Rick was silent for a moment. “But I do.” He felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Dammit, he loved her. He loved her.
“We know that. But she doesn’t.”
“Look, I know a thing or two about women,” Russell said as Susan rolled her eyes. “And one thing I know is words are not enough. Women need proof. You have to show her how you feel.”
“She lives with her aunt, right?” asked Susan. “Does she know how you feel?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think she’s too fond of me.”
“Well, that was your first mistake. She loves Lessa and wants the best for her. Plead your case to the aunt and wrangle an invitation to Christmas dinner.”
“Just show up?”
“With an invite.”
“Susan’s right,” Russell said. “If you love her, you’re going to have to fight for her. She’s not one of your typical women who takes one look at you and swoons and falls into your arms. She’s got spunk.”
His mother walked over and joined them. “I’m so glad you came for Christmas,” she said to Rick.
“I’m afraid he has to leave, Mom,” Susan said.
“Business?” she asked.
“No,” he said, “not this time.”
Susan smiled. As Rick left the room, she said, “Don’t be disappointed, Mom. He’ll be back next year-and he won’t be alone.”
“I’m sorry, Gran,” Lessa said. “I’ve lost everything.”
“You didn’t lose Lawrence Enterprises. Your father did. You did everything you could to get it back.”
“Well, I lost the stock.”
“You sold it for a fair price.” Despite Lessa’s protests, Rick had given her the same deal they had promised Sabrina. “I didn’t think the loss of some stock is responsible for keeping you up all night.” Her aunt took a sip of her tea. “Perhaps you should give him a chance. Let him prove himself. It is Christmas after all.”
Lessa looked at her aunt, surprised. She had expected Gran to jump up and down for joy when Lessa had told her she was finished with Rick Parker and Lawrence Enterprises. Instead Gran had looked at her as if she had made the biggest mistake of her life. But what did her aunt expect her to do? Fall into Rick’s arms after the way he had treated her? And how could she work with him after what had happened between them?
Her aunt sighed. “This is not the way Christmas is supposed to be spent.”
“Oh no, Gran. Please don’t give me the spiel about family and kids. I can’t take it.”
“Actually, I was talking about the lack of eggnog.”
“I told you, Chapman’s was out.”
“Oh, Lessa, I just feel so bad for you. Stuck here with an old woman and no eggnog.”
“I guarantee you there’s no place I’d rather be.” That was true, wasn’t it? She wouldn’t want to be wrapped in Rick’s arms. No, sir. Lessa finished off her tea. “It’s wonderful that there’s snow,” she said, eager to change the subject. The rain had turned to snow shortly after dusk. “When’s the last time it snowed in New York on Christmas?”
“A white Christmas,” her aunt said. “How romantic. Maybe you should invite Rick over.”
“Invite him over?” Had her aunt heard a word of what she had said? “Rick is probably off in some exotic locale drinking a piña colada and dancing with a beautiful woman. I’m sure he’s forgotten all about me by now.”
“I’m not so certain. From what you’ve told me, I think he was as surprised as you by the whole turn of events.”
Lessa closed her eyes as the wave of pain washed over her. She wanted to believe that; she really did. She would like nothing better than to think that Rick was by himself, mourning her loss. But she knew better. And she could not allow herself to feel sad. It did no good. She had made her decision.
“It doesn’t have to be like this, Lessa.”
“There’s no choice, Gran. When people love each other, they treat each other decently. You don’t have deceit and lies. Real love doesn’t hurt like this.”
“You’ve been reading too many storybooks. Real life doesn’t always work that way. I never told you about your uncle and me. We dated for two years, and I was madly in love. I thought we were going to get married. And then he went off to the war.”
“And then he came home and married you.”
“That’s the story we’ve always told. I didn’t mention what really happened because it bothered him too much.”
“What are you talking about? He loved you. He thought about you every day he was away.”
“When he came home, I found out that he was engaged to someone else.”
Lessa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her uncle? The kindly bespectacled man who had worshipped her aunt?
“Apparently he never got any of my letters, but I didn’t know that then. He assumed I didn’t care about him, and naturally, when I found out about his engagement, I assumed the same thing about him. It broke my heart. Well, he went off and married that other woman. And you know what? It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Uncle Stan was married before? Did Dad know this?”
“Of course. But what difference did it make? The point of the story is that he eventually came back. And you know what? I had changed-for the better. I was so much stronger than I had been. I knew I could make it on my own. And he knew what he wanted all along. Me. If he hadn’t married that other woman, he might’ve always wondered if he made the right decision. Instead, I was appreciated. Very appreciated. Until the day he died, he would’ve done anything to make me happy.”
“So what are you saying? Do you think Rick will go off and marry someone else? Or do you think I will?”
“I think that Rick learned a valuable lesson here. And I believe him when he said he cared about you.” She smiled. “I think I know a thing or two about men.”
“I can’t think about Rick, Gran. I have to move on with my life. I’m going to look for a little property to buy. I’m going start over, build my own company from scratch. And I’m thinking about going back to tennis. Not as a player, but a teacher. I could combine my knowledge of resorts with my love for tennis. Maybe I could start a camp somewhere.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Why, who in the world could that be?” her aunt said, feigning surprise.
“Maybe it’s Santa,” Lessa said, glancing at her aunt suspiciously. What was she up to?
Lessa got up and opened the door-to Rick Parker. He stood before her, covered in snow.
“Rick,” her aunt said, brushing past Lessa to get to him.
“Wh-What are you doing here?” Lessa asked, so surprised she could barely speak.
“Your aunt said she needed eggnog.”
“Oh, you found some.” Gran said. “You’re a dear, Rick. Thank you.”
“This isn’t funny.” Lessa gave her aunt the evil eye.
“Who’s joking?” Rick asked. “I had to go to three different stores to find this.”
“Come in,” her aunt said warmly, taking his coat and the container of eggnog. “I think this’ll need some brandy, don’t you?” She stopped and turned back toward the doorway. “Would you look at that,” she said, motioning above Rick and Lessa where a small piece of greenery had been tied to the light fixture. “Mistletoe.” She looked at Lessa and winked.
When she was gone, Rick stared into Lessa’s eyes. “I told you once, Lessa. I don’t give up.”
“Look, Rick, I don’t want to be a part of Lawrence Enterprises anymore.”
“I’m not asking you to.” He reached inside his jacket. “I just stopped by to give you something.” He pulled out a manila envelope. “Open it,” he said, handing it to her.
She ripped open the envelope. It was the deed to Mara del Ray. “I don’t understand…”
“I’m giving it to you. A chance to build your own hotel.”
He came over on Christmas Eve to sell her a property? “How much do you want for it?”