Gift Wrapped for Christmas: A Contemporary Romance (12 page)

The gift baskets had been wildly
successful. Baskets containing food and wine were by far the most popular.
Maddie had discovered a small European deli that offered many exclusive items,
and the sale of baskets containing products from the deli had resulted in
discussions with several customers about catering ideas for small receptions.
She’d also had customers who were eager for assistance with party decorations.
They were either too busy or lacked the confidence to do it themselves. Zelda
consulted enthusiastically with these customers, offering unique ideas that
were eagerly snapped up.

“We could offer this as a
service,” Zelda said after the last consultation. “I’d love to do something
like that.” She started to gnaw on her fingernail then quickly withdrew her
hand. Her previously bitten nails were beginning to grow, thanks to Maddie’s
positive influence. “The gift buying will always be popular, but I see it as a
series of highs and lows. We have Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day,
individual birthdays, and perhaps some limited demand on the other holidays,
but basically it’s a rollercoaster.”

Maddie listened to her assistant
with growing surprise. The young woman had also been thinking. She’d looked
around their little shop. “This has been an ideal location to launch the
business, but if we were to get into this full time, we’d need more space.” She
looked at Maddie. “Don’t you think?”

Maddie had been so overwhelmed
with the volume of orders, she hadn’t had time to think very far ahead, but
Zelda was right. They’d have to have a serious discussion in the next couple of
weeks.

* * *

Lily pushed through the revolving
door, bringing with her a swirling gust of cold air and snowflakes.
Breathtakingly glamorous, she strode across the lobby in soft leather boots,
wearing a simple black cape trimmed with black fur.

“Ready?” she asked, frowning
slightly as she looked at Maddie. “You look tired.”

“It’s been crazy busy.” Maddie
locked up the shop. “I’m glad the weekend is coming up. Did I tell you I’m
going to look for the puppy?”

Lily wrinkled her nose. “It’s not
going to live with us, is it?”

“Maybe for a day or two. I
haven’t thought that far ahead yet.” The two women walked out arm in arm. “Come
on, let’s get that drink.”

Heads turned as they walked into
a small bar and claimed two stools.

“Martini please,” said Lily.

Maddie masked her surprise.
Something was bothering her friend if she was ordering a martini. She ordered a
glass of white wine. “So, how’s it going?” she asked, watching Lily carefully
as she dug into the bowl of peanuts.

“Fine, as far as I’m concerned.”
Lily removed the olive from her glass, but didn’t drink. She ran a finger up
and down the stem of the glass, lost in thought. “There’s something going on with
the women in charge of the fashion show, but I’m not sure what it is.” She
glanced quickly at Maddie, then went back to playing with the martini glass.
“They’ve decided they don’t like me, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out
why. They don’t even know me.”

Maddie frowned. It wasn’t like
Lily to care what people thought or said about her. “What have they done that’s
made you think this?”

Lily took a sip of her drink and
looked at Maddie over the rim of the glass. “That’s just it. They haven’t done
anything specific. It’s just a feeling I have.” She set down her glass.
“They’re being overly polite to me.” She toyed with her hair. “Instinct tells
me it has something to do with Chase. It’s almost as if they’re trying to keep
a secret from me.”

“Have you talked to Chase? What
does he say?”

“That’s just it.” Lily’s gaze
turned inward; it was almost as though she was talking to herself. “I haven’t
heard from Chase since he brought Annie to the studio.”

“That seems odd.”

Lily nodded. “I thought so too.”

Lily thought for a moment. “Who
are you dealing with?”

“Her name is Nancy Somerville.”

“Maybe she’s dating Chase and
she’s wondering where you came from.”

“No...” Lily drew out the word.
“She’s married to a friend of his. I think they play handball together or
something.” She tossed back her drink and held up a finger for another one. “At
least it’ll be over tomorrow, and we can laugh about how foolish I’m being.”
She gave Maddie a thin smile.

“You’re right.” Maddie tossed
another peanut into her mouth. “It’s going to be just fine.”

Chase had ordered a limo service
for the evening. He hoped to take Lily out after the auction and didn’t want to
worry about having a glass or two of wine. She buzzed him up to her condo, and
he stood outside her door, as nervous as a teenager on a first date. He took a
deep breath and pushed the doorbell.

She took a step back, inviting
him in. The look on her face made the trouble he’d taken with his appearance
worthwhile. “You look fantastic,” she said.

“Why, thank you, ma’am.” He gave
a slight bow. “You look mighty fine yourself.” He wasn’t sure how she did it;
she sparkled in a simple black beaded dress that hung from her shoulders,
skimming her body in the most erotic manner. Her hair hung luxuriantly down her
back, and he clenched his hands to prevent himself from touching her.

“Shall we go?” he said, reaching
for her coat.

She indicated that she wanted it
draped over her shoulders, and he complied. His fingers brushed her bare skin,
and a jolt of awareness rocked him back. It had been all he could do not to
call her, but he knew she’d been busy with the fashion show and hadn’t wanted
to pressure her. He regretted that now...time missed with this alluring woman
could never be recovered.

He stood next to her in the
elevator, unsure what to talk about. He finally decided on the fashion show;
that could hardly go wrong.

“So,” he said. “Has Nancy been taking
care of you all right?”

He watched her in the mirrored
walls of the elevator, and she met his gaze. “I got the impression that she
wasn’t thrilled to have the order of her fashion show disturbed, but she’s been
welcoming and polite.”

The elevator door opened, and
they walked into the lobby. “Just polite?” He wanted to gather her up in his
arms and tell her to ignore any slights, but he knew that she was fiercely
independent and could fight her own battles. The notion made him want her even
more.

She laid a hand on his arm. “Everyone
was fine.” Something flashed in her eyes. “They’re just being women.” She
stopped as they approached the waiting limousine. “For us?”

He nodded.

“I like it. Let’s go.”

Gliding silently through the city
streets, Chase felt right with Lily at his side. She glanced up at him a couple
of times but didn’t speak. He liked that. Too many women chattered on endlessly,
but this one was different, and he looked forward to having her at his side
tonight.

“I probably won’t get to spend
much time with you,” she said, almost as though she’d read his thoughts. “The
fashion show is going to start part way through dinner, and I’ll have to be
backstage.”

“Oh, I thought we’d be together.”

His disappointment was obvious,
and she slipped her hand into his. “I’m sorry, Chase. I thought you knew.”

He lifted her hand to his lips.
“But I will get to see you some time tonight, won’t I?”

“Of course.” She touched the side
of his face with her fingers. Her touch was feather-light and yet it turned his
insides to fire. “We’ll find each other.”

* * *

Lily’s respect for Chase grew as
they entered the function room. He was greeted enthusiastically, and everyone
complimented him on the success of his charity. It soon became evident that he
was the main contributor, and that it was thanks to him that the charity was so
successful. Many of the businessmen pledged to help in ways that went beyond
the scope of the evening’s fund-raising effort. Chase accepted their support
with thanks.

As they moved along, greeting
Chase’s friends and colleagues, she was aware of a few raised eyebrows and
whispered asides. She supposed it was natural; after all, Chase had known these
people most of his adult life and was now introducing someone completely
new–her–into the mix. There were bound to be murmurs. Most of the people were
gracious and welcoming, especially when Chase introduced her as a donor and detailed
her contribution to the fashion show.

She liked the way he guided her
through the crowd, one hand lightly at her waist. She smiled up at him as he
offered her a glass of champagne, surprised to discover that she was enjoying
herself. It was difficult to do otherwise with someone like Chase; his dark
good looks drew the eye of almost every woman in the room. His tailored suit
fitted him perfectly, and he moved with an easy grace through the crowds, his
smile never wavering as he looked down at her.

She was about to take a second
sip of champagne when one of the backstage volunteers slipped through the crowd
and tugged at her elbow.

“Sorry to bother you, Lily, but
we have a problem backstage.” The young woman looked at Chase, and for a moment
her eyes widened in appreciation, then she turned back to Lily. “It’s Melanie.
I think she’s sick.”

Lily frowned. Melanie was one of
the models who had been chosen for the resort wear. “I’ll be right there,” she
murmured quietly, and waited for a break in the conversation until she could
draw Chase away.

“There seems to be a problem with
one of the models.” She kept her voice low.

“Shall I call a doctor?” he
lowered his head to speak to her, and she struggled to maintain her
concentration when his cologne invaded her senses. For one wild moment, she was
tempted to kiss him. He stilled, and their eyes met; he was thinking the same
thing.

“No.” She had to touch him. She
laid a hand on his starched shirt-front; his heart was beating as rapidly as
hers. “At least not yet. I’ll go and see what’s wrong.” She looked into his
eyes. “Bad timing, huh?”

He looked at her for a few long
seconds, his gaze moving from her eyes to her lips. She didn’t think she’d ever
been subjected to such intense scrutiny, and she loved it. “I’ll wait,” he said
simply, then leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek. “If it takes
all night.”

Head spinning, she made her way through
the crowd. If Chase Drummond could affect her like this with one simple kiss on
the cheek, she wasn’t sure she was ready for what would happen when he kissed
her properly.

By the time she reached the
backstage area, she had herself under control. “Where is she?” she asked, then
spotted the young woman at the back of the room. She was sitting on one of the
folding chairs that had been brought in, hands to her stomach, rocking back and
forth.

She looked up, eyes bleak. “I’m
sorry, Lily. I should have warned you. I got a touch of the flu a couple of
days ago, but I really thought I’d be better by now.” Her forehead glistened
with sweat. “I felt okay this morning, but just in the last half hour I’ve been
vomiting again. I feel terrible letting you down like this.” A tear rolled down
her cheek, and Lily brushed it away.

“Don’t be silly,” she said,
sitting down beside the distraught young woman. “You’re the one who matters. Do
you have anyone at home to take care of you?”

She nodded. “My roommate.”

“Excellent.” Lily looked around
for the volunteer, and called her over. “Could you ask Mr. Drummond to meet me
over there?” She pointed toward the side door, then returned her attention to
Melanie. “Mr. Drummond offered to call a doctor. Would you like him to do that?”

She shook her head. “No, I’ll be
fine if I just go home and lie down.”

“That’s what I thought, too.
We’ll get you a ride home.” She looked up to see Chase hovering at the side
door.

“It’s the flu,” she said quietly.
“Can you arrange for her to get home?”

He nodded. “You bundle her up and
bring her to the front door. I’ll have some transportation for you by the time
you get there.”

The limousine was waiting at the
entrance when Lily brought Melanie out. Chase settled her in the back seat then
leaned through the front window to speak to the driver. The car pulled away,
and he tucked his arm around Lily, guiding her back inside the building.

“Larry will take care of her and
report to us later on.”

“Thank you, Chase.” She smiled at
him. She’d been doing a lot of that tonight. And to think that she’d almost
missed out on knowing Chase Drummond because of her experience with Randall.

They wandered back down the side
hall, and she paused outside the room that had been assigned to the models.
“You realize what this means, don’t you?”

He lifted his shoulders. “No,
what?”

“I’m short one model, and I don’t
dare ask Nancy to re-arrange things. The music...everything...it’s all been
co-ordinated down to the last minute.”

“Music?” he looked puzzled. “Just
how involved is this thing, anyway?”

She gave a short laugh. “You’ll
see. Each series of clothes has its own theme music. Nancy has this organized
with military precision.” She paused. “She’s really very good at this.”

“So you can’t just leave
something out?” He motioned with his hand. “Her outfit, or whatever you call
it?”

“Not really.” Lily’s mind was
racing. “I suppose I could stand in for her.” She wound a strand of hair around
her fingers. “We’re about the same size, and I’ve been here for both
rehearsals.”

He gave her a wry smile. “Don’t I
get to spend any time with you tonight?” The look on his face made her heart
beat double-time. “I’ve been looking forward to this ever since you said you’d
come with me.”

“Are you pouting?” She took a
step closer and challenged him. “I’ve been looking forward to this evening too,
if you really want to know.” She read the desire in his eyes. “We’ll get there,
Chase. You can count on it.”