The Christmas Rental

by Hendricks, Savannah

  Lorelei fell back in her chair. “Wow, that’s bold. I guess I don’t know my aunt and uncle enough to say if this seems out of place. But I can handle it. I mean, they must’ve wanted me to do this for some reason, although it’s far from relaxing. When is this monstrous feast?”

  “In two days.” Tyler winced.

  “What?” Lorelei screeched as she scanned the document.

  Mary Ann started to cry, and she rushed to pick up her daughter.

  “I’m sorry, we both should have read it before you signed it.” Tyler clenched his teeth. "I assumed it was just some basic agreement."

  Lorelei attempted to calm her daughter, but it looked like she was trying to soothe herself with all the rocking as well. Knots twisted in his stomach. The pain in his back from the fall seemed like nothing compared to the burden on her face. “It’s not your fault. Neither of us expected this to occur. And I would have signed it regardless.”

  “It’s not a big deal. I can help you. We can do it after work tonight,” Tyler offered.

  “Thank you so much. I’d be grateful for any help you could give me.”

  Yet, worry remained creased in her face. “There is a slight problem with the feast requirement.” Lorelei rubbed her hand over her daughter’s hair. “I don’t . . . really . . . I’ve never cooked a turkey . . . or made the bean stuff.” She half-smiled. “I can make mashed potatoes.”

  Tyler placed his hands on his knees and squeezed. He indeed wanted and intended to help Lorelei, but he wasn’t sure how to break the news that he’d never cooked a turkey before either.

  Chapter 14

  “I’ll unload the groceries if you’ll please grab all the decorations?” Lorelei pulled three boxes of stuffing mix from a grocery bag. “The note said everything’s in the garage.”

  Tyler hoisted the last of the grocery bags onto the kitchen island. Yet again, Lorelei found herself staring at Tyler, losing her thoughts in the smile forming on his face. She noticed snowflakes resting on the shoulders of his black jacket and over the top of his hair. He could be a Hallmark Keepsake ornament.

  “Everything okay, Lorelei? You zoned out for a second there.” Tyler stepped toward her. “It’s been a long first day of work. Maybe you should rest with Mary Ann, and I can finish putting everything away.”

  Lorelei blinked hard. “No, it’s . . .” Just that she could not stop thinking about him. “Maybe you’re right, a long day.” She ran her hand over her shoulder. Of course, she had no idea why it’d felt like a long day. She’d only seen four patients. It was nothing like her regular days of intense, life-threatening injuries or the myriad of patients filtering into the hospital for care. She didn’t even have to deal with traffic, a busy grocery store, or rushing to the day care center to pick up Mary Ann before they closed. In fact, she’d enjoyed a leisurely lunch with Jodi in the kitchen, caught up on some medical articles, and helped put birdseed in the feeders on the back patio.

  Mary Ann kicked her feet in the high chair as Cider sniffed her way around the kitchen. The sun, although hidden by the clouds and snow all day, had set outside the windows as the landscape disappeared into darkness. While the heater and roof’s hole had been repaired, the house remained chilly, and Lorelei shivered.

  “Why don’t I start a fire? We can’t very well decorate for Christmas without one.” Tyler spun around, facing the fireplace.

  He noticed she was cold. That’s so sweet. “Out of wood inside. Please tell me some is stacked someplace,” she glanced toward the back patio. “Under cover.”

  Tyler pivoted back to the kitchen, then toward the rear French doors, and then the fireplace. “There should be some outside on the patio.”

  “We have so much to do.” She took both hands and ran them through her short hair. “It’s okay. We got this.” Lorelei straightened her posture. “I’ll get the groceries and wood. If you could please”—she pointed at Tyler—“handle the gathering of decorations.” At the clap of her hands, they both pivoted to their jobs.

  After unloading the groceries, she placed a bowl of water on the floor for Cider and heated a bottle for Mary Ann, who’d started to fuss. With her jacket and scarf still on, she passed Tyler on his way in with another load of boxes he was stacking up behind the couch. She exited through the half-open French door as the icy wind tickled her cheeks.

  A nice pyramid of chopped wood rested up against the patio under the windows. Lorelei lifted the small gray tarp protecting the logs from the dampness of the snow, but when she reached into the pile, a gust of wind caught hold of the tarp as though it were a kite. She shrieked and grabbed for the tarp, catching the edge of it, and held tight. Tyler appeared at the French doors, standing boldly in front of them.

  “Let me help you,” he stated. “I heard a gust of wind hit the house.”

  “Not my screech?”

  “Oh, I heard that, too,” he laughed and closed the door.

  She sighed and shuddered at the cold. “Could you please hold the tarp, and I’ll collect the wood,” Lorelei directed.

  He took the tarp’s edge from her, and she stepped sideways under his extended arm. Stacking six logs into the crook of her arm, she wobbled under the weight.

  “Are you sure I can’t help you?” Tyler asked, one hand reaching out for her.

  “Of course.” Lorelei fake smiled as snowflakes touched her lips. She reached the French doors and attempted to stretch her hand to the doorknob while supporting the stack. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Tyler covering his mouth.

  “Don’t laugh! Help,” she whined.

  “You said you were fine.”

  The log on top of her stack started to slide, and as Lorelei reached for it, she lost her grip on the entire armful, and the firewood crashed at her feet. She hung her head, but together they collected the logs, three each, and upon standing up straight, they paused, aware of how close their faces were. Between the Christmas lights casting off the forest of trees in the backyard and the lights shining out from inside the house, Lorelei was able to see the features of Tyler’s face perfectly clear. While she could picture him in her mind at any moment’s notice, she enjoyed being this close to him. With him near, she felt such comfort, a true feeling of trust. Not to mention, her heart skipped beats and sped up, too. She knew it was more than an attraction to Tyler’s attractive masculinity, but to his actual soul, his heart.

  “It’s a windy one tonight,” Tyler mentioned, without taking his eyes off hers.

  “Yes, the fire will be nice.” Lorelei found herself staring into his eyes, then at his lips, and then back at his eyes. A soft smile formed on his face, and she copied in response. Tyler didn’t smell of cologne, not like it wafted off of every man she’d dated in the city when the wind blew in her direction. How lovely, he doesn’t dip himself in scents. It pleased her more than she thought it might because she never thought about it until now.

  “Are you cold standing out here?” he asked.

  “Yes, very.” She nodded her head.

  “We should probably go inside.” He placed his hand on her arm and held the logs under his other.

  “Yes.” Lorelei squeezed her eyes shut as though to break the spell of his magic over her. “Yes, yes, inside.” She pivoted and opened the door.

  She needed to stop having these feelings because she and her daughter’s future were undecided, and the last thing she needed was a broken heart. After placing the wood into the fireplace, she gathered up some newspaper and wedged it underneath as Tyler set the logs he carried on the hearth.

  “Was that all the Christmas decorations?” She stroked the match and caught the paper on fire. Pushing herself up off her knees, Lorelei checked on Mary Ann, who’d sucked down most of her bottle. Cider laid next to the high chair. Her head rested on the edge between Mary Ann’s feet.

  “Yes, all the boxes I managed to find.” He glanced at the five jumbo boxes labeled Christmas Decor stacked behind the couch.

  “I know we have a million thin
gs to do, but I’m starving. Want to share the frozen pizza I picked up?” Lorelei headed into the kitchen, stopping to unbuckle and pick up Mary Ann. She wrapped her up in her arms.

  “Frozen pizza? Why don’t I run out to get pizza from Uncle Steve’s place?” Tyler suggested, poking the fire.

  “What do you have against frozen pizza?” Lorelei snuggled her face against Mary Ann’s cheek.

  “We have Uncle Steve’s pizza—Oakvale Pizza Pie.” Tyler rested his hand on top of one of the Christmas boxes. “You can’t tell me frozen is better.”

  “You’re right. I can’t. I had the ravioli. You had the pizza.”

  Tyler pushed his lips together, muffling a laugh. “Fair. I guess that means we can have frozen pizza tonight. Unless you’re up for heading into town.”

  “I would love to, but clearly, you forgot I desperately need help decorating this place and getting everything prepared for the Christmas feast.” As the words left her lips, stress settled into her stomach. Maybe it wasn’t hunger pains but an overwhelming feeling that she may not be able to pull off an Oakvale tradition.

  “Remember, you don’t have to do this.” Tyler’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

  “I know, but I want to, even if my uncle and aunt never find out. I think it’s important to do something for the community, and it will be a great sense of neighborliness.”

  “Together, we’ll make it happen, so wipe the worried look off your face.”

  She pressed her hand to her chest. “I don’t have a worried look . . . it’s hunger.”

  “Then toss that frozen circle in the oven, and let’s start decorating.” He reached his hands out for Mary Ann.

  The baby leaned toward Tyler and happily accepted him holding her as Lorelei preheated the oven and opened the cupboard, searching for stemware.

  “Since you won’t be driving for at least a few hours, can I pour us a glass of wine?” She rested her fingers around the cupboard’s handle. “Or, I do have some sparkling apple cider in the fridge.”

  “No contest, sparkling apple for sure.” He beamed like a five-year-old about to get three scoops of ice cream on his cone.

  Lorelei placed the frozen pizza on the oven rack, then filled two wine glasses with chilled cider. As she cupped the glasses by the stem and headed into the living room, she paused. Before her, Tyler had opened one of the boxes and held a small reindeer carved from wood. His voice was soft as he described the statue to her daughter. Lorelei leaned against the edge of the island, staring at the beauty in front of her. The fireplace glowed around them, and as she sipped the cider from her glass, every second of the task ahead melted away.

  She knew how great it would be to raise Mary Ann here and how much she needed to slow down and stop having her life taken away from too many hours at work. And she wanted to be more personable with patients, have a better understanding of their medical history. Not because of Tyler. No . . . maybe. And she needed to help Tyler achieve his dream, too. The plan rested in the back of her mind all day, trying to place itself front and center every time she thought of him. Only she didn’t have a solution yet.

  “Do you want me to take her back?” Lorelei asked as she approached to hand him his glass of cider.

  He took the glass but leaned his head back. “Of course not. I’m sure you could use a Mommy break.”

  She smiled shyly. “Thank you. Now, I know we need to decorate, but we can’t forget about the plan. Think of all the fun things in town you’ll miss if you’re gone on your trip. All the newly released books at the bookstore.”

  “I would miss out on many things over six months.”

  “I mean, if you’re going to support me to confronting my parents about my dream, and you pick your dream runner-up, then it contradicts the argument, doesn’t it.” She crossed her arms and tilted her head.

  “Okay, point taken.”

  “Great. Do you think during the feast would be a good time to talk to your parents about the bookstore? All the residents around might make it easier. They all seem to agree on how great you would be running the bookstore and would support you.”

  “I said ‘point taken’ as in I’d think about it. While you do make a valid point, it could be embarrassing if it backfires.” Tyler managed to take a sip of the cider without Mary Ann’s grubby fingers touching the glass.

  “You’re a tough holiday nut to crack. I guess you might be right, like when a guy proposes during a gathering and the woman says no.” Lorelei bared her teeth. “What about during the reading? The Christmas reading Sandy mentioned you do every year for the kids.”

  She took a seat at the edge of the fireplace hearth while Tyler set his cider on the coffee table and sat on the couch with Mary Ann. His brow furrowed as his eyes wandered the room.

  “You’ll be in your zone, your happy place.” Lorelei leaned forward. “Reading to the children will energize you and give you the strength. When you have attempted to speak with them about it in the past, have you been at work?”

  Tyler nodded and turned his attention to a silent game of peek-a-boo with her daughter.

  “So now you won’t be faced with the weight of the family business around you. When you’re in the bowling alley, you’re attached to everything there—everything you and your parents have become. Being at the bookstore will remove the connection element for your folks. I’m pretty sure I’m rambling now because I’m starving.” She gulped the cider.

  “I just don't know,” he hesitated.

  “I know you can’t have both, but even if you had all the money in the world, it wouldn’t help you speak honestly and openly with your folks.” Lorelei sighed. “I don’t want to pressure you. If you decide on the bookstore, Mary Ann and I will be your moral support. You can even hold her as your support baby.”

  Tyler glanced up from his peek-a-boo game. “It would make it a lot easier if I had support baby. I didn’t know I needed it, but now that I know about it, I must have it. A support baby.” He chuckled. “And what about your parents?”

  She tapped her finger just above her lip. “They’re coming on the twentieth.”

  “Also perfect. That’s the night of the reindeer decorating contest. The town will be in full celebration mode.”

  “Reindeer what?” Lorelei tilted her head.

  “Every year, the residents get together and decorate a reindeer. A fake one, not a real one.” Tyler sipped his cider while Mary Ann drifted to sleep on his chest. “Kind of like a snowman-making contest or gingerbread house contest.”

  “Sounds like a lot of fun. Where is it going to be?”

  “We take turns having it at residents’ houses. We held it at Sharon’s Café once, but everyone ended up eating cookies, and it took hours to complete.” Tyler took a sip of cider.

  Lorelei’s eyes widened. “Let’s have it here!”

  Tyler turned on the sofa. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.” She beamed. “Home field advantage must have some pull.”

  “You’ll need it if you want to beat my mom. She’s won five years in a row.”

  “Wow.” Lorelei leaned her head back onto the sofa pillows. “You think that’s a good time to—? I’m sorry, but how is that going to be the best time to convince my parents that being a small-town doctor is great?”

  “By then, you’ll know almost all the residents, and they'll all know you and Mary Ann. It'll give your folks a front-row seat to see the community we have here and maybe ease their worries.”

  Lorelei nodded in agreement. She didn’t want to put a damper on the mood, not with the strong smile on Tyler’s face. Maybe the reindeer contest would show her parents Oakvale was great, and then she could figure out if her uncle would indeed be retiring and hope a home went up for sale.

  Thankfully, the timer for the pizza buzzed, and she withdrew from her thoughts. “I think the plan for my parents will be tricky, but we have plenty to do in the meantime.” She removed the pizza from the oven with the assistance of an
oven mitt and the flattened pizza box.

  Tyler stood, a sleeping Mary Ann still on his chest. “Can I put her down?”

  “Oh, sorry, yes.”

  He pointed to the stairs.

  “Yes, in the crib upstairs is fine, on her back, of course.”

  Tyler nodded and headed up the stairs with Cider by his side. Lorelei located a knife and sliced the pizza. By the time he and Cider returned, the pizza rested on two plates, and she’d refilled the wine glasses with more sparkling apple cider. They stood on either side of the island, leaning over as their elbows rested.

  “Not too bad, I guess.” Tyler finished chewing his first bite.

  “I’m excited to try the pizza at Steve’s place. Maybe we could meet up for lunch?” Lorelei wiped her mouth.

  “Absolutely.”

  “Why don’t they call it Steve’s Place instead of Oakvale Pizza Pie?”

  “Great question.” Tyler raised his eyebrows. “The restaurant has been standing since the thirties, and the original owner wanted to see it with the same name. He feared that if he named it after himself and retired, the name change would prevent customers from coming in due to new management. He wanted to make sure that everyone enjoyed it for decades without feeling like a new owner would destroy a tradition. So every time it’s sold, it’s was written into the contract agreement. And thus, it remains Oakvale Pizza Pie.”

  “This town has a thing for contracts.” Lorelei shook her head.

  “It’s just how we like it. Now, where’s the turkey?” Tyler asked, taking another bite of pizza.

  “I put it in the freezer.”

  Tyler nodded. “Should it be in there?”

  “It came frozen, so I figured it’s like a pizza. Preheat the oven, cook from frozen. Don’t cha know, a turkey takes a long time to cook? Probably because it’s frozen.”

  “I should call my mom to double check.” Tyler glanced at the refrigerator.

  “What happened to teamwork?” Lorelei pouted.