Winter Magic: 4 (The Hawks Mountain Series) (8 page)

Andi had to admit to a grain of truth in her sister’s words, but it still pricked her ego. Maybe Miranda was right. Maybe Andi should just view this as an adventure, one that would last for a while, and then be over. She sighed and steered the car to the front of the house, then cut the engine.

When would she ever free herself of playing the big sister?

Although she was the older of the twins by a mere five minutes, it might as well have been five years that separated them. Miranda had dubbed Andi her big sister almost as soon as they could walk, and until now, it had never bothered her. It had, in fact, given her a sense of pride. But lately, she’d become very tired of the role of the peacemaker, the wise one, the mother figure, the one who came to Miranda’s rescue.

Perhaps it was time she stepped aside and let Miranda take care of herself. Then a vision of her sister lying in the stark white hospital bed, her face as pale as the sheets, her voice weak, her beautiful eyes sunken in, accosted Andi. She couldn’t do that to her sister now. However, when Miranda was released from the hospital, Andi swore that she’d step aside and let her sister untangle her own messes.

JONATHAN HAD BEEN pacing the floor of his office for the last hour. Periodically, he’d stop, push the Christmas wreath aside, and then peer through the window down the driveway.

What was taking Andi so long? And why was he so anxious about her arrival? And why hadn’t she called the evening before with the theme ideas, as she’d said she would?

Cursing softly, he threw himself in his desk chair, leaned back, and stared at the ceiling. He had to stop this total obsession with Andi Cameron. His work was suffering and so was his good mood.

His office door opened, and Helen, his longtime, easygoing secretary stepped through it. Her dyed hair almost matched the red ribbon on the Christmas pin affixed to her faux fur coat. Though she tried to conceal it with youthful attire, he estimated her age as close to retirement. In her hand, she carried a folder.

“I can’t believe I had to drive all the way over here from the Charleston office,” she mumbled. “Is there time in your schedule for us to go searching for your brain?”

Puzzled, he could only stare at her. Having begged candy from her when Helen worked for his father, Jonathan was used to her treating him like a recalcitrant son. In truth, he loved their relaxed association, but normally her good-natured reprimands made some sense.

“Excuse me? My what?”

“Your brain.” She waved the folder at him. “I asked you to go over this contract before I send it back to legal. You said you would, and then promptly dropped the entire thing in my wastebasket. Now, I know this author is being totally unreasonable in his demands, but he is a consistent
New York Times
bestseller, so don’t you think your reaction is just a bit extreme?”

Jonathan shook his head and reached for the folder. “I’m sorry, Helen. My mind was elsewhere.”

“Obviously,” she snapped back, apparently not ready to let him off the hook. “What you need is either a good woman to keep you organized or a little trust in your staff to do some of this work for you.”

A tortured sigh escaped Jonathan. Bad enough he had to hear this from his aunt and father, but Helen had been spouting the same thing for months as well. Was the entire world out to see him married? Had his aunt and father confided in Helen and gotten her to join them in their quest to marry him off?

“I have a good woman who keeps me organized, Helen. I have you. As for trusting my staff, I learned a long time ago that the one person I can trust unconditionally is myself. So, thank you very much for your advice. You can go now.” He leveled a look at her that told her he was in no mood for this kind of conversation today.

Just then, Henry Prince entered the room. He looked from one to the other. “What’s going on in here?”

Helen cast one more censuring glare at Jonathan, dragged her coat closed, then swung toward the door. Her hand on the knob, she stopped and turned back to Henry. “Maybe you can talk some sense into him. He needs a vacation.” Then she went out and closed the door just a shade too hard behind her.

Henry glared at his son. “Upsetting Helen is not a good idea. I learned that years ago. If I were you, I’d call her when she gets back to the office and apologize.” He took several steps toward the door, then stopped and turned back to his son. “And think about that vacation.” Then he hurried after his former secretary.

For a long time, Jonathan stared at the portal through which the two people had disappeared. After all the years with her running his office, he could read between the lines of Helen’s speeches. And in this case,
vacation
translated to
you’re being insufferable
. Helen and his father meant well, but for all their good intentions, a vacation wasn’t the answer to what ailed him. Now, all he had to do was figure out exactly what that was.

Andi popped into his mind. He shook the image away.

Maybe Helen and his dad were right. Maybe he should get away. Maybe
 . . .

Impatient with his nonsensical thinking, Jonathan stood and wandered to the leather couch. How could he leave now? What would happen to the gala? What would ultimately happen to his mother’s foundation? He shook off the idea like a bothersome gnat.

Using his fingernail, he drew a line across the back of the sofa as he walked past it and found himself again at the window.

The sound of a car backfiring drew his attention. He peered down the drive. Andi’s little orange Bug sputtered, coughed, then grabbed again and glided to a stop out front. He watched, waiting for her to emerge, but she didn’t. After a few more moments, he heard the sound of the engine attempting to turn over.

BY THE TIME Andi had reached the Prince mansion, it wasn’t the fear of not being able to pull this off that had her hands gripping the steering wheel like a lifeline. Since she’d settled on at least one theme to present to him, she’d begun to feel a bit more confident about planning this gala. So what had her hesitating to get out and go inside?

The image of the man she’d be working beside took shape in her mind. And it had nothing to do with him being angry that she hadn’t called. It had everything to do with the quickened beat of her heart and emotions she couldn’t begin to define. She was on the verge of looking at Jonathan as a man who could make this an adventure in heartache for her.

Hoping to leave before he discovered her, Andi turned the key in Bess’ ignition. The engine sputtered a few times, and then died. “Darn it, Bess. Now’s not the time to get ornery.” She turned the key again and all Bess did was emit a faint
clicking
noise.

Andi sat motionless, gripping the steering wheel so tight her fingers began to cramp. Staring out the windshield at the house that reminded her of a large castle housing an ogre, and maybe even a dragon or two, she tried again to start her car, but this time she got only the equivalent of a mechanical groan, then silence.

Andi’s nerves had stretched about as far as they would go, and she knew she was close to voicing her fear and frustration in a tantrum that would put her students to shame. As she saw it, she had two choices: walk the four miles home in these stilts disguised as shoes, or go inside and face Jonathan.

She had to stop doing this every time she came to the Prince house. Sitting out here, dreading to go inside, solved nothing. She was a big girl, and it was time she started acting like one.

A sound from outside the car roused her. She looked up. Her heart gave an excited lurch that took her breath away. Jonathan stood on the front steps looking at her. Her first reaction was to make sure the necklace that declared her a teacher was tucked securely inside the neck of her blouse. Her second was to quell the rising excitement that the sight of him evoked.

Jonathan came toward her, a frown creasing his high forehead. As at their first meeting, he was dressed meticulously in a navy suit, white shirt, and gold tie. She thought she’d only imagined how handsome he was, but now, she realized her memory hadn’t been nearly as accurate as she’d thought. The man was knock-your-socks-off breathtaking. She inhaled in a vain attempt to harness her thoughts.

He opened the car door. A rush of icy cold air entered, bringing with it the aroma of his aftershave. The sensual assault threw her senses into a tailspin.

Having no choice, she stepped out to stand face-to-face with him. Taking her arm in gentle fingers, Jonathan steered her toward the house. As they approached the front door, he stopped and turned to her.

In a voice that sent terror coursing through Andi, he said, “I know what you’re up to.”

I KNOW WHAT you’re up to.

Andi’s insides froze. Had Jonathan discovered her and her sister’s ruse? Did he know she wasn’t the party planner extraordinaire that she’d purported herself to be? That she was nothing more than an elementary school teacher who was just learning the ropes?

Her body went numb. She teetered slightly on Miranda’s impossibly high heels. Fear filled her throat and made it hard to speak. “You
 . . .
do?”

Jonathan nodded. “You’re going to make me come out here every day and personally escort you into the house.” Then he smiled.

Andi’s fear melted like a snowball on a hot summer day. Relief flooded through her and the tension left her body. She found herself grinning back at him. “Busted.”

At her admission, he burst into laughter.

Slightly stunned by the unexpected reaction, Andi knew she was again seeing a side of Jonathan Prince that not many people were privileged to glimpse. . . a relaxed, down-to-earth man. Not the stiff CEO of a large regional publishing house. Not the man that women drooled over. And that knowledge convinced her of something she hadn’t been prepared to admit.

Miranda had been right. Andi needed to relax and enjoy this journey. After all, hadn’t she been bemoaning the fact that her life had become a parade of humdrum activities, her only companions were people who were a few years past wearing diapers? It was about time she stopped hiding inside her safe little world and did something totally unlike her.

Step outside your comfortable box, girl!

Why not? She’d probably still feel like she was walking on egg shells, but the very idea that she could be caught at any minute might get her adrenalin pumping.

For the next couple of weeks she’d be working side by side with one of the handsomest, most sought after, richest man in the state. She’d be working in a house she could have only experienced on the glossy pages of a magazine. How many women would have this kind of chance? Why not relax and enjoy it?

Well, the relax part might not be so easy. She couldn’t forget that she was still living a fraudulent life, pretending to be someone she wasn’t and knowing about a business in which she had only a modicum of expertise, if that. But, somehow, that didn’t instill the stark terror that it had the first day she’d embarked on this escapade.

Excitement bubbled up inside her. She could do this. Then the excitement dimmed. For all her bravado, she’d forgotten the biggest threat to her peace of mind. Her inexplicable reaction to a man she’d just met. But even worse was the damage he could ultimately do to her heart when he realized that all those smiles and admiring glances he was sending her way were really meant for her sister. And even if she did catch his eye, as soon as he saw Miranda, it would be the same old story.

FROM THE CORNER of her eye as they went into Jonathan’s office, Andi had a glimpse of Davis carrying her portfolio, papers, and notebooks up the imposing grand staircase, reminding her that the time to back out had passed. She was now here for the long haul and determined to do her best.

Jonathan steered her to the chair facing his desk. “I’ll be leaving shortly for a business meeting in Charleston, but my aunt will be here in a moment to show you the room you’ll be using as an office. Davis has already taken your papers and things upstairs.”

The man who had teased and laughed with her just moments ago had disappeared, and the all-business CEO had slipped back into place. She was sure that if she looked up the word
enigma
in a dictionary, Jonathan Prince would be listed as part of the definition.

Before she could give it anymore thought, the click of heels on the parquet floor and the distinctive scent of Estee Lauder’s
Beautiful
perfume announced the arrival of Sarah Abbot. “Good morning!”

Andi smiled at her. “Morning, Sarah.”

Jonathan grunted something unintelligible and continued to shuffle through a pile of papers on his desk.

Sarah frowned at him, then turned to Andi. “Are you ready to see your office?”

Getting to her feet, Andi sighed and nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Sarah looped her arm through Andi’s and led her from the room. As they ascended the staircase, Sarah smiled reassuringly at her. “You’ll love the room. Henry never understood why Jonny had it included in the architect’s plans. I always felt it was some kind of tribute to his mother.”

“His mother?”

“Yes. My little sister Vanessa. She died quite suddenly when Jonny was twelve. I don’t believe he’s ever gotten over it.” She cleared her throat, and Andi decided that Jonathan wasn’t the only one having trouble getting over it.

The room proved to be as lovely as Sarah had predicted. Three floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the backyard and the lake and filled nearly one whole wall. The furniture, polished rosewood, was elegant and very feminine.

“I’m sure Jonathan’s mother would have loved this room,” Andi said, almost unaware she’d spoken the words aloud.

“Yes, she would have.” Sarah looked around, a wistful expression on her face. Then she sighed and smiled at Andi. “Anyway, it’s a lovely room, but it’s seldom used, although I do use it on occasion for my quilting lessons. But still, it’s time someone besides me and the dust bunnies benefited from it.”

Andi pushed all the questions she had about Jonathan’s mother aside, for now. “You’re taking quilting lessons?” Somehow the idea of a woman of Sarah’s social standing making a quilt didn’t gel in Andi’s mind. Tennis lessons maybe, but not quilting lessons.

“Yes, Josephine Hawks is teaching me. Lovely woman. Do you know her?”

Andi swallowed hard. “No, I don’t believe I do.” The lie tasted sour on her tongue. Not only did Andi know Granny Jo, but Granny Jo, who had worked as a substitute teacher’s assistant in her class a few times, also knew Andi. . . very well.

“She’s waiting for us in the morning room, so you’ll get to meet her. Since Jonathan will be gone for most of today, I thought it would be nice to have lunch together.” Sarah guided her out of the sitting room door and down the hall to the wide staircase.

Andi stopped abruptly. “Here? Lunch? Today?”

Sarah looked oddly at her. “Why, yes. Is that a problem?”

Quickly, Andi shook her head and accompanied Sarah down the stairs. “No, no problem.”

Big, big problem
. Andi stumbled on the stairs.

Sarah grabbed Andi’s arm. “Are you okay? You’re as white as a sheet.”

Andi fumbled for an explanation for her unexpected reaction. “Uh
 . . .
yes, I’m fine. I skipped breakfast, and I guess I’m just hungry,” Andi mumbled, snatching at the first excuse that came to mind. She was getting too good at this prevaricating.

“Well then, let’s get some food in you.”

Dread flooded through her. She could barely concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. What would she say when she came face to face with Granny Jo Hawks, who could very easily blow up this entire masquerade in Andi’s face?

When they reached the door leading onto the morning room, Andi sucked in a deep fortifying breath and followed Sarah into the beautifully decorated area. Sitting alone at the elegantly set table was an older woman, Granny Jo Hawks.

Sarah took Andi’s arm and led her to Granny Jo’s side. “Mrs. Hawks, this is Miranda Cameron, the woman who’s planning the Christmas gala.”

For a fraction of a second that seemed to go on forever, Granny Jo stared at Andi. Everyone in Carson knew Granny Jo was a sharp lady. Not much got past her. Andi prayed that for once, everyone was wrong.

“Hello, dear.” She paused, and Andi got the feeling she wanted to say more, but she didn’t. “How nice to meet you.”

Andi forced a smile. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hawks.”

Granny Jo waved her hand as if to dismiss Andi’s address. “Not Mrs. Hawks. Everyone calls me—” Her napkin fluttered to the floor. “Granny Jo.”

Andi immediately bent to pick up the napkin. As she did, the
#1 Teacher
necklace slipped out of the neckline of her blouse. Before she could retrieve it, Granny Jo had snared the pendant. For a moment she held it in the palm of her hand and studied it, then she released it. Andi knew the other woman had recognized it. After all, Granny Jo had been there when the pendant was presented to Andi. She held her breath.

“That’s a lovely necklace,” Granny Jo said and smiled.

“Thanks.” Avoiding further eye contact with the older woman, Andi tucked the piece of jewelry back inside her blouse. Then she took her seat at the table and waited for the ax to fall that would mean she’d been found out, and Miranda’s business would be in ruins.

“So, tell me about this gala you’re working on, Miranda.” Granny Jo buttered a roll.

“She prefers to be called Andi,” Sarah put in.

Andi’s heart dropped a little farther. The necklace, Granny Jo’s obvious recognition of her, and now the name? Her goose was cooked. Why had she ever believed she could get away with this? Why? Resigned to her fate, Andi looked at Granny Jo and waited.

Granny Jo smiled at Andi and. . . winked? “Andi fits you much better.”

LUNCH PROCEEDED without further incident. Andi was even able to relax a bit. She was certain that Granny Jo had recognized her, but for some reason, she’d chosen not to divulge Andi’s true identity.

Over coffee and a slice of scrumptious peach cobbler, Granny Jo once more inquired about the gala. “So tell me about this fancy party you’re planning for Sarah’s nephew. Most of Carson is planning to come. Got my own invite a few days ago.”

“It’s still pretty early in the planning stage. We haven’t agreed on a theme yet, but I have an idea in mind that I think Mr. Prince will love.” Ever since Andi had come up with the idea of Santa’s Christmas Village as a theme, she’d been excited to see what Jonathan thought of the idea. She’d even made notes about red and green table linens, candy cane and miniature toys in centerpieces, false-front buildings lining the ballroom and artificial snow piled all around.

Sarah leaned forward eagerly. “So tell us all about your theme idea?”

“Since the proceeds will go to The Wishing Place, I want to do over the ballroom into a Santa’s village, complete with a tree, a Santa, reindeer, and all the rest.”

Sarah’s fork clattered against her plate. The eagerness in her face had been replaced by something akin to
 . . .
Shock? No, it looked more like
 . . .
Could that be sympathy?