wasn’t thrilled to work on Christmas Eve, either, though that was part of the job.
What if he felt pity for the lonely event planner? What if he didn’t like that his family thought he was serious about her? What if he was embarrassed by it? That thought made her stomach knot up. She took a deep breath.
Well, Christmas and its hoopla were almost over. She would return home, go to bed early, open her gifts in the morning and rest her foot. The doctor had asked her to return on Monday, after the holiday, so he could check it. But he said she’d know when she could put her weight on it again. He’d also told her to avoid high heels for the rest of the winter.
She’d have to avoid more than just dressy shoes. She’d need to hide her feelings and pretend to be friends with a man who made her heart ache.
But that wasn’t going to be simple. Nico had offered to drive her home as soon as they were no longer needed at the wedding. Once the food was served, the wedding cake was ready to be cut, the hot-chocolate bar was in place and the coffee and tea were ready, he and Grace could leave Michael and Jilly to oversee the cleanup.
Grace had other plans. She’d leave him a note.
Wish him a merry Christmas.
Wrap the lovely blue scarf around her neck and limp away.
HE’D SCREWED UP. He didn’t have to wonder any longer because now he knew. Too soon, Vitelli. You rushed it. And Grace wasn’t a woman to be rushed. He should have known better, but he’d thought fate had stepped in with that foolish set of jingle bells to toss Grace right into his arms.
Now what? He checked with the staff to find out who drove her home, but no one knew what he was talking about. He caught up to Jilly as she was replacing peppermint sticks in the hot-chocolate bar.
“Grace isn’t in her office,” he said, trying to sound casual. “Is she around here somewhere?”
Jilly shook her head. “She left. Her foot was really bothering her.”
“She was in pain?”
“One of the EMT guys had to leave early and Grace caught a ride with him.”
“One of the EMTs?”
“Friend of the groom. I guess some of them were in the military together. But she told me to call her if there were any problems.” She reached into her pants pocket. “And she asked me to give you this.”
“Thanks, Jilly.” So much for that mystery. He opened the folded paper and read what he already knew. Grace was holed up in her own little home. Alone at Christmas, which obviously was how she wanted it.
Nico went home to his dog.
GRACE CURLED UP in her blue-and-white bedroom, listened to voice messages from her father—“great weather, wish you were here”—her aunt—“great weather, the baby is gorgeous, wish you were here with us”—and Patsy, who’d attended the wedding ceremony but went home to her family afterward.
“Tell me everything,” her friend said. “Unless it’s after eleven. Then wait until tomorrow.”
Did Patsy want to talk about her afternoon with the Vitellis or the success of the wedding reception? She returned none of the calls.
There was nothing from Nico, not that she expected to hear from him. He wouldn’t be pleased that she’d left without telling him. He took his responsibilities seriously. She’d done him a favor, she told herself, reaching for a tissue. He wouldn’t have to take care of her anymore.
They would be friends.
Grace wept.
“IF YOU WEREN’T interested you should have told me. You didn’t have to run off with one of the bodybuilders.”
It was seven-thirty Christmas morning and a rumpled, pale Nico Vitelli stood at her door. “Nico, what are you—”
“Breakfast.” He handed her a plastic grocery bag. “I grabbed some things to make pancakes.”
“Pancakes?” She stepped back and let him enter her small living room. She’d been up for two hours and had opened her three Christmas presents while drinking three mugs of coffee. At least she wasn’t wearing a flannel nightgown, not that pink yoga pants and a white sweatshirt with the Mirror Lake Lodge logo was much better. She leaned on the crutch and waited for him to explain.
“Yeah. I need to apologize. And Vitellis apologize with food.”
“I didn’t run off with a bodybuilder.” She took the bag. “I was saving you a snowy drive to town.”
“Liar.” He followed her into her tiny kitchen and leaned against the counter as if he owned the place. “You were running away from me. Why? Who hurt you?”
“That’s not—”
“Really, Grace. Who hurt you and how long ago? I heard you were dating someone for quite a while, but he moved away. Was it an ugly breakup?”
“His name was Josh. He got a job offer in Houston and he left me.” She poured a cup of coffee and handed it to him.
“Thank God for Houston’s booming economy,” Nico muttered.
“The relationship was getting serious,” she continued, her voice soft. “Or so I thought. I trusted him and he walked away.”
“You were in love with him.”
“It felt like love at the time.” Grace saw the hurt flash in Nico’s eyes and wished she hadn’t been quite so honest.
“He obviously wasn’t the right man for you.”
“No. I know that now. But at the time? I was heartbroken. He wasn’t ready to get married, he said. He wasn’t ready to ‘take the next step.’ That was news to me, because he’d hinted at a future together and I’d believed him.” She tried for a smile. “I seem to attract men with commitment issues.”
“No,” Nico said. “Those men just weren’t right for you. If that guy, the one who moved to Houston, had been the right guy you’d be eating tacos and drinking tequila right now.”
“Nico—”
“Just so you know, I have zero commitment issues,” he informed her. “I’m as loyal as Al.”
Grace couldn’t help smiling at that statement.
Nico continued. “I started to fall in love with you when I interviewed for the job here. The evening I asked you for a drink.”
“But—”
“Not because you were gorgeous.
