Mistletoe (4 page)

“Oh,” Diana said. “Um…okay.”

“I’m just going to use the bathroom. Meet you out front, all right?”

“Yeah, yeah…I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Good night, Miss…erm…Jamie.”

“Good night, Gwen, and please drive safe,” Jamie said. Watching as Gwen headed for the door, Jamie turned her attention back to Diana. “Well, it seems I need to wish you a good night also.”

“I’m sorry,” Diana said. “I was hoping we’d have more time to talk.”

“So was I,” Jamie said softly.

“Um…well, I best go find Gwen,” Diana said, finishing the wine in her glass. “Thank you for the wine and the use of your jacket.”

Although tempted to offer Diana a ride home, Jamie didn’t want to assume anything. A lighthearted chat was one thing, but presuming that the woman wanted anything more than just friendly conversation, was quite another. Not allowing her disappointment to creep into the tone of her voice, Jamie said lightly, “It was my pleasure.”

Flashing Jamie a toothy grin, Diana turned to walk away, but when she felt Jamie’s hand on her arm, she stopped dead in her tracks. Swallowing hard at the feeling of butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Diana turned back around.

“I was wondering, if…if you might be escorting Gwen to Lillian’s party next week?” Jamie asked.

“To tell you the truth, I wasn’t planning on it, but I think I’ve changed my mind.”

“Can I ask why?”

“Do you really need to?” Diana said.

Not waiting for Jamie to answer, Diana flashed another quick smile before making her way through the crowd.

When she finally reached the large archway which led back to the entrance hall, Diana was greeted by a very smug and a very drunk Theodore Phelan.

“Not so fast,” he said with a sneer, holding out his arm to block her escape.

“You’re not going anywhere, yet.”

Forced to come to an abrupt halt, Diana said, “Pardon me?”

“You owe me a kiss,” Phelan said, looking down his nose at her.

Taking a step back, Diana stiffened.

“Excuse me?”

Pointing above her head, he said, “I don’t know who put it there, but since they did, I intend to take full advantage of it.”

Looking up, when Diana saw the sprig of mistletoe, she blanched. Trying to think of something to say, she paused for a second, and then a familiar voice rang out.

“In your dreams, Phelan,” Jamie said, striding to the doorway. “Now let her pass.”

Keeping his voice low so that others wouldn’t hear, Phelan leaned in and said, “This is my house, Nash, not yours.

And since this is
my
Christmas party and that goddamn weed is hanging over
my
doorway, tradition dictates that this lovely lady doesn’t leave until she gets kissed.”

Jamie watched as Phelan looked back at Diana, hungrily licking his lips in anticipation, but before he could make his move, Jamie made hers.

Reaching over, she slipped her hand behind Diana’s neck and pulled her close. Jamie’s intention was only to satisfy tradition with a mere brush of her lips, but once they touched Diana’s, tradition was quickly forgotten.

It happened so fast that by the time Diana realized that Jamie was about to kiss her, their lips were already touching. The scent of the cologne which Diana had admired from afar now filled her nostrils, and spellbound, Diana closed her eyes and allowed the kiss to continue.

Jamie was in trouble. There was no doubt about it. The kiss should have only lasted for a second, or maybe two, but they were well past five and rapidly heading toward ten or twenty. Jamie knew that she should pull away. She was stepping way over the line with a woman she had just met, but oh, what a woman. Diana’s lips were the softest that Jamie had ever touched, and her flavor was more intoxicating than the finest of wines. For a few seconds more, Jamie allowed herself to get lost in the heady rush of their first kiss.

With a heavy heart, Jamie finally pulled away, and as Diana opened her eyes, Jamie looked over at Phelan.

“Consider her kissed. Now, let her pass.”

Slack-jawed, Phelan backed away from the door, and without saying a word, Diana walked out.

~~~

As a fire danced in the hearth, Santa sat behind his desk, sipping hot chocolate. Taking another letter from the pile stacked to his right, he smiled as he read what was written. Checking the list displayed on his computer, he made yet another notation in the
Nice
column and then entered the child’s wish. Placing the note aside, he picked up the next, but stopped when he heard the tinkling of bells. Looking up, he grinned when he saw Percy Giggly-Legs appear in the doorway.

“There you are. It was getting a bit late. I was starting to worry,” Santa said.

“It took longer than expected, sir,” Percy said, shuffling over to the desk.

Catching a whiff of his lead elf, Santa’s eyes flew open. “Percy! You smell like you spent the night in a distillery.”

“Oh, yes, sir…I mean…I mean, no sir. Mr. Phelan’s house was filled with people drinking and smoking. I couldn’t get away from it and still do my job.”

“I see,” Santa said, eyeing the elf.

“And did you?”

“No, sir. Not a drop…well, maybe a splash, but it wasn’t my fault. Honest.”

Shaking his head, Santa looked over the top of his reading glasses. “Percy, I was talking about the mistletoe.”

“Oh,” Percy replied as a slight blush crossed his cheeks.

“So, tell me, how did it go?”

Hanging his head, Percy said, “I don’t think it worked, sir.”

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“Well, I did as you told me, and hung the mistletoe where Miss Diana would be sure to walk under it, but when Mr. Phelan tried to kiss her, she refused.”

“Mr. Phelan?”

“Yes, sir. Mr. Theodore Phelan. He was the host of the party tonight.”

Turning to his computer, Santa tapped away at the keys. Running a search in his
Naughty and Nice
database, his brow furrowed when he saw the amount of times that little Teddy Phelan had appeared on the
Naughty
side of the list. Looking over at the elf, Santa said, “Percy, I’m not sure Mr. Phelan was supposed to be the one who kissed Miss Diana tonight.”

“No?”

“Definitely not,” Santa said, shaking his head.

“I’m glad, sir.”

“You are?”

“Yes, sir. I didn’t like Mr. Phelan very much.”

“By the sounds of it, neither did Miss Diana.”

“No, sir. She was actually quite determined about not being kissed by him, sir.”

“So, are you saying that no one kissed Miss Diana under our mistletoe?”

“Um…no, sir,” Percy said quietly.

Pulling a piece of paper from his pocket, he handed it to Santa. “The lady’s name is Jamison Nash. I wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget it.”

“A lady?”

Blushing slightly, Percy nodded his head. “Yes, sir.”

Placing his finger to the side of his nose, Santa thought for a moment before he said with a smile, “I see.”

“Santa?”

Looking up from the paper in his hand, Santa said, “Yes, Percy.”

“Does this mean that Miss Diana is like Humphrey Sweet-Cheeks and Egbert Jelly-Belly?”

With a chuckle, Santa nodded his head. “I think so, yes.”

“I like Humphrey and Egbert, sir,” Percy said, his entire face spreading into a smile.

“So do I.”

L
inda Burke flicked on the lights in the outer office as she strolled into the room. Noticing that light was streaming from under the door leading to Jamie’s office, she glanced at the coffee pot and smiled. Setting down her handbag and coat, she turned on her computer, looked at the papers stacked on her desk, and then walked over to fill two mugs with coffee. Tapping lightly on Jamie’s door, she opened it and walked inside.

Theirs was a unique relationship. It had begun with an impromptu game of hide-and-seek when a very impatient six-year-old was waiting for her father to get off the phone, and over the years, their friendship continued to grow.

Having worked as Sebastian Nash’s secretary for almost thirty years, Linda had been able to watch Jamie grow from a small knobby-kneed child into a woman, confident and beautiful. Linda had attended Jamie’s birthday parties and her graduations, and the pride that filled Linda’s chest when Jamie graduated from law school at the top of her class, equaled that of a parent.

When Sebastian decided to take an early retirement, and Jamie assumed his role as acting partner, her first priority was to offer Linda the role of her assistant, and Linda leapt at the chance.

With years of history to draw upon, and a friendship that was strong and sound, they were two acting as one, and the envy of many who worked at Phelan, Willoughby and Nash.

“Good morning. How was your trip?” Linda chirped.

Looking up from her desk, Jamie smiled back. “It was long, but lucrative,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. “I put the contracts on your desk. You just need to make the corrections I noted in the margins, and then I’ll initial them, and we can send them along.”

“I already saw them, and you’ll have them back within the hour,” Linda said as she handed Jamie one of the mugs of coffee. Noticing that she was studying her appointment calendar for the month, Linda leaned over to take a look.

Accustomed to seeing every day filled up with meetings, conference calls and the like, when she saw that the next few weeks had almost nothing etched in stone, Linda said, “A bit sparse, isn’t it?”

“It’s that time of the year,” Jamie said, leaning back in her chair. “And since I’m still trying to finalize some things for the party, a few lackluster weeks is just what this party planner needs.”

“Why do I think you’re looking forward to this?”

“Because I am,” Jamie said with a wide smile. “I’m just hoping that Santa Claus is on my side.”

“Don’t you mean, Mother Nature?”

“Yeah, her, too.”

Walking back toward her office, Linda turned and asked, “Oh, by the way, how was Phelan’s party?”

“Let’s see,” Jamie said, pondering her wording. “It was filled with presumably innocent criminals and their not-so-presumably intelligent silicone-breasted floozies. Food was horrid, and Phelan got drunk.”

“Oh dear, he didn’t cause a scene, did he?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Jamie replied. As soon as the words left her mouth, Jamie’s thoughts returned to a woman who had spent the better part of the last four days taking up residence in Jamie’s dreams. A woman with brown eyes and hair the color of espresso, who, when she smiled, displayed the most adorable dimples Jamie had ever seen.

A woman who Jamie
did
want to handle in ways that made her blush, but unfortunately, she was also a woman who probably never wanted to talk to Jamie again.

Diana had left Phelan’s house without so much as a glance in Jamie’s direction, and a few minutes later, Jamie followed suit. Driving home, she replayed the events of the evening in her mind, and acting as her own judge and jury, Jamie found herself guilty of utter stupidity. She acted without thinking.

She kissed a woman she had only known for a few minutes. She royally fucked up.

Guilty as charged.

Rubbing her neck to relieve the tension that was building, Jamie let out a sigh. All she wanted to do was go back in time and start again. She wanted to return to the friendly banter. She wanted the ease of casual without the weight of something more…but most of all, she wanted Diana Clarke.

“Jamie!”

Startled from her thoughts, Jamie looked up. “I’m sorry, Linda, what was that?”

“I asked if you needed anything else.” Linda said, cocking her head to the side. “Are you okay?”

“What? Yes, I’m fine. Why?”

“You just seem a bit…um…distracted.”

“Sorry. Just a few long days, that’s all.”

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Linda said, “Okay, well if you don’t need me for anything, I’ll go get those contracts sorted.”

Standing at the door, Linda waited for a response, but when none was given, she simply shrugged her shoulders, walked out the door and quietly closed it behind her.

~~~

“I can’t thank you enough for coming up.”

“What do you mean?” Diana asked as her aunt came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. “I wouldn’t have missed Joanie’s baby shower for the world. It’s been planned for weeks.”

Sitting next to her niece, Brenda Clarke handed Diana one of the cups. “I know, but you’ll be here for Christmas, and what with your situation, I wasn’t sure that you could afford to make the trip twice.”

Puzzled, Diana stared back at her aunt. “What in the world are you talking about? Flights from New York to Burlington are cheap enough.”

“I just thought, since you don’t have a job...”

Realizing what her aunt was worried about, Diana rolled her eyes. “Brenda, exactly how many piggy banks
did
I have as a child?”

“What?”

Laughing, Diana reached out and touched her aunt’s knee. “I’m fine. I have plenty in savings to see me through. Honest.”

Studying her niece, the woman asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Diana exclaimed with a laugh. “Trust me, I’m fine.”

“Well then, what’s been on your mind for these past two days? You’ve been preoccupied since you got here?”

“Have I?” Diana asked, taking a quick sip of tea.

“Oh, sweetheart, you know you have. You sit by the window most of the afternoon pretending to read, but instead, you spend the entire time staring off into space. You remind me of your father when he—” Brenda’s mouth snapped shut as a memory came rushing back, and looking at her niece, Brenda’s smile grew wide. Sitting up straight, she stated, “You’re in love!”

Nearly dropping her cup of tea, Diana blurted, “Excuse me!”

“I said, you’re in love.”

“I am not!”

“Yes, you are.”

“Oh, you’re deranged,” Diana muttered.

“Maybe so, but you’re still in love.”

“Will you
please
stop saying that?”

“Only when you stop denying it.”

“I’m denying it because it isn’t true,” Diana said, getting to her feet. Grasping for straws, Diana said the first thing that came to mind. “You said it yourself, I’m unemployed and—”