Mistletoe, Baby

“Where would you like your bags, Ms. Montgomery?” Glen asked.

Alexis blinked rapidly, gave her head a slight shake and turned to face the three men who stood behind her.

“Umm.” She looked around quickly.

“The bedrooms are downstairs,” Graham offered, briefly glancing up from his cell phone.

She looked at him with a raised brow of question.

“My apartment is similar,” he said by way of an answer. “I’m on top of you.”

Her insides quivered. On top of me. Her thoughts galloped off at breakneck speed and nearly dragged her along with them. She drew in a breath. “Downstairs, then,” she said. “Thanks.”

Glen and Michael unloaded the cart and began taking the bags to the lower level.

“This apartment is fabulous.”

“They’ve upgraded all of the units in the past five years.” He looked casually around. “Vernon did a nice job with the space.”

“How long have you lived here?”

“Almost eight years.”

Glen and Michael returned. “Your bags are in the master bedroom,” Glen offered.

“Thank you so much.”

He nodded his head and hurried out, shutting the door softly behind him.

“We’ll let you get settled,” Graham said and was walking to the door before all of the words were out of his mouth. Michael reached the door before him and opened it.

“Thank you again,” Alexis called out.

Graham raised a hand in acknowledgment just before the door closed behind them.

Alexis released a breath of pure, giddy delight. She grabbed the handrail and hurried downstairs. She reached the bottom and stopped in her tracks. The bottom of the stairs opened onto a sitting room. The walls had built-in shelves with cabinets underneath. Beyond the sitting room was a full bathroom on the other side of the stairs. Down the narrow hallway was another kitchen—smaller than the one upstairs but just as finely detailed and equipped. Opposite the kitchen was a formal dining room. The next room over was a good-size bedroom and around a short corner was the master bedroom with a cedar walk-in closet complete with en suite.

Now this is off the charts. She opened and closed doors and explored all the nooks and crannies. Wait until she told Naomi. She had definitely hit pay dirt. Dream job, dream apartment in the city that never sleeps and a boss that... Her breath caught in her chest. She wouldn’t think about that. Couldn’t think about it. Instinctively her eyes rose and she imagined Graham walking through his apartment—on top of her.

Chapter 3

Graham loosened his tie and shrugged out of his jacket while he walked from the entrance straight to his bedroom. He’d opted to keep his bedroom on the lower level as well, with the main level reserved for dining and entertaining. He’d purchased the apartment almost eight years earlier but he was still unaccustomed to the luxury of it all. His former life was a far cry from the one he lived now and even though the battle scars weren’t visible they remained.

He hung his jacket on the hook behind his bedroom door, opened his walk-in closet and slid his suitcase inside, only taking out his shaving kit. He’d deal with unpacking later. He tugged his tie all the way off and hung it on the tie rack, stepped out of his shoes and placed them on the shelf with the others then shut the closet door. Two rows of shoes. Sometimes he had to look more than once to believe it.

What he wanted was a cold beer, to stretch out on the couch and catch a Knicks game. He stripped out of his shirt, tossed it in the laundry bag and hung his slacks up with his jacket on the back of the door. He’d have Milton send everything over to the dry cleaner in the morning along with his other suit and the shirts from his trip.

He grabbed a white T-shirt from the middle drawer of his dresser and a pair of navy blue sweatpants that were faded and as soft as a baby’s blanket from years of washing and wearing. The U.S. Navy insignia on the right pocket was barely visible. He headed back upstairs with the hope that there was at least one beer in the fridge. He lucked out.

He plucked the bottle of Coors from the shelf and took a quick look at the contents inside the fridge and then the deep freezer, packed tight with meats, fish and chicken. A ball of tension knotted in his stomach. He walked over to the pantry and pulled the door open and then the cabinets one by one. His heart thundered in his chest. Not enough. There wasn’t enough. For a moment his right hand trembled ever so slightly as he ran it across the rows of canned goods, boxed items, bags of pastas, jars of sauces and columns of spices. What he saw was half full, not abundance. Rationally he understood that, but emotionally he saw empty. He felt pangs of hunger and an unreasonable fear that made his heart race.

He forced himself to close the cabinet door. He twisted off the cap on the beer bottle and took a long, calming swallow. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed his pulse to slow. By degrees he began to relax and the images of his past slowly receded.

Graham crossed the room, picked up the remote from the coffee table and aimed it at the wall-mounted flat-screen television. He surfed until he found the game before setting down the remote. Second quarter. The Knicks were down by ten. He shook his head, chuckled and stretched out on the couch.

When a commercial played across the screen showcasing a quartet of beautiful women celebrating with a night out on the town, he thought of Alexis Montgomery and wondered how she would fit in with his team and the pace of the New York lifestyle.

He’d read her résumé. It was impressive to say the least. She had an MBA in finance and a doctorate in education. She spoke fluent Spanish, French and was competent in Mandarin. She was well traveled, well-read and well respected, and she was definitely easy on the eyes. He was eager to hear her thoughts on the proposal that he’d given her to review. He liked the sound of her voice, the even throatiness of it and the way she looked directly at him. And even the way she tackled opening that bottle of water. He smiled and took another long swallow of beer just as the game resumed.

* * *

In a little under two hours, Alexis had unpacked and began to familiarize herself with her new digs. She’d set up her laptop in the smaller of the two bedrooms that she would use as her office. She’d verified that the cable was on and the internet was working—all courtesy of R.E.A.L. There were the basic staples in the fridge and pantry but she needed to go food shopping, especially to pick up some of the things that she liked. She had no idea where to go but maybe Milton could tell her where the nearest supermarket was.

She shoved her feet into her sneakers, grabbed her purse and dropped her cell phone inside. She palmed the weight of her new keys and grinned as she wrapped her fingers around them and her new life. She took another look around before heading out of the door.

Milton was reading the New York Times when she approached the front desk. “Ms. Montgomery.” He rested the paper on the desk. “How can I help you?”

“I was wondering if you could tell me where I could find the nearest supermarket.”

His right brow rose momentarily. “Certainly.” He frowned. “Should I get you a car service?”

“How far is it?”

“Several blocks.”

She smiled. “I’ll be fine. I could use a good walk and get a chance to see the neighborhood.”

He didn’t look convinced and gave a slight shrug. He came from behind the desk with the intention of walking with her outside and pointing her in the right direction, just as the elevator bell tinged and Graham stepped off. His dark eyes widened. A half smile teased his mouth as he approached the desk.

“Everything okay with your flat?”

Flat. That made her smile. “Fine. Everything is great. I was asking Milton about the supermarkets in the area. I want to pick up a few things.”

Graham placed the linen laundry bag with the building’s logo on the desk. “Can you send these out for me? The usual. Light starch on the shirts.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Stone.”

“If you don’t mind some company, I’ll walk with you,” Graham offered.

“Great.”

Graham extended his arm toward the front door.

* * *

The early-evening weather was still warm. Couples walked hand in hand and families strolled along the avenues pushing baby strollers, while others jogged to the rhythm of the tunes coming from their headsets and earbuds. The towering trees had begun to bloom, filling the air with the sweet scent of awakening.

“Great neighborhood,” Alexis said as they made the turn onto First Avenue.