A Child''s Christmas (Mills & Boon Heartwarming)

  But why had he been whistling?

  He gave it some thought. It was simple. He was in a good mood! The hours he’d spent with Paige and Jason the day before were the most enjoyable he could remember in years.

  He stopped abruptly and stared down at his feet. Had he been almost skipping to his office? He looked around quickly to be absolutely certain there was no one watching. Well, he wasn’t skipping, but he’d definitely had a spring in his step.

  He unlocked his office door, placed his briefcase on his desk, hung up his coat and headed to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. As the coffee brewed, he rummaged through the cupboards, searching for something to snack on. He hadn’t bothered with breakfast that morning.

  It was his lucky day. A box of raspberry-flavored breakfast bars was hiding behind the boxes of single-serving sugar and nonperishable creamers. He grabbed two and slid them into his shirt pocket. Leaning against the counter, he folded his arms and thought about the night before.

  Paige was beautiful. No question about that. With her flaxen hair—long, straight and glossy. It surprised him how much he’d wanted to run his fingers through it to see if it felt as smooth and silky as it looked. And her eyes. Big and blue, heavily fringed by long lashes, and so gentle and expressive. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a woman without a touch of makeup, and yet her lashes, mascara-free, seemed longer and thicker than they had any right to be. And those lips. They weren’t pouty, what he thought of as Angelina Jolie lips, but they were so appealing, especially with those little smile lines at the corners. And when she smiled? Her straight, white teeth lit up her entire face. She just didn’t smile enough.

  His bright mood darkened slightly—understandable under the circumstances.

  At some point during the evening, after Jason had gone to bed and they’d been sitting on the sofa, talking, he’d started to focus on her lips. As he was saying good-bye, he’d wanted nothing more than to kiss her. To brush his lips lightly across hers to see what she tasted like. He’d considered it, seriously, as he was leaving.

  But he hadn’t done it. Resisting the urge had taken everything in him, but a kiss wouldn’t have been smart...or fair. She was brave, extremely courageous, in fact, and had so much to deal with. What would it have accomplished to give her a good-night kiss?

  Okay, it would’ve satisfied his curiosity, but then what? He would’ve been taking advantage of the situation. He was just there to drop off a Christmas gift, and she’d been kind enough to ask him to stay for dinner at a time that should have been reserved for family. Especially if... No, he wouldn’t even consider the possibility that this could be Jason’s last Christmas.

  She’d asked him and he’d stayed. And he’d had a great time. The kid was impressive—funny and bright. Daniel shook his head. He’d never see the kid, or his mother, again. Daniel happened to be a sponsor for Jason this year. That was the extent of it. He was not relationship material, and he was absolutely certain that Paige wouldn’t be interested in casual dating. When the coffee machine beeped, he poured himself a cup and returned to his office.

  Settling behind his desk, he took a sip of the hot, strong coffee. He should really do something to show his appreciation for Paige’s hospitality. It was the polite thing to do. Leaning forward, he set his cup on the coaster next to his computer and did a web search. He had no trouble finding the florist Selena, his executive assistant, used whenever they needed to send flowers or a gift basket. With a name like Flowerfully Yours, how could he forget? And they had an online order form. Convenient.

  He scrolled through the many flower arrangements. Wanting to keep it friendly, he decided on an arrangement called “Garden Delight,” consisting of a variety of colorful flowers. A little bland, but he wasn’t going to the “Romance” collection. He didn’t want to give Paige the wrong impression. It was a simple thank-you gesture. That was all. With Jason in mind, he added an optional stuffed bear.

  Then he contemplated what to put on the enclosed card. He tried several different messages, but none sounded right. Finally, he came up with, “Thank you for letting me share Christmas with you and Jason.” When he was halfway through inputting his personal and credit card information, he abruptly exited the form and went back to the previous screens. He made some quick adjustments, adding a dozen yellow roses and modifying the message, moved forward to the payment screen, then completed and submitted it before he had a chance to rethink it again. He closed his browser, took a large gulp of coffee and got to work.

  *

  PAIGE DIDN’T WORK the day after Christmas because no one was available to take care of Jason. The following morning, they took the bus to the hospital for his treatment and, since he was feeling well afterward, Mrs. Bennett offered to take him to the afternoon matinee at the local theater so Paige could work half a day.

  Paige and Jason arrived home at nearly the same time. Paige had made what she called a turkey roll for dinner—basically leftover turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, rolled into a piece of flaky dough. She sliced the top of the dough and crisscrossed the strips before putting the whole thing into the oven to bake. While they ate dinner, Jason told her excitedly about the movie he and Mrs. Bennett had seen.

  As much as she enjoyed this precious time with her son, her gaze kept drifting to the empty chair at the other end of the table, the chair Daniel had occupied during Christmas dinner. It had been so nice to have him join them—to have some adult conversation at the dinner table and later in the evening. She immediately felt ashamed at the thought. She would give up anything and everything to be able to spend all her dinnertimes with Jason.

  As if Jason could read her mind, he stopped his recounting of the movie and asked, “Will Mr. Kinsley have dinner with us again?”

  Paige’s jaw nearly dropped. Out of the mouths of babes... She took a long drink of water to moisten her suddenly dry throat. “I don’t think so.”

  Jason looked crestfallen. “Why not? Didn’t he have fun?”

  Why not, indeed? “I’m sure he did, but he’s a very busy man. And he lives in Connecticut.”

  “That’s not far,” Jason rationalized.

  “I know, but he was really just here to drop off your train set.”

  “Can’t you invite him back? Didn’t you like him?”

  She wasn’t sure what to say. Unfortunately, yes, she did like him, but she also knew his visit was merely a pleasant memory to file away, and they’d never see him again. Daniel had certainly made an impact on Jason.

  She was saved from answering his question by a knock on the door.

  “I’ve finished my dinner, Mom. I’ll get it!” Jason was up and racing to the door. She was glad he was doing so well—and made a mental note to record it in his journal—but she worried that his enthusiasm to answer the door was driven by an irrational hope that it would be Daniel. She realized she’d also felt a similar surge of hope. Ridiculous. Daniel stopping by unannounced, as he had on Christmas day, was a one-time occurrence.

  She heard Jason’s voice behind her. “Hi, Chelsea.”

  Paige glanced over her shoulder. Seeing her friend with her arms full of flowers, she got up, too.

  “Hey, Paige. Can you take these from me, please?” Chelsea held out the large vase, and Paige reached for it.

  “I thought you were supposed to be away until after New Year’s Eve?” Paige asked.

  “Yeah, well, plans change. It was great seeing Mom and Dad, but Joel and I decided we wanted some time on our own.” Chelsea winked at Paige.

  Jason pointed to the flowers. “Who’re they for?”

  “For your mom, Squirt.”

  “They are? Why?” He glanced at his mother, brows raised. “It’s not your birthday or anything.” He looked back at Chelsea.

  Chelsea threw up her hands and laughed. “Don’t ask me! I didn’t open the card.” Her eyes met Paige’s, and there was an impish gleam in them. “I considered it. But I didn’t.”

  “Oh,” was al
l Paige could say.

  “I was on my way in when the delivery guy was at your door. Since you weren’t home, he asked if I knew you and if I could accept the delivery.”

  Jason danced around Paige. “Come on, Mom. Open the card!”

  Jason’s train set still occupied their coffee table, so Paige put the arrangement on the dining room table.

  “Interesting that it has those long-stemmed yellow roses in there with all the other colors and greenery,” Chelsea observed while Paige loosened the cellophane wrapping and pulled out the card on its plastic spike. She noted that there was another spike stuck in the arrangement with a little brown bear laced to it with raffia. She held the card with one hand, removed the bear with the other and handed it to Jason. “I think this must be for you.”

  “Thanks!” Jason exclaimed as he unwound the raffia to release the bear.

  Chelsea stood on her tiptoe and tried to peek over Paige’s shoulder. “Sooooo, open the card and tell us who it’s from.”

  The envelope had her name and address neatly printed on the front. She slipped out the card and turned it over.

  Jason tugged at her sleeve. “Who sent it, Mom?”

  She reread the card, looked at Chelsea, who was watching her expectantly, then glanced at her son. “It’s from Daniel.”

  “Yesss! What does the card say, Mom?”

  “It says he enjoyed dinner with us, and he thanks us for inviting him.”

  “I bet we’ll see Mr. Kinsley again!” he said, apparently satisfied. “Can I go to my room and play the SpongeBob game he gave me?”

  “Sure, sweetie.”

  When they were alone, Chelsea wiggled her eyebrows. “Do tell! You’ve been holding back on me, Paige.”

  “You might as well make yourself comfortable and have a coffee. It’s a long story.”

  “I’m all ears,” Chelsea assured her as she followed Paige into the kitchen. “Hey, that coffee maker’s new!” She ran a fingertip along the brushed metal surface of the unit. “Fancy. Where’d you get it?”

  “Like I said, a long story. Why don’t you go into the living room, and I’ll join you in a minute.”

  As they enjoyed the excellent coffee, Paige related the story of Christmas Day and Daniel. Chelsea had a wide grin on her face. “Mr. Tall, Dark and Wonderful, huh?”

  “I didn’t say that!”

  “No, you didn’t. I paraphrased. Am I right or wrong?”

  Paige still felt decidedly uncomfortable. “You’re not wrong.”

  “Then I’m right. What else did the card say?”

  “What makes you think it said anything else?”

  “A guy doesn’t send a lady roses just to thank her for dinner.” She gave Paige a friendly poke on the shoulder. “And the look on your face when you were reading the card.”

  “Chels, yellow roses signify friendship. Nothing more.”

  “And the card?” Chelsea persisted.

  Paige lifted the card from the table and read it again. “He wants to know if I’ll have dinner with him. He’s included his home and office numbers.”

  Chelsea did an energetic fist pump. “Whoo-hoo! I knew it!”

  Paige glanced toward Jason’s room. “Shh. Keep it down.”

  “Why? From what I saw, Jason really likes the guy.”

  “Yes, he does. That’s why I don’t want him to get excited about this.”

  “Why?” Chelsea repeated. “He’ll find out sooner or later.”

  “If I go.”

  Chelsea stared at her. “If? You’re kidding, right?”

  Paige shook her head. When Chelsea only gaped at her, Paige added, “I’ll think about it.”

  “Wait! You get an invitation to dinner from a rich, good-looking guy who’s great to you and terrific with Jason, and you’re going to think about it? When’s the last time you went on a date?”

  Paige had gone out briefly with an ex-colleague about a year after Jason’s father had left them. Their short-lived relationship had been a disaster. Although he’d initially been friendly toward Jason, he’d ended up resenting the demands Jason made on her private time. Jason was devastated when it ended. She hadn’t gone on a date since. She did a quick calculation. “Over three years ago.”

  “Seriously? Sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound the way it did. But seriously? You’re a beautiful, young, single woman. I can understand why you’re not interested now, with Jason sick again, but what stopped you before?”

  Paige shrugged. “Jason, especially now.” She paused. “The one time I dated after Mark and I split was a catastrophe. He was a coworker at the financial services firm when I was the office manager there, so Jason and I had known him before I started dating him. Jason liked him, and he grew attached to him. When it didn’t work out, and with Jason’s father leaving us still fresh in his memory, he took it very hard.”

  “Aw. That must’ve been a bummer. But it’s been ages. From what you said, Daniel strikes me as a responsible person, and Jason is older now. Why don’t you give it a shot with Daniel?” Her voice dropped. “Paige, you’re an incredible mom, but you deserve a life, too.”

  Paige reached for her coffee mug and toyed with the handle. The image of Jason and Daniel, heads bent together, assembling the train set, came to mind. She gave the locomotive sitting on the track a little push. She couldn’t ignore the fact that Daniel’s generosity had made it possible for Jason to have a special Christmas.

  “Why are you hesitating?” Chelsea prompted her.

  “I don’t know. I worry about Jason. I worry about him becoming attached to another man and that man leaving us.” She sighed. “I seem to worry about everything these days.”

  Chelsea patted Paige’s knee. “Wouldn’t it be nice to share that worry with someone else now and then?”

  Paige laughed. “Yeah. Yeah, it would.”

  Chelsea took another sip of coffee. “Have dinner with the guy. What have you got to lose?”

  Her heart. “I’ll think about it.”

  *

  PAIGE DID THINK about it. All night. Finally, she’d run out of excuses. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to see Daniel again. She’d have to accept that they’d only be friends. That seemed to be the way he wanted it, if the yellow roses were any indication, and she had Jason to consider. If they were friends, their relationship didn’t have to end.

  The next morning, she pulled the card out of her wallet and dialed the number on it. A very businesslike female voice answered. “Mr. Kinsley’s office. May I help you?”

  “Um, yes. I’d like to speak to Mr. Kinsley?”

  “May I ask who’s calling, please?” She gave the assistant her name.

  “I’ll see if he’s available. Just a minute, please.” There was a click, and Paige found herself listening to elevator music. It didn’t last long.

  “Paige?” Daniel sounded happy, surprised but happy. “I’m glad you called. How’s Jason?”

  That he asked about Jason first scored major points with her, and she felt that flutter in her stomach again. “He’s fine. Thanks. His treatment went well.”

  “I’m glad,” he said again. “Since you called, does that mean you’ll have dinner with me? We could make it a threesome. Or, if you prefer, we could take Jason to a movie.”

  The flutter intensified. “You’re giving me a lot of options.” His offer to spend time with Jason truly touched her heart but confirmed her assumption that he just wanted to be friends. Yet it was her excitement over having dinner with him that had motivated her to finally make the call. If she said she wanted to see him alone, would he think she was a bad mother? She didn’t know what to say.

  “Why don’t we do this? Let’s have dinner tonight, just the two of us. If all goes well, we’ll plan an outing with Jason. How does that sound?”

  He’d solved her dilemma, and in a considerate way. “I’d like that.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  PAIGE HELD AN unsteady hand to her tummy. It felt as if there we
re a thousand butterflies flitting around inside. She was thankful that Chelsea had insisted on helping her get ready for her dinner date with Daniel. Chelsea had also offered to lend her a dress, which Paige greatly appreciated, as her own wardrobe was limited.

  A sharp, keening sound distracted Paige. She glanced at the window behind her. Even though it was shut tight, she could hear the howling of the wind.

  Why did there have to be a winter storm, of all things, on the night of her date with Daniel?

  “Paige, are you listening to me?”

  “Sorry. What?”

  Chelsea held up a bright red dress on a hanger and wiggled it. “What about this one?”

  It was a great dress and it suited Chelsea to perfection, but it was a little too loud for Paige’s taste. “It’s nice, Chels, but I don’t think so.”

  Chelsea continued to hold the dress in front of her and turned around to look at herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the closet door. She poked at her hair with her free hand. “This is what I’ll wear next time Joel takes me out. Which reminds me... Never mind. We can talk about my love life later. Tonight is about you.” She tossed the dress on the bed and selected another. “Here.” She held it out to Paige. “I think this is it. You have to try this on.”

  The dress was a deep ultramarine-blue jersey. Paige liked that it was cut in a simple style with a rounded neckline and long, straight sleeves. There was nothing fussy or over-the-top about it. Chelsea might have been right on this one. She hoped so. Checking her bedside clock, Paige saw that that she was running out of time. Daniel was picking her up in less than an hour.

  She accepted the dress from Chelsea and took it into the bathroom to try it on. She emerged a couple of minutes later, tugging at the hemline.

  “That’s it! That’s what you’re wearing.” Chelsea turned Paige toward the mirror. Stretching up on tiptoe, she rested her chin on Paige’s shoulder and peered into the mirror with her.

  Paige examined herself critically. The dress fit her well. She was slimmer than Chelsea and—since Chelsea preferred her clothes to be a bit tight—the dress flowed smoothly over her torso and hips and flared into a flirty A-line at the bottom. She reached for the hem again and gave it another tug. “It’s nice, but it’s too short.” She might have been slimmer than Chelsea, but she was also a good three inches taller.