Mistletoe & Molly (3 page)

“So is my father.” Molly cut the tomato for the sandwich. “They are exactly alike. Time is money. Watch me throw my money around. Money, power, and success. I grew up with it. I can spot it a mile away.” She slapped the sandwich together.

“Well, he isn’t exactly like your father. Unless your father is smoking hot.” Cameron stared at the man with open admiration.

“I guess he’s okay.” Molly shrugged, unwilling to admit how attractive she found him.

“
Okay?
Come on Molly, even
you
can’t deny how gorgeous he is. I find the powerful, successful thing kind of sexy.” Cameron added a pickle to the plate.

“If
you
like him so much, why don’t you bring him his lunch?” Molly pushed the plate toward her and grinned.

“Forget it. I’m not getting involved with this feud you two have going. Besides he likes you, not me.” Cameron picked up the plate and handed it to Molly.

“What? He does not.” The man liked to irritate her for some unknown reason, but she doubted very much he liked her. Men like Aiden Ford, like her father, were not interested in waitresses.

“Sorry to break up this argument over who’s bringing me the sandwich, but I need to take it to go.” Aiden appeared at the counter.

Molly prayed he hadn’t heard the last of their conversation. “Emergency at the office?” She slid his sandwich into a paper bag.

“Yeah, there’s a dog eating my leather office furniture,” he growled, handing her the exact change for the sandwich.

She smirked.

“Oh and by the way, good luck with the internship,” he called once he’d reached the door.

Her smirk disappeared.

Chapter Three

“Lynn, am I predictable?” Aiden demanded, entering the office moments later.

“Let me see, you arrive every morning between 8:00 and 8:03, grab a coffee with two sugars, open your blinds halfway until noon because the sun shines onto your laptop screen until it moves behind the Trump Tower building…” She paused. “You hang your coat, check your email, log onto the sports website you like…then it’s time for more coffee…”

“Okay.” He held his hands up. “Forget I asked.” He disappeared into his office, only to reappear holding the paper bag. “What am I having for lunch?” He waved the bag back and forth.

Lynn didn’t turn her attention from her invoicing. “A turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato, pickle on the side.”

Aiden slammed his office door shut. So, he liked routines. Who didn’t? What was wrong with doing things the same way every day? It worked, and he liked turkey. Why did he let Molly Bishop get to him like this? No other woman had infuriated him as much.

He liked her, as much as he hated to admit it.

He paced back and forth on the hardwood floor, his appetite gone. He hadn’t meant to tell her he knew about the internship but when he’d heard them arguing over the sandwich… At least one of them thought he was attractive.

He frowned. The wrong one.

Lynn buzzed. “Mr. Ford?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like your afternoon coffee?” It was two o’clock. He always had his coffee at two. It got him through the afternoon. Any later, he wouldn’t get to sleep at his usual time.

“No.” Time to change things up a little. He could be unpredictable.

Lynn sounded shocked. “But it’s two o’clock.”

“I know what time it is,” he snapped, already feeling the effects of caffeine withdrawal. “When’s my next appointment?”

“Three-thirty with a Ms. McDonald.”

Great. Ms. McDonald-Lindsay. The newest pop sensation on the rise, the favor Mike called in. At sixteen, the girl was already known worldwide for her infamous YouTube videos. While sex sold, Mike hoped to tame the girl’s image to keep her out of the tabloids long enough to top the charts. A firecracker, Mike called her. In other words, trouble.

“Okay, I’ll be back before she arrives.” He stood and grabbed his coat. “I’m going to walk the dog.” He needed some air.

He grabbed the dog’s leash off of the couch, and for the first time, noticed the damage. Stuffing poked from the corners of each cushion, and the wooden legs showed signs of tiny teeth marks. He yanked the door open and glared at the dog.

“I guess you noticed the sofa…” Lynn glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

“Yes. When I get my hands around that little neck…”

“Don’t you dare hurt the dog!” Lynn scooped up the dog and cradled her out of Aiden’s reach.

“I wasn’t talking about the dog… I meant Molly Bishop.” He ruffled the dog’s fur. “I’ll be back. There’s a furniture store on the corner, I’ll have a new couch brought up. Please call maintenance to take this one away.” He took the tiny dog from her and tucked her inside his coat. Maybe he would look into a sweater for her while he was out…

“I’ll take care of it.” Lynn picked up the phone and dialed the maintenance room.

“Come on, Layla, let’s go get you a new couch to destroy.”

****

“Wait!” Molly swore under her breath as the bus pulled away from the curb. The Jeep was unreliable without winter tires, and she didn’t want to chance driving it on the snow. She glanced at her watch. 2:47. She’d left work fifteen minutes early to catch the 2:45 bus. She now had a half hour wait for the next one.

Turning to head back to the café, she saw Aiden.
What’s he doing going into a furniture store?
The couch! She felt a tiny stab of guilt. Then his smug expression from earlier flashed in her mind. He’d gotten her the internship. What had he expected—a thank you? Forget it. She didn’t need or want his help.

Watching him now through the glass window she wondered if Cameron was right. Did he like her? She’d felt his eyes on her as she worked, and he did come into the café every day and sit at her table. There had been definite heat and tension between them on the sidewalk.

She dismissed the thought as she watched him talk to the store clerk. Layla danced at their feet.

Oh no, do not buy that plain black leather sofa
, she wanted to yell. So predictable, and boring.

He pointed to the couch and nodded. He turned, and for a second, she thought he might have seen her in the corner of the window, but when he exited the store a moment later, he walked in the opposite direction, Layla on his heels.

Molly did a mental score count—he’d meddled, she’d meddled, then he’d meddled again. Yep—her turn.

Entering the store, she shook the snow from her hair and removed her gloves. The clerk was busy writing on the delivery slip as she approached.

“Excuse me, but my boyfriend, Aiden Ford just bought a couch from you. I just wanted to make sure he’d picked out the right one. I pointed it out to him last week from the window, but you know how scatterbrained men can be.” She laughed and tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder. “He did buy the tan and brown suede sofa in the window, didn’t he?”

“No, he bought the black leather one, right next to it.” The clerk stopped writing and studied her.

“Men!” Molly shook her head and rolled her eyes. “We need to change the order.”

“Well, I’ll have to confirm the change with Mr. Ford…” The clerk picked up the phone.

“No need, trust me he won’t even notice. I cut my hair three weeks ago, and he’s yet to say a word.” She pouted for affect. “Besides you have an exchange policy, in case we change our mind?”

“Yes, two weeks for an exchange.” He paused.

“Perfect! Then we’re all set.” Molly gave him a convincing smile and held her breath.
Please don’t call Aiden
.
That’s it, put down the phone.

The clerk replaced the receiver, convinced. “Okay, if you say so… It
is
a much better choice.” The clerk smiled, tossing the original delivery slip into the trash bin and reaching for a new one.

“I agree.” Molly snickered.

****

At 3:25, Aiden dashed back into his office.

Layla, dressed in her new green and red sweater, followed close behind.

“Oh, how cute!” Lynn exclaimed, taking the dog from his outstretched arms.

“Sure, cute. Did the couch arrive?” He removed his overcoat and poured a cup of coffee. So, he’d be up a little later than usual. Thanks to Molly Bishop he’d had trouble sleeping these days anyway.

“Yes, and I love it! I’m shocked, but I’m so glad you didn’t just buy another plain black leather one. I smell a woman’s touch.” Lynn removed the dog’s tiny sweater and set her down in front of her bowl.

What
? He
had
bought a plain black one. The store must have made a mistake. What the hell had he ended up with?

Rushing into his office he saw the tan and brown suede sofa in place of the old one.

Lynn followed him into his office. “It’s so hip and urban. It matches the décor so much better than the last one.” She moved a hand across the soft suede and smiled with approval.

He studied the couch. It wasn’t bad, just…different.

“Good for you. Maybe you aren’t as predictable as I’d thought. By the way, Ms. McDonald called to say she would be late. Good choice,” she said again as she left the office smiling.

How could he tell her about the mix-up after all that praise? He couldn’t return it now.

He stared at the couch a moment longer. It looked great in the office. He would at least call the store and inform them of the mix-up. Someone, somewhere was probably having a hissy fit over the plain, boring, black leather sofa.

“Seasons Greetings! Impressive Furnishings,” A store clerk answered on the third ring.

He recognized the voice as the man who’d helped him an hour ago. “Hi, this is Aiden Ford. I just bought a sofa about an hour ago.”

“Yes, Mr. Ford. Is there a problem? Has the sofa not been delivered yet?” The man sounded concerned.

“No, it’s here. Well, sort of. It’s not the one I ordered.” Aiden studied the couch again. It did add an element of style to his office.

“You received the tan and brown suede?”

“Yes, exactly.” So, someone else
was
throwing a tantrum somewhere. Hopefully he wouldn’t be forced to return it. He frowned. “Has someone else called to report the mix-up?”

“No. There was no mix-up. That’s the couch your girlfriend ordered after you left this afternoon.” The clerk sounded nervous.

“My girlfriend?”

“Yes, the pretty woman with the dark hair and green eyes, like a cat’s…”

Molly! He wasn’t sure if she had cat eyes, but she definitely had cat like reflexes. Twice now, her counterattack had been within less than a few hours. He grinned.

“She did inquire about our exchange policy. As I told her, you can make an exchange within two weeks.”

“No need. I’ll be keeping this one. Thank you.” Aiden replaced the receiver and leaned back in his chair. She was ballsy, he’d give her that much. And she had good taste. The more he looked at the sofa, the more he liked it. Similar to the way he felt about Molly.

“Mr. Ford, Miss McDonald and her mother are here to see you,” Lynn’s cheery voice said a moment later.

He knew the tone of voice. It meant the client waiting for him was a disaster. Straightening in his chair, he pulled out his file on the girl. “Okay, send them in please.” This account was important to Mike, and Aiden knew if he could convince this girl to trust him and his opinion, it could make or break her career.

“I don’t know why we’re even here. How is some middle aged, stuffy, suit-wearing man going to help me with my image?”

He heard the teenager whine as they approached his office door. Middle aged? Stuffy? He slipped out of his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and yanked off his tie, leaving the top button of his shirt undone. He messed up his hair a little and forced a lazy smile as they entered.

“We just have to listen to what he has to say. We’re not obligated to take his advice,” her mother said as they came through the door.

“Hello, come on in. Take a seat.” Aiden ushered them into the room.

“You’re Aiden Ford?” The young girl, wearing a tube top stretched down over her hips, had a look of shock. “You’re not old or stuffy.”

Yes I am, I just adapted to gain your trust
. He found himself
adapting
a lot these days. First the dog, then the couch, and now he’d tweaked his own image.

“You’re actually kind of cute.” The young girl sat on the sofa.

Aiden felt his neck turn a deep shade of crimson along his open collar.
Cute?

“Hey, Mom, isn’t this the sofa we saw on MTV Cribs?” She ran a hand over the soft suede and smiled. “Not bad, Mr. Ford. I may just listen to what you have to say, but I warn you, I’m not giving up my blue eyeliner. It’s my trademark.”

We’ll see about that
. Aiden smiled at the girl’s mother.

A look of relief spread across the woman’s face.

He could already taste his celebratory martini at McDougals.

Chapter Four

“I still can’t believe you did that.” Cameron shook her head as the waiter approached their table to take their drink orders.

McDougals bustled with business people winding down after a long work week. A noisy crowd having their office Christmas party gathered in the back room, leaving just the front part of the bar and grill accessible to the public. Christmas music blared from the speakers, and thousands of red and green Christmas lights hung from the ceiling. Scented candles were placed on each table, the smell of cinnamon and gingerbread tantalizing the nose.

Molly laughed. “I’ll have an Apple martini please.” She leaned back in her chair.
Ahhh it
was good to relax.
“He had it coming. Besides, you would have done it too if you’d seen what he ordered. I made sure he could return it if he wanted.” She waved a hand.

Cameron ordered her red wine and picked up the menu. “I’m starving. Have you eaten?” She tapped her manicured finger against the menu as she skimmed the appetizers.