to walk past him but stopped when he grabbed her arm. “I didn’t mean it like that, Nat. I want to take care of her. Hell, I could hire private nurses around the clock to be with her.”

“That’s not what she wants.”

“But is it what she needs?” He squeezed her arm tighter for a moment then released it again. “She’s aged so much since I’ve seen her last. It makes me feel like a jackass for letting things...for not coming back to Crimson sooner.”

“You’re busy. She understands that.”

“I shouldn’t be too busy for her. She’s the only person who ever really cared about me. She didn’t have to take me in when I got kicked out of boarding school. My parents would have been happy to ship me off to a military academy for the last part of high school if she hadn’t intervened. Living with her in Crimson was one of the best times in my life.” A shadow crossed his face and suddenly he looked less like the powerful CEO he was now and more like the vulnerable boy she remembered. The boy she’d fallen in love with all those years ago.

She leaned closer, drawn as always to him. Close enough that she could see the dusting of stubble across his jaw and the faint shadows under his eyes. Maybe she wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping. The thought of Liam stretched across his bed made another rush of heat climb her face. She took a quick step back to break the spell, the connection between them that renewed itself so quickly.