A Billionaire for Christmas

The words flow easily here. But I've only written poetry and short stories. Not anything related to the interview. That can wait till I get back home. I won’t let it interrupt what this place is making me feel. The inspiration and muse are strong here. And I love it.

“A trinket?” Alec asks as he picks up a piece of pottery. It's handmade of clay with filigree work, painted deep green and coated with a gloss. It’s beautiful and would be perfect for a candle holder. I take it from his hand, adding it to the small collection in the wicker basket that was at the front of the shop.

“Trinkets,” I correct myself with a smile. This is the fourth shop we’ve been in, and every one is full of the most beautiful things. Handwoven blankets, old books with that aged smell I love, artisanal decor. And the food--I practically moan just thinking about it.

“Is the entire island like this?” I ask Alec as I raise a candle to my nose. I inhale the lavender scent deeply and close my eyes.

I love everything about this place. I can’t help but think I’m being shortsighted, or maybe it’s a case of the grass is greener on the other side. But I want to stay.

I don’t want to go back to a small, cramped apartment where I don’t know a soul and probably never will. I don’t want to go back to an office that’s constantly moving at a pace that’s tiresome to keep up with.

I just want to go back to the cabin, or truthfully, home with Alec, and write.

I place the candle back down onto the shelf and frown as I shake off the uneasiness flowing through me. I don’t know what’s come over me, but this pining and longing for something I can’t have needs to end.

I look up as Alec stiffens as the sight of someone walking across the street catches his eyes. I follow his gaze and watch a small woman walk beside a man who looks so much like Alec. Maybe a bit older, since there are faint streaks of gray on his temples and he’s not dressed in a suit, plus his hair is lighter. But they’re definitely related. I sneak a glance at Alec, not letting him realize that I see, that I notice something is going on.

The woman seems so out of place. It's almost like she’s scared, and I notice how the other people around them are watching, too. They have looks of sympathy on their faces.

“She’s had a difficult pregnancy,” the older woman behind the counter says in a soft voice. A voice meant for me alone, but Alec hears, too. He sucks in a breath and stares at the woman for a moment, but she meets his gaze evenly.

“Who are they?” I ask Alec.

He swallows before admitting, “My brother and his…” He doesn’t finish, and I can tell why. There’s something odd between them, something tense and uncertain. Something that scares them both. “Belle.”

I take a look over my shoulder to see Alec’s brother gentle a hand on the woman’s waist. He pulls her closer to him and she lets him, seeming to melt into him. It’s a gesture that makes my heart ache. There’s a love there, but it’s hurt and sad.

“Do you want to say hello?” I peek up at Alec after I ask him, but he simply shakes his head.

“Another time, perhaps,” he says and turns his back to them, facing the woman and gesturing to the baubles in my arm.

“But I’m leaving,” I protest without thinking. As if I have any say in who I meet from his family. I’m embarrassed for a moment, but only for the briefest of seconds, because he smiles down at me, brushing his fingers against my cheek.

“Why don’t you stay?” Alec suggests. He lets out a heavy breath and shoves his hands into his suit pant pockets. “You could work from here, couldn’t you?”

My heart flutters, loving that he wants me to stay. Maybe it’s the romantic in me, the folklore, the beautiful surroundings, or maybe it’s the way he looks at me.

I could. So easily.

I have to turn my head to hide my smile. It’s foolish though. I clear my throat, shaking my head. “I can’t stay,” I tell him and even as I say the words, my heart hurts. This fling or whatever it is between us wasn’t smart. How can I be so attached to someone so quickly? “I’m sorry,” I tell him sincerely, the smile slipping and my true disappointment coming through. I feign another smile, expecting him to shrug it off, but he doesn’t. His pale blue eyes stare deeply into mine, pinning me in place.

The air tenses between us, heating my blood and stealing my breath. It’s not the reaction I imagined.