Christmas Romance Collection Read online

  My eyes got wide. I had never had a man be so forthright with me. To just put his cards on the table like that romantically. This couldn’t be real. Things like this don’t happen. At least not outside of the movies.

  Was this guy playing games with me? Did he have something else in mind? Was that statement about not wanting to separate from me just a way to get me back to his place? My warmed heart was beginning to turn a little cold and I felt very naive.

  “I said too much, I can tell I’ve made you uncomfortable,” he said.

  Yet, this kind gorgeous man had done nothing to make me not trust him, I realised. I was the one planting these negative thoughts in my head. I had only just met him and I was already assuming the worst. The break up had really done a number on me. The experience of being cheated on had scared me more than I had known. I willed myself to stop all the chatter in my head and stay in the moment.

  “No, I’m fine. I’m sorry, I’m just not used to such honesty,” I admitted.

  “Right, it was a bit too much. I’m sorry I don’t really know where that came from.” I laughed a little and he laughed with me. The awkwardness was broken and everything was well again.

  “Let’s take a closer look,” I said as I stood up. I made my way to the trees and the closer I got the more I realised just how many tiny lights there were. They twinkled and glowed in the fading light. Now, it was beginning to look and feel a lot more like A New York Christmas. This was that festive magic I had expected from the city. It was all so lovely. My feelings of paranoia and lack of trust began to melt away. The season had that affect on people I supposed. It made them kinder, made them more trusting, and more open. It was affecting me in that way now. The lights from the trees made Blake’s eyes a crystal watery grey colour. They reminded me of the sea during a storm.

  “I want to show you more; more of the city’s festivity, if you’ll let me,” he said.

  “I would love that.” I replied.

  He arched his elbow out, and I wrapped my arm under his. He then lead me away down the path.

  “Where are we going now?”

  “It’s a surprise. But I think you will like it.” He said evasively.

  I grinned. This guy seemed to like surprising me, and I loved being surprised. I wondered what he had in store.

  6

  We strolled through the park arm in arm and talked more about our lives. Blake told me about his work and how what he did at the museum.

  “I was actually just taking a break from finishing a paper when I was sitting on the steps earlier. I fully had planned to go back in and finish. Then I saw you,” he said.

  “Oh, no I’m so sorry. Had I known I would not have let you stop working for this.” I said feeling guilty.

  “It was worth it. I had to take that chance when I saw it. I would forever regret it if I didn’t,” he said.

  My heart fluttered into my throat. His honesty was so disconcerting, yet was refreshing. He never hesitated; he just blurted out what he was thinking, and I admired that.

  Finally we emerged from the park onto Fifth Avenue, the world-famous shopping mecca. I immediately felt excitement when I saw the huge giant snowflake hanging above the centre of the avenue and recognised where we were.

  “Come on, this way,” he said leading me further down the street.

  We came to a huge building across from the entrance to the park, and slowed our pace when arriving at the front of it. Then, I figured out where he was taking me, the Bergdorf Goodman department store. I looked in the windows and squealed with delight. The displays were beyond words.

  It was an outdoor White Christmas scene. The setting was a winter forest, and the mannequins wore long sequinned designer gowns in Victorian style. They were draped in white fur capes that trailed several feet behind them. The background was full of Christmas trees and various branches and shrubs all decorated with artificial snow and glitter, which also covered the ground.

  Everything was white and the light reflecting off the scene in the city darkness made the entire window glow. Even the accessories were white, including the glittering diamond bracelets and necklaces worn by the mannequins. It was a vivid, magical wintery scene and I was completely absorbed in it, trying to take it all in. So much so, that I forgot I wasn’t alone.

  “Do you like it?” Blake asked.

  “I love it! It’s everything I could have hoped for. This is the kind of thing I longed to see,” I rambled on.

  Blake laughed at my enthusiasm and said, “I’m so glad. I rush by here every year and never really stop to take a closer look. I guess because in the back of my mind I knew I wanted to share it with someone.”

  I looked up at him. Every second longer I spent in his company I was falling for this man, and it was scaring me. I watched him look at the window, smiling. I could stare at him forever.

  “There’s another great one further down the street at Saks, if you want to keep going?” He asked.

  My eyes widened, “Saks?” I repeated in barely a whisper.

  Blake laughed so loud the other onlookers all turned to look. He was obviously delighted by my enthusiasm. “You are too cute,” he said. Then he looped my arm in his and led me further along the busy street.

  We stopped at another street vendor along the way.

  “We can’t go see the Saks windows without hot chocolate,” he insisted.

  “But I’ve already had one today.”

  “Oh, do you have a chocolate limit or something?” He joked. “It’s the holidays. Enjoy yourself. And at Christmas, hot chocolate is definitely a New York tradition.”

  I laughed. “Well, I am a bit cold, and I do like traditions.”

  7

  Blake bantered with the street vendor a little. He had that affect on people; he was able to talk to them like they were old friends.

  We walked until we came to the Saks building.

  “Wait, hold on,” he said as he put one hand over my eyes and one arm around my back to guide me. This was adorable. He really wanted me to get the full experience. I slowly shuffled my feet as he positioned me in front of the window, then he took his hand away from my eyes and said: “Okay, open your eyes.”

  I did. It took me a few seconds to process what I was seeing. In the first window was the setting of a Victorian living room, or parlour, as they must have called it then. There was a Christmas tree in the corner of it and on the wall a sign that read, “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

  Blake stood beside me and said. “It’s a story, each window is a scene from Twas The Night Before Christmas.

  My eyes watered over. This was breath-taking. I stepped closer, completely hypnotised by it. In the centre of the parlour was a fireplace, with “stockings hung by the chimney with care.” The stockings must have been true vintage pieces with red and green patterns, not the commercial Christmas stockings you get now, but actual socks. The green garland above the fireplace was simple and thin, but also vintage-looking. The tree was decorated with hand made ornaments, each different from the other and made of wood or paper. There were a few glass ornaments, but not many as it would have been a luxury to have those during that time period. A small toy train and tracks went around the bottom of the tree. An old wooden vintage train set circled around intricately wrapped presents with red, green, and gold paper and velvet ribbon. There were only a few presents, maybe five in total. The large winged-back chairs were set before the fireplace with a cozy blanket throw across the back of it. A small table near the chairs had an old book on it, Twas The Night Before Christmas.

  I looked at Blake, and smiled, “It’s the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” he said. “Come on, let’s see the whole story.”

  “Wait,” I said.

  He stopped and looked back at me.

  “Thank you, Blake. For all of this.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” he said as he put his elbow out for me again. I encircled my arm around his, took a
sip of my creamy hot chocolate and continued on.

  The next window was the children’s bedroom. They were snug in their beds and wore adorable night clothes in a wrought iron bed. Sugar plum fairies hung from the ceiling, and sprigs of holly from the corners.The next window had a white powdered rooftop with smokey chimneys, and featuring the man himself. There was a large sled being driven by Santa Claus, as it landed on the roof. He wore the iconic Victorian dark maroon suit, not the bright red and white one, common today. He had rosy cheeks and a thick white beard and next to him was the large velvet bag full of intricately wrapped gifts. The reindeer were so lifelike and each one wore Christmas bells. I stared at it for along time. It was pure Christmas magic.

  The next window was again, the parlour scene only this time, Santa Claus was in it and he was adding more gifts under the tree. A man dressed in a nightcap and nightclothes peeked in at him from around the corner. The store really went out of its way to make this classic Christmas story come to life, and I was grateful to have the opportunity to see it.

  I looked at Blake and he looked at me. We locked eyes for several moments. “So, is it all you hoped for so far?” he asked.”

  “It’s more than that. I never dreamed it would be this way. I’ve heard about this kind of thing and have seen pictures, but experiencing it in person doesn’t compare.”

  “I’d love to show you more Christmassy stuff, if you would let me while you are in town. I wish we could keep today going for longer, but I really do have to get back to my project. Would you allow me to walk you home?”

  I tried not to sound disappointed. “I’d love that. It’s not too far from here. Just a few blocks,” I said.

  8

  We walked back through the length of the park and at one point, Blake gently reached for my hand. When we came to the North end and exited back onto the streets, I felt like we had entered a different world. I’d almost forgotten that I was in the city because the nature and tree lit paths of the park had made me feel like I was in a fairy tale.

  We finally got to Sarah’s condo and stepped under the long red awning that covered the path in an archway to the front door.

  “This is it,” I said.

  “Madeline, are you free tomorrow night?” Blake asked then. “I’d like to take you to dinner.”

  “Yes, I would love that,” I said, hardly daring to believe it.

  “Great. Pick you up here at 7?” Then he looked down at me and continued,

  “Madeline, what is happening here? This is so unreal. I’ve never connected with anyone this instantly.”

  “I …I’m not sure.”

  Then he leaned in and hugged me. A soft gentle hug, because the doorman was watching.

  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow, OK?” he whispered.

  Then we parted ways. He stood there watching until I went inside, feeling like I was walking on air.

  Upstairs, I opened the door to of the apartment to find Sarah at the kitchen table, piles of paperwork spread out before her. She looked exhausted. I must have been glowing because as soon as she looked up at me she raised an eyebrow.

  “What happened to you? You look almost…hypnotised,” she said.

  I skipped over to her. “I met someone … a guy.”

  “What? You’ve been in New York less than 24 hours and it’s the holidays. How?”

  We both laughed. Then I told her everything. Of how I had sat in front of the museum at lunch-time and met Blake. I explained the rest without leaving out any details. I continued on about the museum tour, and the buffet picnic and the lights and the window displays, followed by the hand-holding walk through Central Park. Sarah was astounded.

  “Wait stop,” she said. “Let’s move onto the couch. I need to get away from this work space.” Then she went into the kitchen and opened a bottle of red wine and brought two glasses to the couch. “Is this guy for real? I almost feel like you made him up. No one is that perfect.”

  I laughed. “No, I did not make him up. And yes, he does seem to good to be true, so much in fact that there’s a problem.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Sarah laughed.

  “It’s just that, I can’t help but think he’s pulling some trick or something. Maybe he’s just trying to get me into bed. He’s so romantic and seems so honest. Every time he says something about his feelings for me, I can’t enjoy it because I feel like there’s some sort of ulterior motive.”

  Sarah sighed and rolled her eyes and said, “When you said there was a problem, I thought you meant with your perfect man. But there’s no problem there. Just an issue you made up in your head.”

  I sighed. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “I know I am. Trust me. So, what are you going to wear to dinner tomorrow night?”

  My eyes grew wide. I hadn’t even thought that far ahead.

  “I have no idea.”

  “Come on, let’s see what you brought,” Sarah stood up and went into the guest bedroom where I had my stuff.

  We threw open the closet and I tried on every outfit I owned. It was a complete fashion show because with it being cold outside, I had to put on every outfit and then put on my coat and boots to see if everything went together.

  “I don’t like anything I have. I just don’t have the right clothes for freezing weather,” I groaned.

  “Come on, I do,” Sarah grabbed the wine and glasses and led me to her room.

  We went through the whole thing all over again with her clothes. I tried on every dress she owned. I found a festive red one in a fitted style that went to just above my knees. It was off the shoulder with quarter length sleeves and it was made of silk. This made it elegant, but not over the top; the perfect balance.

  Sarah clapped her hands. “That’s the one. It’s perfect.”

  9

  The next day, while I spent a lovely morning wandering around Manhattan, Sarah had a break for lunch so I met her at a little café near her office. She was on her phone most of the time, still conducting business, so I was glad when it was over. I wanted to prepare for tonight anyway.

  In the afternoon I went home and took a long hot bath and relaxed. Around six o’clock, I began to get jitters. What if Blake didn’t show up? I took a deep breath and allowed myself to trust this man. Trust that he would show and not stand me up. I went ahead and got dressed and at seven o’clock sharp, the doorman rang up. Blake was downstairs waiting for me. I breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed my coat and went down.

  He stood in lobby and I was taken aback at how I felt as soon as I locked eyes with him. He stood there, his tall figure towering in the brightly lit lobby. He wore an elegant black suit and his woollen pea coat. He topped it off with a red silk scarf around his neck, the perfect compliment to my dress.

  His eyes were wide as he looked me up and down.

  “Madeline, you looked stunning,” he said as he greeted me with a light hug.

  The doorman stood next to me and held out my coat offering to help me put it on.

  “Allow me,” Blake said.

  He slid my coat on and then planted a light kiss on my cheek. “Shall we?” he asked, as he offered me his arm. I looped my arm in his and he led me outside.

  A black car was waiting for us. I was confused as I thought we would surely be walking. A nice surprise.

  He opened the door and I got in. As the car drove had made light banter in the back seat of the car, talking about what we did with our day. We weren’t in the car long and arrived a few minutes later at our destination.

  I stepped out of the car and nearly gasped out loud. The Plaza Hotel.

  A visit there would be a treat for anyone at anytime I knew, but at this time of year it was doubling astounding. The entrance was beautifully decorated in holly wreaths and delicate lights. It was intricate and elegant, and again had that classic ‘old New York’ feel I’d so longed for.

  Blake put his arm around me and said, “You mentioned you wanted an old-fashioned Christmas experience. There’s
no better place for that than this hotel. It hasn’t changed much since it was built in 1907.”

  I looked up at him. This was perfect. He looked down at me and grinned that brilliant grin, before putting his hand on the small of my back and leading me inside.

  The lobby was alive with festive cheer, with several Christmas trees elegantly decorated. There was a table with a toy train, of the vintage kind, surrounded by vintage toys. The lobby was buzzing with people enjoying the holidays, everybody beautifully dressed and being fussed over by attentive waiting staff beneath sparkling chandeliers.

  I was in complete awe of the glamour. I really did feel like I had stepped back in time.

  Even with me in heels Blake still towered over me. As we stood there in the lobby, surrounded by all this festive beauty, he looked down, and then in one unexpected motion he kissed me.

  “I’m so sorry, I couldn’t help it,” he said, pulling away quickly.

  I didn’t want him to stop, and while I loved his politeness and hesitation, I wanted to keep kissing him. So without a word, I reached up on my tiptoes and put my arms around his neck. His body was so warm it was like having my own personal heater. I tilted my head back and this time it was a longer deeper kiss. He was so strong he almost lifted me off the ground. I was floating now, and it was magical.

  Right then I forgot all about my ex-boyfriend and any mistrust I had in Blake. It had all vanished in just twenty-four hours. Walking around New York, exploring a new place was exactly the kind of thing I needed to get a different perspective of how my life could be.

  Blake and I had the most festive silver service dinner in the Palm Court in the true Christmas tradition, turkey roast and vegetables with brandy, and for dessert we shared pudding and a cup of nutmeg.

  At the end of the night we said our goodbyes at the door of Sarah’s condo. He never made me feel any pressure to carry things further. It was almost the way old-fashioned courting should be.