“I’m not here for dinner,” he told her, looking into the dining room. “I want to see one of your servers. Jenny.” He spotted her. “Never mind. There she is.”
“Sir, you can’t disturb our guests.”
Duncan forced himself to flash her a smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t.”
He wove through tables until he was next to Jenny. “We have to talk,” he told her.
She barely glanced at him. “No, we don’t.”
She headed for the kitchen. He followed, grabbing her arm before she could disappear behind the swinging doors.
The restaurant hummed with conversation. Christmas carols played over the speakers. In the kitchen came the call for more turkey, as waiters and cooks battled for space.
Jenny glared at him, her blue eyes so much like Annie’s. They were about the same height, too.
“I’ve been looking for her,” he said. “I’ve been everywhere I can think of. Jenny, you have to help me.”
The college student glared at him. “No way. You’re nothing but a soul-sucking bastard. Do you know she cries every night? She doesn’t want us to know, so she waits until she goes to bed. But we can hear her. She loved you and you hurt her.”
“I know. I let her go and I’ll regret that until the day I die. I was wrong. She’s amazing and beautiful and so much more than I deserve. I love her, Jenny. I swear, I just want to take care of her. So please, tell me where she is.”
Jenny hesitated, as if trying to decide.
“It’s Christmas,” he said. “A time for miracles. Can’t you believe that I’ve changed?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
He stared into Jenny’s eyes. “I love that she would sell her soul to save her brother. And when she’s really stressed, she goes for M &M’s. I love that she’s never quite mastered the art of walking in high heels, so sometimes she has to grab the wall to keep from stumbling. I love how she sees the best in everyone, even me, and believes that everything is possible.”
He cleared his throat. “I love how she let you and Julie and Kami live with her and that she would accept a new freezer because it would feed the three of you, but fought me on new tires that would keep just her safe. I love how she smiles at her students, how she worries about being a role model. I love how she takes care of the world. But who takes care of her? Who watches out for her and looks after her? Who takes over so she can rest? I want to be that guy, Jenny. I want to be the one.”
He stopped talking, only to realize the restaurant had gone quiet. He glanced around and saw everyone was staring, listening. A couple of the men looked embarrassed, but the women were all smiling and nodding.
Jenny drew in a breath. “I swear, if you hurt her again…”
“I won’t.” He pulled the jewelry box out of his jacket pocket. “I want to marry her.”
“Okay,” she breathed. “She’s at church. They called earlier and needed someone to help with the decorations. Apparently everyone has the flu and there’s a midnight service.” Jenny gave him the address. “Don’t screw this up,” she warned.
He kissed her cheek. “I won’t. I promise.”
Annie carried pots of poinsettias until her arms ached. When they were all in place, she adjusted the white lights, then plugged them in. The soft glow made the leaves seem to glisten. She’d already distributed the special booklets of Christmas carols, and attached beautiful sprays of roses and pine to the end of each pew. The candles were in place.
“You’ve done enough for twenty,” Mary Alice, the minister’s wife, told her. “Get along home, Annie. You need to rest a little or you’ll be nodding off during the midnight service.”
“All right. If you’re sure.”
“Thank you for answering my call for help. I hated to bother you, but I knew my old bones would keep me from getting everything done on time and Alistair is visiting with a member who’s in the hospital. Everyone else…” Mary Alice smiled. “You were a blessing. Thank you.”
“You’re more than welcome. See you soon.”
Annie turned to leave, telling herself she liked being able to help. And as everyone else had been busy in her family, it was a good thing she’d been home to receive the call. It was nearly Christmas. She refused to be sad. Or feel alone. She was lucky. Her brother was healing, her cousins were doing well. She had a great job and friends and so much to be thankful for. If there was an empty place inside, well, it would heal. By this time next year she would be her old self again.
She walked out a side door to the parking lot. It was already dark but still warm. This was going to be another Christmas with seventy-degree weather. One day she would spend the holidays where it was cold. A white Christmas. But for now, she would enjoy the fact that she didn’t even need a coat.
She headed for her car, but before she got there, someone moved out of the shadows. A man. Duncan.
She came to a stop. Her heart pounded hard and fast, her chest got tight. She wanted to cry and laugh and throw her arms around him. She’d missed him so much.
“Annie,” he said, then smiled at her.
And she knew. It was there in his warm gray eyes. The truth, the love. How he’d realized what was important, how he knew she was the one. Warmth and happiness flooded her. She felt as if she could float or even fly.
Without thinking, she threw herself at him. He caught her and pulled her against him, holding on as if he would never let go.
Home, she thought. She was finally home.
“Annie,” he said again. “I love you.”
“I know.”
He laughed. “You can’t know. I have a whole speech prepared. I have to tell you what I’ve learned and how I’ve changed and why you can trust me.”
He slowly lowered her to the ground. Her feet hit the pavement, but she didn’t let go. Instead she stared into his face, feeling the love spilling out of him.
“I already know all that.”
He touched her cheek. “Valentina was in it for the money. Not that it matters. I was never interested in being with anyone but you.”
“I want to say I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but I’m really not.” She laughed. “I guess that’s bad, huh?”
“No. I feel the same way. Do you want to hear the speech?”
“Maybe later.” Right now she just wanted to be with him, to feel him close and know that he loved her. This was perfect. She’d been given Duncan for Christmas.
“At least let me do this part.” He pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket, then right there in the church parking lot, dropped to one knee.
“I love you, Annie McCoy,” he said. “I will always love you. Please say you’ll marry me. I’ll spend the rest of my life making your dreams come true.”
He opened the box and she gasped when she saw the huge diamond nestled there.
“Duncan? Really? You want to marry me?”
“Don’t doubt me, Annie. You’re the one. Now that I’ve found you, I’ll never let you go.”
She didn’t know how or why she’d gotten so lucky, but she was grateful. She bent down and kissed him.
“Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He laughed, then stood and slid the ring on her finger. Then they hung on to each other as if they would never let go.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered. “I’ve been lost without you.”
“Me, too.”
“You’ve changed me. How did I get so lucky?”
“That’s what I was thinking. That I got so lucky to find you,” she admitted, then opened her eyes. A brilliant star winked in the sky. She pointed. “Look.”
He turned. “It’s just Venus.”
“Don’t tell me that. Can’t it be a Christmas miracle?”
“If it makes you happy.”
“It does.”
