Page 101 of Mistletoe Mistake
Cole and I ran into Gemma in the hallway outside a Christmas party, and she looked just as gorgeous then as she did at her wedding, even if her dress was completely different. I told Cole that night that Gemma was my dream girl, but that didn’t stop him from going up to his hotel room with her that night. It had happened before that Cole caught the interest of a girl I would have killed for a chance with, but I never held it against him. He didn't do it on purpose. People were just drawn to him, they always had been. Hell, even I was. Something about being around him made anyone in his presence feel special. It felt invigorating in a completely indefinable way.
But the following night, we went out to an industry event and ran into Gemma again, and that was when I met Holly.
Although I said just the night before that Gemma was my ideal woman, I had to make an immediate mental retraction of that statement when I laid eyes on Holly. With her sleek blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and the way her elegant dress wrapped around her body, showing off every perfect curve, she looked like something straight out of a dream. I greeted her warmly and she returned my smile with one of her own that nearly made me weak in the knees.
Something special lingered in her smile and the way her eyes twinkled, looking somehow fearless and vulnerable at the same time. I could see in that look the promise of all I'd ever wanted.
If only she’d felt the same.
As she caught me staring at her across the wedding dance floor, she flashed me that same smile, a hint of a challenge in her eyes as she gestured towards the dance floor with her head. With the first dance wrapping up, we were expected to join in as best man and maid of honour, and we walked across the open space of the dance floor towards each other like two magnets being drawn together until we met in the middle.
“May I have this dance?” I asked formally, bowing to her in a way that I knew would make her laugh.
Sure enough, her beautiful blue eyes shone as she grinned. “Do you know how to dance? Maybe we should have practiced this ahead of time.”
“I'm available for practice whenever you like,” I teased her back, holding out my hand, and she stepped into my arms like we'd done the move a million times before.
“So, they really did it,” Holly said as her hand slid over the top of my shoulder, close to my neck, sending a tingle of excitement through my body. “After being engaged to Edwin for six years, I never would have guessed that Gemma would be married to someone else a year after breaking up with him.”
“Sometimes, you just know when a thing is right,” I pointed out. “It's got nothing to do with time.”
A hint of sadness flashed in Holly's eyes as she looked away from me. "Or sometimes, things that seem right fade over time."
That was the biggest glimpse she'd ever given me into the world inside her head, but before I could ask her to explain what she meant, she turned back to me with her smile back on, as if that little moment had never happened at all.
“So I'm here for three weeks now, until New Year's.” I knew that already; Gemma had mentioned it to me several times. “I know Gem's got some plans for me, but she's hardly a native New Yorker. What are the can't-miss things I need to see while I'm here?”
Taking the bait, I began to tell her about some of my favourite places, the list growing bigger as I kept thinking of more things she should see.
"I think I'm going to need you to write that all down." She laughed as I twirled her across the floor.
“I'd be happy to show you around,” I offered, completely unplanned. “I've taken most of the rest of the month off. Since Cole's out of the office, there won't be any major deals going on, so my work can all wait too. I might have to stop in every now and then, but most of my time is free.”
Holly looked up at me in surprise, her face tantalizingly close to mine as we moved to the music. “You don't have any plans? What about your family? Aren't you going to spend the holidays with them?”
The details of my family life were hardly the kind of light-hearted talk suitable for a wedding dance, so I kept my answer vague. “I mostly planned to relax. I've got a few days booked in to babysit Noah, but otherwise, I'm pretty flexible. If you're interested, I'm at your service.”
She raised an eyebrow at me, a smile playing on her lips as her gaze dropped down my body and back up again. “Exactly what kind of services are you offering?”
I knew she meant it as a joke. Flirty and upbeat had always been our dynamic, but after everything I'd been thinking about all day and watching my best friend get his happy-ever-after, I couldn't bring myself to smile back. The implication was perfectly clear: Holly only wanted me in the way she always had, and nothing more. I hadn't really expected her position to have changed, or at least I had told myself that I hadn't expected it, but it stung anyway to hear her say it.
Luckily, the music drew to an end just then, so I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek to avoid answering. “Thanks for the dance, Holly.” Without giving her a chance to reply, I turned around and headed for the outdoor terrace, needing to get some air.
After a few minutes of pushing through the crowd, I finally made it out into the night air and breathed deeply as I tried to push down the lump in my throat. Why was I so disappointed? She'd made it clear enough the year before that she only saw me as a good time. Why should I have hoped for anything else?
“Hey, are you okay?” Holly's British accent cut through my self-pity, forcing me back to the present. She stood just behind me as I turned around, a worried look on her face. “Did I say something wrong?”
“Of course not,” I lied. "It was just getting a little stuffy in there."
"You're not a very good liar." She saw through me immediately, but her expression was soft and kind. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but can I at least make it up to you?"
She held out her hand with a peace offering: one of the candy cane favours Gemma had ordered to complement the red and white colour scheme. They were raspberry vodka flavoured rather than peppermint and dangerously good. Gemma and I had tasted a few a couple of nights earlier and managed to get ourselves a little tipsy, though she had a better excuse than I did since she hadn't been drinking for the last year because of her pregnancy.
“Thanks.” I took the candy from her and opened it while she unwrapped one of her own. Turning back to the view of the skyline, I put the end of the candy cane in my mouth and Holly did the same with hers, coming to stand beside me.
“You grew up here in Manhattan, right?” she asked as we looked out over the city lights together.
“Right,” I confirmed. We had talked about that briefly the year before. “Up in Washington Heights. Born and bred.”
