Nice gesture or not, once she arrived at the restaurant, she was nervous. The hostess, a young, attractive woman in her early twenties, greeted her with a welcoming smile. “A table for one?” she asked.

  “Actually, I’m here to see Billy Kincade. Is he available?”

  “Do you mean Will?”

  “I knew him as Billy, but yes, I suppose he goes by Will these days.”

  “Can I tell him who’s asking?”

  “Of course. I’m Lindy Carmichael. We’re…old friends.” That was a stretch, but it sounded good. She smiled, hoping it made her look believable.

  “If you’ll wait here, I’ll see if Mr. Kincade is available.”

  “Thank you.” The short exchange didn’t ease any of Lindy’s nervousness. For half a second, she was tempted to leave. It would be mortifying if Billy refused to see her, once he learned it was her.

  She was both relieved and tense when the hostess returned with Billy. He glanced at the plate in her hand and raised his brows in question.

  “Lindy?” he said, as if he didn’t understand what had prompted her visit. “What can I do for you?”

  Thrusting out the plate, she was embarrassed that the hostess was listening in on their conversation. It was bad enough that Billy looked frazzled and impatient. “I baked cookies, because I wanted to apologize,” she said, eager to have him take her guilt offering so she could leave.

  “Apologize?” he asked, “Whatever for?” He didn’t take the plate.

  Not wanting anyone to overhear, she leaned forward and whispered, “That letter to Santa.”

  Billy’s face broke into a huge smile. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Well, actually, no.”

  “Come on back to the office. I could use a break. And bring those cookies with you.”

  He started across the restaurant, leaving her to follow, which she did. His office was compact, and she could see that he’d been sitting at his computer. He brought in another chair and briefly left her.

  When he returned, he carried two coffee mugs and they sat across his desk from each other. Glancing appreciatively at the gingerbread cookies, Billy peeled back the cellophane and reached for one. “This wasn’t necessary, but it’s appreciated. It just so happens gingerbread cookies are my favorite. It’s been years since I had homemade ones.”

  “Grandma’s recipe never fails.” She ate one herself.

  “You can rat me out to Santa every year if it means you’ll bake me cookies,” he teased.

  His humor relaxed her. “You’ve done a wonderful job with the Wine Press,” she said, looking to keep the conversation flowing. “It’s clearly a success.”

  “It might be even more of one, if I could get this website up and running.” He glared at his computer, as if to blame the machine for his troubles.

  “You’re doing it yourself?”

  “Yeah. You won’t believe what those web designers want to charge me.”

  Lindy hid a smile. “How’s designing it yourself working for you?”

  “It’s not. I thought if I read a couple books, I should be able to set up a useable web page on WordPress. I mean, how hard could it be? Well, I found out it isn’t as easy as it sounds.”

  “Would you mind if I took a look at what you’ve done thus far?”

  He hesitated. “You want to what?”

  “Billy, I design websites for a living. Ever heard of Media Blast?”

  He nodded. “They are the top Seattle Web marketing company. I didn’t even ask for a quote, because I knew they’d be way out of my price range.”

  “I work for them. I’d be happy to look at what you have and advise you,” she offered, grateful for the opportunity to do more than bake him cookies.

  “Before you do, I need to know your fees.”

  “You’re in luck,” she said brightly, eager to get started. “The price is more than reasonable. I’ll do it for free.”

  He shook his head. “I can’t let you do that.”

  “Fine, how about a gift certificate for dinner and wine for my parents for Christmas?”

  “Done.” He quickly vacated his chair and set her up in front of his computer.

  It didn’t take long for Lindy to assess the work he’d completed and she could see it would require only minor graphic changes but quite a bit of back-end work. He left her and returned later, pacing as he glanced over her shoulder. It didn’t take him long to recognize Lindy knew what she was doing. She showed him a few easy tricks and went back to work.

  “Do you need anything?” he asked, when he returned later.

  Lindy could hear the chatter from the lunch crowd that filled the restaurant. “I’m good, thanks.” She didn’t move her eyes off the monitor as she worked. It was sometime later that she noticed Billy had delivered a sandwich. Involved as she was, she ate half, hardly aware of what she tasted.

  Billy moved in and out of his office several times. He asked how she was doing, and left when she waved him away, promising she was doing fine and didn’t need anything. Lindy was in her element.

  Her mother phoned to ask if Lindy planned to be home for dinner. Seeing that it was after five, she was shocked to realize how long she’d been working. “Save me a plate. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be,” she said, after explaining where she was and what she was doing. Other than potty breaks and a couple of times when she stood to stretch, she was intent on her work.

  At seven, Billy insisted she stop. “I’m almost finished,” she objected.

  “Tomorrow is soon enough.”

  Although she didn’t want to quit, he was right. Her eyes burned from staring at the monitor so long, and her back had started to ache.

  “Come with me,” Billy said, and scooted the roller chair away from the desk before she could complain.

  “Where are we going?” She stood, bent over, and touched her toes to loosen the muscles in her back.

  “You ask too many questions.” Billy reached for her hand, entwining their fingers. Without answering her, he led her through the kitchen to the far side of the restaurant and into a private dining room. The small round table was draped in a white linen cloth with a ring of holly around a burning candle in the center. A bottle of wine, two glasses, and dinnerware were artfully arranged.

  Billy pulled out the chair, silently inviting Lindy to take a seat. Soon after he was seated, two salad plates were delivered by the same server who had taken care of Lindy and her newfound friends on Saturday night.

  “What is this?” she asked, leaning close enough to the table for her stomach to press against the edge.

  “It’s the house salad,” Billy said, as if it should be obvious.

  “I mean this?” She swung her arm out to indicate the room. “You’re feeding me dinner?”

  He flashed her a boyish grin. “It’s the least I can do, Lindy. You’ve been working on that design for hours.”

  “But dinner in a private dining room?”

  He glanced around, as if the two of them alone came as a surprise. “So it seems.”

  Lindy felt like royalty. “Wow. You should know I enjoy my work. This has been fun for me.”

  “I appreciate your help more than I can say.”

  “So, tell me, how long have you been in the restaurant business?” Lindy asked. She couldn’t help being curious.

  “From the time I was sixteen.” Billy leaned forward as he spoke, his gaze warming as he continued. “I started out as a dishwasher for a friend of my grandfather’s who owned a diner in Yakima. Eventually I worked my way up, doing every job there was in the kitchen. Earl, my grandfather’s friend, taught me nearly all there was to know about the ins and outs of restaurant ownership. I’ll be forever grateful to him for mentoring me. I’ve had other mentors through the years and am grateful for the time they put into teaching me what I would need to know. Earl is the one I owe the most. What about you? How is it you ended up in website design?”

  Lindy had always been good with math and science, and that led her to a degree in computer science. The website design and the graphics came about later as she continued her studies. She’d been drawn into the creative part of designing websites, which led her to her job with Media Blast. Without going into a lot of detail, she casually described her work.

  “You genuinely love it, don’t you?”

  “I do,” she said. “And if my ideas are chosen on a current project, I will have proved my worth to the rest of the team.”

  He frowned. “You need to prove your worth?”

  “I got hired over someone who’d been with the company several years and expected the position to be hers. She and the rest of the team haven’t taken kindly to me.” What she didn’t mention was the extra hours she’d put in, the weekends she’d gone into the office, all in an effort to prove that management had made the right choice in hiring her.

  “I have to admire your tenacity,” Billy said.

  “Media Blast is where I’ve always wanted to work. No way was I going to let a few disgruntled people drive me away.”

  “Good for you.” Lindy didn’t mean for the conversation to revolve around her. She wanted to know more about Billy.

  “It’s fun, running into you, especially after Mom showed me those old letters to Santa.”

  “You mean to say you’d forgotten me?”

  “Not forgotten. Let’s just say you slipped my mind.”

  “I’m here now, Lindy, and happy to see you.”

  The intensity of his words and the way he looked at her caused her to blush. “Thanks, Billy. It’s good to connect with you, too.”

  Rarely had Lindy enjoyed a dinner more. The conversation flowed easily from one subject to the next. From their work to updating each other about their families.

  “You say you’re in town for the next two weeks?” Billy asked. “I’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent together. How would you feel about getting together again? It might be at odd hours, though. The restaurant is my first priority. I’m hoping you won’t mind working around that. Would you be willing?”

  “That sounds great.” Two weeks of letting go and having fun. No way was she turning down this opportunity.

  “How would you feel about a trip to Leavenworth?”

  “It sounds perfect,” she said.

  It really did.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The next morning, Lindy couldn’t stop thinking about her romantic dinner with Billy. The staff referred to him as Will, but he would always be Billy to her. The evening had been lovely. She enjoyed their conversation and was impressed that he seemed genuinely interested in her and her work at Media Blast. Unlike other men she’d dated—not that they were dating or anything—who had almost always talked about themselves, looking to impress her, she supposed.

  It surprised her how much Billy remembered about her and her family. He grinned when he said, “I’m not likely to forget the talking-to our school principal gave me.”

  “Ah yes, if I remember, that must have been the Billy-the-bully talk,” she said, recounting her indignation when he wouldn’t let a day pass without pulling her hair.

  Like her, Billy had never been married, and while he didn’t mention other relationships, she strongly suspected there had been more than one through the years. It made sense, seeing how attractive and eligible he was.

  * * *

  —

  Coming into the kitchen, Lindy found her mother sitting at the table with the local newspaper and a cup of coffee.

  “Sorry about dinner last night,” Lindy said, after explaining she’d dined with Billy. Her mother had kept a plate warmed, waiting for her return. By the time she arrived home, the meal had completely dried out. While cleaning up the kitchen, she’d danced around the room, feeling free and a little silly. It’d been a long time since she’d experienced this unfettered happiness. And to think it was all because of Billy Kincade. Covering her mouth, she laughed. Never in a thousand years would she think he’d be the one to make her heart sing.

  “No problem, sweetie,” her mother assured her. “Were you able to help Billy with his website?”

  Lindy nodded as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Her head spun with ideas on how she intended to add the finishing details. “I hope you don’t mind if I work on it again this morning,” she said. She took the chance that her mother hadn’t made plans for them. It was the holiday season, after all, and they had talked endlessly about shopping and baking together.

  “I haven’t got a thing scheduled,” her mother said, convincingly enough for Lindy to believe her.

  “I mean if you’d rather—”

  “This is your vacation. It’s time off you’ve worked all year to enjoy. You should spend it the way you want. Go help Billy. I’m sure he appreciates what you’re doing.”

  “But Christmas is our time and—”

  “Stop,” her mother said, smiling at Lindy. “After the year you’ve had, all I want is for you to enjoy yourself, and if that means working on a website for Billy, then have at it, as long as it makes you happy.”

  Now was probably the best time to mention his invite. “Tomorrow is his day off and Billy suggested we spend the afternoon in Leavenworth. I hope you don’t mind if I go.” It would be another day that her mother might have made plans that she didn’t know about.

  “Lindy, please, go and have fun. Rest assured you’re not letting me down.”

  “You’re sure you don’t mind?”

  “Lindy, when have I ever not spoken my mind?”

  She grinned. Her mother had never been one to hold back her opinion.

  “I’m happy you’ve reconnected with Peggy and Billy, too. Now, don’t you worry about a thing here. All I ask is that you do what your heart wants.”

  When she’d left Seattle, Lindy had been in low spirits. What she hadn’t expected was to reconnect with Peggy and run into Billy Kincade. From the moment she’d arrived in Wenatchee and read those old letters to Santa, it felt as if the gray world had suddenly turned bright red and green—the colors of Christmas.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Her mother glanced up from the newspaper. “You’re welcome, sweetie.”

  When she arrived at the Wine Press, the same young hostess who had greeted her the day before unlocked the restaurant door, as it had yet to open. A flurry of activity was going on inside as the servers set the tables. The kitchen, or what she could see of it, was bustling as well. The aromas drifting toward her convinced her that the latte she’d picked up on her way in wasn’t going to satisfy her for long.

  “You’re back,” the hostess said. “Will wasn’t sure exactly when you’d arrive. He’s with…someone currently. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you went straight to his office.”

  He’s with…someone? Lindy frowned at the way the young woman hesitated, as if she wasn’t sure she should mention whoever it was who currently occupied her employer’s time. That was interesting.

  As Lindy wove around the tables, making her way toward his office, she caught sight of Billy leaning against the bar. He was in what looked like a deep conversation with a woman who looked vaguely familiar. A beautiful woman.

  Not her business, Lindy decided, and with a determined effort looked away.

  Once inside Billy’s office, she sat down at his computer and logged on with the information he’d given her. She’d just started working when her phone buzzed.

  Even after only a few calls, Lindy recognized the number. Peggy.

  “Hey,” Peggy said, when Lindy answered. “Do you have plans tonight?”

  “What’s up?”

  “A group of us are going on a food scavenger hunt. Want to join us?”

  “A what?” Lindy had never heard of such a thing.

  “I’ll explain it later. Meet me at my apartment at six.”

  “Do I need to bring anything?”

  “Other than yourself, a bottle of wine, and a white-elephant gift, not a darn thing.”

  Lindy grinned. She had no idea what a food scavenger hunt was, but it sounded like fun, and she was up for that. “I’ll be there.”

  “See you then.”

  Lindy disconnected just as Billy entered his office. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I was talking with my sister. You remember Dede, don’t you?”

  Lindy vaguely remembered her. They’d been in the same school. Dede was a couple of years older than Billy.

  “She was a bit older. I remember you had sister, but I don’t think we ever spoke,” she said, smiling up at him.

  “I’m grateful to my sister. I faced some challenges when I decided to open the Wine Press. I couldn’t have done it without Dede and her husband, especially after…” He let the rest drop.

  Lindy was about to ask him what he meant. Before she could, Billy asked,“Were you able to clear tomorrow afternoon with your mom?” he asked.

  “We’re good.”

  “Great.”

  That smile of his was enough to light up a million-kilowatt dam. It took an exaggerated moment before she found the wherewithal to look away. It surprised her how quickly she found him occupying her mind. She’d fallen asleep with thoughts of him, and he was the first thing she thought about when she woke, eager to spend time with him.

  * * *

  —

  When Lindy arrived at Peggy’s, Chloe and Jayne were already there, and the party was about to begin. Peggy was the one with the idea: It seemed as if both of the other women were as much in the dark as Lindy was.

  Lindy added her wrapped white elephant gift to the stack with the others and handed Peggy the bottle of white wine, one her father had recommended.