Charlotte closed the lid of the laptop and shoved it into her carry bag. She didn’t bother shutting it down. She’d only need to start it again once she arrived home, but only after she’d put her pj’s on and had a nice large glass of Chardonnay in her hand. The thought of relaxing and taking off her heels was so nice she nearly groaned out loud.

When she was back home in Melbourne she was going to spend a day by the sea and walk barefoot on the sand all the way down Edithvale beach. It would just be heating up for summer at this time of year. Charlotte walked past the rows of empty desks, staff long gone home for the day and glanced outside. Looked as though New York would be in for a snow storm tonight. She wrapped her coat tightly around her as the elevator doors opened. It was warm inside but she knew once she hit the sidewalk the cold would blast through to her bones.

“Evenin’, Miss Cassidy. You’re leaving late tonight.” The doorman tipped his hat as he opened the prestigious front doors.

She smiled, “Good night, Gus. Lots going on at the moment. Trying to get back home for the holidays.”

“Don’t I know it! Wife’s expecting thirty of our family for Christmas lunch. Can you believe that? Thirty people crushed together in our little condo. Good thing it’s family and we all get along fine.” He smiled and revealed startling white teeth.

Her throat nearly closed over. She’d worked all day and hadn’t seemed to dent the massive amount of work that had to be done before Christmas. She hadn’t even thought about reserving a plane seat. Lunch with her family seemed more and more impossible. “Well, I hope you have a nice day.” She ducked through the doors and the frigid air locked around her in a steely grip.

She reached to hail a cab when her phone rang. Andrew Robinson. As always, her heart flipped as she read the name. She’d been thinking about him and their conversation this morning all day and the personal things she’d told him. She’d really slipped up. She just had to make sure she kept things on a professional level. The thing was, he seemed to be able to bend her resolutions without even trying. She wasn’t even sure if she should speak to him now with the unsettled way she was feeling and the weight of trying to make it back to Melbourne, and not break down and blurt her story out while seeking the luxury of his arms. Arms that could offer her all sorts of comfort. And more. Arms that looked strong, and masculine, and soothing, and capable, and… the phone rang out. No matter. She’d ring him tomorrow.

“Get a grip, Charlotte,” she muttered to herself. She was reading all sorts of things into a simple conversation over morning coffee. It had to be the stress of getting home for Christmas. She just had to see them again after the year they’d had. She wanted to hug them, hold them close, just to prove that they were real and well and healthy again.

Guilt seared into her heart. She hadn’t been there when Mum was diagnosed. Hadn’t been there when she’d had her surgery and resulting chemotherapy. Hadn’t been there when her mother had been rushed to the hospital those many times when the chemo had gotten the better of her and she was suffering with pneumonia.

That was something she could never make up for. Getting home to Melbourne was only a start. Making up was keeping her goals on target, no matter how good strong, capable arms would feel locked around her at night. Besides, she, and her parents, had first-hand experience that just because people may be friends, even for years, didn’t mean that they were going to act morally.

She closed her eyes, repeating the mantra of the day in her head, ‘Get back home. Make amends.’

Her phone vibrated in her hand and she automatically brought it up to her ear before she really thought about it. Gabe rang all hours of the day and night and expected her to answer whenever he called. Luckily their work ethics were the same. “Hi, Gabe.”

“It’s Andrew, Charlotte.”

The deep, silken voice slid through her like smooth whiskey and a shiver worked its way through her entire body. “Oh… Hi, Andrew.” Was that her breathy voice? Maybe he wouldn’t notice how unwound she sounded.

“Are you jogging?” he asked.

Gak. He noticed all right. “Just, uh… trying to find a taxi — uh, cab. Taxi, that’s what we call ‘em in Australia.” Not only breathy, she sounded like she’d lost both her tongue and her mind.

He chuckled and the sound vibrated right into all of her feel-good centres. “I love your accent. I could listen to it all day.”

What about all night? No! Don’t think that way! “Just as well you like it since I speak to you every day, Andrew.”

“Not often enough.” His voice was barely audible. More of a whisper to himself.

Her heart stuttered, “Pardon?”

Andrew cleared his throat, “I’m sorry to phone you a couple of times, but I hoped to catch you because it’s so urgent. I have some concepts for your input.”

“That’s great, Andrew. What time would you like to come in tomorrow?” Tomorrow would be good. She’d have an hour or two in the morning to be ready by the time he came in.

“I was thinking I could meet up with you tonight,” he said.

Charlotte stopped short, right in the middle of the sidewalk. Someone brushed past her shoulder but she barely noticed, “Tonight?”

“You mentioned this was urgent. I had my graphic designer work on them today and thought if I saw you tonight I… we… could get a jumpstart on the printing.”

Tonight was far too soon. She didn’t have time to prepare. She didn’t have time to... simply put the wall up she would actually work behind when he was so close. “I don’t think…”

“The trade printers usually shut their presses down during the Christmas week for maintenance. If we don’t get the artwork down there this week, you’ll be three weeks behind.”

With no time to get back home.

So she had to get this done. In fact she should be grateful Andrew was willing to work to such tight deadlines. She was getting carried away. Besides, he probably has some beautiful girlfriend hiding away in his condo waiting for him at home. In his bed. The thought made her mouth go dry. “Uh — I just left the office, but I can go back if you’d like.”

“Let’s have something to eat. It’s right on dinner time and we could kill two birds with one stone.”

“Dinner?” It felt too much like a date.

“We’ve both got to eat, right?”

It had been a long time since that coffee this morning and the day had been too busy for lunch. Her stomach showed that moment to growl like there was a live animal inside her. She was sure Andrew could hear it on the other end of the line. Between Lisa and working at the shelter, there was nothing but wine in her tiny condo.

She shouldn’t think if this as a date. It was simply a means to an end. Andrew was just being a great client and doing his best to accommodate Gabe’s stupid deadlines. That was all.

“Are you sure you’re free?” She hoped he might remember about the girlfriend she’d put into his imaginary bed.

“Of course. Where would you like to go?”

This wasn’t a date. This wasn’t a date. It’s a professional meeting. At eight at night. Over dinner. In a restaurant.

“Have you heard of ‘Crusts R Us? It’s a pizza place just down the road from your work. They make the best pizza in town and they are quiet enough to be able to hear each other speak.”

“Well… okay. It’s probably best we get this done as soon as we can,” Charlotte said.

“Looking forward to it, Charlotte.”

It was so wrong. So right. Arghh. Her brain was spinning so fast she was almost dizzy. She was an adult. A professional. So she had better start acting like it. The first thing she should do because she was an adult and a professional, was to ignore the fission of tingles in her belly because she was going to see Andrew again.

* * *

“It’s fantastic, Andrew.” She was looking at hours of work, and the concepts were out of this world. The designer had worked hard, probably all day to get this done. Who knew what Andrew had put off to get this through for her. “I really appreciate it.”

“I knew this was urgent for you,” Andrew said.

Charlotte set the concepts aside and took another bite of the delicious pizza. She caught him watching as some melted cheese slapped her on her chin. “Oh.” She reached for a napkin and wiped the offending cheese away.

Andrew chuckled and picked up his slice. “That’s impressive. But not as good as this.” He bit his pizza and Charlotte watched as a trail of cheese extended the length of his arm.

“You call that long? I’ll have you know I’m the melted cheese champ back home.” Charlotte dove into the pan and selected a choice slice of pizza. Taking a bite she worked the cheese so that it grew as long as her arm and sunk in the middle until it bowed to the tabletop.

Andrew clapped, a smile playing on his full lips. “Magnificent.”

“This was a game I played with my brother and sister when we were kids. Mum made us pizzas with extra cheese. Once I made a cheese trail as long as the table. No-one’s beat that record yet,” she said.

“I didn’t have a hope, then,” Andrew said.

“I hold the title for the fastest walnut cracker as well. Twenty walnuts in one minute. Unbeaten,” Charlotte said.

“That’s impressive,” Andrew said.

“Every Christmas we hold the challenge. Even my uncle who cracks walnuts all year ‘round can’t beat me.” Charlotte chuckled.

“You never know, this Christmas might be different,” Andrew said.

Her stomach cramped and she quickly put the slice of pizza down. “Yeah.”

Andrew quirked a brow, “Scared you won’t win this year?”

Charlotte sighed. It had felt good not to remember her situation, even if it was just for a moment. She tried to smile but her lips felt numb. “Oh, I’m sure there will be a competition all right.”

“But? Have you developed RSI in your wrist? Afraid you’ve lost the knack?” Andrew said.

Despite herself, Charlotte chuckled. Andrew was so easy to be around, and he had a talent of bringing her out of herself. It was so easy to forget that he was a client, not a friend. Not anything more than a friend could ever be. “Nothing like that. I’m sure the walnut challenge will go ahead just as it does every year. Now, we’d better do what we’ve come here to do because no amount of walnut cracking is going to stop printer maintenance.”

“No. It won’t.” He sounded disappointed. No, more than that. He sounded as though he’d really been having a good time.

“Don’t tell me you’re interested in our Christmas Walnut Cracker Competition. I’ve held the title for the past three years and I haven’t seen you crack a walnut in all the time I’ve known you,” Charlotte said.

“I’m a man of hidden talents and I’ll take you up on that challenge,” he said.

She’d hadn’t thought of him in her family circle, but now that she did, it seemed natural for him to be there. As though he was always meant to be there. But surely that was just wishful thinking. She was returning to Australia, and he was a US man through and through. A thoroughbred New Yorker. “Of course. You’d be more than welcome. It’s just that… I’m not sure…”

There it was again. That sudden downward tilt in her stomach when she remembered that there might not be a Christmas day.

“Hey, what’s the matter, Charlotte?”

She was getting off track. Making a business meeting personal. Again.

She squared her shoulders and straightened her spine. “Nothing. Just need to remember to firm up some flight tickets before I miss out. That’s all. Now, back to these concepts.”

She needed to keep things on track otherwise because the temptation was almost too much.

* * *

That damn wall had gone up again. Just when he thought he was getting somewhere, taking it away from just business, she brought it back around. One thing he did know, something was up with her about Christmas. There was pure joy on her face when she’d told him that scant bit of information about her family day.

He distantly remembered the last Christmas with his parents. The one isolated light in the gloom that was his childhood. Before his parents had died and he’d been separated from his sister. Now Christmas was just another day to get through. A productive work day.

Maybe that was the attraction. That Charlotte looked forward to it. Enjoyed it. She’d glowed when she’d been talking about it. Then something had clicked and the joy had faded to be replaced with lines of tension around her eyes and a flat-lined mouth.

Returning her attention to the concepts was a duller version of herself that didn’t sit easily with him. He wanted more of the animation. More of the easiness. More of the… happiness she allowed him to feel.

Maybe that was it. Why he thought of her more and more. She illuminated his life. Made it enjoyable. Ignited his own long-lost enthusiasm with her endless curiosity and energy.

But as they discussed the concepts, she displayed nothing of that playfulness. There was definitely something on her mind and he was sure it had to do with that massive workload Olivari kept piling on her.

Something was up with Olivari, too. He was usually in his office from dawn until dusk, but Charlotte was taking the brunt of his now regular disappearances. Seeing Charlotte like this only made him more determined to lessen her workload however he could.

Charlotte yawned and he suddenly realised two hours had passed. He shuffled the contents of the folder strewn over the table and returned them to the folio. “The changes are good. I’ll have my designers go over them first thing in the morning.”

“I really appreciate that, Andrew but are you sure you have time for this? Usually I have to wait a little longer than that to get things through. I know I’m not your only client and other people want to get things to the printer before Christmas as well. I don’t expect any special treatment,” she said.

It didn’t feel like he was giving her special treatment. In fact, he was quite enjoying the extra time he was getting to spend with her. “It’s no problem, Charlotte. I aim to keep my clients happy.”

“Well, as long as I’m not upsetting other people,” she said.

The blast of cold hit him like a ton of bricks as they stepped on the pavement from the warmth of the restaurant. Charlotte wrapped her slim figure deep in her coat. At least he was able to give her a meal she desperately needed. Her clothes looked as though they were starting to hang off her. He was glad she asked for a to-go box to take the rest of the pizza home with her. “Not at all. That’s what I do.”

“Exceed people’s expectations?” Her pert little nose was starting to turn red with the cold. He wished he could warm her up.

“Just yours,” he murmured.

“Pardon?” If he wasn’t mistaken, he would have thought she looked somehow alarmed.

“Let me worry about how the work gets done. You’re under pressure and I want to help you get it all done,” he said.

“I appreciate it, Andrew. Appreciate how you’ve always helped me.”

“It’s my pleasure, Charlotte.”

An indefinable look passed over her features, before her eyes drifted to the side. She sighed, moving over to a figure hunched on a thin sheet of cardboard. One of the many unfortunate homeless in New York. God knew how they survived in this weather.

To his surprise, Charlotte leaned down in front of the man. His instinctive urge to protect her reared through him and he went to move between her and the man. He halted when she gave him the doggy bag with the pizza they hadn’t eaten, then opened her purse to hand him a crisp note. “Take care on this cold night. Do you have anywhere to go?” she asked to man.

Andrew stood frozen to the spot. Memories flooded his mind, remembering the cold nights in the many foster homes he’d grown up in. Some of his foster mothers had been nice. Some of them had been downright mean. None of them had looked at him like Charlotte now looked at the homeless man. Like a ray of sunshine in the bleakness.

The man nodded and Charlotte confirmed the address of the Helping Hand Cafe just down the block. Satisfied, she smiled at him and stepped away.

“Thank you for a lovely meal, Andrew, but I must get going. There’s a couple of things I have to do before I get into the office tomorrow.”

He actually wondered if Olivari knew how hard he was working Charlotte.

“Anything I can help with?”

She smiled a sad little smile, “If only you could.” She seemed to collect herself after a moment and waved for a passing cab, “You are helping me enormously already. No doubt I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He wanted to see more of her tonight. Take her to a bar for a glass of wine and spend the next few hours talking to her but tomorrow it would have to be. He’d make sure her work was done first up in the morning. Maybe suggest a lunchtime meeting. Just so he could spend some more time with her and pretend it was a date.

“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He closed the door to the cab and watched as it slid into the slow moving traffic before turning to the homeless man. It was hard to forget how cold it could be this time of year, something Charlotte reminded him of. He slipped off his coat and wrapped it around the man, “Here, Pop. Keep yourself warm tonight.”

“Thank you!”

The man was so grateful it tossed up a whole lot of forgotten emotions, clogging his throat. “No problems. Take care of yourself, hey?”

He hailed a cab for himself, trying hard to forget about his childhood and the sister he hadn’t spoken to in years.