Daring for Christmas Day: A Calendar Girls Novella, #4

By Gina Ardito

Tired of being considered "taupe" by her audacious father, Beth Winters hires Del Rhodes to help her become more adventurous.

 

A delighted Del sees this as an opportunity to confront the villain who stole his invention and his future in one fell swoop.

 

You know what they say about the best laid plans…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gina Ardito
• Release date: Nov 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223524496

Gina Ardito

Gina Ardito is the award-winning author of more than twenty-five romances in contemporary, historical, and paranormal sub-genres. In 2012, she launched her freelance editing business, Excellence in Editing, and now has a stable of award-winning clients, as well. She’s hosted workshops around the world for writing conferences, author organization chapter meetings, and library events. After raising a husband and two kids (the kids are grown; the husband’s still a child), she now focuses her attention on her books and her rescue pups. To her everlasting shame, despite all her accomplishments, she’ll never be more famous than her dog, who starred in commercials for 2015’s Puppy Bowl. 

Book preview

Chapter One

SEPTEMBER

Beth

You can do this, Beth.

I repeated my mantra in my head, hoping I’d come to believe it.

He was perfect. Shoulder-length hair, the color of wheat-spun-into-gold, framed a square, tanned face with a hint of beard shadowing his cheeks and chin. He removed his sunglasses, and my heart hiccupped. Hazel eyes beneath winged brows met mine. Below a black leather jacket, he wore jeans that fit as if they’d grown around him. Nothing about him said taupe.

Beth Winters? His voice was sin personified, dark with a promise of vices to be explored and mastered.

I licked my dry lips and nodded. Are you Del?

Delaney Rhodes.

I could do nothing more than stare at his flawless profile with wonder.

Okay if I sit?

God, I’m sorry. Yes. Please. Flummoxed at my reaction, I jerked my chin toward the bench seat opposite mine.

He shrugged out of the jacket, revealing a black tee and tattooed biceps. My throat sealed shut, and I gulped my water to loosen my tongue.

Once I regained my voice, I slid a plastic-coated menu across the table. They’ve got great burgers here. And sandwiches. Order what you like. It’s on me.

His gaze never flickered from mine. Why don’t we talk first?

Right.

Of course. He was already probably second-guessing his willingness to meet with me. A man like this was way out of my league—even for a promised paycheck.

I folded my hands atop my menu. Okay. Here goes. I took a deep breath, and my next sentence surfed out on the wave of my exhale. I’ve never been a risktaker.

His expression remained placid. No mockery twitched his lips. Uh-huh.

No, really. You see, my dad’s a bond analyst, specializing in hedge funds. He’s all about the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. And he expects his kids to live by the same rule.

And do they?

I grimaced. I have one brother who is an airline pilot. Another is a stunt car driver. My sister, Stacy, is a cardiac surgeon.

"Impressive. So, what do you do?"

I cleared the block of embarrassment clogging my throat with a quick cough. I’m an optometrist.

Ah, very dangerous work. All those astigmatisms and refractive errors. He softened the sarcastic edge of his tone with a quizzical smirk.

A spark of temper rose inside me, and I snorted a long, exasperated breath through my nostrils. I give people the ability to see better. Any of my siblings’ careers—their lives or the lives of others—could be in jeopardy, if not for excellent eyesight.

The smirk traveled farther across his lips and lit up his eyes. I like your passion. But I take it your father wouldn’t be as impressed with your fiery speech. I’d imagine he doesn’t think your chosen profession measures up.

Nothing about me measures up. Dropping my gaze to the closed menu, I admitted my greatest shame to this stranger. When I was ten, he gave me the nickname, ‘Tope.’ I never understood it, but all his kids have nicknames. I flipped a shrug I hoped came off as carefree. I was twenty when I learned my nickname wasn’t T-O-P-E-Y, but T-A-U-P-E-Y, as in ‘taupe,’ a bland color for a bland woman with a bland personality.

He sounds like a bully, Del replied.

I forced my gaze up, but still read no derision in his expression. Not really. It’s more because I’ve always been like my mother, which, in his eyes, is the worst kind of insult. Theirs was not a happy marriage—or a long one. They met and married within months of their first meeting, had me before their first anniversary, and divorced when I was two. Mom got custody of me, and I only spent time with him every other weekend and on holidays for the next sixteen years. So, naturally, I’m more like her.

What about your siblings?

"They’re older, different mom. They lived with Dad a lot longer than I did, so they had more time to be influenced by him. They walk into a room and own it."

Whereas I walk into a room and disappear among the furnishings. I kept that statement to myself.

How many times has your father been married?

He’s about to take a chance on lucky number five. I held up my hand, all fingers splayed. The ultimate risk taker just has to keep rolling those marital dice, looking for the big payoff...

And that’s where I come in?

The wedding is the day after Christmas. He wants all his kids to spend the whole week at his vacation house in Snug Harbor so we can get to know the soon-to-be new Mrs. Winters. And during that week, I want my father to see me as anything but taupe. Which means I’ve got three months to become someone more daring, more eager to take risks. I picked up my fork and stabbed the air between us for emphasis. I need you to help me transform into that person.

He blinked, slow, cat-like. You know I usually work with children, right?

I nodded. Nina told me.

What else did my sister tell you?

My cheeks flamed. I’d never been adept at hiding my emotions. I picked up my glass and drained the last of the water.

Wow, he drawled. That much? I’m surprised you were still willing to meet me.

Ditto. I attempted a carefree wave. Nina tends to exaggerate.

Our waitress popped up at the table to refill my glass. You two know what you want yet?

What are you having? he asked me.

I glanced up at the young blonde in the pink uniform. I’ll just have a garden salad, dressing on the side, please.

And to drink?

I lifted my water glass. This will be fine, thanks.

Across the table from me, Del held up a hand. I thought you said this place had great burgers and sandwiches.

They do.

Then, why are you having a salad?

He leaned over the gleaming, dark wooden surface. If he got any closer, he’d hear my breath catch. His presence invaded my space, and those devilish eyes blazed with amused fire.

Do you really want a salad? Be honest, Beth. This is step one. If you were here alone, with no one to judge you, and no worries about your weight or your cholesterol level, what would you order?

I didn’t have to think about it. The Bluebeard burger. Grass-fed beef, bleu cheese crumbles, maple-smoked bacon strips, and a fried egg on top, all sitting between slices of golden brioche. It’s amazing.

Sounds delicious. He scooped up the menus and handed them to the server. Give us two of those. Before I could form an excuse to stick with my salad, he faced me again. You want to be a risktaker, you start now.  

O-okay. My reply came out with some hesitation, but a whisper of courage somewhere inside me grew louder. Medium rare on the burgers, curly fries on the side. And I’ll take a vodka gimlet.

One of those winged brows arched in my direction. Well, well. The optometrist has a wild streak. This could turn out to be fun.

I laughed. This could be fun.

What’s next? I asked when the waitress left.

His gaze scanned my long-sleeved shirt. That depends. Stand up for a sec.

I slid out of the booth, and he frowned. What?

I looked down at my jeans and boots. Had I somehow screwed up already?

Why’d you get up?

The question threw me. You asked me to.

"Technically, I told you to. But you didn’t even bother to ask me why. Did you want to get up?"

Well, no, but─

But you’re a people pleaser, right? You believe if you do as you’re told, never make waves, you can avoid a confrontation, survive the moment unscathed, or fade into the background unnoticed.

The comment struck too close to home, and I stared at the floor, unable to meet his scrutiny. "You’ve never met my father. He’s... just this huge presence. He can make you feel insignificant with