A Mistletoe Affair (5 page)

“Maybe I’m missing something here, but if Oliver Windom can accept the election results, why can’t you? I don’t understand why you’re allowing this to consume you.”

“Because I messed up, and I can’t figure out what went wrong.” He shook his head. “I’ve been racking my brain, but nothing makes sense. It doesn’t matter how many angles I look at, I still don’t see how Darren pulled it off.” He pointed at the laptop. “According to my statistics, Oliver should have won.”

“Polling isn’t an exact science. No one really knows what happens when a person enters the ballot box except for that person.”

“I know there are margins of error, and I know that this race was close, but when I look at the districts that Oliver lost, it makes me even more convinced that there was some sort of tampering. Those were the ones that he should have won by the biggest margin.” He shook his head. “Maybe it’s the math nerd in me, but I just don’t see how I could have been so off with the data.”

His pained expression was full of anguish. “I wish I could let this go, Vicki. I’m not oblivious to the rift this has caused between my family and the Howertons, and to a certain extent your family, too. I truly hope that it hasn’t affected the relationship between you, Sandra and Janelle.”

“We’re Switzerland,” she said.

“Yeah, that’s what Sandra told me, but still, it can’t be easy.”

No, it wasn’t. There had been an underlying layer of tension around the Victorian since the end of the election. Yet as much as she wished Jordan would drop this, Vicki couldn’t help but be impressed by the way he’d held to his convictions, despite the enormous pressure he was obviously getting from all sides to let this go.

“I doubt anything is going to change with the numbers in the next couple of hours, so why don’t you put that stuff away and get some rest?”

“You’re right,” he said. He lifted the laptop from the bed and set it on the tufted ottoman in the sitting room area. He turned to her and held his hands up. “I promise that I’ll sleep this time.”

“Good,” she said with a firm nod. A blue-and-white pamphlet caught her eye as she passed the dresser on her way out of the room. “Do you work with Mass Mentors?” Vicki asked, referring to the mentorship program she’d been a supporter of for the past few years.

“Yeah,” he answered. “I’ve been helping out there.”

“It’s a great program. I’ve brought in several of the kids to intern at Petals. They go out on deliveries and a few are even starting to learn floral design.”

“I didn’t realize you were involved with the program,” he said. His voice softened with appreciation. “That’s wonderful, Vicki.”

Their gazes locked and held for several weighty moments. Jordan was the first to look away, picking up a pen from the lap desk on the bed and tossing it on the nightstand.

“Uh, we didn’t discuss any kind of payment for the babysitting. How much...” His words trailed off and his mouth dipped in a frown. Probably because of the daggers she was shooting at him right now with her stare. “What?” he asked.

“Are you deliberately trying to annoy me?” Vicki asked, making sure her displeasure came through her voice. “I
volunteered
to watch Mason out of friendship. Don’t you dare suggest paying me, Jordan.”

“Sorry.” He held his hands up in mock surrender once again. “It looks as if I’ve made a world championship sport out of offending you today.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t have to try so hard to sweep the medals,” she said, wrangling a laugh from him. With Mason in tow, she headed out of the room.

“Vicki,” Jordan called just as she reached the door. She looked back at him. “Thank you,” he said.

She smiled. “You’re welcome. Now sleep.”

Chapter 3

J
ordan’s eyes popped open.

He sprung up in bed, but quickly relaxed when he remembered that Vicki was here, watching over Mason so he could rest.

Vicki.

Jordan shook his head, still confused as hell over what to make of her. He’d dreamed of her while he slept, his mind conjuring images that would probably make her blush. But he couldn’t help it. Vicki Ahlfors had burrowed her way into his brain, and he enjoyed having her there too much to let those delicious fantasies of her vanish anytime soon.

Jordan dragged his palms down his face.

He’d mulled over these feelings that had started swirling within him the night of Sandra’s wedding and had decided to ignore them, but fighting thoughts about Vicki was more than his taxed mind had the ability to deal with right now. It was easier to just go with it and let the fantasies play out.

Jordan knew her dating status shouldn’t matter to him one way or another, but damn if something akin to relief hadn’t hit him when Vicki had confirmed that she wouldn’t be rescheduling her date with the doctor. She’d said she wasn’t into casual relationships anymore; he could respect that. He’d grown weary of carefree flings that were only fun for the moment, but left him unfulfilled. Now that he had Mason, his taste for meaningless relationships had soured even more.

He wanted substance. He wanted stability. He wanted someone who could appreciate the simple pleasures of a quiet night at home, someone who would value the absolute joy he found in raising his son.

But whether or not he was even ready to explore a relationship with a woman again was still up in the air. He’d been burned so badly by the last one that just the thought of exposing himself to that kind of hurt again scared the hell out of him. And that was nothing compared to how he felt when he considered bringing another woman into Mason’s life.

Protecting his son was his number one priority. He would not allow his own needs to supersede those of Mason’s.

Jordan glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand and did a double take. It was nearly 10:00 p.m.

What the hell?

He’d been asleep for
four hours?

He hopped out of bed and rushed from the room. Finding the great room empty, he took off for the kitchen.

He crossed the threshold and stuttered to a stop.

The kitchen was spotless. Vicki had washed and put away the dishes, swept and mopped the floors. She’d piled Mason’s toys into one of the wicker laundry baskets from the laundry room and tucked it into a corner.

She looked up from the table she was scrubbing and smiled. “You’re up,” she said.

“Yeah,” he replied with a sheepish grin. He rubbed the back of his neck. “I...uh, I’m sorry I slept so long. You should have been gone a long time ago.”

“I didn’t mind staying,” she said. “You obviously needed the rest.”

“More than I thought I did,” he agreed. “Is Mason asleep?”

She nodded. “He actually fell asleep less than an hour after you did.”

“You should have woken me, Vicki, or at least brought him in bed with me and taken off.”

“I wasn’t going to just leave without you knowing, Jordan. It’s okay. As you can see, I found a way to occupy my time.”

“I can see that.” He motioned around the impeccable kitchen. “Thanks for doing all this. I’ve been meaning to clean since Laurie left but haven’t gotten around to it.”

“Have you been interviewing new housekeepers?”

Jordan frowned. “Why would I do that?”

“I thought your housekeeper quit.”

“She didn’t quit. She’s just on an extended vacation, visiting her family in Toronto for the holidays.”

“Oh, thank goodness, because you obviously need her,” she said with a good-natured laugh. A devious smile tilted up the corners of her mouth. “Maybe I should have charged you after all. This kitchen was no small task.”

He reached for the wallet he’d tossed on the kitchen counter earlier.

“I’m joking, Jordan.”

“I’m not.”

Vicki plunked a hand on her hip. “You’d better leave that wallet right where it is,” she said in a warning tone.

He dropped the wallet and held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. Don’t hurt me,” he said. He folded his arms across his chest and perched against the counter. “If you won’t take money, at least let me pay you back with dinner.”

The awkward silence immediately following his suggestion was deafening.

Where had
that
come from?

“Dinner?” Vicki asked, the dubious lift to her voice echoing her confusion.

Jordan was just as stunned as she was. He hadn’t asked a woman to dinner—one who wasn’t his sister, mother or a member of Oliver Windom’s campaign committee, that was—in nearly two years. Not since Allison.

But now that he’d asked, he couldn’t very well rescind it, could he?

An unexpected rush of adrenaline raced through Jordan’s gut as he realized he didn’t want to rescind anything. He wanted her to say yes. Later, when he had time to process it, he would have to figure out just why, after all this time, he was suddenly excited—damn near ecstatic—at the thought of sitting across a table and sharing a good meal and even better conversation with Vicki Ahlfors.

There was time to think about that later. At the moment, his main objective was making sure he secured an opportunity to see her again in the very near future. Tomorrow, if he had anything to say about it.

“Yes, dinner,” Jordan continued. He pushed away from the counter and took a couple of steps forward. “There’s nothing wrong with two friends going out for a meal, is there? It’s the least I can do to express my thanks for everything you’ve done here this evening.”

She looked up at him, and for the first time he detected the faint flecks of gold in her light brown eyes. How had he never noticed those before? Why had he never paid attention?

“You really don’t have to, Jordan. As you pointed out earlier, I don’t get the chance to hang around babies all that much. Mason has such a sweet temperament. I was happy to babysit.”

Her words doused the excitement that had begun to flow through his bloodstream, reminding him that she had been here for Mason, not him.

He halted his advance toward her and hoped like hell that his disappointment didn’t show on his face.

“In that case,” he said, “let me at least follow you home.”

“Be real, Jordan. You’re not going to wake Mason and go through the hassle of bundling him up in his coat just so you can follow me home. I’m a big girl. I’m perfectly okay getting home on my own.”

She gave the table a final swipe and folded the dishcloth. She hung it over the gooseneck faucet and picked her purse up from the counter, pulling the strap over her shoulder.

She held up a finger. “There’s just one thing I need to do before I leave.”

Jordan followed her to Mason’s room. He stood in the open doorway and watched as she tiptoed to the crib and placed a gentle kiss on Mason’s forehead. An odd feeling pulled at his gut. His son’s own mother had not bothered to kiss him good-night in months. Seeing Vicki show him such attention—such affection—made the emotions stirring inside him intensify to unprecedented levels.

Why had he never noticed these things about her before? He knew she was sweet and quiet and kind. But she was also generous and giving and surprisingly funny.

And sexy. Even while wiping down his kitchen table she was sexy.

He followed her back to the kitchen, through the mudroom and to the garage. Jordan opened the garage door then went over to her car. Bracing his hand on the hood, he leaned in and asked, “You sure you’ll be okay?”

“Of course, Jordan. It’s not as if I have to drive to Connecticut, just to the other side of Wintersage.” She closed the door but lowered the window. “Promise me you won’t mess up your night by diving right back into work. Why don’t you pull one of those novels off the bookshelf, or pop in a DVD? Anything but work.”

“I’ll think about it,” he said, chuckling when she rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. He reached in and put a hand on her shoulder. “Thanks again for doing this, Vicki. I didn’t realize how much I needed it.”

The moment he touched her, things changed. Their gazes locked and held. Jordan didn’t miss the way her chest rose with the deep breath she sucked in, nor could he miss the way
his
skin tingled with something he couldn’t identify.

“It was my pleasure,” she finally answered in a breathless tone.

His hand remained on her shoulder a second too long to be considered just a friendly gesture, but at the moment Jordan couldn’t bring himself to care. He had no desire to stop touching her.

“Jordan, I should probably get going,” she said.

Funny, he thought she should get out of her car and return to the house with him. At the moment, nothing would give him greater pleasure than to have her follow him into his bedroom so he could relive some of the fantasies he’d dreamed about a short while ago.

And that was when Jordan realized he needed to let her go.

Reluctantly, he withdrew his hand and backed away from the door. As she put the car in Reverse and pulled out of the garage, Jordan followed. He stopped at the edge of the garage and gave her a silent wave as she drove away.

Jordan brought his hand behind his head and tried to rub away the tightness in his neck muscles.

He was so damn confused. Hell, he’d been puzzled over these feeling for
days
now, and it became more perplexing with every day that passed.

He’d known Vicki for years. Why was he just noticing the slightly mischievous curve to her subtle smile? Or the way her eyes lit up when she laughed? Why was he suddenly feeling this bolt of electricity when she was around?

It was probably just the lingering effects of not being with a woman since Allison had left.

“That has to be it,” Jordan said.

You don’t believe that.

Jordan shut out the annoying voice in his head. If he paid attention to it, he would be up for the rest of the night dissecting these new emotions Vicki had started to stir within him. It was a combination of exhaustion and horniness; he couldn’t afford for it to be anything else.

The last time he’d allowed himself to get caught up in a woman, he’d been careless and had quickly found himself with a one-way ticket to fatherhood. He couldn’t bring himself to regret it, not with Mason as the outcome of those less-than-stellar decisions he’d made a couple of years ago.

But that was why he had to be even
more
careful now. He had his son to think about. After the hard lessons he’d learned during his short marriage to Allison, he had to be more careful when it came to whom he exposed his son to. He couldn’t allow his own baser needs to supersede what was right for Mason.

Though it wasn’t as if Vicki would ever do anything to harm his son. She had a way with him—a special touch that seemed to calm Mason when nothing else could.

Jordan’s spine stiffened, his back going ramrod straight.

Was
that
what this was about?

Were these feelings simply the result of gratitude over the compassion Vicki showed his son?

But a lot of women doted on Mason. On those occasions when Jordan had brought him over to Oliver’s campaign headquarters, the females working on the campaign would get so wrapped up in Mason they would hardly get any work done. Why had he never felt his breath quickening or this low and steady burn in his gut toward any of those women?

He exhaled a frustrated sigh.

He didn’t have the mental energy to deal with this right now. His focus needed to remain on the election. The investigators he’d hired would need him to go over the information they uncovered—if they uncovered any—so that they could discern if there really was ballot tampering. He couldn’t allow any outside forces to steal his attention away from what was really important right now.

Jordan returned to the house, locking up behind him. Despite the four-hour nap he’d just taken, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The next day, after a morning of scouring the newspaper and web for any new news on the election and coming up empty, Jordan zipped Mason into his heavy coat and headed over to his parents. His father was likely at Woolcott Industries, but at this time of the day he had a good shot of finding his mother at home.

Jordan used his key to enter through the front door. His parents had never asked for the key once he’d moved out, and he never once considered giving it back. Even with a house of his own, this place was home.

He made his way through the massive house, finding his mother in the formal dining room. She looked up from the table, where she was replacing the silver cutlery with gold-plated ones. She put the mahogany box down and raced toward them.

“Well, hello there,” she said, scooping Mason from his arms. “How are the two most handsome men in the world doing today?”

Nancy Woolcott was every bit the society wife, entrenched in her role among Wintersage’s elite. But to Jordan’s surprise, his mother was just as passionate in her role as a grandmother. She’d made her displeasure over his relationship with Allison known from the very beginning, and at first, Jordan thought she would project those feelings onto her grandson.

He should have known better. Mason was the apple of her eye.

“Do you have kisses for Grandma?” She peppered Mason’s cheeks with loud pecks that had his son squirming and giggling in her arms. Turning to Jordan, she asked, “Why didn’t you call to say you were coming over? I could have had something prepared for a late lunch.”

“It’s no big deal. We had a lazy morning, which seems to have stretched into a lazy afternoon. I figured I’d drop in and say hello.” He pointed to the array of decorations adorning the twelve-foot dining table. “Getting the house ready for the holidays?”

“It’s called tablescaping. Like landscaping, but for the inside of the house. I saw it on one of those home-decorating shows and knew I had to do it for the holidays.”

His mother hired people to come in and decorate throughout the year, but when it came to Christmas she always insisted on doing things herself. Jordan doubted any outsider could ever put the amount of love and care his mother put into getting the house ready for Christmas.