Santa Maybe (The Duchess Hotel #1)

Chapter 8

Eight

Rosie and Drew ended up at Alma’s Beanery, a local coffeehouse a block away from Northlife Fitness. One thing Rosie loved about downtown Victoria was how walkable it was. The streets near the harbor were lined with gift shops, restaurants, pubs, and coffeehouses. Some areas, like Bastion Square—home to a popular artisan market—and the tourist-friendly parts of Government Street, were pedestrian-only. Unfortunately, tonight’s weather was so rainy that she and Drew were forced to make a mad dash from the gym to Alma’s.

After ordering hot chocolate, they settled into a couple of armchairs. Outside, the driving rain pattered against the windows, making their surroundings even cozier. Across from her, Drew looked as irresistible as ever, wearing a red fleece hoodie and gray sweatpants, his hair still damp from the shower. Thanks to her recent Santa fantasies, she was gripped with the urge to curl up on his lap and rest her head against his shoulder.

Which, obviously, wasn’t going to happen.

But when he placed his hand on her knee—just the slightest of touches—a little shiver danced along her spine.

“Thanks for coming to the gym today,” he said. “And for telling Hannah about us.”

The appreciation in his voice warmed her even more than the piping-hot cocoa. “My pleasure. It’s fun playing the role of your girlfriend. But tonight’s workout might come back to bite me in the butt. It’s been a while since I worked some of those muscles.”

“Make sure to stretch properly. Do you have a yoga app?”

“I still do, thanks to the one you recommended last year. And while we’re thanking each other, I wanted to tell you what an outstanding job you did on Sunday night. Five stars.”

“Do you think your mom liked me?” he asked. “She hugged me before I left.”

He sounded so vulnerable that she was glad she didn’t have to lie. “My mom adored you. Trust me, she doesn’t give out leftovers to just anybody. My dad was impressed, too. He texted me afterward and called you a ‘fine young man.’ He never said that about my ex.”

No surprise, given that the one time she’d brought Erik to Sunday dinner, he’d barely touched the food. Later, he’d said to her, “I’m just not a big fan of Mexican cooking. It’s so heavy and fattening, you know?”

Heavy or not, it was the food she’d grown up with, and he hadn’t made an effort.

“I’m glad Sunday was a success,” Drew said. “But I hope I didn’t screw up things with your boss today. When I crashed your meeting, I didn’t think he’d be there.”

“It was fine. He believed you were auditioning for the role of Santa.” She gave a little snort. “Of course, I didn’t tell him you were the only contender.”

“How did the rest of the meeting go?” He licked a dollop of whipped cream off his cocoa, which drew attention to his full lips. Rosie squirmed inwardly, trying hard not to imagine those lips claiming hers in a passionate kiss.

“It went well,” she said. “Preston was on board with all the ideas we picked, as long as we can keep our costs down. Even though it’s going to be a ton of extra work, I love seeing a plan take shape, especially with such a supportive team on my side.”

By the time her boss had left, she’d felt confident that she and the Damsels had set up a series of manageable goals. What was more, they were excited about them.

“Do you like being in management?” Drew asked. “Or does it stress you out?”

The question took her aback, but maybe he wanted to understand what she was dealing with. “A little of both? I’d feel better about my job if it wasn’t in jeopardy right now or if the Duchess wasn’t struggling to survive, but I like my role at the hotel. And I definitely prefer it to working the front desk.”

“Even if it’s way more challenging?”

“Yeah. Maybe I’m a little too driven, but I love a good challenge,” she said. “Why? Are you thinking of getting into management at the gym?”

As he told her about his meeting with Bones and the offer he’d gotten, she was pleased he felt comfortable enough to confide in her. When he was done, he asked her what she thought.

“Personally, I think it’s a great opportunity,” she said. “But only if it’s what you want. Are you happy where you are?”

“Pretty much, yeah. I love what I do. But money-wise, it would make sense to move up the ladder. I’m doing okay, but I barely have any savings. I’d like to build up a cushion in case I get injured or laid off. I never want to end up like my parents—broke and miserable and hating each other because of it.”

This was the second time he’d disparaged his parents. She could have let it go, but since he seemed willing to open up, she decided to delve a little deeper. “What’s the deal with your folks? If you’d rather not talk about it, I understand, but I’m here to listen.”

He didn’t respond right away, which made her worry she’d pushed him too far. But after he finished his cocoa and set it on the table beside them, he spoke up. “You sure you don’t mind? I usually don’t burden people with this shit.”

“I don’t mind at all.” If anything, she wanted to know him better. For as many conversations as they’d had at the gym, they’d often been surface-level, chatting about movies, exchanging gossip about their jobs, and teasing each other playfully.

“The short version? They’re messed up. They weren’t always that bad. When I was a kid, they took me and my sister on these killer camping trips. We couldn’t afford much else, but those trips had a big impact on me. That’s why I love the outdoors so much. When I was eleven, they invested in a kayak rental business in Cowichan Bay. They partnered with a friend of theirs and sunk their savings into it, but that asshole ran off with all the money. A year later, they went out of business and ended up in debt. We had to sell our house and move into a crappy apartment. From then on, we were pretty much broke.”

“God, Drew, I’m so sorry.” What an awful way to grow up.

“That’s not the worst part. Sometimes when families don’t have much, they rally together. Not my folks. They started blaming each other, and it just got worse. It would have been better if they’d gotten divorced, but they were both too stubborn. So, they’ve spent years tearing each other down. That’s why I hate going home for Christmas.”

She wanted to curse them out for putting Drew through hell, but succumbing to a rant wouldn’t solve anything. Instead, she’d try to give him the support he needed.

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that. It’s so unfair. But, to your other question, if you’re worried about saving money, then the management job seems like a smart move. Unless you’re nervous about taking the next step. Which is understandable since you’d be dealing with a whole new level of responsibility.”

Last year, when she’d been offered the role of assistant manager at the hotel, her excitement had been tempered with anxiety over the thought of proving herself worthy.

“A part of me would like to stay where I am because I’m good at it,” he said. “If I try something new, I might fail miserably. My parents did that, and it destroyed their lives.”

“But you’re not them. You’ve got friends in your corner, and I’m sure the other trainers would support you.” She gave him a wry smile. “Maybe not Evelyn, but she’ll be gone soon.”

“When the job came open last time, she pushed me to take it. I told her I wasn’t ready for that kind of challenge, which was probably a big mistake since Jared was hired to fill the position.” He gave a harsh laugh. “Then he went after Evelyn.”

What a dick . Even if she’d never met him, Rosie knew his type. “He sounds like a jerk.”

“Pretty much. From day one, he rubbed me the wrong way. Super arrogant and dismissive. And definitely more ambitious than me. That’s one of the reasons Evelyn went back to him. I just wasn’t enough for her.”

Fighting back her anger—at Jared, Evelyn, and Drew’s parents—Rosie reached over and took his hand. “That’s her loss. Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t enough. You’re one of the sweetest, most wonderful guys I know. I’m lucky to have you as a friend.”

When he regarded her with tenderness, it was all she could do not to give him the biggest hug ever. But if she did that, she was afraid she’d cross the line from friendship into something more intimate.

“Thanks,” he murmured. “You’re pretty great yourself. I hope last Sunday’s dinner made you feel like you’re enough, too.”

“It did. It also made me realize I might have been projecting my own insecurities onto my family. Yes, they’re critical, but they’re also looking out for me.” For months now, she hadn’t been able to see this. But Drew’s presence had given her a new perspective. “They didn’t want Erik to screw me over—which he totally did—and they don’t want me getting screwed over by the Duchess, either. Even if I can’t ease up on my workload, I can accept their help. Thanks for getting them on board with the holiday ideas.”

“I didn’t do that much, but I’ll take the credit.” He grinned. “When’s our next dinner?”

“November eighteenth—if you’re available.”

“I’ll make sure of it. Thanks for going along with this dating scheme. And for listening to me tonight.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

She meant it. Even if she’d been a little skeptical of his ruse at first, it was working out just the way he’d suggested. The two of them, teaming up together to get through the holidays, offering each other support and friendship. Already, she was in a better frame of mind than she’d been last week.

But she also knew it would be far too easy to delude herself that this friendship could lead to romance. For that reason, she couldn’t get in much deeper.

* * *

After walking Rosie to her car, Drew headed back to Northlife Fitness. He still had to fill out his gym log and check tomorrow’s schedule. At eight thirty, the place was pretty empty, all the group fitness classes done for the night. A few of the treadmills were occupied, as were some of the weight machines, but that was it.

He jogged upstairs to the small office shared by the trainers and logged on to the staff computer. As he was pulling up his account, his phone buzzed with a text from his sister, Kate. He’d left her a message about Bones’ offer but hadn’t been sure if he’d hear from her tonight since she had a book club meeting.

Kate: You can call anytime. I couldn’t deal with book club.

Immediately, his Spidey senses started tingling. Though Kate was an extrovert—she had to be, given that she was part-owner of a preschool and taught most of the 4K classes there—she was also given to bouts of depression in which she abruptly withdrew from all her planned social activities. He always worried when that happened.

He punched in her number. “Hey, Kate. You doing okay?”

She responded with a weary sigh. “Hey, bud. I’m not at my best. I should have read the blurb before diving into this book. Then I would have found out it’s about a woman who had a super-dysfunctional childhood. Naturally, she overcame it, but only after dealing with a bunch of emotional abuse. I hate that shit.”

Ugh. Too close to home . “Sorry. Maybe you should stick with romance.”

“No kidding. Either that or mysteries. These weepy memoirs are the worst.”

“Do you need me to stop by?” Even if he was tired, he’d make time for her. He always did.

“Nope. I’m good. Just curling up with a bowl of oatmeal and rewatching the third season of Bridgerton . It’s still as swoony as ever.”

It was beyond weird to him that his sister’s comfort food was oatmeal, as opposed to ice cream or pie, but whatever worked. “Anything else bugging you?”

“Just Mom. She called about some stupid shit. Her Wi-Fi was out, and I tried to help her fix it over the phone. But then I realized why it wasn’t working.”

Drew slumped down in his seat. “Let me guess. She didn’t pay the bill?”

“Yep. She had it on auto-pay, but her account was overdrawn.” She sighed again. “Please don’t let me end up like her.”

“You won’t, I promise.” The only upside of having financially screwed-up parents was that he and Kate were incredibly careful with money.

“Hey, tell me what’s going on with this job thing. And the Rosie stuff. Are you actually dating again?”

Over the past few days, he’d been so busy that he’d only left Kate a series of messages. But he hadn’t said much about Rosie because their fake-dating agreement was too hard to explain via text. The fewer people who knew the truth about it, the better, but he couldn’t lie to his sister. They’d always been honest with each other, and he valued her opinion.

When he was done telling her about it, she started laughing. “Holy shit. What a total screw-you to Evelyn. Did you tell her you were dating someone new?”

He frowned, remembering his ex’s reaction. “Yeah, but she wasn’t that jealous. If anything, she was all, ‘don’t hurt Rosie the way you hurt me,’ which is bullshit.”

“Total bullshit,” Kate agreed. “I’ll bet she was just covering up. She’s probably mad that you’re not moping over her anymore.”

“Maybe. I’m just glad I won’t have to feel like a loser when I go to her wedding. It might even be fun.” He let his mind drift, imagining Rosie on his arm, wearing a stylish cocktail dress and heels, her thick, dark hair falling loose to her shoulders.

“Good. When do I get to meet her? Can I pop by the hotel sometime?”

“Absolutely. I also volunteered your help in preparing the crafts for their family Saturday event. If you’re free that day, you could come in and assist them. I’m sure Rosie would love it.”

Drew suspected the two women would hit it off since they were both so empathetic. Like Rosie, Kate truly cared about the people she worked with.

After filling her in on his dinner with Rosie’s family, he told her about the job offer from Bones. She was just as encouraging as Rosie had been, especially since she knew how much he worried about building up his savings. Neither of them ever wanted to end up in a huge financial hole.

By the time he was done chatting with her, he felt confident she’d be okay. He left her to finish up her episode of Bridgerton and filled in his gym log for the day. As he was about to leave, he saw he’d missed a text from Rosie.

Rosie: Thanks for the cocoa. I’m glad we got to talk. I’m planning to come to the gym on Thursday after work. Will you be there?

A simple question, but it made his heart swell with happiness.

Drew: I’ll make sure of it. See you then.

Rosie: See you. Good night, Drew.

Drew: Night, Rosie.

As he set down the phone, the warmth built up inside of him, like a tiny, glowing sun. Even if he and Rosie were only pretending to date, their friendship felt very real. Not that he’d dare wade in too much further. While he was grateful they could offer each other support and encouragement, anything more was a risk he wasn’t willing to take.