Lydia's Pine Harbor Christmas, стр. 21
“Bryce, I’ve got a headache. Would you mind taking me home?”
With appropriate sympathy, he stroked her cheek and said, “Oh, sure. Right after this.”
“But—”
Bryce turned, and Lydia gave up. She could endure one little gift exchange, so she braced herself and went along it. Lydia had drawn Theo’s name. She’d consulted with Allie and chosen a travel kit of his favorite cologne. He seemed happy with it, which gave her a few moments’ distraction. While others took their turns opening gifts, Lydia rehearsed her exit strategy. Then Lydia’s turn came. She opened her gift to find a man’s necktie—a blinking reindeer tie like the one Marco had shown her in the store.
See, if you press it right here, his nose lights up. She remembered his words and touched the button so lightly that nothing happened.
At a complete loss for words, Lydia looked at him.
“Here, I’ll show you how it works.” Marco squatted by her chair and lifted the tie.
Something fell from it and landed inside the box. Clasped together was a pair of pearl earrings that had been unceremoniously tucked inside the folds of the tie. Lydia lifted her eyes.
Marco answered her unspoken question with a nod and said softly, “They’re real.”
“But—” They were clearly outside of the gift-exchange limit.
“No buts. You can’t argue with Santa.”
They moved on to the next gift as Marco said, “Merry Christmas,” then left before she could wish him the same.
After the gift exchange, Lydia said she was hungry and escaped to the buffet in the next room. She wasn’t, but she needed a few moments to think, then she returned to Bryce.
“Lydia, I was just telling Theo and Allie about my family’s holiday bash. They throw it every year for the company and their friends. It’s a pretty big event that people look forward to.”
“Sounds fantastic.” It didn’t at the moment, but she was being polite. Right then, her idea of a fantastic evening would be sitting at home by the fire with a book that would take her away.
Bryce grinned and pulled an envelope from his inside jacket pocket, and Marco chose that moment to reappear at Theo’s side.
Handing the envelope to Lydia, Bryce said, “Merry Christmas.”
They hadn’t planned to exchange gifts that evening. It hardly seemed appropriate in the middle of someone else’s party, and they suddenly had a small audience.
“Go on. Open it.”
“Here?”
“Sure.”
Lydia wasn’t sure she was ready for another surprise, but she opened the envelope.
“It’s a train ticket,” Bryce said. He was always so helpful. He looked so happy that Lydia made an effort to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
He said, “It’s for next weekend—so you can come to my family’s holiday party. I have to go home tomorrow, and with the nor’easter coming next weekend, I didn’t want you to drive. I thought you could come on the train. You can stay for the weekend. Don’t worry. We’ve got a huge house—plenty of room. It’s all settled.”
All settled? “We’re pretty busy at work.”
“Allie just told me she could spare you.”
Lydia turned to Allie, who smiled, probably convincingly for anyone else, but Lydia knew better. Allie had to have thought she was doing Lydia a favor, and she couldn’t make Allie change her mind. Lydia felt Marco’s eyes on her. She would not give him the satisfaction of thinking she was anything but delighted, so she turned to Bryce and thanked him warmly.
Bryce gave her shoulder a squeeze. “You don’t know what a good time you’re in for. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner.”
It was such a nice gesture that Lydia wanted to be happy about it. Besides, his taking her home to meet his parents was a sign their relationship was headed in a positive direction. She and Bryce were building something together that would get her mind off Marco. When she looked at it like that, she began to feel hope. Maybe the weekend would be just what she needed.
Twelve
Bryce was in his element, talking golf and the market with likeminded people who spoke the same language. Lydia had been deluding herself. They weren’t going anywhere soon, so Lydia seized the moment to fade away and find a quiet corner for some alone time. She decided that Caroline’s workout room would be perfect. No one would think to go there. She sat at a bench by the wall of windows, which were dark except for the Pine Harbor lights in the distance. She pulled Marco’s earrings from her pocket. They were perfect in the worst sort of way. Kindness and generosity would only go to her head—or her heart. A sudden yearning overtook her to wear them, so she put them on.
She’d been there all of a minute when Marco slipped inside and closed the door. It couldn’t have happened by chance. He had followed her.
Her heart pounded at the sight of him. Why does it always have to do that? “Thank you for the earrings. They’re beautiful.”
He walked over and sat beside her. “They’ll be beautiful on you.”
Please don’t say things like that—unless you want to break my heart. Never mind. It’s too late for that.
He studied her for a moment then brushed her hair back. He looked pleased. “You’re wearing them.”
She didn’t want to smile, but he always managed to coax one out of her. She shrugged. “I didn’t want to lose them.”
He kept his hand on her neck, with his thumb touching her earlobe. Lydia fought to remain still and not lean into his hand like a kitten.
“I didn’t want to leave things the way we left them.”
“We’re okay, Marco.”
He smiled gently. “But it’s Christmas. We should be better than okay.”
Lydia looked into the darkness beyond the window. Do not let that tear drop. She lifted her hand to her face and tried to wipe her emotions away.
“Hey,”