Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance (15 page)

Maddie winced as she heard
Brent’s favourite name for his niece on the lips of this woman.

The other woman gave her a frosty
glare. Recognition flared in her eyes, but it was soon replaced by dislike. So
this was the woman who was linked with Chase. Maddie almost laughed aloud; she
was no match for Lily.

“What do you have there?” She
reached for the shopping bag, but Annie pulled it back. “For heaven’s sake
child, let me see.” Her tone was sharp, and it was all Maddie could do to hold
her tongue.

Annie slowly reached a hand into
the bag and drew out the picture. She passed it to the woman without a word.

She studied the picture for a
moment, then handed it back dismissively. “Oh yes, I’ve seen that.” A smirk
played around her lips as she backed up in front of Maddie’s shop and read the
sign. “I’d forgotten about your little venture.” She removed a glove and held
out her hand. “I suppose we should introduce ourselves. I take it you’re Maddie?”

Maddie took the offered hand and
cold fingers of dread inexplicably crept down her back. “Yes. Maddie LaRocque.”
She tried to smile.

“Nice to meet you.” She withdrew
her hand as though it might be contaminated. “I’m Cynthia Fairbairn. Brent’s
fiancée.”

“I’m sorry?” Maddie struggled to
keep her composure. She looked quickly to Annie, then back at the woman in
front of her, who was obviously enjoying herself.

“Oh, yes. Brent and I have been
together for some time now.” She glanced down at Annie. “Haven’t we?”

Annie shrugged.

Maddie felt as though she’d been
punched in the gut. More than anything in the world, she wanted to run away and
hide. She made an effort to say something, but her throat was closed up.

“Well,” Cynthia slapped the loose
glove against her other hand. “It’s been lovely meeting you but I must dash. I’m
on my way up to see Chase.” She looked down at Annie. “Are you coming?”

“No.” Annie edged closer to
Maddie. “We’re going out for tea.”

“Enjoy yourselves then.” She gave
Maddie one last triumphant look and walked over to the bank of elevators.

* * *

Maddie couldn’t remember walking
to the coffee shop. Unusually quiet, Annie slipped her hand into hers as they
walked. It wasn’t until they were sitting down at the front window with their
drinks that either of them spoke.

“Maddie, are you all right? You
look sick.” A frown creased Annie’s brow.

“What?” Maddie looked down at her
coffee and wondered where it had come from. Was this the way it felt to be in
shock? She warmed her hands on the cup and tried to smile. “I’m fine,” she said
quickly. She searched her memory, trying to figure out how she could have been
so wrong about Cynthia. Annie had mentioned her; it had been right here in the
coffee shop, and they’d been talking about the fact that Annie wanted a sewing
machine. The conversation came back to her as clearly as if it had just
happened. ‘She’s my uncle’s girlfriend’, she’d said. The words taunted her now
but it was easy to see how she could have been mistaken. She hadn’t known Brent
at that point in time and had assumed that the uncle in question was Chase.

“That’s okay. She doesn’t like
me, either.” Annie’s words were spoken so softly that Maddie almost missed
them.  A silent tear rolled down the child’s cheek. “I heard her on the phone a
couple of weeks ago. She was telling her girlfriend that she has no intention
of raising someone else’s child.”

“Oh, Annie.” Maddie gathered the
child in her arms. “She doesn’t deserve you.” She held her away and looked into
her eyes. “This may not make sense right now, but it’s not about you.” She
squeezed her arms gently. “It’s about her. She’s selfish, that’s all.” She put
her arms around the child again and stroked her hair. “You’re a wonderful child
and she’s...” She searched for a word she could use... “She’s not a very nice
person.”

Annie shuddered. “Can we still be
friends?”

“Of course we can.”

Annie broke out of her embrace
and drank some of her chai. On the sidewalk just outside the window, a young
girl walked by with her mother. Their arms were full of shopping bags and they
laughed as the girl said something. Annie watched them like a starving child
looking at a plate of food.

Maddie had a sudden thought. “You
don’t have any school tomorrow, right?”

Annie nodded.

“Well, I was wondering if you
would help me with some shopping. I have a customer who wants me to buy a puppy
for his son. He wants a family dog, but I’m not very good at this. Would you
come with me and help me pick one out?”

The child’s eyes brightened.
“That would be so cool. When can we go?” She stopped and gave Maddie a puzzled
look. “Where will you keep it until Christmas?”

“I’ve been thinking about that.
It will have to stay at the shelter until Christmas Eve, I guess, but it’s not
too soon to go and pick one out now.” She pretended to think. “How about
tomorrow afternoon?”

“Okay.” She dug out her phone.
“I’ll call Uncle Chase and make sure it’s okay with him.” She grinned at Maddie
as she waited.

“Uncle Chase?” She listened for a
moment. “Yes, I’m at the coffee shop with Maddie.” She shot a curious look at
Maddie. “No, just Maddie.” She muffled the phone against her sweater. “Lily
isn’t coming, is she?”

Maddie shook her head.

“No, it’s just us. Is it okay if
I go with Maddie tomorrow afternoon? She’s doing some special shopping and she
needs my help.” She nodded as he spoke. “Yes, the school concert is in the
morning and then we’re free for the rest of the holidays.” She nodded again.
“Okay, I’ll tell her. Thank you, Uncle Chase.” She slipped the phone into her
pocket. “He says he’ll have me back at your shop by noon tomorrow.”

“Perfect.” Maddie lifted her
coffee cup, relieved to see that her hand was no longer shaking. The full
impact of Cynthia’s revelation would no doubt sink in later, but she’d made it
this far, and she would survive, even with a shredded heart. Thankfully the
time between now and Christmas was going to be so busy she would scarcely have
time to think about Brent Drummond.

* * *

Lily tossed the phone on her desk
as though it had personally offended her. She’d been trying to get up the nerve
to phone Chase all day. She glanced at the wall clock. If she didn’t do it
soon, the day would be over. She could never call him at home, but she’d
thought she’d be able to work up her nerve to call him at work.

“Okay, this is it.” She picked up
the phone.

“Chase Drummond.” His voice was
brisk and businesslike. She pictured him in his office.

“Chase, it’s Lily.”

“Lily!” He breathed her name into
the phone. “I’ve been thinking about you all day.” He cleared his throat
self-consciously. “Well, most of the day. It’s wonderful to hear from you.”

She was suddenly nervous. What if
he said no? But then she wouldn’t find out until she asked.

“I was wondering if you’d like to
go to a Flames game.” She picked up the tickets and looked at them as she
spoke. “It’s on Saturday.” He’d never know how many strings she had to pull to
get the tickets.

He groaned. “I’d love to go, but
I can’t.” There was something odd in his voice but she couldn’t quite place it.
“I have to go out of town for the weekend.”

“Oh.” She tossed the tickets on
her desk, and they lay there, mocking her.

Chase didn’t give her time to be
disappointed. “But listen, I’m glad you called. Would you consider going to the
Oilmen’s Christmas party with me? It’s next Thursday.” He gave a low, intimate
chuckle. “I realize it’s short notice and I meant to ask you last night, but
things got kinda crazy there for a while.” He paused, and she wondered if he
was recalling their kiss. She hadn’t been able to think about much else all
day.

“Please say you’ll come. Dad
always schedules their Christmas visit so he can go and touch base with all his
old oil buddies. It’ll be a great chance for you to meet them. And this is
Annie’s first year. I know she’d be thrilled if you would come.”

“I’d like that, Chase. Is it
formal?”

“Very.  Not only do they send out
invitations, they check them at the door.” He gave a small snort of derision.
“As if we don’t all know each other. Anyway, it’s always a fun evening.” His
voice softened. “Will you be my date?”

“I’d like that.” She decided to
go for it. “Will I talk to you again before the party?”

He hesitated for only a moment
before he replied. “I’ll call you early in the week. Mom and Dad arrive on the
weekend, so things will be crazy at our place, but I’ll talk to you before the
party for sure.”

“Okay then. Have a good weekend.”

“I’ll try. Goodnight, Lily.”

“Goodnight.” She set the phone
down and stared at it. Something had happened during that conversation to make
her uneasy, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Instead of being happy that
he’d invited her to the most prestigious party of the year, she was edgy and
unsure of herself.

“Stop it!” She spoke aloud.
“You’re seeing problems where none exist.” And yet she knew better. Her
instinct rarely failed her, and warning bells were going off in her head. She
picked up the hockey tickets and walked out to the production floor.

“Greta.” The woman’s head came
up. “Your husband is a Flames fan, right?”

“Oh yeah, he drives me crazy.”
She deftly positioned another t-shirt for screening. “Him and my son. They’re
both crazy about the game.”

Lily waved the tickets and placed
them on a nearby work table. “Two tickets for Saturday night. I hope he enjoys
them.”

Greta and her husband had come to
Calgary several years before. Both had only the barest knowledge of English.
Johnny was a skilled mechanic and had quickly found a job. Greta had kept
coming back and applying until Lily had finally hired her, and she had never
regretted the decision. The woman was willing to work all hours, and her output
was amazing. She inspected the t-shirt critically, picked off a piece of loose
thread and smiled.

Greta nodded. “Thank you, Lily.
And while we’re talking about hockey, please tell your Mr. Chase that we
appreciate everything he does for the kids. We were able to get Bernie into a
league because of him. He’s a good man.”

 Lily nodded, her eyes suddenly
full of tears. “I’ll do that,” she said and walked back into her office.

* * *

Lily picked up some wine and a
few groceries after work and splurged on a cab. She exited and looked up,
surprised to see that no lights were showing in the condo. As far as she knew,
Maddie didn’t have anything scheduled for tonight, but she had mentioned how
busy the shop had become. Perhaps she was working late.

She pushed open the door, dumped
her purchases on the kitchen counter and flicked on the light.

“Maddie?” Her roommate was
sitting on the floor in the living room, arms clasped around raised knees. “Why
are you sitting there in the dark?”

Maddie didn’t respond. She rocked
back and forth, staring off into the distance.

Lily kicked off her shoes and sat
down on the floor next to her friend. A tear rolled down Maddie’s face, and she
hiccupped loudly. The movement seemed to jolt her awake and she turned to look
at Lily.

“Do you remember when I told you
Chase had a girlfriend?”

Lily’s heart jumped into her
throat. Images from last night arose, and she fought to stay focused. Why would
Maddie be crying over Chase’s girlfriend?

Maddie continued. “She’s not
Chase’s girlfriend,” she said dully. She shook her head and went back to
staring off into the distance. “She’s Brent’s girlfriend.” She tried to laugh,
but the sound came out strangled. “His fiancée, actually.”

Lily’s head was spinning.
“Laurel?”

Maddie pulled back. “Who’s
Laurel?”

Lily felt as though she was mired
in quicksand. “Who are you talking about?”

“Cynthia.”

“So...” Lily frowned as she tried
to put the pieces together. “...when Annie said that Chase had a girlfriend she
really meant Brent.”

“What she actually said was that
her uncle had a girlfriend. I just assumed it was Chase because I didn’t know
Brent existed at the time.” She pressed the fingers of one hand against her
forehead. “She stopped by the shop today when Annie was there and introduced
herself.” She looked around the room, her gaze coming to rest on various items
without really seeing them. “You know what I don’t understand?” She didn’t wait
for Lily’s response. “I don’t understand how Brent could be involved with
someone like that. She doesn’t even like Annie, for goodness sake.” She
hiccupped again. “She barely tolerates her.”

Lily leaned back against the
couch. “What is it with these Drummond men?”

Maddie’s eyes widened. “Oh my
God, Lily. You had the fashion show last night, and I forgot to ask about it.
You must think I’m terrible.”

Lily shook her head. “Don’t be
silly.” She slid a sideways glance at her friend. “Although it
was
interesting.”
She got up and offered her friend a hand. “Come on, get up off the floor. Let’s
have a glass of wine, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

* * *

Maddie studied her reflection in
the mirror the next morning, surprised that she appeared normal. Thank goodness
for Lily. She hadn’t tried to argue last night when her roommate insisted that
she eat something. Lily was simply too strong-willed and her own energy had
been at its lowest ebb for a few days now.

It was just as well that Brent
wasn’t in town. She didn’t know what she might have said to him if he bounced
into the lobby today. She leaned against the bathroom counter, looked into her
eyes and thought back to her time with him. He’d never actually said that he
was single, and yet he’d led her to believe that he wanted to see more of her;
that he’d be around in the future. How was he going to accomplish that if he
was engaged? None of it made sense, and she was tired of thinking about it. She
took a couple of deep breaths and tried to put it out of her mind. Today was
going to be hectic enough without cluttering her mind with thoughts of Brent. If
only it could be that easy.