The Love List (3 page)

"I'm going to keep this on the refrigerator,
okay?"

"Perfect. There…or on the bedpost." He added
with a sly smile.

Carrie smiled at him, replaced the pad and
pen in her purse and stared out the window. She sat back, breathing
in the smell of the expensive leather while she looked for signs of
wildlife, a rabbit or bird in the woods hugging the road. They rode
in comfortable silence for a while.

"Grey…"

"What, honey?" He switched his gaze from the
road to her face for a moment.

"I'm a little concerned about Christmas…" She
shifted in her seat, crossed and uncrossed her legs.

"Why?"

"I bought all these gifts for your sibs
without any input from you."

"I always gave them gift cards. I'm not good
at shopping for people, knowing their sizes and all."

"So what if they hate what we got them? It'll
be my fault."

"They won't hate anything. You have great
taste. Relax. My family likes you. I like you…that's all that
counts, babe," he removed his hand from the wheel for a moment to
pat hers, then went back to concentrating on the road.

"I bought a little something special for
you…" he said.

"You did?" She sat up in her seat and turned
to face him.

"I happened to be in Bergdorf's yesterday
and…"

"Bergdorf Goodman's?"

"And I saw…well, it's a surprise. Can we have
our own 'private' gift exchange tonight?"

"I have something for you, too." Her cheeks
color slightly.

"Let's go up early, like eight o'clock?"

"Isn't that a little
too
early? Won't
it look like we're…uh…going to have sex?"

"So what if we are?" He checked his side view
mirror, signaled, then depressed the accelerator and moved into the
passing lane.

"It's so…so…obvious."

"I don't care. I want some private time with
you. You don't have a big family, it can get pretty crazy. We'll
have no time to ourselves. Remember Thanksgiving?"

"A bit of a madhouse," Carrie agreed, chewing
on her lower lip at the memory.

"And this will be worse, opening presents,
meals…seven other people around all the time."

"I'm convinced. Eight o'clock. It's a date."
She rested her hand briefly on his thigh.

He looked over at her and she detected a
small gleam of desire shining in his light eyes. Carrie sighed,
pushed the thought of the gifts she bought out of her mind and
focused on the music. When "Jingle Bell Rock" came on, she turned
it up and burst into song, bobbing up and down in her seat. Grey
laughed and joined in.

Once they crossed over the mountain and
settled into growing traffic on Route 17, her eyelids grew heavy
and before they had gone ten miles, Carrie was fast asleep.

****

The gentle push from two fingers into her
shoulder roused Carrie from her slumber. She opened her eyes and
yawned.

"We're almost there…Route 517 up ahead," Grey
said, maneuvering the car into the turn smoothly.

"Nine o'clock? Already? Seems like we just
left."

"It's only a two hour drive, honey."

"Right, right. I forget."

The music was off and the heater whirred
softly keeping Carrie's feet toasty. She stretched as best she
could in the small space and looked over to admire his profile. He
turned to face her when the traffic light at 517 and Forest Avenue
turned red. His eyes swept over her as his lips curled into a
smile.

"Well, sleepyhead, ready to face the Andrews
family again?"

She nodded and moved closer to him. He bent
over and brushed her lips with his quickly before the light
changed, then took his foot off the brake and drove slowly down the
street. Grey pulled over to the curb and stopped in front of the
three-story, white Victorian house with taupe shutters. When he
shifted into park, Grey didn't turn the ignition off. The XK purred
quietly.

Carrie moved as close to him as the gear
shift would allow as he scooted toward her, lowering his head until
his mouth covered hers. She wriggled her tongue between his lips,
deepening the kiss, bending toward him, snaking her hands over his
shoulders. He slipped his right hand over the back of the bucket
seat and around her shoulders. His fingers played with the ends of
her hair that spilled over her collar and a few inches down her
back. Time seemed to stand still for Carrie as she lost herself in
the delicious taste of Grey. The feel of his tongue caressing hers,
coaxed her into intimacy.

Her pulse began to climb and warmth that had
nothing to do with the car heater traveled through her body. Carrie
reached blindly for the zipper of her jacket and lowered it,
allowing some of her body heat to escape. He settled his left hand
on her waist, then, as if waiting for her to unzip, he slid it up
inside her jacket to cover her breast. He squeezed and Carrie
moaned as she melted under the heat of his touch.

She hadn't been able to resist him from the
beginning. Once he touched her, she wanted him. Now she squirmed
slightly as his hand continued its massage. She felt warmth between
her legs and clamped them together in the hopes of stopping her
growing desire, but the maneuver had the opposite effect.

His thumb found her peak through her thin
cashmere sweater, pressed against and circled it at the same time
as faint sounds of voices drifted to her ears. She groaned, lifting
the fog of passion enough to discern people were coming toward the
car, calling to them. The voices kept getting louder.

"Grey…" she muttered, attempting to control
her breathing.

At the sound of her voice, he withdrew from
her, removing his hand, his lips, his tongue, leaving a sudden
coolness on her skin. When her eyes met his she could see heat and
knew he also wanted to take their make-out session to the next
level.

"If we don't stop now, I won't be able to get
out of the car…" he whispered.

Carrie withdrew from him, moving back into
her seat when she heard…

"…making out like a couple of teenagers…never
know they're engaged…"

Carrie turned her head toward her window and
spied Colin's face on the other side. Instinctively she closed her
jacket to hide her hard nipples the same way she did in high
school. Her cheeks colored at being discovered.

Right behind him was Jenna, Grey's jacketless
younger sister, flapping her arms around her chest in an effort to
ward off the cold, giggling as she came up behind Colin. Carrie
looked back at Grey one more time. He was grinning at her as he
turned the ignition off, his eyes glistening with raw desire. He
leaned over, took her chin in his hand and planted a final kiss on
her nose. She touched her palm to his cheek then opened the car
door.

"I wish we could have had fifteen more
minutes alone," he whispered.

Carrie chuckled as she placed one foot
outside the door onto the frozen ground.

Colin extended his hand to help Carrie out of
the car. When Grey punched the trunk release, the flap flew open
and the four buzzed about the luggage. The gifts were wrapped and
placed carefully in shopping bags sporting logos from Bergdorf
Goodman, Paul Stuart, Tiffany and Sak's Fifth Avenue. Two weekend
bags, one in black and one in red were nestled snugly in the small
trunk. Carrie took two bags of gifts and Jenna took the other two,
leaving the heavier luggage for Colin and Grey.

"Not packing together in one suitcase yet,
eh?"

Carrie and Grey exchanged a glance.

"Is that in the vows, Jenna? For better, for
worse and to share one suitcase?" Grey asked, cocking an
eyebrow.

Jenna shoved him in the shoulder as they
headed toward the front door. The sound of dogs barking grew louder
as they approached the house.

"Daisy and Buster have been waiting for you,"
Jenna teased her brother.

When the front door opened, two pugs raced
out the door, heading directly for Grey. They jumped up on his leg
woofing and pawing at him. He dropped down on one knee petting
first Daisy then Buster, and then Daisy again. Buster managed to
jump high enough to lick his face. Carrie stopped to greet the
dogs, too, running her hands through their soft tan fur. Wide pug
grins took over their faces and their curled tails wagged at a
furious pace.

Fran waited to the left in the open doorway.
She wore a red, green and gold apron fastened around her waist. Her
husband, John, stood behind her, raising one hand to wave, resting
the other on Fran's shoulder. Barbara, the oldest, stood to the
right of the doorway, peeking around. Grey smiled broadly at them
and raised his hand in a return wave.

Grey stood up, waving the dogs back into the
house. John Andrews clicked his tongue and the two pugs picked up
their ears. He clapped his hands and the dogs ran back to the house
with Grey and Carrie following. Carrie was enveloped first in
Fran's arms for a hug. Each family member gave her a hug, then
moved on to Grey. John eased everyone inside so he could close the
door.

"I'm not paying to heat the outdoors. Get
your butts in here," he said, putting his hand on Grey's shoulder.
"Glad to see you, son."

Fran linked Carrie's arm through hers as she
walked her into the living room. The tall Christmas tree was
decorated with more home-made ornaments from many years of school
holiday projects stretched over four children than it had been at
Thanksgiving. Carrie smiled.
Perhaps Fran found an old box of
treasures in her attic.
The entire house sported festive
decorations. Evergreen swags hugged the mantle and twined around
the banister. Snow globes, small statues of Santa Claus and other
Christmas figurines perched on the wide marble mantle and the baby
grand piano. One white electric candle stood proudly in each
window.

A roaring fire in the large fireplace warmed
the room, which was bordered with cream-colored molding stained
with soot in a few places. With the two pugs close on her heels,
Fran steered Carrie to the wide brown velvet sofa. Jenna followed
them in and sat cross-legged on the floor in her fleece workout
outfit. Bill joined her, and then petted the two dogs, who had
stretched out on the floor in front of him. Barbara and her
husband, Earl, took over the love seat. John commanded the leather
wing chair. Grey joined his mother and fiancée on the sofa and
Colin pulled up an ottoman.

Carrie stood up and took her bags of gifts
and placed them under and around the tree. Then she did the same
with the two bags Jenna had brought in. Afterward she rejoined
Fran.

"Let's go over the schedule for today and
tomorrow." She pulled a small journal out of a large pocket in the
apron and opened it to a clipped page.

"The open house has been moved to 2:30 to
7:30 so anyone who wants to can go on the Santa sighting hayride.
Grey," she said, turning to face her son, "Carrie has never been on
that. It's not long, about twenty minutes. Might be fun. Then we
have our one-present exchange at eight o'clock."

Grey nodded at his mother and directed his
gaze at Carrie, who smiled at him in return.

"Dad is doing brunch this morning…what are we
having John?"

"Pancakes and link sausages. Chocolate chip
pancakes 'cause Grey said those are Carrie's favorite," John smiled
directly at her.

Carrie blushed at the attention.

"Okay, he's going to start that in about five
minutes. It's nine thirty now, hmmm. We need to get the ham in the
oven by one o'clock. So let's eat then divide into teams. We got
most of the cleaning done before you got here, Grey…" Fran said,
checking a list she pulled out of her pocket.

"Gee, I'm disappointed!" He made a mock sad
face. Colin threw a pillow at him.

"Right! I've saved a few choice tasks for
you, though," Fran smiled at him, her eyes twinkling.

Grey groaned and rolled his eyes.

"I think I have all the food and I've been
baking cookies all week. They're in tins. Still, I didn't get
around to lemon bars and you know Emma always asks for those."

Silence fell on the room. Fran gave a
quizzical look. Barbara stood up.

Why did everyone clam up when Emma was
mentioned? Bet Grey knows.

"Then we have a lot to do, so we'd better
begin," she said, tapping Earl on the shoulder.

Everyone got up and went to the kitchen.
Together they set the big table in the dining room while John
whipped up pancake batter. Barbara cooked the sausages on the grill
on the back deck. Grey and Carrie disappeared into their room to
unpack.

"Why did everyone get quiet when your mother
mentioned Emma?" Carrie asked Grey as she slung her small suitcase
on the bed and unzipped it.

"Don't know. Emma's a family friend. She and
Matt."

"Matt's her…husband?"

"Yup. They've got a kid, too."

"But she comes here every year for your
family's Christmas open house?"

"They come on Christmas day, in the afternoon
for an hour or two."

"What aren't you telling me?" Carrie opened
the top dresser drawer, folded her lingerie and placed it
inside.

"Okay, okay. She was my first…and I was hers.
But it's ancient history."

"Ancient history with you or her?"

Carrie picked up her hairbrush and watched
Grey in the mirror while she gave her hair a few strokes.

"Both of us." Grey inserted a hanger in a
flannel shirt and stepped over to the closet.

"Losing your virginity is a big deal. Someone
you usually remember." Carrie stopped, her hand poised in the air,
holding the brush. Her gaze followed Grey.

"I have you. I moved on and I assume she has,
too. Or Matt's going to have a problem," he said, hanging up the
shirt in the closet.

"Perhaps your sibs don't agree. Otherwise why
did everyone clam up at the mention of her name?" Carrie put down
the brush, folded some shirts and added them to the drawer, then
closed it.