The Christmas Rental

by Hendricks, Savannah

  The women, bundled up in jackets and scarves, approached the table, removing their gloves simultaneously.

  “You must be John and Joanne. I’m Sharon.” She hoisted a small white box with a green-and-red ribbon on it toward them. “I brought you my famous Christmas sugar cookies. You’re more than welcome to come to my café, but I figured this would tide you over until then. Maybe as a midnight snack.”

  John stood and took the box. “Thank you. That’s very kind of you, Sharon.” He set the box near his utensils.

  “I’m Jodi. I work with your daughter. She and Mary Ann are a pleasure to have in the office.” Jodi began to reach out her hand to shake theirs but quickly retracted it.

  “Mary Ann?” Joanne continued to study the menu. “What does she mean, Lor?”

  “I take Mary Ann with me to work,” Lorelei mumbled as her daughter swatted at the menu and sent it flying off her high chair.

  “You must be kidding,” Joanne inquired in a tone Lorelei associated with school report card day when she received a B instead of an A.

  She noticed Jodi and Tyler gave each other a panicked look. Sharon picked the menu up off the floor and set it on a nearby empty table.

  “Jodi is excellent with kids.” Lorelei fanned herself with the menu. Why was it so hot in there?

  “We don’t doubt that, but it’s a place of business, Lor. You can’t have a baby in a place where you’re running a business.” John’s eyes traveled toward Steve, balancing a tray. “What do you think your uncle would say about it?”

  “Here’s your wine.” Uncle Steve set two glasses of red in front of Joanne and John. “And here’s the warm water for your baby girl.”

  “Thank you.” Lorelei smiled while watching her parents inspect the drinks in front of them as though they might contain poison.

  “Oofta, your cider!” Uncle Steve declared and hurried back to the kitchen.

  “If I may.” Tyler eyed Lorelei as though checking for permission.

  She nodded her head slightly with approval. Please save me, Tyler, she thought.

  Tyler continued, “Dr. North wouldn’t have an issue with Mary Ann being at the office. Oakvale doesn’t have a day care center. Families help out families. The school is excellent and does have superb after-school activities for when Mary Ann is older.”

  John chuckled. “When Mary Ann is older? Why would you think she’ll be here when she is of school-age?”

  Tyler cleared his throat and ran his hand over his mouth. “What I mean is when Mary Ann is ready for preschool and if she happened to be here then . . .” He tugged on his ear. “I mean, clearly she isn’t old enough. I just thought if this was in the future. And we might have a day care center soon. There is a need; just have to get everything in order.”

  Lorelei’s heartbeat sounded like it was hooked up to a heart rate monitor in the ER that beeped for all to hear. She knew Tyler meant well.

  “What Tyler means is that other kids here, that were once Mary Ann’s age, are now in after-school programs, and the schools are great.” Well, that wasn’t any better.

  “I love watching Mary Ann. The doctor’s office is never busy to the point where I can’t handle a child and answer a phone call or walk-in.” Jodi knelt next to Mary Ann, who happily sucked away on her freshly prepared bottle.

  “That’s fine, but a baby doesn’t belong in a doctor’s office, regardless of the location’s population.” Joanne’s posture was perfect in the chair, even at the end of a long day. “Not that any of that matters since you’ll be back home shortly.”

  “Lorelei is a blessing to this town,” Sharon marveled.

  Another burst of cold air wafted in when the restaurant door opened, and Richard and Arlene shuffled inside. Arlene spotted the forming group around the table and waved.

  “Hi,” Richard cheered, approaching the table. “I’m Tyler’s dad, Richard. You must be Lorelei’s folks.” He shoved his hand out with enthusiasm at John, shaking it.

  Her parents’ faces held perplexed looks.

  “I’m Arlene, Tyler’s mom.” Walking around the table, she grasped Joanne’s hand, cupping her other hand over the top. “Welcome to Oakvale. It’s a wonderful place, especially to raise a family. We love having your daughter and Mary Ann here with us. We can tell how happy Lorelei is as the town doctor. Her knowledge continues to impress each patient she sees.” Arlene moved toward Tyler and reached her arms around him, hugging him from behind.

  “Thanks, Mom.” Tyler patted her arm.

  Joanne leaned forward in her chair. “That’s nice, and thankfully she can use those skills where they’re most needed, at the hospital. The patients at the hospital are the lucky ones.”

  “Our nearest hospital is over in Booth, about forty-five minutes out, so we're blessed more to have your daughter her to bridge the gap.” Arlene encouraged sternly.

  Uncle Steve made his way to the table and set down Lorelei and Tyler’s chilled apple cider. She picked up her glass and took a long sip. The entire town slowly flooded through the restaurant, clearly trying to help her out. Tyler must have set everything up, but she still didn’t have the courage she needed. She needed to be firm with her parents, but she wasn’t ready yet. There were still shortcomings she needed to work out, and she refused to lay her dream out in the open for them to reject and insist she head back to Minneapolis that very night.

  “We hope you’ll be joining us for the reindeer decorating contest,” Arlene encouraged.

  “You decorate reindeer? Isn't that against some sort of animal law?” John asked, making a face as he sipped his red wine.

  “Heavens, no, they’re not real reindeer,” Richard chuckled. “They are made of sticks and twigs.”

  Lorelei set her glass down. “I thought that wasn’t until—”

  “It’s tomorrow,” Sharon emphasized to Lorelei as all the residents standing around the table nodded their heads in agreement.

  “We’ll have to see. Now, if you will excuse us, we should be ordering supper. It’s been a long day.” John stood as though to dismiss the crowd.

  “John.” Joanne looked up at him. “It might be the only thing this town does for all of December and thus might be the only thing we’ll have to keep us busy.”

  Suddenly, Lorelei wondered how well the Christmas feast she held would have gone over if they’d been there. Her dad would’ve chuckled at the thought of her cooking anything not from a box. Although technically, the stuffing had come from a box. And her mom would’ve insisted on hiring a professional chef.

  Kim entered the establishment and shook the snow from her hair. “Hi, everyone,” she beamed.

  John’s eyes widened as he sat back down, letting out a sigh.

  Everyone standing around the table, including Lorelei and Tyler, wore jeans while John had on pressed gray slacks and Joanne a long navy-blue dress. This is backfiring quickly. Lorelei needed to get Tyler’s attention but didn’t know how to do it discreetly. Her parents were not happy. She’d caught them sharing a glance. A glance Lorelei had seen in the past when they’d discussed her dates. The opposite of what needed to happen was occurring. Every resident coming in to make them feel welcome was only causing them to feel bothered.

  As Kim approached the table, Mary Ann decided she wanted nothing to do with her bottle and chucked it as though she were a pitcher in the World Series. The restaurant fell silent as they stood in shock. Lorelei lowered her head into her hands for a brief moment in hopes of gathering her composure.

  “Hi, I’m Kim. My sister, Diane, and I run the thrift store across the street. It’s more like an antique store,” Kim paused, but Lorelei’s folks didn’t move a facial muscle. “Anyways, we’d love to have you stop by, browse around, and offer you a discount on purchases.”

  If there was one thing her mom liked, it was antiques. When she was a child, they’d go from store to store on a Saturday, searching for the latest finds. And Minneapolis had at least ten antique stores to satisfy Joanne’s shopping h
abits. Maybe there was a silver lining after all with Kim and Diane’s store. Lorelei needed them in a good mood for when she announced she was leaving the ER.

  “Thank you, Kim. That sounds lovely.” Joanne reached for her wine glass.

  When Lorelei raised her head back up, Mary Ann’s empty bottle sat on the table, and Tyler stood rocking her near the table. She stared at them, such a peaceful moment amongst a crowd of residents and her unhappy parents. How could they look around and not have smiles on their faces right now? Everything went silent in Lorelei’s ears as she gazed at her daughter and Tyler holding her. Okay, she definitely found him handsome, she could say that for certain. She could admit it to herself as long as it wasn’t said aloud because then things would become even more complicated.

  “Do you know what you want?” Tyler’s voice broke through her thoughts.

  She nodded with a shy smile though she was unfocused, her mind fuzzy with contemplation.

  “To order, for supper?” Uncle Steve asked, standing next to Tyler.

  Lorelei squeezed her eyes shut firmly before opening them with a slight head shake. “Yes, supper, right. Let me try the pizza this time. Cheese only, please.”

  “And for you, John?” Uncle Steve turned to her dad.

  “I’ll try the chicken parmigiana.”

  Before Steve could finish writing down the order, Joanne said, “I’ll have the bruschetta.”

  Steve scribbled faster onto the pad.

  “And I’ll have my regular, thank you,” Tyler said to Uncle Steve as he continued to rock Mary Ann.

  Kim joined the rest of the crowd around the table. The group stood there awkwardly until the sound of harmonizing voices grew louder and louder from somewhere in the distance. Lorelei spun around in her chair toward the restaurant’s windows. A group of four people appeared, wrapped up in matching red scarves and donning black caroler hats.

  When she turned back around, Tyler gave her a thumbs-up out of view from her parents, and his dimple showed.

  Lorelei stood up at the same time as Uncle Steve headed back to the kitchen with their food orders. “Tyler, may I borrow you for a second? I had a question about a photo back here.” She took him by his elbow and led him to the back of the restaurant.

  She watched as Arlene, Richard, and the rest of the residents leaned forward toward the table, possibly attempting small talk with John and Joanne.

  “What’s going on?” Lorelei whispered as the voices of the carolers grew louder once they entered the restaurant, singing “Carol of the Bells.” The scent of oregano, tomatoes, and fresh dough wafted past her nose.

  “Too much? I thought this would be helpful, everyone coming in to introduce themselves. Show a real sense of community, and demonstrate how much we love having you here.” He provided a clenched-teeth smile. “Sharon thought of the carolers.”

  Lorelei sighed and took Mary Ann from him. “Thank you for all of this, but it’s coming off staged and not . . . real. And I know this town is real, but this”—she motioned with her eyes toward the growing crowd around their table—“is not Oakvale. I mean it is, but not this level.”

  Tyler’s shoulders slumped. “Oh.”

  Reaching a hand out, she placed it on his arm, feeling his bicep on accident, causing her to forget what she was about to say.

  “Don’t let my bowling muscles fool you.” He flexed. “I’m pretty strong.”

  “Funny guy. Look,” she smirked, dropping her hand, “my parents might not like the wine, but they'll love the food. It’s amazing, and this town is, too. And I didn’t even think about Kim and Diane’s store. My mom will be happy for at least a few hours. But maybe we need to ease them into everything slower than the current blitz happening at table four.”

  “That’s table three.” Tyler tilted his head and winced. “Sorry, not the time for jokes. You’re right. Honestly, I had good intentions. Do you think the reindeer contest will be good?”

  “Yes, I think it should help. We’ll get a good meal in them, hope they sleep well, and then tomorrow we’ll meet up for the reindeer thing. Where is the contest held? The bookstore?” Lorelei kissed her daughter’s forehead.

  “Let’s do it at your place.”

  She glanced at her parents and the residents surrounding the table. “Yes, perfect.”

  Lorelei headed back to the table with a slight hop in her step, and Mary Ann bounced on her hip. The carolers stood near the door’s entryway, continuing to harmonize.

  “Is everything alright, Lor?” Joanne asked once the carolers ended their song.

  “Couldn’t be better.” Lorelei set Mary Ann in the highchair. Never in her life had staying in a rental been so much fun.

  Chapter 27

  Tyler carried his Santa-themed mug of coffee to the living room window of his home. As he sipped, he admired the snowflakes trickling down, softly adding another layer to what was already on the ground. Hopefully, it would let up a bit so everyone could make it to Lorelei’s in the afternoon for the reindeer contest.

  Cider finished her breakfast and took up her spot on the faux leather couch. He set his mug on the coffee table, gave his dog a quick pat, and snatched a log from the rack. Opening the wood stove’s door, he tossed it in.

  Tyler glanced at the lit Christmas tree next to his overstuffed built-in bookcase. For some reason this year, the tree had huge gaps where more ornaments could fit. The downside to upsizing the tree. While he pondered how to fix the shortage, he glanced over at the breakfast nook. The box of décor for the reindeer contest sat on the table.

  Hopefully, today would go better than yesterday with Lorelei’s parents. They hadn’t found the wine at Steve’s to their liking, or so it seemed. But they’d enjoyed the food, which was a massive win, and had left the restaurant with huge smiles on their faces.

  As he stood in the middle of his home, he could see the entire first floor and the staircase to the second floor. He thought back to when he’d bought the house. It’d been a complete gut job. The previous owner was a single woman who’d inherited it from a grandmother she’d never met. Town history showed the grandma as the original owner, and the builder of the cabin-like home had been her late husband. Once inherited, the woman from Texas moved in, but the Minnesota winters proofed to be too much, and she put it up for sale the following spring before moving back to Texas.

  He took another sip of coffee. The smell of balsam fir from the Christmas tree and the scent of cinnamon filled the room. Tyler always tossed a few cinnamon sticks into the wood stove to create a warm atmosphere during Christmastime.

  Upstairs remained as bare as when he’d first moved in. There were a total of two bedrooms and one full bath upstairs. Most nights, Tyler found himself drifting off to sleep on the couch with a book rather than sleeping in the bedroom. The main bedroom had become more of a movie theater as it held the only television in the house. Cider and Tyler would munch on popcorn and kick back on the bed, opting to watch a classic movie over a new one. While the house was small, it worked for him, for now.

  The wind howled outside, breaking Tyler from his thoughts before Lorelei and Mary Ann popped into them. Blowing snow passed by the windows, and doubt set into his stomach.

  “Let’s hope this passes, Cider. We need the reindeer contest to happen. Lorelei and Mary Ann need it to happen.”

  Cider lifted her head off the couch as though to ask why.

  “The more we show the Parkers how committed the community is to Lorelei and how happy their daughter is running the doctor’s office, the better chance Lorelei has to change their minds.” He moved toward the couch and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees.

  Something blue caught Tyler’s eyes outside through the snow, and he stood up. Between the crackle of the fireplace and the wind, he didn’t hear anything. Lorelei’s sedan was parked next to his truck, and her fluffy scarf blew in the wind gusts with each step she made toward his porch.

  Tyler set his mug down and bolted to the door, throwing it
open. Snow drifted in as Lorelei made her way up the front steps.

  “Tyler! Thank goodness you’re home!”

  “Lorelei, what are you doing here? You should’ve called.” Tyler took her arm as she nearly blew away, walking up the steps.

  Once inside, she said, “I tried to call on my way here but couldn’t get a signal with my cell phone. The heater at the house went out again, and the firewood is nearly gone.” She took a deep breath, shook the snow from her coat and stomped her boots on the doormat. “Your address was on the fridge. I hope you don’t mind.” Lorelei glanced at Tyler, but then her mouth fell open. “Wow, your home, it’s . . . beautiful.”

  Moving her hand from her scarf to her chest, she stared. Cider jumped from the couch and greeted Lorelei by sitting at her feet. Without looking down at the dog, Lorelei gave Cider a few pets then stepped farther into the living room.

  “It smells divine in here.” Lorelei smiled and closed her eyes.

  “Thank you.” Tyler stepped up behind her.

  He noticed she took a deep breath before she opened her eyes again. Lorelei being in his home caused nervousness to well up inside him. Since he rarely dated, his parents, Jodi, and a few neighbors were the only ones to ever to stop by. A desire to impress Lorelei came out of nowhere. But he knew it was not about himself or even the stature of his home. He wanted her to feel welcome and comfortable. He didn’t want this to be the first and last time she came through his front door.

  “Come in, have a seat.” Tyler motioned toward the couch. “Would you like some coffee?”

  Lorelei gazed around the room as she nodded yes. He poured some coffee into a snowman-themed mug. When he handed her the coffee, he noted the innocence in Lorelei’s eyes spread over her entire face as though light grew from inside. Her eyes, a soft shade of blue with hints of sage at the edges, caught in the fire’s glow.