Marry Me at Christmas (Fool's Gold) (8 page)

The wanting felt good, he thought. It had been a long time since he’d allowed himself to relax enough to get there. Although he hadn’t consciously been easing his guard, there was just something about being around her. She was easy to talk to. Easy to be with. Comfortable, in a way. But sexy. Talk about a combination that was difficult to ignore.

“Ready to be amazed?” she asked.

He was—in every way possible. Even though he knew she was talking about the gift bazaar and all the crazy Fool’s Gold-ness that went with it, he allowed himself to get lost in the possibility, if just for that moment. Knowing there would be hell to pay later, he leaned in and kissed her.

Her mouth was soft and warm. She had on a lip gloss that tasted of peppermint. The SUV console kept them from getting too close, so he couldn’t do much more than put his hand on her side and move his mouth against hers.

She yielded. There was no other word to describe her acquiescence as she leaned into him and rested her fingers on his shoulder. Being in a car, the careful way they weren’t going for it, reminded him of high school. Back when he’d been like everyone else and life’s problems were easily defined.

Wanting filled him, heating him before, predictably, heading south. He wanted to deepen the kiss. He wanted a whole lot more than kissing. Even as his body screamed for him to make his move, his brain reminded him that he liked Madeline. Liked her a lot. So keeping her safe was his first priority.

He drew back.

Her eyes were closed, her cheeks flushed. Then she drew in a breath and looked at him.

“Okay,” she murmured. “That was interesting.”

He laughed. “Interesting?”

“Unexpected.”

“I was hoping for something more.”

“Like delicious?”

It was as if someone had kicked him in the gut. All his air rushed out and he was left gasping. Desire exploded and he felt his control being stretched.

He swore silently. He had no one to blame but himself, he thought. He’d asked for it.

“Delicious works,” he said, his voice husky. He touched her cheek. “You have no idea how it works.”

She studied him. “But? There’s a
but
coming. You have
but
face.” She looked away, then back at him. “You know what I mean.”

“I do. And yes, there’s a but. Being with me is difficult. It’s the whole public-figure thing. The press can be a problem. I’m not a good bet.”

He thought she might say something, push back. Voice an opinion. But she didn’t. Instead, she raised her hand, then let it fall back onto her lap.

“So this never happened?” she asked.

“No.”

“And you won’t do it again?”

“Are you asking me to promise?”

She looked at him for a long time. “You think this is all about you being Jonny Blaze the actor, but you’re wrong. Maybe it was at first, but now that I’ve gotten to know you, it’s not.”

She opened her car door. “We need to get inside before someone else buys all the good stuff.”

With that, she slid out of the SUV.

He followed her, aware that she hadn’t answered his question, but still pleased with what she’d said. Because of who she was, he believed her. It was nice to be liked for himself, even if the kissing issue hadn’t been resolved.

They walked into the front of the convention center. Tall, seasonally dressed plastic nutcrackers stood guard by the doors. A pleasant woman gave them a map, showing the location of the different booths, and wished them happy shopping.

When they walked inside, Jonny was hit by the volume of noise. There were Christmas carols playing over the speakers and thousands of people talking in a space not designed to dissipate sound in a way that made sense.

Visually, there was just as much going on. Long rows of booths filled the giant room. Hanging banners directed shoppers to different areas. Jewelry, toys and clothes were clearly marked, as were the food areas, holiday decorations and kitchen gadgets.

He considered himself more enlightened than the average male, but even he was overwhelmed by the shopping possibilities. How on earth was he supposed to find a present for Annelise in all this?

Madeline stepped in front of him. Her blue eyes crinkled with amusement as she put her hands on his upper arms and smiled.

“Breathe,” she told him firmly. “In and out. No matter how it feels, you will not turn into a woman simply by being here.”

“You swear?”

“Yes. Now, we’re shopping for your manager, right?”

He nodded.

“Anyone else?”

Friends? Relatives? He’d already taken care of his sister and her husband-to-be. Gifts for Oliver’s family had been handled by Caryn. Jonny had seen their names on the list. So there wasn’t anyone else.

Except maybe Madeline. He wanted to get her something for helping him with the wedding. Something more personal than the large donation he was going to make. But he wouldn’t be buying that here. He would take his time and figure out what it should be.

“Just Annelise,” he said.

“Okay. I’m hoping to get a few things for my family,” she told him. “If I see something cool for one of my friends, that would be great, but isn’t necessary. I already have presents for them. Any thoughts on what you want to get Annelise?”

He thought about the woman who had guided his career for the past decade. “Something personal. For her. Not her office. Something pretty.”

“That helps a lot. Clothes are going to be difficult. She won’t be able to return them. We’ll head toward the jewelry section. I’ll bet you can find something there.”

He nodded and scanned the row of booths. The jewelry was all the way in the back. “Don’t forget the fudge. You said you wanted fudge.”

She laughed. “Thanks for remembering. It’s my favorite part of the bazaar.”

“Then we should get it first.” He pointed to the banner above the food section. “It’s that way.”

They started down an aisle. Within three steps, two groups of women had walked between them. Madeline turned to look for him, just as he came up behind her.

“This could be dangerous,” he said with a grin, then took her hand. She laced her fingers with his.

For a second, they looked at each other. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but his brain settled on several versions of
This is nice
.

They continued walking. Madeline pulled him toward a booth.

“Look,” she said, pointing at miniature teddy bears dressed in festive clothes. There were Santa bears and elf bears, bears in pajamas and in scuba gear. She picked up two small bears dressed as a bride and groom.

“Supercute for the table,” she told him. “They can be right by where Ginger and Oliver will sit.”

The bears weren’t his style, but they did remind him of his sister. She had a streak of whimsy every now and then.

“We’ll take them,” he said, and reached for his wallet.

They made it another ten feet before Madeline pulled him toward another booth. This one sold nutcrackers of all kinds. Madeline settled on one made out of pewter.

“It’s a family thing,” she told him as she tucked her purchase into the large tote bag she’d brought with her. “I’ll send it to Robbie. He and Jasmine collect them.”

“Did your mom bring you here every year?” he asked.

She nodded. “It was a big day for us. We’d do a lot of our Christmas shopping. It’s where my fudge habit comes from.”

They headed in the direction of the food.

“Did your mom always bake?” he asked.

“Every year. It was great. I learned how to make everything, and even when I was a horrible, moody thirteen-year-old, I helped.” She smiled at the memory. “When I was little, there were tons of presents. Some from my parents, but most from Santa. As I got older, we shifted to the ‘big’ gift with several smaller ones.”

“Were you crushed about Santa?”

“I heard it from some kids, and while I didn’t want to let go, it made sense. What about your Christmases?”

“They were quiet. Just the three of us.” His dad had been busy working to keep food on the table. While there had been gifts, they’d been modest. As for Santa, he couldn’t remember ever believing.

“You were lucky to grow up here,” he said.

“I know. I don’t get why people want to move away. I love it.”

“When you find Mr. Right, you’ll settle here?” he asked.

“I hope so. On both accounts.”

“Ever come close?”

“To finding Mr. Right?” She wrinkled her nose. “No. I’ve never felt the lightning strike my parents talk about. There was a guy in college. Ted. It was serious and then it fell apart. Unfortunately, he’s stayed in touch. He and his wife visit every year and it’s a nightmare. I swear, the only reason they come here is to rub my face in my singleness. Oh, look. The fudge booth. I’m already feeling the sugar rush.”

There was a short line. When they reached the front, Madeline ordered a half pound of three different flavors.

“I’m so going to have to freeze most of this,” she murmured as she reached for her wallet. “Or I’ll weigh four hundred pounds by New Year’s.”

“Let me,” he said, passing over a couple of bills.

The girl manning the booth took his money. As she started to turn toward the cash register, she swung back. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open.

“Oh, my God!” she shrieked. “You’re... You’re...”

He knew what was coming next. She would scream his name and everyone around them would turn and stare. Then people would move close. A few would ask questions while others wanted autographs. The crowd would get bigger and he would have to leave.

Why hadn’t he grabbed a baseball cap on his way out? It wasn’t the perfect disguise, but it helped. Honest to God, he’d totally forgotten he might cause a problem. Because usually in Fool’s Gold, he didn’t.

Madeline stepped in front of him and laughed. “He looks like a young Matthew McConaughey, right? We get that all the time. It’s really fun. We have a jar where we put five dollars every time it happens.” She glanced at him. “Looks like we’re that much closer to our trip to New York, honey. Isn’t it great?”

The girl stared at Madeline as if she were insane, but when she looked back at him, she was less confident.

“Matthew McConaughey? I was going to say Jonny Blaze.”

Madeline frowned. “Seriously?” She turned to Jonny. “Wow, I don’t see it. Well, darn. If you’re saying Jonny Blaze, I guess we don’t get the five dollars in the jar, after all. Unless we include all celebrities. What do you think?”

The girl handed him his change and Madeline the bag of fudge. “Have a nice day,” she said pointedly, and looked past them to the customers still in line.

He grabbed Madeline’s hand and pulled her away.

“She dismissed us,” Madeline said. “I’m shocked. How could she not have an opinion on our New York travel jar?”

He pulled her to the side of the aisle. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. A little misdirection never hurt anyone. I learned it from my brother. Just one of the things he taught me when he came home on vacation.”

Jonny put his arm around her. He wanted to do more but there were too many people around.

“He was a good older brother,” he said, mostly to distract himself.

“He was. And thankfully gone when I started dating. Otherwise, he would have terrified any date I had. Were you like that with Ginger?”

“I didn’t have to be. She didn’t date much in high school, and by the time she got to college, she was sensible about guys. I met a few when I visited her in San Francisco and I liked them all.”

“What’s Oliver like?”

“Nerdy, but in a good way. Crazy about her.” He smiled. “He came to ask my permission to propose to Ginger. The poor kid was trembling and sweating. I felt sorry for him, but I made him work for it. They’re going to be good together.”

“She’ll be here in a couple of days. I’m excited to meet her.”

He was looking forward to it, as well. He wanted to know what his sister thought of Madeline.

“I’m going to grill her about your romantic past,” she teased.

“You can read all about it online.”

“I don’t think so. Those would be the public relationships. I’m guessing there are some others that no one knows about.” She turned to him. “I was kidding. You know that, right? I would never ask Ginger about your love life.”

“You didn’t even tell your business partner you were helping me,” he reminded her. “I know you’re joking.”

They walked through the crowd to the booths with jewelry displays. Madeline pointed. “Jenel’s Gems is a store in town. She has beautiful pieces. You’ll want to look at her things for sure.”

As they made their way to that display, he spotted a necklace of enamel daisies. The piece was large and gaudy and yet there was something about it.

“For Annelise?” Madeline asked.

“No. I—” He touched the necklace. “I knew a girl who loved daisies.” He lowered his arm. “You’re right. The significant relationships aren’t online. When I was in high school I had a thing for this girl. Kristen. She was beautiful, but aloof. For a year I tried to get close and she wouldn’t have anything to do with me.”

“What changed her mind?”

“I don’t know. Over the summer between our junior and senior year, I kept going by her house. One day she invited me in. She sat me down and told me she had cancer. Something with her blood.”

He knew the medical terms and the details, but they wouldn’t mean anything to Madeline. He remembered how dispassionate Kristen had been as she’d spoken. As if she were talking about someone else.

Madeline stared at him. “She was sick?”

“She was dying. She told me she only had a few months left and I wouldn’t be able to handle it. So there wasn’t going to be a relationship ever and I should leave.”

He remembered the shock. How he’d been unable to process the information.

“I went back the next day and the next. She finally agreed to see me. We started dating. We had a year. I was there when she died.”

He remembered everything about those last weeks, that last day. How her parents had cried, how he’d held her hand and heard her take her last breath. He’d been devastated. Knowing what was going to happen and having it happen weren’t the same thing.