The Christmas Rental

by Hendricks, Savannah

  Chapter 19

  Tyler closed the front door after saying goodbye to his parents, who lingered the longest after the pumpkin and apple pie plates were scraped clean. Entering the living room, he found Lorelei and Mary Ann on the rug. The joy of discovering to crawl continued in full swing.

  “That was quite a turnout. You’d think everyone in town hadn’t eaten in weeks.” Tyler perched himself at the end of the couch. “I know you must be tired. I’ll help you clean up.”

  “I’m wide awake, surprisingly, and Mary Ann took such a long nap she’ll be up late.” Lorelei glanced back at the island and kitchen table. “There’s not much to clean up. I think a few pans, platters, and serving bowls need some soaking.”

  “I guess you’re right. I thought for a second people would start licking the platters clean.” Tyler made his way to the island, gathered the serving dishes, and placed them in the sink, pumping a smidge of soap into each one before turning the water on. Once everything was in position for an overnight soak, he dried his hands on the dish towel and snatched two mugs from the cupboard.

  “Do you want to make Christmas wreaths and have some hot cider?” He filled the kettle with water and placed it on the stovetop.

  “Yes, what a perfect way to end the night. Cider and wreath making.”

  The night was already beyond perfect from Tyler’s viewpoint.

  “I’m pretty sure my freedom days are numbered now that Mary Ann is somewhat mobile. She’ll only speed up from here.” She glanced up at the Hallmark ornament on the tree. “I’ll wipe down the table, and you can grab the wreath kit. Oh!” Lorelei’s eyes widened with anticipation. “Sharon’s cookies.”

  “Cider, wreaths, and sugar cookies, the perfect trio.” Tyler grabbed the white box with a red-and-green ribbon off the entryway table and the box containing the wreath materials and took them to the kitchen.

  Mary Ann squawked and babbled away as she made it off the rug and headed toward the kitchen, where Lorelei wiped down the table. Cider finished searching for any remaining food on the floor, then located Mary Ann and observed her in her new skill.

  “I can’t thank you enough for all your help for the feast. Really, for everything.” Lorelei smiled softly.

  “It’s been my pleasure.” He set the supplies on the table and took notice of Cider.

  His dog approached the baby with caution. First, Cider sniffed Mary Ann, and then lowered herself onto her stomach parallel to her. With each crawl forward, Cider copied, trying to mimic the motion.

  Tyler took a seat at the table opposite Lorelei and undid the ribbon from the cookie box. As he opened the lid, Lorelei leaned over, glimpsing inside. Frosted green Christmas trees and red globe ornaments filled the box. When he and Lorelei reached for a top cookie at the same time, their fingers touched. A spike of adrenaline coursed through his hand.

  “Sorry, you can have the first one. I’m acting as though I’ve never had one, and I’ve had enough to attend the ATSC meeting.” Tyler grinned.

  “ATSC?” She took the ornament cookie in her hand.

  “Addicted to Sugar Cookies.”

  Lorelei laughed as the kettle whistled, and she moved to quiet it. After mixing the cider, she returned to the table with two steaming mugs. The scent of crisp apples and cinnamon filled his nose.

  “I’m in the mood for a Christmas story. How about you.” Tyler snatched the Christmas tree cookie from the box and took a bite.

  “My Christmas story repertoire is probably nothing compared to yours.” She bit the cookie, and her eyes fluttered. “Mm, that’s delicious.”

  Running her fingers through her hair, she pushed it off the side of her face and glanced at the living room Christmas tree. “There was this one Christmas where Santa brought me the biggest chocolate-brown teddy bear I have ever seen in all my life. I couldn’t even carry it to my room without dragging it on the ground the entire way.”

  Picturing a childhood-size Lorelei with the same determined face she’d had at Paul’s Christmas Tree Farm, he smirked, holding the cookie up to his lips.

  “See, since I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor. And this jumbo bear would be my first patient. I did a checkup which involved getting close to his eyes, ears, and nose. I then took scissors to his limbs and snuck my grandma’s sewing kit into my room. Grandma Marie always carried a sewing kit with her in case something ripped during her stays with us. Anyways, I reattached each of the teddy bear’s limbs, and he went on to become my first successful operation story. There was this pride I had knowing the teddy bear was whole again because of my work, even if I was the one who’d made him need the surgery in the first place.”

  Tyler finished the cookie and brushed his hands together. “Great story, but not Christmassy. What else do you have?”

  Lorelei’s forehead creased as she lowered her head in regret. “Fine then, I will think of a more Christmassy story, but you must tell me one first.”

  He reached back into the box and pulled out an ornament-shaped sugar cookie. “Has to be even. I can’t eat a tree and not an ornament.”

  “I like your way of thinking.” She reached in and removed a Christmas tree cookie.

  With half a cookie hanging out of his mouth, Tyler unloaded the wreath supplies, laying them out on the table between them. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Cider and Mary Ann inching around in a circle between the living room and kitchen.

  “Let me think, a childhood Christmas story.” He took a sip of warm cider. “Yes, the year Dad put me in charge of the Christmas tree. I’d recently gotten my driver’s license, and my parents were big on the whole learn-to-be-an-adult stuff.” Tyler rolled his eyes. “We always picked out our Christmas tree at Paul’s farm, but this one year, my new shiny driver’s license year, they sent me alone. I drove out, searched for probably an hour for the perfect tree so I could prove I was capable of this adult stuff.”

  “Did you end up picking out a horrible tree?”

  “No, I picked out the perfect tree.” He nodded his head in agreement with his memory of the tree. “My focus was on tree selection and driving, causing me to completely disregarded the most important part—tying the tree to the vehicle.”

  Lorelei brought a branch of greenery to her nose and inhaled. He watched as she closed her eyes, taking in the scent. “Oh no, this doesn’t sound good.”

  “Exactly. How hard could it be to tie a tree to the vehicle? Apparently, more challenging than I’d thought. I must have pulled over five or six times on the way home to pick the tree up off the road and reattach it. Plus, back then, Paul didn’t wrap them up like he does now, so the branches were flapping about in the wind and snapping off every time it rolled off the top of the vehicle.”

  “I would have gone back and bought another tree.” Lorelei glanced over at her daughter and Cider, still within eyesight.

  “I wanted to, but my father specifically only gave me enough cash for one tree on purpose, and my wallet was empty since I’d already spent my own money on my parents’ Christmas presents. By the time I arrived home, the evergreen was bald in one section and broken in another section. My mom shoved the tree in the corner of the living room that year, showcasing the only good section left.”

  “See, you learned something, though. Both of these trees arrived perfectly here.” She stood, going to her daughter.

  “Indeed, I did.” He arranged the bare wreath circle on the table, removed the wire gage, and set them next to it. “It’s also why I now drive a truck with a bed and not a car.”

  “I feel like I’m ignoring her so much today.” Lorelei picked up Mary Ann, who protested with kicking legs and flailing arms, so she set her back down next to Cider. “Sorry, continue.” She returned to the kitchen table. “I guess with new skills come new protests.”

  Tyler chuckled and tilted his head, observing the duo on the floor. “I guess so. Alright, making a wreath is fairly simple. You’ll make small bunches and then wrap the wire around it to secure it to t
he frame. It’s simple enough for you to tell me Christmas story at the same time.”

  She gathered the greenery and holiday berries, making small bundles, then laid them on the wreath. With each one, she overlapped the last one like a professional. “Let’s see, okay, this is not a story from my childhood, but one from a few years back. I’ve always loved those vintage Christmas trees from the Victorian era with the candles and the draping of beads. Something my parents never did with their hip and modern city Christmas trees. The first year in my condo, and my first adult Christmas, I worked fifty hours or more a week. I decided what a great time to have the tree of my dreams finally.” Her face lit up. “It was Christmas Eve Eve. I’d gotten off work somewhat early and made a mad dash to snatch up a Christmas tree from the grocery store lot. There were only a few left and they were rather dried out. I had this tiny car at the time, since I didn’t have Mary Ann, so I took a cab there and back. Let me tell you how much cab drivers love hauling Christmas trees.”

  “Zero percent.” Tyler glanced up from his wreath making.

  “Exactly. So, I helped the driver attach the tree to the roof of the car, but I didn’t have enough string, so I had to hold onto it with my arm out the window, while snow is falling inside.”

  He didn’t want to laugh out loud, but picturing this story was too much, and his body shook as he buckled over with laughter. “I’m sorry, go on.” Tyler clenched his jaw, but it didn’t help as the laughter continued. “Okay, now I’m done.”

  Lorelei leaned toward the table. Her eyes glistened in the light as though the stars were created in them. “No, it’s okay, it was hysterical. Thankfully, traffic was limited, and once we untangled the tree from the cab, I only had to drag it from the lobby door to the elevator. After I fought with the tree stand for forty minutes, the tree was up. Not straight, but up.”

  Tyler nodded. “Of course.”

  “I’d been collecting ornaments, candles, and strings of beads for a few years. Talk about planning, because I definitely had been. The tree leaned but was straight enough to hang decorations on, and while I was exhausted, I had to finish this tree. My parents were on their way, and I wanted to show them how great it looked since they’d refused my childhood requests all those years. I placed the candles on the branches and, because I have zero patience, I lit them. It was beautiful. The ambiance I’d dreamed of for so many years finally came true. Well, as you’re aware, back in the Victorian era, those candles caught a lot of trees on fire, and my dried-up grocery store lot tree was no exception. The heater kicked on, and the tree was right near a vent. It blew a candle’s flame up against a branch, and the peaceful glow turned into an inferno. I snatched the flame retardant tree skirt and threw it over the flames. Thankfully, I only lost a small chunk of the tree and nothing more, like my entire living room.”

  “They make fake, safe candles to put on Christmas trees,” Tyler stated.

  “Yes, but those don’t look the same. Authenticity is hard to pass up.”

  “You have a point there.” He noticed Lorelei had completed the wreath. She was authentic to him in every way. Something he didn’t think he would ever find. It was like she was meant to be a part of Oakvale. And a part of his life, too.

  She held up the wreath. “You know what would look great at the bottom?”

  Tyler paused for a second. “A candle.” He smirked.

  Lorelei slapped her hand on the table. “No, most definitely not a candle! A bow.” She shook her head, but he saw her blushing as she whispered, “A candle.”

  Chapter 20

  Upon returning to the office the day after an unexpected day off, thanks to the Christmas feast, she burst through the door with more joy than anticipated. Jodi startled and jumped from her chair behind the reception desk.

  “I’m sorry to startle you,” Lorelei said with a rueful twinge and clenched her teeth at Mary Ann wrapped tightly in her arms. Her daughter babbled when she saw her mom making a funny face.

  “Shucks, it’s okay, Lorelei. Last night was such fun. I’d be all smiles, too.” Jodi beamed, hurried over, and snatched Mary Ann from her arms.

  “How many calls were on the voice mail?” Lorelei asked while handing over her daughter.

  “Zero.” Jodi tilted her head as though the question didn’t make sense.

  Every single day of Lorelei’s career as a doctor was taken up by other doctors, nurses, and patients. Somebody required something from her every second it seemed. From the moment she parked her car in the hospital’s parking garage until she started the car up to go home, someone needed her. Even lunch breaks were more of a catch-up-on-patient-notes-while-holding-a-sandwich-over-the-laptop affair than an actual break from working. Bathroom visits were often few and far between as well. Sometimes she swore her eyeballs were floating as she rushed down the hall.

  “Zero?” Lorelei’s face wrinkled with confusion.

  “Yes, they knew we were closed because of the feast. You do have three appointments today. Anyone who needed something yesterday will come in today or would have called if needed. But let’s hope not because everyone seemed healthy at your place last night.”

  Lorelei leaned forward. “Will it be bad? Everyone rushing in upset about the office being closed?” She glanced back at the door.

  “Rushing in? Who’s rushing in? No.” Jodi shook her head and turned to make a silly face at Mary Ann in her arms. “Your mommy needs to remember this isn’t the ER or the big city, now, doesn’t she? Yes, she does.” Jodi glanced up. “Can I put on some coffee for us?”

  “I’ll brew up some. You have your hands full.” She sighed with relief that there was not a stack of messages to handle before coffee.

  As she filled the carafe with water and leveled off the coffee grounds, Lorelei noticed how her shoulders felt. They were not tense or climbing up to her ears. Her jaw was loose instead of sore from grinding her teeth in her sleep. Her entire mood matched that of a spring morning with the warm sun coming up and a light breeze causing the flowers to sway.

  Looking out the kitchen’s French doors, she noticed snow drifting down in gentle flakes. While winter continued outside, spring happiness filled her as the coffee dripped into the carafe. Tyler sprung into her thoughts, and she allowed it. She missed him. Sure, the clock on the coffee maker read 9:05, and yes, she’d spent all of yesterday with him, but her heart missed him already. Should she miss him? Was it wrong to miss his company?

  Lorelei didn’t want to know the answer as she filled two Christmas mugs with coffee and walked out into the waiting room. She found Jodi sitting in the faux leather chair in front of the woodstove with a picture book on her lap, reading to Mary Ann.

  “You’re great with her. I can’t thank you enough for all your help.” Lorelei set Jodi’s coffee mug on the small end table near the chair.

  “Thank you. I’ve always loved children. And Oakvale is the perfect place to raise them.”

  “How long have you been working for Dr. North?” Lorelei wrapped her hand around her mug and sat in a chair near Jodi.

  “Since I was seventeen years old.” Jodi’s eyes widened as though saying aloud how long she’d had the job surprised her. “I started coming over after school my senior year. I did little things. Filing charts, straightening the rooms, cleaning. Dr. North always saved the Christmas decorating for me, too.”

  “How nice it is to have found a job you love.” Lorelei sipped her coffee.

  Jodi’s vision wandered the room around them. A smile warmed her face. “Indeed, it is wonderful.”

  Mary Ann started to fuss, and no amount of rocking from Jodi quieted her. Jodi handed the baby to Lorelei, who clumsily took her daughter, setting her mug on the hearth.

  “Maybe I’ve lost my touch.”

  “She had a long night. Don’t worry. She’s still smitten with you. When I see you with my daughter, your entire body shifts. Your soul lights up. Mary Ann can sense that, too.”

  “Thank you. Say, do you mind if I mention
something?” Jodi returned to her desk with a mug of coffee and flopped into the chair.

  “Of course.” Lorelei held her daughter on her left side, and between sips of coffee, scanned her cell phone with her pinkie.

  “Don’t take offense to this, but you need to relax.” Jodi’s lips formed a straight line.

  Lorelei choked on her coffee. Jodi sprang up and ran to her. Lorelei set the mug down and covered her mouth with the cell phone as the receptionist patted her back. “Sorry,” she finally sputtered, “what exactly do you mean?”

  “Sorry, Boss Lady, I only meant that you are always go-go-go. Look, you’re on your phone instead of enjoying your coffee and time with your daughter. Since you started here, you’ve created things to do that don’t need to be done. Yesterday you dusted un-dusty items, your eyes are glued to your phone every free second, and you walk like you're always late.”

  “It’s called multitasking. And look, I’m not wearing scrubs.” Lorelei scrunched her nose up and glanced down at her puffy rose-colored sweater and jeans. “I feel less stressed, but I guess maybe old habits are hard to break, especially when I have no idea what January brings.”

  Mary Ann placed her infant fingers on her mom’s hair and clenched her fist around the strands. “Ouch, baby.”

  Jodi came to the rescue, unwrapping Mary Ann’s fingers from her mom’s hair. “I’ve been thinking about the little pickle you’re in.”

  “You have?”

  “You still haven’t seen the upstairs.” Jodi snatched her coffee mug off the desk and waved Lorelei over. “Come on. There’s plenty to see.”

  She shifted Mary Ann in her arms and followed Jodi up the steps with a wool broadloom carpet runner held down by brass stair rods. The darkly stained hardwood floors appeared well kept as they made their way onto the second-floor landing. The end of the hall boasted a stained-glass window with a small bench built directly into a nook. To her immediate right was a door, and off to the left three more closed doors. Jodi clicked on the hall light at the switch.