“Hadley, are you listening to me?”
Snapped back to reality by the harsh tone of her mother’s voice, she swung her legs down and sat up. “Sorry, Mama. I’m swamped with work around here, so my mind wandered a bit.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Viola didn’t sound convinced in the least. “I said, we’ll have roasted potatoes, stuffing, glazed brussels sprouts, green beans and turnip greens to round out the meal.”
“Sounds fantastic.”
“Then I asked you what we should have for dessert.”
Frantically searching her mind for an answer, Hadley nervously drummed her fingers on her thigh. Then she remembered a conversation she’d had with Devon the previous year about his favorite desserts. “Why don’t we have Dutch apple pie and peach cobbler?”
After a few beats, Viola answered, “I like it. We haven’t had those in years, not since your father got on this tiramisu kick.”
Hadley breathed a sigh of relief.
“Now that we’ve settled that, why don’t you tell me what you were really thinking about just now when you were ignoring me?”
Her eyes widened as she realized her relief had been premature. “I, uh...well, I found another stack of repair request forms on my desk yesterday, and Cam wouldn’t—”
Viola scoffed. “Oh, please. You’re my daughter. I’ve only known you since you took your first breath. And I know good and well you weren’t thinking about anything related to work.”
Falling back against the cushioned backrest of her love seat, Hadley sighed. “It’s nothing. It’s just that Devon checked in Wednesday, and I’ve been a bit...distracted.”
Viola’s soft chuckle met that admission. “Honey, I know he’s here. He’s a celebrity. Everybody knows he’s here. What I want to know is when are you going to ask him over for Christmas dinner?”
She bristled. “Mama. I’ve asked him to join us for dinner for the past four years, and every time he’s turned me down.” Devon had always pointed to his desire to spend the day in reflective solitude. She wasn’t sure that was the full story, but who was she to question his choice?
“Maybe the fifth time will be the charm. I respect his wishes if he says no again, but at least ask him, honey. Nobody should be alone on Christmas, and we have so much to share.”
As much as she’d love to bring Devon home for Christmas—if only to corner him under some mistletoe—she still doubted he’d be receptive to her invitation. “I don’t know, Mama.”
Viola cleared her throat. “Hadley Aria Monroe, you are going to ask Devon to join us for Christmas dinner, do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She could tell from her mother’s tone that she didn’t have a choice.
“Heavens, girl. The worst he can do is say no. It isn’t as if he’s going to run you over with his car for inviting him.” Viola chuckled again. “Okay, I’ll let you go. And tell your brothers they’d better straighten up or I’ll send your father over there.”
That comment brought a giggle out of her. “Thanks, Mama. ’Bye.”
After she ended the call with her mother, she rose from the love seat and returned to her desk. While she usually tried to leave early on Friday afternoons, she had a bit more work she wanted to do before she started her weekend. Easing into the seat, she flipped open her laptop.
Before the computer could awaken from sleep mode, her office line rang. Lifting the receiver from the cradle, she placed it to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hi, Hadley. It’s Devon.”
Her heart leaped into her throat the moment she heard his voice. He didn’t need to identify himself; there was no mistaking the sexy baritone she often heard whispering to her in her dreams at night. It took a few seconds to find her voice, and when she did, her words tumbled out in a rush. “Devon, hi. How are you? Is everything okay with your rental unit?”
He chuckled. “Everything’s fine, I just need a little bit of help. I knew you were the right person to call.”
She smiled, wrapping the spiral telephone cord around her index finger like a love-struck teenager as she replied, “I sure am. What can I do for you?”
“I went to the doctor to have my back checked out, and it turns out I need to avoid going up and down stairs.”
Hadley’s mind automatically swung into problem-solving mode. Flipping open the property book on her desk, she leafed through the pages. “We could move you, but I don’t think we have any single-story units available until after the New Year.”
“That’s fine. I love this place, and I don’t really want to move out of it, anyway.”
Her brow creased into a frown. “So, what would you like to do? I certainly don’t want you going against the doctor’s orders.”
“Oh, I won’t. I have no desire for my back to get any worse.”
“How can I help, then?”
“Could you possibly spare a staff member to come over here and rearrange things for me so I don’t have to use the second floor?”
It was an unexpected request, but it confirmed her suspicions that he hadn’t been telling her the full story about his back. She thought about the layout of the unit for a moment. What he’d asked for seemed doable. Since there was a bedroom and a three-piece bath on the first floor, the arrangement would work fine. “Sure, I’ll send someone right over. They will be there within the hour, in fact.”
“Great.” The tone of his voice indicated he was smiling. “Thanks a lot, Hadley. I really appreciate it.”
“You know how much we value your business. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
“Perfect. Thanks again.” And he disconnected the call.
Unraveling her fingertips from the cord, Hadley sighed. Then she returned the receiver to the cradle and sat back in her chair, grinning. An opportunity had presented itself, and she wasn’t about to miss it. She’d promised to send someone over to help him, and she would. She simply hadn’t said whom.
I have the perfect staffer in mind to take care of Devon.
Me.
* * *
Devon had just bent to grab a soda from the bottom of the refrigerator when he heard the knock at the door. He shut the fridge, with his ginger ale in hand, and went to answer it. Hadley wasn’t kidding about getting someone over here quickly. It had only been about a half hour since he’d put in the call to the office.
He strolled to the door, looking out the bay window as he passed it. Noting the MHI company car sitting in the driveway, he didn’t bother to check the peephole before swinging the door open.
He’d expected to find some guy in the all-blue MHI uniform, ready to do his bidding.
Instead, as the door opened, he came face-to-face with Hadley. She stood on the porch, wearing a long-sleeved blue MHI T-shirt, a pair of dark skinny jeans, high-top sneakers and the most alluring smile he’d ever seen.
He’d been hanging around the town house in a loose tank and athletic shorts and suddenly felt very aware of his attire. Apparently, Hadley shared that awareness, because he saw her eyes rake over his body. Then her gaze lifted to meet his.
“Hi, Devon.”
His name on her lips sounded almost musical. “Hi, Hadley. I thought you were sending someone over.”
She shrugged, as if she