Making Merry: A Christmas Romance Read online

  “It’s Christmas,” she said. “And I propose that we celebrate it by forgetting about our jobs for now. How about for tonight, while we’re stuck here, I’ll just be Holly and you just be Nathan. I don’t think we can apply the normal rules to this at all.”

  “Alright, Holly. For tonight, we’re just two people getting to know one another.”

  She didn’t answer him. Instead, she folded her arms over her chest and shivered.

  “This isn’t working. The temperature is dropping too fast in here and it’s only going to get colder,” he said.

  “What should we do?”

  “Well, like you said… it’s Christmas. And I’m going to play Santa Clause. Wait here,” Nathan instructed. Before she even had a chance to answer him, he was off. He had an idea and he thought it might just work.

  4

  Holly touched the silk sleep mask that covered her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re doing and I don’t know why I can’t look.”

  “Because, it’s a surprise,” he said. “A Christmas surprise.”

  Holly bit back a giggle. Now that she was warm, wrapped the softest down comforter that he’d draped around her, she could appreciate the uniqueness of their situation. How many people had wondered what it would be like to be locked in a department store overnight, after all? Anyone who’d ever seen the 80’s romcom, Mannequin. That was who. And since it was one of Holly’s favorite movies, well, she’d wondered a lot.

  She could hear the moving of some furniture and other things, a muffled curse, a thump. “Is everything okay?”

  “Fine. Everything is fine,” he said. “And now, Holly, you can remove your blindfold.”

  Reaching up, Holly shoved the silk mask upward and blinked in amazement. “What is all this? How?” she asked.

  On the table before her were three Christmas trees in varying heights. They were small, intended for outdoor or porch usage in their terra-cotta pots. But they were twinkling with multicolored lights and in the darkness of the store, it was magical.

  “Battery operated,” he answered. “You said it, Holly. It’s Christmas. I wasn’t planning on celebrating it, but since we’re here, why shouldn’t we?”

  Glancing over at him, the twinkling lights flashing red, blue and green over the chiseled planes of his face she thought it was just amazing. “It’s beautiful, Mr. Bishop. Thank you.”

  “Nathan,” he corrected. “Tonight, we’re just Holly and Nathan, right?”

  “Right,” she agreed. “Holly and Nathan.”

  He moved toward the couch and placed the bag of food he’d retrieved from his office between them. “Turkey or pastrami?” he asked.

  “Half of each?” she said.

  A grin spread across his face as he pulled the sandwiches from the bag and carefully unwrapped them. “The perfect compromise. Maybe I should let you handle all of my negotiations?”

  She picked up her half of the pastrami sandwich. “That sounds suspiciously like work talk, Nathan.”

  “So it does. Fine. No more work. Tell me something about you that I don’t know.”

  She laughed. “That’s a lot. We barely know one another at all!”

  “Okay,” he said, lifting his sandwich to his lips and taking a bite. “Pick something.”

  “If I pick the topic you have to answer first,” she said and refilled grabbed one of the soft drinks he’d managed to come up with from somewhere.

  “Sounds fair,” he agreed.

  “What did you want to be when you grew up?” she asked.

  “Everything,” he replied with a laugh. “Baseball player, cop, fireman, cowboy, knight… and astronaut. Now it’s your turn. What did you want to be?”

  Holly frowned. “Growing up, living with my grandparents, it was all re-runs on TV of older shows from the fifties and sixties. So I honestly always wanted to be like June Cleaver. Wearing pretty dresses and always looking put together while I took care of my house and my family. That sounds dumb, doesn’t it? I mean women are supposed to want careers and success and all of that, but it was just never important to me.”

  “I don’t think it’s dumb,” he said. “I think it would be nice to have a traditional family. That’s a rare thing these days. Why don’t you have that? I can’t imagine that it’s for lack of offers.”

  Holly shook her head. “I answered the last question. It’s your turn… if a traditional family sounds good to you too, why were you spending Christmas alone and working?”

  * * *

  Nathan met her steady gaze and decided that it was a question worth answering, even if he didn’t like the answer. “I was married… but Lisa and I wanted very different things. She never wanted to start a family. And I was focused on getting the store back and she wanted to travel and be famous on Instagram for hanging out with all the right people. That was never for me. And since the divorce, the legal battles with Elizabeth have taken all of my time… Maybe if I can get the store turned around I can work on that. Now it’s your turn.”

  “Oh, well,” she paused, chewing her lower lip uncertainly. “No one has ever asked… I haven’t dated very much honestly. I was terribly shy and also terribly unpopular in school. Then afterward, my grandfather passed away and I was always helping my grandmother with my younger sister. Then my grandmother became ill… and there wasn’t any time.”

  “There’s time now,” Nathan pointed out. It stung, the thought of her going out with anyone. He was honest enough to admit it was because he wanted her himself, despite all the very good and very abundant reasons that was a bad idea.

  “And limited prospects,” she retorted smartly. “Most men don’t really want to date a woman my size… or they want to date me because of it and that’s just… I don’t know it’s kind of weird and objectifying.”

  “So what do you want, Holly Merriweather?”

  “I want someone who just wants me for me… where it doesn’t matter if I lose twenty pounds or gain twenty pounds,” she said.

  I do. He did want her. From the moment he’d first laid eyes on her, there had been something about her that called to him. If circumstances were different, nothing would have stopped him from pursuing her. But he was her employer! And the current social climate did not make relationships with that dynamic easy.

  “You should have that and you shouldn’t have to settle for anything less,” he offered.

  “Isn’t that what we all want? Someone who accepts us just as we are, no matter what?”

  “I suppose it is,” he said. That was certainly true of his marriage. Lisa had never accepted him, and he’d never really accepted her. “You’re a very wise woman, Holly. And somewhere out there, there’s someone who is perfect for you.”

  “What about you. What do you want?”

  Just you. He didn’t say it. God, how he wanted to. But instead, he went with the safe answer. “To save this store. I can’t afford to want anything else until that’s done.”

  She smiled at him. “You will. I know you will. For what it’s worth, I believe in you and I believe in your vision for this store.”

  “Thank you, Holly… and it’s worth a lot more than you can ever know.”

  They grew silent then, sitting there in the darkened store with only the glimmer of the battery powered Christmas trees and the faint light coming in through the upper windows to illuminate the space. It was intimate, isolated, and so very welcome. If he’d married a woman like Holly, then every night could have been like that. Sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, enjoying a glass of wine and perhaps a stolen kiss.

  Holly laughed suddenly, a light and self deprecating sound that seemed to have been sparked by her own thoughts.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I was just thinking how silly Barbara was to think you were interested in me!”

  “I never said she was wrong, Holly,” Nathan admitted. “If I weren’t your boss… well, it wouldn’t have taken a night like this for me to make a move.”

  Her sm
iled faded completely. “You don’t really mean that. You’re just being nice!”

  “Yes. I’m risking sexual harassment suits and being blacklisted in the business world for the sake of being nice,” he retorted. “You’re really down on yourself and I don’t know why. You’re smart, you’re beautiful, you’re probably one of the deep down nicest people I’ve ever met… Why wouldn’t I want to go out with you?

  Holly just blinked at him. There was no way her to answer that question without it sounding like her self esteem was in the toilet. And, okay, yeah, it was. But she didn’t need to broadcast that. Finally, she managed. “Are you serious?”

  “Completely, serious… and the longer I sit here with you, the more I think it might be worth the risk even if I am your boss,” Nathan said.

  * * *

  Holly’s heart was pounding in her chest. The man she’d been drooling over, dreaming about and in general crushing on like she was still in junior high was sitting right beside her telling her that he liked her too.

  “You’re not my boss tonight,” she said. The words, boldly spoken, were a surprise to them both. “You’re just Nathan and I’m just Holly. So…what are you going to do about it?”

  One of his dark brows raised in question. “I’m open to suggestions.”

  Holly tilted her head to the side, as if considering, but she already knew what she wanted. “You could kiss me. You never know if you really like someone unti—.”

  His lips were on hers before she could even finish the sentence. And oh dear heavens. It was better than any fantasy she’d had. It didn’t help that she hadn’t been kissed in a very, very long time. But it was him. It was Nathan. Her Mr. Bishop. And that made it so much better.

  Closing her eyes, she just gave herself up to it, savoring each of the sensations. One of his hands rested on her cheek, while the other was in her hair. His lips were soft and smooth against hers and she could feel the slight scrape of his whiskers on her skin. The only way she could describe it was magical. From the first touch of his lips against hers, it was everything that a kiss was supposed to be. Soft, sweet, tender, with just a little bit of heat… and then he nipped her lower lip with his teeth. More than a little heat.

  Holly shuddered beneath her down comforter. Despite the warmth it had provided, she resented it in that moment. She resented anything that kept space between them.

  As if reading her thoughts, he dropped his hand from her cheek and tugged the heavy comforter aside. Then he pulled her against him, her breasts crushed against his chest and his arms wrapping around her to hold her close.

  Holly didn’t think after that. She just held onto him, focusing on the glorious sensation of being kissed by a man who’d clearly perfected the art of it.

  When at last he pulled back from her, he smoothed the hair from her face. “If there weren’t cameras all over this store, I’d show you how much I’ve been wanting you with a lot more than a kiss.”

  “Cameras? Wouldn’t the power render them useless?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “They run on a battery backup. It’s hard to tell but there’s a generator running auxiliary heat in her now… not enough to make it warm but enough to make sure none of the merchandise would be damaged by the cold.”

  “Oh… then I guess it’s a good thing you stopped,” Holly said, but she couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice.

  He smiled. “I can’t do all the things I want with you tonight… but I can hold you, at least. If you’d like.”

  Her breath caught. “I would like that very much.”

  They maneuvered about, repositioning themselves on the couch until they were seated close together. His feet were stretched out on the chaise part of it and Holly rested against his side, her head on his chest and his arms around her as they huddled beneath their borrowed comforter.

  5

  It was the clanging of the gates that woke her. Holly sat up, rubbing her eyes. It was only when her hand came away smudged with the last vestiges of her mascara that she remembered where she was and all that had happened. She wasn’t someone who functioned well without the benefit of copious amounts of caffeine. It took her a few seconds to make all of it make sense.

  She was in the store, sleeping on a couch in the same clothes she’d worn the day before, and there was a hard, warm body—oh heavens!

  “Good morning, sleepy head.”

  Holly didn’t even want to think about what she looked like. Her hair was likely standing on end and no doubt she had terrible raccoon eyes. But the way he smiled at her made it easy to forget all that. In fact, the way he smiled at her made her feel something she hadn’t in a very long time. It made her feel beautiful.

  “Good morning,” she replied, feeling suddenly shy but still incredibly happy.

  “I think Barbara had an attack of conscience and sent Hank to free us,” he said. “The gates have all been opened. We should probably try to make it look like last night wasn’t one of the best of our lives.”

  Holly bit back a smile at his teasing. “Does it count as a date? If it does, I think it’s the best date I’ve ever been on.”

  Nathan grinned at her. “Then yes, it counts. And as first dates go, I’d say it was definitely unique.”

  “First date?” she asked, puzzled. “Shouldn’t it be only date?”

  His expression turned serious. “Maybe it should… but I’m not going to let it be. The one thing I got out of last night, Holly, besides having the best kiss of my life, is that I finally got to see what’s missing from my life. There’s no going back now.”

  Holly’s heart began to race. “Are you asking me to go out with you, Mr. Bishop?”

  “Yes, Miss Merriweather, I am… and I’m also asking you to spend Christmas day with me,” he replied. “And don’t go making any plans for Valentine’s Day just yet either. I’m staking a claim.”

  “Mr. Bishop?”

  The bellowing voice of the security guard had them jumping apart like kids that had been caught making out. Holly stifled a giggle at his pained expression.

  “We’re back here in furniture, Hank!” Nathan called out.

  The burley security guard rounded one of the display units and he wasn’t alone. Barbara Mills was with him. Wearing fur that probably wasn’t fake and was probably as vintage as she was, the woman looked like old Hollywood glamour even at nine in the morning on Christmas day.

  “Oh, thank goodness you’re both okay!” she cried. “When I discovered the power had been out on this side of town this morning, I was terrified!”

  “Because you remembered that you’d ‘accidentally’ locked us in overnight?” Nathan asked pointedly.

  Barbara had the good grace to at least look sheepish about it. “I’m so terribly sorry. It was the all the rushing for the holidays, of course. But thank goodness you’re both alright! You are alright, aren’t you?”

  “We’re fine,” Holly said. “Cold, hungry, and in dire need of fresh coffee, but otherwise fine.”

  Barbara looked around at the bedding and various items. “Well, get the tickets of all those items and I’ll write up the order first thing in the morning.”

  “Let’s all get out of here and get the store locked back up… this time without anyone inside,” Nathan stated.

  Holly rose from the couch and retrieved her shoes, sliding her feet into the sensible, low heeled black pumps. “I’ll need to get my things from the locker area.”

  “I’ll walk with you, dear,” Barbara said. “It’s very spooky in here when it’s deserted, isn’t it?”

  The older woman stepped forward and looped her arm though Holly’s leaving Holly no choice but to go along with her. When they were almost back to the escalators and the grand staircase that ran between them, Barbara finally spoke.

  “Tell me, dear, did you and Nathan get to know one another a bit through the night? I know he can seem very intimidating, but he’s such a wonderful man.”

  “Mrs. Mills, I know what you di
d. Mr. Bishop knows what you did. Hank probably even knows what you did. And I’m sure we all know it wasn’t accidental,” Holly said.

  Barbara smiled then. “But did it work?”

  Holly said nothing. She just turned on her heel and headed down the stairs toward the employee break area and the lockers.

  * * *

  Nathan met the security guard’s knowing glance directly. “The footage from overnight… how long is it on the cloud server?”

  “Thirty days, Mr. Bishop, unless we download the file,” Hank replied.

  “And who has access to it?”

  “Only security staff, sir, and management, of course… Is there something on there that shouldn’t be seen, Mr. Bishop?”

  “No, Hank. There’s nothing inappropriate on there… but this incident will raise curiosity, no doubt. I don’t want to see Miss Merriweather become the brunt of damaging gossip and speculation. If anyone accesses the footage—.”

  “It’s logged electronically, sir. If anyone should attempt to access it, I’ll know,” Hank offered reassuringly.

  “Right. Thank you, Hank. Your discretion is much appreciated it.”

  “Certainly, Mr. Bishop… Miss Merriweather is a nice girl, isn’t she?”

  “She is a very nice woman,” Nathan agreed.

  “And a pretty one,” the security guard noted.

  “She is,” Nathan agreed.

  “It would certainly be easy to understand how a man might be tempted to break a few rules if it meant getting to have a woman like that in his life.”

  Nathan stared at the man for a moment before a grin spread across his face. “Barbara didn’t act alone, I see.”

  “No, sir,” Hank admitted. “You see, I do a walk through of this building, floor by floor, every night before I turn that key.”

  “Until last night,” Nathan stated.

  “Until last night,” Hank agreed. “Am I fired, sir?”