LILY

BNR848

Disclaimer: The publicly recognized characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plots are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 20

The negotiations had been swift and effortless; so much so she'd almost suffered whiplash. At Mr. Mulrooney's request, Lily had been at all the meetings. The Director had been impressed by her handling of the situation as well as her knowledge. Mulrooney had been pleased and relayed his confidence in the assurances made by Ms. Castle. A gaggle of attorneys had represented Mulrooney, who had not attended. In a span of nine business days, the entire deal was signed, sealed and delivered.

It was December 20th, they'd closed shop early for the office holiday lunch, the mood festive and jovial. She had taken off the next two weeks and was headed home for Christmas. At three o'clock she bid Heather a Merry Christmas and headed out. The office and all the politics were on hold until January. Tomorrow she was headed home to New York.

Heather was making an early escape when James Mulrooney appeared. He was carrying a large gift bag.

"Hi, I'm sorry to barge in like this, I'm guessing everyone is trying to hightail it out of here. I'm looking for Ms. Castle," he apologetically offered.

"I'm sorry but she's gone for the day. Is there something I can help you with?" Heather volunteered.

"I'm James Mulrooney, I have something she left behind in Barrow. Is there any way I can reach her?"

"I'm sorry, she's on vacation until after the New Year. You can try her office number. She normally forwards calls to her personal phone." Heather scribbled down the number and handed it to him.

"Thank you," he politely smiled and headed out, package in tow.

She was on vacation, and she was probably heading home to New York. He was also positive her assistant would be calling her the minute he left. He would call later.

The minute she saw him enter the elevator Heather hit Lily's number.

"I just left an hour ago, what's wrong?" answered Lily.

"For starters, you forgot to tell me James Mulrooney was sexy, hot!" Heather decried.

"Woah! James Mulrooney? What are you talking about?" inquired Lily.

"Mr. Hottie showed up here with something you supposedly left behind on your Alaskan adventure. Or so he claimed…" Heather giggled.

"I don't think I left anything behind. Did he say anything else?"

"Nope, I told him you were on vacation until the New Year, gave him your office number. If you don't call him, I sure will," responded Heather.

"You're married. Now stop it, he runs all kinds of errands for his grandfather, so cool your jets. Besides, I don't have his number. Now go home!" She'd lied, she still had the number he'd given her in Barrow.

There was no way she was going to call him. She still needed to wrap a few gifts and pack. With the exception of Charlie, Grandpa Jim and her parents the rest of the family drew names to avoid spending a fortune. This year she was Ben's Secret Santa. She had gotten him a Rangers jersey, as the native Floridian was an avid Rangers fan. Her parents were getting two packs of the coffee she'd brought back from Alaska and she'd found a book on fishing lures for Grandpa Jim. Charlie had been easy since she emailed the family her wish list. Alexis had final approval, as the teenager was known to ask for things her parents had vetoed. This year the list included jewelry, make-up, clothing items, and some books; Charlie was growing up. Lily had gone with a charm bracelet and a book.

At seven-thirty her phone rang.

"Ms. Castle? I'm so sorry to bother you. I know you're on vacation," a hurried James Mulrooney blurted.

"Oh, hi. My assistant told me you had stopped by my office. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Well, I had business in D.C. and I have something you left behind in Barrow. Stupid me I neglected to leave it at your office. Also, my grandfather wanted to make sure I wished you a Merry Christmas," he replied.

The vast silence echoed. Finally, James spoke up.

"Listen, I'm on my way to dinner and was wondering if you'd like to join me? No strings attached. Nothing fancy, but I promise it won't be out of a plastic container. I'm only in town another day, and I'd like to give you your gift…" his voice faded as he waited on a response.

"I thought it was something I left behind? She'd added with a smirk. "How about eight-thirty? I can meet you," a shocked Lily caught herself saying.

"That's perfect," he'd smiled, surprised she had accepted.

He gave her the name of the restaurant and ended the call. The place was less than a mile from her apartment and true to his word, casual. Forty-five minutes later, dressed in black jeans, a sweater, black boots and gray pea-coat she was ready. It had been a warm winter thus far, but at thirty-seven degrees the night was chilly. Her makeup was minimal and she'd kept it casual, definitely not date prepped, she told herself.

She arrived at the restaurant to find him waiting. He wore blue jeans, a black long sleeve shirt and carried a large bag. She noticed he'd gotten his messy hair trimmed since the last time she'd seen him. He greeted her with a smile.

"Hi, I'm so glad you could join me. Thanks again, normally it really doesn't bother me to eat alone, but during the holiday's people look at you like your dog just died or something," he announced.

The hostess approached and walked them to their table.

"Have you been here before? It came highly recommended," he said as he opened the menu.

"Actually, I've been here a few time. Everything is wonderful, you can't go wrong. No reindeer though," she added with a hint of sarcasm.

As promised the meal was terrific. The conversation was pleasant and friendly, mostly family stories and casual current events. It had the feel of a casual business dinner. He mentioned he was in town for work and had taken the opportunity to bring what she'd left behind. Halfway through the meal they had finally relaxed. They were actually enjoying themselves. They had shared a bottle of wine and when the plates were cleared the suggestion of dessert brought a smile to his face.

"If there's one thing I learned about you is, you enjoy dessert. So what will it be Ms. Castle?"

She was unable to hold back the smile.

"I have a weakness for sweets myself." James declared.

Lily laughed as James placed the order.

As she enjoyed her chocolate mousse, she finally asked what she'd been waiting to ask all night long.

"So, you said you had something for me, is that it?" she inquired as she pointed at the bag sitting next to him.

"I was wondering how long before your curiosity got the best of you," answered James.

When they cleared the table he handed her the large bag with the wrapped item. She restrained herself and gingerly worked away at the paper. Before long she had exposed the present. She smiled and held it up.

"When he heard about your heroic adventure, my grandfather wanted to make sure you got this."

Lily smiled. It was a framed, hand-drawn certificate with a polar bear plunging into the sea. In beautiful calligraphy, it had her name, and the date she had rushed to touch the Arctic. It proclaimed she had plunged her paw into the cold waters of Barrow, Alaska and thus was a member of the Polar Bear Club. She was positive it was not the usual tourist certificate and had her doubts it was his grandfather's idea.

"It's beautiful. Please thank him for me."

The evening had been nice. He had dropped her off, thanking her for taking pity on him. She finished packing and went to bed. The next morning as she made her way through a crowded Union Station she hummed along with the Christmas tunes that filled the air. The lines were long and the boarding a dance of pushes and bumps, but not even the hustle and bustle of the crowded train station could dampen her mood.