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  “No. Your idea has some merit. I meant us trying to work together.”

  “Well, don’t blame me. It wasn’t my idea.”

  He sighed. “True enough.”

  “Wait. Did you say my plan has merit?”

  “I did, but I don’t think it’s feasible.”

  Her body stiffened as her back teeth ground together. Really? That was what he was going with? Feasible?

  She pressed her lips together, holding back her frustration. After all, he was the boss—even if he was being a jerk at the moment.

  “I know you’re not happy about this decision, but it’s a lot to ask of so many pilots, and what happens if they back out at the last minute? It would be a disaster.” He glanced down at his deck shoes. “I hope you’ll understand. This is just the way it has to be.”

  “I don’t understand.” The cork came off her patience and out spewed her frustration and outrage. “I have given you a cost-effective, not to mention a timely solution, to your problem and yet you find every reason it won’t work. If you didn’t want to go through with Project Santa, why did you start it in the first place?”

  “That’s not what I said.” He pressed his lips into a firm line as his hand came to rest on his trim waist. When she refused to glance away—to back down, he straightened his shoulders as though ready to do battle in the boardroom. “Okay. Your idea could work, but how do you plan on getting the message out to the people about Project Santa and the MyFace page?”

  “We’ll need a spokesperson.”

  “Where will you get that?”

  She stared pointedly at him. “I’m looking at him.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you.”

  “No way.”

  “Why not? All you have to do is a few promo spots to secure the public’s assistance. What’s the problem?”

  His heated gaze met hers. “Why are you pushing this?”

  She implored him with her eyes to truly hear her. “Do you realize the number of children you could help with your generous gifts?” When he refused to engage, she continued. “It would give them hope for the future. It might influence the path they follow in life.” And then for good measure she added, “And without your cooperation, they’ll never have that chance.”

  “That’s not fair. You can’t heap all of that guilt on me.”

  “Who else should I blame?”

  A muscle flexed in his jaw. “You know, I didn’t come here to fight with you.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  A tense moment passed before he spoke again. “I wanted to tell you how impressed everyone was with your presentation.”

  “Everyone but you.” The words slipped past her lips before she could stop them.

  “Holly, that’s not true.” He raked his fingers through his hair, scattering it. “You don’t know how hard this is for me.”

  “Then why don’t you tell me?”

  Conflict reflected in his eyes as though he was warring with himself. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Maybe you should. Sometimes getting it all out there helps.” She walked over to the couch and had a seat. She patted the cushion next to her. “It might not seem like it at this particular time, but I am a good listener.”

  His gaze moved from her to the couch. She didn’t think he would do it—trust her with his deeply held secret. But if it stood in the way of his helping with the publicity for Project Santa, then they needed to sort it out.

  When he returned his eyes to hers, it was as though she was looking at a haunted person. She hadn’t even heard his story yet and still her heart swelled with sympathy for him. Whatever it was, it was big.

  “Christmas wasn’t always good at our house.” His voice held a broken tone to it. “I mean it was when I was little, but not later.” He expelled a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry for pushing you. I shouldn’t have done it—”

  “Don’t apologize. I understand why you want Project Santa to succeed. And I want the same thing.”

  “Then trust me. A little publicity is all we need to gain the public’s assistance.”

  “But it has to be without me. Trust me. I’m not the right person to be the face of a charitable event.”

  “I disagree.”

  “That’s because you don’t know me.” Pain reflected in his eyes. “Appearances can be deceiving. I’m not the man everyone thinks I am. I’m a fraud.”

  “A fraud?” She instinctively moved away. “If you aren’t Finn Lockwood, who are you?”

  “Relax. I’m Finn Lockwood. I’m just not supposed to be the CEO of Lockwood International. I got the job by default.”

  She was confused. “Who is supposed to be the CEO?”

  “My brother.”

  “Oh.” She still didn’t understand. “He didn’t want the job?”

  “He wanted it but he died.”

  “I’m sorry.” She slipped her hand in his. “Sometimes when I have an idea, I don’t back off when I should.”

  For a while, they just sat there in silence. Hand in hand, Holly once again rested her head on Finn’s shoulder as though it was natural for them to be snuggled together. Her heart ached for all he’d endured. She felt awful that she’d pushed him to the point where he felt he had to pull the scabs off those old scars.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Finn pulled away and got to his feet. “I should be going. I just wanted you to understand why I can’t be the spokesman for Project Santa.”

  She rolled his words around in her mind, creating a whole new set of questions. She worried her bottom lip. After everything that had been said, she realized that it was best to keep her questions to herself. Enough had been said for one evening.

  Finn placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted until they were eye to eye. “What is it?”

  She glanced away. “It’s nothing.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t get off that easy. What are you thinking?”

  She shook her head, refusing to say anything to upset him further. She was certain if she thought about it a bit longer, she’d be able to connect the dots. It was just that right now it was all a bit fuzzy. “It’s not important.”

  “I’m not leaving here until you talk to me. Whatever it is, I promise not to get upset with you. Because that’s what you’re worried about, isn’t it?”

  She took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to word this without aggravating him further. “I’m sure it’s my fault for not understanding. If I just think it over some more, it’ll probably make perfect sense.”

  He moved his hand from her face and took her hands in his. “Holly, you’re rambling. Just spit it out.”

  She glanced down at their clasped hands. “It’s just that I don’t understand why the way you became CEO would keep you from getting personally involved with the publicity for Project Santa.”

  He frowned. See, she knew she should have kept her questions to herself. Clearly she hadn’t been listening to him as closely as she’d thought. She prepared herself to feel silly for missing something obvious.

  “I don’t deserve to take credit for the project. I don’t deserve people thinking I’m some sort of great guy.”

  Really? That was what he thought? “Of course you do. This project was your brainchild. You’re the one who brought all of those businessmen together to orchestrate such a generous act. There aren’t many people in this world who could have done something like this.”

  “I’m not a good guy. I’ve done things—things I’m not proud of.”

  “We all have. You’re being too hard on yourself.”

  He shook his head. “I wish that was the case. Besides, I’m not even supposed to be doing any of this. This company was supposed to be handed down to Derek, not me.
I’m the spare heir. Anything I do is because of my brother’s death. I don’t deserve any pats on the back or praise.”

  What in the world had happened to him? Was this some sort of survivor’s guilt? That had to be it. She had no idea what it must be like to step into not one but two pairs of shoes—his father’s and his brother’s.

  “I disagree with you.”

  Finn’s brows drew together. “You don’t get it. If it weren’t for my brother dying, I wouldn’t be here.”

  “Where would you be?”

  He shrugged. “I’m not sure. After my brother died, I gave up those dreams and embraced my inevitable role as the leader of Lockwood.”

  “Did you want to be a policeman or a soldier?” When he shook his head, she asked, “What did you dream of doing with your life?”

  “I thought about going into medicine.”

  “You wanted to be a doctor?”

  “I wanted something behind the scenes. I was thinking about medical research. My mother was always going on about how much money her charity work raised to find cures for diseases, but it was never enough. I excelled in math and science—I thought I could make a difference.”

  “But don’t you see? You are making a difference. You gave up your dreams in order to take over the family business, but you’ve made a point of funding and planning charitable causes. You are a hero, no matter what you tell yourself.”

  His mouth opened and then he wordlessly closed it. She could tell he was stuck for words. Was it so hard for him to imagine himself as a good guy?

  She squeezed his hand. “This is your chance to live up to your dreams.”

  “How do you get that?”

  “You can make a difference to all of those children. You can give them the Christmas you missed out on. Maybe you’ll give them a chance to dream of their future. Or at the very least, give them a reason to smile.”

  His eyes gleamed as though he liked the idea, but then he shook his head. “I’m not hero material.” And then his eyes lit up. “But you are. You could be the face of Project Santa.”

  “Me?” She shook her head. “No one knows me. I won’t garner the attention that Finn Lockwood will.” Feeling as though she was finally getting through to him, she said, “Please, Finn, trust me. This will all work out. I know you aren’t comfortable with the arrangement, but do it for the kids. Be their hero.”

  There was hesitation written all over his face. “There’s no other way?”

  “None that I can think of.”

  The silence stretched on as though Finn was truly rolling around the idea. The longer it took, the more optimistic she became.

  His gaze met hers. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  “Really?” She couldn’t quite believe her ears. “You mean it?”

  He nodded his head. “As long as the promo is minimized.”

  “It will be. Trust me.”

  He didn’t look so confident, but in time he’d see that her plan would work. And then a bunch of children wouldn’t feel forgotten on Christmas morning. Knowing she’d had a small part in giving them some holiday cheer would make this the best Christmas ever.

  “What are you smiling about?”

  She was smiling? Yes, she supposed she was. Right now she felt on top of the world. Now that she’d proven her worth to Finn, she thought of asking him for that recommendation letter, but then she decided not to ruin the moment.

  “I’m just happy to be part of this meaningful project.”

  “So where do we begin?” Finn sent her an expectant look.

  In that moment all of her excitement and anticipation knotted up with nerves. She’d talked a good game but now it was time to put it all into action. Her stomach churned. She willed it to settle—not that it had any intention of listening to her.

  When she didn’t say a word, Finn spoke up. “Where do we start?”

  The we in his question struck her. They were now a team. Not allowing herself to dwell on this new bond, she asked, “What about your guests? Shouldn’t you be with them?”

  “McMurray said he wasn’t feeling so good and went to lie down. The other guys are taking in some sun and playing cards. So I’m all yours.”

  She eyed him up, surprised by his roll-up-his-sleeves-and-dive-in attitude. “The first place we start is on MyFace and work on recruiting additional pilots. Do you have a MyFace account?”

  “No. I’ll get my laptop.” He got to his feet and headed for the door. He paused in the doorway and turned back to her. “On second thought, why don’t you bring your laptop and work in my suite? It’s a lot bigger.”

  Holly paused. The last time she’d been in his room, work had been the very last thing on either of their minds. The memory of him pulling her close, of his lips moving hungrily over hers, sent her heart pounding. She vividly remembered how he’d awakened her long-neglected body. Their arms had been entangled. Their breath had intermingled. And any rational thoughts had fled the room.

  “I know what you’re thinking.”

  Heat flared in her cheeks. Are my thoughts that transparent?

  “But don’t worry, it won’t happen again. You have my word.”

  Maybe I can trust you, but it’s me that I’m worried about.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  SHE AMAZED HIM.

  Finn awoke the next morning thinking of Holly. They’d worked together until late the night before. She had truly impressed him—which wasn’t an easy feat. To top it off, she was efficient and organized. He knew she was good at her job, but he had no idea just how talented she was until last night.

  They’d taken a long break for dinner with his associates. They updated them on all they’d accomplished and what Holly hoped to achieve over the next few days. The men promised to do their part to ensure the success of Project Santa, including putting out a call for volunteers to their employees and their families.

  And to Finn’s shock the two men who weren’t active on social media were open to having Holly assist them with setting up a personal MyFace account. Everyone wanted to do their part to promote the project so that it was a success.

  Finn slipped out of bed and quietly padded to the shower. With Project Santa underway, he had to concentrate on today’s business agenda. He had a business venture that he wanted to entice these men to invest in. And thanks to Holly, everyone appeared to be in fine spirits. He hoped to capitalize on it.

  Today he’d switched from his dress shorts and polos to slacks and a dress shirt. He couldn’t help it. When he wanted to take charge of a business meeting, he wanted to look the part, too. He supposed that was something his father had taught him. Though his father had spiraled out of control after his brother’s death, before that he was a pretty good guy, just a bit driven. He supposed his father was no more a workaholic than himself.

  Finn straightened the collar of his light blue shirt with vertical white stripes sans the tie. Then he turned up the cuffs. After placing his Rolex on his wrist, he was ready to get down to business. Now he just needed Holly to take some notes.

  He headed down the passageway to her cabin and knocked. There was no answer.

  “Holly, are you in there?”

  Knock-knock.

  “Holly?”

  That was strange. When they’d parted for the evening, they’d agreed to get together first thing in the morning to go over today’s agenda. And then he recalled her picking her way through her dinner. Maybe he should be sure she was okay.

  He tried the doorknob. It wasn’t locked. He opened it a crack. “Holly, I’m coming in.”

  No response.

  He hesitantly opened the door, not sure what he expected to find. He breathed easier when he found her bed empty. Before he could react, the bathroom door swung open and she came rushing out.

&nbs
p; Dressed in a short pink nightie, she was a bit hunched over. Her arm was clutched over her stomach.

  “Holly?”

  She jumped. Her head swung around to face him. The color leached from her face. He wasn’t sure if the lack of coloring was the result of his startling her or if it was because she didn’t feel well.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I...uh, well, we were supposed to meet up this morning. And when you didn’t answer the door, I got worried. I came in to make sure you’re all right.”

  Holly glanced down at herself as though realizing her lack of clothing. She moved to the bed and slid under the sheets. “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine.”

  “Well, thanks. You sure know how to make a girl feel better.” She frowned at him.

  “That’s not what I meant. I...uh, just meant you don’t look like yourself. What can I get for you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe some eggs?” Was it possible that her pale face just turned a ghastly shade of green? She vehemently shook her head. Okay. Definitely no eggs. “How about toast?”

  Again she shook her head. “No food. Not now.”

  “Are you sick?”

  “No.” Her answer came too quickly.

  “Something is wrong or you wouldn’t be curled up in bed.”

  “It’s just the sway of the yacht. I’m not used to it.”

  He planted his hands on his waist. He supposed that was a reasonable explanation. “You aren’t the only one with a bout of motion sickness. McMurray still isn’t well. I guess my sailing expedition wasn’t such a good idea.”

  “It was a great idea. And I’ll be up on deck shortly.”

  “Take the morning off and rest—”

  “No. I’m already feeling better. Just give me a bit to get ready.”

  “Why must you always be so stubborn?”

  She sent him a scowl. “I’m not stubborn. It isn’t like you know me that well.”

  “Since we started working together, I’ve learned a lot about you.”

  “Like what?”

  He sighed but then decided to be truthful with her. “I know that you’re honest. You’re a hard worker. And you go above and beyond what is asked of you in order to do a good job.”