This Holiday Magic
“Because of a lot of things, son,” Ben said, sitting with a stack of files at his side. “Truthfully, I’m right there with you. Since her mother died, I’ve had three different wives. She’s seen me in and out of love dozens of times. For the past two and a half years she’s thrown herself into work and had time for nothing else. You might have been the last straw, but I was right there, too. If there’s one thing I want more than anything, more than cleaning this mess up, it is to help her love again.”
Tyson’s heart tightened from the pain that gripped it. Janelle had lost faith in love and he was partially responsible. But at least she was physically safe. He nodded slowly, but he wasn’t at all satisfied.
Sitting, he absently glanced at his notes and then back at the monitor. All of a sudden the program he had been using for years didn’t make any sense. His notes were a confusing scramble of numbers and notations that made even less sense.
Tyson looked over at Ben, who had begun talking about his last trip to visit his daughter. The more Ben went on, the edgier Tyson got.
“I tell you, the moment I stepped off the plane I was amazed,” Ben said. “The country is the perfect duality—both stunningly beautiful and horrendously terrifying. I tell you, every moment I was there I was...”
Tyson looked back at the monitor again. There was no use—his focus was shot. Everything he’d done in the past three hours meant absolutely nothing. All he could think about now was Janelle’s safety.
Ben had moved on to a story about shopping in an African marketplace, but Tyson had long since stopped paying attention. Unlike her father, he wasn’t as convinced that everything was all right with Janelle. He didn’t want to alarm the man, but there’d been something in Janelle’s voice that was definitely stressed. He hadn’t liked the sound of it. But calling her back to make sure she was okay was out of the question. He was the last person she’d want to hear from. He was one of the reasons she’d joined Medics International and left for Africa in the first place—to get away from him.
Still, two and a half years was a long time. There was a good chance she would have gotten past their relationship’s ending. The nerve in his neck tightened and his jaw tensed. Yeah, he had messed up. He’d let his ego and his ambition overrule his heart. Walking out on Janelle had been the biggest mistake of his life.
“Okay, here it is. I knew it was packed away in one of these old boxes someplace. This ought to do it.” Ben sighed as he placed an accordion file on the desk. “I believe everything you’re gonna need is in here. Hey, you okay, son?”
Tyson looked up and nodded. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You look a little distracted.”
“No, I’m good,” Tyson said, picking up his pen and turning back to the monitor. He didn’t want to tell Ben the truth, that he’d been thinking about Janelle. “I’m just a little tired.”
“I can certainly understand that. You work all day at your business and then you come here in the evenings and work on my mine. You’ve been a godsend. I really don’t know how to thank you.”
“How about getting us a cup of coffee?” Tyson suggested.
“Done,” Ben responded, hurrying to the door. “I’ll make a fresh pot. Cream and two sugars. I’ll be right back.”
“Thanks.”
Tyson looked at the computer monitor. He was right back where he’d started; nowhere. Moments later he tossed the pen onto the desk and sat back in the chair. Coffee was a ruse. He’d just needed Ben out of the office.
Restless, edgy, he stood and walked over to the window again. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Hearing her voice had brought it all back.
“Damn,” he whispered. This wasn’t what he’d expected. But in truth, he didn’t know what he had thought would happen. When he’d agreed to review Ben’s finances and help pull him out of bankruptcy, he had been thinking only about getting Janelle back. It had been a long shot and probably wouldn’t work, but he’d try.
He looked up at the night sky. He was tired. But that was not what was distracting him and he knew it. She was his own personal drug—just one spark was all it took to reignite his passion. “Janelle,” he said softly, moving back to the desk to force himself to focus on the job.
The knock on the office door was soft. He didn’t look up, assuming it was Ben coming back with the coffee. It wasn’t until he heard her voice and her gasp that he looked up and saw her standing there. His eyes widened; then, just as quickly, a wave of emotional relief washed through him. She was back, she was safe and she was here with him again.
Chapter 3
“Dad! Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas. Surprise!” Janelle called out as she opened the door to her father’s office.
She stopped, stunned, and shook her head. She could not believe what she was seeing. Her heart lurched. This was impossible. A small gasp escaped her lips.
As he looked up at her, his eyes narrowed, holding her still. He appeared just as stunned and confused as she was. She stood there for what seemed like forever, her questioning eyes cemented to a face she hadn’t seen in more than two years.
He was still as handsome as ever. Surprisingly, he was clean-shaven now, without the always perfectly cut goatee he’d had years ago. He was casually attired, having removed his jacket, but even so, he was still perfectly styled. Impressively tall with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he wore a dark dress shirt, unbuttoned at the neck, with a loosened tie. His sleeves were rolled up, baring the strong solid strength of his arms.
Seeing Tyson Croft sitting at her father’s desk was like pouring salt into a healing wound. For her own sake, she had long ago released the anger and the pain she had felt when he’d left. She had moved on, was over him and had never been happier with her life than she was now.
But now, for some reason, a sudden rush of emotion she’d long ago set aside began to envelop her. The hurt was still there. Janelle realized that she had never quite sealed that door. She watched as his gaze eased down her body, then came up and steadied on her face.
“Janelle,” he whispered softly.
The eerie misplaced feeling of seeing something or someone who didn’t belong in a familiar location stunned her to silence. She swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the impossibly huge lump in her throat. How was this possible? How could the last man on earth she ever wanted to see again be sitting there, staring straight at her?
Then it hit her. The diagnosis was obvious. Among the plethora of symptoms for extreme exhaustion and jet lag was hallucinations. That had to be it. She smiled at the absurdity of her mind’s twisted sense of humor. She had been thinking about Tyson a lot lately and her subconscious had tuned in, so of course, here he was.
Then the fabricated image slowly stood. “Hello, Janelle,” it said, smiling cautiously.
Wow. This specter was amazing. It seemed so real, so much like Tyson, who was exactly the same as she remembered...same deep soul-stirring voice, same knee-buckling smile and same drop-dead-gorgeous body.
She gazed at the face she knew so well. He was still handsome with keen angular lines and dark sexy bedroom eyes framed with long curly lashes. High cheekbones added to his classic features and his mouth was bowed just right with perfect fullness, his lips soft, firm and always so damn kissable. He was a confident man who had wealth and power. In all respects he was everything any woman could ever want and then some. She shook her head again. Even when he appeared as an illusion, the lean perfection of his body made her stomach flutter. She stared, unable to look away. Why did this vision have to be of him? She watched as his lips moved.
Then he smiled and suddenly everything seemed all too real. A few seconds passed. It really was Tyson Croft standing there.
“Janelle, you’re here,” he said happily. “You...you look—”
“Tyson,” she said quietly, releasing a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding.
“Yes, it’s me,” he said softly. “God, it’s so good to see you. Your father and I were so worried about you.” He paused. “Is everything okay? Are you okay?”
Speechless, she nodded her head slowly.
“Good. Well, welcome home. You look exhausted.”
Fate has a wicked sense of humor, Janelle thought to herself. It had taken her two years to get over the anger and pain of not having him in her life. Now here he was all over again. “What are you doing in my father’s office?” she asked, looking around the room. “Where is my father?”
“Ben stepped out. He’ll be back in a few minutes.” He smiled, concern still shadowing his face. “Janelle, you have no idea how relieved I am to see you. When you called earlier, we were...” He paused. “I’m just glad you’re home safe,” he said, staring at her. “Are you going to scowl at me all night?”
“Probably. Answer my question, Tyson. What are you doing here?”
He looked down. “I’m working.”
She scoffed. “What do you mean? My father would never agree to have you working here.”
“I am. I’m working with your father.”
She shook her head. “No, that’s impossible.” She boldly moved to the center of the room.
“Nonetheless, here I am,” he said, gesturing around the office. “Your father said you were still in Africa. When did you get back?” Tyson talked as though nothing had ever happened between them, as if he had never walked out on her and their life together. He came from behind the desk toward her, talking, but she didn’t hear what he said.
She looked at him, astonished. The audacity of his presumption was mind-boggling. But that was typical Tyson—totally arrogant and completely self-absorbed. The world revolved solely around him. How dare he presume he had the right to comment on her looks, on her life, as though what had happened between them had never happened?
“No. No,” she said, seething with anger and holding her hand up to silence him. “You don’t get to just come up in here and chat with me like there’s nothing between us.”
His expression instantly changed. “Janelle, I know you’re probably still angry and upset, and you have every right to be.”
“I’m not. I got over that a long time ago.”
He shook his head. “You’re angry, trust me,” he said.
“How dare you?” She smiled and chuckled.
“Janelle...” Tyson began.
“Don’t ‘Janelle’ me!”
“I understand your feelings. I just need you to know that I...” He paused.
“That you what?” she said slowly. “Tell me—what could you possibly say to me that would change what happened between us? You see, silly me, I believed you back then. I believed in you, and you turned your back on me. So, no, sorry, I’m not that naive person anymore. You tore my life apart once before, but never again. You walked out on me. You don’t get to just walk back into my life now like it was no big deal. Like I said, I got over you a long time ago.”
He nodded slowly and lowered his head. “Why don’t you just ask me what you really want to?” he said softly. When he looked back up at her, his eyes were piercing. “How could I leave you?”
She looked at him, hurt. All of a sudden the old pain became fresh again. With one question, it had all come back. Yes, she’d wondered about the answer to that one question, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of asking what it was. She had vowed a long time ago that he would never affect her again. But right now, just seeing him standing there, brought up feelings she had thought long buried.
“Janelle...”
“Where is my father?” she asked. Her eyes narrowed in mistrust as she planted her balled fists on her hips.
“He’s unavailable.”
“You’re starting to sound like a broken record. Where is he?” she repeated.
“He’s getting coffee in the break room.”
She looked around her father’s office. It was usually neat, but now there were half-open boxes, files and paper everywhere. It was a cluttered mess. “What’s going on with my father’s company? Is this your next acquisition?”
He looked hurt. “Do you seriously think that little of me?”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
He smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I guess I deserved that.” The raw, intense hunger she saw in his eyes made her take a step back. Her stomach shuddered. She swallowed hard, needing to regroup quickly. “Janelle...”
“You need to leave.”
“I can’t. I promised your father I’d do what I could to help him, and I will.”
“He doesn’t need your help anymore. He has me now.”
“Yes, he does. But you can’t help him with this.”
“Tyson, leave now or I’ll call security and have you physically thrown out of here—your choice.”
“Janelle, this isn’t about you and me. This is about your father, his company and his freedom.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“I’m asking you. Tell me.”
“He needs my help and I promised him I’d do whatever I can. Your father is a brilliant businessman, but sometimes solely focusing on winning at all costs causes you to lose everything in the end.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. He didn’t reply. “You’re not going to tell me? Fine.” She marched over to the desk, reached around him and grabbed the office phone from the cradle. Before she could lift it, Tyson quickly covered her hand with his to stop her.
Just inches apart, their eyes locked. Intense emotions slammed into her like an anvil falling at high velocity. Her heart thudded in her chest as she held her breath. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. She wasn’t supposed to be feeling anything, but yet she was. She was over him and he wasn’t going to get to her again. “Save it. I’m immune. Your bad-boy charm doesn’t work on me anymore.”
“Doesn’t it?” he asked quietly.
She glared at him, holding her ground. They both knew he was lethal to any woman. But she wasn’t going to back down. “Move your hand now, Tyson,” she warned through gritted teeth.
“I left for a reason.”
“I don’t really care about your reason.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Understand this, Mr. Croft. You don’t know me anymore. You knew that quiet, shy, young woman right out of medical school more than two years ago. She wore rose-colored glasses and thought there’d always be a happy ending in her life, no matter what. Well, she was wrong and she’s long gone.”
“I hope not. I missed her. I missed you,” he whispered gently.
Janelle’s heart lurched. His voice was too tender and his eyes were too sincere. “Why are you doing this?” she asked.
He looked away and gently squeezed her hand. “Because I can’t stop thinking about you, because I can’t stop wanting you and because I can’t stop loving...”
“Stop! Enough! I don’t want to hear it.” She raised her voice.
“Janelle, is that you?”
Janelle turned around quickly to see her father standing in the doorway, holding two coffee cups. A radiant smile instantly spread across her face. She snatched her hand away from the phone and ran over to him.
Setting down the cups, he met her halfway and they embraced long and hard. Moments later he pulled back and gently held her face in his hands. He stared closely, then nodded. “Yes, you’re okay?”
She smiled and nodded as tears rolled down her face. “Yes, I am now.”
“God, I missed you,” Ben said.
She laughed, half crying for joy. “I missed you, too, Dad.”
Janelle and Ben hugged again, and then he held her close as he turned to Tyson, smiling. “My little girl’s back.”
Tyson grinned. “Yes, she certainly is. I’m gonna fax these letters out. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Dad, you look so tired.”
Ben eyed his daughter happily. “Funny, I was just about to say the same thing about you. When did you get here?”
“Just now,” she said.
“No. I mean when did you get back from Africa?”
“About three hours ago. I was stuck in Customs for a while. It feels like I’ve been on the road forever. I left Dar es Salaam over twenty-five hours ago.”
“What? It doesn’t take that long to get here from Tanzania.”
“I know, but I grabbed the first flight, and unfortunately, the last-minute plans made travel a nightmare.”
“Well, you’re here now and that’s all that matters.”
“Dad, tell me what’s going on. Why, of all people, is Tyson Croft here in your office? He said he was working with you.”
“It’s nothing for you to be concerned about, sweetheart. He’s working a few things out for me.... Just some minor business matters.”
“Dad, you know Tyson can’t be trusted. You know what he does for a living. The man gobbles up businesses and breaks them apart and sells them to the highest bidder. There’s no way he’s here to help you.”
“I am,” Tyson said, standing in the office doorway.
Janelle turned and glared at him.
“Janelle, you’re going to have to trust me on this. He is here to help. I know you and Tyson have a strained past and, from the sound of it when I walked into the office earlier, a questionable present, but I’m going to need for you to put all that aside, at least for the time being. I need Tyson, I need you and I need a truce,” Ben said.
She looked away, refusing to answer.
“So—” he began, smiling again “—not that I’m not delighted to see you, but what are you doing here? You weren’t supposed to come back until next year. What happened?”
“I’m fine. My relief arrived early, so I decided to surprise you and come home for the Christmas holidays. I guess the surprise was on me since I went to my house and found my neighbor Mrs. Ivers there with a little girl. She told me it was your idea for the child’s family to move in.”
“Yes, it was my idea. I needed them here quickly and they needed a place to stay. Your house was empty and it was perfect.”
“I don’t understand. Admittedly, the little girl is absolutely adorable, but why was it so important for her family to live in my house? Who’s her family?”
“I’m her family. Aneka is my daughter,” Tyson said.
His pronouncement stunned her. Tyson had a daughter? She had had no idea. Her heart tumbled. The math wasn’t that difficult to figure out. The girl had to be at least four years old. That meant that Tyson had been a father the whole time they were together and he’d never said a word.
Suddenly it all made sense. The months of romantic bliss they had spent together had just been a momentary interlude for him. The reason he’d left her was to go back to his real family. “Your daughter? You have a child,” she said incredulously.
“Ben,” he said, “I’m almost done here. We just have a few more things to tie up. I can move us to a hotel for a few days and...”
“It’s the holidays,” Ben protested. “I’m sure Janelle wouldn’t want you and your daughter out in the street this time of year. Janelle, what do you think about coming home and staying at the big house with your dear old dad for a few days? It’ll be good to have my daughter back under the roof again, at least for a little while. And I could certainly use the company. The house gets awfully quiet sometimes. What do you think?”
Both Tyson and Ben looked at Janelle. But she couldn’t focus on her dad. She was still stuck on the fact that Tyson had been a father the whole time they’d been together. It took her a moment to catch up with what was going on around her. “Um, yeah, sure, that’s fine. Stay at the house with your daughter...your family,” she said awkwardly.
“Thank you,” Tyson said.
“Good. That’s all settled,” Ben declared. “Tyson, why don’t we call it a night and pick this up tomorrow evening?” Tyson nodded his agreement and walked over to Ben’s desk. “Janelle, give me a few minutes to get some things put away and then we’ll head out.”
“I just have to go by my house and pick up my suitcases. I left them in the foyer. Also, I borrowed Mrs. Ivers’s car, so I’m going to need a ride to the big house.”
“I’ll take you.” Tyson spoke up quickly.
“No,” Janelle said just as fast. “No, that’s okay.”
“She’s right, Tyson. It’s late. I’m sure Mrs. Ivers needs to get home and your daughter needs you there now.” He turned to Janelle. “I’ll meet you at your house when I finish up here. It shouldn’t be too long.” He kissed Janelle’s forehead.
Janelle nodded and walked out. Tyson grabbed his briefcase and followed. They shared the elevator down to the first floor and exited the building together. Each got into their respective cars and drove away in the same direction without a single word.
So much for a holiday at home, she thought to herself as she drove off.
Chapter 4
Twenty minutes later they arrived at her town house. In silence side by side, Janelle and Tyson walked up the short path to the front door. As soon as they got to the top step they stopped. Standing beneath the security lights over the door, each had a front-door key in hand. “You go ahead,” she said, motioning for him to step up and open the front door.
“No,” he said, stepping back. “Please, it’s your home. After you.” She put her key in the lock and turned the latch. “Are we just going to ignore this and pretend?” he asked.
“I’m tired, Tyson. I don’t feel like playing games tonight.”
“This isn’t a game, Janelle,” he assured her.
“Fine, let’s pretend. How about we play a game called ‘truth or truth’?”
He sighed. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.” His eyes sparkled beneath the lights.
“I can’t believe you. One day you were there, we were talking about getting married and starting a life together, and all of a sudden the next day you were gone.”
He was stunned by her comment. “Janelle, my leaving had nothing to do with what I feel for you. It was about me. I needed time. I needed to go. But when I came back you were gone.”
She scoffed. “What a surprise, and so convenient. At least be original. Isn’t that always the go-to excuse? ‘Oh, no, baby,’” she mocked, “‘it’s not you. It’s me. It’s not that I’m through with you now, or that I was just using you to kill time. I’m just leaving you to go back to my real family now.’”
“Is that what you think? That I had another family someplace else? That I left you because I was through with you?”
“Are you going to seriously stand there and tell me I’m wrong with your daughter and probably your wife waiting inside?” She stopped suddenly. The thought of coming face-to-face with Tyson’s wife sent a stunned shock wave through her system.
An instant later the door opened. Janelle held her breath. Mrs. Ivers stood there, smiling at them. “I thought I heard voices. Why are you two standing out here in the cold? Come on inside.”
“Good evening, Mrs. Ivers,” Tyson said.
“Hi, Mrs. Ivers. Thank you so much for loaning me your car.”
“Hello, Tyson. Janelle, is everything straightened out?”
“Yes, I’m going to stay at my dad’s house for a while. I just came back to drop off your keys and pick up my luggage.” Janelle handed her the car keys.
“Oh, dear, I already put your bags upstairs in the master bedroom. I can go get them.”
“No, no, that’s okay. I’ll get them,” Janelle said, walking toward the stairs quickly. Then she stopped and turned. “Mrs. Ivers, is there someone upstairs?”
“Someone, yes. Aneka is upstairs, asleep in her room,” Mrs. Ivers said, looking at Tyson curiously.
As she climbed, Janelle glanced behind her and saw Tyson watching her. She quickened her pace. She wanted to get her things and get out—and away from Tyson—as soon as possible.
She continued down the hall, opened the already-slightly-open door wider, stepped inside and looked around. A dim light shone from a lamp on a night table beside the large king-size bed; the drapes were open, allowing moonlight to beam in, giving the room a warm, cozy glow. Just as the living room downstairs, it was fully furnished and beautifully decorated with stunning furniture that wasn’t hers.