Mistletoe & Molly (2 page)

The smell of urine hit Aiden’s nose, and he groaned. “Please return the dog to Miss Bishop. I’ll pay whatever fees are associated.” He took his wallet from his back pocket.

“No can do. There’s no return address.” The driver set down three plastic bags from
Pet City
.

“What’s in the bags?”

“Looks like dog food.”

About eighty-seven dollars worth would be his guess.
“What am I supposed to do with this dog?” Aiden asked as he signed the delivery slip. “I live in a pet free building.”

“Sounds like a personal problem to me… Anyway, you signed for him, he’s yours.” The driver took the pad from him and bounded down the stairs. “Have a Merry Christmas.” He disappeared through the revolving door.

Aiden opened the box and peered inside. “What exactly are you? A rat?”

The mini Chihuahua barked in reply.

“Well, you sound like a dog at least.” He let out a loud sigh and stood. What the hell was he going to do with this dog?

Picking up the box and the bags of food, he turned off the lights with his elbow and exited the building. The crisp air took his breath away, and his footprints left a trail on the new snow as he approached his Land Rover.

Molly thought she was so clever. Well, tomorrow morning the dog went straight back to her. A Chihuahua did not fit into Aiden’s perfect life.

Chapter Two

“What is this?” Aiden demanded early the next morning. He stood in the doorway of the Fifth Avenue Café.

“It’s a miniature Chihuahua.” Molly smiled at the tiny brown and white dog at the end of the candy cane striped leash.

“Don’t play games with me, Molly. Why do I have him?” His cheeks were red, and she suspected it had nothing to do with the cold. He stepped inside, letting the door close behind him.

“Sorry, we don’t allow dogs in here,” she told him as she delivered a latte and cheese scone to a table near the stone fireplace.

“Neither does my apartment building,” he growled. “Get outside.” He lifted her jacket off of the hook and thrust it toward her as she passed.

She ignored the outstretched jacket. “I’m sorry, I’d like to talk but my time costs about ten cents a minute, so I have to get back to work.” She stuck her tongue out at him and placed her hands on her hips.

“Look, I didn’t mean to be rude yesterday. Please come outside.” The words were said through clenched teeth.

The dog danced at their feet, about to pee on the café floor.

“I’ll be right back, Cameron.” Molly took her coat and followed him outside. “What do you want?” She hissed once the door closed behind them.

“Why did you send me a dog?” He folded his arms and glared.

“Well, let’s see…How did you put it yesterday? I saw a problem with your life, so I fixed it.” Her anger rose at the memory of the insult.

“Hmph,” he grunted. “Trust me little lady, my life does not need fixing so if you’ll just take this dog, I’ll be on my way.” He extended the leash to her.

She shook her head and refused to take it. “Forget it. For three weeks I’ve watched you thumb through the classifieds section circling dogs for sale ads… Now you can stop looking. You have a dog. Merry Christmas.” She bent to pet the Chihuahua.

“This isn’t exactly the dog I had in mind.”

She grinned. She’d suspected as much. “This one needed a home…at least for the holidays,” she explained as she stood.

“I don’t understand.” He ran a hand through his dark hair, confusion clouding his ice blue eyes.

“I volunteer at an animal shelter. People take the animals home for the holidays. Layla belongs to you until January second, unless, of course, you want to permanently adopt her.”

“This is absurd. Of course I don’t want to adopt her. She isn’t even a full dog.” He paced back and forth on the slushy sidewalk. The little dog followed, tangling the leash around his feet.

“Shh. She can hear you.” Molly bent to pick up the dog as Aiden stepped through the leash. “And she’s cold. You may want to get her a sweater for walking her.”

“Where do I return her?” His voice was harsh, serious and unyielding.

Molly put the dog back on the sidewalk and stood to face his intense glare. She swallowed hard. “You can’t. You signed the temporary adoption form.”

“No I didn’t,
you
did. Which, by the way, is a crime.” He advanced toward her.

She refused to back away. “Look, you interfered with my life, I’ve interfered with yours. Just look after the dog for a few weeks, and we’ll call it even.” She lowered her voice as a few regular customers exited the café.

“
Even
? I do something nice for you, and you complicate my life with an animal. That does not sound
even
to me.” He was just inches from her.

The smell of his expensive cologne filled the narrow space between them. Soft and musky. Her pulse raced, and her heart pounded under her pale blue sweater. “I have to get back to work. Bring Layla back here on the second of January, and I’ll return her for you. That’s the best I can do, Mr. Ford.”

“This isn’t over, Molly. Two can play this game,” he threatened as he picked up the dog and marched away.

Inside the warmth of the café, Molly watched as he tucked the dog inside his coat and continued down the street toward his building.

“Do you think the dog will be okay with him?” Cameron whispered, peering over Molly’s shoulder as they watched his disappearing figure on the crowded street.

“Layla will be fine. It’s me I’m worried about.”

****

“You changed your mind? Good. I knew you would,” Lynn said as Aiden returned to his office with the dog moments later. She smiled and took the puppy from him.

The dog shook snow from his fur and licked Lynn’s hand.

Aiden slammed the door behind him. “No, I didn’t. Apparently I adopted this dog for the holidays.” He yanked off his gloves and scarf and removed his coat. He shoved the gloves into a pocket and hung it on the coat rack in the lobby.

“That’s wonderful. I read about those adopt-a-pet programs. My husband is allergic to dogs, cats, anything with fur, though.” Lynn continued. “You don’t look happy about this.” She put the dog on the floor and handed Aiden his favorite coffee cup.

He poured himself a cup of coffee and drank, burning his mouth on the hot liquid. Dumping the remaining contents in the sink, he turned back to her. “Of course I’m not happy. She forged my signature, and now I’m stuck with Layla…it.”

“Why don’t you return her?”

The deep frown on the older woman’s face said it all. He knew she’d have a fit if he did. “Believe me, I considered it.” He stormed into his office and grabbed a tin of dog food. Opening it, he shook the contents into a candy dish and laid it on the floor. He
had
considered it, but it wasn’t the poor dog’s fault she was stuck with him for the holidays. He doubted there would be a new adoptive family in time, and he hated to think about what happened to the dogs left behind. He shuddered.

He might be stuck with Layla for three weeks, but that didn’t excuse Ms. Bishop. No, he’d find a way to repay her for his little holiday visitor. A
war of kindness
brewed, and he knew just what to do next.

“Lynn, could you get Mike from Rollins and Clarke on the line for me, please?” He went into his office with renewed zest. Over the years, Mike had sent his P.R. clients to Aiden for
refreshing
. They shared a good rapport and referral system. He could count on Mike.

“Mike Johnson,” the deep familiar voice said a moment later on speaker phone.

“Mike, hey, it’s Aiden. I need a favor.” Aiden paced back and forth in front of his office window.

“Name it, buddy. After the work you did on L.M. Riley last month, I owe you. Did you see who topped the billboard this month?”

L.M. Riley was a new rapper on the music scene. His music wasn’t Aiden’s taste, but it proved to be popular among teenagers. His style was another story. The boy wore suspenders and a sideways hat. It might have worked for Will Smith in the nineties, but it didn’t work now. Aiden had revamped his image, and a month later, his music unchanged, had topped the charts. “Yeah, I saw, congrats. Hey, the reason I’m calling is actually for a friend of mine—Molly Bishop. You offered her an internship…” Aiden sat and picked up the receiver.

“Mel Bishop’s daughter, I remember. She turned us down.”

“Well, I need you to offer her the position again. I think maybe she’s reconsidered.” Aiden swiveled back and forth in his chair.

“You know, we don’t usually chase after interns.”

“I know, but this one’s worth it. And I need it to be a paid position.” Aiden smiled at his own idea. Molly might refuse his help directly, but how could she turn down this opportunity?

“Now you’re pushing it, Aiden,” Mike warned. “You know I don’t have that power.”

“Of course you do.
You
, the man who took a street kid and created a number one sensation.” Aiden glanced at his watch. Right about now, the café would be finishing their morning rush. He could picture Molly wiping tables, her long hair falling forward over her shoulder, swaying back and forth as she worked.

“Fine, okay…enough. When can she start?”

“Right away, and maybe offer her some sort of starting bonus.”
She could use the money now.
Forty-seven dollars in her bank account.
Aiden shook his head. He remembered those days too well.

“Aiden, man, you’re crazy. Mel Bishop’s daughter or not, she’s not worth that. The girl has no job experience,” Mike argued.

Aiden sensed Mike was about to call off the deal. “I’ll fund it.”

“What?”

“The advance, I’ll pay it.”

“You’re involved with this woman?”

“No, nothing like that.”
Not yet anyway
. Aiden blinked. Where had that thought come from?

“Want to tell me what this is about then?” Mike’s tone oozed with curiosity.

“Nope.” He couldn’t tell his friend what he was up to. He didn’t want to. This secret meddling in each other’s lives was proving to be fun. Mike wouldn’t understand. Of course, Mike would assume Aiden was trying to sleep with the woman. Not that the thought hadn’t crossed his own mind…

“Okay, fine. I’ll call her today. Now, speaking of favors…”

Ah, here we go.

****

“So they just called and offered you a paid internship?” Cameron steamed milk and poured it into an oversized coffee mug.

“Yeah, I know it’s weird. At first I thought maybe my father had something to do with it, but he’s been overseas for a month now.” Molly poured three cups of coffee and loaded a tray with brownies.

“You said
yes,
right?” Cameron took a fresh baked cheesecake from the oven. The smell of chocolate and orange filled the air. She placed it onto a cooling rack and closed the oven door.

“Of course. The hours are nine to five though, so my shifts here may be different.” Molly carried her tray across the café to three women sitting near the window. They’d just come from a Weight Watchers meeting and were rewarding their weight loss with a brownie
. Can’t argue with logic
. “Enjoy ladies!” She placed the tray on the table and returned to the kitchen. “Mike Johnson said they had a sudden opening for the position and thought maybe I’d reconsider if the position was paid.” Opportunities like this didn’t come around every day. She couldn’t believe her luck.

“That’s great. When do you start?” Cameron wiped a nearby table and set fresh cutlery on both sides. She grabbed the empty ketchup bottle from the table and re-joined Molly behind the counter.

“Monday.”

“Well, we have to celebrate. Break out that forty-seven dollars. Margaritas at McDougals are on you.” Cameron laughed as Molly whipped her dishtowel at her. “Uh oh. Don’t look now, but Mr. Wall Street is back.” Cameron muttered, glancing toward the door.

Molly turned and moaned. Not now, she was in such a great mood.

He kicked slush from his shoes and took a moment to fix their
Hours of Operation
sign before entering.

“At least he isn’t a dangerous shade of purple anymore. I think I can handle him.” Molly grabbed a menu and met him at his usual table. She was aware of his eyes on her the entire way. It unnerved her how they took in every inch of her as she approached. “Where’s Layla?” She looked through the glass door, but the dog was nowhere in sight.

“At my office with Lynn, my receptionist. I’ve yet to buy the sweater you recommended.” He rolled his eyes and opened the menu.

“So you’re not planning to return her?” She fought to hide the relief she felt. She didn’t want to think about what happened to the unadopted animals.

“No.” He studied the menu. “I’ll have the turkey sandwich with lettuce and…”

“Tomato. Yeah, I know.” She rolled her eyes, pushing her pen back behind her ear.

“What does that mean?”

“What does what mean?”

“The rolling of the eyes.”

“Nothing…you’re just predictable.” She took the menu and poured his coffee. Then she placed two packets of sugar on the table next to the cup.

“Why? Because I eat turkey sandwiches and drink my coffee the same way?”

“Every day.” She pointed out.

“It works. Why change it?” He shrugged and looked at his watch.

“Oh, excuse me. Precious expensive time is being wasted.” She slipped away before he could respond.

“Turkey sandwich?” Cameron asked, already tearing the lettuce in the kitchen.

“What else?” Molly laughed, placing the bread on the plate and opening the mayonnaise.

“Did he keep the dog?” she whispered.

“Yeah.” She was surprised, but happy Layla wouldn’t be returned.

“He’s quite intense isn’t he?” Cameron peered through the opening in the door.

The two women could see him working on his iPad while he waited.