Hating Christmas (Holiday Series) (15 page)

With a despondent sense of inevitability,
Holly watched as Levi opened the Christmas card and out fell a gift
card to Chili’s restaurant.

“You’re dad said you’re always entertaining
clients, so this should help.” The older woman smiled at him.

“Thanks, Audrey.” Levi seemed genuine
although Holly couldn’t imagine him picking Chili’s as a lunch
destination for his high-profile clients.

The gift opening continued around the
circle—Michael giving his son a pair of sleek gold cufflinks and
Holly having unearthed and had bound for her mom a one-of-a-kind
recipe book of family recipes passed down through the
generations.

Finally, they got to the last gift, a big box
that sat off to the side. It was wrapped in the distinctive
expensive paper that Levi’s other gifts had also been wrapped in
and Holly noticed now that her name was inscribed on the label. As
the gift-giving ritual had unfolded, she’d been aware that Levi
hadn’t given her anything. They’d both come reluctantly to this
celebration, so she wasn’t really expecting much beyond a token.
He’d given thoughtful gifts to her mom and his dad. She figured he
wouldn’t leave her out of this thing completely, but now that they
were screwing one another’s brains out whenever they had the
chance, she’d pretty much been getting the best he could offer.

“So, Holly,” Michael said, wiggling his
eyebrows with ill-concealed glee. “The last gift—and in a pretty
big box—has your name on it.”

She cleared her throat. “Yes. Yes, it
does.”

Levi sat in his arm chair, just looking at
her with that smile on his face. She couldn’t say why she suddenly
felt nervous, but she did.

“Go on,” her mother urged. “Open it. It says
right there on the tag that it’s from Levi.”

“I see.” Holly got up from the couch and
circled the big box.

“Open it.” Levi’s father joined in.

“Don’t rush me,” she complained as her
fingers pulled at the ribbon.

“Maybe it’s a new coat like mine.” Audrey
stoked the sleeve of her evening coat.

“The box is too big,” her step-father pointed
out.

“If she weren’t so slow at opening gifts,
you’d know by now what’s inside,” Levi pointed out in a drawl.

Holly made a face at him, continuing to pull
the wrapping paper away from the box. When she’d yanked it clear,
she carefully flipped the box over so the writing on the top was
visible.

Across the cardboard was printed in bold
letters,
Quality Adventures
.

She looked at Levi, unsure what she’d find
inside.

He just grinned, saying, “Open it. The
suspense is killing us.”

Beginning to yank at the heavy staples that
held the box shut, she said, “I’m sure you have no idea what’s in
here.”

Seeing her struggle to open the thing,
Michael pulled a worn pocket knife out. “Here, let me help.”

He slit open one end and Holly pulled back
the end of the box, bending to peer inside.

Sitting back on the floor, she started to
laugh, shaking her head. “You didn’t.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Levi assumed an
innocent look, at variance with his natural sardonic smile. “Take
it out.”

Chuckling still, she lifted the closed end of
the box to spill out a shiny new Flexible Flyer sled. Longer than
the one that had carried the two of them down the hill, this one
had similar red runners and new wooden slats to form the body of
the sled.

Michael gave a shout of laughter and her mom
started laughing, too.

Levi leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.
“Now you have the best equipment for our next snow challenge.”

Holly’s gaze misted over and she wanted to
rush over and kiss him. He had to have ordered this after their
snowy day together and then had it sent express. She knew she
couldn’t kiss him, not with their parents looking on, but she
really wanted to. She settled for meeting his eyes as the older
two-some gathered around to admire her new sled. To Levi, she
mouthed the words “Thank you.”

She could only hope he knew that was for more
than the sled.

***

“Holly,” Levi called to her as their parents
headed into the kitchen to check on the big Christmas meal.

With a glance at her mother as she
disappeared through the arch that led to the kitchen, Holly stopped
and waited for him to close the distance between them.

“Thanks for the sled.” The look she gave him
was demure, but her smile felt teasing.

“You’re welcome. You can whip my ass sledding
anytime. It worked out pretty well for me, too.” He tugged her back
into the living room. “Come here. Listen, I’ve been thinking….”

“What? You don’t think my having a new sled
is fair,” Holly mocked gently.

“I wouldn’t have given it to you if I wasn’t
getting one for myself. I’ll pull your pretty butt out of the snow
next time, but that’s not what I wanted to say.” He glanced toward
the kitchen again, lowering his voice to a husky range. “

Surprised, she waited for him to
continue.

“About breaking our parents up,” he prompted.
“The more I look at this thing, the less it seems like your mother
is using my dad for his money. She seems to really care for him.
Audrey seems like a good person.”

“She is,” Holly said slowly. Her Google
search had yielded enough to let her know her biggest fear wasn’t
true. Michael wasn’t just out to get her mother to support him. “I
found out that your dad used to own a company that made auto parts.
He’s doing okay, if the sales reports were true.”

“They’re true.” He met her gaze steadily.
“I’m a little sensitive about women marrying rich men.”

“Rebecca.”

“Exactly.” Levi reached out to hold her hand.
“When I thought this was all about the cash for Audrey, I wasn’t
fair to your mother.”

“No, she’s not that kind of person.
Actually…, I’ve had some doubts about our plan myself.”

“You have?”

“Your dad—“

“—is in love with your mother,” Levi
finished, “even if he is an idiot about things like buying cruise
tickets?”

“Yes.”

“They did marry too fast.”

Holly sank on the arm of a nearby chair.
“Yes, they did and that worries me—“

“—but that’s something they’ll have to deal
with,” Levi finished. “It’s not our issue.”

She met his gaze. “I don’t think it is.”

“Well, that settles one of our
disagreements.” He looked at her steadily. “We need to come to an
understanding about the other. You need to start being fair about
Mac and what’s best for him.”

She crossed her arms over her chest in
frustration. They were back to that.

“It’s not about being fair,” Holly protested.
“I think this documentary would be smart for Mac. Every big star
does these kinds of things. This project of mine will give him some
much-needed weight to his work.”

“Winning humanitarian awards won’t help him
get into the big game. He needs major projects—“

Just then her mother appeared in the archway
to the kitchen. “Hey, you two. Stop planning your next sledding
competition and come help us with dinner.”

Holly got up from the arm of the chair,
frustrated that Levi didn’t see the big picture here. By putting so
much emphasis on major projects over those with real importance, he
was actually limiting Mac’s overall body of work.

“Your father, Levi, is insistent,” Audrey
said in mock exasperation. “He says we have to have mushroom
stuffing, but I think we’d all like regular cornbread stuffing.
Come on, you guys have to settle the disagreement.”

The look Levi threw her, as they followed her
mother into the kitchen, wasn’t friendly and she hated this major
unresolved issue with the man she wanted to—what? Get naked with?
See more of? Actually do more than date? She just knew that he was
warmer at heart than she’d expected.

His giving her that sled meant more than just
giving her a piece of sporting equipment. Holly hadn’t dated many
men who handled her whipping them without getting all mean and
vindictive. Levi wasn’t that way, though. He seemed to be okay with
sharing the power and he
got
her mother, even giving her a
thoughtful gift she wouldn’t have bought for herself, but what the
hell were they going to do about Mac?

That was the real question.

* * * * * * * * *

“Holly!” Her film editor’s booming voice filled her
ear as she cradled the phone there with her shoulder while she
pulled on her socks the next morning. Levi was waiting downstairs
to try out the new sled.

“Yes, Diandra, it’s me. Who did you call anyway?”

“You, silly! Look, I don’t mean to interrupt your
visit to the wilds,” the woman said, laughing heartily, “but I
heard a bit of gossip last night that I thought you’d want to
hear.”

“What?” Holly shoved her foot into her mother’s snow
boots. For a Christmas holiday, yesterday hadn’t been bad. She and
Levi had even snuck in a little making out before going to bed last
night. Since he’d grabbed her and laid a hot kiss on her lips as
she was about to go up, he must not totally hate her for her
position on the Mac situation.

She’d had his sweater rucked up, snuggling to his
hard midsection as he kissed them both into a frenzy. If it hadn’t
been for the closing of their parents’ bedroom door above them, his
dad would have totally caught them with Levi’s hand in her bra.
There was no denying that if Michael hadn’t needed some coca to
help him sleep, she and Levi would have ended up getting some
satisfaction on the hard bench in the foyer.

Sliding back on the bed, she let herself dwell on
just how wonderfully Christmas could have ended. Damn, they needed
a hot tub rendezvous tonight.

“Well, honey, I went to a little post-Christmas bash
at Cleo’s last night—“

Holly sat back up, tugging at the boot again. She
knew LA found any excuse to throw lavish parties.

“—and Marty Lipschitz told me that they’re going to
offer Mac Toledo that big film. And get this—they’re shooting
schedule conflicts with what you told me we were doing on the
Zambian project.”

After a beat of several seconds—her mind racing—Holly
dropped the sweater on the bedspread and cleared her throat. “It’s
definite? Are you sure?”

Even though she’d spouted off to Levi about hers
being the more important project for Mac, she’d secretly hoped the
issue of her film or the big budget option wouldn’t ever arise.
Actors were often considered for jobs they didn’t get, even those
with working careers. If Mac hadn’t gotten this role, his taking
that month to film her documentary wouldn’t have caused a problem
for anyone.

“Yeah. The decision has been made. They’re just
waiting for a money agreement between them and his agent. I think
the holiday is holding it up. The muckety mucks are all off
celebrating. Are you still there, honey?” Diandra sounded
worried.

“Yes. Yes, I am.”
Damn, damn, damn.
Why did
this have to happen just when she and Levi were coming together?
They’d both realized they should probably stay out of their
respective parents’ decisions and now this.

“Thanks, Diandra. Thanks for calling to give me a
heads up.” She dropped the boot again, suddenly swept with the fear
of losing Levi.

“No problem, honey. What are you going to do? Mac
signed a contract with you, didn’t he?”

“Yes,” she responded mechanically. “Yes, he did.”

But that wasn’t the bigger issue, she knew.

“So you can hold him to it and still stay on
schedule?”

“Yes. I could do that.” With Mac’s agreement to do
the film, she’d already made travel arrangements and paid for hotel
rooms. She didn’t swim with the big money, so changing these would
hurt the bottom line.

“Well, thanks again, Diandra. I really appreciate
your letting me know. I’ll see you when I get back there in a few
days.” Holly sat on the end of the bed, the boot still in her
hands. “You’re the best.”

“Of course, I am!” Her film editor let out another
loud laugh before hanging up the phone.

Holly’s hand gripped the phone as the call
disconnected. Dropping it to the bed, she let the boot fall and sat
there, wondering what she should do. She could hold Mac to this
contract and make him—and Levi—her enemy. It flashed across her
brain then that Mac would probably be willing to buy his way out of
the contract with her. He’d pay her to release him.

She could recoop her expenses, anyway, and maybe make
a little in the bargain.

For some reason, that didn’t make her feel better.
Holly sat brooding for several minutes. She knew Levi was waiting
downstairs for her to come down and try out the new sled, but she
felt stuck to this spot.

Having Levi and his client give her money for the
broken contract should have been okay, but it wasn’t and Holly
rummaged through her conscience trying to understand why. She’d
been working in the industry for a while now and she’d learned how
things were done. People required payment to let stars out of
contracts.

Levi was the sticking point. Levi.

She suddenly realized she couldn’t act in a way that
wasn’t in his best interest.

Holy Crap.
She stared ahead, poleaxed by a
realization.

She loved him.
She loved Levi.
It was that
simple. She had boyfriends and relationships and she’d had
one-night stands. She wasn’t proud of that, but it happened. She’d
even had a few long term boyfriends that she had thought she might
end up marrying.

But loving Levi was a different proposition
altogether. Holly didn’t know why. He was sometimes a smart alec
and he could be arrogant, but he’d shown that he could also be
sweet and sensitive. She didn’t know when it had happened or why,
but she’d given him her heart…and now she was afraid he’d kick it
and her to the curb.