That Christmas Feeling: Silver Bells / The Perfect Holiday / Under the Christmas Tree. Робин Карр

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ she said, “will you ask Carrie out? She’s perfect for you, Dad. I know what you like and what you don’t, and you’re gonna like her. She’s really nice and fun.”

      “No.” He yawned loudly, covering his mouth.

      “I’ve never said anything, but I’d really love to be a big sister, the way Carrie is to her two half brothers.”

      “Thanks, but no thanks.” The kid was actually beginning to frighten him. Not only was she telling him he should date a woman he’d barely met, now she was talking about them having children together.

      “Don’t do it because I asked it of you. Do it for yourself. Do it before your heart turns into a hardened shell and you shrivel up into an old man.”

      “Hey, I’m not dead yet. I’ve got a good forty or fifty years left in me.”

      “Maybe,” Mackenzie challenged. “If you’re lucky.” With her nose pointed at the ceiling she exited the room with all the flair and drama of an actress walking offstage after the final curtain call.

      Grinning to himself, Philip opened his briefcase. He removed a file, then hesitated, frowning. It was one thing to have his daughter carry on like a Shakespearean actress and another for an adult woman to be feeding her this nonsense. While he couldn’t remember much about Ms. Carrie Weston, he did recall that she’d appeared interested in him, judging by the intent way she’d studied him. Perhaps he’d better set the record straight with her. If she intended to use his daughter to get to him, then she was about to learn a thing or two.

      He slammed his briefcase shut and marched toward the door.

      “Where are you going?” Mackenzie asked, returning—of course—at that very instant.

      “To talk to your friend,” he snapped.

      “You mean Carrie?” she asked excitedly. “You won’t be sorry, Dad, I promise you. She’s really nice and I know you’ll like her. If you haven’t decided where to take her to dinner, I’d suggest Henry’s, off Broadway. You took me there for my birthday, remember?”

      Philip didn’t bother to inform his daughter that inviting Carrie to dinner wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. He walked out the door and nearly collided with the old biddy clutching the crystal ball.

      “Good evening, Mr. Lark,” Madame Frederick greeted him with a tranquil smile. She glanced at him and then at the crystal ball and her smile grew wider.

      “Keep that thing away from me,” he told her in clear tones. “I don’t want you doing any of that hocus-pocus around my daughter. Understand?”

      “As you wish,” she said with great dignity and moved past him. Philip glared at her, then sighed, exasperated. He headed for the stairs, running down to the second floor.

      When he reached Carrie Weston’s apartment, he was winded and short-tempered. She answered his knock almost immediately.

      “Mr. Lark.” Her eyes widened with the appropriate amount of surprise, as though she’d spent the past five minutes standing in front of a mirror practicing.

      “It seems you and I need to talk.”

      “Now?” she asked.

      “Right now.”

       Three

      Carrie Weston was lovely, Philip realized. For reasons he didn’t want to analyze, he hadn’t noticed how strikingly attractive she was when they’d met in the elevator. Her eyes were clear blue, almost aquamarine. Intense. Her expression warm and open.

      It took him a moment to recall why he’d rushed down here to talk to her. Maybe, just maybe, what Mackenzie had been saying—that he was shriveling up emotionally—contained a grain of truth. The thought sobered him.

      “I need to talk to you about Mackenzie,” he stammered out.

      “She’s a delightful young lady. I hope I didn’t keep her too long.” Carrie’s words were apologetic as she reached into the hallway closet for her coat.

      “It’s about your discussion with her this afternoon.”

      “I’m sorry I can’t chat just now. I feed Maria’s cats on Wednesdays and I’m already late.”

      It could be a convenient excuse to escape him, but he was determined to see this through. “Do you mind if I tag along?”

      She looked mildly surprised, but agreed. “Sure, if you want.” She picked up a ten-pound bag of cat food. Ten pounds? Philip knew the older woman kept a ridiculous number of animals. Gene had complained to him more than once, but the retired schoolteacher had lived in the building for fifteen years and paid her rent on time. Gene tolerated her tendency to adopt cats, but he didn’t like it.

      “You might want to get your coat,” she suggested as she locked her apartment.

      “My coat?” She seemed to imply that the old lady kept her apartment at subzero temperatures. “All right,” he muttered.

      She waited as he hurried up the stairs. Mackenzie leaped to her feet the second he walked in the door. “What’d you say to her?” she demanded.

      “Nothing yet.” He yanked his coat off the hanger. “I’m helping her feed some cats.”

      The worry left his daughter’s eyes. “Really? That’s almost a date, don’t you think?”

      “No, I don’t think.” He jerked his arms into the jacket sleeves.

      “She asked me if I wanted to bake Christmas cookies with her and her two brothers on Saturday. I can, can’t I?”

      “We’ll talk about that later.” Carrie Weston was wheedling her way into his daughter’s life. He didn’t like it.

      Mackenzie didn’t look pleased but gave a quick nod. Her worried expression returned as he walked out the door.

      Philip wasn’t sure why he’d decided to join Carrie. He needed to clarify the situation, but it wasn’t necessary to follow her around with a bag of cat food to do so.

      “Maria has a special love for cats,” Carrie explained as they entered the elevator and rode to the ground floor.

      “I just don’t feel it’s a good idea for her to be going out alone at night to feed the strays.”

      So that was what this was all about—feeding stray cats.

      “Maria calls them her homeless babies.”

      Philip sure hoped no one at the office heard about this. They stepped outside and his breath formed a small cloud. “How often does she do this?” he asked, walking beside Carrie.

      “Every day,” she answered. Half a block later she turned into an almost-dark alley. Carrie had said she didn’t think it was safe for Maria to venture out alone at night. Philip wasn’t convinced it was any less risky for her. He glanced about and saw nothing but a row of green СКАЧАТЬ