You Had Me At Christmas: A Holiday Anthology(45)

“Loser, jerk, boring…”

No. None of those things. Nervous, hot, but not for her.

“Try an ex-con.”

It was cruel, Kate thought, to use that against him. Knowing he didn’t want to be stereotyped for that one event in his life. However, it was the easiest shortcut to explaining why the date had been a bust.

“Holy crap! For real? Was he all tattoos down his face and stuff?”

Kate shook her head, understanding now John’s concern with being truthful about his past. People hear convict and an image immediately comes to mind.

“Anyway it doesn’t matter,” Kate said, wanting to discuss anything but him. “I’m not going to see him again.”

“Okay, well then what about another approach? I was talking to my friend Carol about you…”

Kate’s eyebrow rose a fraction.

“No, hear me out. I was just saying how great it is that you want to get out there and start having some fun. Anyway, she’s got a co-worker, divorced now for about a year, who is looking to date as well. He’s forty-seven, a lawyer, no kids and according to Carol total eye candy. That means super hot.”

Kate scowled. “I know what eye candy is.”

“Anyway I think you should give it a shot. First, it will help you put the awful experience behind you, and second I think hot lawyers are going to be more your speed than ex-cons.”

The thought of going through another blind date was about the equivalent of drinking castor oil, but Kate realized if she didn’t keep at least trying then next Christmas was probably going to be a lot like this last one.

That was, until she started talking to John. Who kissed like heaven.

“Okay, set me up.”

Sally clapped her hands. “Awesome. Who knows? This guy might be the one!”

“Okay, we’re done with my love life. Let’s get back to work.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kate scowled again, but Sally just chuckled as she bounced out of the office. There, another date. That was good. Someone not John. Because she was never going to see or hear from him again.

At some point she would stop being forlorn about that.


“Dude, what’s your problem? You’re staring at that rope like you’re going to will it untied.”

John looked up at his fellow ferry worker, a merchant marine named Max, who was technically in charge. It was Max’s job to pilot the ferry up and down the Delaware and John’s job to take care of everything else. Like untying the rope from the dock.

“Sorry, got caught up with my thoughts.”

“Yeah, well stop f*cking thinking on my time.”

Max was a swell guy to work for. John did his job and Max pulled the empty ferry for all of about two people away from the docks and directed the boat back to Camden. John took care of making sure everything that needed to be locked down was secure, as the water was a little choppy today. Then he joined Max up front and took the co-pilot’s seat. Nothing to do now but enjoy being on the water. Especially when it was a little choppy.

“So what’s your problem?”

John turned to Max. “I don’t have a problem.”

“A man gets lost in his thoughts it’s usually about a problem.”

“Oh that. I just screwed something up the other night.” Royally screwed it up. From the moment he opened his mouth right up until the point where he put his tongue down her throat, which had left him starving for the taste of her for days now.

“Can you fix it?”

John looked at his boss, who wasn’t necessarily known to be very chatty. Yet the words seemed to resonate.

“You f*ck something up, you fix it. Simple.” Max shrugged.

It was like a revelation from an angel. Profound and wise advice that made the steel band that had formed around his heart since watching Kate drive away break open. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her for days, and now suddenly he had this answer. This thing he could do.

Maybe he had screwed it up to the point he couldn’t fix it, but at least he could try.

“Yeah. I’ll do that.”

Max nodded and John thought that might have been the best talk with another man he’d ever had.

Max. Who knew?





Chapter Six





“So I said, ‘That’s because you didn’t have me as your lawyer.’” David Buckley the Third—that was how he introduced himself—started to laugh hysterically at what Kate imagined was supposed to be a very funny joke.

The truth was, at some point during the twenty-minute story she had lost focus, so the punchline fell a little short. Still, she politely smiled as he continued to laugh.

“Sorry, but that kills me every time.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

“Enough of my stories. Tell me something about yourself. Carol said you own your own little boutique business.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call us boutique, we’re a mid-sized software company with over a hundred…”

His phone rang again, the one that sat on the table next to his plate throughout their dinner, and he immediately picked it up. Just like he had the other two times it had rung.

Kate was familiar with the process now. He wouldn’t bother with a polite excuse me, just a raised finger in front of her face, which she wasn’t sure if it was meant to indicate he was going to be one minute, or rather to shush her.