Starstruck

“I don’t know—”

“He kissed you. Trust me. The Russell ball is firmly in your court.”

“Yeah, but—”

“But nothing,” Claire said firmly. “Santa’s elves don’t deliver men. You want a relationship, you have to go after it, balls to the wall.”

“That’s your plan, too?” Alyssa asked, wanting to deflect attention. “Who’s your guy? Joe? Or is he on your shit list?”

“He won’t be on that list anymore if he comes back to me, right?”

“Claire…” Alyssa couldn’t help it. She’d never liked Joe. Not something she could tell her best friend, though. Not when he and Claire had been so serious. And not when there was nothing specific for Alyssa to point to. He was just…something.

And something wasn’t sufficient to justify disclosure. Because the last thing Alyssa wanted was to confess to her friend that she didn’t care for her boyfriend, and then find out that Claire and Joe had gotten engaged.

“Then it’s settled,” Claire said firmly. “We have a plan.”

Alyssa shook her head. “I don’t think I can—”

“Yes,” Claire said firmly, “you can. Who’s the girl who told Bob she’d had enough?”

“I did,” Alyssa said, her stomach already twisting into knots. “But that was like making the decision to give my bicycle to Goodwill. You’re asking me to commit to buying a Rolls Royce.”

“You deserve a Rolls,” Claire said. “Why shouldn’t you have one? And you wouldn’t be buying it, anyway. Just test-driving. But how will you know until you go take it for a spin?”

“I think this analogy’s getting out of control.”

“Maybe,” Claire conceded. “But you have to work for your own happiness, and doesn’t that make sense even more during the Christmas season?”

“I do work for my own happiness,” Alyssa said. “Law school. Job. Really good paycheck.” Even as she said it, though, Alyssa knew that wasn’t enough. The working world wasn’t a safe place. Her mom had been a teacher for fifteen years when she’d gotten laid off without any warning at all. And lately Alyssa was getting calls from law-school friends who’d lost their jobs when the economy had done a number on their firms.

Besides, she didn’t want to be a single girl forever. Not even a single girl with a bank account. The one thing her parents had always had—even despite the fights about money—was love. Her dad may have been Mr. Irresponsible, but he loved her mom deeply and passionately, and her mom returned it in spades. Alyssa wanted that. Craved it. A home. A family.

She just didn’t want the drama that her mother had put up with, and she wanted to know that the mortgage would always get paid.

“You know I’m right,” Claire said, watching her shrewdly. “So let’s go out and get what we want. Take the bull by the horns. The man by the—”

“Claire!”

“Well, you know.”

Alyssa drew in a breath. She’d had a fabulous time with Russell that night they’d had drinks. They’d laughed and talked, and there’d been not a single awkward moment. And then it had all fizzled away.

Why on earth had she let it fizzle away?

“Maybe you’re right,” she said, taking a breath for courage. “It’s our holiday, our lives.”

“And our men.” Claire smiled, smug and determined. “We just have to make them realize it.” She reached for her mug, then held it up in a toast. “To making this the best holiday ever, and to starting the New Year with our men at our sides.”

Alyssa thought of Russell. Of the way he’d smiled at her when they were working on the fundraising campaign. The way his eyes had darkened when she’d drawn a maraschino cherry into her mouth. The way they’d laughed over nothing in particular.

And the way he’d kissed her ever-so-gentlemanly when he’d escorted her to the door that evening. And then she imagined his hands on her in a very not-so-gentleman-like way….

Yeah, she thought as she clinked her mug against Claire’s. I can drink to that.

ALYSSA STARED at the Web page. Russell wasn’t even in Dallas at the moment, which meant that not only was Claire’s Go-for-the-Guy plan not happening, but Alyssa’s own plan to meet with Russell and try to wrangle a new client for the firm had been shot all to hell.

Instead of being conveniently located downtown, Russell was in Santa Fe, at the gala opening of the Santa Fe Starr, an over-the-top, total luxury, full-service, five-star resort located about twenty miles outside of Santa Fe proper. According to the articles she’d found, the resort was absolutely state-of-the-art and the height of luxury. The guest list for the week surrounding Christmas Day was chock-full of the rich and famous, including a few Oscar nominees and Emmy-award winners. All proceeds from the first week went to Love without Boundaries, the charity that Alyssa knew Russell supported wholeheartedly.

“You have to go there,” Claire said.

“Are you crazy? It’s invitation only. It says so right there,” she added, pointing to the article.

“You have to go,” Claire repeated. “You have the entire week off, Alyssa. This is the perfect time. Besides, we just made a Christmas pledge. You can’t wait until after the season to follow through on a Christmas pledge.”

“I didn’t know the pledge would involve cross-country travel,” Alyssa said, thinking of the plane that would inevitably be involved.

“One state. New Mexico’s right next door.”

“Claire.” Alyssa injected a hint of warning into her voice.

“I’m serious. This is your chance.”

“What? To make a fool of myself?”

“To find out if there’s anything between you and Russell. He asked you out, remember? You should have followed through back then. You didn’t. But now you have a second chance. So don’t blow it.”

Alyssa licked her lips, unsure. Russell was perfect, and exactly the kind of man she knew she wanted. But still—

“It’s also your chance to nail partnership.”

Now that was Claire talking sense.

“That’s your cover for going to the resort,” Claire continued, as if Alyssa weren’t already on the same page. “The reason you tell Russell you came. To talk about what Starr Industries wants in its outside legal counsel. You need a new client, right? What better chance to line one up than when you’re looking all sexy and gorgeous in a black slinky dress?”

“And it makes sense to talk to him away from the office,” Alyssa said. “Remind him that we go way back. Maybe even grab a meal with him so that we can get more into the details of what Prescott and Bayne can offer than we could during a half-hour slot in his office with the next appointment scratching at the door.”

“All the experts say that if you want to land a client you first make them a friend.” Claire grinned. “Sounds to me like you’re well on the way with Russell.”

Alyssa shook her head. “But mixing business and pleasure. It could get awkward…”

Claire rolled her eyes. “Jumping the gun much? You don’t have the client or the boyfriend yet. Just go. See what happens. You owe it to yourself to follow up on this, and you damn well know it.”

Alyssa licked her lips. “I’m not sure if it’s crazy or brilliant.”

“Brilliant,” Claire confirmed, passing Alyssa the phone even as she picked up her own cell phone and pushed a speed-dial number. “Dial.”

Alyssa did, calling information first, and then getting patched through to the hotel’s front desk.