Page 5 of Christmas in His Arms

"I'd be happy to," she said as she stood up and grabbed her coat. The look on her face wasn't pleasure, though. It was more like relief. She seemed happy to be given a task that would take her away from her mother's side, and now I was curious as to why they were at each other's throat.

"I can handle it," I told her, but Carrie shot me a look that implored me to allow her to come.

"Oh, nonsense. Carrie has her license, even if she rides on trains all day." Helen flicked her hand at Carrie as she walked past her, then me, and then out into the hall.

"Alright, I'll come back around later. Text me if you need anything," I told Helen before catching up to Carrie in the hallway. She already had her coat on and was slinging her purse crossbody over her shoulder.

"Wow, thank God," she breathed, and I understood that feeling.

My hand slid to the small of her back as we started walking, and I guided her toward the elevators. It was a natural feeling, though I realized after we had taken several steps that maybe it was a bit forward of me. Then I didn't know whether I should move my hand away or leave it there, so I just kept walking and felt a bit awkward.

"Mom does this thing where without actually saying the explicit words, she makes me feel like my life choices aren't good enough. You know?" Carrie sighed and pushed the elevator button so hard I thought she'd break it.

"My father was hard on me like that too." My hand on her back still felt awkward, but she didn't shy away. Instead, she looked up at me and smiled.

"Thanks for saving me from that." Her chuckle made me feel less uncomfortable, and the elevator doors slid open, giving me a chance to retract my hand without it seeming like I knew I'd made a fool of myself.

The elevator ride was quiet. We shared it with a few nurses. When we got to the ground floor, I said, "This way," and pointed toward Lot B, where my car was parked. Carrie walked beside me, buttoning her coat, and it felt strange that we'd be alone in my car. I didn't know what to talk about or how to break the ice. Part of me felt like a foolish teenager with a crush. I knew how gorgeous this woman was when she wasn't all bundled up in winter gear, and that had my juices flowing.

But she was my best friend's daughter and I knew better than to cross that line. Walt would expect me to respect her, especially given her vulnerability during this difficult time the family was facing. Still, I couldn’t keep my eyes from at least enjoying the view. The short, red puffer coat she wore allowed me to indulge my eyes with the sight of her perfect, perky ass. My God, I was going to go to hell for checking her out.

"Which one?" she asked, looking around, and I pointed to the black Charger parked right up front.

"This is me," I told her, and I pushed the button on the fob to flash the lights.

"Whoa, fancy," she crooned, and when she rattled off a dozen details about the engine and the horsepower, I had to bite back a grin. This woman knew her stuff, and she was hot too. Nothing sexier to a car guy like myself than a beautiful woman who loves cars too. "I can't believe you drive this, though. Don't people laugh and tell you you're having a midlife crisis?" She snickered and stopped by the car.

I reached past her and opened the door and got so close to her I could smell a hint of her perfume. "I'd have to slow down enough to even hear them," I told her, winking, and she blushed hard. Those cheeks went from creamy to perfectly pink in zero point two seconds. "Now, can I show you what this bad boy does?"

Carrie nodded and bit her lip, then climbed into the seat and buckled up. I shut her door and jogged around the front of the car, and for all intents and purposes, I lost myself. For a moment, I was just a man with a cool car that made a beautiful woman blush, and my dick started to swell thinking how good it felt. I hadn't sensed chemistry with a woman like this in ages, and she really got my heart pumping.

We tore out of the parking lot well above the speed limit, and I turned away from downtown toward the backroads. Carrie gripped the handle on the door and snickered as the car careened down the curvy, hilly country roads, and when I'd pushed the car to its limits and we were headed back toward town, I finally got the nerve to talk to her again.

"So? What do you think?" I patted the dashboard and nodded my head. "She's a beauty, huh?"

Carrie sighed and let go of the handle. She pressed her palms together and slid her hands between her thighs and shrugged at me. "I think, if you keep offering me chances to get away from my overbearing mother, I could probably stomach staying here in town for a few more weeks. Mom wants me here through New Year's, but I have a life in the city. You know?"

I sensed the conversation returning to something more somber and let off the gas a little. There was no sense in rushing to drop her off at Walt's car if she was ready to open up a little. I knew the shock of Walt's stroke had probably hit her hard. She probably needed a friend.

"You know, if you need to talk about it—about whatever's going on between you and your mom—I'm a good listener. And I can keep a secret too. My lips are sealed." She clammed up tighter than a hairpin turn, and I felt bad for bringing that up. "Your dad brags about you all the time. Says you have such an important job in Chicago."

When her shoulders relaxed, I knew I was getting somewhere. "Well, I find that hard to believe, but thanks for saying that…" Carrie sighed and looked out the window. "This town gets to me. That's all. I've had some bad experiences, and I'd rather just not be here. Chicago is my home now, and I always make time to call Mom and Dad twice a week. I visit for the holidays…"

"But they want you here more? They want you to move home?" I asked, starting to realize what the problem was. I really hoped Helen didn't make Carrie feel guilty for not being here when Walt collapsed.

"They want me to run Dad's hardware chain." She scoffed and shook her head. "I'm a marketing executive, not a handyman."

I let her comment sink in for a second. As a middle-aged entrepreneur, I knew just how much hard work went into running a business. I had no son or daughter to leave my legacy to, which at times troubled me. I could see how Walter would desire Carrie to take over his chain of hardware stores. I could also see how someone as beautiful and driven as Carrie would want to do her own thing.

"They mean well," I told her when I failed to think of anything else I could say. I saw both sides of it and I felt for her.

She sucked in a deep breath and huffed it out. "Well, enough of that complaining. Thanks for letting me vent a little." She nodded ahead, and I saw Walt's car parked just two blocks up the street. "Thanks for the ride, too. Maybe I'll come to the dealership and test drive a few just for fun." She winked at me, and the same exhilaration I experienced before the joy ride rushed back to my body when she smiled.

My God, would I like to get her alone and test drive her. But I had to refrain from saying that out loud. Walter would kill me. Besides, she was quite literally young enough to be my daughter—if I were a stupid fifteen-year-old who had no self-control and got a girl pregnant back then.

"You're welcome," I told her. We pulled up in front of the car, and I put the Charger in park. I didn't want her to get out of the car. I was enjoying speaking with her. I thought about asking her to let me drive her back to the hospital after she dropped Walt's car off, but I didn't know if that was me trying to be helpful or me feeling so attracted to her and aroused by her that I didn’t want the boyish hormones to stop pumping through me.

"Uh… the walk… at home…." Her comment piqued my curiosity.

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