Flirting with the Scrooge, page 11
part #1 of Harbor Highlands Series
“Say what?” I feign innocence, but a smile pulls at my lips.
“I hate you,” She whispers. Her gaze drops to the floor before meeting mine. “Did you… touch yourself?”
I drop my hands to my sides and frown. “Really? That’s what you give me? Did I touch myself?”
“Yeah.” She shrugs as a giggle escapes her.
I flash her a half smile and shake my head. “I didn’t. Your sheets are safe.”
Her gaze drops to the sink as she concentrates on washing the mug in her hand. “I wasn’t worried about that. I don’t know why I even asked. It’s none of my business.”
“Well, it is your bed, so it’s a fair question.”
“Before I make this conversation any more awkward, let’s move on. Since you don’t want to rest, what do you want to do?” She finishes washing the last mug and passes it to me.
“Maybe go for a hike. Shovel snow. Chop some wood.”
She side-eyes me, but the edges of her lips pull into a smile.
I huff out a laugh. “I don’t know.”
“We could watch a movie. But it has to be a Christmas movie. That’s my December ritual.” She dries her hands on a towel and rests her butt against the counter.
“Fine. Die Hard.” I dry my hands with the towel she just used.
“Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.”
“It is one hundred percent a Christmas movie. In fact, it is the greatest Christmas movie of all time.”
“If you take the Christmas out of the movie and make it any other day, the plot would be the same. If it took place during Easter, then it could be an Easter movie,” she counters.
“But it doesn’t. It takes place during Christmas, so it’s a Christmas movie.”
“Ugh. I can’t with you.” She rips the towel from my hands and playfully smacks me in the chest with it.
“Let’s flip for it. Winner picks the movie.”
She whirls around, resting a hand on her hip. “Really? A coin? We’re going to let a coin pick the movie?”
“I was going to say arm wrestle, but that seemed unfair.”
She rolls her eyes but giggles. “Fine. But if I win, we’re watching Love Actually.”
I groan. “That sounds terrible.”
Shoving off the counter, she saunters to the dining room table on the other side of the kitchen to where her purse is sitting. My gaze drifts down to the way her hips sway back and forth. Fuck. C major seven to G. E minor to D. C major seven to G. E minor to D.
“Call it in the air.” She flips the coin, and it rotates end over end.
Her voice yanks me from my thoughts. “Heads.”
She catches it in one hand and slaps it on top of her other hand. Slowly, she peels away. “Best two out of three.”
“No. No.” I grab my crutches and limp toward her until I’m standing directly in front of her. “Can’t change the rules now. I won, didn’t I?”
“Traitorous quarter.” She slaps her palm against my chest. When she pulls away, the coin slides down and she pouts all the way into the living room.
“Thank you, Mr. Washington,” I whisper to myself. I slide the quarter into the pocket of my sweats and use the crutches to follow her into the other room. She’s already sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under her and a blanket draped over her lap, but something else draws my attention.
I limp toward a tall table next to her tree that showcases an entire porcelain Christmas village. “Whoa. Is this your way to take over the world?” I glance over my shoulder at Tatum.
She jumps to her feet and moves to stand next to me. “What are you talking about?”
I point to the tiny village in her living room. “Is this how you map out your holiday takeover?”
She laughs. “No. It’s just one of my holiday decorations. It’s a little Christmas village. It belonged to my nana.”
“What goes here?” I point to a vacant spot between a toy store and a pet shop.
“It’s a spot for a bookstore to complete the set-up. Every year I keep it open with hopes that I’ll find it at a reasonable price.”
“What does it look like?”
She grabs her phone from the couch and pulls up a picture. “Unfortunately, four-hundred dollars is a little out of my price range.”
“Holy shit. That much for a little porcelain building?”
“It’s basically a collector’s item now. They stopped making them years ago so now the only way to get them is second hand. I’ve spent hours scouring the internet in hopes of finding one at a reasonable price. So far, no luck.” She sighs, tucks her phone in her pocket, and makes her way back to the couch.
I tap my finger against my crutch before turning around and taking the empty spot next to her. She searches for the movie on a streaming app and presses play.
After an hour, my mind wanders. Not because I don’t like the movie. I love this movie, but I’ve seen it so many times. I stretch out my legs in front of me and throw my arm over the back of the couch. Glancing over, Tatum picks up her phone and a picture of her and someone else on her home screen catches my attention.
“Who’s that?”
“Huh?” She twists to look at me.
I nod toward her phone. “On your home screen.”
“Oh.” She shuts the screen off and places her phone down on the blanket. “It’s no one.”
“With a reaction like that I doubt it’s no one. Also, most people don’t keep no one on their home screen. That’s like sacred ground. If you make the home screen, that’s official shit. So, I don’t believe it’s no one.”
“You’re just going to keep going until I tell you, aren’t you?”
“Possibly.”
She presses her lips together, before raising her eyebrows. “Would it be bad if I said it was my ex-boyfriend?”
“You still have a picture of your ex-boyfriend on your phone?” I rub my chin. “Wait. The douche at the mall? You still want to be with him?”
She fiddles with her phone case, ignoring me and not saying anything. That confirms my answer.
“You still want to be with him even though he dumped you for his younger intern?”
“Thanks for the reminder, asshat.” She throws her phone at me and it lands in my lap. “Yes. No. I don’t know. I can’t just flip a switch and have my feelings magically disappear. We were together for years and then out of nowhere he dumped me.”
“Don’t forget he fired you too,” I remind her. Not that she needs a reminder, but it doesn’t make sense to me. “Why would you want to be with a guy like that?”
“Because I’m a glutton for punishment.” She huffs out a humorless laugh. “He wasn’t supposed to dump me and then move on so quickly.”
“If he’s moved on, maybe you should too?”
“I know.”
“Let’s change this right now. Unlock your phone and pass it to me.” She eyes me wearily but does it anyway. I drop my arm from the couch to around her shoulder and tug her to my chest.
A sweet laugh bubbles out of her. “What are you doing?”
“Taking a picture.” I hold out her phone in front of us. “Smile.” I snap a picture. I tap the screen a few times and save the new picture as her home screen. Then I pass her phone back to her.
“This picture is actually cute.” She stares at the screen.
“So, what happened?” Her head shifts to mine and her eyebrows pinch together, so I elaborate. “With the ex?”
She drops her phone to her lap. “I’m not entirely sure. Everything was fine. Or I thought it was fine. We were together for five years, so to me it seemed natural the next step of our relationship would be marriage. One night he wanted to go to dinner at Le Uve—”
“What’s Le Uve?”
“It’s an upscale Italian restaurant.”
“Oh shit.”
“What? What’s wrong?” Her voice is frantic.
“He was giving you your last meal before your execution.”
Her eyebrows knit together. “What do you mean?”
I sit up, readjusting myself, but keep my arm around her. “Like how prisoners get a last meal, usually it’s something fancy like steak and lobster, before they’re executed. He was giving you a last meal before he dumped you.”
“Oh shit.” She parrots my words.
“It’s a textbook move. He was hoping you wouldn’t hate him too much because at least you got a plate of spaghetti out of it.”
“Pesto Frutti Di Mare, actually.” She pauses. “That son of a bitch. I should have sprung for the one hundred-thirty dollar bottle of Vinate Tunina instead of just a glass.”
“You should have.” I run my finger up and down her shoulder.
Her wide-eyes flit to mine. “Wait. How do you know about this? How many girls have you dumped at dinner?”
I drop my gaze, avoiding any and all eye contact with her. “I may have done it once… maybe twice.”
She sits up straighter, amusement written on her face. “Oh my god! That’s such a jerk move!”
“I know, but it was a long time ago. It sounds like maybe you didn’t get any closure.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Her gaze drops to her lap before directing her attention back to the TV, apparently not wanting to continue with the conversation.
We watch the rest of the movie in silence, but I never remove my arm from around her shoulders, and she never makes a move to pull away either. As the credits roll, I stretch my legs out. My right side goes cold from the loss of her as she sits up.
“Not a terrible movie, but it’s still not a Christmas movie.” She flashes me a smile.
I throw my head back against the couch. “We can watch it again to convince you.”
She shakes her head. “Not happening.”
“Suit yourself.”
“What should we do next? Another movie?”
“Actually, I’m going to go home. That way, you can have your bed to yourself tonight.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind. I just want to make sure you’ll be alright.”
“I’ll be fine.” I sit up and rise to my feet. There is no way I’ll be able to stay another night in her bed and not kiss her. Not wrap her in my arms and hold her. Make her forget all about her ex-boyfriend because he didn’t cherish her. She deserves to be cherished. I want to be the guy to do that for her, but I can’t.
“Let me drive you. It’ll be easier than trying to walk with crutches in the snow and ice.”
All I can do is nod.
Eighteen
Fake Date
Tatum
My heels echo off the polished porcelain tile floor of the Dashiell Ballroom before coming to a stop in front of a podium where a young woman is standing. I pass her my invitation as she welcomes me to Under the Mistletoe. I give her a warm smile and nod, but what I really want to do is bolt out of here. It’s not that I don’t want to be here, but I don’t want to be here. I would be a terrible sister if I left Olivia hanging though. I inhale a deep breath, knowing I’m here for at least a couple of hours. My entire morning was spent prepping myself for the nine billion questions I’m going to get about Adam and why he’s not here and I’m still not ready.
Peering to my left, the ballroom is filled with lavish dark green and deep red decorations that radiate elegance and festive charm. A giant, glistening chandelier hangs from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room. A ten-foot Christmas tree covered with intricately designed ornaments and twinkling lights stands along the back wall. Wreaths and garlands swoop around the perimeter, adding a touch of festive sophistication. Luxurious linens and shimmering candle lit centerpieces cover all the tables. I have to give it to my mom. She didn’t spare any expense for this event.
I barely have time to remove my coat and pass it to the coat check before my mom is swarming me.
“Oh Tatum! You look so beautiful.” She rests her hands on my shoulders and presses her cheek to both of mine. “Where is Adam?” She glances over my shoulder, expecting to see him close by.
No “How are you? I’m glad you came.” She’s more concerned about my boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, but this really shouldn’t surprise me. She did it to Olivia so it’s only fitting she does the same to me. “Adam. So, about that—”
“Tatum!” Olivia wraps her arms around me and whirls me around. I’m thankful for the interruption. “You’ll never guess who I heard back from!”
My eyes go wide. “No way!”
“Yes! We are going to have the most amazing food at our event. It will trump all foods at any event.” Olivia’s wide grin never leaves her face.
Our mom clears her throat. “Hi, Olivia.”
Olivia twists around. “Hi Mother. I didn’t see you there.” She flashes her a fake, snarky smile. Olivia totally saw her, but purposely ignored her, which has been going on since the whole Ledger and our parents’ debacle.
“So, you got Chef Louis-Paul to cater your event,” our mom says very matter of factly.
“I did. And I did it all on my own.” Olivia holds her head up high. She’s worked her ass off to get her event coordinator business off the ground. With each event she does, she gets new clients and with each party, she finds new connections. Pretty soon, every party in Harbor Highlands will be organized by Olivia with me by her side.
“Congratulations. I’ve heard he’s a hard chef to commit to events.” While she may have said the words, her congratulations are anything but. Then she returns her attention to me. “So, you never said anything about Adam. Is he coming?”
I was hoping she would have moved on from the question, but I guess not. With my shoulders squared and my head held high, I inhale a deep breath, knowing it’s time to rip off the proverbial Band-Aid. “Actually, he’s not.”
“Is he busy with work again?” She raises a hand and fusses with a strand of my hair. “I swear he works so much I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a cot at the office.” She cackles to herself.
I move my head and step away. “No. He’s not coming…” I inhale a deep breath, preparing myself for what she’ll say next. “Because we’re not together anymore.”
She gasps and rests her hand on her chest. “What happened?” Leaning in so no one else can hear, she whispers, “Did he break up with you?”
My heart plummets to the ground, leaving a Tatum sized heart shape indent in the floor. I laugh to myself. Of course, her first reaction would be that he broke up with me. Even though he did, it still stings. “What makes you think he broke up with me? Never mind. It doesn’t matter. We’re no longer together.”
“While this isn’t ideal, I was hoping we could add a lawyer to the family to go with the mechanic we got.” Her gaze narrows at Olivia as sarcasm laces her voice. “But this works out perfectly. Dr. Berkshire has a newly single son. I’ll have to introduce you two.”
“Don’t do it,” Olivia softly sing-songs into her wineglass.
My gaze flits to her, and she discreetly shakes her head. I shift my attention back to our mom. “That’s not a good idea. It’s a recent breakup. I’m not sure I want to date again so soon.”
“Nonsense.” She flicks her wrist in the air. “You can’t go to your own event without a date. It’s not a good look. Come with me, I’ll introduce you.” She tugs on my hand.
My eyes go wide as I stare at Olivia. I don’t know what to do right now. Being set up by my mom is the last thing I want. After everything that went down with Olivia, I know her wanting to set me up is only to benefit her and her alone.
Olivia’s hand reaches out and grips my other wrist and spits out, “She already has a date.”
My brows furrow in confusion because I certainly don’t have a date.
“She does?” My mom twists to face me. “Is that true?”
Now, it’s like I’m in a tug of war match with my body being the rope. And I need Olivia to win. “Um, yes?”
She drops my wrist. “I can’t wait to meet him next weekend.” With a tight lipped smile, she saunters away. I’m sure to talk or flirt with Dr. Berkshire’s son herself.
As soon as she’s out of earshot, I grip Olivia’s elbow. “What the hell? I don’t have a date!” I whisper yell. “Who am I going to find to be my date in less than a week?”
“I was saving your ass. You’re welcome. But also, perhaps a certain hot new neighbor can be your date.” She tips back her glass of wine, swallowing a sip.
“Connor? No way! Not happening.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” Shit, I don’t know why. The short span of our relationship, if you can call it that, has been a rollercoaster ride. Asking him to do me this favor seems like a major disaster. Plus, Adam will be there. Ugh! My life is a hot mess. An explosive disaster.
“See. You don’t have a reason why you shouldn’t. You know Adam is going to be there. Don’t give him the upper hand in thinking you’re still pining over him.”
With one high heeled foot crossed over the other, I hold a tray of cookies in my hand like a server. Softly, I knock on his door. When it flies open, his heated gaze rakes over my body in nothing but a white lace bra and panties. He doesn’t say a word, the lust in his eyes says it all. Not wanting to waste another second, he rips the cookies from my hand. His arm wraps around my waist and drags me inside. He walks me backward toward the roaring fireplace and lays me down on a plush makeshift bed. Without saying a word, he proceeds to eat cookie crumbles off my half naked body, starting on my chest and then working his way down to my stomach. My fingers thread through his dark hair as he makes his descent toward my pussy.
I jolt awake, jackknifing out of bed, fingers still clenching the blanket. A sheen of sweat covers my entire body. My heart hammers in my chest. I blink a few times as I smack down to reality. I’m at my house and not in Connor’s living room. What the hell was that? The dream was so real. And the ache between my legs proves it.
All through the night, ever since Olivia planted the seed, I thought about Connor and asking him to be my date. Apparently, he not only occupies my daytime thoughts, but also my dreams. Now, not only am I sexually frustrated but I’m still without a date. Groaning, I flop down onto the mattress and drape my arm over my eyes. At the very least, I wish I could have seen the dream to the end.
