Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Bethesda, Maryland

December 23rd

Sixteen years ago

T hursday morning, a text arrived, and Alexandra’s heart thumped with a new rhythm as she picked up the phone to see what Jay—who’d been silent since Tuesday—had to say.

But the message wasn’t from Jay. It was for him. Someone, apparently, didn’t know he had a new number.

Received: I’m having the Santa suit delivered to the Mayflower tomorrow at noon. Your father said your new lady friend might be Mrs. Claus. I need her size.

She stared at the screen. He’d been serious about her playing Mrs. Claus? She’d been sure it was a joke.

Her heart pounded as she stared at the screen. How would Jay react if she showed up in costume?

There would be no hiding his identity after that, and he’d insist on knowing her name. It was only fair.

This could be just what she needed. If she was going to lose Kendall, at least she’d get to enjoy a week with Jay before he returned to New York and she had to find a new place to live.

One week of fun. No secrets. It wouldn’t just be a Christmas gift for Jay, it would be one for herself.

Her fingers trembled as she responded.

Sent: No on Mrs. Claus. She would prefer an elf costume. Size 8 with a 36DD top. Five nine height. Shoe size 10-11.

She figured elf shoes would be more shoe covers anyway.

Received: That’s a custom size. We’ll have to buy, not rent.

Guilt tugged at her. But she didn’t think Jay would balk if he knew.

Sent: I’ll pay for it. What time do I need to tell her to be there?

Received: As usual, the kids will arrive at 6:30.

She pondered how she could get the address without sounding like she wasn’t Jay. She took a deep breath and typed, hoping this wouldn’t give her away.

Sent: I’m busy and don’t have the address handy. Can you type it here so I can forward to her so she can find it with MapQuest?

There was a long pause, and she wondered if she’d blown it. Was the party at the Mayflower?

Received: She can’t look up the Dalia Davis Community Hall on her own? And didn’t T&D build the complex? You should know the address by now.

She wanted to point out that Jay didn’t work for the Bethesda office of Talon & Drake, he worked in New York. Why would he be expected to know the address of every construction project? But given that she didn’t actually know what his job was, that could make things worse.

Sent: Sorry. Wasn’t thinking. I’m in the middle of something. See you tomorrow.

She set the phone down, her heart racing as she hoped whoever she was texting with would be there tomorrow, or she’d really blown it.

Received: See you tomorrow. Love you, kiddo.

She read through the messages again. Could it be his mother? Grandmother or aunt?

She didn’t even know why she thought it was a woman, but she did. Definitely a family member, given the reference to Jay’s father.

Now she had to make a decision. Was she really going to do this? She had a key to the suite at the Mayflower. She could pick up the costume right after it was delivered, before Jay got back from New York. If he returned early, so be it, but if not, it would be fun to surprise him.

She wouldn’t decide now. She had twenty-four hours to make up her mind.

I t took an hour and a half to take the Metro to the Mayflower and back to her apartment in Bethesda, but now she was home with a green elf costume that looked a lot like the ones the elves wore in the Will Ferrell movie. It was quality wool felt. Even the shoes were real and not shoe covers.

She’d checked out the Santa costume in the hotel room, and it was also well made. Nothing but the best for Jay and his helper. Would the kids be getting generic toys donated to organizations like Toys for Tots, or was this a charity that specifically catered to the individual children’s Christmas wishes?

Either way, she felt her first rush of Christmas spirit this season as she tried on the costume. Even without the fun of surprising Jay, she’d want to be part of this. The idea of seeing kids bright with excitement as they met Santa and received even a small gift was enough to put a bounce in her step as she tugged on the comfy pointy-toed slippers.

The elf tunic was a perfect fit at the bustline. This had definitely been custom-made by a skilled seamstress. It was tasteful while still showing off her curves. Sexy but not inappropriate, thank goodness. After all, this was a party for children, not an adult Halloween party.

She twirled in front of the mirror and made up her mind. The costume fit. She wanted to grab this holiday spirit and hold on tight.

But most important, she wanted to see Jay’s face when he realized she was ready for the next step.

She was going to buy the milk.

J T was disappointed to see the Santa suit hanging in the entry closet of the Mayflower suite. He’d hoped that when Lisa hadn’t gotten back to him with instructions for picking up the costume, she’d found some other fool to play Santa.

No such luck.

Still, it wasn’t like his stepmother to forget to tell him such an important detail—what if he’d been running late and went straight to the hall?

Luckily—or unluckily—traffic had been smooth on the drive south and stopping at the Mayflower was no problem. He’d rather hoped he’d find Lex here early, but the room was sadly empty with no sign she’d been here during his absence, even though he’d told her she could use the suite as much as she liked.

Would she meet him after he performed his Santa duties, or would she back out? He knew he’d been asking a lot when he invited her to spend Christmas Eve with him. They barely knew each other.

He crossed to the bedroom and set his suitcase on the rack. He’d unpack later. Right now, he needed to put Lex’s Christmas present in the safe and get ready for the party. He pulled the blue Tiffany box from his briefcase and lifted the lid, pulling out the jewelry case. He opened it to reveal the diamond earrings and matching necklace.

He couldn’t look at the stones without imagining what she’d look like in the necklace and nothing else. Well, nothing except those four-inch heels that brought them eye to eye.

Never in his life had he spent this kind of money on a gift for a woman he’d only just met, but something about her made him want to shower her with gifts, treat her to all the things his money could give her.

As fun as the fantasy was, he had to get moving. He needed to shower and shave so the damn beard would adhere to his face.

He deposited the jewels in the safe, stripped, entered the shower, and tried not to think about the woman who’d been the center of his fantasies for the last week.

T wo hours later, JT was in the chair. The beard itched. The suit was hot. And he had not learned how to talk to children in the 366 days since the last time he did this.

The first kid was cute. Big smile, no front teeth. He wanted a baseball bat, gloves, and ball, and Lee stepped in to assist one of the hall’s overworked volunteers in locating the boy’s present, which included cleats in his size and a baseball uniform signed by his favorite Baltimore Orioles player.

Like kids the world over, the boy would open his presents tomorrow morning. For tonight, he had no idea that he was getting far more than he’d asked for. Only Santa and his elves knew.

“I thought you were going to have an elf to help you?” the harried volunteer said as the kid slipped from JT’s lap and headed for his mother. “Mrs. Talon said you were bringing a helper this year.”

“She probably meant me,” Lee said.

“I had you down for helping with the party games.”

“Must be a mistake, then. Where am I needed most?”

The man glanced at the line of kids. “Here. Move the kids from the line to the lap.”

That was all JT was tonight. A lap.

Lee nodded and turned to the kid at the front of the line, taking the slip of paper from another volunteer in charge of ensuring all the kids had the number that corresponded with their name and gift.

JT let out a hearty “Ho! Ho! Ho!” as the girl approached. All at once, she stopped in front of him and let out an ear-piercing shriek.

It was going to be a long night.