Holiday Promise (Hollyberry Harbor #2)

Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

Blake placed the shopping bags on the counter and smiled as he watched Max dart through the house, calling for Melody. Blake’s own gaze sought for the woman as well, if only to feed that part of him that craved her presence.

“Miss Melody! I got you something.” Max wove in and out of some of the rooms, only to return to the main living space. “Where is she?”

Ms. Anthony emerged from the laundry room. “Are you looking for Melody?”

Max nodded. “I got her something.”

“She’ll be home soon, I’m sure. She went on a date.”

Blake’s head snapped around to look at his housekeeper. She hadn’t noticed his reaction, but she had crouched down and continued to fill Max in on the situation.

“Miss Melody and Thomas went to dinner. She said she wouldn’t be staying out too late, so she’d be able to tuck you in tonight if that’s what you want.”

Max continued to frown. “Are you sure?”

Ms. Anthony chuckled. “I’m sure. But if you’re really worried, we can send her a message.”

He nodded, and that was when Ms. Anthony glanced up to look at Blake. There was something in her gaze that told him she knew exactly what had transpired between himself and his nanny. The strange thing was that she didn’t seem to be upset about it. Her expression was completely neutral. “Are you okay if I send her a message?”

Blake remained stiff, but gave her a short nod to the affirmative. Then he strode out of the room without another word. He made it to his office without incident, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t boiling inside.

He should fire Thomas. The man had to have known what he was doing when he took Melody out on a date. He’d been the first one to warn Blake about dating someone who worked for him. Clearly, Thomas had wanted Melody for himself.

Jealousy and fury exploded together with a chemical reaction, only to fizzle out as he realized firing Thomas wouldn’t do him any good. The man was a good assistant—one of the best he’d had. If Melody wanted to date him, that was her choice. She would make it work regardless of Thomas’s employment status.

Blake yanked his chair from his desk and collapsed into it. He scowled at nothing in particular. He wanted her back. That much he knew. He just didn’t know how to go about doing that. She’d been upset about his rules. He couldn’t just change the rules he knew would keep her safe. What more would she want from him?

His office door and he expected to see Max, but instead, Thomas entered.

Blake’s scowl deepened. “You have a lot of gall to show up in my office right now.”

Thomas stilled at the doorway. “I’m sorry?”

Shaking his head, Blake turned away and stared out the window, though there was nothing to see in the black reflection. “I want you on the helicopter and heading back to the city tonight.”

“I don’t think?—”

“I don’t care if I have to call out a different pilot to come and get you. I don’t want you staying the night. You’ve delivered the documents I needed to sign. That’s all you’re needed for.”

The quiet in his office weighed on him. He didn’t like the person he was becoming, but he couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut. “I don’t want you seeing Melody again.”

“Sir?”

“She may not be an employee at the company, but she’s still my employee, and so are you.”

“That’s ridiculous?—”

Blake turned to face his assistant. “You’re right. I can’t make that sort of demand from you. It’s a request and one I would appreciate you following.”

“You… care for her.” It was more of a surprised statement than a question.

“It’s time for you to leave, Thomas. I’ll see you next week.” He watched his assistant walk out the door and was finally able to breathe. He didn’t want to know how Thomas’s date had gone. He didn’t want to see Melody and know that they’d shared an evening together. He just wanted to stew in his own frustration while he tried to come up with a way to ask Melody if they could try again.

Christmas Eve didn’t quite feel as magical as Blake had wanted it to. It was the day before Christmas, and he still hadn’t figured out how he could make things right between himself and Melody. She had been avoiding him since that date—no doubt that Thomas had told her what had transpired in his office.

Blake wasn’t even sure he wanted to see Thomas again. He’d gone from being in complete control to feeling like he had lost every thread of connection he’d had to his old self. Ms. Anthony had offered to make them supper this evening as long as she had the whole evening off tomorrow. Melody hadn’t requested any time off—a fact Blake couldn’t understand.

Was she so numb to what they’d shared that she didn’t care if they saw one another over the holiday?

Perhaps this was how it was supposed to be. She had already gotten over him and he was left wishing things could have gone differently.

Blake couldn’t stay in the house with Melody hanging around, so he’d gone for a walk. The cold nipped at him, but he barely felt it. Everywhere he looked, signs of Christmas cheer were apparent. Unfortunately for him, it all felt grey, colorless.

When he returned home, the house was quiet. Ms. Anthony was in the kitchen starting on the meal. Max played with his toys in his room. But Melody was nowhere to be found.

Blake nearly went in search of her, but thought better of it. Instead, he skulked off to his office to check his email. On his desk was an envelope with no writing on it. He stared at it for a full minute, trepidation flooding his insides. There was only one person who would’ve written him a letter, and that was because she didn’t want to have to face him.

Was Melody finally quitting? Had she finally had enough of his sour mood? He wouldn’t blame her. Their working relationship hadn’t been more strained than it was right now.

He took a step closer to his desk, then reached for the envelope. It was lighter than he’d expected. With nimble fingers, he tore the end off and pulled out the single sheet of paper. His hand shook as he unfolded the letter to find a single statement.

Meet me at the lake at 5:00 PM.

That was it then. She was going to quit her job and leave him and Max alone. A lump formed in his throat. He couldn’t help thinking he’d made the biggest mistake of his life in asking her for something more.

Fortunately, there was still a chance for him to fix this. He had to talk to her—convince her that he still needed her in his life. It wasn’t just for his son. He wanted her in his life because he didn’t think he could live without her.

Blake grabbed his keys and headed out of his office. He pressed a kiss to the top of Max’s head then hurried toward the door. When Ms. Anthony tossed him a concerned look, he paused. “I have to run an errand. I should be back for supper. Are you okay watching Max?”

“Of course. Is everything okay?”

“It’s going to be.” He nodded. One shot. That was what he had.

The drive to town was faster than he remembered, probably because he was distracted by everything he wanted to tell her. As he rehearsed his speech, he grew more nervous by the second.

The lake was filled with people. He fought the instinct to get upset that she was likely skating again, even though she knew it would bother him. As much as it irritated him, he wasn’t going to control her. She needed her freedom to do what she wanted.

His gaze darted through the crowd as he searched for the woman he’d fallen in love with, but he didn’t see her. His heart thrashed in his chest, his head ached, and the rest of his body felt numb.

Then he saw her.

She leaned against the fence that lined the edge of the lake during the winter months, staring out at the people on the ice. He stopped in his tracks as he took her in. She wasn’t on the ice after all. A sense of calm overcame him as he moved closer to her, one step at a time.

When he reached her side, she turned, startled. Her gaze swept over him, taking in what could only be a ragged appearance. “Blake,” she breathed in a whisper. Her face immediately flushed a deep red color. “I got your letter.”

“My letter?” He stuttered. “I didn’t write a letter.”

Her eyes darted up to meet his. “No, I definitely got your note. It was on my bed.”

Slowly, he shook his head. “You’re mistaken. I…” He frowned, looking elsewhere. “You wrote me a note. It was on my desk.” His gaze cut to hers. “Well, it wasn’t even really a note. It was more like a single line. You wanted to meet me here, didn’t you?”

“I…” her eyes widened and at that very moment Blake made the very same realization that he had. Together, they said the same word.

“ Max .”