Sabrina noticed that Sid smiled throughout the discussion about presents, but he didn’t add anything to the conversation. He looked so alone sometimes. She wondered if he’d received any presents this year. From the way he hadn’t even acknowledged that it was Christmas earlier, she suspected that he hadn’t received anything from anyone. That thought made her extremely sad but she kept that feeling from her face, she hoped.
When the doorbell rang fifteen minutes later, Sabrina looked around oddly. Everyone was already here, so who on earth could be at the door? She walked over to the front door and peered out the security hole. There was a man standing on her front stoop with a Solara uniform on and several boxes piled on a dolly.
“What’s this about?” she muttered, opening the door.
“Ms. Charmichael?” the man asked, taking off his hat graciously.
“Yes,” she answered, still not sure what he was doing here. She desperately hoped it wasn’t to call Sid back to the hotel. Surely they could do without him for one night, couldn’t they?
The man smiled and waved his hand at the boxes. “These are for you, compliments of Mr. Matthews, ma’am. If you’ll move to the right, I’ll bring them inside for you.”
Sabrina had no idea what was going on, but since they were from Sid, she moved to the right and allowed the man to walk into the house. He deposited three boxes, then doffed his hat again and walked away.
Sabrina opened the top box and gasped. The boxes were filled with wine. Very expensive wine, she thought as she glanced at the labels. Different types of whites and reds. Something for every occasion, she thought with a smile. Turning toward the kitchen, she saw him leaning against the counter watching her while the others chatted away, oblivious to what was happening in the foyer. Sabrina smiled her thanks, hoping her face wasn’t too red as she slipped two bottles of white wine out of the boxes to put into the refrigerator.
She walked up to him and smiled, forcing her eyes to meet his as she said, “Thank you for the wine. It was very generous of you.” She cleared her throat and went on, “I’ll bring back whatever we don’t use.”
“Nonsense. Enjoy it,” he replied, his deep voice melting over Sabrina like a warm blanket.
Finally, all the food was ready and the crowd moved into the living room where the table was set up. They sat down and it was chaos for a long time while everyone dug into the delicious food, piling their plates high with creamy potatoes, ham, asparagus with a tangy lemon sauce, crisp green beans, salad, biscuits and a rice dish loaded with cheese, sesame seeds and raisins. The laughter was flowing as well as the wine and Sabrina smiled contentedly as everyone enjoyed the food and the conversation.
And if she glanced at Sid too often to make sure he was okay, well, that was to be expected, she told herself. She was the hostess and it was her job to make sure everyone was comfortable and enjoying themselves. Bob and Jim were in a heated discussion over the best way to put up crown molding when Bob turned to Sid and asked him what his opinion was. Sid, very diplomatically, turned to Janice and asked her what she thought. The very idea had the women laughing and clapping at the same time. Bob and Jim even chuckled, knowing that he’d scored several points.
Sabrina was thrilled that he felt comfortable enough to join into the teasing and smiled her pleasure across the table at him.
“Ho! Hold up everyone!” William said a few minutes later and everyone froze in their tracks. Sabrina stopped in the process of bringing two new bottles of wine in from the kitchen and waited, wondering what William was going to say.
“Sid, I think you need to do something about the fact that Sabrina is standing under the mistletoe.”
Everyone clapped and Sabrina’s face turned red. She immediately tried to step out from the branch but no one was having any of that. “If you don’t do it, I will,” Bob said and started to get up. But since Sid was sitting right in front of Sabrina’s current position, it was easy for him to stand up in front of Sabrina, trapping in her under the mystical plant.
“I’m sorry,” Sabrina whispered as soon as Sid stood in front of her. “You can just ignore them,” she said and tried to walk around his large frame. She had intended to laugh off the mistletoe but Sid stopped her by putting his hands on her waist.
“Why are you apologizing?” he said for her ears only. “I’ve been wanting to do this all evening,” he said and his head dipped quickly as he gently took her lips with his. The kiss was supposed to be just a small kiss, but for Sabrina, the sensuality of his firm lips gently caressing hers made her mind swim. It was only a brief kiss, over before she had time to realize what he was going to do. But the electric charge that sparked when his lips touched hers, lingered slightly and moved softly against her willing lips, made her mind spin. She almost dropped the bottle of wine she was holding with her right hand.
The kiss only lasted a moment, but when it ended she wasn’t sure if she was standing, sitting or floating on a cloud. When he lifted his mouth from hers and stepped back to the table, Sabrina looked around at the expectant faces of her neighbors. Forcing a smile on her face, she glanced around. “Who needs another glass of wine?” she asked, breaking the silence. Instant laughter and applause followed that comment but then everyone moved on to a new subject, some lifting their glasses for more wine, others demanding one dish or another, all with great cheer and warmth.
“Come on over here, darlin’” Janice called, waiving her empty wine glass in the air. “Personally, after that kiss, I think I’m going to need something to cool down,” she chuckled.
Everyone laughed and Sabrina sank gratefully into her seat while the wine was passed down the table. She was thankful for the support of the chair since she wasn’t sure her legs would hold her any longer. She could wholeheartedly agree with Janice’s comment. Sabrina could definitely use a cold shower right now. That kiss had left her heated and bothered, desperate to feel more and knowing that she never would.
Although the conversation continued, Sabrina didn’t hear any of it. She glanced down the table at Sid and her heart skipped a beat when she realized he was looking right back at her. He caught her glance and winked, raising his glass slightly in a salute. She quickly looked away, feeling like a high school girl after her first kiss. Well, who wouldn’t? she chided herself.
A half hour later, Sid stood up. “I’m sorry to leave, but I need to get back to work.” He looked down the table at Sabrina. “Could I speak to you for a moment?” he asked formally.