That Mistletoe Moment (27 page)

CHAPTER 10

R
achel's cheeks hurt from the forced smile that had been on her face all night. Standing in the corner of her office with a plastic glass of champagne in her hand, she avoided eye contact with her coworkers and waited for the clock to hit nine. She could leave the Christmas party at nine and not raise any eyebrows.

An editor and her husband came over and congratulated Rachel on her promotion. She tried to lace excitement into her voice, but knew she fell flat. Her first thought after being called into her boss's office that morning for the good news had been to call Gabe. Share it with him.

Instead, she'd thanked her boss while holding back tears. There was no one she wanted to celebrate with. The good things in life didn't amount to much if she didn't have someone to mark them with. She'd just wanted to go back home and cry.

And her depression had been threaded through with a lick of shame. Her boss had given her the promotion knowing she wasn't engaged. After finding out about Gabe, she couldn't use Build-A-Boyfriend anymore. She didn't have the heart to continue with the fake fiancé. So she'd told her coworkers the wedding was off, not caring if her single status stopped her from landing the promotion.

So when her boss had given her the news, she'd known she'd misjudged her coworkers. They hadn't cared that she wasn't going to be married; they just cared about her job performance.

Either that, or she'd been promoted out of pity. More than a few women had rubbed her shoulders consolingly, told her not to give up hope. The right man was still out there.

Rachel snorted, and covered up the sound with a cough. Excusing herself to refill her drink, she wended her way to the bar. So many happy people, excited for the holidays, full of good cheer. And cheap liquor.

Tipping up her glass, Rachel chugged the sweet champagne. If she couldn't join in their happiness, she could at least join in the drunkenness. Forget that the one man who'd lit her up like the tree at Rockefeller Center had seduced her as a bet. The alcohol turned to acid in her stomach.

Beth danced up to her in time to the music. Putting an arm around Rachel's waist, she hip-bumped her. “Girl, you're looking entirely too depreshed for someone who just made associate editor.”

“ ‘Depreshed'?” Rachel took in her friend's glassy eyes. Shaking her head, she smiled wryly. “And you're looking entirely too happy for a girl about to hop on a plane to Tucson tomorrow. Christmas in the desert is just wrong.”

“Holidays are where the home is.” A furrow appeared in Beth's forehead. “Wait. Christmas is where the family is? What the hell am I trying to say?”

Rachel sighed. “That you're going to have a nice Christmas at home with your parents and brothers and sisters.”

“You could still come.” Beth reached across her to the bar, grabbing a handful of peanuts.

“Thanks, but I have my own family to go home to.”

“Yeah, but they'll ask questions about why you and Trevor broke up, and mine won't.” She bumped her hip into Rachel's again. “We'll have fun.”

No, her family wouldn't ask questions. At least Rachel had never told that lie to them. Even with that saving grace, she still dreaded going home. Her parents' house would be decked out in an explosion of red and green. Her dad still plotted out new outdoor light designs each year to try to win the neighborhood decoration contest. All that holiday spirit would just depress her further. Why should everyone else get to be happy when her life was so miserable?

“Thanks, but my parents are expecting me.” Rachel sipped the champagne and looked at the clock. Eight fifteen. She was getting closer.

Beth brushed her fingers against her green velvet skirt, wiping salt off. “Listen, the food here is crap. What say we go grab us some dinner? Maybe that Greek place you like so much?”

Rachel swallowed. “Last time I was there I was with Gabe. Let's go somewhere else.”

Beth placed her empty glass on the bar, and ran her hands up and down Rachel's arms. “Honey, sometimes it sounds like you're going to miss Gabe more than you will Trevor. I know he's Trevor's friend, but you two were close, too. You should give him a call. I bet he doesn't want to take sides.”

Biting back a hysterical laugh, Rachel shook her head. It was on the tip of her tongue to blurt out the truth to her friend, but she held back. She'd made the decision to wait until after Christmas to confess all her sins. Her heart was breaking as it was. She needed a little time to recover before she laid herself bare to Beth.

“I think it's safe to say that whatever Gabe and I had ended when Trevor and I did.” Her coworker Sylvia climbed up onto a table and started to dance, the rest of the magazine staff cheering. Rachel's throat squeezed, and she had to fight for air. She couldn't be here anymore. She needed to be alone.

“I'm going to go to the bathroom and then head out.” Rachel kissed Beth's cheek. “Have fun with your family. Tell them all Merry Christmas for me.”

Her friend sighed. “If that's what you want. Be careful coming out of the bathroom. I put some mistletoe up at the entrance to that corridor.”

Rachel wrinkled her nose. “Why?”

“What better place? If you see a man you like, you watch until he goes to the bathroom and wait for him when he comes out. It's foolproof.”

Rachel chuckled, the first bit of genuine amusement she'd felt in days. “That's crazy, and a little gross.”

“It's smart.” Beth tapped a manicured finger to her forehead. “I've also hung them at the elevators and at the main window. ‘Hi, cutie. Let's go look at the Arch. Oh, and what's that above our heads? Well, if we have to, we have to.' ”

“Good-bye, Beth.” Shaking her head, Rachel headed to the bathroom, darting under the sneaky mistletoe. When she came out, she looked for her coat and purse, remembered they were in her office.

Threading her way through the crowd, she almost didn't see him. He wasn't moving. Just standing in the entranceway. Watching her.

She stumbled, knocking into Janice. Wine splashed onto her boss's sweater. “I'm so sorry.” Heart pounding, she looked over her shoulder at Gabe. Jaw set, he strode toward her.

Janice's husband handed her a handkerchief, and she dabbed at her stomach. “No worries. Luckily, it's white wine.”

Twisting her neck, Rachel looked into Gabe's glacial eyes. Only about ten feet away now. She wanted to move. Needed to escape. But her feet were rooted to the floor.

“Rachel, are you okay?” Janice rested a hand on her arm. “You're really pale.”

Gabe's body warmed her back, and she knew it was too late to run.

“Gabe!” Janice shifted on her heels. She shot a look at Rachel. “I wasn't expecting you, considering . . . Well, I'm glad you could make it.”

His breath brushed across the back of her neck. “Considering?”

Heat raced through Rachel's veins. He came to her Christmas party and was going to act like nothing had changed? What the hell?

She spun, her nose almost hitting his collarbone. Stepping back, she glared up at him. “Considering I'm no longer engaged to your friend.” She leaned forward and hissed, “You have some nerve showing up here.”

“Right now all I have is nerve.” His lips brushed her ear. “I'm hoping to leave with more.”

Rachel clenched her fist. She would not smack the usual smugness off his face. Violence solved nothing. Although, he wasn't looking smug. His brows were drawn down low, his full lips pressed into a flat line. He looked determined. Nervous. Hopeful.

Stepping back, she took a deep breath. Whatever he had up his sleeve, she wasn't falling for it. “Janice, great party, but I'm heading out. I'll see you tomorrow.”

Gabe wrapped his fingers around her wrist, stopping her. “Rachel—”

“Let go of me.” She kept her voice calm. Cold as ice.

“What's going on?” her boss asked, lines creasing her forehead.

Gabe hesitated before releasing her hand. “What's going on is Rachel lost a fiancé and I lost a friend. I need to fix that.” Looking into her eyes, he said, “Please, Rachel. Give me a chance to explain. It wasn't
all
what you think.”

Narrowing her eyes, she considered him. She'd noticed his modifier. He was admitting at least some of what she thought was right. Somehow, that made her want to hear the rest. It made him sound sincere.

“You're Trevor's friend,” Janice said. “Maybe you shouldn't get involved.”

Gabe spoke to her boss, but kept his eyes on Rachel. “Trevor was an idiot. He didn't respect Rachel. He wasn't honest. She deserves better. I'm going to give her better.”

Rachel almost didn't hear Janice suck in her breath. Her pulse roared in her ears too loudly. Her boss's husband took Janice's elbow. “Why don't we give them some space?”

Janice used that elbow to jab her husband in the stomach. Her avid gaze flipped between Rachel and Gabe like they were opponents in a tennis match. She obviously wasn't going anywhere.

“Will you excuse us?” Rachel asked her boss. Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and searched for a quiet corner. Gabe followed at her heels. Some partygoers had invaded her office, so she stopped just to pick up her coat and purse and headed for the entry hall by the elevators. With the music down to a low background hum, she crossed her arms and faced Gabe. “Well?”

Blowing out a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair. “I don't know where to start. What you heard—”

“Why don't you start at the beginning? You knew I was a client, and you made a bet with your buddy that you could nail one of your pathetic losers.”

“What? No. Well, part of that is yes, but most of it no.” The elevator dinged, and a laughing couple emerged. Gabe grabbed her arm and led her into the corner of the hall. “Just to be clear, what you heard Ben say, he never meant. I was the one who thought our clients had to be losers. Ben always defended them. He was throwing my own words back at me.”

Her heart clenched. He was confirming her worst fears.

She ground her jaw. “You're not helping your case.”

“The guys in my company were disgusted with me.” Gabe shook his head. “They bet me that if I met one of our clients, just to meet, mind you, I would find out that they were good people. If I changed my mind about our clients, I'd give up my bonus to my employees. If I won, I'd get some free hours of labor out of them.” He searched her eyes. “I took that bet, knowing I'd win. Then I met you.”

She stilled. Examined his words from all angles. He didn't have a motive to lie to her now, not one that she could see. If he had made a bet to sleep with her, he could be laughing about it with his friend right now. He didn't need to explain himself.

Unless he was worried about a lawsuit.

“I was an asshole,” Gabe continued. “And way too wrapped up in my work. But when I met you, I found out I'd been missing out on life. There are a lot of things I still want for my business. But I want you more.”

Rachel's fingers tingled. Licking her lips, she stared at Gabe. Her heart leapt like a demented rabbit in her chest. She wanted this. Wanted him. But trust was hard to come by.

“You hurt me,” she whispered.

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, he smoothed her cheek with his thumb. “Yes. And I can't promise I won't again. But I'll always try to be honest from now on. And I'll do everything I can to make sure I never see you look at me again like you looked at me Friday night.” He rested his forehead against hers, his breath soft on her lips. “That just about killed me.”

She nodded her agreement. That night had just about killed her, too.

“Please, Rachel.” His voice was low, pleading. “Give me another chance. I love you.”

She squeaked. She couldn't help it. She had been wanting to hear him say that, but had given up all hope of it. Cheeks hot, she burrowed her fingers in his lapels and ducked her head against his tie.

His chest rumbled with a chuckle. “You weren't expecting that, were you? But it's true.”

Trying to reclaim some dignity, Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and raised an eyebrow. “I wasn't expecting you to sound so girly. I can't believe you said it first.”

“Wait until we get home. I've got something for you to prove my man card.” Hand on her lower back, he pressed their bodies close until she felt the hard bulge against her stomach. He paused, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face. “That does mean you forgive me, right?”

She laughed, her whole body feeling as light and fizzy as her last glass of champagne. “Yes, I forgive you.” Throwing herself at him, she wrapped her arms around his back and held on. She never wanted to let go. “Now, let's get out of here.”

Hand in hand, they strolled to the elevator, Rachel's head resting on his shoulder.

“I knew you missed Gabe more.” It was Beth's voice.

Rachel spun around and saw half the office peering at them with smiles on their faces. Heat stained her cheeks. Getting caught in a new relationship so soon after her fake engagement—

Oh, who cared? Being with Gabe was worth any awkwardness.

Beth stepped forward. “And you're going to have to apologize for making fun of me earlier.”

Rachel raised her eyebrows. “Huh?”

Beth pointed, and Rachel and Gabe looked up at the sprig of mistletoe above their heads.

Gabe smiled down at her. He lifted his shoulders. “It's tradition. Can't mess with that.”