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

  Chelsea swatted Paige’s hand away and adjusted the hemline herself. “That’s crazy. Look at those legs! If I had your legs, I promise I’d be wearing dresses a lot shorter than this.”

  Paige glanced at the mirror. Mark had always said she had nice legs, although why she’d think of him now was beyond her. She turned to the side and craned her neck to see. The skirt really wasn’t that short. The issue was just her own comfort and modesty.

  “Wait. Wait!” Chelsea squealed. She dashed out of the bedroom. A few seconds later, Paige heard her apartment door open and close. She went into her bathroom and played with her hair, trying to decide how she should wear it. She had it half pinned up when Chelsea rushed back in.

  “Here.” She held out a pair of mile-high black stilettos. “You have to try these.”

  Paige eyed the shoes warily. It’d been a long time since she’d worn high heels. She was five-eight, while Mark was around five-eleven, so even when she had worn heels, they’d tended to be on the low end. She had to admit that these looked sexy. “They’re going to be too big,” she said. Chelsea’s shoes were a full size larger than Paige’s.

  “No problem. We’ll stuff some tissue in the toe. It’s better than being too small. Here.” She pushed the shoes toward Paige.

  Paige slipped them on and turned back to the mirror. She giggled nervously. “Wow!”

  “Wow is right!” Chelsea pretended to pout. “It’s my dress. My shoes. And they’ve never made me look so drop-dead gorgeous.”

  Paige felt a silly grin spread across her face. “Not bad, huh?” Another whistle rattled the bedroom window, and her smile dimmed. “There’s a storm out there. I can’t wear these shoes.” Paige knew she sounded embarrassed as she asked, “Chels? You wouldn’t happen to have a pair of dress boots, would you? I only have my everyday, practical ones.”

  Chelsea considered for a few seconds. “I think I have a pair that would work. Let me get them.”

  Chelsea brought the boots, and when Paige tried them on, she loved them. They had a mid-height heel and worked well with the dress but weren’t excessive. Paige gave Chelsea a hug. “Thank you for lending me your stuff. Without you, I have no idea what I would have worn.”

  “Mom?” Jason stuck his head in the bedroom door.

  “Come in, Jason.”

  Jason walked hesitantly inside and stared open-mouthed at his mother.

  Paige did a little pirouette. “What do you think?”

  “Jeez. You don’t look like a mom.”

  “It’s unanimous!” Chelsea interjected, but Jason still seemed uncertain.

  “Come here, sweetie.” Paige bent down, held her arms open for her son and hugged him. “It doesn’t bother you that I’m going to dinner with Daniel, does it?”

  He shook his head. “Then what’s up?”

  He thought about it. “You just look...different. Like ladies do in the movies.” He reached out to play with the side of her hair she hadn’t clipped up yet. “You look really pretty.”

  “Thanks.” She gave Jason another hug, rubbing his back. Her eyes met Chelsea’s over his head, and they both smiled.

  “C’mon, Squirt. Let’s go play a game while your mom finishes getting ready. Might as well get started, since you’re stuck with me tonight.” Chelsea held a hand out for Jason. “Don’t forget to use that makeup I brought you,” she said to Paige as they left her bedroom.

  Thirty minutes later, Paige emerged. Jason’s pride and joy—his train set—had been moved into his own room. Jason and Chelsea sat by the coffee table playing Scrabble. They stopped when she walked in.

  “Well?”

  Chelsea got to her feet. “The guy doesn’t have a chance.” She glanced at Jason. “Oops. Sorry. So, anyway...” She hurried over for a closer inspection. “The makeup is perfect, natural but sexy. And I love what you did with your hair.” It was piled on top of Paige’s head in a loose knot, with a few wispy strands left to frame her face. “Kind of mussed and elegant at the same time.”

  Before Paige could respond, Daniel was at the door.

  Paige felt a mixture of nerves and excitement. “It’s showtime.” Chelsea made scooting motions with her hands. “Go get the door.”

  “Right.” Paige took a quick peek in the hallway mirror, smoothed her hair, then ran her hands down the length of the dress before opening the door.

  “Hi.” Daniel stood in the doorway. He was dressed in a navy blue suit with subtle pinstripes, a pale blue shirt open at the collar, and a charcoal-gray coat. There was a large bouquet of yellow roses in one hand and a magazine in the other. He offered the flowers to Paige.

  “Thank you.” She raised the bouquet to her nose and inhaled deeply, the sweet scent making her smile. “Mmm. There’s nothing like the smell of roses.” They were yellow again, a sign of friendship—but she pushed that nagging thought aside. “Please come in.”

  As Daniel stepped inside, he ran his gaze over Paige. “You look stunning. Great boots.”

  Paige and Chelsea exchanged a conspiratorial grin, and since Daniel’s back was to Chelsea, she gave Paige a quick thumbs-up.

  When Paige had made the introductions, Daniel turned to Jason. “I brought you something, too.” He handed Jason the magazine. “It’s on train sets. It has ideas about how to change the configuration of your set, parts that you can get online, stuff like that.”

  Jason held the magazine reverently and flipped through a few pages. “Cool.”

  “Jason...” Softly spoken, Paige’s single word had the desired effect.

  “Thank you, Mr. Kinsley.”

  “I’ll just put these in water before we go,” Paige said.

  Chelsea stepped forward and took the roses from Paige. “Jason and I will take care of it. Have a terrific time.”

  “Shall we?” Daniel asked.

  Paige pulled her coat out of the closet and Daniel helped her into it. They said good-bye and walked out the front door of her apartment building, into the sharp pinpricks of freezing rain. Daniel placed his hand lightly on her arm. Even through her heavy winter coat, she seemed to tingle where he touched her. He gave her elbow a squeeze. The tingling sensation intensified and spread. “Wait here and I’ll get my car.”

  “You don’t have to bother. I can just go with you.”

  “It’s no problem. You shouldn’t have to trudge through all the slush. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  He raised the collar on his coat and headed briskly toward the visitors’ parking area. A couple of minutes later, a late-model midnight-blue Mercedes coupe stopped at the curb. Daniel was out of the car and by Paige’s side in no time at all. When he took her hand to help her into the low-slung car, she felt that tingle again.

  Was she being foolish? she wondered as she fastened the seat belt. She thought of the yellow roses. Here she was, feeling hopeful and dreamy, and the only thing he wanted to be was friends. He felt sorry about her circumstances, that was all, and he figured a nice dinner out might be a friendly gesture. She reflected on everything he’d done for her and Jason. There was no question that he was a giving and considerate man. That just made it more likely that this, too, was an act of charity.

  Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Of course she was grateful for everything Daniel had done, especially on Jason’s behalf, but how humiliating if this, too, was done out of sympathy.

  Daniel slid into the driver’s seat and secured his own seat belt. Turning to her, he smiled. “All set?”

  She forced a smile in return and nodded.

  Had she made a mistake in accepting his invitation?

  CHAPTER TEN

  THE FREEZING RAIN persisted. It coated the roads and sidewalks with a thin layer of ice. Daniel’s Mercedes might have looked sporty, but it handled well on the slippery roads, and they were in Hartford and at the restaurant in under an hour. Daniel pulled up to the curb by the entrance, where the burgundy canopy and vigilant staff kept the sidewalk free of ice and snow. An attendant assisted Paige out of the
car. Daniel handed over his keys and joined her a moment later.

  The double doors of the restaurant were stained glass in rich mahogany frames. On either side of the entryway, small spruce trees swathed in a myriad of twinkling white lights stood sentry. Daniel held the door open for Paige.

  The blast of warm air as they stepped into the foyer felt heavenly.

  A hostess with the voice of a lounge singer and the look of a runway model greeted Daniel. “Mr. Kinsley. It’s good to see you again.” Gracious and hospitable, she turned her attention to Paige. “Welcome to Pietro’s.” She dispensed with their coats, then lifted two leather-bound menus from the stack on a pedestal. “Your table is waiting. Please follow me.”

  The restaurant’s lighting was subdued, the interior decor tasteful, elegant and evocative of a winter wonderland. Seating areas were separated by potted birch trees, their bare branches twined with more glittering fairy lights. Rich, dark wood and stained-glass inserts contrasted with crisp white linen, fine bone china and sparkling crystal. Large poinsettias graced some of the pedestals and counters. Efficient waiters and waitresses entered and exited through swinging doors.

  Paige tried hard not to stare. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to a restaurant that wasn’t part of a fast-food chain.

  The hostess led them to a table in a quiet corner. A large leaded-glass window was beside them on one wall and a fireplace with a smoldering fire in the hearth on the other. Paige chose to face the fire, and Daniel held her chair out for her.

  Their waiter appeared, placed their napkins on their laps, and inquired about their drink order. Daniel asked him to give them a minute. When the waiter was out of hearing range, he turned back to Paige. “Would you like to share a bottle of wine or would you prefer a cocktail, or a nonalcoholic drink?”

  She realized Daniel was being considerate to ask. He wouldn’t know whether she drank alcohol or not, since she hadn’t had wine in her apartment at Christmas. She appreciated his thoughtfulness and smiled. “I’d love some wine.”

  He nodded. “Do you have a preference?”

  Paige chuckled and felt the heat rise from her neck to her cheeks. “No. Not really. It’s not often that I indulge in wine these days.” Her smile wavered.

  Daniel held her gaze for a moment before signaling the waiter and accepting the wine list from him.

  “Is something wrong?” he asked after the waiter had left.

  “No.” Her face still felt hot, so she knew there must be vivid color on her cheeks. She glanced down and straightened her cutlery. “It’s just that it’s been a long time since I’ve done any of this.” With a sweep of her hand, she indicated their surroundings. “The beautiful restaurant. A bottle of wine.” A date with an attractive, intelligent man.

  “Then I’m especially glad you said yes to dinner, and I hope you’ll enjoy yourself. I’ve always found the food here excellent,” he added as they perused the menus.

  The waiter returned with an ice bucket containing a well-chilled bottle of wine. He lifted out the bottle, wiped it with a napkin and held it for Daniel to examine.

  Daniel tested and approved the wine, and the waiter filled their glasses. He took their orders before withdrawing again.

  Paige took a sip, closed her eyes and made a sound that was almost a purr. When she opened her eyes, she saw Daniel grinning at her. Feeling her face flush again, she decided to get onto a safe topic. “Thank you for thinking of Jason. He’ll have his nose buried in that magazine for weeks.”

  “I hoped he’d like it. He’s a terrific kid.”

  “What you did for us at Christmas meant a lot to him.” Paige leaned forward. “It meant a lot to me.”

  “It was my pleasure. It also saved me from an uncomfortable Christmas with my folks.”

  “Oh?”

  “I shouldn’t have said that. My parents are good people. I just wouldn’t characterize our relationship as warm, and Christmas can be a little awkward.”

  “I...I’m sorry.” Paige thought of her own parents and how much they meant to her. She couldn’t imagine having family and not sharing a close, loving relationship with them.

  Daniel drank some wine and waved her concern away. “Don’t be. We make it work.”

  They paused while the waiter served their appetizers and topped up their glasses.

  When they were alone, Daniel asked, “What about your family?”

  Paige’s smile was bittersweet. “My parents are incredible.”

  “Tell me about them,” Daniel encouraged her as he tasted his smoked salmon.

  “I’m an only child. Like you, I think.”

  He nodded.

  “My parents met when my mother was in high school. My father is eleven years older than my mother. Although they say it was love at first sight, my father waited a couple of years to ask my mother out. Until it was no longer ‘improper’—his word—because of the age difference. Once they got married, they took the time to enjoy each other and had me later in their lives. I couldn’t have asked for better parents.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “They retired years ago to Great Barrington, in the southwest part of Massachusetts. Have you been there?”

  “I’ve driven through.”

  Paige tried a piece of calamari. “Mmm. This is delicious. Great Barrington is a quaint little town. We used to vacation there when I lived at home. After all these years, they’re still madly in love.” Her eyes clouded. “Except now Dad doesn’t always remember Jason and me. He developed Alzheimer’s shortly after they moved.”

  “I’m sorry,” Daniel said simply.

  Paige slid a piece of calamari around on her plate with her fork. “They were looking forward to retirement so much, but they hardly had any time to enjoy it together before Dad was diagnosed. Now Mom does the best she can, but it’s a struggle for her to take care of my father, and it’s not getting easier. His condition is deteriorating.” She skewered the calamari, dipped it in the cocktail sauce and popped it into her mouth.

  “That’s why you weren’t with them at Christmas?”

  “That’s right. It was hard on us, but with my schedule, Jason feeling ill from treatments and the difficulty my father has with travel, we just couldn’t make it work.”

  “It’s unfortunate that you can’t rely on them more for assistance with Jason.”

  She felt a sudden defensiveness, but it was extinguished as quickly as it had appeared. She realized there was no criticism in Daniel’s words or in his tone. “Mom wants to help with Jason.” Paige glanced down at her plate and played with her food again. “But she can’t leave Dad, and financial help is out of the question. It would mean mortgaging or selling their bungalow, which is now the only place Dad knows.”

  Paige met Daniel’s eyes. “That’s too much of a sacrifice. But Mom’s just a phone call away.” She sighed heavily and took a sip of her wine. “Yes, I’ve often thought how wonderful it would be to have them close by, but that’s not possible right now.”

  She stabbed the last piece of calamari and was surprised to find she’d cleaned her plate while they’d been talking.

  The waiter removed their empty plates and replaced them with their main courses.

  “And Jason’s father?” Daniel asked once they were on their own again.

  “Oh, he...he’s been gone a long time,” Paige said vaguely.

  “I remember you mentioning that the last thing he’d given Jason was the circus set, and that’s why Jason’s so interested in circuses.”

  “That’s right.” Paige sipped her wine. “I suppose because Jason was so young and he associates that circus set with his father, his preoccupation with circuses helps him keep the memory of his father alive.”

  “That makes sense.” Daniel took a bite of his steak Diane. “So, tell me more about your work. You said on Christmas Day that you work in a call center for a collections agency. That can’t always be fun.”

  She laughed. “That’s an unders
tatement. People can be downright mean.”

  “How did you get into it?”

  She toyed with her wineglass. “I needed something that gave me a certain degree of flexibility with my hours, something that would allow me to take time off whenever I had to. I understood how collections worked from my previous job, and they liked that.”

  “What did you do before?”

  “I was an office manager for a financial services firm,” she explained. “My degree is in business. My next step with the company would have been chief administrative officer.”

  He looked impressed. “That’s a major responsibility. You enjoyed it?”

  “Yes.” She smiled. “The partners were wonderful to work for. They gave me lots of opportunities for learning and advancement. When Jason was first diagnosed with cancer, I took a leave of absence from my job. The partners were very supportive. They told me to take all the time I needed.” She broke eye contact and watched the embers glow and sputter in the fire. “Unfortunately, they never counted on the amount of time involved. After...we lost Mark, I needed to ask for even more days off, since I had to be there for all of Jason’s treatments and other appointments. It was a small company, and ultimately their business had to take priority. I understood that, and to be fair, I quit.

  “I was fortunate to get the job at the collections agency right away. As long as I give them sufficient notice, I can set my own hours.”

  “Sounds workable.”

  “It is, from that perspective. Unfortunately, the call center’s competing with offshore, low-cost companies, so both my income and health care coverage are much lower than they were, just when I need them the most. To save money and be closer to work, we moved to Camden Falls.” She brightened. “The move turned out to be the best thing that could’ve happened to Jason. Yes, it meant that both he and I had to leave our friends behind, but Jason was young, so he adapted quickly, and he loves his school. It’s perfect for him, because it’s a progressive school that offers more advanced art classes for kids his age.”