Debbie Macomber: Home for the Holidays: The Forgetful Bride / When Christmas Comes

Her boss was a man of principle and integrity—and altogether a frustrating person to fall in love with. Judging by his reaction to her dinner with Joe, he seemed immune to jealousy. Now if only she could discover a way of letting him know how she felt…and spark his interest in the process!

The morning was hectic. Out of the corner of her eye, Cait saw Joe arrive. Although she was speaking to an important client on the phone, she stared after him as he approached the burly foreman. She watched Joe remove a blueprint from a long, narrow tube and roll it open so two other men could study it. There seemed to be some discussion, then the foreman nodded and Joe left, without so much as glancing in Cait’s direction.

That stung.

At least he could have waved hello. But if he wanted to ignore her, well, fine. She’d do the same.

The market closed on the up side, the Dow Jones industrial average at 2600 points after brisk trading. The day’s work was over.

As Cait had predicted, Lindy sought her out almost immediately.

“So how’d your dinner date go?”

“It was fun.”

“Where’d he take you? Sam’s Bar and Grill as you thought?”

“Actually, no,” she said, clearing her throat, feeling more than a little foolish for having suggested such a thing. “He took me to Henry’s.” She announced it louder than necessary, since Paul was strolling into the office just then. But for all the notice he gave her, she might as well have been fresh paint drying on the office wall.

“Henry’s,” Lindy echoed. “He took you to Henry’s? Why, that’s one of the best restaurants in town. It must have cost him a small fortune.”

“I wouldn’t know. My menu didn’t list any prices.”

“You’re joking. No one’s ever taken me anyplace so fancy. What did you order?”

“Grilled salmon.” She continued to study Paul for some clue that he was listening in on her and Lindy’s conversation. He was seated at his desk, reading a report on short-term partnerships as a tax advantage. Cait had read it earlier in the week and had recommended it to him.

“Was it wonderful?” Lindy pressed.

It took Cait a moment to realize her friend was quizzing her about the dinner. “Excellent. The best fish I’ve had in years.”

“What did you do afterward?”

Cait looked back at her friend. “What makes you think we did anything? We had dinner, talked, and then he drove me home. Nothing more happened. Understand? Nothing.”

“If you say so,” Lindy said, eyeing her suspiciously. “But you’re certainly defensive about it.”

“I just want you to know that nothing happened. Joseph Rockwell is an old friend. That’s all.”

Paul glanced up from the report, but his gaze connected with Lindy’s before slowly progressing to Cait.

“Hello, Paul,” Cait greeted him cheerfully. “Are Lindy and I disturbing you? We’d be happy to go into the hallway if you’d like.”

“No, no, you’re fine. Don’t worry about it.” He looked past them to the doorway and got to his feet. “Hello, Rockwell.”

“Am I interrupting a meeting?” Joe asked, stepping into the office as if it didn’t really matter whether he was or not. His hard hat was back in place, along with the dusty jeans and the tool pouch. And yet Cait had no difficulty remembering last night’s sophisticated dinner companion when she looked at him.

“No, no,” Paul answered, “we were just chatting. Come on in. Problems?”

“Not really. But there’s something I’d like you to take a look at in the other room.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Joe threw Cait a cool smile as he strolled past. “Hello, Cait.”

“Joe.” Her heart was pounding hard, and that was ridiculous. It must have been due to embarrassment, she told herself. Joe was a friend, a boy from the old neighborhood; just because she’d allowed him to kiss her didn’t mean there was—or ever would be—anything romantic between them. The sooner she made him understand this, the better.

“Joe and Cait went out to dinner last night,” Lindy said pointedly to Paul. “He took her to Henry’s.”

“How nice,” Paul commented, clearly more interested in troubleshooting with Joe than discussing Cait’s dating history.

“We had a good time, didn’t we?” Joe asked Cait.

“Yes, very nice,” she responded stiffly.

Joe waited until Paul was out of the room before he stepped back and dropped a kiss on her cheek. Then he announced loudly enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear, “You were incredible last night.”

“I thought you said nothing happened,” Lindy said, looking intently at a red-faced Cait.

“Nothing did happen.” Cait was furious enough to kick Joe Rockwell in the shins the way he deserved. How dared he say something so…so embarrassing in front of Lindy! And probably within earshot of Paul!

“But then why would he say something like that?”

“How should I know?” Cait snapped. “One little kiss and he makes it sound like—”

“He kissed you?” Lindy asked sharply, her eyes narrowing. “You just got done telling me there’s nothing between the two of you.”

“Good grief, the kiss didn’t mean anything. It was for old times’ sake. Just a platonic little kiss.” All right, she was exaggerating a bit, but it couldn’t be helped.

While she was speaking, Cait gathered her things and shoved them in her briefcase. Then she slammed the lid closed and reached for her coat, thrusting her arms into the sleeves, her movements abrupt and ungraceful.

“Have a nice weekend,” she said tightly, not completely understanding why she felt so annoyed with Lindy. “I’ll see you Monday.” She marched through the office, but paused in front of Joe.

“You wanted something, sweetheart?’ he asked in a cajoling voice.

“You’re despicable!”

Joe looked downright disappointed. “Not low and disgusting?”

“That, too.”

He grinned from ear to ear just the way she knew he would. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Cait bit back an angry retort. It wouldn’t do any good to engage in a verbal battle with Joe Rockwell. He’d have a comeback for any insult she could hurl. Seething, Cait marched to the elevator and jabbed the button impatiently.

“I’ll be by later tonight, darling,” Joe called to her just as the doors were closing, effectively cutting off any protest.

He was joking. He had to be joking. No man in his right mind could possibly expect her to invite him into her home after this latest stunt. Not even the impertinent Joe Rockwell.

Once home, Cait took a long, soothing shower, dried her hair and changed into jeans and a sweater. Friday nights were generally quiet ones for her. She was munching on pretzels and surveying the bleak contents of her refrigerator when there was a knock on the door.

It couldn’t possibly be Joe, she told herself.

It was Joe, balancing a large pizza on the palm of one hand and clutching a bottle of red wine in the other.

Cait stared at him, too dumbfounded at his audacity to speak.

“I come bearing gifts,” he said, presenting the pizza to her with more than a little ceremony.

“Listen here, you…you fool, it’s going to take a whole lot more than pizza to make up for that stunt you pulled this afternoon.”

“Come on, Cait, lighten up a little.”

“Lighten up! You…you…”

“I believe the word you’re looking for is fool.”

“You have your nerve.” She dug her fists into her hips, knowing she should slam the door in his face. She would have, too, but the pizza smelled so good it was difficult to maintain her indignation.

“Okay, I’ll admit it,” Joe said, his deep blue eyes revealing genuine contrition. “I got carried away. You’re right, I am an idiot. All I can do is ask your forgiveness.” He lifted the lid of the pizza box and Cait was confronted by the thickest, most mouthwatering masterpiece she’d ever seen. The top was crowded with no less than ten tempting toppings, all covered with a thick layer of hot melted cheese.