A Family for Christmas Read online

  “Go on now.” She darted a look toward the sunken living room. “Miss Cynthia is here. She’s having a drink with your brother.”

  Brent stifled a groan. “I’d forgotten until I saw her car. We’re supposed to meet some people later.” He snatched at a piece of chicken, and Hannah swatted at his hand. “I wonder if I can get out of it.”

  He took a deep breath, pasted a smile on his face and sauntered into the living room. Cynthia was curled up in a chair by the fireplace, her straight blonde hair gleaming in the light of the fire.

  “Hello, darling.” She glanced at her watch, and a slight frown furrowed her brow. “I hope you haven’t forgotten that we’re meeting the gang at the club tonight.”

  “Actually, I had forgotten.”

  Her pale green eyes darkened angrily.

  “But I couldn’t have gone anyway. I have to head out first thing in the morning. Sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry, and he knew it, but he was tired of pretending. He had no idea why he’d ever allowed himself to become involved with Cynthia Fairbairn. He raked his fingers through his hair and sat down as far away from her as he could. Standing beside Chase’s chair, Annie watched the exchange with interest, and he gave her a broad wink.

  Actually, he did know why he’d become involved with Cynthia. It had made sense at the time, but looking back now, his reasoning had been completely irrational. At the rate Chase was going, he was never going to get married, and it had seemed to Brent that someone needed to give Annie a stable home life. Why he had thought Cynthia would be the one to do that, he didn’t know. He couldn’t have made a worse choice if he’d tried. Thank goodness they hadn’t actually announced an engagement. Cynthia had been pressing for a ring for some time, but he supposed that deep down he’d known it was a mistake. A mistake that he needed to rectify, and soon. He was leaving tomorrow, but he’d sort things out with her as soon as he got back.

  “...and this is one of Uncle Brent and Maddie.” Annie had dragged her backpack into the room and was showing Chase the pictures. “Don’t they look happy?”

  Cynthia unfolded her long, elegant legs and walked over to stand behind Chase’s chair. “And who is Maddie?” she asked, casting a quick glance at the display on the back of the camera. Her words were like ice crystals. “You look very chummy.”

  Chase glanced up quickly, then returned his attention to the picture. “She’s rented the shop in the lobby of the building.” He gave Annie a quick hug. “She and Annie have become good friends.”

  Annie nodded and ran over to Brent. “Have a look. You didn’t get to see it properly on the way home.”

  Brent examined the picture. It had felt so right sitting there beside Maddie, watching the children. He’d never felt a hint of the same contentment with Cynthia... not that she would ever bundle up and sit outside on a cold step. He looked up as she moved to return to her chair and caught her foot in the strap of Annie’s backpack.

  “For heaven’s sake, child. Put your things away!”

  Annie pulled back, and Brent surged out of his chair, hands clenched at his sides. Harsh words were on the tip of his tongue; words he’d wanted to say for some time. Fortunately, Hannah chose that moment to announce that dinner was on the table, and he reined himself in.

  “You can put your things away after dinner,” he said to Annie, a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get some of that chicken.”

  Chapter Nine

  BRENT PUSHED BACK FROM the table and patted his stomach. “That was good.” He looked over at his brother. “Sorry Cynthia made such a fuss when she left.”

  Chase shrugged. “Just as well. She can put a damper on things when she gets like that.” He looked toward the stairs where his niece had disappeared a few moments ago. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of Annie, but what’s going on with you two?”

  Brent toyed with his water glass. “I never should have become involved with her. I plan to end it next week when I get back.”

  “Good luck with that.” Chase’s tone made it clear what he thought. “She thinks she’s engaged to you, you know.” He held up a hand. “I know, I know. You’ve never given her a ring, and I assume you’ve never officially asked her, but nevertheless it’s what she thinks.” He paused. “Why did you get involved with her anyway? It’s not as if you need to get married.”

  Brent groaned. He’d created this mess and owed his brother an explanation.

  “I did it for all the wrong reasons; I can see that now.” He took a deep breath. “You see, I figured you were never going to get married, and I wanted to create a stable family life for Annie.”

  Chase snorted. “Life with Cynthia would never be stable.”

  “You’re right, of course, but do you have to rub it in?”

  Chase chuckled. “Besides, who said I’d never get married?”

  Brent looked at his brother as though he were a stranger. “I’ve never heard you say anything, or seen you seriously date anyone. Seems to me you’ve always been too wrapped up in the company to have much of a personal life.” His eyes narrowed. “You’ve met someone, haven’t you?”

  The smile on Chase’s face was all the answer he needed. “You see, this is what I’m talking about. I go away for a few days, and everything changes. Out with it, man. Who is it?”

  Chase stared at the tablecloth and shook his head back and forth. “I met her the other day when I was having lunch with Annie.”

  Brent’s expression was thunderous. “Not Maddie!”

  Chase looked up, confused. “No, not Maddie. Her roommate, Lily.” His features softened. “I can’t get her out of my mind. She’s fiery, she’s independent, and as if that wasn’t enough, she’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”

  “So when are you going out with her? Or have you already?”

  Chase stared into the distance. “That’s the thing. She doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with me.”

  Brent was silent for a moment and then laughed. “Come on, Chase. Stop kidding around. There isn’t a single woman in Calgary who isn’t interested in Chase Drummond.” He smiled a wicked smile. “And many of the married ones, I imagine.”

  Chase acknowledged his brother’s kidding with a wry smile. “I’ve found the one I’m interested in.”

  Brent sobered. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  Chase nodded. “I walked into that coffee shop and saw her, and the ground gave way beneath my feet.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Sounds like something out of a soap opera, I suppose, but bingo!” He snapped his fingers. “It happened just like that.”

  Brent tried to hide a smile. “Me, too.”

  Chase’s head snapped up. “You’ve met her?”

  “No, you jerk. I’m talking about Maddie. When she fell off that ladder and I caught her, it was the best moment of my life.”

  Chase drummed his fingers on the table. “Maddie, huh? Good for you. But you’re saying you met her when she fell off a ladder? That really does sound like something out of a romance novel.” He eyed his brother suspiciously. “So is that what’s behind this sudden need to get rid of Cynthia?”

  Brent shook his head. “Not really. That’s been coming for a while. I don’t like the way she treats Annie. By the way, we’re getting Annie a sewing machine for Christmas.”

  Chase’s eyes went to the stairs. “Speaking of which, we’d better get up there and tuck her in.”

  Brent rose from the table. “No game of checkers tonight?”

  “No, the skating tired her out. We’ll have two games tomorrow night.” He clapped his brother on the shoulder. “So...it looks like the Drummond brothers are off the market.”

  Brent gave him a skeptical look. “I am, definitely. It’s you I’m not sure about.”

  LILY WAS POURING A glass of wine when Maddie got home. She held up the bottle, wiggled it in invitation, and Maddie nodded. Lily poured a second glass and shoved it across the counter.

  “I see you got your
lights up.”

  Maddie turned from hanging up her coat. “You went by the building?”

  Lily flushed. “Yeah. I had to drop some product off at Draper’s.”

  Maddie worked hard not to smile. “Going into the Drummond Building could be dangerous.”

  “Dangerous?” Lily paused, wine glass half way to her lips.

  “Definitely. You might run into Chase.”

  Lily’s cheeks flushed even brighter. “Oh, him. I didn’t even think about that.”

  “Lily Hsu. You’re such a bad liar.” Maddie stared her down. “You’re blushing.”

  Her roommate tried to look fierce, but a spark of amusement gave her away. “Nonsense. It’s the wine.” She tossed back her hair. “You know how we Asians are.”

  That excuse was getting a bit old, but Maddie decided not to challenge it. “So did you see him by any chance?”

  Lily sighed. “No.” She ran a finger around the rim of her wine glass. “The lights look nice, though, and I saw a couple of people taking the flyers you left out. I have a feeling you’re going to be busy.”

  “I hope so, but I’ve been thinking, and you were right when you said I’d probably need some help. I can’t be in two places at once, and I hate the idea of losing any business.”

  Lily wrapped a strand of hair around her finger. It was something she did when thinking, and Maddie remained silent.

  “I know someone you might hire. She’s working for me now, and she’s just not suited to production. She needs to be out dealing with the public.” She tossed back the strand of hair. “It’s a toss-up which comes first. Either she’ll quit, or I’ll let her go, but I’d rather not have to do that. Not everyone takes getting laid off as positively as you did. I don’t want to make her lose confidence, because I’m quite sure there’s a future for her in sales of some kind.”

  Maddie was one of the few people who’d ever seen this softer side of her roommate. Lily was fiercely competitive and could be aggressive when it came to promoting her business, but she treated her people with consideration. That was one of the things Maddie loved about her.

  “She sounds a bit...exuberant.” Maddie frowned. “Do you really think she’d be suitable?”

  “Without a doubt.” Lily gave her head a brisk, no-nonsense shake. “And she’s quite artistic as well. That’s partly why she’s unhappy. She needs an outlet for her creativity.”

  Maddie trusted Lily’s judgment. “All right, then. How should we go about this?”

  Lily toyed with her hair again. “I’ll mention tomorrow that you’re looking for someone. She’ll be there the same day, I can almost guarantee it. Her name is Zelda, by the way.”

  Maddie groaned. “And I suppose her boyfriend’s name is Scott.”

  Lily chucked. “Wouldn’t that be something? No, I think his name is Brendan. And listen, if you need her soon, she can leave almost any time. Most of our Christmas orders went out back in early fall, so we’re working on next year. This would be a good time for me to train someone new.” She glanced at her watch. “By the way, where were you when I stopped by? That was more than half an hour ago.”

  It was Maddie’s turn to blush. “I was over at the skating rink, watching Annie.”

  “Watching Annie, huh?” Lily lifted her glass and stared over the rim. “Why am I thinking there’s something you’re not telling me?”

  “How do you do it, Lily? How do you always know?”

  Her friend gave an elegant shrug of her shoulders. “I’ve known you too long, kiddo. We practically grew up together, remember?”

  “Yeah.” Maddie stared into her wine. “You’re not going to believe this, but I’ve met someone, too.”

  Lily scooted forward on her stool. “That’s terrific.” She pulled back a bit. “Isn’t it?”

  Maddie raised her eyes. “His name is Brent, and he’s Chase Drummond’s brother.”

  Lily was silent for a moment, absorbing this information. “Tell me.”

  “Well, the first time I saw him, I thought he was the maintenance guy in the building.” She smiled at the memory. “And then today he came by the shop when I was setting up, and I asked him to help me. He played along, and it wasn’t until Annie came running in that I knew who he was.”

  Lily shook her head. “How could you possibly think...?”

  “He’s a geologist. He wears tight jeans and a soft leather bomber jacket, and his hair isn’t all slicked down. He’s definitely not a suit.”

  “I thought there was something different about you. You have stars in your eyes.” Lily tilted her head to one side. “Did he mention Chase?”

  There was something in her voice... something wistful. “Nothing specific. Any time he mentioned Chase, it was to do with Annie. You know, what a good kid she is...stuff like that. He says I’m to go ahead and get a sewing machine for her. He also mentioned a puppy, but somehow I think that’s more for himself than it is for Annie.”

  “We really should get her out to the studio. After all, we promised.”

  “I think I heard some of the mothers talking about the teachers taking the afternoon off tomorrow and the next day.” Maddie watched her friend as she spoke.

  Lily brightened. “Sounds good. How does that fit in with your schedule?”

  “Well...” Maddie took the plunge. “I might be busy. Would it be okay if Chase brought her?” She sensed rather than saw the excitement in her friend.

  “Okay.” Lily looked Maddie in the eye. “I’ve been doing some thinking, and I might have misjudged him.” She picked up the wine bottle and deposited it in the recycle bin, suddenly businesslike. “I think I’ll go wash my hair and turn in early.” A hopeful smile touched her lips. “As the saying goes, tomorrow is another day.”

  MADDIE WAS JOTTING down the details of her third order of the morning when she looked up to see a young woman standing nervously in front of her shop. Tall and slender, her blonde hair was saved from perfection by a broad swath of dark red.

  This must be Zelda, she thought, studying the young woman. She’d made an attempt to tone down her hair with a wide gold barrette, and the effect was striking.

  “Thank you for the order,” she said into the phone and checked the details. “This shouldn’t be any problem.” She disconnected and raised her head. “Hello, are you Zelda?”

  The young woman’s smile lit up the lobby. “Yes.” She held out her hand. “You must be Maddie.”

  They discussed the job and agreed that Zelda would start on the following Monday. Her new helper asked if she could check the gift wrapping supplies and made a few suggestions.

  “I know where we could pick up some inexpensive baskets.” She pointed to the shelves in the back of the shop. “We could put together some ready-made gift baskets and give them attractive names.” She strode back and forth as she spoke. “Like ‘wine lovers’ or ‘gourmet’ or ‘scrapbookers’ or ‘golfers’. We could make up a few samples and put them there. Do you mind if I put some ideas together as to content and prices?” She nodded to herself, and Maddie could tell she was assembling items in her mind. “Also, do you know that big craft store out by the airport?”

  Maddie shook her head. “I haven’t lived here very long.”

  “They’re having a closing out sale. I could pick up some raffia and check out their ribbons and stuff like that. This is going to be so cool!”

  Maddie was swept up by the girl’s enthusiasm and didn’t notice Chase, who stood watching them with a smile on his face. She waved him over.

  “I put some of your flyers up in the club,” he said before she could speak.

  “Thank you. I’ve already had three orders this morning.” She motioned to Zelda. “This is Zelda, and she’s going to give me a hand starting next week. She has some great ideas already. Zelda, I’d like you to meet Chase Drummond.”

  He nodded. “Nice to meet you, Zelda. Well, I should get going.”

  Maddie ducked out the side door of her shop and ran across the lobby to c
atch up to him. “Brent asked me to get a sewing machine for Annie, but since I started the conversation with you, I thought I’d double check. Is that okay?”

  “Sure.” He seemed awfully casual about it when his girlfriend had been so opposed, but who was she to question? “Oh, by the way, I understand that Annie has the next two afternoons off. I checked with Lily, and she says Annie is welcome to go to the studio either this afternoon or tomorrow, if that’s convenient.” She pretended not to see the flare of interest in his eyes, and looked back toward her shop. “I really don’t have time to take her out there myself. Is there anyone else who could take her?”

  He answered almost before she’d finished talking. “I can take her.”

  “Okay, I’ll jot down her address and phone number for you.” She turned aside so he wouldn’t see her look of triumph. She handed him the card. “Have fun.”

  Chase took the card, tucked it into his inside jacket pocket and patted it. “I will.”

  “LILY, THERE’S A MAN on line one for you.”

  Lily looked up from the cutting table. She still did almost all of the cutting by herself, especially when costly fabrics were involved. She had created a stunning peony devore design on rich burgundy velvet, and didn’t trust the cutting to anyone else.

  “Take a message, Helka. I’ll call him back as soon as I can.”

  Her assistant placed her hand over the receiver. “He says his name is Chase Drummond.”

  Lily’s heartbeat accelerated but she forced herself to remain calm. “I’ll be right there.”

  She put down the scissors, composed herself and walked to her office. “Lily Hsu,” she said, wondering if she sounded as nervous as she felt.

  “Hello, Lily. I don’t know if you remember me, it’s Chase Drummond.” His voice lit a fire in the pit of her stomach. “I saw Maddie this morning and she mentioned that it would be all right if I brought Annie around for a visit.” He sounded almost breathless. “Would this afternoon be too soon?”