He bent down and kissed her cheek. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll save my Christmas wishes for then.”
Down the block, she glanced back and saw him still standing in the doorway, staring after her much as he had on that day so long ago. This time, though, there was a smile on his lips and a jauntiness to his wave. She couldn’t help being glad that no matter what happened between them, she’d created happier memories for both of them this time.
Though the entire family was gathering for a private Christmas Eve dinner later, Matthew didn’t think he could wait that long to hear the sound of Laila’s voice. The day had been excruciatingly long without any sight of her. He called her room.
“I’ve some gifts here in need of wrapping,” he said. “Would you care to volunteer?”
She laughed. “You must be kidding. I made such a mess of mine that I had to go out and spend a fortune on gift bags. Until I started counting, I hadn’t realized just how overboard I’d gone on presents.”
“Is there one for me?” he teased.
“More than one, if you must know, but that’s all I’m telling you. Now, if you want to buy gift bags, I can tell you where to go, and you’d best be hurrying. I believe the stores have early closing hours today.”
“You could come with me,” he said hopefully. “It’ll be much easier to show me than to tell me, don’t you think?”
She hesitated, then said, “I can do that.”
“Then I’ll be by your room to pick you up in five minutes. Can you be ready?”
“Of course I can. You know I’m not a dawdler.”
When he knocked on her door, she was bundled up as if they were heading to the North Pole.
“Has the weather taken an unexpected turn for the worse?” he asked, amused. “Last time I looked, the sun was shining and the temperature was above freezing.”
“I bought the cashmere scarf, hat and gloves for myself today, and I couldn’t wait to wear them,” she said. “Feel how soft they are.”
He took her hand in his. He preferred her bare skin, but the gloves were, indeed, soft, and the color of pink cotton candy. The scarf and hat, thankfully, were a muted plaid with just a hint of that same pink, enough to bring out the color in her cheeks.
“Lovely,” he murmured, his gaze on her face and not the cashmere accessories.
She blinked at the intensity of his gaze, and the color in her cheeks deepened. “We need to hurry,” she said, urging him along to the elevator.
Inside, he pulled her to him, then settled his mouth over hers for a deep, lingering kiss.
“Hot,” she whispered brokenly, tugging at the scarf when he’d released her.
“Just wanted you to see that there are far better ways to stay warm,” he taunted, as they emerged onto the street. “Now, which way?”
She regarded him blankly. “Which way?”
“To buy the gift bags,” he reminded her, grinning.
She glanced around, got her bearings eventually, then headed off. When he didn’t immediately follow, she turned and scowled at him. “What now?”
“Just admiring the view,” he said.
“Has anyone mentioned today how impossible you are?”
He shook his head. “It didn’t come up while I was shopping,” he said, as if he were considering the question carefully. “And I spoke to a few different people in the family. No, not that I recall. ‘Impossible’ wasn’t mentioned once.”
“Well, it should have been,” she said with feigned exasperation. “I can’t be the only one who sees it.”
“Oh, wait, there was one slightly testy exchange with your brother,” he admitted. “It might have been implied in that.”
Her expression immediately turned wary. “You spoke to Trace?”
“I did.”
“About what?”
“This and that,” he said.
“Matthew, do not be evasive. What did you discuss with my brother?”
“I don’t have to tell you everything.”
“You do if you expect our relationship to last more than another minute or two,” she countered.
He studied her. “So, secrets are a deal breaker?”
“Definitely.”
He nodded. “Good to know.”
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“You and Trace,” she said impatiently. “What happened?”
“We talked. We agreed on a few things eventually.” He shrugged. “That was about it.”
“You are being deliberately evasive, and I want to go on record that I don’t like it.” She shrugged. “Never mind. I’ll just get the truth out of Trace.”
Matthew laughed. “I doubt that.”
“Oh, I have my ways,” she said direly.
“Those ways of yours might work on me,” he admitted, grinning. “I doubt they’re effective on your brother.”
“I have
different
ways of dealing with him,” she said.
He shook his head. “I wouldn’t count on those working, either. Guys have a code of honor, you know. It pretty much implies pain of death and all that.”
“You’re not taking me seriously,” she grumbled.
“Your threats, not so much,” he agreed, then looked into her eyes. “You, however, I take very, very seriously.”
And tonight he intended to prove to her just how serious his intentions were.
13
C
hristmas Eve dinner, despite being in a hotel dining room, was a festive occasion. With Mick’s encouragement and generous tipping and, Laila suspected, some advice from Nell, the staff had gone out of its way to create a cozy and warm holiday atmosphere, to say nothing of a traditional feast. There was to be roasted goose, spiced beef, Yorkshire pudding, a potato-apple stuffing and, she’d heard, an Irish Mist trifle for dessert.
Laila stood just inside the door and took in the long table with its white tablecloth, beautiful china and silverware, the candles in a row down the center, far from the reach of small hands. Bowls of holly and greens gave the table color, along with the traditional Christmas crackers that would be popped to reveal a variety of treats.
The children, far too excited to sit still, were racing around the room with only the occasional admonition from an adult to settle down.
The adults were clustered in small groups, glasses of wine in hand, chattering as if they hadn’t seen each other in months, rather than hours. One of the best things about this family, in Laila’s opinion, was how much they truly seemed to enjoy each other’s company. It was so different from the stiff, formal occasions she’d grown used to at home.
Eventually she spotted Matthew across the room, deep in conversation with Mick. She frowned at their too-serious expressions, wondering if Matthew was conspiring with his uncle after all to keep Nell and Dillon apart.
Only one way to find out for sure, she thought, crossing the room to join them. She considered it her duty to stand up for Nell if no one else was around to do it, though why she felt it necessary was difficult to explain. Surely there were at least some O’Briens on Nell’s side. Megan and Susie came immediately to mind, but they were nowhere to be found at the moment.
“So, you really have no objections to assigning Jaime to take over the project in Florida,” Matthew said, referring to Mick’s second-in-command, Jaime Alvarez, who’d been all but running the company the past few years. “You don’t think it will cause problems?”
Mick regarded him affectionately. “Not under the circumstances, no. Jaime’s credentials are solid, and he likes to be on-site from time to time. He’ll be happy to take over. You’ll still lead the design team and give the developer the fresh, innovative architecture they’re looking for. You’ll make the occasional site visit, as necessary. It’s all good, Matthew.”
Matthew regarded him with relief. “Thanks, Uncle Mick.”
Mick gave Laila a conspiratorial wink that she couldn’t begin to understand. Obviously this had nothing to do with Nell and Dillon.
“All for a good cause,” Mick said, then left them alone.
Laila studied Matthew curiously. “What was that about?”
“Just rearranging a few things at work,” he said.
“Were you talking about the Florida project?” she asked. “Mick didn’t take you off it, did he?” Her indignation mounted at the thought of Mick treating Matthew so shabbily after dangling the development of an entire seaside community in front of him.
“Actually I asked to be taken off the on-site supervision,” Matthew said.
She tried to wrap her mind around that and couldn’t. “But, Matthew, this was your big break,” she protested. “Why would you do that?”
“I have more important things on my schedule at the moment,” he said, holding her gaze. “And since you were standing right here, I know you heard Uncle Mick. I’ll still design the whole project.”
“But to manage it start to finish,” she said. “Weren’t you really looking forward to the chance to watch your ideas come to fruition?”
“There will be other projects, Laila,” he said, clearly unfazed by the turn of events. “I’m comfortable with my decision or I wouldn’t have made it and gone to Mick for his approval.”
“I just don’t understand,” she said. A few days ago he’d been so thrilled by this opportunity. Why would he give it up?
Suddenly she recalled their conversation several days before and his mention that the timing for this was all wrong, given the status of their relationship.
She looked into Matthew’s eyes. “Please tell me you didn’t give this up because of us,” she said. “Matthew, I don’t want to be responsible for you losing out on a chance to make your mark in your career.”
“You’re not responsible,” he insisted. “Stop worrying, Laila. Didn’t I just say I made the decision all on my own?”
She still wasn’t satisfied. “Did I play any role at all in that decision?”
“Of course I took you into consideration, just as I always will,” he said.
Though he seemed perfectly happy with what he’d done, she couldn’t help comparing it to her own situation. “You didn’t have to give up something in your career just because I threw mine away,” she told him.
He had the audacity to laugh at that. “Is that what you think? That I was trying to level the career playing field in some twisted way?”
“Weren’t you?”
“Absolutely not.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “I swear to you this is all good, Laila. Right now, you’ll just have to take my word on that.”
She wanted to, but she spent most of dinner fretting over the conversation she’d overheard and what Matthew had said in response to her questions. She was sure it must be killing him to give up control of such a huge project. This was the kind of thing that could make his reputation, just as Chesapeake Shores had made Mick’s. Why would he make such a sacrifice when it wasn’t necessary, at least not from her point of view?
Midway through the meal, Mick stood up and raised his glass. “I won’t make one of my long-winded speeches tonight,” he assured them to much laughter and applause. “I just want to thank all of you for making this trip to Ireland something we’ll all remember for years to come. Each one of you has an important role in this family, and it wouldn’t have been the same if any one of you hadn’t been able to be with us, right, Ma?”
Nell nodded, her cheeks damp with tears. “I’m so grateful, especially to you, Susie, for ensuring that this trip happened. Coming back to Dublin once more has meant the world to me.”
Susie leaned over and hugged her grandmother. “It was my pleasure, Gram.” She winked at Mack. “It hasn’t been a bad honeymoon, either.”
“Indeed, it hasn’t,” Mack said, his gaze on his wife filled with adoration.
Mick cleared his throat. “As
I
was saying…”
Nell gave him an impudent look. “Sorry to steal your moment in the spotlight,” she said, without much remorse in her tone.
“Thank you all for being here,” Mick continued. “There’s an Irish blessing my father often said on Christmas Eve. It sums up what I wish for each of you. ‘The light of the Christmas star to you. The warmth of home and hearth to you. The cheer and goodwill of friends to you. The hope of a childlike heart to you. The joy of a thousand angels to you. The love of the Son and God’s peace to you.’”
His eyes seemed a little misty as he added, “My thanks to each of you for making this family something so special. Merry Christmas to all!”
“Is it time for Santa yet?” Davy called out hopefully.
Mick chuckled. “Not just yet. Don’t you worry, though. He knows where to find you. And I guarantee this is going to be a holiday to remember.”
Laila turned to look at Matthew beside her and caught his gaze on her. “You look a bit like the cat that swallowed the canary,” she said, studying him. “What’s that about?”
“Just thinking about what Uncle Mick said,” he told her.
“About it being a memorable holiday?”
He nodded.
She smiled. “I can’t argue with that. It already is. Ireland has been everything I expected and then some.”
“And it’s only going to get better,” he said mysteriously.
The look in his eyes made her heart skip a beat. Was he planning what she thought he might be? Was he finally going to propose? Since she wasn’t about to ask such a thing, she merely lifted a brow. “You have some pull with Santa?”
“You bet. I’ve had him on standby for weeks.”
“I’m surprised, then, that you didn’t get him or his elves to wrap all those packages for you, instead of conning me into doing it with promises of hot chocolate.”
“You’re much prettier than Santa,” he said seriously. “I’d always rather spend time with you.” He stood up. “Why don’t we get our coats and head over to the church? With a crowd the size of this one, someone will need to go ahead and save seats.”
“We’ll come with you,” Jess said, dragging Will to his feet. “I need to walk off that meal anyway.”
Laila was surprised and a little disappointed when Matthew didn’t refuse Jess’s offer. Clearly he hadn’t intended to propose en route to the church, or else he was amazingly unfazed by a last-second change to his plan. Maybe, once the cat had gotten out of the bag, he’d decided against proposing to her here in Ireland. Maybe she’d been twisting herself into knots over a decision she wouldn’t even have to make.
She should have felt relief, but as the hours till midnight ticked by, she couldn’t help regretting that she might not get that romantic Christmas Eve proposal, after all.