Midnight Angel (2 page)

She’d go to Yale University and then to
medical school like her father and his father before him, and
though Dylan hadn’t chosen his college yet, he’d go close by, major
in theater arts or drama, and they’d stick together as he tried for
a career on Broadway. They’d have a house, kids and a happy life.
That had been their plan, or so she’d thought until she woke up the
day after graduation with a good-bye letter in her mailbox. A note
on a flimsy sheet of paper, hastily written as if she’d meant
nothing to him at all.

He’d been her first love, and he’d
unceremoniously dumped her with the printed words
A high-school
crush was never meant to last. It’s time we both move on.
Dylan.
Not even
Love, Dylan.

Then he’d gone on to change his name from
Dylan Northwood to Dylan North and quickly became America’s
heartthrob, staring at her from the cover of every magazine in the
supermarket and drugstore.

Now he stood before her. Holly exhaled
slowly, trying not to let Dylan see that his return had her
trembling.

He stared with the half smile and the dimple
America adored on his face. “How about a hello hug for an old
friend?” he asked with more than a hint of challenge in his
voice.

Touching him would be like looking for an
electric shock, but if she turned him down, he’d assume she still
had feelings for him. Which she didn’t, she assured herself. None
at all.

Liar
. “Yeah, I think I could manage
a hug. For a friend,” she added, more for her benefit than his.

She stepped forward and was immediately
surrounded by his heady masculine scent and engulfed by his strong
arms and a wealth of emotion she’d tried hard to bury. Her cheek
nestled into the nubby wool of his sweater, and his jean-clad
thighs brushed against her light slacks.

Shaking, she stepped back before she
embarrassed herself, the practiced smile she reserved for her most
trying patients on her face. “So what brings you by?”

His steady gaze met hers. “I couldn’t come
home without seeing my Midnight Angel … I mean, without seeing you
again.”

She swallowed hard, his use of the
endearment taking her off guard. Dylan’s father had walked out when
he and his sister were young, only to return again for another try.
When that second chance failed a few weeks before Christmas their
junior year in high school, his mother had broken the star on their
Christmas tree in frustration. Holly had bought the family an angel
to put on top instead. New memories to replace the old, she’d
explained when she’d given it to him at midnight on Christmas
Eve.

He’d called her his Midnight Angel.

She’d believed they would last forever.

She shivered and forced herself back to the
present. “Well, I’m glad you came by. It was good to see you
again.” And it would be just as good to have him gone. “As you can
see, I was just finishing up here. I’ve had a long day.”

She was sure she looked as exhausted as she
felt, yet somehow she resisted the urge to fix her hair or excuse
herself and run to her office to touchup her makeup. This was who
she was. No sense hiding it. Though she considered herself
attractive on a good day, today wasn’t one of those.

The Hollywood hunk might have dated her
once, but the gorgeous women he saw daily and at award shows and
premieres made her look like roadkill in comparison. Especially in
contrast with Melanie Masterson, the actress the magazines
constantly paired him with.

He glanced at his watch. “Actually, I was
hoping you had time for one more patient today.”

“You?” she asked, surprised. He didn’t look
sick.

“Flu shot. I never managed to get one before
I left L.A.” He shoved his hands into his back pockets and grinned
at her like an adorable little boy who’d forgotten his lunch money
and was begging for a loan.

The effect was potent, more than any other
good-looking man had had on her ever. Guiltily, thoughts of John,
her on-again, off-again boyfriend, arose. She and John had started
dating when she’d returned home to take over her sick father’s
practice a little over a year ago. But while John was ready to
settle down and had begun pressuring her for more of a commitment,
she wasn’t ready, and lately she’d been wondering if she ever would
be.

She’d been putting him off with flimsy
excuses, but
I need more time
and
Let’s get to know
each other better
didn’t hold much weight when they’d known
one another since grade school. John provided comfort and ease but
not this overwhelming sexual desire she felt just looking at Dylan
again.

“Hello?” Dylan waved a hand in front of her
face. “I asked if you’d give me a flu shot.” He studied her with
concern.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and
focus on keeping Dylan in the past where he belonged. Forcing a
smile, she said, “Sure. I can manage one more shot.”

She gave him a quick exam, not wanting to
spend too much time examining his broad, tanned, muscular chest or
any other part of his body that created that longing feeling
swirling inside her. After a quick escape to gather her equipment,
she walked back into the exam room.

“So are you going to Whipporwill’s tonight?”
he asked about the town’s annual Christmas party. He pushed up his
sweater sleeve in preparation for his shot.

She shook her head. “I haven’t had any
down-time lately. I thought I’d head home and relax.” In fact,
she’d already called John and cancelled, claiming exhaustion. Her
bed beckoned.

Once she’d slept, she would wake up
refreshed and full of holiday spirit, ready to shop for the gifts
she normally purchased way ahead of time. But since her father
died, she’d been so busy keeping his practice alive that she’d had
no time for anything that resembled fun.

“That’s too bad. I was hoping I could steal
a dance.”

She shot him a disbelieving glance. A dance?
Was that something like their hug? Did he really find being around
her that easy, making conversation that simple, as if they’d never
meant anything to each other beyond friends? Was the attraction
that swirled inside her even now nonexistent for him when he looked
at her? She clenched her jaw in pain and frustration.

“I thought we could hang out and catch up.
You know, like old times. Come on, Holly. Please?”

She closed her eyes and counted to ten,
seeing her relaxing night evaporate. If she didn’t show up at the
party, Dylan would think she was avoiding him, or worse, running
from her feelings.

“Fine,” she said with forced cheer. “I’d
love to hang out with an old
friend
.” As long as he didn’t
call her his Midnight Angel again.

And since he found it so easy to be her
friend
, she decided there was a nice, fleshier place than
his arm for her to insert the needle for his shot. One where he
wouldn’t forget her quite so easily this time.

“Oh, Dylan? I need you to do me a favor
first.”

He grinned, obviously pleased she’d agreed.
“What’s that?”

“Drop your pants.”

He groaned, and she laughed, her first free
and easy laugh since he’d walked into her office unannounced.

Whipporwill’s was the fanciest restaurant in
Acton and often doubled as a catering hall for weddings and other
assorted affairs. By L.A. standards, it fell short of chic, and by
Boston standards it was a family-style restaurant at best. Still,
it was the best Acton had to offer, and tradition dictated the
whole town show up for an annual bash the week before
Christmas.

Dylan leaned against a scarred, wood-paneled
wall, smiling and greeting friends, both old and new. His mother,
Kate, stood on the opposite side of the room, holding court,
gesturing proudly to her famous son. He’d flown his mother to L.A.
a few times a year and he’d come home to visit and left just as
quietly. Having him here to show off was a first, and she reveled
in the attention. Meanwhile, he was looking around for Holly, who
was nowhere to be found.

Dylan had all but dared her to show up
tonight. In his arrogance, he’d thought that just because he’d once
been able to anticipate her actions, he could still do the same.
But as the minutes passed, he was forced to admit he’d
miscalculated. Badly enough for him to admit defeat.

Before he could come up with an excuse that
his mother and everyone else would accept so that he could leave
gracefully, a guy he recognized from high school walked over and
joined him.

“Dylan, I heard you were in town. It’s good
to see you.” The other man held out his hand.

Dylan grinned. “John Whittaker? Damn, it’s
been a long time.” He pumped his old friend’s hand.

“Last time I saw you, we were cleaning
toilet paper off the football field to keep Coach from calling the
cops and reporting the school had been vandalized.”

Dylan laughed. “I remember.” It had been
their high-school graduation farewell prank. Dylan had left for
L.A. a few days later.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve
thought of that night over the years. Every time I see your ugly
mug on the cover of a magazine, in fact.” John shoved his hand into
the back pocket of his chinos.

He still favored the preppy look while Dylan
had always liked jeans and T-shirts best. Unlike many of the guys
Dylan had greeted tonight who sported bald spots or comb-overs,
John still had a full head of sandy-brown hair.

“Tonight must feel like a high-school
reunion for you,” John said, understanding in a way that surprised
Dylan.

He grimaced. “Worse. I think you’re one of
the first people who’s happy to see me for the right reasons.”
Friendship, not awe
, he thought.

“As soon as they all realize you’re still
the same, the fame thing’ll pass.”

Dylan shrugged. “I hope you’re right. So
what’ve you been up to?”

“I work at an investment firm in downtown
Boston,” John said, propping one shoulder against the wall.

“That suits you. Married?”

“Not yet, but I’m trying to get the woman
I’ve been seeing to settle down.”

“Anyone I know?” Dylan asked.

John studied Dylan in pointed silence.
“Actually—” John’s cell phone rang, cutting him off. He glanced at
the incoming number. “Hang on, and we’ll pick this up in a few
minutes,” he said to Dylan. He answered the call, walking off to
talk in private, leaving Dylan to watch the door some more and hope
Holly would show up after all.

* * *

After heading home for a nap, a shower and
some serious primping, Holly met up with Nicole on the steps
outside Whipporwill’s. The chill in the air and impending snow
signaled Christmas was coming soon. Holly loved the holiday season.
She was suddenly glad she’d come tonight, and the festivities
weren’t the only reason. Neither was the challenge Dylan had issued
earlier. Dylan himself was the man motivating her actions.

“I still think you should have surprised
John instead of calling him and telling him you’d decided to come
tonight,” Nicole said, interrupting Holly’s thoughts. “Spontaneity
is good for relationships, and from what you’ve told me, John could
use some good old-fashioned surprises in his life.”

Holly couldn’t deny that comment. “I just
thought he deserved to know I’d changed my mind.” She’d show up at
the party, spend time with both the past and present men in her
life and hopefully leave Whipporwill’s with a clear mind, ready to
move on.

“I bet you were afraid he’d think you came
just to see Dylan,” Nicole said knowingly.

With a groan, Holly pulled open the door and
entered the festive party. Red and silver velvet bows adorned the
walls, and tinsel fell enticingly from each potted plant and fern,
while poinsettias were strategically placed around the room, their
beauty enhancing the holiday atmosphere.

“Do you want to stick with me?” she asked
Nicole, knowing her friend was still fairly new to town and didn’t
know everyone yet.

Nicole shook her head. “Actually, I see
someone I want to talk to,” she said and, with a brief wave,
disappeared into the crowd.

So much for needing a guiding hand
,
Holly thought wryly. She paused to hand her jacket to the coatcheck
girl before heading inside.

No sooner had she glanced around than her
first challenge came to greet her. “Holly, I’m so glad you changed
your mind and decided to come,” John said, grasping her hand in
his. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She took in his polished look,
the pressed chinos and collared shirt paired with a polo sweater,
and smiled. “You look pretty good yourself.” She kissed his
clean-shaven cheek, his familiar aftershave surrounding her.

“Well, well, look who decided to show up
after all.”

Dylan’s deep voice sent sizzling awareness
shooting through her veins, leaving no part of her body unaffected.
While John’s scent had been warm,
Dylan’s
cologne caused a
distinct path of heat to travel along her nerve endings and settle
in the pit of her stomach.

“I thought you said you’d be missing this
shindig.” He cocked his head and pinned her with a knowing
grin.

“You two have seen each other already?” John
asked, obviously surprised.

Dylan was the one subject John never
broached with Holly. He knew the history. He’d been through school
along with them, but John and Holly had begun dating once they’d
returned home as adults. As if by mutual agreement, they’d left
Dylan behind and started fresh. But Holly realized that Dylan had
always been with her even when she wasn’t aware of it.

She wondered if Dylan had heard she and John
were an item. She wondered if he’d even care. After clearing her
throat, she tackled John’s comment. “Dylan stopped by the office
this afternoon.”