Chapter One
Catching
sight of himself in the mirrored elevator, Lucas Hart knew he didn’t appear to
be in the Christmas spirit at all, in fact he realized, he was almost foreboding
looking in his long grey winter wool coat and black boots, with a long burgundy
scarf hung around his neck. He’d been too busy getting settled back into his
native New York City after years away in Europe to think about the holiday
season. He sighed, he’d returned home only a month ago, and had agreed to
attend dinner this evening at his friend Sean’s house.
Sean
had gone from being a confirmed bachelor like him, to head over heels in love
and married within the space of a few months. He and Lillian had married while
he’d been away and Lucas had been unable to take the time off work to fly home
to attend their wedding. The least he could do was to show up for dinner at
their new home.
He’d
been warned that they had an unfortunate habit of wanting all their friends to
be as happy as they were, and setting up blind dates for everyone they knew. It
was unwise, he was told, to show up at Sean and Lillian’s home without a date
on one’s arm. He just hadn’t been home long enough to meet anyone yet. Christmas
was looming on the horizon and he’d brought a bottle of Christmas spiced wine
and a set of crystal glasses in lieu of a housewarming present for them.
He
rang the doorbell and Sean threw it open, grasping his hand with a cheerful
grin he shook it heartily. Lillian hurried forward to take his coat, a warm
fire raged in the stone fireplace, the homey atmosphere shutting out the winter
chill. He looked around and sighed in relief. Thank God he’d been wrong, no set
up, no blind date.
Angelina
Makepeace pushed the button for the elevator in the plush lobby of her friends’
apartment building. They’d invited her over for dinner, she knew there would be
another surprise visitor sprung on her tonight, and sighed. They had an
irresistible need to continually set her up on blind date after blind date. She
crossed her fingers as she exited the elevator on their floor and prayed he
wasn’t another jackass. She’d tried hard to politely tell them that just
because their friends and acquaintances acted like good guys around them, the
way they behaved when on a date with her, was often a different matter
entirely. Some guys had a tendency to think if she was willing to be set up,
she must be desperate, therefore easy pickings. Even though she hadn’t
consented to the set up in the first place! Sean and Lillian just shrugged it
off and kept on setting her up. She should have cried off, she knew it, she
thought with a groan. She’d been so busy the past couple of years setting up
her own business, she hadn’t had time to get out and meet anyone. Sean and
Lillian were newlyweds, and so happy, they wanted everyone they knew to feel
the same. It was pure torture. Hopefully in time they’d quit making her their
pet project and realize their matchmaking skills left a lot to be desired. They
were her best friends, she was trying her best to be patient and tough it out,
but it wasn’t easy. She crossed her fingers and prayed as she rang the
doorbell. Please God, no more blind
dates!
Lucas
was just beginning to relax, standing in front of the warm winter fire enjoying
the twinkling colorful lights of the Christmas tree, the soft background music,
and the aroma of the warm glass of mulled wine he’d been handed, when the
doorbell rang. Oh, hell! Here we go. He groaned and barely pushed aside the
urge to grab his coat and make a run for it.
Sean
hurried to answer it. A small round looking female hurried in out of the winter
chill, bundled up from head to toe in a warm wooly coat and scarf, her head
covered in a soft knit cap, her cheeks were a rosy vibrant red and so was her
nose. A cold blast of air came in with her, even the hallway of the building
was ice cold now, and the temperature was dropping rapidly.
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