Christmas Wish

by Jill Sanders

  She listened as he talked about moving around Europe for the first year after he’d left, explaining how he’d working odd jobs before returning to the States and, thanks to running into the right man on the airplane home, purchasing a defunct business in Chicago with his savings.

  “It was luck really. George had been looking to offload the old building and thought he’d found a sucker when he met me.” Simon chuckled. “I ran into him a month after I sold the property for twice what I paid him for it and let him know my fortune.” Simon chuckled. “The man actually offered me two more properties he couldn’t get rid of. I purchased one, a strip mall, and flipped it to a church for triple what he got out of me.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Laura’s mother said warmly as she nibbled on her Caesar salad. “And now? What are you doing back in Colorado?”

  Simon’s eyes moved to hers. “I’ve got a project a little closer to my heart.”

  She felt her heart skip at the way his eyes searched her own.

  “He’s building a foster care facility in the old Coors building,” she blurted out.

  “That’s what has been going on there. I’ve been wondering who purchased the place. There’s been a lot of work going on at the property for the past year.” Her mother frowned. “You’ve been back for over a year and didn’t stop to look us up?”

  Laura saw Simon wince. “I only returned myself last week. I purchased the place sight unseen. Well, I remembered it from when I was here before, but I’ve been coordinating everything from Chicago while I liquidated my assets up there.”

  “So, you’re here to stay?” her mother asked, her eyes moving over to Laura’s for a flash.

  “I am,” he answered easily.

  The simple words from him had her heart skipping with joy. But she was still pissed at him for taking off.

  “Where are you staying?” her mother asked.

  “I purchased a place in the hills overlooking Golden.”

  Her mother’s eyebrows shot up. “Where abouts?”

  “Indian Paintbrush Drive.” He shrugged. “The place has great bones, but it’s dated.” He glanced towards Laura. “Maybe I’ll convince your daughter to help me update it after she’s done working on the facility.”

  She swallowed the knot that had formed in her throat. She knew the area. Indian Paintbrush Drive was an expensive street that overlooked Golden. Homes up there usually ran in the millions, even though some had been built more than twenty years ago.

  “You’re doing that well for yourself?” her mother asked with a warm smile. “We’re so happy for you.” She reached across and patted his hand. “Aren’t we?” she asked Laura.

  Instead of answering, Laura nodded her head.

  “If possible, I’d like to swing by the facility and take a look for myself?” her mother asked Simon.

  “We’re having some of the furniture your daughter has ordered delivered next week. I can give you a call and meet you there?” Simon offered.

  “That would be wonderful.” Her mother set down her glass and sighed. “Now that all the pleasantries are out of the way…” Her mother’s eyes narrowed, and Laura knew instantly what was coming. “How about you tell us, your family, why you took off in the first place?”

  Simon moved to open his mouth just as Laura’s cell phone went off. Glancing at the screen and seeing her brother’s information pop up, she groaned. “I have to take this.” She hit answer as she stepped out of the booth and made her way towards the front door.

  “Hey, what’s up?” she asked.

  “Sorry to bug you during lunch, but there are some issues with the McCall’s furnishings. Amy will explain the details when you get there, but there’s a showing in less than an hour. We need you to swing by and replace the list of items I’m sending you… now.” Her phone chimed.

  She glanced down at the text message and groaned as she glanced back at the booth where Simon was busy telling her mother everything she’d hoped to hear.

  “Think you can handle it?” her brother asked her when she put the phone back to her ear.

  “Yeah,” she said and hung up quickly. She made her way back to grab her coat and explained she had to leave.

  For the next half hour, she rushed from store to store finding new chairs, a couple of lamps, and several paintings, then got it all in place at the McCall’s home. She finished replacing the items moments before the showing, thankfully.

  It wasn’t the first time she’d watched her sister-in-law work to sell a home, but it was the first time a couple made an offer on the home while she stood there.

  Seeing the entire sales process was thrilling.

  “Congratulations on the sale,” she told Amy once the older couple had left.

  “Thanks.” Amy smiled and leaned back in the chair, a chair Laura had picked out for the home a week earlier. The property, a million-and-a-half-dollar home that was nestled in the foothills and had sat empty for over a year, had desperately needed her help. Not only had she ordered new paint and filled it with rental furniture, she’d had to have the place professionally cleaned before stepping foot in it. Apparently, the couple had hoarded pets and had let the place go back to the bank. Thanks to her, they were getting a fat commission from the sale.

  “Thanks for coming through for us,” Amy said as she glanced around the home. “You have such a knack for taking an empty space and making it into something people can envision themselves in.”

  “Thanks.” She moved away from the view of the hills surrounding the home and turned back to Amy. “Simon asked me to help decorate his place.”

  Amy’s eyebrows rose slightly. “And?”

  “And then my brother called me to fix this mess.” She glanced around. “What happened here? This stuff was delivered and set up last week. Why are there suddenly missing items?”

  Amy sighed. “There was a break-in last night.”

  “What?” Laura glanced around the place, instantly worried.

  “The police have come and gone and assured us that they would find whoever broke in.”

  “So, the items were taken?” She frowned, remembering the more expensive items that hadn’t been replaced.

  “Well, no, the items that you had to replace were destroyed. Someone went through and smashed a few things, as if they were upset or looking for something in particular.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.” She glanced around. “Doesn’t this place have a security system?”

  “Yes, a fancy one, at that. But apparently it was shut down somehow. The company is looking into it, but…” Amy shrugged, then leaned on the table. “So, how are things going with you and Simon? Have you thought about my idea to pay him back?” she asked with a smile.

  “Things are going good and, no, I don’t think that anything I could do to him would equal the pain he put me through. Besides, I just don’t think I could do that to someone. It’s not like I hate him…”

  Amy chuckled. “I didn’t hate your brother when he came back into my life either. Despised, yes, but hate?” Amy shook her head. “But there was some sweet payback when I knew that he’d gotten locked in the stairwell for a few minutes.” She chuckled.

  “Remind me to never piss you off,” Laura joked.

  “They were all harmless little things that your brother had put me through as a child.” Amy shrugged.

  “He was terrible before the divorce,” Laura remembered.

  She saw Amy sober up. “Yes. I didn’t know back then everything the pair of you, really, the three of you, had lived through.”

  Laura shrugged. “Logan got the worst of it, really.”

  “Yeah.” Amy sighed and stood up, and then turned sheet white. She would have hit the floor if Laura hadn’t rushed forward and grabbed her and forced her to sit back down.

  “I guess I shouldn’t have skipped lunch,” Amy said, resting her head in her hands.

  “Dizzy?” she asked, sitting next to her.

  “A little light-headed.” A
my shook her head.

  Laura smiled. “Any chance you’re pregnant?”

  Amy glanced up at her. “N-no.” She shook her head again. “I just finished my period.” She sighed. “I wish… but… no.”

  “Some women continue to have their periods during pregnancies,” Laura said. “My mother was one of them. She told me the horror story of not knowing that she was pregnant with Simon until someone asked how far along she was. By then, she was five months pregnant.”

  “Really?” Amy asked as she ran a hand over her stomach. “Do you think…”

  “It would be worth a trip to the drug store.” Laura touched her sister-in-law’s hand. “Unless you’ve passed out when you skipped lunch before.”

  Amy frowned. “Never.”

  Laura smiled. “Finally, maybe I can become an aunt.”

  “Oh god.” Amy covered her mouth with her hands. “We’ve been trying for so long.” She closed her eyes. “I can’t afford to get my hopes up.”

  “Okay, so let’s run to the store now and come back and take the test here,” Laura suggested.

  Amy glanced around. “I… Okay,” she said suddenly. “Let’s do this.”

  “I’ll drive.” Laura helped her up more slowly this time. “We’ll go through the drive-through and grab you something to eat while we’re out.”

  Chapter 8

  Since his trip to the furniture store with Laura was canceled, he headed over to the job site after lunch to make sure everything was still going smoothly and on schedule. He sat in the car on a conference call, and then, since the weather was holding up, walked around the grounds for a while before heading inside.

  Since returning to Colorado, he’d tried to be as hands-on as possible at the job site. He knew that Aiden and his team, along with the construction crew, had a handle on things. But he liked to watch the process of things coming together firsthand.

  Most of the work that had needed to be done was on the inside of the building since it had only been a shell with open floors and an old elevator shaft.

  Now, the majority of the work was done. The workers had started the final paint jobs for each room in the colors Laura had picked out.

  They had visited the site numerous times, and he’d stood by while she’d held up a wheel of color options in each room. When he’d suggested that they paint all the walls one color, she’d glared over her shoulder at him and then laughed without addressing his statement.

  From then on, he’d stayed out of her way and let her work, helping her out by writing down the information she requested.

  He enjoyed watching her work and went with her every time she needed to visit the site.

  Now, as he walked around the massive building, he realized the place seemed empty without her there. He spent the first hour down in the office area where he knew the staff would be set up. He’d already hired a few employees, and they had turned around and hired a few more caregivers and workers. There was a thorough vetting process to make sure anyone who would be working with the children was mentally and emotionally fit and well trained. They would be periodically evaluated by him and his head of staff, Barbara Williams.

  The woman was already working for him in a small rental facility in downtown Golden. She was the one dealing directly with the Colorado State Foster Care Association to get the new facility certified.

  So far, everything was running smoothly, just as long as the facility was done on time.

  “All alone today?” one of the workers asked him as he glanced around, no doubt looking for Laura.

  “Yes,” Simon answered with a slight frown. “Is your GC around?”

  The man shrugged slightly and waved in the direction of the stairs, then turned back to his work as another worker nudged him.

  Simon thought about the man’s eagerness to see Laura and vowed right then to make sure he always went with her to visit the job site again.

  He found Joe McCaw, the general contractor, in the hallway on the third floor, overseeing the painting of each room.

  He shook the man’s hand, and Simon let him fill him in on the progress. Then he asked the man to give him a call if Laura ever showed up on-site alone.

  “Problems?” the man asked.

  “No, just… I want to make sure our visions for the place line up,” he lied easily.

  “No problem, boss,” the man said with a smile. “We should be out of here late next week.”

  “That soon?” he asked, looking around at the still-messy area surrounding them.

  The man chuckled. “It may not look like it, but after the paint dries, the cleaning crew will come in. They’ll need about four days to work their magic. Then we’ll get the final inspection and get the CO, certificate of occupancy. At that point, your lady friend can start moving everything in here.” The man glanced around as if looking for Laura.

  “Laura had other commitments,” he said, wondering if it had been so very obvious to everyone that Laura was more than just a work associate. Maybe it was the obvious way he looked at her that clued everyone in?

  “You sure have done something wonderful here. The kids are going to love it. You know, my sister and her husband adopted last year. When they found out I was working on the place, I think they decided it was about time to add another member to their family. They’re looking forward to visiting the facility once it’s opened,” Joe continued.

  Simon smiled. “That’s good news.” He glanced around again and realized that most of the mess in the hallway was plastic to protect the flooring from paint splatter.

  “I heard you’re hoping to have this place opened before Christmas?” Joe asked. “Do you think Laura can fill it with furniture by then?”

  He smiled. “If anyone can do it, Laura can.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Laura’s sexy voice sounded from directly behind him. He turned around to see her standing in the hallway, watching them as if she’d been there a while. She’d changed out of her dress pants and sweater into a pair of old jeans and a sweatshirt. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun.

  “Looks like you’re ready to go to work,” Joe said as he slapped Simon on the shoulder. “I’ll keep you posted when we’ll be out of your way.” Joe nodded to Laura as he passed her by.

  “You should have called me and let me know you were done,” he said and instantly regretted his words when her eyebrows shot up. “I would have…” He glanced around and shook his head. “Never mind. Did you get everything replaced?”

  A strange smile crossed her lips just before she turned away from him to scan the room they stood just outside of.

  “Wow, they’re done in here already.” She stepped into a clean room.

  He’d been so busy talking with Joe that he hadn’t looked into any of the rooms yet. Following her inside, he realized just how close they were to finishing.

  The room that would hold two young adolescent boys was completely ready for furnishings.

  Laura turned back towards him. “When can I get to work in here?” she asked as she turned back towards him.

  “Joe seems to think the end of next week. Which will give you two full weeks to finish all this before the date we’d like the staff and the first of the kids to move in.” He glanced around again. “Think you can do it?”

  She smiled. “With some help, yes.”

  “Good.” He rubbed his hands together.

  “Ready to hit the furniture stores?” she asked with a slight dip of her chin.

  “Yes. Maybe we can swing by my place so I can lose the suit?”

  Her smile instantly slipped slightly.

  “While I’m changing, maybe you can look over the home and get some ideas on how to bring the house into this decade,” he offered. Her smile grew.

  “I’d like that,” she said quickly.

  He extended his bent arm and waited until she placed her hand on his elbow before walking out of the room.

  “Did you get a chance to look at the other rooms?” he ask
ed as they made their way down the stairs. He was conscious of the worker he’d talked to earlier watching Laura as they passed by. If she hadn’t been with him, he would have pulled the man aside and had a word with him.

  But as it was, they stepped out into the fading daylight together. The chilly winter air bit into him, and he knew that the warm sunny weather wouldn’t last through the night.

  “I’d missed this.” He nodded to the sunlight disappearing behind the mountains.

  “It’s this cold in Chicago.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I know, I was stuck there for a few weeks last year for a training session.”

  He smiled. “No, not the cold. The warmth before it. The sunny days where it spikes above seventy, then in the evenings dips below thirty. There were a few days like that in Chicago, but usually the wind would chill and even things out.” They stopped by his SUV and her car.

  She looked like she wanted to ask him something but then just smiled at him. “I’ll follow you.” She nodded to her car.

  The entire car trip up the hills to his place, he watched the rearview mirror to make sure he didn’t lose her. When he parked in front of the detached garage and shut off his engine, he glanced up at the house he’d purchased sight unseen. Well, he’d looked at a lot of pictures online, but he hadn’t stepped foot in the place until after he’d digitally signed for it.

  “This is your place?” Laura said as she climbed out of her car.

  “Yes.” He sighed. “It needs a lot of work.”

  She glanced around, then motioned. “Amy just sold that place today.” She pointed to the home across the hill from his.

  “Yeah, I almost purchased that place instead, but there wasn’t enough for me to do in there,” he said with a shrug.

  “Enough…?” She shook her head.

  “I like fixing things up. Putting my touch on a place.” He motioned around the grounds. “This next spring I’m going to have the landscape redone. With your help, I’ll fix up the inside to be a home.” He unlocked the massive arched wood front doors.