What She Really Wants For Christmas

“I don’t know,” she said petulantly. “Can’t you help me?”

“I’m running late.” He hesitated and glanced out the glass doors. “All right.”

She smiled and handed him the star before slowly descending the ladder, with a seductive sway to her curvy hips.

The tree had to be eight feet tall and since he was only six-two he didn’t dare try securing the star without using the ladder. He got up a couple of rungs and felt Melinda’s hand near his right thigh. He frowned down at her.

“I’m holding the ladder for you,” she said with a wink.

He ignored her, placed the star on the top of the tree and then quickly got down.

“You’re leaving early.” The woman had no concept of personal space.

He backed away from her, at the same time glancing out the glass doors. He spotted Liza pulling into a parking space. “I’ve got to go.”

“You have a date or something?” she asked in a teasing tone.

“Yeah,” he said, and headed out of the building without giving her a second look.

The sky was darker and the air chillier than when he’d come to work midmorning. He buttoned his jacket as he walked, watching for Liza, his gaze staying on the large black SUV she’d parked behind. A second later he saw her, dressed in jeans and a bulky red sweater that unfortunately hid her curves. He waved to get her attention.

“What are you doing out here?” she asked as soon as she got close enough.

Evan checked his watch. “Weren’t we supposed to meet at four fifteen?”

Resentment flashed in her eyes. “Too embarrassed to be seen with me inside?”

“Never even crossed my mind. I was done, and I walked out here to meet you. Is that a problem?”

Her gaze flickered toward the station doors. “No.”

“Shall we take my car?”

“I guess.”

He didn’t appreciate her indifferent tone. “Look, if you’ve changed your mind, no problem.”

Liza shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I’d like to have a drink with you. Anyplace. You choose.”

Evan tried not to smile. Originally she’d asked him just to go for coffee, which was okay because he’d considered it a nice start. A drink was better. Maybe it would even lead to dinner. “How about we go to Sardis?”

“That’s a couple blocks away, isn’t it?”

He nodded.

“Let’s walk.”

“You’re not cold?”

Liza laughed. Nice husky sound. “It’s only the beginning of December. Ask me next month.”

Would she still be around then? Naturally he said nothing. He simply walked alongside her, and when they got to the sidewalk, promptly swung around to take the outside position closer to the street.

Her lips lifted in amusement. “A perfect Southern gentleman, I see.”

He shrugged sheepishly. “My grandfather once made me promise to never let a woman walk on the street side. Do you know how the custom came about?”

“Ah, no.”

Evan smiled. He could tell she didn’t care but she was going to hear it anyway. “It started back in the old west. Unpaved roads, puddles of water…you starting to get the picture?”

She shook her head in mock disgust, but he saw the smile dancing at the corners of her mouth.

“A gentleman always walked on the outside to protect the women from getting their long skirts splashed.”

She laughed, making her eyes sparkle. She wasn’t classically pretty but she had an interesting face. Her eyes were small and almond-shaped, and her nose looked as if it had been sculpted by a skilled surgeon. Although she didn’t strike him as a woman who’d go in for that kind of thing.

He smiled. “And now you know.”

“Is that true?”

“I have no idea.”

Her eyebrows arched. “You made it up?”

“No, I heard it from my grandfather. I imagine he did read it somewhere, though. I remember him always reading a book or newspaper.”

She looked away. “I don’t remember my grandparents. I was a baby when they died.”

“All four of them?”

“Yeah,” she said, showing undue interest in the Santa window display they were passing.

He got that it might be a sore subject and dropped it. “You look nice.”

She gave him an annoyed look. “This is a drink, okay? You’re not getting lucky.”

“No problem. I’m celibate.” As much as he wanted to see Liza’s expression, he had to look away because he had a lousy poker face.

Fortunately, at that moment they arrived at the bar, both of them going for the door, but he got it first. He held it open for her.

“Celibate and a gentleman. This is going to be interesting,” she murmured as she proceeded him.

Evan followed her, disturbed by the new view he was getting. The sweater wasn’t hiding any curves. She’d lost a lot of weight. About twenty pounds that she hadn’t needed to lose. Was she sick? Was that the reason for her sudden disappearance? Is that why she needed the lottery money?

The light vanilla fragrance of her hair distracted him, and drew him closer than was polite. When she stopped suddenly, he nearly rammed into her. She turned to say something and their eyes met. She didn’t look pleased.

“There’s a table over there,” he said, discreetly backing up a foot.

She hesitated, her gaze turning toward the dimly lit room, the walls covered with racing memorabilia and autographed pictures. Artificial garlands interwoven with Christmas lights were draped along the heavy wooden bar. A Christmas tree stood in the corner but it hadn’t been decorated yet. There were a lot of customers for the time of day, talking and laughing or thoughtfully sipping their cocktails.

Evan only recognized one person who worked at the station—a cameraman from another show that was filmed down the hall. Luckily, he had nothing to do with Just Between Us and he was probably new enough that Liza wouldn’t recognize him.

“This okay?” he asked close to her ear.

“This is fine. I could do without all the damn decorations but I don’t think we can get away from that.”

“Don’t like Christmas, huh?”

“Not particularly.”

“Me, neither.”

She looked at him with surprise but a couple came in behind them and since there were only two available tables, he and Liza headed toward the one he’d spotted in the corner. It hadn’t been cleaned off yet from the previous customers and a waitress promptly removed the empty glasses, wiped off the tabletop with a towel and then said she’d be back to take their drink orders.

After a brief but awkward silence, Evan spoke first. “You can tell me to go to hell, but I’m going to ask the burning question. Where have you been for the last year?”

Liza leaned back in her chair and stared at him. “Does it matter?”

That, he hadn’t expected. “I guess not.”

“Good.” A hint of a smile played at the corners of her mouth. “Now I don’t have to tell you to go to hell.”

“Go ahead. I can take it. I’ve got broad shoulders.”

“Do you now?” She gave him an obvious once-over. “I see that you do.”

“Careful or I’ll think you’re flirting with me.”

She laughed. “I wouldn’t do that to a man in your condition.”

Now that he thought about it, he was painfully close to celibacy. His nurse thought he was too picky. “How thoughtful.”

Liza opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again when their waitress appeared. The woman waited patiently while Liza changed her mind twice about what she wanted to drink. Finally, she settled on a tequila sunrise with an extra cherry. Surprising, because he’d expected her to drink something like scotch or beer.

After he’d given his order and the waitress left, he waited for Liza to pick up the conversation again, but when she didn’t, he asked, “What have you been doing with yourself?”

She looked uncomfortable, shifting in her seat and feigning interest in the picture of a Grand Prix racing crew on the wall. “Nothing much.”

“You have a job?”

“I’m looking.”

“In the same field?”

“Why so many questions?” she snapped.

“Well, let’s see, I suppose we could talk about the weather.”

Liza sighed. “I really don’t know what I’m going to do yet.”

“Waiting for the lawsuit to play out, I imagine.”

She flinched. “It’s not about the money.”

“Oh?” Jeez, he really was just making conversation.

She moistened her lips. “Have you heard anything?”

“You mean, around the station?”

She slowly nodded, her anxious hazel eyes staying fastened on his.

He chuckled. “Your name has popped up from time to time.”

“I know they all think I’m a bitch.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Her chin went up in defiance. “You don’t have to protect my tender feelings. I really don’t give a damn.”

“I know. I was talking about the janitor. He doesn’t speak English, so I doubt he has an opinion of you.”

Liza grinned. “Very good, Dr. Gann.”

“Why, thank you.” Silly how good it felt to have impressed Liza. But mostly it was about how her face relaxed when she smiled. How pretty she looked.

“Here we go.” The waitress set the tequila sunrise in front of Liza along with a small white bowl of maraschino cherries. She put a bottle of imported beer in front of Evan, and then another bowl of pretzels in the center of the table.

“Thank you.” Liza looked at the waitress, an odd expression on her face, almost as if she was surprised by the kindness.

“I’ll check back with you later,” the older woman said as she took out the pencil she’d stuck behind her ear and then moved to the next table.

Liza reached for her second cherry, while eyeing the pretzels. “I wonder if the gang still goes to Latitude Thirty-Three,” she said with an unexpected wistfulness.

“I think they do. If you want we can go there after—”

“God, no.” She took a quick sip of her drink. “No one from Just Between Us wants to see me.”

“Why were you in the parking lot yesterday?”

She frowned. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Name it. I can’t seem to get it right.”

She tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows drawing together. “I don’t get you.”

“Me? I’m an open book.”

“Are you married?”

That annoyed him. “I wouldn’t be sitting here if I were.”

Liza shrugged. “Why? This is merely a friendly drink, yes? Plus, you’re celibate.”

He smiled. “I was ten minutes ago.”

She shook her head in mock exasperation. “Okay, were you ever married?”

“No.”

“Hmm.”

“What does that mean?”

“You seem like the marrying kind. Kids. The white picket fence. Steady. Stable. You know the type.”

Evan knew exactly what she meant. Liza was on the wild side, which meant she’d find someone like that boring. The thing was, he pretty much was that guy. He would have had it all by now if Angela hadn’t screwed him. And, literally, two of his friends. “I have the white picket fence. Came with the house.”

Liza chuckled. “Ah, so you do have the whole house-and-mortgage thing.”

“Gotta live somewhere.”

Her expression fell and her shoulders sagged. “I think I’d like a house someday,” she said softly. “With a small yard and garden. Apartment living is getting old.”

“Where are you now?”

She looked warily at him. “You wouldn’t know the place. Anyway, I’m not even sure I’m staying in Atlanta. Probably won’t. Too hot and humid.”

“Great for growing gardens.”

She gave a shrug of indifference and in just those few seconds she became the old Liza. “I’m not really the hearth-and-home type. I was only making conversation.”

“Ah, I see.” He didn’t really. Better to let it go, though. “You must have something in mind, assuming you win the lawsuit.”

She’d just picked up her drink and it slid from her hand. Half the liquid sloshed onto her lap before she could right the glass. “Damn.”

He rose. “I’ll get a towel from the waitress.”

“No, that’s okay. I’ve got it.” She used both their cocktail napkins but he knew that couldn’t have done much good.

“I can get a towel.”

“No,” she said curtly, and then took a furtive look around before staring back down at her lap.

Only the couple at the next table had noticed, and they’d already restarted their conversation.

Evan just watched her swipe at her jeans with an angry frustration that went well beyond a spilled drink. She bit her lower lip so hard he wouldn’t be surprised if she drew blood. He wanted to help, to at least say something comforting or funny to distract her, but he knew better. He had this really strong and unexpected feeling that Liza needed to battle her own demons.

T HIS WAS SO STUPID. She wasn’t about to dry her jeans this way, but she didn’t want to meet Evan’s eyes. Bet he was sorry that he’d asked her out. Served him right. What had he expected?

“Excuse me,” she said finally. “I need to go to the restroom and take care of this.”

She only briefly looked at him as she slid out of her seat. There was no pity in his eyes, not even curiosity. In fact, she didn’t know what to make of his bland expression.

“Shall I order you another drink?” he asked calmly.

“No, thanks,” she murmured, and gave him her back as she blindly searched for the ladies’ room.

It had to be in one of the corners, and it was the second place she looked. She didn’t give a damn about her jeans and went straight to the sink. She turned on the faucet and splashed her face with cold water. At the last moment she remembered that she’d actually applied a little makeup before coming out. Too late now.

Didn’t matter, though. Unlikely she’d see Evan again. He probably couldn’t wait to finish his drink and get rid of her. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d already paid the bill. Ironically, she’d enjoyed being with him. He wasn’t as stuffy as she’d expected him to be. Still not her type, but he’d been pleasant company. Didn’t take her crap, either. Always a refreshing discovery.

The problem was, she hadn’t found out anything about the lawsuit. She knew damn well people gossiped around there, especially in the coffee room. Evan wasn’t the type to participate, but he still might’ve heard something useful.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she cringed at the dark circles under her eyes. A couple of years away from the big 3-0 and she already had pronounced crow’s-feet at the corners of her eyes. Her skin was too pale, and now that she’d washed off the tinted moisturizer, she really looked like hell.

She pushed the hair away from her face and, as she’d seen her mother do a hundred times, a zillion years ago, Liza pinched her cheeks to give them some color. She didn’t do a very good job because the right side looked more like a bad mosquito bite. Great.

She grabbed a couple of paper towels and blotted her jeans, and then washed the stickiness off her hands. If Evan hadn’t already bolted, she’d come right out and ask him what he’d heard about the lawsuit. All he could do was tell her to get lost. But she doubted he’d do that. He was too much of a gentleman. And damn it, she liked that.

3

L IZA’ S HEART DID A funny little hop as she approached the table, and he smiled. His hair was too short for her taste, but he had great eyes, the perfect shade of whiskey-brown, and a square jaw with a dimple in the center of his chin that she found terribly appealing. That he had some stubble and wasn’t clean-shaven, as usual, was right up her alley.

The table had been cleaned off and her empty glass had been replaced with another tequila sunrise. She reclaimed her seat and noticed that he was also on his second beer. Guess he wasn’t going to run screaming from the room.

“Trust me with another drink, I see.” She decided not to point out that she’d said she didn’t want another.

“I asked for a lid but they didn’t have one.”

She smiled in spite of herself. Either she was really starved for male company or Evan was truly turning out to be less stodgy than she’d perceived him.

“What kind of doctor are you?” she asked, genuinely interested.

“An internist.”

“How did you get the consulting gig for Heartbeat?”

“The producer is an old frat brother of mine.”

“From med school?”

He chuckled. “Undergraduate. You don’t have time for a fraternity in med school. Between working and studying I was lucky to get four hours of sleep a night.”

“Here I thought you were one of those rich kids who had a trust fund.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Seriously, I did. You seem the preppy type.”

“Bad assumption. I just finally paid off my student loans, thanks to the consulting job.”

“I still have ten thousand outstanding myself.” Liza had no idea why she’d offered the information. It galled her to know that part of her inheritance had been used to buy Rick’s bike instead of making her debt-free.

“That’s not bad.”

“I guess not. Though I don’t like to owe any money.”

“Me, too. My parents scraped together every penny to pay down their mortgage. The day they made their last payment they had a huge barbecue in the backyard and invited all the relatives and neighbors.”

Liza smiled at the fondness in his voice. “You have a big family?”

“Two brothers. Lots of cousins, most of whom live here in Atlanta. How about you?”

“No siblings. Except Eve and Jane. They’re like—” She cut herself off, horrified at what she’d revealed. It was Evan’s fault. He was just too damn easy to talk to.

He looked clearly curious, but graciously filled the conversation gap. “My father is retiring in three months. He and Mom are thinking about buying a small condo in Florida but they’re not sure where. You’re from Jacksonville, aren’t you?”

“I was a kid when I lived there, and then I left after college.” She quickly picked up her drink and took a cooling sip. She didn’t like this warm squishy feeling of gratitude. Evan didn’t need information on Florida. He could’ve asked her all kinds of awkward questions. Not that she’d have answered, but still.

“Are your parents living there—in Jacksonville?”

“My dad died last year. My mom is there.”

She didn’t know where exactly, but that wasn’t something she’d share. Besides, with his background, he wouldn’t understand what it was like growing up with an alcoholic and a pill-popper.

“I’m sorry about your father.”

“Yeah. Guess it was his time.” She looked away so she wouldn’t see the revulsion on Evan’s face. She hadn’t meant to sound so callous, but a life of hard drinking never ended well. When she finally looked at Evan again, he smiled kindly. It annoyed her. Why was he so nice? What the hell did he want from her? She didn’t deserve his kindness. Or anyone else’s. Didn’t he understand that?

“You getting hungry?”

“Why?”

“Well,” he said slowly, the corners of his mouth twitching, “it’s approaching the dinner hour and traditionally people eat a meal at that time.”

“I’m not traditional.”

“True.” He loosened the knot on his tie. “That’s what I like about you.”

“Hmm.” She couldn’t come up with anything witty to say. She was too busy watching his long fingers work, and noticing the smattering of hair across the back of his hands. His skin was tan and more rugged-looking than she’d expect of a doctor. Probably belonged to a golf or tennis club.

“Liza?”

“What?”

He frowned at her. “I asked if you’d like to go to dinner.”

“Dinner?”

“Uh-huh, you know, eating.”

She glanced at her watch, shocked at how much time had passed. Yet she hadn’t gotten a word out of him about the scuttlebutt around the station. Rick had been sleeping when she left, and she wanted him to stay that way until she was safely in her apartment. “I can’t. I’m leaving after this drink.”

“All right.” He looked disappointed as he leaned back in his chair. His shoulders really were quite broad. She wondered what he’d be like without the jacket. “Another time, maybe?”

She nodded absently. He kind of looked like a jock. Not her favorite. But he definitely seemed as if he were in shape. The most exercise she got these days was climbing the stairs to her apartment.

“Your enthusiasm is heartening.”

“What?”

He smiled sadly. “One of the other things I like about you is your directness. If you don’t want a repeat, go ahead and say so. You’re not going to hurt my feelings.”

“That’s not it.” She cleared her throat. What a great opening he’d handed her. “It’s this whole lawsuit thing making me crazy. I’m not myself.”

“Ah. I understand.”

She fingered her straw, keeping her gaze lowered, hoping she sounded casual. “Have you heard anything?”

“About what?”

“The lawsuit. My attorney thinks they’re about to make another offer.”

“Good.” He slowly set down his beer, clearly avoiding her gaze. “I’m sure everyone wants to put this behind them.”

“But you haven’t heard anything?”

This time he looked her straight in the eye. “Is that why you called? So you could pump me for information?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t even blink at her bluntness. “Sorry you wasted your time.” His expression grim, he reached into his pocket. “And mine.”

“Wait. Initially I did want to meet with you so that I could find out what was going on.”

He pulled out some bills from his silver-and-turquoise money clip and picked up the check the waitress had left.

Liza plucked the slip of paper out of his hand. “I called you. I’m paying.”

“Will that assuage your guilt?”

“Had you been listening, you’d realize that I qualified my answer. This evening turned out to be a pleasant surprise.”

His mouth curved in a patronizing smile.

“Look, I’m glad I came, okay?” She dug through her purse, searching for her wallet. Mostly, she didn’t want to face Evan. Screw him. At least she’d told him the truth. She could’ve gone all dewy-eyed and saccharine-sweet to get what she wanted. But she hadn’t. Not that she’d ever use that tactic in a million years.

“Liza?”

Grudgingly, she looked up at him.

His gentle smile disarmed her. “I’m glad you came, too.”

“Yeah, well, now that the mutual admiration society has met, time to get out of here.” She found a twenty and looked at the bill. God. Even the beer was expensive in this place. She started fishing in her wallet again, but Evan reached over and touched her hand.

“I’m getting this,” he said and before she knew it, he grabbed the check out of her fingers.

“Give me that.”

“Nope.” He already had the money ready and handed the bills to the waitress as she passed by on her way to another table.

“This is the twenty-first century, in case you’ve just woken up.”

“A gentleman supersedes any period in time.”

“Oh, brother.”

“You ready?”

“You can stay.”

He snorted. “Right.”

“So now you’re insisting on walking me to my car?”

“You bet.”

She shook her head as they both got to their feet. “You’re something else.”

Winking at her, he took her arm with a flourish, the way his grandfather might have escorted his wife.

Liza laughed. “What am I going to do with you?”

His smile was far from patronizing when he asked, “Open to suggestions?”

A S THEY LEFT THE BAR, Evan placed his hand at the small of her back. She was pretty thin, which revived his earlier suspicion regarding her health. Yet her coloring was good and her energy level didn’t seem to be lacking.

“You’ve lost some weight,” he said once they got on the sidewalk and he’d positioned himself on the outside. Rush-hour traffic hadn’t subsided, and it wouldn’t for another couple of hours.

She frowned slightly. “Have I?”

“Must be the stress of the lawsuit.”

She moved away, self-consciously wrapping her arms around herself. “I guess.”

“You want my jacket?”

“Huh? Oh, no. Thanks.”

“By the way, I haven’t heard anything about the lawsuit.”