He grasped Ben’s hand in a firm shake. “From what Miriam tells me this was a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
Ben smiled. The old man didn’t like to be beholden any more than he did. “You were certainly the right test market for it, Mr. Blackstone. The original design was for household use, but I’m definitely open to modifying it for more commercial ideas now.”
One fine white eyebrow rose. “Call me Max.” He patted Ben’s arm. “I’d like to hear more. The front of my store has never been more impressive. And that was even before the lightshow you’ve got here.”
“Thanks, Max. I love Christmas. Working hard is worth the end product, especially when the kids come in to sit with Santa.” He nodded to a little boy who had dragged his mother to the tree, already anxious to get into the huge chair.
“I agree. My Mary thinks I’m insane to bring in a Santa Claus so early, but I think it will be a welcome break for the mothers to stop in after they’ve done their shopping. And I’ve hired him on for every weekend until Christmas.”
Darcy stiffened beside him and he had to force himself not to drag a smoothing hand down her back. The instinct was far harder to fight than it should have been. It would add another layer of chaos to her stressful schedule, but she’d cope. He’d only seen her in action for a couple of days and he was completely sure she’d figure it out.
“We’d like to discuss hiring you on for our new store in Boston next season, and of course having you come back next year. Perhaps with an even bigger display.”
Ben tried to school his features but he couldn’t quite cover the shock. Another store? “Yes, I’d be willing to discuss that. Of course it would be a paid job.”
Max laughed and slapped his arm. “Yes, you more than deserve payment. In fact, we’ve discussed a bonus for the above and beyond job you’ve done.”
“No. I appreciate it, but this was a favor for a friend.” He looked down at Darcy.
Darcy looked away briefly then bent her lips into a polite smile. But none of the sparkle was in her deep green eyes. “Ben is very generous. I’m just so glad that he could help out last minute.”
“It really is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Mary Blackstone said quietly. “You’ll be giving the Christmas windows in the city a run for their money, Ben.”
“It was my very favorite thing about Christmas, Mrs. Blackstone. My mother and I used to take the train down every year before she died.”
Darcy looked up him, surprise cracking her professional shell.
“Well, your mother would be very proud.”
“I like to think so.”
The soft instrumental song faded into Ring My Bell and the tree lights blinked and fired like fireworks. The bulbs that lined the trunk of the tree winked on and off, their disco-like qualities lending a fun edge to the overall classic design.
Miriam gave a delighted laugh that surprised all of them. She shrugged. “I love this song.”
Darcy fussed with
the cuffs of her blouse but her lips twitched. Maybe there was some hope for her yet.
Chapter Ten
Darcy pulled into her driveway. Exhaustion sank so deep into her bones that she contemplated sleeping in her car. Too bad it was so cold. Flurries blustered around her vehicle as the last trace of daytime faded into night.
The visit had gone well. The front end and Ben’s baby certainly put a good spin on the walk-through of the store. She hadn’t been able to catch Ben before he’d left. He’d left a message with Jaime that he had to get back to his shop since Cesar had been alone for most of the day.
Ben had clients and appointments just like anyone else. There was no reason to get upset that he’d had to leave. He owned his own business and the fact that he’d dropped everything to help her was going above and beyond even for his Good Samaritan ways.
She trudged into the house and flicked on the news, curling into the corner of her favorite reading chair. When the weather came on with a report of no more than a dusting of snow, she let herself drift.
She woke to her television blinking, no signal up and down her screen. Her satellite had gone into energy-saving mode. She stretched with a wince. Four hours in her chair—not good. She spun her watch. Actually more like five.
With a yawn, she rose and checked her front window. Ben was home. She wanted to go talk to him about her day. She wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about her promotion. Miriam wanted to talk to the employees about her leaving and that Darcy would be taking over as store manager. They both agreed that it would be better to wait until after Christmas to divulge that kind of news.
She took the stairs two at a time and took a quick shower, changing into her oldest and softest pair of jeans. Unsure of her steps, she put a cute bra on under a long-sleeved t-shirt. She wasn’t sure if she’d be welcome at Ben’s house, or if he’d even want to talk to her.
He’d been cordial with her, but Ben had a game face too. And she hadn’t been able to read him during their meeting with the Blackstones. She quickly dried her hair and left it to fall down her back in a straight sheet.
One nice thing about Ben was that she felt comfortable around him without all her carefully chosen clothes and hairstyles. He didn’t care about the professional Darcy. In fact, he seemed to take great pleasure in stripping professional Darcy down to her skin.