Once Upon a Christmas Eve Read Online Free PDF

bag.”
    There was no need to mention when it had fallen out. The unease in her expression told him there wasn’t much about yesterday that she’d managed to forget. Still, surprise stole much of that discomfort the instant she’d noticed what he held. It also had her speaking in a rush, making one word out of three.
    â€œOhmygosh. I didn’t even realize it was gone!”
    â€œI thought you’d have missed it when you went to pay for your cab.”
    â€œI had money in my coat pocket. Change from the ride over,” she explained, stepping closer to take her wallet from him. “I had no idea it had fallen out, too.” Apparently realizing she was repeating herself, or maybe just not wanting to think about how desperately she’d wanted to leave the hotel, she cut herself off, shook her head. “Thank you,” she murmured as the door behind them swung open. “Thank you very much.”
    The younger waitress with short, spiked hair breezed in carrying an empty bread basket. As she headed for a tray of baguettes, Tommi turned into a short hall separating an open doorway from a wall of dry goods.
    â€œAnd thank your partner, too, please,” she continued, her hushed voice encouraging him to follow, “for the roses he sent. It was kind of him, but it really wasn’t necessary. What happened yesterday wasn’t entirely his fault,” she insisted, backing into a closet-sized office. “The miscommunicationabout why we were meeting, I mean. I’m sure he’d been misinformed somehow on his end, too.”
    Behind her, the wall was filled by a tall bookcase crammed with cookbooks and cooking magazines. A red metal desk and two black filing cabinets took up the narrow wall beside her. The top of one held binders, files and a gym bag. The other served as a space for culinary trophies that looked stored there rather than displayed. On the neatly arranged desk, below a bulletin board feathered with a haphazard array of wedding, birth and graduation announcements half covered by notes and reminders, a computer shared space with invoices and hand-written recipe notes.
    She opened the desk’s bottom drawer and bent to drop in her wallet. As she did, he couldn’t help but wonder at the odd mix of disarray and organization in the cramped and crowded space. It seemed as if she tried to control the chaos with order, but just couldn’t quite succeed. What struck him most, though, was her easy sense of fairness. Or maybe it was forgiveness.
    He didn’t know many women who wouldn’t have thought flowers the least a guy could offer after leaving her sitting so long. But she still didn’t seem to be on the same wavelength as his partner, either. However the meeting had come about, which he considered no business of his, Scott’s personal interest in her remained unquestionable. He’d even made a point of asking Max to say only nice things about him, and to tell her he’d make up for the misunderstanding as soon as he got back next week.
    I’m not asking you to sell me, buddy, he’d said, but at least don’t say anything that’ll scare her off. Okay? I’d be a fool to let her get away.
    The guy had it bad. Which was fine with Max. As sensible as Tommi sounded, she’d probably be good for him.Still, he wasn’t comfortable at all playing messenger between his colleague and the man’s intended romantic target. If Scott wanted her to know he’d make up for having pretty much stood her up, he could tell her that himself. If she wanted Scott to know he didn’t need to send roses, ditto. He was still curious, though, about the disappointment underlying her consternation yesterday when she’d figured out that the meeting hadn’t been about business.
    â€œMiscommunication,” he repeated as she nudged the drawer closed. “It’s pretty obvious now that Scott thought he had a date with you. Do