An Escort for Christmas

“You two are brothers. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but this stupid rivalry has to end sometime…”

“Mom,” Jameson’s voice was thick with warning. “Please don’t do this in front of Harper.”

She nodded and gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. He’s right. I just want us all to have a good holiday.”

Jameson remained quiet as he wrapped the Band-Aid around my thumb and set my hand back into my lap. I missed his fingers and his warmth already, and it surprised me how much.

“Jameson.” Julia shook her finger at him. “Aren’t you forgetting the most important thing?”

He looked up at me with what I could only describe as embarrassment before averting his gaze to his mom. “Shouldn’t you be catching up with the girls?”

“I’m not leaving until you do the thing.” She planted her hands on her hips. “He used to love this when he was a boy, Harper.”

I observed the two of them and grinned when I saw Jameson squirm. His mother was embarrassing him on purpose, and I kind of enjoyed it.

That enjoyment turned to something else entirely when he scooped my hand back up in his and brushed his lips over the Band-Aid.

“A kiss makes it all better,” his mother whispered.

I swallowed as Jameson and I locked eyes, and my heart started to beat so loud in my chest I swore he could hear it.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

His thumb moved over my palm, bringing to life a swarm of butterflies deep inside me.

When we both glanced back at the doorway, Julia was gone.

Chapter Seven

Dinner with Jameson’s family was one very loud, very boisterous affair.

I finally got to meet his brother Lleyton, and I was surprised how different they were. Lleyton was much more outgoing and a definite smooth talker. He had confidence in spades, but he didn’t have Jameson’s looks.

Jameson was the quiet one. The observer of the bunch. The broody, mysterious guy that you couldn’t help but be drawn to. Or at least I was. I found myself glancing in his direction several times throughout dinner, watching him take it all in. Then Julia caught me and I looked away in embarrassment.

Jameson seemed even more tense than when we’d arrived and I couldn’t understand why. His family was fun and energetic, and it was obvious how much they loved him. And yet this seemed like the last place he wanted to be.

Everything seemed to be going just fine, or at least that’s what I thought. But once dinner had been cleared, and we moved into the sitting room, the real inquisition began.

Jameson’s father Charles leaned back in his chair and observed me with shrewd eyes as he tipped back his drink. I noticed he’d had a few already this evening, and while he was quiet before, he seemed to be more than ready to talk now.

“So Harper,” he began. “Why don’t you tell us about yourself.”

I shifted in my seat and wrung my hands together as all of their eyes fell on me. Jameson tensed as well, and I knew this wasn’t good. We still hadn’t fully fleshed out my cover story, and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to be spouting off things as I went. So I decided to be honest, at least wherever I could. It would be easier to keep my story straight later on.

“Well, I’m originally from West Virginia,” I said. “I moved to New Jersey when I was twelve. And then to New York last year.”

“What brought you to New York?” he asked, his brown eyes flat.

I glanced at Jameson, unsure what to say. I had no desire to open up to this many people at once. But I guess that’s what I was being paid for- to throw myself in front of the firing squad.

“My aunt was sick,” I answered in a quiet voice. “Cancer.”

Charles remained unaffected by my admission, but Julia put a hand to her mouth and shook her head. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that, Harper. Is she alright?”

“I’m afraid not,” I said. “She passed away three months ago.”

“What was her name?” Charles cut in.

I didn’t like his tone, or the way he was looking at me. I highly suspected he believed I was lying, which really upset me. I may have been lying about other things, but this wasn’t one of them. And it stung that he thought I would ever lie about something so awful.