Holiday Havoc (15 page)

“And the assistant he fired? The one that got arrested?” Maria flipped through the file, but looked up at Chloe.

“Had an alibi for the day the chocolates were set up. He was at an out-of-state luncheon with about forty of his closest friends. I talked to three of them. They said there was no way he could've left and come back because his girlfriend would've missed him.” She shrugged. “It's not airtight, but it also leaves room for someone else to be involved.”

Maria blew out a breath. “I was afraid of that.”

“Wanna share?” Chloe had her hand on the doorknob.

Maria tossed the file on the coffee table. “It's just a feeling really, but Ben said something about his brother-in-law trying to get custody of Caden. It sounded off to me.”

Chloe nodded. “I'll try to run down a picture and pass it out to the guys who will be on duty tonight. Maria, please be careful. This whole situation is downright weird.” She walked out the door, but instead of closing it, stuck her head back in. “Oh, and Maria—wear the high heels.”

B
en's stomach was in knots as he pulled up at an old house on the waterfront where Maria rented a garage apartment. He'd left Caden at home with Julia, with the alarm on and instructions not to open the door to anyone.

At Maria's door, Ben paused. He had so many conflicting emotions. He respected her feelings, her fear that his emotions were based on gratitude and not love, but how could he not love this fiercely smart, protective scientist? She got to him in a way that no one ever had.

Silently, he placed his hand on the door.
Lord, I pray for Your will. Your guidance. Your hand over us tonight.

The door opened and Maria stood in the opening, light gilding her hair. He swallowed hard. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

A sweet smile curved her lips. “I'd have to say you clean up pretty well, too.”

He shook his head. “No, really, there's no comparison.”

“Ready?” She picked up a black-velvet wrap and evening bag from the end of her brown-leather sofa.

“I asked the camera crew to meet us at the ball rather than film us here,” Ben said as she locked the door, “so once we get there, I'll come around the car and help you out. The camera crew will be in front of us, filming for Weather 24. It's all really chaotic, but it'll be over fast.” He held her hand as she took the last of the steps, stealing another look at her as he held the car door open.

The transformation had been so dramatic. He barely recognized her as the woman with a tangle of wild curls wearing clunky boots and ugly sunglasses—the woman he'd met at the airport the first day. Yet he knew that at heart, this was still the woman with the smart mouth that he loved.

In contrast, the car ride was quiet—too quiet. Ben didn't know what Maria was thinking, but his mind kept replaying that moment at his house. He'd been thinking that she seemed to fit in his home as if she'd always been there, and she'd been thinking that he was mistaking gratitude for love or something like that.

It stung, still.

Being with her was a little bittersweet under the circumstances, but he had to see this through. He pulled up at the hotel where the Christmas ball was being held. He looked at Maria. “Showtime.”

“Ben, wait. There's something you need to know.”

His heart started an unsteady beat. Had she changed her mind about him?

“We're not sure that the man they arrested in Destin is the one who's been targeting you.” In the shadows of
the car, her eyes were dark with worry. “Just be aware, okay?”

His throat tight, he nodded and pushed open the door of the car. They stepped out into madness. People shouting, cameras flashing. Ben curved his arm around Maria's waist and smiled. And wondered—who in this crowd wanted to kill him?

Tension strung tight inside him, a taut wire ready to snap. Where did he find peace when everything inside him just wanted this to be over?

Was it too much to ask that he be allowed to be a dad to his son? This kind of glitz, as fun as it could be, wasn't his gig. It wasn't any kind of reality he wanted.

Maria's spine stiffened under his hand. A few local reporters were shouting questions. One of them pushed through the crowd to get closer to them. Maria pulled him farther along the purple carpet as a uniformed cop stepped up beside the reporters, as well. Another reminder that even in Sea Breeze, he had to be aware.

Maria didn't have to be reminded. Her eyes were constantly moving on the crowd. He was considering the promo push and sound bite. She was considering his safety.

Her reality was crime scenes and lab tests and he had thrown her into the fire of video cameras, appearances and interviews.

But she'd aced it.

Ben looked down at her and, sensing it, she glanced up at him from under those amazing lashes. He smiled.

Her eyes warmed.

The cameras flashed and amusement flared in her eyes. Perfect.

He waved from the top of the stairs.

And as suddenly as the chaos erupted around them, it ended with their entry into the hotel lobby. Ben took his first deep breath in fifteen minutes and beside him Maria did the same.

“Okay?”

She shook her head as if trying to grasp the reality of what had just happened. “Yeah, I think so. Wow. Do you do that a lot?”

“Only when I absolutely have to, which, thankfully, isn't very often. My speed is more playing in the park with Caden than strolling down the red—I mean, purple—carpet. What about you? What do you do in your spare time?”

“What spare time?”

He laughed, but as they walked through the crowd to the doors of the ballroom, he leaned down toward her ear. “Kids are great for getting your priorities straight. Caden and I are planning to do lots of fishing and boating, hanging out at the beach. Maybe it's time for you to work some spare time into your schedule.”

She bit down on her lip, her brown eyes full of more thoughts that she didn't want to or couldn't say as he held the door open for her.

 

The ballroom at the old hotel on the waterfront sparkled with dozens of Christmas trees. Designers had been commissioned to decorate the trees, which as part of the fundraiser would be auctioned off to the highest bidders.

As Maria and Ben reached the dance floor, the band began a slow, bluesy version of “I'll Be Home for
Christmas.” Ben turned to Maria and held out an arm toward the dance floor. “Shall we?”

She hesitated, barely noticeable if he hadn't been looking for it, and stepped into his arms. She fit one hand to his as he closed his other arm around her.

He tried not to imagine holding Maria in his arms for Christmases to come. He tried telling himself he'd only known her for a few days. He tried convincing himself she wasn't a perfect fit for him. It didn't work. His heart had already decided.

He'd like to take his heart and pitch it out the window. Life was complicated enough.

She sighed. He tilted her back so he could see her, and as the music changed, whirled her into a turn. Her eyes widened. Her evening bag flew around and hit him on the leg. “What've you got in there, rocks?”

Then he realized and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Please tell me you've got a gun in there.”

She lifted her hand to cup the back of his neck and pulled his head forward to whisper in his ear, an unguarded smile spreading across her face. “It's a Glock—nine millimeter.”

He laughed, delighted.

A camera flashed.

He whirled her around again, away from the prying eyes of the reporter. He wanted to whisk her away to some private island where they could be alone, away from all the pressures, away from all the outside influences. But ultimately, they had to choose to be together despite all those things.

She
had to choose. He had to give her time.

And hopefully time was something he would have
plenty of after tonight. No more hopping planes every other day, barely home long enough to get over jet lag before taking off in the air again to another country no one'd ever heard of.

The music changed to a soft, sweet Christmas carol. He pulled her close and tried to breathe. How did this happen? This weekend had started as a final job, but somehow it had turned into the beginning of the rest of his life.

The music drifted. He leaned his head close to hers, letting her unique sweet-and-spicy scent float around him. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

He shrugged. “For seeing this through. I know it's a strange thing to be followed around by cameras, and the stalker thing just made it even weirder.”

“You know what? I will never, ever admit this to the guys at the precinct, but I'm glad they submitted my name. You and Caden are something special.”

As the music wound to a close, the auction was announced. At their table, Gabe was already sitting, a baby girl bouncing on his lap. Ben laughed. “Your date's kind of young, isn't she, Gabe?”

“Yep.” The big cop smiled down at his baby. “And I'm gonna be her only date for a long, long time. Things still quiet at your house?”

“Seems so.”

On the stage, a beautiful blonde in an emerald-green evening gown took the stage. As she introduced herself as Sailor Sloan, Ben shot a look at Gabe, who shrugged. “Yeah, I know. I totally don't deserve her, but I'm keeping her.”

Maria smiled, but didn't say a word. As bidding started on the Christmas trees, Ben watched her carefully.

From pink flamingos and feathers, musical instruments to oversize candies, if it could be imagined, a tree had been decorated with it. But there was one tree that made Maria's eyes light up—the one that looked like an old-fashioned chandelier. Crystal teardrops hung from every branch, like an ice-gilded fantasy.

Most of the trees were going for around five thousand dollars. Ben had promised a donation to the charity and, because he knew what it was like to have a sick child, he would do whatever was within his power to make a difference. He may not have been able to find a cure for childhood diseases, but he could write a check.

“Bids for the tree designed by Crystal Carnival open at three thousand dollars,” Sailor Sloan said. “And remember, ladies and gentlemen, each tree is original and unique. The designers have assured me the tree they created will never be reproduced. So, do I hear three thousand for the Crystal Carnival tree?”

A few hands went up.

“How about five? I've got five here to my right. Thank you, John.”

“Twenty thousand dollars.”

A murmur spread around the room. Sailor didn't blink. “From the back of the room, we have twenty thousand. Do I hear twenty-five?”

Ben glanced around the ballroom with a smile. He'd be happy for the charity to make more money, but he was getting that tree one way or another.

Maria elbowed him. “Way to stay out of the spotlight, Storm.”

He shrugged. “I really want that tree. Besides, I promised a donation.”

“And
sold
to Mr. Ben Storm. Congratulations.” Sailor moved to the next tree.

A young woman arrived at Ben's side with a clipboard. “Your signature, Mr. Storm?”

Ben signed for the tree he'd won and turned to Maria. “I've got to do one last broadcast for Weather 24 and then I'd like to go home, if you don't mind. It's a little silly, but I promised myself that when I was done with this job I would always tuck Caden in at night. Do you mind if we go by there and then I'll take you home?”

“It's not silly to want to tuck your child into bed. And I don't mind at all.”

Maria had the car brought around as Ben stationed himself front and center on the purple carpet. There were so many people. Some had gathered by the entrance to watch the broadcast, some were waiting around for their chance to be on national television.

It was impossible to see everyone in the crowd. Maria hoped that the cops stationed outside were keeping a vigilant eye out for anything unusual.

She snugged her wrap over her shoulders, for what little good it did her. Ben had donned an overcoat on top of his tux. He looked amazing, the breeze ruffling his black hair, his gray eyes shining in the television lights. It was no wonder he'd charmed the whole country, with his easy smile and natural charisma. He had the believability factor—important for a weather forecaster—and the smarts to back it up.

Not only that, he was leaving a party where he could
easily be the center of attention to go home and tuck his little boy into bed. He was the whole package.

So why did she hesitate? The easy answer was also the right one. It was fear, plain and simple.

She'd always depended on her intelligence, on science, for answers. Even though she was a believer, it wasn't a huge leap of faith for her. There was evidence of God everywhere. Evidence in her own life that God was at work.

Trusting God was easy.

Trusting a man? Not so much.

He could so easily break her heart.

She stepped closer to the cameraman, so she could hear Ben's final remarks. “So I want to say thanks for being with me for the weather every day—for taking this journey with me. I'll be back for special events here at Weather 24, so instead of saying goodbye, I'll just say, see you around. This is Ben Storm for Weather 24. Back to you, Charles.”

He held his position, those clear gray eyes so direct on the camera lens, until the cameraman said, “We're clear. Good job, Ben.”

Ben shook hands with his cameraman, which led to a back-slapping hug. Then he was walking toward her.

He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. The crowd, clapping for Ben already, began to cheer him on.

She slid to her feet, cheeks burning, as Ben opened the car door for her, which she still found to be amusing. None of the men in her life ever remembered that she was female, let alone opened the door for her.

As he drove away, he didn't even look back in the
rearview mirror. “I am so glad to be finished with that. I guess there was a time when I loved it, the excitement of being in a new place every few days, but after a while it got to be just another hotel room, just another weather report, you know?”

Maria pulled the wrap around her arms. She'd gone back and watched video clips of him doing the weather, and it was so much more than a weather report. She could totally understand why he was so well-liked. “I don't think the people who watched you saw it that way, Ben. I think they saw a little piece of the world through your eyes that they wouldn't have gotten to see otherwise. And when you visited places that had been damaged, I never saw sensationalism coming from you, just stories of humanity, if that makes sense.”

Ben's throat worked and his voice, when it came, was husky. “I think I'd forgotten why I did the job in the first place. Thanks for reminding me.”

“Anytime. So if you don't mind me asking a personal question, it's still going to be important for Caden to have therapy, right?”