Holiday Spice Read online

  That was it? That was her suggestion? Organization? Hell, if she had been here earlier, she would have seen that he could master that task, and it hadn’t brought him any closer to knowing what to do with this book.

  “I don’t see where—”

  She held up a hand to stop him. “A writer may very well be able to phrase things more eloquently,” she began, “but people who will buy this book aren’t looking for that. It isn’t as if this is the great American novel. They’re interested in your work and—therefore—you. So you need to make sure the words on the page are yours.”

  “That’s all fine and well,” he countered, “but that’s the problem. I can’t seem to get my words and thoughts on the page.”

  She grinned at him, and damn if it didn’t hit him square in the gut.

  “That’s because you’re not organized,” she replied with a hint of sass. “I’m telling you, Ben, once we start working and we get this pile organized and in order and we talk it through, you’re going to find those words coming to you.”

  Honestly, he wasn’t convinced, but rather than argue, he went back to listening to Darcy talk about layout, wording, and tone.

  Everything made perfect sense. And it was all obvious. Listening to her made Ben feel a little bit stupid for not having been able to figure it out on his own. However, Darcy seemed confident in what she was saying and had an excitement and enthusiasm about her that was starting to make him feel the same way. She knew how to put it all into perspective for him, and now it didn’t feel quite so overwhelming.

  They finished eating and began cleaning up together. It seemed like the perfect time to take a break from talking about work and start getting to know one another. If they were going to be spending so much time working closely with each other, he wanted them to feel comfortable. He couldn’t speak for Darcy, but he thought it could be helpful.

  Plus, he was curious as hell to know more about her.

  “So, you’re from North Carolina,” he said casually.

  She nodded. “Born and raised. Although I did live out in California for one semester of college, and I’ve traveled a bit because my brothers were all living in different states or working in different states at one time or another, so…”

  “But the East Coast sounds like your home base. Ever think about moving? Trying out the West Coast?”

  “If the right job came along, I’d probably be okay with moving.” She turned and looked at him as she rinsed off a dinner plate. “Although I have to admit, normally when I think of the West Coast, I think of California, but I don’t know if I could live there full time.”

  “Really? Why not?”

  “Well, remember how I told you all the Christmas stuff was out in the stores already?”

  He nodded.

  She shook her head and laughed softly. “I just don’t know if I could handle such a warm and green Christmas. I mean, they put Christmas lights in the palm trees, for crying out loud!”

  Why did everything come back to Christmas with her? And rather than change the subject, he found himself asking, “Isn’t it warm and green where you live? You’re in the South.”

  “We still get all four seasons, and trust me, we may not get a lot of snow, but it definitely gets cold.” Then she turned and looked out the window over his sink. “I would love to have a view like this on Christmas morning. I bet it’s amazing when you have the lights hung outside and…”

  “Um, yeah. Sure,” he said gruffly and grasped for something to say to get them back on track. Again. “So you’re not overly attached to North Carolina. That should be helpful in your job search.”

  “Definitely,” she agreed. “There’s not a big art district or art scene where I live, so I’m keeping my options open. What about you? Have you always lived in Washington?”

  “Born and raised,” he said with a smile, grateful to move on from holiday chatter. “I can’t imagine ever living someplace else. This is just…it’s home for me.”

  “I get it.” She paused. “What about your family? Are they all here?”

  Ugh. Why hadn’t he thought about this part of the conversation? He hated getting into this with anyone. With a sigh, he said, “I have two brothers, and they both moved to the East Coast—northern East Coast.”

  “Are you close?” she asked as she loaded the last plate into the dishwasher and got it started. “When was the last time you saw them?”

  “They were home for a visit about three months ago,” Ben said, smiling fondly at the memory. “It was just for the weekend, but we fished and hung out, and it was good. Really good.”

  “Nice! Do you ever take time off and go to visit them—you know, like for the holidays?”

  “Um…”

  “Because you know it’s safe to leave the mountain, right?” she teased. “I know you love it here, and it’s beautiful and all that good stuff, but there is no crime in getting away for a little while.”

  “Wait, what?”

  She laughed. A deep, rich, throaty laugh, and if it wasn’t an erotic sight—as was everything with her—he might have gotten ticked off at how she was mocking him.

  “Savannah told me of your attachment to this place,” she said, still grinning. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to tease, but it just came out.”

  “Yeah, well, I did offer to go to LA to work on this book,” he said, sounding a little more defensive than he wanted to. “Savannah teased me about taking me to snooty restaurants and galleries while I was dressed in my jeans and flannels. She said I’d get banned from Hollywood for being a fashion no-no.”

  Darcy began laughing uproariously again, and he couldn’t help but join her.

  “A fashion no-no?” she repeated. “Seriously?”

  Doing his best to look serious, he deadpanned, “True story.” Wiping the countertop, he looked around and saw everything was in order. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want dessert or not, but I do have some ice cream if you’re interested.”

  Darcy’s face lit up. “Chocolate?”

  “Like there’s any other kind,” he said with a conspiratorial grin and immediately walked over to the freezer. “We can wait a little while if you’d prefer. I know we just got done eating.”

  “I’m actually kind of tired from the trip and was hoping to get to the hotel and crash before it got too late. This way, I can get up early tomorrow, and we can start fresh.” She looked at him as he put the carton of ice cream down. “If that’s okay with you.”

  Ben was feeling hopeful—they were off to a great start, and he was confident they could put the work aside for the rest of the night and simply focus on socializing now. Maybe he’d get to talk with her a little bit and hear about her and her hobbies and interests. Maybe he could show her his—

  “I might work on a draft for the introduction tonight—you know, in case I can’t sleep or something. You know how sometimes it’s hard to sleep in a strange bed and all that,” she went on. “What I’d like from you is a list of any acknowledgments you’d like to include and a dedication, that sort of thing. Then when I get here tomorrow, we can get right to work.”

  She was rambling. Or at least it seemed like she was rambling. Was she nervous about something, or was this the way she normally talked?

  “You really don’t need to do that, Darcy. You should just relax tonight, and we’ll get started in the morning. It’s not a big deal.”

  She instantly waved him off. “It’s rare that I can just sit and relax. My mind is always going. Sometimes it’s annoying, but sometimes it really comes in handy.”

  “Like when you’re working on a project?”

  “Exactly.”

  He put their dessert down on the table and waited as she took her seat again.

  “So if Savannah were here helping you, how do you think this would be going?”

  He looked at her oddly. �
�What do you mean?”

  “Well, I want to make sure I’m helping, so I need to know if I’m off to a good start or if I’m just mucking up the works here.”

  “You weren’t—”

  She laughed and took a spoonful of ice cream. “I’m kidding. But I’m curious about what you were hoping Savannah would be able to do for you if she came.”

  It was an easy question to answer because he had put so much thought into it before he had even picked up the phone to call her. For the next fifteen minutes, he talked about exactly how he envisioned Savannah helping him and how much he respected her and liked her and considered her to be a great friend. Hell, after a little while, he began to feel like he was running for the president of Savannah’s fan club.

  During it all, he shared about how Savannah had helped him during their first interview and how it was one of the reasons he wanted her to be the one to help him with this project. It wasn’t until Darcy stood to put her bowl in the sink that Ben realized how long he’d been talking. He stood and put his bowl in the sink as well. He was just about to finally ask her some questions about herself when she turned and walked toward the living room.

  “I should get going,” she said, picking up her purse as she made her way across the room. “I really am tired, and the thought of navigating these mountain roads in the dark is a little unnerving.”

  Damn. Why hadn’t he thought of that? “I…I can drive you to the hotel and pick you up in the morning if that would help. And my offer for you to stay here still stands.”

  Darcy shook her head but never made eye contact with him. She slipped her coat on and was opening the front door before he even realized what she was doing.

  Damn, she moved fast! Ben followed her out the door and to the car. She had the driver’s door open and tossed her purse in. When she stepped back, she straightened and gave him an odd look.

  No, not odd.

  Annoyed.

  What the hell?

  Deciding he wasn’t going to accept her attitude, Ben stepped in close and smiled. “It was a pleasure meeting you, and I’m really looking forward to working with you, Darcy,” he said. “I think we’re going to work well together.”

  “Thanks for dinner,” she said, shaking his hand. Her words were void of emotion, and she dropped his hand as if she’d been burned. “What time would you like me to be here in the morning? Is nine okay?”

  What’s happening? he wondered to himself. What changed from our casual conversation to right now? “Nine is okay with me,” he said carefully. “Are you sure you’re okay to drive? The roads can be kind of tricky. There’s ice and—”

  She nodded. “I’m fine. Just tired. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “I’ve got all the makings for omelets, so bring your appetite,” he said, hoping to coax a smile out of her before she left.

  He got one.

  Barely.

  Making his way toward the front steps, Ben watched as she climbed into the car and still wondered what had happened. He waved as she pulled away and stayed rooted to the spot until her taillights were out of sight. His breath was visible as he let it out. It wasn’t normally this cold in early October, but not completely unheard of either. He shivered a little as he sat on the front steps and replayed the events of the night.

  He’d been a good host.

  No signs of the arrogant jerk that he could be. Hell, he’d been out-and-out charming. So what had happened to cause Darcy to go arctic on him? No matter how much he tried, Ben could not think of anything to cause her sudden change.

  Rising, he turned and looked toward the house and realized how dark it was. There was only one small exterior light by the door and two motion-sensor lights that lit the property. Other than that, it was just dark. He thought of Darcy’s comments about the Christmas lights, and for a moment, he remembered how his grandparents always lit up the house for the holidays.

  Shaking his head, he pushed the thought aside. That was then, and it was a long time ago—when there was something to celebrate. Slowly, he walked up the steps and made his way into the house, and it was quiet again.

  Too quiet.

  Especially after having the place filled with female laughter not that long ago.

  He wandered around the house looking for something to do but couldn’t find anything. He didn’t want to watch television, wasn’t interested in reading a book. He stopped in front of the wall of windows and looked out at the property. It was dark out, but he’d turned on the outside lights earlier so he had a limited view.

  Off in the distance, he saw his workshop. Flexing his hand, he tested it. Going out and working probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do if he wanted his hand to heal properly, but right now, it was the only thing he wanted to do. There were several projects he was currently working on, but he had a desire to pull out a fresh piece of wood and create something new.

  Something different.

  Something inspired.

  A slow grin spread across his face as he quickly made his way to the master suite to get changed. It was the only bedroom on this level—another new addition—and as he stripped along the way, he was thankful for its proximity. Later on, he’d lie in the massive king-sized bed and admire the stone fireplace he’d put in. Or he’d appreciate the luxury of the spa-quality bathroom as he stood under the rainfall shower as wall jets beat on his tired skin. It would be glorious.

  But right now, all he wanted was to grab a pair of old jeans and an older sweatshirt and go and get his hands dirty.

  * * *

  Darcy seethed all the way to the hotel.

  Several times, she had wanted to scream in frustration, but what was the point?

  Benjamin Tanner was not at all what she’d expected.

  Damn him and his stupid Christmas-esque cabin!

  The rat bastard had practically been gushing over Savannah. She understood that the two of them were friends—Savannah had shared some nice stories about Ben as well—but something in the way Ben had talked just seemed like he felt more than friendship for her sister-in-law.

  And holy crap, did that make her feel awkward.

  Up until their last round of conversation, she’d felt fine. Ben was… She sighed. He was attractive. Way more attractive than Savannah had let on. So attractive that when Darcy had first climbed out of the car and seen him, her knees went weak.

  And her knees never went weak.

  Then he’d dazzled her with his smile, his home, and his cooking, and… Hell, she had started to question whether it was even smart of her to stay and work with him, because she was seriously crushing hard on him in a matter of minutes.

  That hadn’t happened to her since high school, when Jimmy Nichols had flirted with her at their homecoming game.

  She was a woman now, dammit, and she didn’t…well, she didn’t do crushes.

  Or at least she hadn’t in a while.

  Once she checked in at the hotel and got to her room, she tossed her suitcase on the rack and let out a long sigh.

  Then she put on pajamas and paced.

  “Gah!” she cried in frustration. “Why is this such a big deal? I’m here to work, and just because I thought I was interested in Ben doesn’t mean—” She stopped. “Hell, I don’t know what it means.”

  So maybe Ben had a crush on Savannah.

  So maybe she—Darcy—had a crush on Ben.

  That didn’t mean they couldn’t work together, did it?

  “I really need to talk to somebody, because I think I’m losing my mind,” she murmured.

  Anna.

  She could call Anna.

  Anna had been like a sister to her for her entire life. In all of Darcy’s earliest memories, Anna was there. It wasn’t until she had started kindergarten that she’d realized Anna was her neighbor—her friend—and not an actual sister. That wa
s right around the same time she’d realized Mary Hannigan—Anna’s mother—wasn’t someone she could have as a mother figure either.

  “Focus, you idiot,” she huffed. “We’ll get back to these mommy issues later. Right now, I have to figure out what I’m supposed to do here.” Stomping over to her purse, she pulled out her cell phone and pulled up Anna’s number. She’d text her first, just in case she was still up.

  The phone rang while in her hands, and she let out a small screech and watched it fly out of her hands and on to the bed. With her heart racing, she reached for it and saw Savannah’s name on the screen.

  “Hey!” she said, trying not to sound breathless. “What’s up?”

  “Just checking in,” Savannah replied. “The last time you texted, you were leaving the airport, so I’ve been worried.”

  Darcy couldn’t help but let out a playful snort. “God, you are such a mom now.”

  “I know, I know, but I sent you up into the wilderness, and then I didn’t hear from you.”

  “I’m sure Ben would have called you if I didn’t show up,” Darcy said with a soft laugh, and an image of Ben instantly came to mind.

  She pushed it away.

  “So what did you think of him?” Savannah asked.

  “Think of him? Um, he’s nice.”

  “And?”

  “And I got a look at the stuff he has for the book, and it’s majorly unorganized. I think once I have time to sort through it and get it all in order, he’s going to have a much easier time getting this done.”

  “Oh.”

  “Oh? What’s so oh?”

  “He was a jerk, wasn’t he? Dammit, I told him to be nice,” Savannah muttered.

  “What are you talking about? Ben wasn’t a jerk.”

  “Oh. Okay. Whew!”

  “Care to expand on that?” Darcy deadpanned.

  “Ben can be difficult. He’s not a real people person. Like, at all. I know he said he was going to be nice, but I was afraid he was just saying that to appease me.”