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The older woman pushed her bifocals back in place. “It’s not over yet. I have faith in our handsome landlord. I also see the way he looks at you, Mia.” She smiled. “And you should have seen him with BJ this morning. He’s a natural.”
Mia tried not to think about Jarrett McKane. He wasn’t the man for her. He was the kind who only thought about the financial bottom line. Business before family. It was all about profit. The money. “He’s counting the days until we’re all out of here.”
Nola watched her. “Yeah, that’s the reason he had us all out to his house for Thanksgiving. And helped Joe paint your apartment. And stayed with you at the hospital during the birth of this little one.” She glanced down at the baby, but quickly looked back at Mia. “Jarrett has a few rough edges, but that just makes him interesting.” She lowered her voice. “And sexy.”
Mia felt heat rise to her face. He had always been the one who’d showed up to help her. She recalled the way he made her feel when he kissed her last night. She hadn’t wanted him to stop. That was a problem. If she got involved in a relationship with a man, she had to think about BJ, too. They were a package deal.
Worse yet, could she share all her secrets about her past? Even the lies she’d told to protect herself. What happened when Jarrett discovered who she really was?
Just a little before noon, Jarrett walked into the restaurant for his meeting. He hoped his lack of sleep last night wouldn’t hinder him from convincing Fulton of his new plans. If he kept thinking about Mia and their kiss, it would. Or the fact that he’d left a beautiful woman’s bed and gone into the other room to sleep on the sofa. That had been a first for him. There had been a lot of firsts with Mia, including being a babysitter for her son.
When Nola had relieved him from his duties early this morning, he’d had time to shower at his apartment and then go to the office where he’d finished up the presentation for today.
Over the past week or so, he’d been working on new plans for the Fulton factory. He hoped he’d come up with some changes to the construction that would be beneficial to everyone.
And save this deal for him.
If this new idea didn’t go over with the CEO, he could lose a lot more than just a sale. Business ventures like this just didn’t come down the road every day. It could take years for him to unload this property.
He walked across the restaurant behind the hostess to find Neil at the table by the window. The man didn’t look happy, but Jarrett was hopeful he could convince him to make a few concessions.
“Neil, glad you could make it on such short notice.”
They shook hands then sat down. “I hope you have some good news. I’d like to finalize this before I fly out tonight.”
Jarrett released a quiet breath to calm his nervousness. Don’t let them see you sweat, his college football coach had always told him. “Then let’s get to it,” he suggested.
The waitress came by and took their order.
“Now, tell me what’s so important.” Neil checked his watch. “I have to get on a plane and be back in Chicago tonight for a Christmas party. Robin will kill me if I’m late, especially since we’re hosting it.”
“It’s what I want to show you.” Jarrett pulled out the sketches for the plant site. “As you know, I have two apartment buildings located on the property.” He took a breath and rushed on. “Because of airtight lease agreements, the remaining tenants aren’t moving out until March.”
Fulton frowned. “I thought you said you had it handled, that the building would be demolished by the end of January so we could break ground by early spring.” Fulton was visibly irritated. “You assured me there wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Well, a judge stepped in and said otherwise.” Jarrett raised a hand. “So I have another idea that might work even better.”
Jarrett opened the folder and presented a sketch of the factory structure. “There’s enough land to move the location of the new factory to the back of the property, and put the parking lot in front, leaving the existing apartment buildings.”
“And why would I want to do that?” Fulton asked.
“Well, there’s a couple of reasons,” Jarrett began. “For one thing, it’s a better location, a little further from town. So it won’t be a traffic nightmare at rush hour.”
“It would also cost more for extra materials for laying the utilities,” Neil argued.
Jarrett pushed on, hoping his idea would work. “But if you use one of the existing apartment buildings for your corporate offices, you’ll save on construction costs.”
Neil’s brow wrinkled in thought. “You can’t be suggesting I use those dilapidated buildings?”
“Use one of the buildings,” Jarrett corrected. “Why not? They’re solidly built. They might have been neglected, but a remodel is a hell of a lot more cost-efficient than brand-new construction, even if you gut it entirely. You’d be recycling and it’s better for the environment. And best of all, the building is already vacant. You could start the inside remodel after the holidays. No delay waiting for the ground to thaw.”
Jarrett pulled out another drawing. “I had a structural engineer check out the building. It has the fifties retro look, but that can be changed, too. The main thing is it’s large enough to house the plant’s executive offices. Overall, you’ll save money on this project. The shareholders will have to be happy about that.”
Fulton didn’t say anything for a while as he went over the new plans, then he looked at Jarrett. “There’s no way you can remove the tenants?”
Jarrett shook his head. “I can’t and won’t. The majority are seniors on fixed income and two are disabled. I promised them they could stay until the spring.” Then he said something that he never thought he would. “If possible, I’d like them to stay in their apartments for good.”
Fulton leaned back in his chair. “You know that there are other locations the board of directors are looking at for this project, don’t you?”
Jarrett’s gut tightened as he nodded, seeing everything he’d worked for going down the drain. “Yes, I do. But you know this is the best location.”
Fulton arched an eyebrow. “These people mean this much to you?”
Jarrett sat back. He hadn’t thought about it until now, but these people been more accepting of him than his own father had. Truth was, they were starting to matter to him. Too much. He thought of Mia and BJ.
He eyed Neil Fulton’s expectant look and shrugged. “Hey, I’m just trying to stay out of jail.”
Later that evening, when Jarrett returned to the apartment building, he was exhausted. Fulton wouldn’t give him an answer, but he had promised to talk it over with the board. Jarrett couldn’t ask for any more.
He walked up the sidewalk toward the double doors. If Fulton went along with the new plan it meant Jarrett would keep the apartment building open. Of course, he’d have to put more money into the place, starting with paint. A lot of paint.
He shook his head. It was too soon to get excited. In these economic times nothing was a sure thing.
So Jarrett was in limbo. He thought about last night. Mia Saunders had stormed into his life and begun messing up his perfect plans. He’d liked things his way. Most of his life he’d been able to get what he wanted, until everything started to change, thanks to a blue-eyed do-gooder and her merry band of followers.
Hell, he’d never been a follower, and now look at him. Even worse, he was anxious to see her.
He pulled open the entry door and walked in, surprised to hear the sound of singing. A group of about two dozen tenants stood around an upright piano singing Christmas carols.
Standing back, he watched the people he’d come to know over the past few weeks sharing the joy of the holiday. This was hard for him. He couldn’t remember when Christmas had been a happy time. Not since he was a small boy.
Then he spotted Mia across the room and felt a familiar stirring in his gut. She looked pretty, dressed in a blue sweater and her usual black stretch pants. Her dark hair was pulled back and adorned with a red ribbon. Smiling, she waved at him.
Maybe it would be a happy holiday after all.
Chapter Nine (#ulink_a187389e-8120-5840-91a6-4b00a81cbd12)
MIA caught sight of Jarrett when he walked into the open lobby. It was hard not to notice the man. In a charcoal business suit with a crisp white shirt and a striped tie, covered by a dark trench coat, he looked more Wall Street than small-town Colorado.
“That’s one good-looking man.”
Mia glanced at Nola who was holding BJ. “Both the McKane men are handsome.”
Her friend smiled. “But you’re only interested in the older brother.” She nudged Mia. “Now, go talk to him before someone else lays claim to your man.”
She glared. “He’s not mine.”
“And he won’t be if you keep ignoring him.”
Nola gave her another gentle push, sending her off in Jarrett’s direction.
Mia hadn’t seen much of him, so there hadn’t been a chance to invite him to the impromptu party. She couldn’t blame him for keeping his distance. He was probably tired of taking care of her.
Besides, why would a man like Jarrett McKane be interested in her? Why would he want to take on a woman with a baby? Yet he’d done so many things for her. He’d been there when she’d needed him the most. How could she not care about a man like that?
Mia discreetly moved around the back of the crowd as Nola watched over BJ. Heart pounding in her ears, she walked up behind him. “You’re expected to sing along,” she managed to say.
Jarrett turned around to face her. Immediately, she caught the sadness in his eyes before he could mask it. “Everyone will be sorry if I do. My voice is so bad I don’t even sing in the shower.”
“I can’t imagine you doing anything badly.” Great. She was acting like an infatuated teenager, and she had never been any good at flirting.
“You’d be surprised at all the things I’ve messed up.” His dark gaze held hers. “Did you get enough sleep last night?”
“Yes, thanks to you,” she said, wondering if he’d thought about their kiss. Her gaze went to his mouth, then she quickly glanced away. “And thank you for not bringing up my meltdown.”
Jarrett couldn’t stop looking at Mia. Blue was definitely her color, bringing out the richness of her eyes.
“What meltdown?” he said, trying hard to focus on what she was saying. “You were just exhausted from lack of sleep and worried about your baby.”
He couldn’t help but remember how, during the night, he’d kept going in to watch her sleep. How strange was that? “I hope you got enough rest.”
She nodded. “Plenty. And you’re a good neighbor for coming to my rescue.”
He tensed. Neighbor? What neighbor kisses you like I did? “That’s me, just the full-service landlord,” he said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. He started to leave, but she put her hand on his arm.
“Jarrett, what I meant was you went beyond helping me.” Her eyes searched his face. “I’ve asked far too much of you. BJ and I weren’t part of the deal when you were ordered to move in here.”
“Did you hear me complain?”
She shook her head. “You should. I feel like I’ve taken advantage.”
“Like I said, I haven’t minded.”
“And I’m grateful for everything—”
Grasping her hand on his arm, Jarrett leaned forward. The memory of last night’s kiss had him aching for another. “I didn’t do it for your gratitude, Mia.”
He watched her swallow quickly, but before she could speak, the singing stopped and someone called to him.
“Unca Jay! Unca Jay!” Jenna came running toward him. “You’re here.”
He swung the child up in his arms. She had on a pretty sweater with snowflakes and dark pants.
“I have to go to work,” he told her. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s a Christmas party, silly. We got invited to come and sing.” Her big blue eyes rounded. “You know what else?”
He played along. “No, what else?”
“It’s only two more days ‘til Christmas, and Mommy and Daddy asked everybody to come to our house for Christmas dinner. Even Mia and her new baby, BJ. And I got to hold him.”
Jarrett looked across the room and saw his brother and Kira walking toward them. “How nice.”
He got a hug from Kira and a handshake from Trace. “So, the festivities are at your house?”
Trace nodded. “Same as every year, but with Jody and Nathan gone, Kira’s a little lonely. So why not have a big crowd?”
Jarrett looked at his sister-in-law.
“I love to cook,” Kira said. “Besides, Nola and the others are bringing food, too. It’s not much different than the group we had at your house on Thanksgiving.”
“And now we have baby BJ,” Jenna added as she patted her own chest and looked at Jarrett. “Unca Jay, did you know that BJ drinks milk from Mia’s breasts?”
“Jenna…” her mother said with a warning look.
Everyone bit back a chuckle while Jarrett exchanged a look with Mia that felt far too intimate. Oh, yeah, he knew that.
His niece drew his attention back to her. “Look, Unca Jay.” She pointed up to the sprig of greenery hanging overhead in the doorway. “Mistletoe.”
Great. “It sure is.” He leaned forward and placed a noisy kiss on the girl’s cheek.
That wasn’t the end of it; Jenna wiggled to be put down. “Now, you gotta kiss Mia.”
Jarrett looked at a blushing Mia. “Sure.” He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. Their eyes met as he pulled back.
“No, not like that,” Jenna insisted. “Like Mommy and Daddy do it. Put your arms around her and you have to touch lips for a long time.”
Jarrett eyed his brother as Trace shrugged, trying not to smile. He got no help as he turned back to Mia. Without giving her a chance to protest, he reached for her and pulled her into his arms. His gaze locked onto her mesmerizing eyes, and, once his mouth closed over hers, everything and everyone else in the room faded away. It was all Mia and how she made him feel. How she tasted, how her scent drifted around him, how he was barely keeping himself in control.
Finally cheers broke out, and he tore his mouth away. “Did I do it okay?” he asked his niece.
A smiling Jenna nodded her head. He turned back to the woman in his arms. “Suddenly, I’m getting into the Christmas spirit.”
Mia glanced at her kitchen clock and debated whether to attend the services tonight. For the first time in ten years, it wouldn’t be Reverend Bradley Saunders standing at the pulpit delivering her Christmas Eve sermon. The last three years he’d been the pastor here in Winchester Ridge.
Mia had only been nineteen when Bradley had rescued her from self-destruction and got her on the road to recovery. From then on she’d sat in the front pew, grateful she had the love of family, and a future.
She glanced down at her son in the carrier. BJ would have the same; she would make sure of that.
“It’s just us now, kid.” She smiled as BJ, dressed in his dark-green holiday outfit, reacted to her voice with a cooing sound. “I might be new at this mother stuff, but no one could love you more.” She wished she could give him a traditional family. Every kid deserved a mother and a father.
“I guess we’d better get going, or we’ll be late.”
She checked her own Christmas outfit, her standard black stretch pants and a long red sweater she’d found in a drawer.
After putting on her coat and BJ’s cap and tucking a blanket around him, she picked up the carrier and walked out. She glanced across the hall to Jarrett’s apartment.
As much as she tried not to, she’d thought about Jarrett a lot over the last few days. Okay, so it had been from the day he’d moved in. Not that she’d wanted him in her life; he’d just sort of barged into it.
