Hell on Heels Christmas (5 page)

“I’m taking a break,” she muttered.

“From what?”

“Life.”

He nodded. “Everybody needs a break.”

Silence fell
and his eyes looked her up and down. She hunched so her nipples wouldn’t stick out.

“You look good, Regan.”

She was wearing his old shirt and sheep sweat pants. Daniel wouldn’t recognize her if he could see her right now but with Brooks staring at her the way he was, remembering what Daniel looked like was getting more difficult by the second.

“You do too.” She cle
nched her hands at her sides and forced out, “I’m sorry.”

She didn’t have to explain her out of nowhere statement to Brooks.

“We were kids.”

“That’s not a good excuse.
”

He ran a hand through his hair. “You didn’t ask me about my divorce.”

“None of my business.”

“Allison’s remarried. Has two kids with
Grady.”

“Wasn’t that her high school boyfriend?”

“Yup. He went off to college. Made it big in football.”

“And now he’s back
.”

Was
it possible to experience success and what lay beyond White Mist and then leave it all behind and be content with what her small hometown had to offer? Ever since she was old enough to be aware of the outside world she’d been fascinated by it. Now that she’d done whatever her heart desired she was as surprised as anyone else to find herself back here. Had she come back to tie up loose ends? Because she wanted to see her mom before it was too late? She didn’t have an answer.

“Regan Lee.”

His voice brought her attention back to him and she tensed. It was time.

“Why the hell did you take off?”

Even after all this time, his voice was gritty with emotion and it triggered something that was part love, part regret to course through her. Her fingers trembled and she took a deep breath.

“I needed to get out. You proposed out of nowhere! Damn it, Brooks, you knew I wasn’t ready. You knew I wanted to get out of White Mist.”

“I didn’t know you were serious and what makes you think I wouldn’t have come with you?”

She stared
at him. “You just got into the electric company. You wanted to settle down. You couldn’t come with me.”

“I would have.”

She pushed those thoughts away. “It was meant to be. I needed to leave. You were meant to stay.”

“What happened with our moms, Kerry and Missy?”

A bitter smile curved her mouth. “Oh, you know. They all ganged up on me. Said that I didn’t deserve you, that I should be flattered and just shut my mouth and marry you no matter how I felt because I wouldn’t get a better offer. It was a
great
Christmas.”

“They shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

“It’s kind of hard when our families are so damn close.”

“True.”

She bit her lip. “How’s your dad?”

“Missing you. He knows you’re back.”

Tears wanted to surface but she shoved them down. “I’ll see him before I leave.”

“I knew you
wanted to get out of White Mist but I thought once we got married you would direct your focus on other things so for that I’m sorry. I knew what you wanted would take you away from me. Can you blame me for trying to keep you here?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She waved her hands to disperse questions she d
idn’t want to think about. It was done and nothing could change it. “You’re sorry, I’m sorry. We made a big mess out of things. We were kids.”

“Just because
we were young doesn’t mean what we had between us wasn’t real.”

A heavy silence fell in the kitchen. Tension filled the room and she was about to make some sarcastic comment when the front door opened and closed
. Two little girls ran into the kitchen with Missy and Guy on their heels. The girls looked from Regan who sat on the counter to Brooks.

“Hi Uncle Brooks,” the older girl said shyly.

Brooks smiled at her. “Hi Sophie.”

The younger girl, Angel, came over to Regan and tugged on her sweat pants. “Why are you sitting up there, Aunty?”

“Because she doesn’t know how to sit in a chair,” Missy said sweetly, eyes darting from Brooks to Regan and back again. “It’s a surprise to see you here, Brooks.”

He shrugged. “I wanted to talk to Regan.”

“You didn’t waste any time,” Missy said archly.

Guy eyed Regan. “I wanted to tell you that no charges are going to be filed.”

Regan expected no less and she had a pretty good grasp of the law after being arrested several times for causing brawls in White Mist and other cities.

“You could’ve gotten arrested,” Missy snapped. “You’re almost thirty. When are you going to grow up?”

Regan rolled her eyes and focused on her mini me who stared up at her. She hadn’t been around a lot of kids and as Angel was Missy’s daughter, Regan watched her warily.

“
I want to sit up there too,” Angel said and extended her arms.

Regan saw Missy open
her mouth to protest so she grabbed her niece and settled her on the counter beside her. Old habits die hard and doing everything to piss Missy off was at the top of her list. The front door slammed again and her nephews came charging into the kitchen. They zeroed in on the food and without a word to anyone began to devour whatever breakfast was left. Max came in with his arm around a harried looking woman who could only be the mother of the demons. Max paused when he saw Brooks.

“Hey boss,” Max said.

“Boss?” Regan echoed.

Max shrugged. “He’s
in management now.”

“You work at the electric company too?” Regan asked in surprise.

Max puffed out his chest. “Seven years now. Once we started having kids I knew I had to get a better job. I had to take the test four times.”

In a town as small as White Mist getting into the electric company was something most of the men shot for. It was one of the best companies to get into and they had great benefits.

“Regan, this is my baby mama, Holly,” Max said.

Holly came forward to shake Regan’s hand. “I didn’t believe the things Max told me about you but I’m reconsidering now. I saw Steph this morning. One side of her face is bruised.”

Max held out his hand for a fist bump which Regan did while answering Holly. “She deserved it.”

One of her nephews turned with his mouth full of bacon. “My dad said she called you a who-”

Holly turned and smacked her son upside the head. “Bobby, what did I tell you about repeating that word? Whatever your dad says or does, do the opposite. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

Missy glared at Max who laughed and clapped his son on the back.
Max sat at the table with his sons and stole some of the food for himself. Guy went over to see what was left and joined in the manly conversation.

“So how long you here for?” Holly asked.

“Not sure.”

Regan
was a little shell-shocked by the company. She was happy she wasn’t alone with Brooks but she hadn’t expected eight people to come into the tiny kitchen in such a short amount of time. Regan glimpsed Missy heading up the stairs and mentally thanked God for giving her some breathing room.

“Aunty Reg,” Angel said louder than necessary.

Regan glanced down at her niece. “Yes?”

“You hit somebody?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Regan considered for a couple seconds, trying to think of a response that didn’t have the word “bitch” involved. “She’s mean.”

“Mommy says we’re not supposed to hit other people.”

She leaned in close. “Angel, there are bullies in the world that think they can get away with anything. Sometimes you have to stand up to them and tell them that they’re wrong.”

“Yeah, with a right hook!” Max
bellowed and demonstrated, nearly hitting his son in the face.

One of her nephews was trying to open a beer and none of the men were paying attention. Sophie had her hands on her hips as she tried to tattle on her cousin, looking around for her mom, the only one capable of controlling everyone at once.

“Uh, Holly, not that I judge or anything but I think you’re kids a bit young to be an alcoholic,” Regan said.

Holly sighed and went over to her younger son who couldn’t be older than six and did the same slap upside the head his brother had been treated to earlier.
Regan winced in sympathy and wondered if Valerie taught Holly that move.

“Luke, what did I tell you about this drink? It’s not cream soda!”

Missy glared at her sister who looked so unconcerned and casual. How could she be having breakfast with her ex as if she did that every day? For that matter, how could she just stroll into White Mist and show up in their mother’s house after the grief she put them through? No one seemed to care where Regan spent the past ten years or with whom. She knew Regan better than people realized and she couldn’t help but think only something bad would force Regan to come back to White Mist after all this time.

Missy heard a cell phone ringing
upstairs. Regan was talking to Angel and Missy was torn between protecting her daughter from Regan and trying to find out what her sister was doing all these years. Curiosity won over and she dashed up the stairs and picked up the cell in Regan’s bedroom before the caller could hang up.

“Hello?”
Missy said.

“Regan
! Where are you? We’ll send a limo to wherever… or a jet depending on how far you’ve gone.”

Missy gripped the phone tighte
r. What the hell was this about? “Who is this?”

A pause.
 “Who is this?”

“I’m Regan’s sister.”

“Regan has a sister?”

Missy grit her teeth. “Who is this?”

“I’m Daniel Martin’s personal assistant.”

Missy
frowned. The guy on the other end of the phone had a French accent and sounded like he was saying “Danielle.”

“
Martin?” Missy repeated.

Why did that name sound so familiar? She suddenly had a snapshot in her mind from a
Forbes magazine cover several months ago. A Frenchman who expanded his hotel chain from France to the States. Ice blue eyes and slick blonde hair. Gorgeous.

“Yes. Daniel Martin as in
The Martin Hotels
. Geez, you must live in the boonies.”

M
issy stiffened. “I’ve heard of The Martin Hotel chain but what does Daniel Martin want with Regan?”

“Well,
she turned everything upside down by leaving. Daniel’s desperate for her to come back to her position.”

“What position?
”

“Regional
Director of Hotel Operations for Martin Hotels.”

Missy nearly dropped the phone. “Excuse me?”

“Daniel was an idiot but she didn’t have to leave the company, just him. Everything is so out of whack. She just walked out.”

“
Why would she walk out?”

“
She didn’t tell you?”

She
was close to yelling at the irritating man on the other end of the phone. “No.”

“
She caught him doing his secretary.”

Missy frowned. “So?”

The man choked. “
So
? Geez, you guys aren’t close, are you?”

That struck home and she tightened her hold on the phone. She was missing something. Regan wasn’t a prude so why would she care if she walked in on her
billionaire boss screwing his secretary?

“Whatever Martin doe
s shouldn’t concern Regan.”

“It does when
they’re engaged.”

“What!” Missy shrieked.

“Well, was. Regan walked in on him and then just walked out of the building. Didn’t even get her stuff from their penthouse from what I heard. No one knows where she went. Even Daniel’s tried to call her and that’s just not normal for him so if you’ll get her on the phone I’ll send the company jet for her.”

Missy hung up the phone and stared at it for several seconds
noting the shocking number of voicemails, emails and texts on the screen. She stomped down the stairs to the kitchen and saw Regan showing Angel how to throw a right hook.

“You’re engaged to a
billionaire?”

All talk in the kitchen stopped. Regan looked at Missy and saw her phone in her hand.

“Snooping?” Regan said, trying to hide how pissed off she was. Where did Missy get off thinking she could search through her phone? “Guess I’m not hard up for money after all, huh, sis?”