So Right With You (22 page)

“Has she ever been nominated for Woman of the Year?” Chloe asked.

“Actually, three years in a row. This year she told them she wouldn’t be accepting it. It was time for new blood.”

Chloe smiled. That sounded like something Suzanne would do.

They returned to the guesthouse to bake the sugar cookies. As much as they wanted to be together, they were simply too exhausted. When the last of the cookies came out of the oven, the stove had been turned off, and the cookies had had time to cool and be frosted, they crawled into bed for a much-needed nap.

*~*

That night, Suzanne outdid herself by creating a gourmet meal of prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes from scratch, and fresh asparagus. The food was incredible and the company even better. Following dinner, some carolers came by and sang several Christmas songs. When they finished, Suzanne offered them some of the freshly baked cookies. Chloe was really enjoying spending the holidays with the Nolans.

Returning to the guesthouse at the end of the evening, Chloe said, “I can’t believe your mom. She’s incredible.”

“That’s funny. She said the same thing about you. The way you’ve taken over the planning of the gala for the Foundation. She’s very impressed. We all are.”

“I had a lot of help with it.” She tried to deflect the compliment. It felt awkward to accept praise for something she enjoyed so much.

“Don’t downplay your part in it. If it wasn’t for all your efforts, the event would not be what it is today. You’ve really made a difference,” he reiterated.

“Thanks.” She blushed. The words meant more than he would ever know. It wasn’t that she didn’t love working for Garrett. She just found the work she’d been doing for the Foundation more rewarding. She was seriously considering taking Teresa up on her informal offer. It would be a good job to transition to after she left Nolan Enterprises. When she got back, she would call her and see if the job offer was still on the table. She would then have to let Garrett know of her decision. That was going to be hard part, because the more time she spent with him, the more attached she became.

That night, they made love slowly. And as tired as they both were, they found it was still just as satisfying.

*~*

Chloe woke with the weight of Garrett’s thigh thrown across her body, pinning her to the mattress. Even though they had only been together three weeks, she’d grown accustomed to having him sleep next to her. Today was Christmas Eve. It was supposed to have been her wedding day. All that seemed so long ago, part of another life. She snuggled in closer, taking in his male scent of soap and something that was purely Garrett. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into him, and muttered, “Sleep, woman. I can hear you thinking. Go back to sleep.”

She smiled as she lovingly took in the profile of his face. He had his eyes closed, but she could tell from his breathing that he hadn’t fallen back to sleep. Early morning stubble had already sprung up on his jawline and cheeks. She thought if he ever decided to let it grow out, it wouldn’t take him long to have a full-fledged beard. Of course, she preferred him clean-shaven. It was easier on her complexion. She often ended up with a stubble burn when they made love, as it was.

“I can see that if I’m to have any hope of getting back to sleep, I’m going to have to wear you out.” He rolled her underneath him, providing her with the much-needed distraction of some early morning delight.

*~*

Following breakfast, Suzanne had once again pulled everyone into another cooking jamboree. It was impossible to say “no” when it was all for a good cause, or, in Suzanne’s case, several good causes. Chloe swore the smell of egg salad still lingered on her hands, despite repeated washings. All morning she had been making deviled eggs and egg-salad sandwiches. Suzanne and Kate had been making the cranberry scones and peppermint biscotti. The men had mysteriously disappeared, mumbling something about wanting to replace the windshield wipers on Garrett’s SUV before the rains came. Knowing there was no rain in the forecast for the rest of the week, and having seen the wipers working perfectly fine the day before, all the ladies suspected the men had an alternative motive, which was confirmed when Kate spotted them sneaking golf clubs into Garrett’s SUV before driving off.

Chloe suspected that with her there, the men felt less guilty about leaving Suzanne in the lurch. Before they left, Suzanne shoved several plates of cookies at them to be delivered to the St. Michael’s Church bazaar and to the community theater group that was putting on the play
A Christmas Carol
and needed them for intermission time.

Around noon, the men returned, and Garrett’s parents headed off to the Woman of the Year tea, which was scheduled for one.

As soon as they were gone, Garrett asked, “Have you ever been ice skating?”

“Not since I was a kid. I’m not sure I would still know how.”

“It’s kind of like riding a bike. You never forget.”

“I haven’t done that in a while, either, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Edgewater has a nice rink, which is decked out for the holidays. Cam, Kate, and I go every year. We thought we’d give it a try if you’re up to it.”

“You just want to watch me fall down,” she joked.

“I knew there were some perks to this. Actually, if you have any problems, you can hold on to me. I promise to stay right by your side.”

“Now we’re talking.” She smiled. Garrett could be very sweet and charming. “Okay.”

As Chloe expected, ice skating was in no way like riding a bike. She ended up clinging to Garrett like a newborn foal with wet noodles for legs. Even with his help, she managed to knock them both off their feet several times. Observing the grace exhibited by Cam and Kate as they raced around the rink trying to outdo each other, it was obvious the Nolan family was athletically blessed, unlike herself. She figured Garrett could skate at least as well as they could. She assumed she was cramping his style and took pity on him. “Garrett, I think I’ll sit out the next round.”

“Are you sure?”

She didn’t miss the look of relief on his face, which he quickly masked.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Chloe said.

As expected, Garrett outshone both his younger siblings. The man looked like sex on skates. She noticed a few other women checking him out. Thankfully, he only had eyes for her. Each time he sailed around the rink he would smile as he passed her. After a few loops around the rink, he came back to her side. “Are you having a good time?”

“Actually, I am.” She smiled and meant it.

*~*

After dinner, the Nolans took Chloe to see the town’s Christmas light show, where Suzanne supplied them with hot chocolate and some of the treats they’d made the day before. They listened to carolers and watched Santa riding on a horse-drawn wagon decked out for the holidays.

Once they were back at the house, Suzanne had everybody helping in the kitchen, this time to make tamales for the homeless shelter. It was close to midnight. Total exhaustion weighed down on every bone in Chloe’s body. Rolling the last of the tamales to be cooked, she kept yawning, and she had to force herself to keep her eyes open.

Noticing her exhausted state, Garrett signaled his mother, then got up to stand behind Chloe’s chair and massaged her shoulders. “Come on, sweetheart. It’s time to call it a night.”

Yawning again, she said, “I’ll be fine. I just need to catch my second wind.”

“I think we’re done here for the night. Right, Mom?” He nodded, signaling for her to agree.

“Yes, we’re all done. Now that they are all rolled, I just need to cook them in the morning. Thank you so much for your help, Chloe,” Suzanne said.

“It was nothing. I enjoyed myself.” A wave of tiredness hit her as she stood, causing her to wobble a bit. “I think Garrett’s right. I think I’d better turn in. Goodnight, everybody.”

“See you in the morning, dear,” Suzanne replied.

“Goodnight,” the rest of the family echoed.

With Garrett’s help, she made it to the guesthouse, where Garrett helped her into her pajamas before tucking her in and wrapping his arms around her as they both drifted off to sleep. Right before she fell asleep, the knowledge hit her that it was supposed to have been her wedding day and not once had she experienced the kind of melancholy that she had expected to feel. Instead, Garrett had kept her so busy that she hadn’t had much time to think about it. Maybe it had been his plan all along.

*~*

The sound of water running woke Chloe. Garrett had already gotten up and was showering. Hearing the shower shut off, she knew he would be out momentarily. Christmas with Garrett was like a dream. His family had been so welcoming to her, and he had been so wonderful. In a few days they would be heading back, and this would all be over. Chloe would have to start seriously considering her future.

The door opened, and Garrett stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a towel. “Merry Christmas, baby.” Noticing her serious expression, Garrett said, “Today is not a day for such serious thoughts. It’s a day to enjoy being with the ones you love. Now, no more frowns.” He walked over to her and bent down to press his lips against hers in a tender kiss.

Chloe wondered if he included her in the category of the ones he loved. He hadn’t yet said the words, so she tried not to think of the possibility. He probably meant it in general, a thing to say to lighten the mood. “You’re right. Merry Christmas, Garrett. I guess I’d better get a move on before your mother seeks us out.” Chloe climbed out of bed and went to shower. When she emerged from the bathroom, Garrett was fully dressed in jeans and a navy V-neck sweater with a white T-shirt peeking out. Chloe had on a gray sweater dress and coordinating gray leggings. The temperature had dropped a bit and called for warmer clothing.

Kate was finishing up setting the table with holiday dishes for the occasion. “You want some help?” Chloe offered.

“You want to do the silverware and napkins for each place setting?”

Suzanne had picked out red napkins with reindeer napkin rings to complement the Christmas tree holiday place settings. Chloe set about adding the silverware once the napkins were in place.

When she finished, she went into the kitchen to see if she could do anything else. Suzanne was putting the finishing touches on a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, fried potatoes, and bacon. Two apple pies for Christmas dinner sat on the counter. She wondered how Suzanne had found the time to make them.

“Need any help?”

“Oh, that would be great. I think the juice would look nice in this glass pitcher. If you could get it out of the fridge and pour it in, that would be wonderful.”

Opening the fridge, she noticed the trays of tamales ready to go. Suzanne must have either stayed up late or gotten up early. The woman was extraordinary. Actually, all the Nolans were.

With their wealth, they could have had servants catering to their every need, but instead they gave in abundance of their time and effort to help those in need.

*~*

Following breakfast, the family gathered around the Christmas tree to open gifts. Of course, Garrett reached to open the gift she had bought him first. It was a hand-knitted gray scarf that matched his eyes perfectly. He looked at her in surprise. “How did you find time to do this?”

“It wasn’t easy. There were times I thought it was only going to be a potholder, then a washcloth, then a tea towel. But somehow, I found the time to finish it. So, you like it?”

“Very much.”

“There’s more. Lift up the scarf.” Underneath was the next book in the series he liked to read.

He smiled. “I was going to pick it up but hadn’t had the time yet. Thank you.”

Garrett set down his gifts, reached under the tree, and handed her three boxes from him. The first box held her favorite perfume. The second box contained a beautiful tennis bracelet. Opening the last box, she saw the boots she had admired when they had gone shopping. “Oh, Garrett, this is way too much.” Her eyes misted at the thoughtfulness of his gifts. The perfume and bracelet were things she might expect him to get for someone he was involved with. The boots were what touched her heart. She couldn’t believe he had gone back to get the boots after she had put them back. She had wanted them so much. He must have known that. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Thank you would be fine.” He grinned, pleased he had surprised her.

“Thank you.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

The rest of the gifts were opened quickly.

Chloe didn’t have much money for gifts, but she had tried to get them things she knew they liked. For Kate, she had found a purple bling case for her cell phone. Kate in turn gave her a beautiful teal sweater.

She had gotten Suzanne a miniature blown-glass angel for her angel collection. Garrett had tipped her off that she collected them. It was funny how similar Suzanne was to her mother. She had sent her mother a bear cookie jar for her bear collection. For Garrett’s dad, she had ordered a personalized set of grill utensils with his initials on them. His parents had gotten her a stylish burgundy leather bag. When she examined it more carefully, she realized it was Prada. She had conflicted feelings about accepting the bag. It was really way too much for them to give her, but she knew his parents would be hurt if she didn’t accept it, so she thanked them. A lot. She couldn’t believe she now owned Prada.

Then there was Cam. Cam tended to be a practical joker. So when she had found a T-shirt the color of blue scrubs with Dr. Seuss’s
Cat in the Hat
, complete with top hat and umbrella and the logo “Dr. Swag,” Chloe had had to pick it up for him. Everybody laughed when he held it up, especially Suzanne.

Cam said, “Thanks, sweetheart. Very funny. I’m sure this will go over quite well with the ladies. Wait until you see what I got you.”

When she opened up her gift from him, it was a little black address book. “For all the future men in your life.” This made her blush, and caused Garrett to give Cam a dirty look that should have turned him to toast. He also gave her a gift card to buy some of her favorite music for her iPod.