on earth did you manage this, Nathaniel?” She stared at him in amazement. “I know you work magic in the business world but this is incredible, even for you.”
He shrugged, but she could tell her reaction pleased him. “I have a business associate whose wife works at Neiman Marcus. I called her first thing yesterday morning and told her what had happened with the blizzard and being stranded. I explained in general terms what I wanted to give you. She made it all happen.”
“In the snow.”
“Yep. I was very persuasive.”
“This must have cost a fortune.” She frowned slightly. “The snow was going to melt eventually. You know this wasn’t necessary.”
“It was necessary,” he said forcefully. “Your holiday plans were wrecked. You’ve had to help care for a baby who is not yours. You’ve worked out grocery lists and prepared wonderful meals. This was the least I could do.”
Dani set the heavy box aside and went to crouch beside his chair. “Thank you, Nathaniel,” she whispered, her throat tight with emotion. Clearly he had gone to a great deal of trouble. The sizes were all correct, too. “For a man who bears a remarkable resemblance to Scrooge, you’ve done a lovely job with this Christmas surprise.” She kissed him softly on the cheek. “I don’t know what to say. I’m touched.”
He grumbled beneath his breath. “Babies sure as hell cramp a guy’s style.”
She grinned. “You were hoping my gratitude would translate to sex?”
“Nothing quite so crude.” He winced. “But I did hope you wouldn’t be mad at me anymore. I want you to be happy, Dani.”
She noted that he didn’t add the words with me. Maybe she was being too picky. “I am happy,” she said quietly, brushing a lock of his hair from his forehead. He was holding the baby and couldn’t respond physically, but his gaze seared her with its intensity. “Do you mind if I go take a shower and try on some of these things? I can’t wait. Not that I don’t appreciate the loan of your wardrobe,” she said hastily.
He chuckled softly, caressing her visually, giving her goose bumps. “You look fine to me just like you are, but sure. Knock yourself out.”
Dani practically danced down the hall. After two whole days of feeling grubby and unsophisticated, she was finally going to be able to meet Nathaniel on level ground. After a super quick shower during which she kept her hair dry, she put on the new undies and tried the red sweater and black pants. Everything fit perfectly.
Instead of twisting her hair up in a messy knot, she took the time to brush it over and over again until it swung thick and shiny at her shoulders. Too much makeup seemed like overkill at this point, but she used the mascara, and she added berry-red lip gloss to match her sweater. In the mirror, her reflection wasn’t half-bad.
When she returned to the den, Peaches was awake and playing happily with a teething ring. Nathaniel’s eyes widened when he saw Dani. “You look stunning,” he said quietly. “Red is a great color on you.”
“Nothing like new clothes to give a woman a boost. Thanks again.”
“It was the least I could do.”
“Are you getting hungry?”
“I could eat.”
The stilted conversation was at odds with the almost palpable hunger coursing between them. Dani trembled. “I’ll put Christmas dinner together. It will end up being a midafternoon meal, but we can snack later if we get hungry. Do you mind if I open a bottle of wine?”
“Mi casa es su casa,” Nathaniel said. “Whatever you want.” His words were warm, caressing.
In the kitchen, Dani was torn. Last night she had made use of the dining room for their dinner, and Nathaniel had freaked out. It didn’t seem right, though, to have Christmas lunch at the kitchen counter. So no matter how skittish her boss was, she went right ahead with her holiday preparations the same way she would have if this were an ordinary situation.
She whisked together brown gravy. When it was warm and bubbling, she sliced the leftover roast beef in small pieces and added the meat to the pot. Peeling potatoes gave her too much time to think. Tonight the baby would fall asleep, and Dani would find herself alone with Nathaniel again. What was she going to do if he wanted sex? Could she hold him off? Did she want to say no?
Maybe she wanted to enjoy whatever time they had left in this odd and emotionally charged situation.
In less than an hour, she managed to put together a respectable meal—nothing too fancy, but far better than the peanut butter they had dined on the first night. Open-faced roast beef sandwiches on sourdough toast. Fluffy mashed potatoes. Cranberry salad and, of course, plenty of leftover pecan pie for dessert.
The end result was gratifying.
Nathaniel and Peaches appeared just as she was putting the finishing touches on the dinner table. Her boss frowned.
“What now?” Dani sighed. “I left the tree in the den. Nothing holidayish, I swear.”
“It’s not that,” he said. “I just realized I’m going to owe you half a dozen fancy dinners at four-star restaurants to repay you for all you’ve done.”
“Sit down and don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “I like eating as much as the next person. If I’d been at my parents’ house, I would have worked even harder. My mom puts on quite a spread.”
Nathaniel consumed most of his meal without speaking. It was impossible to read his mood. Once again, Dani was glad to have the baby as a diversion. Breaking bread together was actually a very intimate thing to do. This time, Nathaniel was the one holding the child and eating one-handed.
At last, Dani couldn’t bear the silence any longer. “What are your plans for tomorrow?” she asked. “Assuming the weather does what they say it will.”
He stood abruptly. “I’m going to grab some pie. You want yours now or later?”
“Later,” she said. Was he in that much of a hurry for dessert, or did he not want to answer her question?
When Nathaniel returned, he held Peaches in one arm and a generous serving of gooey pie in the other hand.
Dani raised an eyebrow. “You’ll make yourself sick,” she warned.
His smile was wicked. “What a way to go.”
While she appreciated the fact that her boss enjoyed her cooking, bigger issues loomed on the horizon. Sex. The baby. Dani’s imminent departure.
“I talked to my mom on speakerphone while I was cooking,” she said.
Nathaniel swallowed a bite of pie. “Oh?”
“They thought about postponing our family Christmas until Wednesday, but my siblings can’t be off work that day. So we’re definitely celebrating Tuesday. I’ve promised to be there by ten in the morning.”
“Sounds good.”
Such a bullheaded, frustrating man. “Look at
