Invited Home for Christmas

  Invited Home for Christmas

  Sophia Summers

  Contents

  Read all books by Sophia Summers

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  Taming Scrooge Chapter One

  Read all books by Sophia Summers

  Read all books by Sophia Summers

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  Her Single Holiday Romances

  Taming Scrooge

  It’s a Wonderful Date

  Miracle on the 34th Floor

  Invited Home for Christmas

  Her Billionaire Royals Series:

  The Heir

  The Crown

  The Duke

  The Duke’s Brother

  The Prince

  The American

  The Spy

  The Princess

  Her Billionaire Cowboys Series:

  Her Billionaire Cowboy

  Her Billionaire Protector

  Her Billionaire in Hiding

  Her Billionaire Christmas Secret

  Her Billionaire to Remember

  1

  Xander tensed.

  His old teammates, Colton and Jay, walked into the gym. Xander tried to ignore them. He ran faster, the treadmill almost at its limit, and then he cranked up the incline. Maybe they’d leave him alone.

  “Hey, it’s the Xan-man. How ya doing, old man?” Colton stood in front of his treadmill, begging to be run over.

  “Funny.” Xander grunted.

  “Dude, I’m just kidding. Hey, are we gonna see you at the alumni dinner?”

  He nodded.

  Jay kept walking past the treadmill and then whistled for Colton to follow him. They were on the prowl. If Xander were to guess, they were here to find dates for the dinner.

  The NFL alumni dinner was the ultimate place to show off your babe.

  This was Xander’s first year as an alum, and he was already feeling on the outs. Which he didn’t mind.

  Or that’s what he kept telling himself.

  He couldn’t tell how much he minded. He pounded out his run, lengthening his pain. He just didn’t know what else to do with his life. He’d always been a football player. In his town, kids started flag football when they were four. Tackle when they were seven. He’d played through middle and high school, doing year-round training from the time he was thirteen.

  Now what was he supposed to do? He had tried traveling. It was boring. He’d tried taking an online class. He might get back to that later. He’d shown up at the practice fields just to stay in shape. At first the coaches and players thought it was cool, but then they started to ask him what he was going to do with his life. And then they asked if he had a gym membership.

  Fine. Point taken.

  So here he was, working out in the gym. Before his alumni status, he’d only come to the gym to pick up girls, like the guys were doing now.

  He leaned back so he could see them. Yep. Colton had a dark-haired beauty laughing while Jay walked slowly in front of all the machines, stretching now and then. He pulled off his shirt, and a couple women nearby rolled their eyes. But a few others were openly vying for his attention, and one redhead called him over. While Xander watched Colton primp, he hoped he’d never been so obvious and superficial. But he was sure he had.

  In fact, he’d better hurry and find himself a date. How did he get a date without the guys around? No one went to the dinner without a date. If he showed up alone, it would solidify his old-man status.

  Old man has-been. He cringed. He had to get a life.

  A woman walked in on his left, and Xander’s interest was piqued. He tipped his water bottle up and took a long drink. Wow, she was something. Just the kind of girl he would take to the dinner and maybe even keep seeing after. She was strong. Her biceps had literal structure. Her thighs were tight. She obviously knew her way around a weight room. And her hair fell in sheets around her. Yellow blond.

  He watched, mesmerized while she wrapped and tied it so it sat up on top of her head. And then he had to look away while she stretched out, or he might have fallen off his treadmill. She was incredible, and Xander was entranced. Then she got on the machine, and the power of her movement, her deep stride, and long-legged run pulsed through him. He had to know this woman.

  Dinner or no, he wanted to be a part of her life.

  Then Jay walked up, and Xander wanted to send a fist into his face.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  She ignored him.

  Xander tried to hide his grin.

  Jay tried again, leaning on her machine, his biceps flexing. “I love what you got going here.”

  No response at all from her.

  “So, do you come here often?”

  Xander snorted, and Jay scowled at him.

  When the woman’s shoulders tensed, Xander stepped in. “Leave the lady alone. Can’t you see she’s busy?”

  A small smile lifted one corner of her mouth, and Xander wanted to pump the air with his fists.

  Jay shook his head. “She’s only pretending to be busy. What she really wants is some attention from the Jay box.”

  She picked up her pace.

  “Nah, I think she just wants to work out.”

  That earned Xander a nod. And pretty soon, Jay gave up.

  But Xander kept running. He wanted to know how long she would run. His body was screaming for him to stop. He had already run a solid ten kilometers when she arrived. But he had to have a reason to stick around until she was done, so he kept going.

  And going.

  The guys left, raising a hand in his direction. He was still running.

  She kept a mean pace, her legs powering through some solid elevation.

  He lowered his, every bone screaming in rebellion against the abuse. He slowed down.

  And, to his surprise, she slowed down too.

  He hung the towel around his neck, dabbing his face, and moved to a walk. Ten miles. Wow, he could have run a half marathon if he’d wanted.

  His legs wobbled when he stepped off his machine and moved to fill up his water bottle. He felt like an old man. His hips and knees would never be totally limber again after his years of football. But running a surprise ten miles wasn’t helping.

  As he stumbled his way to the drinking fountain, her machine stopped behind him. He glanced back over his shoulder and nearly tripped when he realized she was right behind him. “Oh, hey.”

  She raised an eyebrow but just waited behind him.

  “This is a great gym.”

  She nodded.

  He stared, and she waited. Until finally she pointed past him. “You gonna get a drink?”

  “Oh, right. Yeah.” He held up his water bottle. “Gotta get a refill.”

  She didn’t say anything, and he was kind of at a loss. Usually the girls around him were more giggly. They would laugh or at least talk. They would try to grab his attention. She obviously had no interest in pursuing anything with him. She had barely even said anything to him.

  He stepped out of the way and waited for her to finish. “I was watching you run.”

  Her eyes widened, and she started to scoot away.

  “No, not like that. I just mean you have great form. I can tell you run a lot. I respect that.”

  She nodded, a small light returning to her face. “Yeah. Thanks.”

&nb
sp; He laughed. “Do you come here a lot?”

  “Just moved in, so I might. Today’s my first day.”

  “Oh great. Welcome then.”

  “Thanks. Is this your regular place?”

  “Sort of. When I retired, they kicked me out of the old gym, so now I come here.”

  She tilted her head. “Retired? Like military?”

  “No, nothing like that. From football, NFL.”

  Her eyebrows rose even higher, and she nodded before moving away.

  “Wait. Where are you going?”

  “Um, over here. To finish my workout.”

  “You don’t like football players?”

  “What? I’m completely indifferent to football players. I have to finish my workout.” She walked away. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  That was not how the conversation was supposed to go. Most girls made it easy for him. But not her. He didn’t even know her name yet. And now that he’d talked to her, he decided she was the only one he wanted to take to the dinner. She was perfect. Super pretty, just enough on the flashy side, could dish out whatever they threw her way, and maybe had just a hint of something more.

  But she was absolutely not at all into him.

  She was in the weight room now, working on a machine for arms and hadn’t once looked in his direction.

  He could bench a few. Maybe he’d go spend some time next to her to see what happened.

  Nothing happened. She didn’t look at him once. And then she got up and left when he was in the middle of a set of reps with an extra heavy bar.

  As soon as he could, he rushed out of the gym, hoping to catch her in the parking lot, but she was gone.

  2

  Sam watched the big guy look all over the parking lot for something, and she wondered if he was looking for her. He’d followed her into the weight room. And then left soon after she’d left. But what had him fascinated enough to follow her out? Especially when she hadn’t given him any reason to think she was interested.

  He hadn’t given up yet on whatever he was looking for. His neck craned in all directions. She imagined he really was looking for her, and she smiled at the idea of belonging to someone, or at least catching their eye enough for them to stick around. It was something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She could tell the moment he gave up and stopped looking. His face fell in a charming disappointment, and then he moved away. She leaned back, twisting to see what he drove.

  A sweet bike. Of course.

  She might have fallen a little bit in love.

  He put the helmet on. He was one big guy, his sweats straining against his thighs, his broad chest stretching his shirt tight. Mmm. She would be all over this guy if he were actually a good guy.

  She massaged her knee absentmindedly. Her old familiar ache started up. She rubbed the bullet-hole scar in her thigh. Every now and then the muscle seized up. She’d been showing off a little in front of the big guy after he scared off the creep. She hadn’t run that long and fast since she’d been in basic training. She laughed at herself.

  His bike started up with the powerful revving of his engine. Was she gonna let him drive away? What if she never saw him again? She started up her car, happy the engine only turned over once before starting. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” started up on the radio, and for the first time in a long time, she let it play without switching the channel. While serving overseas, that carol had filled her with both hope and despair. And since her parents had passed away and her sister had all but disowned her, she hadn’t been able to stomach it. All she wanted was to one day feel the message of that song in her life. But she knew that would never happen again. All the same, listening while she watched the bike pull out of the parking lot made her grin instead of frown.

  She let him drive away. He wasn’t her “Home for Christmas” guy, and she didn’t have time or energy to spend on anyone else. He was former NFL. That right there should scare her away. She clenched her hands together and made herself sit still until he’d left the parking lot.

  And then she tailed him. She just couldn’t help herself. Even though she was never ever going to date this guy, she had to know a little bit more about him. It was proof that she liked to torture herself.

  But he drove a long way without stopping, and she started to worry about using up her gas. She wasn’t getting paid for another two weeks, and that’s about how long the gas in her car had to last. So she pulled over, turned around, and drove to work.

  Her shift at Walmart was long, so long she thought for sure the day had stretched into two. Once she clocked out, she changed in the bathroom, her feet aching and her head calling for a break. She used the car ride over to her second job at Smelters to unwind. She cranked the radio up high and sang every song that came on as loud as she could.

  It worked. By the time she’d pulled into the parking lot of the town’s only bar and dance club, she felt a bit more energized and ready to wait tables. As she finished singing the last drawn out notes to the latest love ballad, she laughed at herself. If anyone could see her now, they’d lose all respect for her.

  She closed and locked her car door, humming as she walked across the parking lot.

  “That’s some singing.”

  She froze then turned.

  The big guy from the gym stood there, leaning up against his car and laughing.

  “Uh, right. Just unwinding a little bit before work.”

  “Right. Unwinding. I’d like to hear you in the shower.”

  Of course he would. She rolled her eyes. “Excuse me.” She picked up her pace as she headed into Smelters.

  “No, wait. That’s not what I’m getting at.”

  “Hm.” She kept walking.

  He stepped in beside her. “I’m just messing with you. Everyone sings in the shower. Badly.” He cringed. “Not that you sing badly. You’re actually pretty good.”

  She snorted. “Pretty good?” She was awful. She knew it.

  “Yeah, you hit a couple of those notes.” His shoulders shook with laughter. “I think.”

  “So are you a good judge of singing? I bet you were a choir boy in high school.”

  He shook his head. “I do know how to sing, believe it or not, but no time for choir in school.”

  “Oh right, football.” And then the tiny bit of connection she was starting to feel with this guy fizzled. NFL.

  They approached the door. He reached for the handle but paused. “So, you work here?”

  “Yep. Maybe I’ll get lucky and bus your table.”

  “I’d like that.” He held open the door.

  She didn’t answer, just kept walking to the back room to clock in. But her mouth lifted in a smile. What were the chances? Here he was! She wanted to scream, but she had to play it cool and stay away.

  Her boss, Joe, frowned at her when she walked in, but she knew her boss was happy to see her. He had to be. She brought business to this bar, and her section always brought in the most money. She could talk anyone into just one more drink, an order of onions rings or fries, or another dessert. And her tips were awesome, too.

  She grabbed an apron and tied it around her waist. Then she checked the seams on her long black tights. They ran straight down the back of her legs. Her skirt covered just enough, and her tight shirt left not much to the imagination. She pulled her hair up into a knot on top of her head and brought strands down at the sides of her ears. She applied some bright red lipstick, grabbed her notepad and pen, and headed out onto the floor.

  The music was loud. They had a live band, so she could expect more of the same all night.

  She made her way to her first table and nearly stopped halfway there. Big guy sat in her section. A whole group of equally big guys sat with him. She held her breath for a count of two, set her shoulders back, reminded herself she’d seen much worse in Iraq, and then smacked her gum for emphasis. Laughing at herself, she stepped up to their table. “And what are you gentlemen having ton
ight?”

  The guys only half heard her. She recognized another one from the gym. It was the one the big guy had protected her from, or so she’d thought. But they were friends? She didn’t narrow her eyes at them, but at least now she knew what she was dealing with.

  She tried again. “Can I get you a round of beer?”

  Big guy nodded. “Yeah. Why don’t we start with that? And the onion rings. Two orders of those. Send us the sliders and chips and salsa. Just keep it coming.”

  She made a note and nodded. “You got it.” She winked and smiled and then moved to the next table. But she felt eyes on her. When she glanced back, big guy was watching. He had nice eyes. She turned away. But not nice friends. And, if she were to guess, not a nice past.

  Once she’d gone through all her tables, she submitted orders and then started bringing out their drinks.

  Her section was full, and everyone was thirsty. It might be a real good night.

  “Hey, bring some of that sugar over here, princess.” An older man patted his lap. It was always the older ones. She winked. “Nah. You have a good night now.”

  His buddies laughed at him. Her job was as much about acting as anything. Anything for the money—that’s where she was at this point. Well, not anything. She had her limits. But for a little flirting, waiting tables, and keeping men full of drinks and appetizers, this job was surprisingly profitable. She brought in more cash in her evening shift here than her whole day at Walmart.

  She’d enlisted right out of high school and hadn’t yet taken advantage of their offer to pay for her education. Maybe she’d be able to get her act together, take the SAT, and apply to some schools. But all that took time and money, and she didn’t have any of either.

  About halfway through the night, she leaned her elbows on the bar, watching her tables and taking a little breather.