Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance (19 page)

* * *

Brent pulled over to the side of
the road as he neared Calgary. It had been dark when he got started early this
morning, but he was determined to get back and sort things out with Cynthia. He
pulled out his cell phone, scrolled through his contacts and pushed a number.

“Hello?” She sounded abrupt, and
he wondered if she spoke to everyone in that tone. “Hello, Cynthia.”

“Brent, darling.” The saccharine
tone made him want to gag. “Are you back in town?”

“Almost. I’m on Deerfoot near
Tuxedo Park, and I’m starving. Do you know any restaurants around here?” It was
a set-up, and he felt a bit guilty, but he knew she’d volunteer to meet him. It
was the best way he could think to get her in a public place.

“What are you looking for?”

“Just a hamburger and a coffee,
but I’d like somewhere comfortable.”

“Then I know the perfect spot.”
She proceeded to give him the name and directions. “I’ll meet you, and we can
have coffee.”

She arrived before his hamburger
had been delivered. As usual, she didn’t want to eat and ordered a cup of
coffee.

“I’ve missed you,” she said,
looking at him expectantly.

The server brought her coffee and
his hamburger. He bit into it hungrily. “I’m getting tired of these long stints
away from home. I miss everybody when I’m away.” His thoughts turned to Maddie,
and he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. “How’s Annie?”

She frowned. “Really, Brent. You
should do something about that child. She’s getting to be quite a handful.”

“In what way?” He tilted his head
but she didn’t seem to notice the challenge in his eyes.

She placed her cup carefully in
the saucer and raised her eyes. “Well, she hangs around with that Maddie all
the time. I don’t know what the attraction is there.” She dabbed at her lips
with a napkin. “Darling, when we’re married do you think we could live alone?
Chase could take care of her, couldn’t he?”

“What’s the matter with us?”

She pouted her lips. “I just
don’t think it’s fair to ask me to raise someone else’s child.”

“You know, you’re right.” Brent
nodded his agreement. “It’s not fair at all.”

“Darling! You understand.”

“Yes.” He leaned across the table
and lowered his voice. “I understand that you’re a mean spirited, selfish
woman.” He was so angry he was trembling. “You don’t have an ounce of
compassion for anyone besides yourself, do you?”

It took a moment for his words to
sink in. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that it’s over
between us, Cynthia. I hoped maybe you’d grow to love Annie the way I do, but I
see that isn’t going to happen.”

Her eyes narrowed into slits.
“You’re dumping me? Is that what this is?”

He saw her clearly for the first
time. “There was never anything real between us, Cynthia. I can see that now.”

She slid out of the booth and
stood over him, shaking with rage. “I never should have wasted my time on you.
I went for the wrong brother. At least Chase appreciates a good woman.”

He was tempted to laugh, but her
outburst saddened him. “You’re right about that,” he said to her retreating
back. “He appreciates a good woman all right.”

Brent watched her car pull out,
and then went back to eating his hamburger. He was sorry he had to do it that
way, but there was no time to waste. He pulled out his phone and called Chase.

“Hi, I’m on my way back in.
What’s up?”

“Nothing much. Mom and Dad got
here yesterday. Oh, and I got that data you sent; the site looks promising.”
His brother sounded tired. “Annie is over at the skating rink, if you’re in the
area.”

“I’m not far away. I’ll stop
before I come back to the office.”

Brent pulled his SUV into a
parking spot and leaned back, exhausted. Light snow was falling, and it took
him a minute to find Annie. She was skating with her friends, and he watched
for a while, a smile on his face. At least with Maddie he knew how she felt
about the child. He glanced over toward where they’d sat together. Was that
her? He turned on the windshield wipers to get a better look. Yes, she was
sitting on the step, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she wasn’t sitting on anything.
He reached into the back seat for the old blanket he’d used last time.

He had one hand on the door handle
when he saw him. A man walked up and stood behind Maddie. She looked up at him
and jumped up. They exchanged a few words, and he watched in disbelief as the
man put his arms around her. Something twisted inside his chest. He dropped the
blanket, turned on the ignition and drove away before he could see any more.

Parked in the basement of the
building that bore his name, Brent slumped back against the headrest. What had
just happened? He closed his eyes, but all he could see was Maddie in the arms
of a man.

There were many times since their
last conversation that he’d wanted to phone her again, but something had held
him back. When he saw her again, he’d wanted to be free of Cynthia. He gave a
short, mirthless laugh. At least something good had come out of his interest in
Maddie.

He scrubbed a hand over his face
and felt the beginnings of a beard. He’d been so anxious to get home that he
hadn’t shaved this morning. His mother wouldn’t approve. Maybe that’s what he
needed right now, a little motherly advice. He sure wasn’t doing that well on
his own.

Brent took the elevator up to the
office, smiled at Marilyn and walked into his brother’s office. He was tempted
to put his feet up on Chase’s desk but didn’t have the energy for the lively
argument that would ensue. He was disappointed, exhausted and wanted only a
warm shower and some of Hannah’s home cooking.

“You were right.” Chase spoke as
though they’d been in the middle of a conversation. “I should have done
something about Laurel a long time ago.”

Brent took a second look at his
brother. It was rare for Chase to admit to being wrong. Dark smudges under his
eyes spoke of a lack of sleep.

“What has she done now?”

Chase explained the weekend wedding
fiasco. “And now Lily doesn’t want anything to do with me, not that I can blame
her.” He raised tortured eyes.

“Well it looks like I’ve struck
out in the romance department as well. I saw Maddie over at the rink with a
man.”

Chase re-arranged a few files on
his desk. “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

“Trust me, they were together.”
Brent stood. “Are you still going to the ball tomorrow?”

“I have to. I’m president of the
association this year, remember? What about you?”

“I don’t know.” Brent toyed with
a model of an oil derrick that sat on the edge of the desk. “I sure don’t feel
like it.”

“No pressure, Bro, but I think
Annie was counting on us being there. She has a new dress, and I haven’t heard
about anything else all week.”

Brent smiled. “She’s a determined
little thing. Okay, I’ll think about it.”

“By the way.” Chase looked down
at a piece of paper. “Did you authorize Maddie to buy a puppy for Annie? Plus a
thousand dollar donation?”

Brent brightened and leaned over
the desk. “Yes. Did she find something?”

“It appears so. She’s arranged
for it to be delivered to the ranch on Christmas Eve.”

“The day after tomorrow.” Brent
spoke to himself as he walked out. “Perfect.”

* * *

“He’s going to be a handful.”
Lily walked downstairs with her mother. Her father had been brought into the
house in a wheelchair, complaining all the way. In spite of his protests, he
was tired and had fallen asleep almost instantly.

“Don’t worry, I’m used to him
after all these years.” Her mother led her into the kitchen. They’d consumed
many cups of tea since her arrival, and were about to have another. “I’d rather
have him like this, eager to go back to work than the alternative.”

“Yes, I suppose so.” Lily filled
the kettle and set it on the burner. “He was lucky.”

“Yes, he was lucky.” Her mother
nodded her agreement. “And now it’s time for you to get back to your own life.”

Lily looked out the window. Large
flakes had started to fall. The temperature hovered around freezing, and they
were melting as they hit the grass in the back yard, but a cold snap was
predicted. Suddenly she ached for the cold, crisp prairie air. “You’re right,”
she said, turning to her mother with a smile. “It’s time I went back.”

* * *

“Two days until Christmas.” Zelda
was her usual cheerful self. “I can’t believe how many orders we’ve processed
in a short time.” She sipped on her latte, her gaze thoughtful. “Have you
considered what you’re going to do in the New Year?”

“Not really.” Maddie looked up
from her ever-present list. “But if we decide to continue this business, I
think it should be as partners.” The elevator opened and she glanced toward it,
but Brent wasn’t there. She thought she’d recognized his vehicle in the
basement yesterday, but she wasn’t sure. She wanted to see him once more, to
look into his eyes and see if she’d imagined their previous attraction for each
other. It still hurt every time she replayed Cynthia’s words, but a glimmer of
hope still burned somewhere deep inside. It didn’t make sense, but it was
there, nonetheless.

“Well I’m in, but maybe we should
wait until we make any decisions.”

Maddie frowned, trying to recall
what they’d been talking about. Oh yes, the business. “Good call. We’ll get
together early in January.” She looked around the shop. Only a few gifts
remained, and they were to be picked up shortly. She looked outside; it was
already getting dark. “You can handle everything if I leave now, can’t you? I
have to go to the shelter and pick up the puppy.”

Zelda raised an eyebrow. “Good
luck with that.”

“No kidding.” She touched one of
the Christmas lights, still amazed that someone had invented lights that were
cool to the touch. “One more day. We’ll take this down tomorrow, right?”

Zelda nodded. “See you then.”

* * *

“Hi, Dad!” Brent gave his father
a manly hug. “Good to see you.”

His mother came into the kitchen,
and he leaned over to hug her as well. “Mom, you look more beautiful than
ever.” He held her away. “You really do.”

She laid a hand on his bristly
face. “If you’re trying to distract me from the fact that you need a shave,
it’s not working.” She gave him a quick kiss. “Hello, Son.”

Annie launched herself into his
arms. “Uncle Brent!”

“Hello, Munchkin.” He held her in
his arms a bit longer than normal. “I’ve missed you.”’

“Me too.” She tugged at his hand.
“Come and see my dress. I’m going to wear it tonight.”

“Not now, sweetie. I need to have
a shower and shave.”

She tried to hide her
disappointment.

“I want to see you all dressed
up. We’ll take some happy pictures, okay?”

She nodded solemnly. “I’ve got my
camera all charged up. I promised Maddie, too.”

Pain sliced into his chest, but
he managed to smile. “That’s great.” He glanced at his parents, then left the
room.

“Listen, you. Stop that.” The
puppy had managed to wrap the leash around Maddie’s legs for the umpteenth
time. She was trying to be firm but it was difficult with the squirming bundle
of energy. “Lily’s probably home by now so you’d better be on your best
behaviour.”

Right. And pigs were going to
fly. Any day now.

Maddie let herself into the
condo. Lily’s purse sat on the counter next to a glass of wine. She could hear
the shower, and Lily singing some unrecognizable tune.

She spread out the newspapers
she’d brought home, covering a portion of the floor in her bedroom. She set the
dog on it; he looked up at her, wagged his tail as if he understood, then
commenced sniffing everything in the room. She noticed him heading toward her
shoes and she quickly closed the closet door.

“I’ll just leave you in here for
a few minutes while I talk to Lily, okay?” He tilted his head as though
listening and then carried on with his sniffing expedition.

“Who were you talking to?” Lily
padded down the hall in a bathrobe that doubled her size, which wasn’t
difficult. There was a light in her eyes that hadn’t been there when they’d
parted.

“It’s Annie’s puppy,” she
blurted. “It’s just for overnight.”

“Okay. Just don’t let him near
the carpet.” The condo floors were hardwood, but a spectacular area rug graced
the center of the living area. Maddie knew her roommate had paid a fortune for
it.

“Promise,” she said. “How’s your
dad?”

“Feisty as ever. He wants to go
back to work.” Lily picked up her wine glass, then set it back down. “I’m going
to the ball tonight.” She turned to look at Maddie. “My mother said a few
things to me that made me rethink my position.”

Maddie’s mouth fell open, but she
closed it quickly. “I guess Chase is delighted about that.”

“He doesn’t know.” She picked up
the glass, and this time she took a sip. “I’m going to just show up. If he’s with
someone else already, then I’ll have made a mistake.” She ran a finger around
the rim of the glass. “But at least I’ll have tried.”

Maddie had never seen Lily like
this. She’d spoken with a vulnerability that was touching. She recalled the way
energy had sparked between the two of them on their very first meeting. “I have
a feeling that this is going to work out just fine,” she said with a smile. “I
just wish I could be there to see it.”

* * *

Chase circulated among the crowd.
A server offered him a drink, but he declined with a polite shake of the head.
He had nothing to celebrate. Besides, he’d never been intoxicated in front of
his mother and father, and he wasn’t about to start now. He shoved a hand into
his jacket pocket and frowned. What was that? He pulled his hand out, revealing
the black beads that had fallen from Lily’s dress the night of the fashion
show.