Holiday Promise (Hollyberry Harbor #2)

Chapter 1

ONE

Melody ducked behind a large ball of snow with a laugh that echoed across the extensive yard. Fluffy, cold flakes fell from the blue-grey clouds overhead. She poked her head up over the partial makings of a snowman, but didn’t see Max anywhere.

Slowly, she rose taller, her eyes searching for the five-year-old boy. “Max?” There were too many footprints in the snow to be able to tell where he snuck off to. She wasn’t worried that he’d ran off somewhere. His father had made sure his home was secure enough to keep him out of trouble. “Max?” she called again. “You know I don’t like it when you startle me.”

She came out from behind the large ball of snow, then heard the faint sound of a giggle. Her focus darted toward a large tree a few yards away. Melody grinned, carefully moving through the snow toward the tree. On her way, she scooped up a small handful of the white powder.

Today had been a good day, but they’d been lucky. Max wasn’t dwelling on his mother being gone. She’d passed away right after Christmas last year and the poor kid had been missing her a great deal more these days. She couldn’t blame him, and that was why she made sure they took advantage of the moments when he returned to being a carefree little boy.

The giggles quieted down just before she reached the tree, but that wasn’t what stopped her. It was the muffled sounds of tears. The snowball fell from her hand and landed on the ground as she rushed around the side of the tree to find Max with his arms wrapped around his knees and his face buried in his snow pants.

“Buddy! What’s the matter?”

He shook his head but left it buried in his knees.

“Hey, it’s okay. Whatever it is, I’m sure I can help you fix it.”

Max turned his warm brown eyes toward her, red-rimmed and the most heartbreaking expression she could remember seeing. “I don’t want to forget her.”

“Forget who, buddy?” She knelt down beside him and brushed the tear from his cheek. Their playtime had turned sour so quickly. Melody didn’t even need to ask him that question. She already knew who he spoke about.

“My mom.” He wiped at his face with his soggy glove. “I can’t remember what she sounds like.”

Her heart ached for him. She’d been hired to make sure all his needs were met, but this wasn’t a problem she could solve. Melody pulled Max onto her lap and held him tight. “You won’t forget her.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know.” She rested her chin on the top of his head. “Your dad has some videos of her. Do you want to watch some after dinner?”

Max nodded.

“How about you tell me about her. What do you remember you did last year for Christmas?”

He shrugged.

She hugged him again. “I’m sure you could think of one thing if you thought about it really hard. Close your eyes and take a deep breath.” Melody waited for a moment, unsure if this would even help.

Then Max’s quiet voice shattered the silence. “Cookies.”

“Cookies?”

He nodded. “My mom made me cookies.”

“Then I think we’re going to have to make some, too.” She pulled him to the side so she could look him in the face. “You know what else? I called your grandma a few weeks ago. She said she’d send us some stories to help you remember her. She has some pictures, too. And I’m sure your dad would be able to tell stories as well. Maybe we can ask him at supper. What do you think?”

Max nodded again. “When is my dad going to be home?”

She frowned. That wasn’t a subject she wanted to discuss. Blake had been taking on more hours at work lately. Between his longer work days and the time it took to travel home, he wasn’t spending nearly enough time with his son. “He should be home soon.”

The small boy might have been young, but he wasn’t dumb. He didn’t look convinced at all with her answer. Melody needed to distract him. Not only that, but she needed to figure out how to tell Blake that he needed to be a present father—at least for the next couple of weeks.

Melody picked up Max and helped him to his feet before she straightened. “I think we need to go inside and dry off.”

“And get some hot chocolate?” Max’s eyes managed to look even warmer, like they were chocolate and caramel blended together. How could she say no to that face? She couldn’t.

She laughed, taking his hand in hers. “Of course we’ll get some hot chocolate. Who do you think I am?”

His smile, albeit small, returned.

They hurried inside and spent the next thirty minutes doing just that. It wasn’t even five minutes after Melody had gotten Max settled at the counter with his beverage when the front door opened.

Max’s head shot up, his eyes meeting Melody’s with excitement. Without missing a beat, he jumped down from the stool where he’d been perched, and he raced toward his father. “Dad!”

Melody followed, drying her hands with the towel she held. She couldn’t help but smile at the relationship these two had. Normally, she didn’t have any complaints. But this was the final year before Max would head off to school, and more than anything, he needed his father.

Blake listened to Max chatter on about their day, not bothering to look up at Melody for even a second, but that was who he was. Blake Metcalf was a self-made man who could afford a huge house in Hollyberry Harbor while working two hours away in the city. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t heard the helicopter drop him and his assistant off. But now that they were here, she’d have to get up the courage to tell her boss what needed to be said.

Max took his father’s hand and practically dragged him toward the counter. “Melody made the best hot chocolate. She said the secret is adding cinnamon.”

That statement garnered a courtesy glance from her boss, but it was so brief she might have missed it. Thomas winked at Melody, staying just far enough away to appear invisible to Max. As far as assistants went, he was as good as they came.

“Do you want some, Dad?”

Blake had shifted his focus to the mail in his hands. “I can’t right now, sport. I have a few phone calls I have to make.” He moved away from the counter and Thomas followed on his heels.

Max’s lips puckered into a pout, but he quickly covered it up as he moved back to his stool. he stared forlornly at his beverage. There was no time like the present. Melody needed to tell Blake what was what before she lost her nerve.

Melody tossed the hand towel on the counter. “I’ll be right back, buddy.” She ruffled his hair before charging after Blake and his assistant. She caught up with both of them in the hallway.

“Oh, good. I wanted to speak to you about something.” His voice was low, almost monotone.

Melody was caught off guard for a moment, then nodded, her eyes flicking to Thomas who only shrugged. “What do you need?”

“Next week I have several meetings that will run late. I’ll need you to take some extra hours in the evenings. I gather that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Taken off guard, she didn’t respond right away. Blake turned his attention once more to the mail and continued toward his office.

Melody sent a shocked look at Thomas. “Did you know about this?”

He shrugged again. “I mean, what did you expect? He’s the head of the company.”

“Thomas, we have to go over a few things before supper,” Blake called.

Startled, Thomas took a step in that direction, then paused. “It’s really too bad. I was hoping I’d get to spend more time here. It’d be nice to get that second date.” His lips lifted into a half-smile, but when Blake called after him again with more impatience, he grimaced. “Rain check.”

Melody’s fury erupted. She’d thought Blake had planned on spending the holiday with his son. He couldn’t do this to Max. That little boy needed his father more than he needed anything else. How could Blake rationalize spending so much time away from his son?

Her face felt hot with the indignation she felt. She couldn’t just let this behavior go unchecked. It didn’t matter that he was her boss. He was a father first, and she could see how he was damaging his family.

Hands balling into fists, she charged down the long hallway toward the office. She reached the room, the door left ajar. Then hesitation hit her like an arrow through the heart. What if he decided to fire her? She didn’t have the credentials necessary to take care of Max. She’d been hired because he’d wanted to be done with the interviews. She was more than aware that she’d gotten the job by default.

Shaking her head, she reached for the door. That didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to let her concerns for her own job trump what she knew was right for Max.

Melody pushed the door open to find Blake still looking through his mail while Thomas was seated, his laptop open while he took notes. She straightened her back, took a deep breath, then cleared her throat.

Blake’s dark eyes locked with hers and instantly, she regretted her decision.