Good grief, it was true. Indulging in an affair when one party-and only one party-was in love did not bode well for the party in love. And that was her.

Before she could give the matter further thought, her phone rang with the buzz that indicated an interoffice call. She lifted the receiver, and her boss's deep voice greeted her, requesting she come to his office.

"It's regarding Jack Witherspoon and the ARC account," Adam said.

With butterflies flapping in her stomach, Jilly replaced the phone on its cradle, then hurried down the hall toward Adam's office. Adam's bland tone hadn't provided any clues as to whether he was about to impart good news or bad news. But either way, her career and life were about to change. She would either walk out of Adam's office as Matt's boss-or Matt's underling.

As she approached Adam's secretary's desk, Debra smiled. "Go right on in, Jilly. He's expecting you."

Forgoing the urge to press her hands to her jittery midsection, she knocked once, then entered. Her knees trembled a bit as she crossed the expanse of pale blue carpet, and she gratefully sank into the leather chair across from Adam.

He steepled his hands and regarded her with a grave expression that engulfed Jilly with a huge wave of foreboding.

"Well, Jilly, there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. I'm afraid you didn't get the ARC account."

Adam's words buzzed through her brain like a swarm of angry hornets. Disappointment lodged a golf-ball size lump in her throat. Damn. She'd wanted that account so much. Had worked hard for it, and had coveted the next step in her career that winning the account would have provided-not to mention the financial security the bonus would have brought her. Yet, mixed in with her disappointment was an unmistakable surge of happiness for Matt. His campaign and ideas for ARC were excellent, and if she couldn't have the account, she was glad he'd have it.

Clearing her throat to dislodge the lump, she said, "Naturally I'm disappointed, but Matt's ideas for ARC were innovative and cutting edge. I know he'll do a great job for ARC."

Adam nodded. "Yes, I'm sure he would have-as I'm sure you would have-had Jack Witherspoon chosen either of you, which unfortunately he did not."

Jilly stared. "I beg your pardon?"

Adam spread his hands in a "what can I say?" gesture. "In spite of the weekend at the winery, and putting my two best people after him-"

"You mean pitting your two best people after him," Jilly observed archly.

Adam shot her an unrepentant grin. "I did what I thought was best to increase Maxximum's odds of winning the account. Unfortunately we didn't win."

"Have you told Matt yet?"

"No. Ladies first."

"Who did Jack decide to go with?"

"A new exec with our chief competitor, the Enterprise Agency," Adam reported, "who recently joined Enterprise from the Opus Agency in L.A. A woman named Carol Webber."

Jilly froze at the familiar name. "Carol Webber? Have you met her?"

"Yes. Just this morning. Jack introduced us."

"Is she a tall, slim, attractive blonde with a small beauty mark above her lip?"

Adam nodded. "That's her." He shot her a curious look. "You know her?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Jilly quickly filled Adam in on Carol Webber, the "nurse" who'd charmed Jack at the winery. "Obviously she found out Jack was going to be there, and she showed up with the intention of luring him away from Maxximum," Jilly fumed.

"And she succeeded."

"I wonder what Jack's reaction was when she told him she wasn't really a nurse?"

"Clearly he wasn't all that devastated," Adam said dryly. He shrugged. "It's unfortunate, but we've both been in this business long enough to know that playing dirty often reaps results. And while I'm not happy about losing out on ARC's account, it's over and done with, and there are other potential clients to consider-which is the next thing I want to discuss with you. Millenium Airways has just signed on with us, and I'm looking for someone to head up their campaign. There's a sizable bonus involved, not to mention some free flights on the airline. There'd also be a lot of traveling involved with the account. You interested?"

Interested? In heading up a prestigious account like Millenium Airways? A bonus? Free flights? Travel? She'd be crazy not to be interested. It sounded incredible. So why was she hesitating? Yet even as she asked herself the question, she knew the answer.

"Listen, Adam, as much as I appreciate the opportunity, I think you should give the Millenium account to Matt."

Adam shot her a hawklike look. "Why is that?"

"Because he'd do a great job. I recall him once mentioning that he worked on Global Airways' last campaign at his previous firm, so he has experience with the airline industry. And even though Jack Witherspoon didn't choose Maxximum, Matt's ideas for ARC were brilliant. Personally, I think Jack made a huge mistake."

"Are you telling me that you think Jack should have chosen Matt's ideas over yours?" There was no mistaking the surprise in Adam's tone.

"I think we both came up with excellent ideas, but there was a simplicity to Matt's that really appealed to me. He's very talented." She smiled. "I am, too. But I think Matt is a better choice for Millenium Airways, therefore, I respectfully decline."

Adam's narrowed gaze seemed to cut right through her, and Jilly experienced the uncomfortable sensation that he could divine her thoughts. "Something happen last weekend I should know about, Jilly?"

"No. I just believe in assigning the best person to the job for the good of the company. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I think I'm the right person. In this particular case, however, I think Matt is."

"Well, I'll certainly take that under advisement." Adam stood, indicating their meeting was over. Jilly rose, shook his hand, then exited the office. She walked quickly to her cubicle where she gathered her overcoat, laptop and briefcase, then headed toward the bank of elevators. She had a meeting with a client in thirty minutes, but her thoughts were far away from the new ad campaign she was about to present. No, all she could think about was Matt, and what a great job he would do for Millenium Airways.


* * *

By the time Jilly left her client, it was nearly six o'clock. Since she was only three blocks from Penn station, she decided not to return to Maxximum's offices, but go directly home. She'd already called Kate and canceled their club hop. She was tired and her feet hurt. All she wanted to do was strip off her suit, throw on her rattiest sweats, and dig into the double chocolate brownie fudge ice cream beckoning her.

During both the short walk to Penn, then her thirty-minute Long Island Railroad train ride, she thought about Matt. Good grief, there could be no doubt that she loved the guy. If she didn't, she never would have done such an unprecedented thing as decline Adam's offer to head up the Millenium Airways account and suggest Matt for the position. But Matt deserved it. And he really was the best man for the job.

He's also the best man for you, her inner voice stated emphatically during the short drive home from the train station to her modest, Cape Cod house. Jilly heaved out a long sigh. Yes, he was. And over the course of this weekend, she planned to apply herself to formulating a plan of action for convincing Matt to resume their affair. Surely it shouldn't prove too difficult. He'd seemed open to the idea at the beginning of the week. Yes, being with him, and having to endure the eventual end of their affair would be painful, but, damn it, not being with him was already painful-so why not suffer with him instead of alone? One thing was for sure-it was time to cash in her chips and claim her prize. And as ill-advised as it might be, she wanted Matt for her prize.

She turned onto her quiet, tree-lined street. Holiday lights twinkled in windows, forcibly reminding her that tomorrow was Christmas Eve. The remnants of last weekend's snowfall coated the lawns with a blanket of white, bringing to mind a vivid, aching image of her snowball fight with Matt.

She slowed as she drew closer to her house, peering through the darkness at the black car-a very familiar black car-parked in her driveway. Her heart skipped a beat, then thumped hard.

With her insides quivering, she pulled in behind the Lexus. Almost immediately, the driver's door opened, and Matt climbed out. Her headlights played over him, dressed in a dark wool overcoat, a Burberry plaid scarf tucked around his neck, one hand jammed into his coat pocket while the other clutched a plain, brown shopping bag. He looked tall and beautiful and serious and good enough to eat. And here.

But why was he here? Well, she certainly wouldn't find out sitting in the car, and she definitely wanted to know. Drawing a bracing breath meant to calm her jangling nerves-and which utterly failed-she turned off her ignition. Be calm, be cool. Great advice. Only problem was she felt extremely uncalm and uncool.

Grabbing her purse and other belongings, she slid from the car, then bumped the door closed with her hip. Forcing a display of nonchalance that deserved not only an Oscar but an Emmy and a Golden Globe as well, she said, "Well, this is a surprise."

"Not an unpleasant one, I hope."

Jilly cocked a brow. "Depends on why you're here."

"I'd be happy to tell you-" his gaze drifted toward the house "-if you'd like to invite me in." When she hesitated he added, "It's kinda cold out here, and I forgot my gloves."

Another image of their snowball fight flashed through her mind. He'd forgotten his gloves then, too. The image was followed immediately by a mental picture of them kissing in the snow.