but telling her about his homeland was not an option. Maybe he should have stayed in the apartment and avoided her altogether. He inwardly groaned. As if that would be possible with them being roommates.
Besides, he already had a date with her. Correction. He had plans with her.
Oh, boy, was he in deep trouble, and it was only his second day in New York.
THIS WASN’T A good idea after all.
Reese closed the side door to the garage and inhaled a steadying breath. She’d been far too aware of Alex at dinner. The deep rumble of his contagious laughter. The way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, making him even more handsome—if that was possible. And the way he listened to her as though each word she uttered truly mattered.
This was not good.
What had she been thinking inviting this man to go pick out a Christmas-tree with her? It wasn’t as if she needed any help. Since her father’s death, she’d been managing everything on her own. Why should that change now?
But she reasoned that Alex was an important guest. His enormous fee would help her meet this month’s bills...she hoped. It was definitely a good incentive to make his stay here as pleasant as possible. And perhaps he’d recommend his friends stay at The Willows the next time they visited the city.
And if they were all as easy on the eyes, she wouldn’t complain. After all, looking didn’t hurt anything. It was getting involved with men that set you up for a world of pain. Just ask her mother. And even Reese had been involved with someone after her father died who’d promptly dumped her when he found out she wasn’t a rich debutante. The memory still stung. How could she have been so foolish as to fall for her ex’s promises?
In the end, she’d learned an important life lesson—don’t trust men with your heart. Eventually they’ll hurt you when you least expect it.
As for Alex DeLuca, she was so far out of that man’s league that it was laughable. So what was she worrying about? She could relax and enjoy having some company for once.
She pressed the automatic garage door opener and started the truck. It coughed and sputtered and the breath caught in her throat. Please don’t let this be another thing I need money to fix. As though in response to her silent prayer, when she turned the key again the engine caught. She exhaled a pent-up breath and put the vehicle in drive.
In no time at all, Alex was seated next to her. “Reese, thank you for allowing me to ride along.”
The Rs rolled off his tongue in such a divine way. She stopped herself just short of swooning. He could definitely say her name as often as he wanted. Realizing that she was letting her thoughts wander, she reminded herself that he was her guest—nothing else.
“Um...sure. No problem.” In an effort to keep her thoughts from straying, she turned on the radio and switched stations until holiday music filled the air. As an afterthought, she said, “I hope you don’t mind some music.”
“Not at all. Back home my mother used to always have music filling the...house.”
She noticed his use of the past tense and then the awkward pause. She wondered if he too was a member of the lost-a-parent-prematurely club. It was not something she’d wish on anyone—no matter the circumstances. But then again, maybe she was reading too much into his choice of words, as English was obviously his second language.
In an effort to change the topic of conversation to something more casual, she said, “That’s right, I was supposed to guess where you’re from. I’m not great with placing accents, but I’m thinking somewhere in the Mediterranean. Maybe Italy?”
“Very good guess. Maybe you are better at figuring out accents than you think.”
English definitely had a different ring to it when Alex was speaking. It had a sort of soothing melody. She could listen to him talk for hours.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what brought you to New York?”
“Business. Or should I say, I am between business negotiations. With people being out of the office for the holidays, I decided to stay in New York and experience a white Christmas.”
“You hope.”
“What?”
She could feel his gaze on her. “I meant you hope to see a white Christmas. Snow around these parts is hit or miss. The snow we’re getting now might be all we get until after the New Year.”
Was it possible he had no family to go home to? Why else would he rent out an inn for the holiday? Pity welled up in her. She couldn’t blame him for not wanting to spend Christmas alone. She’d had a taste of that when her mother was having problems. It was lonely and sad, filled with nothing but memories.
Which led her to her next question: How did such a handsome, obviously successful man end up alone? Surely he wouldn’t have a hard time finding a date or two. Oh, who was she kidding? He could probably have a different date for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week, and still have plenty leftover. Perhaps if her life were different she might have given him a chance.
Alex cleared his throat. “Are you sure we’re going in the right direction? We’re heading into the city.”
She had been distracted by their conversation, but she couldn’t imagine she’d turned the wrong way. Just to be sure, she glanced around at the landmarks. “This is the right way.”
“But I thought you said we were going to cut down a Christmas tree.”
“I said I was going to get one, but I never said anything about cutting it down.” She glanced over at him as he slouched down in the seat and adjusted his ball cap. “I’m sorry to disappoint you. But this is really much faster and easier for me.”
“Is it much further?”
“Not far at all. In fact, we’re here.”
She stared out the window at the familiar city lot that was cordoned off with fencing. Pine trees ranging in size from small chubby little guys to tall slender ones littered the lot. People from old to young meandered around, pointing at this tree and that tree. Smiles covered their faces and the years rolled away as each seemed to step back in time and remember the childhood fascination of choosing their very own tree for Santa to leave presents under. If only that feeling of wonderment stayed with everyone. Instead some learned the hard way that things weren’t always as they appeared. Sometimes life was nothing more than an empty illusion.
Reese’s jaw tightened at the grim thought. Anxious to get this over, she said, “I’ll just go check out what’s available that will fit in the foyer. Feel free to look around.”
“What about a tree for yourself?” When she cast him a puzzled look, he added, “You know, for the apartment?”
“I don’t want one. After what happened...oh, never mind. I just don’t have the time to bother.”
She threw open the truck door and hopped out. She’d already circled around to the sidewalk when Alex’s door opened. She noticed that he had the collar on his jacket
