“You were on edge, but it’s not surprising. We were lucky to have found him so quickly. John and I are going to go over all security procedures to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
She nodded, confident he would take care of things. Between not sleeping and the stress of the morning, she was ready for a quiet afternoon and an early night.
“Pallas texted me,” Cade said. “She’s invited us over for dinner tomorrow, if you’re interested. I thought maybe you could help me pick out a Christmas tree before we meet them.” He flashed that sexy smile of his. “I’d like a woman’s opinion so I get the right one.”
Hope, need and just plain liking smacked her upside the head. She’d promised not to get involved with him, to take a step back and retreat to the safety of the friendship zone. Only she really, really wanted to go to dinner with him and his sister and her fiancé and she wanted to pick out a Christmas tree even more.
Was it wrong to want to create a few memories before she headed home? Was she totally horrible for not simply blurting out the truth and letting the chips fall and all that?
“Beth, it wasn’t supposed to be a difficult question.”
“Technically it was two questions,” she said lightly. “Cade, I really want to go with you.”
“But?”
“But I’m leaving and...” And I’m scared to tell you the truth because then you won’t like me anymore and I really need you to keep liking me.
“I have a feeling you’re not worrying about my delicate sensibilities,” he teased, then his humor faded. “I get it. You’re going home and I’m staying here. As it’s only a couple of weeks, a case could be made to go for it. On the other hand, it’s easy for a situation to get out of control, and then someone gets hurt.”
Or that, she thought, preferring his line of reasoning to her own.
He touched the side of her face. “I’m willing to risk it if you are. And if you’re not, come to dinner with me as my friend simply because we enjoy each other’s company.”
“You are very good company,” she admitted.
“And a great kisser.”
“There is that.”
“So yes to dinner?”
“Yes to dinner and the tree,” she said, promising herself that whatever happened she would have no regrets.
*
HAPPILY INC’S CHRISTMAS tree lot was amazing. Not only did it smell like heaven, but there was a snow machine in one corner, producing a pretty impressive dusting of snow. If Bethany ignored the warm temperature, she could pretend she was in a forest, maybe in Germany or Colorado. She wanted to run from end to end, inhaling as deeply as she could, and maybe make an angel in the snow. Everything was magical and transported her back to her childhood when she and her mother had waited until the trees were marked down to buy one.
“You okay?” Cade asked, sounding worried.
“I’m giddy.” She spun in a circle, listening to the Christmas carols. “I love this. I’d forgotten what it was like to pick out a tree. My mom and I did it every year, of course, but when we moved to El Bahar, everything changed.”
“Don’t they celebrate Christmas?”
“A lot of people do.” She touched the branches on the nearest tree and felt the firm needles. The snow was cold and damp. “But at the palace, trees are delivered and decorated professionally. It’s not like I got to do anything.”
Cade stared at her. “Did you just say ‘at the palace’?”
Crap! Double crap! She closed her eyes, then opened them. “I have a small apartment on the palace grounds. It’s near the stables.”
“They’d probably frown on you dragging in a tree of your own,” he said easily.
“They would.” Talk about a close call! She reminded herself to be more careful. “What about that one?”
Cade shook his head. “Too small. We’ve got that spot at the house where we’re open a good two stories. Let’s get the biggest tree we can.”
“Men are obsessed with size,” she murmured.
He laughed. “With good reason.”
They wandered around the tree lot, picking then discarding options. Eventually Cade admitted that the tallest trees had the fewest branches and they settled on one that was just over ten feet.
“Do you have decorations?” she asked.
“I have a couple of boxes of them. My mom gave me all the ones I made when I was a kid.” He grinned. “She said it was so I could start my own traditions, but I’m pretty sure it was more about them not fitting in with her classy decor.”
“What other family traditions do you have?”
“We pick a name out of a hat and that’s the only family member we buy a gift for. It has to be less than twenty bucks and if it’s funny, that helps.”
“Your grandfather’s idea?” she asked.
“Yeah. I like it. We take the rest of the money we would have spent on gifts and donate it to the charity of our choice.”
He paid for the tree, then helped the guy carry it to his truck. Once it was secure in the bed, he turned to Bethany.
“What’s your story? To quote you, why isn’t there a Mr. Beth Smith?”
“Oh, that.” The truth, she told herself. She would stick to the truth. “I have trouble picking the right guy.”
“What kind of trouble?”
It was just after six and already dark. Christmas carols played from tinny speakers. The temperature was in the fifties, the night clear with the first of the evening stars making their appearance. Not exactly the time and place for her great confession, but she wanted to be as honest as she could, within reason.
“I had a serious boyfriend in college. I thought I was in love with him and I’d sort of been saving myself for the in love thing, so he was my first, well, everything.”
Cade’s gaze was steady. “How did he let you down?”
“What makes you think he did?”
“If he didn’t, you’d still be with him. There’s no way he was stupid enough to let you go.”
She wasn’t sure how Cade meant what he said, but she chose to read it as the sweetest thing a man had ever said to her. Somewhere deep in her chest, her heart crossed the line from maybe to yes.
“The first night we made love, he took pictures of me and put them up on the internet.” She shook her head. “You couldn’t really see anything but it was clear I was naked.”
Cade’s body tensed. “Tell me who he is and I’ll go beat the crap out of him.”
“Thanks, but my father already flew into a rage.”
She hadn’t wanted the king to find out, but there was no way to keep the information from him—or anyone. Her parents had flown out the same day and she’d gone home with them. She still didn’t know what her father had said to the guy, but Bethany had never heard from him again. Still, the pictures lived on as all things internet related did.
“Since then I’ve chosen relatively quiet, meek men who would never dream of doing anything like that.”
“I don’t see you as liking the meek type.”
“I don’t, which is a problem. They can’t stand up to me and they certainly can’t deal with my father so it all becomes a disaster fairly quickly. I know I’m afraid,” she added quickly, before she could stop herself. “Of trusting again.”