Chapter Ten
Caroline
We manage to get dressed and ready for the party on time, even though I had to shower again.
Thankfully, my hair isn’t a total mess. We arrive just after the party is in full swing at my boss’s neighborhood in New Lenox.
It’s a fancy home, way more lavish than mine, but what can I say—the man is a doctor, after all.
“This is your boss’s place?” Parker’s eyebrows rise.
I nod as I unbuckled my seatbelt. “Yes. This is the address he gave me.”
“You’ve never been here before?”
“Nope.” I shake my head.
“It has a gorgeous layout. Stately looking,” Parker adds, taking my hand in his while holding a bottle of wine in the other.
I look around, admiring the lights and the black and white facade. It’s straight out of a holiday movie. I would like to live in a large home like this with a bunch of children to raise. I sigh. “I wonder if it’s this nice inside.”
“Only one way to find out. You might want to knock or ring the bell,” he teases.
“Oh, silly me.” I shrug and blush in shyness. I’m sure Parker’s used to things like this, but I’m not.
He pulls me into him and kisses my cheek. “Relax, Caroline. It’s just a house, gorgeous, but it’s just a house.”
I press the doorbell and then Dr. Lee answers. “Hello, Caroline, come on in. Come on in.” He sees Parker standing behind me and smirks. “Oh, and who is this handsome man with you?”
“This is my boyfriend, Parker Ames.”
“Hello, Parker. I’m Eric Lee. My wife Tara is around here somewhere, but I’ll introduce you shortly. Please come in and take off your coats.”
His adorable daughter pops up beside him with curiosity. “Hi, Ms. Caroline.”
“Hi, Em. Merry Christmas, kiddo.” I pull the small gift I brought for her out of my coat.
“Oh my goodness. You got me a present. Thank you.” She gleams and smiles up at her dad and then back at me. “This is awesome.”
“You don’t even know what it is.”
She tilts her head and smiles knowingly. “It’s book shape and texture. Either it’s a journal or a book, so it’s awesome.”
“Emily, please take their coats, sweetheart. You can open your gift later with your mom around so she can see it too. She loves watching you open presents.” Dr. Lee turns to us and says, “This is our only child, Emily, so she’s a bit spoiled.”
“May I,” she asks, holding out her hands for jackets.
“And they’re a little heavy,” I say. “I’ve got it.”
“Thank you.”
Parker gives him a bottle of wine with a bow on it. “Wow, this is a great vintage. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Merry Christmas.”
“Oh, Tara, there you are, honey. You remember Caroline, and this is her boyfriend Parker.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Parker. Caroline, it is great to see you again.” She gives me a hug. “I love your dress. Oh my gosh, it’s so pretty.”
“He brought us a bottle of wine, babe, and it’s a nice one. We might have to stash this baby for us,” he says, winking at her.
“Thank you. Some of our guests have already depleted our selection,” she teases.
“I’m so glad you guys could come. So, just so you know, I had to invite Anne as well. She overheard me invite you.”
“I thought she’d left.”
“No, she had forgotten something in the office. And she’s here with her date, Tom. Although, he looks like he went through a war. Apparently he got into a fight with somebody.” I stiffen up really quickly.
Parker’s at my side, holding onto my waist and reading me like a book. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
I pat his hand that’s resting on my hip. “I’m fine, I’m fine.”
“Let me get you two a drink.”
“Something non-alcoholic, please.”
“Absolutely.” Tara raises her eyebrows and looks right at my belly that is flat. Taking my hand, she drags me away from Parker. “Ooh, do I get juicy gossip?”
“Not that I know of.” I giggle, shaking my head.
“Oh. Just wondering.”
“Well, Parker doesn’t drink either, but we figured there’s going to be some guests consuming wine.”
“Does eggnog work for you?”
“That’s great for me.”
“I’ll take a pop of any kind,” Parker says, coming up behind me and pressing his hand against the small of my back. “Do you usually have Christmas parties?”
“Not big ones like these. Normally it’s just family. However, because we moved into this lovely larger home this summer we wanted to share in our good fortune,” he says.
“It’s wonderful, and your house is gorgeous.
” I look at Parker’s face, and he is truly happy until he looks at Tom.
We make small talk with some people around us while Anne and Tom avoid us, and I’m grateful for it because we don’t need trouble with our boss.
Thomas’s face is completely bruised on one side, and I’m surprised he showed up.
He looks like he went several rounds with an MMA fighter.
As the evening goes on, I excuse myself to go to the ladies’ room, and just as I reach the door, Anne stops me. “I’m surprised you showed your face here. I’m sure it’s your fault what happened to Tom.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just as surprised as you are that he looks mangled. Besides, why would I be to blame for the way he looks? I made it clear after our lousy date that I didn’t care to see him again. That should have been the end of it.”
“Yes, but you know it wasn’t.”
“And yet so do you, so that means you knew he was harassing me and yet you still brought him as a date. What kind of person does that make you?”
“Look, he doesn’t like to be rejected. Just apologize and say you made a mistake.”
“I’m not apologizing for shit. It was a terrible date, and then he stalked me, calling me a whore.
I don’t know what happened to him, and I don’t care.
He’s lucky I didn’t call the cops for what he did to me.
I’ve been looking over my shoulder for days.
I have all the evidence that he’s been harassing me, so don’t think about coming near me again because I’ll report you too.
” I push her and go into the bathroom and lock the door.
I really do have to pee. Once I’m done, I cautiously open the door, only to find Parker waiting outside against the wall for me.
“There you are, beautiful.”
“So have you had enough of these people?” I ask.
“Why, have you?”
“No. I was just wondering why you’re looking for me.”
“Because I watched Anne follow you over here. I heard what she said to you. When were you going to tell me he was stalking you?”
“Oh, yeah. I haven’t seen him in a while.”
“I know.” I stare at him, eyes wide, and then I look at his knuckles that aren’t bruised. And back up to his eyes. He shakes his head.
“I’m a businessman, sweetheart. I don’t get my hands dirty. Not that I couldn’t whoop the shit out of him for scaring you like that, but he got his warning.”
I narrow my gaze and ask, “How did you know?”
“Can we talk about this later?”
“I think we should leave.”
“I’ll get our coats.” He walks away and I look for our hosts so I can say goodbye.
When I find them, they are together, cleaning up some trays. I don’t even need to say we’re leaving because Tara reads my expression. “You don’t need to make an excuse. I saw the look on Anne’s face.”
“Thank you, though. I did have a good time.”
“You’re wonderful, and I’m glad that you work for me,” Dr. Lee says sincerely.
“Thank you. It is a pleasure to work for you. And, Tara, it’s great to see you again. Give Emily my love.”
“Sweetheart, here’s your coat.” Parker slides it on me, and then we leave.
As we drive home, I ask the question that I’ve been anxiously dreading the answer to. “So what happened to Tom, and how did you know about his harassment?”
“At first, I had no idea he was harassing you, but I realized my sister has a security camera and it looked out across the street, so I decided to see if I could see you. Then, I watched you accept the gift and put up the wreath, which made me so damn happy.” I smile at the way he’s smiling.
“Then I kept watching, hoping you’d come out again, and then I saw a car pull up outside my sister’s house. That’s when I saw him.”
“Oh my God, he was outside my house?” I gasp. I had no idea that he’d been there.
“Yes, sorry. He left a note.” Parker looks a bit confused. “I thought you said he was stalking you.”
“Yes, at my job.”
“Oh. Was he still going there after that night?” he asks with a crease forming between his brows.
“No. Until tonight, I haven’t seen him.” He releases a harsh breath and pats his chest to calm himself down.
“That’s good. He was warned to stay far away from you, or he’d end up gone for good. Are you angry with me?” I purse my lips and then sigh.
“How can I be angry with you when you saved me? But… please tell me there are no other secrets.”
“Nothing else. Well, at least that I think I’m keeping.
I do have a good Christmas surprise, if it works out, but that’s different.
” I can’t help but beam from ear to ear.
This man has given me special gifts that are sweet and meaningful.
Selfishly, I’m grateful that I’m the only woman he’s given this much attention to.
“For someone who hates the holiday, you sure know how to celebrate it.”
“You give me a reason worth celebrating.” My heart is melting like a snowman on a sixty-degree day.