A Marine for Christmas (Hearts Ablaze: Men in Uniform) (6 page)

“You’re sure you don’t mind?” Jason politely asked over the phone.  He glanced across the street at Amy’s house, imagining her pacing around inside.  She sounded a little bit anxious, but maybe she was just surprised to hear from him or already in the middle of something.

“Mind?
  No, of course not!” Amy repeated, her voice sounding sweeter with each passing moment.  “I was just surprised to hear from you.  And I just got home, so you kind of caught me off guard.”

“
Sorry about that,” Jason said.  “I found your number in the neighborhood contact list.  I hope that’s okay.”

“Yes, of course, that’s fine,” she ad
ded with a laugh.

“Well, like I mentioned the other day, I have to go out of town this weekend.  But I was hoping maybe I could steal some of your time next Monday or Tuesday—maybe after work one night?” 
Perfect,
Jason thought.  That didn’t sound like a date at all.  He’d get to know Amy a little better, she’d be at ease helping him find the perfect painting for his home, and if that went well, then he’d suggest dinner or drinks another time.  It was tricky with the holidays coming up.  He’d be gone this weekend and then again at Thanksgiving.  He really wanted to see more of her though.

“
Yeah, you mentioned you’d be gone.  Next Monday would be great.  We could check out that little art gallery in town.  Of course the larger stores have mass-produced artwork, if you want something like that instead.”

“The art gallery sounds perfect.”

“Great.  Why don’t you call me when you’re back in town, and we can set up a time?”

“
Sounds good.  If I don’t talk to you before then, have a good week.  And weekend,” he added.

“You too.
  Have a safe trip.”

“Thanks.  See you Monday.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Jason hung up the phone.  Their conversation had been short, sweet, and to the point.  He was pretty sure the rest of the week was going to drag.  He was looking forward to seeing his son this weekend, but for once, he wouldn’t be as disappointed when he flew back home.  Of course he always missed Brian, but it would be nice to have something else to look forward to for a change.

***

The following week, Amy got ready to meet Jason at the art gallery.  They’d planned to drive over together, but he’d gotten stuck in bad traffic heading home from Quantico, and since she was working late finishing up some Thanksgiving projects for school, it had been easier to just arrange to meet him.

Amy had barely had time to change as she left the classroom.  She’d switched out her casual tee shirt for a patterned blouse. 
She’d forgotten a change of shoes, so she wore the flats she’d been in all day.  Glancing in the mirror, she swiped on a little bit of lip gloss.  She already had a rosy glow to her cheeks thanks to rushing around her classroom all afternoon.  Amy carried her bags out to her SUV and climbed in.  There was a chill to the air, which wasn’t unusual for mid-November.  She recalled how last Thanksgiving had been unseasonably warm though, with the kids forgoing their jackets on the playground.

Fifteen minutes later she pulled into the parking lot adjacent to a row of shops in town.
  There was a bakery, which was just closing for the night, a small coffee shop, a used bookstore, and an art gallery.  The gallery taught classes to the locals and had a small display area for people to purchase artwork.  The coffee shop usually had a small piece or two of art on display as well, and the cross-promotion seemed to work well for the two small businesses.

Amy had dreamed of owning the art gallery someday.  She knew the couple in their mid-sixties that
owned it wouldn’t want to forever.  It would be heartbreaking to see it close down if they were to retire.  She certainly couldn’t swing her mortgage plus rent for the gallery now though.  Maybe someday if she saved up enough or managed to make money selling her paintings.  Or if she ever rented out a room in her home.  She wasn’t too keen on that idea though—Amy enjoyed her privacy and alone time after being in a classroom full of children all day long.

Jason was already standing in the storefront when she walked up.
  He’d come straight from work and was in his dress uniform.  Well, maybe it wasn’t a dress uniform—it wasn’t quite as fancy as what some of the Marines wore when they attended formal events.  Melissa’s ex-fiancé Michael, although not exactly her type, had looked incredibly dashing in his dress uniform.  Jason looked equally handsome tonight though, his muscular frame accentuated by the cut of his uniform.  His dark hair looked shorter than she remembered, but maybe he just looked more “military” now that he was standing before her in uniform.

Amy felt a slight flutter in her stomach as she approached him and wondered how he could have been living across the street from her all this time without her giving him a second look.
Was she really that wrapped up in Ben these past few months?  Sadly, she knew the answer was probably yes.  When she’d been with Ben, she couldn’t get enough of him, and even after they’d broken up, he’d been on her mind all the time.  It was nice to have someone else she looked forward to seeing.

“
Amy, thanks for meeting me,” Jason said warmly.  “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get home in time to pick you up.”

“Oh, no problem,” she said, waving her hand in dismissal of his
apology.  “I had lots to do at school anyway, so this was perfect timing.  Let’s see if we can find you something.”

“
Lead the way,” he said with a smile, opening up the door for her.

Amy brush
ed past him as she walked inside, feeling her skin prickle and then go all warm over their closeness.  He was so big and masculine, and as she caught a whiff of his cologne, it was all she could do to continue walking.  If only she could stop there a moment, breathing in his scent and basking in his warmth.  She could feel his eyes burning into her and forced herself to keep walking, wondering if something in her expression or body language had given her away.

Jason stepped in beside her. 
“Hmmm, I’m not sure this is what I had in mind,” Jason said with a low chuckle.

They looked around the room
together at the pastel watercolors.  The gallery frequently changed the theme of the pieces on display.  Amy had stopped by several weeks ago, and the place had been filled with landscapes of forests and fall foliage.  While that had seemed like it could be a possibility for Jason, the pastels were not at all what she could envision him enjoying.

“Darn it; they changed the
display.  It looks like they’re featuring the work of an artist from DC right now.  I’m surprised they don’t have something more seasonal….”  Her voice trailed off as she looked around.

Jason caught her eye and walked closer.  “I’ll have to check back another time then.  How often do they change this?”

“I’m not sure.  Monthly?”

“I definitely had something a little more modern or abstract in mind.”

“Hmmm,” Amy said, nodding absentmindedly.

Jason raised his eyebrows, trying to read the expression on her face.

“I actually have something you may like.  I hardly ever get the time to paint anymore, but I finished this piece over the summer. It’s just sitting in my studio.”

“Studio?”

“Spare bedroom, office, and studio all rolled into one,” she said with a laugh.  “Anyway, this is just sitting there.  I have so much art I don’t have the wall space for it.  But I’d love for you to have it.”

“I’d love to see it,” Jason said. 
“Maybe I can stop by on Saturday to take a look?”

“Absolutely.
  I’d be thrilled if someone was able to enjoy it.  I was just kind of playing around with abstract stripes, but it just might suit you.  It’s much more bold and modern than this,” she added, gesturing to the pieces in the gallery.

Jason’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it
out, glancing down at the screen.  “Damn it, it’s work,” he said with a frown. He scanned the message and then looked back up with a regretful look in his eyes.  “I have to head back in,” he said quietly.

“Oh,” Amy
replied, her face falling.  She wasn’t sure exactly why Jason had asked for her help, aside from the fact that he knew she painted.  But she’d been looking forward to spending some time with him looking at the artwork, maybe even grabbing a cup of coffee afterward.  Now their night was over before it had even begun.

“I’m really sorry,” Jason said, holding her gaze.  “I got stuck working late trying to wrap
this project up, then I got stuck in traffic, and now I have to head back into work again.  This just isn’t my night.”

“I guess not,” she said with a wry smile.

“Trust me, seeing you was the one highlight,” he added with a laugh.  “Brief as though it was.  I feel terrible.”

“Look, we all have days like that.  Just come by this weekend sometime—if you’re around
.”

“I’ll be there,” he promised.  He glanced out at the darkening sky.  “Let me walk you to your car
before I go.”

“You go ahead.  I know the owners of the gallery, so I’ll just stay and chat
with them for a bit as long as I’m here.  Good luck with the work stuff.”

“Thanks.  And I’m sorry again about this evening, Amy.”

He made sure she met his eyes before he said goodbye and left.  Jason felt terrible that he’d changed their plans not once but twice this evening.  First he couldn’t get home on time and then he’d gotten called back to base?  “Of all the nights for something like this to happen,” he muttered to himself as he headed back toward his car.

The wind picked up, and he rubbed his hands together, trying to stay warm.  He didn’t even have a coat on, and the weather had turned decidedly colder since the morning.  The cold blast of air made it feel more like winter than late fall, and if he didn’t know better, it almost felt like snow would be headed their way soon.  He looked up at the sky, almost expecting to see flurries.  The scent of smoke from a fireplace nearby was permeating the air, and he wished he were headed to the comforts of home and not making the drive back to base. 
At least he’d see Amy this weekend, no matter if it was just for a quick visit.  He’d ask her out then, on a proper date, he decided.  Saturday couldn’t get here soon enough.

“So how’d the bake sale last week go?” Melissa asked on Thursday night over dinner.  She and Amy had decided to meet for a quick bite at a small local Mexican restaurant.  Melissa had spent the day taking a newlywed couple all over town looking for their first home.  The fact that other people were still getting married and she was not was like a giant punch to the gut, and she’d called Amy late in the day pleading for a dinner companion.

“I spent all Sunday baking. 
All
of it,” Amy repeated for emphasis.  “But the sale was a success, and the kids were thrilled.  Now I’ve got to spend this weekend getting ready for Thanksgiving.”

“I thought you were going over to Beth’s with the rest of us?”

“I am, but I offered to bring a couple of pies,” Amy replied, sipping her margarita. “What can I say? I must have been in a baking mood when I agreed to that last weekend.  I need to get to the store, too—you know it’s going to be crazy on Saturday morning.”

“I offered to bring the wine,” Melissa said with a grin.  “White, red, maybe a bottle of champagne, too….”

“You got off too easy,” Amy jokingly scoffed.  They all knew Melissa wasn’t exactly known for her cooking.  “And now they’re saying that a snowstorm’s coming.  It seems really early in the year for that—you know how the weather forecasters are always predicting the next blizzard and then we only get an inch or two.  But I may need to swing by the store tomorrow.  If I’m stuck inside, at least I can get some prep work done over the weekend.”

“Ugh—I hope it doesn’t snow.  The last thing I want is to sit around moping all weekend.”

“You, mope?”

“Very funny.
  I’ve spent the last week cancelling all the vendors for my wedding.  And last Saturday afternoon I spent with my ex-fiancé, yelling at him over the demise of our relationship.  I was hoping for something a little more fun this weekend.”

“Well, we’ll all have a good time at Thanksgiving.  And that’s only a few more days away.”

“I know; I’m just in a bad mood.  Driving around town with that lovey-dovey couple did me in this afternoon.”  Melissa gestured to the waitress to bring another round of margaritas for the two of them.  “Let’s talk about you instead.  Did you ever hear back from Ben after his ski trip last weekend?”

“God no.
  Why would I?”

Melissa shrugged.  “You never know.  Maybe he had a horrible time and wanted you back?”

Amy laughed.  “I’m sure he had a terrible time on his romantic vacation.  All cooped up in that hotel room with a fireplace and king-sized bed.  How about this—no more guy talk for the rest of the night?”

Melissa
laughed and lifted her glass into the air.  “That, my friend, is a promise.”

***

The commute home the next afternoon was horrible, with everyone else in the vicinity of DC leaving the office early as well.  It had taken Amy an hour to make her usual ten minute drive home.  The snow had been falling heavily all afternoon, and while there was an inch or two already on the grass, the roads and sidewalks were just beginning to accumulate precipitation.  Finally reaching her street, she drove slowly down the road, leaving tire tracks behind in the wet, snowy mess.  After pulling into her driveway, she turned off her windshield wipers, and a thin layer of snow immediately began to cover the glass.  She watched the snowflakes falling, one after another sticking to the windshield, until she could hardly see outside.  Amy climbed out of her SUV and slid on the icy asphalt, clutching onto the side of her vehicle for support.  Cursing herself for wearing flats today and not sensible boots, Amy pulled her tote bag, purse, and bag of groceries from the trunk of her car.  She glanced down at the fresh white powder, which covered the ground in an even layer.

She slammed her trunk closed and, heaving her tote bag over her shoulder, clutched her bag of groceries in one arm as she inched along the side of her car, heading for the front door.  Confident that she hadn’t fallen yet,
Amy took a bigger step and suddenly slipped, falling backwards as she lost her footing.  Strong arms caught her from behind, and she felt a firm body supporting her as she regained her balance.  She looked up and right into the steel blue eyes of Jason.  His hands remained on her arms as she steadied herself, and suddenly she felt flustered as he held her.  How many times over the past few days had she imagined just this thing?  Yet Jason pulling her into his arms and kissing her passionately was not exactly the same as catching her as she fell, and she realized it was silly to pretend it was anything more than him simply offering his assistance.

“Thanks,” she said, turning to face him as he released her, noticing for the first time how tall he really was.  She brushed some of the snowflakes from her hair and looked up at him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice deep.

“Yeah, I just slipped in this icy mess,” she said, gesturing to the ground.

“Those don’t look like the best shoes for walking around in the snow,” he said, eyeing her skimpy flats.

“Uh, no, probably not.
  I’m just coming from work.”

“Let me help you,” he said, reaching out to take her things.

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Amy replied.

“It’s no problem,” he said.  He lifted her tote bag and slung it over his own shoulder and then reached out for the bag of groceries.  As he held out his free arm to her, she saw no choice but to take it.  Unless she wanted to walk up the driveway barefoot, she was going to have trouble navigating the icy mess in her shoes.  Gripping his muscular arm, she walked with him to the front door.  He towered over her, and she noted that he
was well over six feet tall.  She slipped once more but did not fall with Jason beside her, and she was grateful that he had been there to offer his help.  She released his arm as soon as they reached the front porch.

“I’m surprised you had school today,” Jason commented as Amy dug her keys
out from her purse.

“The roads were fine this morning.  I shouldn’t have stayed late though.  Traffic was terrible.”

“For me, too.  Nonessential employees were released early from base, but I think everyone else in the DC area was already on the road by the time I left.  Took me two hours.”

“That’s terrible,” Amy said, pushing open her front door.
  She pulled her key from the lock and walked inside.

Jason stepped in beside her.  “Where do you want these?”

Once again, she felt a slight pang of sadness that Jason was just here for a moment.  Of course he’d just come in to put down her things—it wasn’t like they were about to spend a cozy evening together.

“Oh, just set them down anywhere.  Thanks for your help.”

“Sure thing.  Let me know if you need any more assistance in the driveway,” he said, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Amy
flushed, surprised that he was teasing her.  He always seemed so serious before and until the past week or so, they’d barely spoken.  Something about all their unexpected encounters pleased her, and she smiled back up at him.  “You’ll be the first to know,” she joked.  “I’ll just toss some pebbles at your window or something if I need help.”

He laughed heartily.  “Seriously though, if you need something, I’m right across the
street.  And I do want to see that painting.”

“
Definitely.  Maybe you can stop by later on or tomorrow.  I don’t want it to get wet if you carry it home now in the snow.”

“
I can still come by tomorrow, if that’s okay.”

“Sounds good.
  Thanks again for your help.”

“
You’re welcome, Amy.”  The sound of his deep, masculine voice saying her name sent an unexpected thrill through her.  Of course he’d probably said her name plenty of times before.  But something about her name on his lips and the memory of his arms around her in the driveway earlier made her yearn for something more.  His gaze stayed on her for just a beat too long, and then he turned to go.  Her heart fell ever so slightly as she slowly shut the door behind him.