She unlocked her apartment and led him inside. “Right in the corner,” she said. The tree barely made it, skimming the ceiling. “Perfect,” she said. “Now it feels like Christmas.”
Rick’s black cashmere coat was covered with needles. Without thinking, she brushed them off and said, “Thank you.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. Then he leaned toward her and for a split second she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead he brushed a piece of wet hair away from her lips.
It was an act of intimacy, a lover’s touch. She forced herself to move, determined to mask her inner turmoil with a deceptive calmness. Too tongue-tied to say anything, she opened the door.
He smiled but there was something in his eyes that gave her pause. A sadness. With her heart in her throat, she said, “Have fun tonight.”
Rick barely made it to the awards dinner in time.
“Where have you been?” Betty asked as he hurried though the door. “I thought you were going to be here at eight.”
“I was…delayed.”
“Delayed?” she asked, taking his coat and straightening his tuxedo tie. “I barely saw my family tonight. I missed our weekly dinner out because I was worried I wouldn’t make it in time.”
She had already told him that when she’d called. “I’m sorry,” Rick said. “I ran into Lessa on the way out.”
“So now it’s ‘Lessa,’ is it?” Betty teased.
“She was on her way to get a Christmas tree,” Rick said, ignoring her comment. “She needed help.”
“Let me get this straight,” Betty said, taking a step back and raising an eyebrow. “You were late to the New York Business Dinner because you needed to help Alessandra Lawrence get her Christmas tree? I’m shocked. You hate Christmas and everything surrounding it.”
“This wasn’t about Christmas. It was about helping someone.”
“Surprise number two.” She grinned. “You know, there’s a rumor going around that you’re falling for a certain chairwoman. I’m beginning to think there might be some truth to that.”
Ever since he had returned from the Bahamas, he had been unable to stop thinking about Lessa. The woman he had gotten to know in the Bahamas was much more complex than the narrow-minded woman he knew from the office. He had seen her only occasionally since their return, but each time, his heart had soared. He had actually found himself looking forward to the office Christmas party simply because it would be an opportunity for him to spend time with her again.
When he didn’t reply, Betty continued. “Unless it’s something else. You said you were determined to destroy her. Did you mean emotionally as well?”
Did Betty really think that he would seduce Lessa just to get revenge? “Is that what you think of me?”
“I know all about the fake romance, remember? And no one was around to see you picking out a tree. So what’s it all about?”
“Am I up yet?” he said, glancing toward the stage as he checked his watch. He had been asked to announce an award.
“It’s guilt, isn’t it?” she said, ignoring his question. “She fell for you and now you feel guilty. And you should, too. Everyone knew she had a crush on you when she was young. You were her first love. I’m sure she’s confused right now, poor thing.”
“Poor thing? Just a week ago you were worried she was going to fire you.”
“Well, she didn’t. And she didn’t even manage to fire you either. I just think she bit off more than she could chew. And now she’s fallen in love with the man she thought she hated. She’s probably imagining a romantic Christmas with you and her snuggled in front of a fire, and instead-”
“Betty,” he said sharply, stopping her. “It’s only been a week. She’s not confused. She’s got a lot of confidence. She’s fully aware that this truce between us is only temporary.”
“She may be saying that, but her actions proved otherwise, right?” She crossed her arms. “I can tell you right now that a Christmas tree is not going to be enough. If you feel bad about her getting her own tree, I can’t imagine how you must feel taking away her company.”
“I wish there was some other way to handle this, but there isn’t.”
Betty hesitated and said, “So you’re going through with this?”
He didn’t have to ask what she meant. He knew. Could he really destroy Lessa? “There’s no choice.”
Eight
She had just finished slipping her new red velvet dress over her head when Lessa heard a knock on the door. She glanced nervously at her aunt and said, “He’s here and I’m not ready.”
“Take your time,” her aunt said, cracking her knuckles. “I’m looking forward to meeting this Rick Parker.”
Her aunt’s gracious words didn’t fool Lessa. She knew that her aunt did not trust Rick, nor did she approve of her niece spending time with him…even if it was for the sake of Lawrence Enterprises.
“Be nice,” Lessa pleaded. “Please. Remember, he is responsible for the biggest tree you’ve ever had.”
“I just have a few questions for him,” she said in her sweetest, little-old-lady voice.
Lessa yanked a pair of stockings out of her dresser. How had she gotten so far behind schedule? She had left work promptly at five, hurrying to the store to buy a new dress for the party. But she had made one simple mistake: She had taken her aunt with her. And when her aunt had asked to stop at Rockefeller Center to see the tree and the skaters, Lessa had been unable to say no. Nor had she been able to say no when her aunt had mentioned that she was getting hungry and had asked if they could stay for tea. Lessa had had the feeling that Gran was half hoping that Lessa would miss her date altogether.
She finished pulling on her panty hose as she heard the elderly woman say, “You must be Rick Parker. I’m Virginia Lawrence. My friends call me Ginny but you can call me Virginia.”
Oh dear. “Rick!” Lessa called out. “I’ll be right there.”
She grabbed a brush and ran it through her hair. Then she thumbed through her makeup drawer, looking for a lipstick.
But Gran was just getting started. “I’m the aunt of your old boss, the man you fired, and the great-aunt of your new boss, the one who fired you.”
Lessa grabbed the lipstick and swiped it across her lips. Good enough. “Sorry for keeping you waiting,” she said, practically jumping into the foyer.
“No problem,” Rick said. “I was glad to have an opportunity to meet your aunt.”
Gran smiled sweetly, but she didn’t fool Lessa for a minute. Lessa knew she had her talons out and was ready to let it rip. “Don’t wait up,” Lessa told her.
“You’ll see her home tonight,” her aunt said to Rick, as if placing a demand.
“Of course,” Rick said.
She turned back toward Lessa and said, “Try and have some fun dear,” as if she knew there was no possible way Lessa would be able to do that.
“Maybe you could make some cookies or something while I’m gone,” Lessa said with a wink. “Something grandmotherly.”
“Maybe I could give you a good kick in the-”
Lessa shut the door before Gran could finish.
“She’s very funny,” Rick said.
“I don’t know about funny but she’s feisty. I’m sorry if she was insulting.”
“I can’t say I blame her. After all, she thinks I fired her nephew.”
“You did fire her nephew.”
“Lessa,” he said with a hint of exasperation as he led her to his car. She had expected something flashy and she was mildly relieved to see he drove an SUV. As she climbed inside, she couldn’t help but wonder how many other of his women had sat in the very seat she was in. He climbed in beside her and shut the door. “We’ve been over this. I didn’t fire your father.”