The Christmas Inn

“Ah, we have a problem,” he said, forcing himself to get straight to the point.

“A problem? With what?” she asked, looking completely perplexed and totally endearing.

For a few minutes he considered backing out of his decision to find out what was going on with this woman and her reservation. But tomorrow was the first day of an event that was critical to the success of the inn’s winter season, a season he’d spent thousands of dollars of his advertising budget on, and he couldn’t let it be jeopardized.

His conversation with Jack made it even more urgent that he find out what was going on with her. “You’re aware that this Christmas Getaway event is starting tomorrow, and those couples signed up because they want to have a stress-free Christmas vacation, right?”

“Yes, you explained all that.”

“Your reservation is for two people.” He cleared his throat to ease his nervousness. “Will your husband be joining you tomorrow?”

“My husband?” she asked, her expression one of complete disbelief.

“Your reservation is made out in the name of Mr. and Mrs. Scott McLaughlan.”

She choked. “What?”

Why the surprise? Had she planned all along to come without her husband and now she’d been found out? Was she meeting one of the other guests? Surely not Brad Parker. He and his wife seemed so happy when he met them at the reception desk earlier. But if there was something going on between Brad and Marnie, it might explain why she insisted on staying here.

He pulled the reservation from the pile of papers on the corner of his desk. “See, there it is.” He pointed to the names on the reservation. “We’ve been heavily promoting this package. Your husband would have been informed when making the booking that it was a couples event.”

She read it slowly, her lips pursed into a stubborn arch. “You wouldn’t have accepted the reservation unless I was coming here with…my husband.”

“Not for the next few days. The package officially starts tomorrow, the 22nd, and runs until the 26th of December. We have a dinner party as the final event.”

“So, what do you want me to do?” she asked.

She hadn’t made any comment about her husband’s name being on the reservation, and she hadn’t offered any explanation for his absence. “It would be helpful to know when your husband is going to join you.”

She started to speak, then lowered her head and peered at her hands resting in her lap. “I don’t know.”

“Is he delayed?”

“He’s… I’m calling him this evening....”

He rubbed his face, a deep sigh escaping his lips. “In the meantime, we have to come to some sort of…arrangement.”

“An arrangement.” Her voice dropped twenty degrees, but two bright red spots appeared on her cheeks.

What in the hell was he doing? What arrangement would work that wouldn’t get him into more trouble? “Please try to understand my predicament. If you’re to stay here alone until your husband arrives you’ll have to keep a low profile. It might work best for you to be my…assistant.”

An assistant? Any other brilliant ideas?

She gave him an incredulous look. “You need a date that bad? None of the local girls want to go out with you?”

“No, I don’t need a date. You’re just too…too much of a distraction. The men here are supposed to be concentrating on their wives.”

“And if they don’t, it’s my fault?” she said, her voice rising.

“No, it’s just that…” He managed to come up with a smile. “I’m just digging the hole deeper, aren’t I?”

* * *

AS ANGRY AND EMBARRASSED as she was by the predicament Scott had put her in, she found Luke’s earnest tone reassuring. He wasn’t trying to offend her; he just wasn’t good at dealing with this sort of situation. He was obviously not good at talking to women, which made him more appealing in a way.

So, why don’t you tell him Scott’s not your husband, that he’s your brother? If you’re going to do it, now would be the time.

But if she told Luke the truth, how did she explain her brother’s strange behavior? And what sort of person had a brother that would claim his sister was his wife? And what would Luke think of her when he learned the truth?

She could suggest that the inn must have made a mistake, but she knew they hadn’t. Scott would have been told about the event, and in his single-minded way, he got around it by putting his name on the reservation, without thinking that there might be repercussions for her.

She could have said that Scott was going to come with his wife, and couldn’t at the last minute, but that wouldn’t work because Scott had been told that it was a special Christmas package for couples. So for Scott to send her alone made even less sense. So what sort of explanation could she offer to Luke that would explain her presence here this week of all weeks?

No, offering up another lie was out of the question. She hadn’t told Luke the truth originally and now the opportunity to do so was rapidly slipping away.

Face it. You’re stalling for time. As angry as you are at Scott, you don’t want to leave, and the reason is sitting across from you.

“You’re digging a huge hole, but it’s not necessarily your fault,” she said, barely able to contain her embarrassment. Scott hadn’t said one word about the couples program when he’d given her the confirmation number, and he’d left her to face this man knowing she was supposed to have a husband.

“If we could come up with some sort of explanation for you being here alone… I mean, did you come to think…or to resolve some issue?”

His expression was a mix of uncertainty and determination, and she felt sorry for him. After all, despite his poor handling of the situation, he was trying to run a business, and she wasn’t being much help.

She cleared her throat and tried for an encouraging smile. She’d deal with her sneaky, underhanded brother tonight. “I had planned to have a nice break for a few days.” That was the truth, and another reason she planned to do something really nasty to Scott when she got home. “But I didn’t realize that my being here would cause such a problem for you. I’m really sorry for causing so much trouble.”

Luke fidgeted for a few seconds, breathing life into her fantasy that if she could stay for a couple of days, and if she could somehow get out of the lie Scott had told, she might have a chance to get to know Luke. “I gather the inn will be busy for the next few days, and I used to run a beauty shop and spa. If I could help you out somehow, make up for any difficulties I may have caused,” she said, seeing his expression turn hopeful.

“It would certainly be much easier for everyone if you were inconspicuous…that’s why I suggested you be my assistant.”

“What will the other members of your staff say about this?”

“Nothing. To be honest with you, we all want the Christmas Getaway event to be a success.”

“I’m really that much of a concern?” she asked in disbelief.

He nodded sheepishly. “A lone single woman during this sort of event can’t help but stand out.” He shrugged. “This must sound silly to you, but appearances count when it comes to creating a romantic experience such as the one we have planned for this week.”

The heated exchange between herself and Brad came back to her, and she suddenly had a flash of realization. “The bartender called you, didn’t he? To report on me?”

He nodded. “Jack has a lot going on this week, as well. His wife is expecting their first child and she’s due any day. But I’ve gotten way off topic.”

So Jack told on her. If she had simply walked away from Brad, surely Luke wouldn’t be so anxious to keep her hidden. “That’s okay, and a new baby is always exciting,” she said.

“Would you be willing to pretend to be my assistant until your husband arrives? During our Christmas Getaway event, many of the staff will work longer hours than usual. With you here, I’ll be able to offer them at least a few hours off, which means you’ll be too busy to attract any of the guests’ attention.” He gave her the cutest look, nearly making her forget that she was here under false pretenses.

She had no idea why he was so anxious for her to stay, but clearly he was, and she wanted to stay, especially with the added bonus of working with him. Whatever else she did, she’d make sure she didn’t go anywhere near Brad or his wife, which would ease Luke’s concerns.

By helping out around the inn, she could also do her questionnaire work without being noticed. “Let me sleep on it, and I’ll give you my answer tomorrow. How’s that?”

“Great. In the meantime, what about dinner? The getaway event doesn’t officially start until tomorrow.”

Dinner was out of the question tonight. She was only hungry for the chance to ream Scott out. Food could wait. Besides, if she got really hungry, she had trail mix in her backpack. “If you don’t mind, I’m a little tired. I think I’ll just go to my room.”

She’d been so determined not to feel anything while Luke talked, not the surprise, the hurt or the embarrassment, brought on by the actions of her brother. And to add insult to injury, there had been the run-in with Brad. She swallowed hard and clenched her hands to steady herself.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. You don’t have to eat with me if you’d rather eat in your room. Why don’t I get the chef to send up some dinner?” Luke said.

Why not? She’d probably be ravenous when she got done yelling at Scott. “That would be wonderful.”

“Despite what I’ve said here this evening, I would’ve been more than pleased to have dinner with you.” His smile touched her heart, making her wish that she could tell him the truth about her, about why she was there in his beautiful inn.

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