Read Online Christmas Diamonds by Devon Vaughn Archer - Free Book Online

space.” Chase crinkled his eyes at her. “My dad was quite impressed with the great room.”
    Paula smiled graciously. “That’s nice to hear.” She remembered being slightly intimidated by Sylvester McCord, sensing that he would be a hard one to please. Instead, he had been very open-minded and a great client to work for, just as his son was turning out to be. “Are you and your father pretty close?” she asked Chase, curious.
    “Yeah, we’re tight,” he responded. “I can pretty much talk to him about anything, and he’ll actually listen.”
    “That’s wonderful.” Paula lifted her fork, ruminating. “What about your mother?”
    Chase paused. “The woman you met at my dad’s house is my stepmother. My real mother died when I was twelve.”
    Paula felt badly for him. “That must have been hard.”
    “Yeah, it was.” He absently moved the food around his plate. “Car accident.”
    Paula gasped. “I’m so sorry.”
    “For a while there it seemed like just a bad dream, and she would walk through the front door as though nothing had happened. But…she never did.” Chase choked back emotion. “Anyway, that was a long time ago. And I understand now that it was just her time.”
    Paula blinked. “I suppose you’re right, sad as that is.”
    “But my stepmother has been just like a mother to me,” Chase added.
    “That’s good to know,” Paula said.
    Chase ate a piece of salmon. “What about your parents?”
    “I never knew my father,” Paula said, wishing it weren’t true. “My mother sent me to live with my grandmother when I was five. We don’t see each other much these days.”
    This was one of Paula’s biggest regrets—not having her birth mother around to share the ups and downs of life with.But it wasn’t her choice. Her mother had decided she couldn’t handle raising a child on her own and had found someone else to take the responsibility.
    Chase’s brow furrowed. “Wow. Where’s your mother now?”
    “The last I heard, she was living with a man in the Bahamas.”
    “I’m sure you’ve struggled with her decision making. Losing a mother to tragedy is one thing, but if she’s still alive yet mostly absent from your life…”
    Paula stiffened. “I stopped feeling sorry for myself a long time ago. We all do what we have to do for whatever reason. I’ve just had to deal with it and move on with my life.”
    “Is your grandmother still alive?” Chase asked.
    “Yes, thank goodness.” Paula smiled at the thought. “She’s seventy-one years old and still has a lot of spunk. Isa has been my rock over the years.”
    “Well, that’s good.” Chase reached for a slice of bread. “Everyone needs such a person in their life.”
    “That’s true.” Paula felt they were both fortunate in that regard, as his father obviously filled this role in Chase’s life. But what about his romantic life? She sensed there was no one serious there right now, meaning he was on the market. So was she. The notion excited Paula. As did learning more about the handsome man before her.
    “So tell me about the diamond business?” she asked with fascination.
    Chase gazed at her. “What do you want to know about it?”
    “Well, what is it that you do, exactly? I mean, in terms a layperson can understand.”
    Chase leaned back thoughtfully in his chair. “As president of the company, I do a little bit of everything. I purchase diamonds and other gemstones, advise clients, promote the company, do a little design work and more.”
    “Sounds impressive.”
    Chase chuckled. “No big deal, really. I just do my job like anyone else.”

    “Have you done any other type of work?” Paula asked curiously.
    “In college, I worked at the front desk in my dorm, put in some all-nighters at a local grocery store and even did a little bartending.”
    “Hmm, so I imagine you were probably pretty good at getting those college girls drunk?” Paula teased.
    He chuckled. “Well, I usually knew when they