Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
NATALIE
This was so surreal. It wasn’t a date. It’s not a date. The hours spent repeating that sentence while getting dressed up for the party had worked. When I’d showed up at The Baxter, I’d been ready for an evening shift with Violet.
But then Maddox had strolled through the doors with that confident, sexy swagger. One glance at him in that tailored suit and I’d skyrocketed to fantasyland. The man was so hot he could turn the lobby’s Christmas tree into kindling with a single sultry look.
This was not a date.
But what if it was? I was giving myself the climb to the second floor to pretend.
The heat from his arm radiated through his jacket as we ascended the staircase. Never in my life had I thought I’d be walking into a party on Maddox’s arm.
With every step, I felt the pressure of eyes aimed our way. Maddox was a billionaire, and even though he didn’t live in Bozeman, his success made him a local celebrity in his small hometown.
A quick glance over my shoulder and I saw more than one gaze aimed at his face. To be fair, it was a fantastic face. We reached the ballroom and the conversation inside it died. For a split second, the only sound was the holiday-themed background music.
Maddox commanded attention and all eyes swung his way.
My way.
“Daddy, there’s punch.” Violet let go of his hand to point to a table with various carafes and pitchers. She was totally unfazed by the people staring. Then again, she was part of Maddox’s orbit and probably used to the spotlight. “Can I get a drink?”
“Sure. You need to stay in this ballroom or with Natalie. All night, got it?”
“Got it.” Then she was gone, her dress a red streak across the space.
“Thanks for the escort.” I slid my arm free of his.
“My pleasure.” Maddox grinned as he looked down. His blue eyes sparkled. They were almost... flirty?
No. No way. Maybe?
Filling my lungs was a challenge. My imagination had hitched a ride on Santa’s sleigh and was soaring to new levels. Just the notion that Maddox might find me attractive was insane.
The crowd came to my rescue, bringing my feet to earth. As Maddox had suspected, people began moving our way. In moments, he’d be inundated.
“I’d better catch up with Violet.”
“Save me a dance later?”
“Um . . .” What. The. Christmas Fudge. “Sure? ”
His grin widened, then he was swallowed up by guests. He stood taller than most until Keith came over to shake his hand.
I tore my eyes away and spotted Violet. In both hands, she clutched a plastic cup nearly overflowing with cherry liquid. At least if she spilled, it would blend with her dress.
She put it to her lips and the smile she gave after the first swallow was so sweet, I found myself smiling too.
“Nat!” A wave caught the corner of my eye and some of the nerves from the party vanished at seeing a familiar face coming my way.
I waved back and crossed the room. “Hey, Stella.”
“It’s so good to see you.” She pulled me into a hug.
Stella and I had been friends since high school. She’d been a freshman on the swim team my junior year. No sweeter soul had ever graced the pool. All these years later and we’d stayed in touch, meeting for a drink now and then to catch up. I’d tell her about the kids I was watching, and she’d entertain me with her older brother’s latest antics.
“I had no idea you’d be here,” she said.
“It was a last-minute invite. I’m actually here to work.”
At that moment, Violet appeared at my side, her punch cup empty. “Can I have more?”
I laughed. “Let’s pace ourselves. We have all night.”
“How are you?” Stella asked. “It’s been forever.”
Before I could answer, Heath appeared at her side along with Stella’s brother.
Guy was midsentence when he noticed me and did a double take. “Natalie?”
“Hey. Good to see you, Guy.”
“Been a while.”
We’d graduated together but it had been a while since we’d bumped into one another. Guy had always been a source of entertainment. He’d been our class clown. The boy who’d try anything, no matter how reckless. Wherever Heath and Tobias had gone, Guy had been close to follow. Our lockers had been beside each other’s, and he’d always had an extra piece of his spearmint gum to share.
He was chewing some tonight, his jaw working as he checked out my ass.
“Guy.” I waited until he looked at my face, then I gave him a headshake.
“You sure?”
I giggled. “Quite. But thanks anyway.”
He chuckled. “Are you here alone?”
“Nope.” I looked down to Violet, holding out my hand to take hers. “Violet’s my date tonight. And we’re raiding the dessert table before any of the good stuff disappears.”
“Natalie’s the coolest of the cool,” Stella told her. “You’re going to have a blast tonight.”
“But not as cool as Uncle Heath, right?” Heath held out his hand for Violet to smack it.
She ignored him.
“Ouch.” Heath feigned a wound to the heart.
Stella laughed, a blush coloring her cheeks as she looked to him. She’d had a tiny crush on him in high school. Clearly it hadn’t gone away.
Heath glanced at her, his gaze drifting down the low-cut V of her dress. He tore his eyes away, too quickly, when Guy nudged his arm and jerked his chin to the door.
A cute brunette and a petite blonde had just walked into the ballroom.
“Be my wingman,” Guy said. “Hit on the blonde.”
“Um...” Heath rubbed the back of his neck, looking to Stella.
She was studying her heels .
Guy clapped Heath on the shoulder, steering him away and leaving Stella crestfallen.
“You okay?” I bumped elbows with Stella.
“Great!” She winced at her own volume.
“I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.”
“I just started working at Holiday Homes.” She shrugged. “Keith invites the whole office. I was actually going to skip and go to church with my parents, then hang out at home, but Guy talked me into coming. He promised to hang out with me because his girlfriend just dumped him. He’s kind of broken up about it, even though he won’t admit it. I felt bad for him, so I told him I’d be his date. But... he just ditched me.”
“Want to hang with us?”
“I think I’m going to grab a drink.” She smiled at us both, then nodded toward the bar.
The bar where Heath was now standing alone. Sans the blonde. I guess he’d already shirked his wingman duties.
“Have fun.” I winked, then tugged on Violet’s hand. “Sugar time?”
“How many desserts can I have before dinner?”
“One.”
“Four,” she countered.
“One.”
“Three.”
I arched an eyebrow. “One.”
Her eye roll was spectacular. By the time she hit sixteen, she’d be able to teach a masterclass on attitude. “Fine. One.”
“Glad we could agree.”
She got two, which I blamed on her father. While we were at the dessert table, eyeing the assortments of mini cakes and cookies and candies, I’d caught sight of Maddox.
From across the room I’d felt his pull. His allure.
He’d been surrounded by men, all wearing suits and ties with cocktails in their grips. Each one of them hanging on Maddox’s every word. When he spoke, you listened to that deep, soothing voice. I’d been too far away to hear whatever it was he’d been saying, yet still, I’d been glued to the sight of his mouth moving, his lips forming words.
Violet had snuck a second cookie while I’d been drooling over the way he’d combed his hair tonight. Dark and stylish, pulled artfully away from a part over his left eyebrow. He’d kept one hand in his pocket while the other had held a tumbler with a gin and tonic. Whenever he’d smiled, that sexy dimple would pop on his clean-shaven face.
Violet reached for a caramel, thinking I wasn’t watching, but I caught her fingers. “Let’s get away from this table.”
The band’s lead singer took the microphone and welcomed the growing crowd. As the caterers swept into the room carrying trays of heavy hors d’oeuvres, he crooned the beginning of a sultry jazz number that enticed couples to the dance floor.
The space was a simple square with a row of windows on the exterior walls to overlook Main Street. Cocktail tables had been staged with white tablecloths. The ballroom’s crystal chandelier cast a golden glow over the guests. The bar in the corner would be a popular spot.
“What do you think of the party?” I asked Violet as we lapped the room.
“It’s nice. Some of the parties Daddy took me to at home are way bigger though. But they were so boring.”
“Every single one? Come on. I bet one of them was fun, wasn’t it?”
“Well, this one time, we got to go to a pool party. There was a waterslide and noodles and a lot of other kids to play with.”
“Oooh. Now you’re talking. I love pool parties and swimming is my favorite thing ever. ”
“Really?”
I nodded. “We have a couple of days together after Christmas. Maybe I’ll see if I can convince your dad to let me take you swimming. What do you say?”
“Yessss.” Her smile widened, then dropped in a flash. “Daddy didn’t pack my floaties. They’re still at home. I can stand up in Nana and Papa’s hot tub but he doesn’t let me swim in a pool without my floaties.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you sink. I teach kids how to swim.”
“You do?” She cocked her head to the side, staring at me like I was this entirely different person.
“Yes.” I giggled. “Want me to teach you how to swim?”
“Okay.” She nodded so wildly that her tiara came loose.
I fixed her crown, then we wandered around the ballroom, stopping at every window to peer outside. We ate food, hunting down different trays when something caught our eye. We refilled our punch cups twice. And when she got bored watching the adults, we escaped the ballroom and ventured downstairs for a change of scenery and closer inspection of the tree.
Once I found a topic Violet liked, she became this animated, wonderful storyteller. From her favorite books to cartoons to games, she was pure entertainment. Minute by minute, she was letting her guard down.
The party was in full swing by the time we returned to the second floor, the noise having doubled.
Keith spotted us as we walked through the doors and his whole face lit up when he looked at his granddaughter. “Violet, there you are. I was hoping you’d be my first dance. Wanna boogie?”
“A boogie? Eww.” She giggled and took his hand, letting him lead her to the floor .
I hovered by the wall, watching as he twirled her around and made her laugh. She really was a beautiful child, inside and out. She was shy at times. Incredibly sweet at others, like how there’d only been one double chocolate cookie left, and when we’d both reached for it, she’d insisted I take it. The more she talked, the more her personality came alive. Her spirit was enchanting.
The naughty girl I’d met just days ago was nowhere in sight, which only confirmed my suspicions. That attitude of hers was an act to attract Maddox’s attention. That, or her mother’s. Not that Violet had mentioned her mom, not even once.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding.” Maddox’s rugged voice snapped me out of my trance. He stepped beside me, his suit jacket brushing against the sleeve of my dress. “Dance with me.”
God, it was sexy that he didn’t ask. “Don’t feel obligated to entertain me. I’m fine.”
“Actually, you’re the only one in the room who I want to talk to. So I thought maybe you could entertain me.” He held out his hand and maybe a different woman would have had the power to resist, but the moment my palm slid against his, any notion of objecting vanished.
Wide and warm with long fingers, his hand enveloped mine as he whisked me to the dance floor and swept me into his arms, holding me closer than was professional.
The scent of his spicy cologne filled my nose. The strength of his arm banded around my hip. The temptation of those lips was heady. Fuck professionalism. This was my only chance to dance with Maddox Holiday.
My prom dreams were coming true.
“I’m not a great dancer,” he confessed as his fingertips pressed in deeper to the small of my back.
“Oh, I’d say you’re doing fine.” I followed his lead, savoring the feel of his body pressed to mine.
“Having fun tonight?”
I nodded. “I am.”
“How is Violet doing?”
“Good. She is wholly entertaining. And I mean that as a compliment.”
He chuckled and turned us, both searching out his daughter. She was still dancing with Keith. “Thanks for hanging with her.”
“You are paying me.”
“This is true. I can still say thank you.”
Boy, he was something. Genuine. Nice. Sexy. My cheeks flushed and I dropped my gaze to his sinful red tie. Visions of undoing that Windsor knot and flipping the buttons free on his starched white shirt flooded my mind and I glanced at the couples around us, looking anywhere but at Maddox.
“Are you having fun?” I asked, trying to put a little space between us. Anything to ease the bloom of desire spreading in my lower belly.
Maddox wouldn’t have it. He pulled me closer, flush against his hard planes. “I am now.”
Oh, sweet baby Jesus in the manger. “Are you flirting with me?”
“I am. Do you mind?”
“No,” I confessed, looking up to meet his gaze. What single woman in her right mind would object to Maddox Holiday flirting with her?
“Excellent.” He spun us in a circle, the smile on his face widening. “But to answer your question, it’s been... what I expected. I think I’ve told every business associate of Dad’s in attendance that yes, business is good. Yes, I’m moving here at some point. And no, I’m not interested in investing in their next great idea. For the rest of the night, I’m ignoring anyone in a suit unless they have the last name Holiday.”
“Good thing I’m in a dress.”
He chuckled. “And a very nice dress it is.”
“There you go, flirting with me again.”
“I haven’t flirted with anyone in a long, long time. I forgot how much fun it could be.”
“Who’s the last woman you flirted with?”
His smile faded a bit. “My ex-wife.”
“Ah.” Whoops. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“So...” Time to change the subject. “You should know that I promised Violet I’d teach her how to swim. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Fine by me.” His grip on my hand tightened as we moved the other direction. The song had changed but we’d just kept on dancing. “I should have gotten her into private lessons ages ago. We’ve got a pool at our place in LA and she loves to swim. She’s got the basics and safety techniques down, but I guess I’m paranoid and overprotective. I don’t let her swim without water wings unless I’m in the pool with her.”
“I promise I’m qualified. And if she’s comfortable in the water, it won’t take her long to feel confident.”
“I trust you.”
Those words warmed my heart.
“What was in the bag?” he asked. “Your magic tote.”
“Violet didn’t tell you?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Good for her.” A lot of children would have spilled our secret. “It was a family-sized bag of M&M’s. Swedish Fish. Skittles. I had toys and games too, but I decided to go straight for the candy.”
“I should have guessed.” He laughed. “She’s got a mouth full of sweet teeth. That was part of the reason for the crème br?lée fiasco at that party last year. When I asked her why she’d climbed up that rack, she told me it was because she wanted the biggest one and they probably kept the big ones on top.”
“I believe it.” I laughed. “When I pulled that bag of M&M’s out and started eating them, her entire attitude changed. It was just something to loosen her up. Something to bribe her with until she let down her guard and realized I wasn’t her enemy.”
“Smart.”
I shrugged. “I’ve spent a lot of time with kids, working as a nanny and working with kids at the pool. They aren’t all that complicated.”
“What do you do with kids at the pool? Swimming lessons?”
“Sometimes. Mostly, I assist a physical therapist in town. He does pediatric aquatic therapy. That’s what I want to do someday. Maybe. When I save enough to go to school and work up the courage to enroll. The idea of studying is...” I grimaced.
“You’d do great.”
“Eeek. School? Granted, I always liked school but I haven’t had to study in a long time. And I’m comfortable where I am.”
“But it’s not your dream.”
I sighed. “No. It’s not. I love kids but I have more to offer.”
“Then it’s time to step outside of your comfort zone.”
Damn, but he was right. And motivating. One conversation and I was ready to dash to the admissions office at Montana State and hand them my application. If I wanted to become a physical therapist, I couldn’t be a nanny forever. Maybe it was time to get serious .
Maddox let me go to twirl me beneath his arm, then hauled me back against his body, holding me close again.
“This is very surreal,” I admitted.
“How so?”
“You’re Maddox Holiday.” Duh . “You had to know that every girl at Bozeman High was in love with you, including me.”
Oh, hell. What was wrong with my mouth? Why couldn’t it keep words on the inside?
The corner of his mouth turned up. “You were in love with me?”
“Maybe?” Damn . But now that it was out there, I might as well own it. “I was in love with you the way that awkward teenage girls love the smart, handsome boys who will never know they exist. Writing our names together in a heart. Naming our future children. Following you after class and home from school. Lurking outside your bedroom window, watching you sleep.”
Maddox’s feet ground to a halt.
I winked. “Kidding.”
He threw his head back and laughed, a sound so warm and rich, it was worth whatever embarrassment from admitting my adolescent crush. He shook his head, the sparkle in his eye breathtaking as he smiled. “Well, you’ve got one thing wrong. I knew you existed.”
“Did not.”
“Did so. I saw you once at the pool, and I remember having to take a long, cold shower afterward.”
I leaned back to study his face. “Seriously?”
“Swim caps. They get me every time.”
I burst out laughing, relaxing as we moved together, dancing until the end of the song .
He kept my arm as he escorted me off the floor. “Should we join Violet at the dessert table?”
“Lead the way.”
Violet stood beside Keith, each shoving cakes in their mouths. My watchful eye, even distracted by Maddox, hadn’t strayed far from his daughter.
He’d had a pulse on her too. With every other turn, he’d searched for her. His love for her was written all over his face. And my, my mistletoe it was attractive.
“She’s going to be up all night with the amount of sugar she’s had,” he said.
“Probably.” I laughed. “I need to tell you something.”
“What’s that?”
I took in Violet as she plucked a cookie from a tray and handed it to Keith. I made out the words the best ever on her little lips before she took a cookie of her own. “You have a cool kid. She’s almost impossible not to love.”
Maddox stopped walking, forcing me to stop too. The expression on his face was almost... pained.
“What?” Had I said something wrong?
“You’re killing me here.”
“Why?”
He shook his head and let out a groan. “I have a policy. A firm policy. And I’ve never once wanted to break it until you.”
“What policy?”
He leaned in close to whisper in my ear. The faint stubble from his cheek tickled mine as his breath caressed the shell of my ear. “Never kiss the nanny.”