One Christmas Song Read online

  Rick nudged Otis in front of him. “Let’s go.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Gray, Morgan, Wendy and Gemma walked through the front door of Holidays Inn.

  “I cannot believe there’s a real live video shoot taking place in Temptation, and we’re gonna be in it.” Wendy took off her leather coat seconds after entering the house and passed it to her brother-in-law.

  “I know! It’s exciting!” Morgan quipped, giving her husband her coat.

  Grayson Taylor, who was now holding two coats, gave a stern look to the three women who had come into the house with him. “Now listen, Rick said they needed a hair stylist. Gemma that’s you, so you get to go in there and do your thing. But you two, you’ll stand out here or wherever Rick tells us too. He agreed to all of us coming down here if we stayed out of the way.”

  “Oh I’ll stay out of the way, just so long as I can see everything that’s going on,” Wendy added. “Rick knows me well enough to know I can be very cooperative when I need to be.”

  Rick’s cheeks warmed instantly when Wendy winked at him. Cordy hadn’t left his side since they’d moved out of the living room and went into the kitchen to make the call to Gray. She’d actually sat in the kitchen drinking a cup of hot chocolate while Otis talked incessantly about memories of her growing up in town. A few minutes before they’d come in, Gray had called Rick back to let him know they were out front. Rick, Otis and Cordy met them at the door.

  “If this can be fixed, all of you can come onto the set.” Cordy spoke up as she stepped forward and extended her hand to Gray. “I’m Cordy. Mr. Otis has been telling me about you and your family but I’m afraid I don’t really remember much from that long ago.”

  Gray accepted Cordy’s hand. “No problem. There’s not much to remember. I’m Gray and this is my wife Morgan. This is Morgan’s sister Wendy and my sister Gemma. She’s the hair stylist.”

  Gemma Taylor wore a red leather jacket, black jumpsuit and silver bracelets on both wrists. Her long black hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail that hung down her back and her face was impeccably made-up.

  “Hi Cordy,” Gemma replied and stepped close to Cordy looking at her hair. “Yes, honey, we need to do something with that. Come on, let’s get to work.”

  And just like that the two disappeared into the dining room which had been temporarily transformed into a dressing room. Otis escorted the excited Wendy and Morgan back to the living room, explaining what he’d seen of the earlier shoot as if he were now the resident expert on video production.

  “I’d ask how it’s going, but from the look on your face, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea.” Gray chuckled as he looked over at Rick.

  “Man, you have no idea.” Rick shook his head. “News travels faster than the speed of light in Temptation.”

  “You don’t have to tell me, I’ve been on the receiving end of Temptation’s gossip mill a time or two.”

  “Yeah, I know and I remember feeling bad for you and your family because of it. But now, I guess it’s my turn. Otis said they were talking about Cordy being back down at the bakery. Before the night’s over everyone will know a video is being shot here.”

  “Which I’m guessing is going to be great for your business in the months to come, not to mention next Christmas,” Gray said.

  “That’s what I was hoping for, the business part, I mean. The people of the town pouring over here, not so much.”

  “What’s that old saying? Be careful what you wish for.” Gray smiled again and clapped a hand on Rick’s back.

  “Yeah,” Rick nodded and fell into step beside Gray. “You’re right about that.”

  He had only wished to see Cordy again, not to have Cordy and a house full of people. But half an hour later when Rick was once again watching Cordy portray a woman coming home to find the heart of Christmas as the lyrics of her song played in the background, he couldn’t help but feel thankful that his wish had come true, even if only partially.

  Chapter 4

  “Here’s something to keep you warm.”

  Cordy startled at the voice and looked up to see the older man named Jasper who had served the food during lunch and dinner. He was of average height with a rich velvety dark brown complexion, a grizzly gray beard and mustache. His voice was gravely but everything he said sounded knowledgeable, as if he were giving a lesson each time he opened his mouth.

  “Thank you,” she said and accepted the mug that looked more like a soup bowl from him.

  The delectable scent of chocolate wafted up to her nose via the billowing waves of steam. Cordy used both hands to hold the cup in front of her and smiled down at the mountain of marshmallows on top.

  “Did Rick tell you about all of my favorites?”

  Jasper walked to the railing and was looking out toward the front yard. There were more bushes in this area and more white lights. But these bushes also had red velvet bows on top as if each one was a gift.

  “The comforts of home,” he said when he turned to face her. “Everybody has things that remind them of home. Sometimes people try to forget those things. But they always come back.”

  Okay, that wasn’t a yes or a no. But it meant something, Cordy was certain. Unfortunately, she was too tired to try and figure out what. It was close to midnight and while her body felt exhausted from the travel, interviews and then shooting parts of the video, she hadn’t been ready to climb into bed just yet.

  “How long has he had this place?” she asked because she’d been wondering about a few things since she’d arrived.

  “This house has a good spirit. It has roots here in Temptation, just like the people. I reckon it’s gonna do well as an establishment. Opening its doors to people who wander into this town looking for something was a good idea. Rick’s got a good head on his shoulders.”

  “There’s nothing to find in Temptation.” Cordy had given up on trying to understand what this man was talking about. But she could state the obvious. “Just people and houses.”

  “I’d say that amounts to something.”

  “Oh, I didn’t mean any harm. It’s a nice place to live if slow, steady and reliable are what you’re looking for.”

  “Slow, steady and reliable sounds good to you doesn’t it?”

  Cordy had just lifted the mug to her lips and chanced a sip of the delicious smelling hot chocolate when the liquid singed her tongue and she jerked back.

  Jasper had stepped closer to her now. “Take your time,” he said and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “No need to rush.”

  Cordy was watching him walk away as Rick stepped out onto the porch.

  “I see you’re being treated to Jasper’s fantastic hot chocolate again.”

  “Jasper,” she said his name and wondered if she’d met him somewhere before. Not that he seemed familiar. But he hadn’t seemed like a stranger either.

  Rick nodded. “Yeah. He walked through the doors about a week ago. Had a reservation for one night.”

  “And you hired him as your cook?”

  “It’s a long story, but it worked out.” Rick chuckled as he spoke.

  He still did that. Cordy remembered she used to wonder what was so great about his life that always had a smile on Rick’s face. Of course that, in turn, had her thinking what was so terrible about hers that she couldn’t seem to smile enough.

  “Did you tell him I was coming and to fix the things I liked to eat?” Why that had been bugging her so much since lunch, Cordy had no idea.

  “Grilled cheese and tomato soup, homemade hamburgers in gravy and onions with mashed potatoes? Those seem like pretty good meals to me.” He’d replied with a shrug that only made him appear guiltier.

  “It wasn’t necessary. But I’ll thank you for that and for calling Gemma to help me. She was a lifesaver.” As if to memorialize her words, Cordy reached a hand up to touch the soft waves Gemma had created with her hair. They were a wonderful change from those hideously tight curls.

  “Sure it was necessary. Cordy’s home. We had to make a statement about that. And she’s filming her video for the holiday song that debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, Heart of Christmas, right here at the Holidays Inn.”

  Cordy let her head fall back against the rocking chair and groaned. “I should have known that wouldn’t remain a secret, even with using the fake name.”

  “Yeah, about Otis, I didn’t mean for that to happen. When I talked to your manager personally about shooting this video here at the last minute, I was so excited about the opportunity and the possibility for exposure for the Inn that I didn’t think about the town. I forgot how fast news spread here.”

  “I’d forgotten a lot of things about being here.” A lot of things and a lot of feelings. Cordy was glad to have the mug in her hands as it was chilly out tonight.

  “Did you forget about me?” Rick asked.

  Their gazes met and held.

  Richard James Stewart. His mother had loved the actor Jimmy Stewart and her favorite holiday movie was It’s A Wonderful Life. So she’d named her only son Richard James Stewart, but Papa Pryor had been adamant about them not calling his son Jimmy. Rick had a root beer brown complexion and a muscular build. He worked out a lot, had done so when they were younger and obviously hadn’t slacked in that area. He was taller than Cordy. Six feet exactly, if she recalled correctly. Tonight he wore an olive green sweater, dark blue jeans and Timberland boots. His coat was black with a hood, but he hadn’t bothered to zip it. He stood with his backside resting against the railing. A quaint small town street and Christmas lights as his backdrop.

  It occurred to Cordy in those seconds that Rick could have been a model. He could have been the guy on the front of a romance novel, or even a CD cover. The man she poured her heart out to in a song.
That last thought made her uncomfortable. She took another testing sip of the hot chocolate. The cold air was helping to cool it down so that she didn’t almost burn her tongue off again this time.

  “I never forgot about you, Cordy,” he continued when she didn’t answer his question. “I watched you on that television show and voted for you in every round. My dad and I would go over to your mom’s apartment and sit with her while we all watched. Ms. Mari was so proud of you.”

  Yes. Her mother had told her often how proud she was. And still, Cordy hadn’t come back home.

  “It was surreal,” she admitted, recalling her time on the show and the night she won. “I couldn’t believe I’d actually won.”

  “You told me you were going to win. You told all of us when you left Temptation that you were going to win, get a record deal and become a huge singing star. You did just that.”

  And here she was, back in Temptation again, feeling as incomplete as she had when she’d lived here.

  She drank from the mug again. “I’m living the dream.”

  He smiled. “And you’ve brought a piece of the dream to Temptation. The Christmas play is at the community center tomorrow night. Morgan hopes I can convince you to come down with me. The kids would love to see a real life superstar. And once Elsa tattled to Myron about people from the town showing up at the video shoot, Myron asked me put out a call for extras to be included in the video so I’m sure half the town will be on the front lawn beginning at six tomorrow morning. I don’t think that ended the way Elsa wanted.”

  Cordy didn’t reply. What she wanted to say about Elsa and Myron at the moment wasn’t going to be nice or professional. But she couldn’t help but think them. The fact that Myron had immediately linked her hometown to a great idea for the video had bothered her from the moment he mentioned it. But nobody said no to Myron. He was in charge and he’d delivered on every promise he’d ever made to Cordy. She was everything he’d sworn to make her into when they’d met the week after she won the contest.

  “What?”

  Cordy looked up at Rick’s question.

  “What?” she echoed.

  “Why are you looking as if I said something wrong?”

  She shrugged and leaned back so that the chair began rocking. “Guess I just don’t need you rattling off an itinerary to me. Elsa will do that the moment I step out of bed tomorrow.”

  He nodded. “Okay. Then what do you need me to do, Cordy?”

  When she didn’t immediately respond Rick pushed away from the railing and walked until he stood directly in front of where she had begun rocking in that chair.

  She took another sip from the mug and Rick leaned over. He placed his hands on the arms of the chair and stopped it from moving. He leaned in further until his lips were just a whisper away from hers.

  “Tell me what you want me to do, Cordy?”

  She hesitated as memories assaulted her. Cordy had spent so many years pushing those memories to the back of her mind, telling herself they were the past and that there was no room in her life for the fanciful thoughts anymore. Now they were back, front and center—figuratively and literally. She didn’t know what to do or say.

  I want you to wait for me.

  Her mind screamed the words she hadn’t had the nerve to say the last day she’d seen Rick.

  “Thank you for letting us shoot the video here.”

  She’d stood up after those few very tense moments of staring at each other. It wasn’t the action Rick had hoped she’d take, but he wasn’t surprised by it either. This was not the same Cordy who had been the object of Rick’s every waking thought in his junior and senior year of high school. Of course, she’d been gone by his senior year, but that hadn’t stopped Rick from thinking about her. No amount of time or space between them had been able to stop that.

  “I’m happy to do anything that will help you, Cordy. You should already know that.”

  She was near the railing now, one arm folded over her chest, the other bent as she still held the mug a short distance from her mouth. The reflection from the twinkle lights danced over her skin, giving it a golden glow. She’d changed out of the velvet dress and now wore black sweatpants, boots and a long red shirt beneath a beige coat.

  “I knew that a long time ago.” She tilted her head so that a tuft of hair which had been dangling close to her eyes, tumbled back away from her face. “Everything has changed now.”

  Rick knew what she was saying, even though she wasn’t exactly saying it.

  “I disagree.”

  She chuckled. “That’s not new.”

  “Your crew is booked until the twenty-fifth, but your room is reserved until January third.”

  “It’s just a vacation. Nothing more.”

  Her response had been too quick and too curt. She stared at him over the rim of the mug as she lifted it to her mouth.

  Rick watched her lips touch the mug and thought of how soft her mouth looked, how warm it must be after each sip she’d taken of the hot liquid. He also thought of picking her up and carrying her to his room. There he would keep her until she came to her senses. The fact that the latter was creepy and illegal had him clearing his throat before speaking again.

  “I’m not over you.” It was as simple as that. “I know you thought it would pass. But it hasn’t.”

  She lowered the mug slowly. “I didn’t come back for this.”

  “No. You would have never come back for this.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t stop it from existing.”

  She lowered the mug from her face, her lips lifting at the corners as she gave him the “you don’t know everything” look she had perfected.

  “But here’s the deal, Cordy,” Rick began and took a step toward her. That was partially because he was having a hard time staying away from her and because he liked throwing her off balance. The more unprepared she was, the more likely she was to not think of the list of reasons she’d been reciting for way too long for why they shouldn’t act on their mutual attraction…again.

  “I opened this place as a way to spotlight the town and all the holidays we love celebrating. So having a multi-platinum R&B star shoot her latest video for her hit song here is better advertisement than I could have ever imagined. Thank you for that.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but Rick stepped closer to her and touched his finger to her lips effectively halting her words.

  “But getting the chance to see you again, to touch you one more time…that’s what I want, Cordy. More than my next breath, I want you.”

  Rick felt like a horny seventeen year old again. Hadn’t he stood in front of Cordy on a quiet night fourteen years ago and confessed the same thing to her? He wondered if she was going to react in the same way this time.

  She took a step back and the hand that had been touching her fell to Rick’s side.

  “I’d appreciate it if you would wait to benefit from my being here, until I’ve left. I intended to come back to Temptation for a vacation long before this video idea came into play. So while I have to work for the first couple days of this trip, being hassled by extra press and paparazzi is not my idea of a vacation. If you cannot offer that assurance, I can find someplace else to stay.”

  She circled around him and walked toward the door. Rick did not turn to her. He did not say another word. If she didn’t want him, he would have to accept that fact. Hadn’t he told himself that for all the years she’d been gone? Rick could accept no for an answer, but she hadn’t said no.

  “And the rest?” Rick asked because he hadn’t heard the door open. “Are you going to continue to ignore what happened between us all those years ago?”

  “I’m not ignoring it,” she replied quietly. “I’m trying to forget.”

  “Why? Because it’s not what you want?”

  “No,” she said and then paused. “Because I want it too much.”

  The second Rick turned to look at her Cordy slipped into the house, closing the door soundly behind her.

  Chapter 5

  Sex as a going away present.

  In her mind Cordy wondered if that was cheap. She thought about whether or not her mother would chastise her for giving up the goodies without a house and a ring. Of course she would, Mari made no qualms about teaching Cordy the dos and don’ts of being with a man. Or in this case, a seventeen year old she’d known forever.