Christmas Choices (4 page)

“Got you. But hey, dickhead, you better watch yourself with this one. She may be your undoing,” Garrett replied, watching Kellen for a reaction.

“I don’t think so. I haven’t met one so far that could get under my skin. Ring us out so I can get the princess home. I still have some other supplies to get.”

A
s they turned back onto the main highway, Kellen said, “That went really well. Most people don’t decide so quickly on what they want. I’m glad you came along. I hope Garrett wasn’t too much for you.”

“I was taken aback at first, but he is really nice. Could he tell? I hate to be rude”

He laughed. “Oh, he knew, Rhian. That’s why he gave me shit about it. No worries, though, he has that effect on people. So, do you want to get something to eat before I drop you off?”

“No, that’s really not necessary. I can make something when I get home. Unless you want me to... ”

“Whatever you want. We could discuss the colors you want for the café when we paint.”

“Why don’t we just go back to my place? I can make us something and we can talk without any distractions.”
Whoa, girl. You barely know him, and he may just take the invitation wrong.

“Uh, that probably isn’t a good idea. I just remembered there is something I have to do tonight. Why don’t we meet tomorrow morning for coffee to discuss the paint?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want.” Rhian sat back, sighed, and looked out the window.
More like someone to do tonight.
She felt a twinge of jealousy and regret. Shock hit her.
What the hell? I don’t even know this man.

Kellen’s hands gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles went white. She wondered if he was interested in her or had seen the disappointment on her face when he turned her down. His expression told her he had gone to that dark place again. He abruptly changed the subject. “I think we should paint at least one wall of the café a nice yellow. It’s a good color in a dining room. What do you think?”

“Sure. My grandmother’s dining room was the color of sunshine. I always loved it.” She looked at his profile. His nose had a little bump in the middle and she wondered if he had broken it when he was young. She glanced down at his arms and watched the way his muscles moved as he turned the truck onto the exit ramp.

He glanced over at her. “Are you all right?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Why do you ask?” She knew she was rambling; he must have seen her checking him out again.

“You look a little flushed. Are you overheated? Want me to turn the heat down?”

“No. I said I’m just fine,” she replied a little too harshly.

“Okay, just making sure. Sorry I asked.”

Rhian sat perfectly still, not knowing what to do or say. This man confused her. Kind and nice one minute, withdrawn and moody the next. Of course, when she was around him, her mood also seemed to run the complete spectrum of emotions.

They turned down her street and he pulled up to the curb by her house. “I’ll call you tomorrow to set something up,” he said and waited for her to get out of his truck.

With a sigh, she pushed the door open and climbed down. Closing the door, she walked away without a glance back or another word. He slammed the truck into gear and took off. He did not even wait to make sure she got into the courtyard okay.
What an ass.

By the time she got to her apartment, she was seething. She threw her keys on the little painted table just inside her front door and tossed her purse in the overstuffed polka dot chair. She started pacing like a caged animal. Why did this man get to her like this? She had never been so consumed by anger at one person before—not even at her father, who smothered her constantly. Maybe she should tell her father she couldn’t work with this man. She stopped in her tracks. Her father would blame her, as he always did, making her feel inadequate. No, she would see this through and prove him wrong.

T
he next morning, he called early hoping she would already be up.

“Hello,” she said in a flat voice.

“Morning. Did you want to meet for coffee and run to the hardware store to look at paint?”

“What time do you want to go?”

“Can you be ready in an hour? I have some other errands I need to run before the delivery truck meets me at the café. I want to get started this afternoon.”

“That’s fine, unless you’d rather just meet you somewhere for coffee?”

“No, I’ll pick you up. See you soon.”

He finished his errands a bit early and as he pulled up to her house, he hit her number on his cell. “I’m here. You ready?” 

“Just about, you can come up if you want.”

“Okay, buzz me through these damn gates.” The lock clicked open and he made his way into the courtyard, thinking how peaceful it appeared. Gardenia bushes, flowerbeds, and a small winding gravel path wound its way through to the other side.
It wouldn’t be bad looking at this every evening
. He strode to the door in front of him and bound up the stairs two at a time. He turned left down the hall and saw her door open just a tiny bit. He knocked and she called for him to come in.

He was pleasantly surprised by her little apartment. It smelled like pine—and her. She had a petite Christmas tree tucked into the corner by the window with so many ornaments on it you could barely see the green branches. He liked that she had mismatched furniture rather than the coordinated set he expected from a rich girl. The blue and white polka dot chair in the corner made him smile. A painting, with her signature at the bottom, hung on the wall. As he studied it, the floorboards creaked and he turned just as she stepped back into the room. The light coming in the windows moved across her skin, and he could see just a hint of the silhouette of her body under the top she wore.

When he glanced back to her face, she watched him intently. The T-shirt hugged his body, and he knew his abs were visible. He ran his fingers through his hair, flexing his muscles, and sauntered slowly toward her. She looked up at him with her lips parted just a little. He put his arms around her and pulled her against him. Glancing down into her eyes, he paused for a moment to make sure it was okay.

***

R
hian’s breath caught in her chest, and her heart pounded.
Oh no, he is going to kiss me. What am I doing?
Her mind raced. When she gazed into his eyes, she saw the desire. His heart beat as rapidly as hers did, and she could feel his need when he pulled her against him. She melted in his arms and parted her lips as his head dipped down. He softly kissed her mouth. She moaned and heard his breath catch. He kissed her deeper, pulling her closer to him.

“Kellen,” she whispered against his neck. “Please, stop. I can’t do this.” She pushed against his chest and tried to move away. “We need to go.”

He let go of her and backed up. “Sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I shouldn’t have gone that far.”

“Look, can we just go?” she asked, her body trembling.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s go. Do you still want to ride with me?” He grabbed his keys, not looking at her.

“That’s fine, if you don’t mind. I don’t get out to that side of town, and I’m not sure where the store is.” Her voice quivered, and she could have kicked herself. She glanced at the calendar on her wall. Just a few more weeks and she might be able to make her trip to Italy—away from her life and this man she found so attractive.

“Wouldn’t have asked if I minded. Let’s go.” Kellen opened the door and waited for Rhian to grab her coat without making eye contact with her.

They walked down to his truck, and Rhian quickly opened the door and climbed in before he could help her. He started the engine and reached over to turn on the radio. He hit scan and “Don’t Let Me Down” by the Beatles blasted through the speakers. He put the truck in gear and pulled away from the curb.

T
wenty minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot. Kellen opened the door and she jumped down from the truck, waiting for him so they could walk in together. She acted as if nothing had happened between them. He would help her pick the color of the paint and go their separate ways. He could go to the café and start his job.

“Come on, I’ll show you the brand of paint I prefer. The color chips are just over here.” He walked a few steps in front of her.

They both stopped in front of the yellow paint chips. She reached for a chip just as he did and quickly pulled her hand back. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Guess we both saw something we liked on the same card. Which yellow did you like?”

“The middle one. What about you?” She still refused to look at him.

“The same one. I have to grab some brushes and a drop cloth. Why don’t you can wait here?”

“Okay, how many cans of paint do we need?”

“Six, I’ll put them in the cart and you can get them mixed while I grab the other stuff. This damn store always has the music too loud.” He shook his head, his brows drawn down. “Not everyone appreciates it.” He grumbled under his breath as Frank Sinatra crooned, “I’ll be home for Christmas.”

He glanced in the cart and counted to make sure he had the correct number of cans. Peeking at her out of the corner of his eye, he pushed the cart over and placed the cans of paint base on the counter. He handed the paint card to the man. “This one in the middle, Bob. How have you been?”

“I’ve been good. Haven’t seen you for a few weeks. You have something big going on?” Bob glanced over Kellen’s shoulder.

“One that will hold me over for a bit. You know the Hazel Nut Cafe that caught fire a few weeks ago?”

Bob nodded.

“Well, I’m doing the rebuild and adding some more room to the kitchen on the back. We’re going for something brighter.”

Bob leaned over the counter a little. “Who’s the babe? She’s pretty hot,” he whispered.

“Oh, she’s the boss’s daughter. Put your tongue back in your mouth. She’s way out of your league,” Kellen replied in a hushed tone.

“Oh, well if she’s out of my league, she’s certainly out of yours. Why is she here with you?”

“Overseeing the job, helping pick everything out. The café belongs to her grandfather. Look, can you get the paint mixed? I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

Bob looked at Kellen then glanced over at the woman standing just behind him. He winked, grabbed the cans, and went over to the machines to add colors to the base.

Kellen sighed and turned to Rhian. “I’ll be right back. I’ll grab everything while you wait for these.”

“Sure,” she said with a nod. “That’s fine.”

“Bob, how much longer?”

“About fifteen minutes.” He pounded a lid back onto the next can and put the first cans of paint on the counter.

He collected the rest of the supplies and returned to find Rhian loading the paint cans into the cart. He quickly grabbed one from her hand. “Those are heavy. Let me get them.” She blushed then looked down, sending a warm flush through him. Maybe there was something to this gentleman stuff.

“Okay. Look, would you take me home on your way back to the café? I think you can handle the rest of this by yourself. I want to get my car and visit my grandfather.”

“Sure... I’d really like to meet him sometime.”

“I’m sure you will. He’ll probably be over as soon as the doctor gives him the okay.”

Once everything was paid for and in the back of the truck, Kellen climbed in and turned on the ignition. Another country love song poured out of the speakers, filling the silence between them.

“You two would probably get along. He is the kindest man you’d ever hope to meet. Did you know he painted the sign in front of the café?”

“No, I didn’t. Why the name Hazel Nut?”

“My grandmother’s name was Hazel. When she first talked about a café, he called her a nut for wanting to work again. The sign started out as a joke, but she loved it.”

“What a cool way to come up with a name. I like that she saw the humor in it.”

“Yeah, they loved each other so much. You know, I never remember them ever having an angry moment when they were together. Not in front of me, anyway.”

His brows drew together; his jaw clenched. He could feel her eyes on him as his expression changed.
Damn, now she’ll think she said something wrong.

When they pulled up in front of her place, she didn’t wait for him to open the door. “Goodbye. I’ll check in with you later.”

“Sure, call me with any questions. I’ll let you know how everything is going.”

“That sounds good. Let me know if you need anything.”

***

S
he needed to talk her grandfather and find out how much longer she would be stuck in this damn town. As she opened the door to her apartment, she swore Kellen’s scent lingered in the room. She walked to the French doors and threw them open, allowing the cool air to flow through the room.

She opened her windows as well, so the breeze would carry his scent out of her house. She stood for a moment, watching the curtains move softly in the light wind. Satisfied the room had aired out nicely, she closed everything back up, picked up her phone, and called the hospital.

“Hello?” Her grandfather’s voice sounded much stronger. “Harry here.”

“Grandfather, how are you feeling today? You sound much better. Are you about ready to get out of there?” She smiled, knowing that would be the first thing he said to her.

“Of course I’m ready to get out of here! Ya’ll making me stay this long is just pure torture. You know I want to get over and see how the Hazel Nut is. How are things going? I hope that man is doing a good job.”

“I picked out some wonderful new appliances, everything commercial grade. Wait until you see the range and the new fridge! I had so much fun choosing them. I went with Ke... Mr. Slade today and picked out paint for the dining area. I think you’ll really like it.”

“What color? Nothing too bright, I hope. You’re grandmother didn’t like bright colors. Don’t know why. On the other hand, you’re like me; we both paint so we know colors. Well, listen to me, I just answered myself.” He laughed that huge laugh of his. “Did you get us something really nice?”