The Christmas Secret

by Kristen Kelly

  “Well, I hope he gets to the altar all right.”

  “Me too. Guess it depends on how he does overnight.”

  “So Daniel...” I began, deciding he was my only option to help find my wife. Surely the guy knows the ins and outs of this place. At least I hope so. “Have you seen a young woman around here? About so high.” I demonstrated, placing a hand to my chest, palm down. “Long, auburn hair, usually wears it up in a twist, gorgeous figure. Petite, but with a nice rack. Seen anyone that fits that description around here?”

  Daniel rubbed his chin and smiled. “I knew you were looking for a woman.”

  “You did?”

  “Yeah. Rich guy like yourself isn’t usually single in a place like this.”

  I laughed and looked around. Everywhere I looked there were couples holding hands or strolling arm in arm. I’d never felt like such a loser in my life. I couldn’t even get Abby to return my phone calls.

  “There’s a single bar right next door. And a stool with my name on it tonight. Hey, you should come join me. Maybe you’ll find your lady in there.”

  “I doubt it. She doesn’t drink. Well... there was that time at Christmas but...” I waved a hand through the air. “Seems I don’t know what she does these days.”

  “Then maybe you can drown your sorrows. They serve the greatest mai tais you’ve ever had in your life and hey... maybe you’ll find a replacement.”

  “Don’t drink mai tais.”

  “That was just a suggestion. Whatever you drink, pal, they stock it.”

  “What time you going over?”

  “About seven. Right after I check in on Gramps.”

  “I guess I have nothing else to. Maybe I’ll see you there.”

  AFTER A VERY LONELY dinner of baked haddock, shrimp salad, and several stiff bourbons, I took a long walk on the beach, hoping I’d be able to clear my mind of all negativity and come up with a plan to win Abby back as well. Of course, I had to find her first.

  The sand was hot on my bare feet so I strolled through the clear crystal water to keep my feet cool. I could just make out a reef where the blue changed hues, purple orchids on a neighboring island, and the outline of Cuba. I’d been to Jamaica before on a business trip, but this was the first time I’d really noticed her beauty. How much else had I missed in my life?

  The water was clear as glass. I walked out to my waist, but then stopped short, when I felt a small spike in the bottom of my foot. I lifted up immediately, then felt the burn. “Shit!”

  “THOSE,” I SAID POINTING to a corner of the infirmary with beds, glass cabinets filled with bandages, and assorted first aid supplies. About a dozen different patients sat in chairs or lay in beds were waiting in triage.

  There was no way I was hanging around here.

  “Sir, you have to...” began a stocky woman in a printed scrub top with little surfer bears all over it. She helped me to my feet.

  “Just give me those crutches and I’ll be on my way. They’re adjustable, right?”

  “They are,” she said. She took them off the wall, placed one crutch under each of my armpits and stood back frowning. “You really should be seen by a doctor,” she complained.

  “Nonsense. I’m not an idiot. The venom is not poisonous, just annoying at best. I’ll be fine in a few days.” Then I hobbled toward the door.

  I paused when a familiar face caught my eye. I noticed a young woman reclining with her feet up. She had long dark hair pulled up in messy pony tail. Her skin was beet red. Heat stroke, I thought.

  “Charlotte?” I yelled from twenty feet away. “Charlotte, that you?” I hopped on over to her.

  The woman looked up, squinted her eyes and gave me the dirtiest of looks. “Oh shit. How the hell did you get here?”

  “Where is she, Charlotte? And don’t give me any crap about not wanting to get involved, because from what Zachary told me, you were in on our little mystery adventure from the very start.”

  She hung her head. “I...I thought it would work. I’m sorry.”

  “So am I. Now, where is she?”

  “What?” she said looking shocked. “Haven’t you done enough damage? It didn’t work between the two of you. Can’t you see that now? Leave her alone, Chase. Just let her go for Christ sake.”

  “No.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. I said, no. Not now. Not ever. I need to talk to her and you’re the only one who knows where she is.”

  “I don’t understand you. Why would you want my help again? I’m as guilty as you are for screwing up her head. Maybe you should try and fix this on your own this time, Chase.”

  “And how the hell am I going to do that, if I don’t know where she is?”

  “Good point.”

  “Just convince her to talk to me. That’s all I ask.”

  She tilted her head, looking at me. “She’ll just run the minute she sees you.”

  I ran my hands over the back of my neck. “Okay, listen. Can you get her over to the Sky Bar at seven?”

  “You mean the singles bar?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’d be going against strict BFF etiquette here, Chase. Not sure she would forgive me this time.”

  “I promise not to tell her I put you up to it.”

  “I...I don’t know.” She bit her lip.

  “Charlotte, please. I’m begging you. If she won’t talk to me at the bar, I’ll leave her alone from now on—I promise—and your name will never cross my lips. It goes with me to the grave.”

  She laughed. “You don’t know Abby very well, do you? She can smell a liar fifty feet away.”

  “Then tell me what to do, Charlotte. I’m desperate.”

  “You are aren’t you?” She gave me a wicked smile.

  Why did I get the feeling she was enjoying seeing me in agony?

  She blew out a breath and then arched her back. “Remind me to never lay in the sun without sunscreen again, no matter how perfect it feels.” The corners of her lips dipped down. “Okay. I’ll get her there, but if she won’t talk to you, that’s it, Chase. No more following us around. Yeah, I know you were camped out at her apartment on Christmas. No more secrets and definitely no more games. Got it? And ya know, if you’re going to get her back, it’s gotta be something really off the charts. You screwed up big time, bucko. Time to pay the piper.” He head bobbled side to side. “Okay, we screwed up. What I’m getting at is that if you want to impress my bestie, it’s gotta be something big. Oh and romantic. Extremely romantic. We chicks like that shit.”

  The warmth in my chest spread as I hugged Charlotte. “Thanks, Charlotte. I owe you one.”

  “Got that right, buddy. Remind me to put in for a raise.”

  “Done, sweetheart.”

  I raced off to leave, my heart filled with hope for the first time. I paused at the door, throwing over my shoulder, “Oh, and one more thing. Tell her to wear something nice. There’s going to be a wedding.”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Abby

  “You look like shit,” Charlotte told me, lifting one of my eyelids as I lay half dead in the bed. “And you look like you haven’t slept.”

  “Thanks,” I said, annoyed. I pulled at the hair that was stuck to the corner of my mouth. “Nothing like a girl’s best friend to boost your morale.”

  I wasn’t awake all that much actually. I had slept, unless you counted all the crying I obviously had to be awake to do.

  “I thought we could get massages,” Charlotte said. “And spend the rest of the day near the pool?”

  “That sounds good.”

  “And later tonight I thought we could...”

  “I’m not going out. I just want to curl up with a good book and use that huge tub over there.”

  “Really? That Sky Bar sounds like fun. You can’t make me go alone,” she whined.

  “Who said you had to go at all?”

  “We’ve done nothing but like in the sun and eat. Not that it hasn’t been great
but I think we need a little fun too.”

  “I am having fun,” I said with a droll tone of voice.

  “Yeah, right. You have too much time to think, girlfriend. You need to get out of yourself. Listen to music. Dance. Anything. Even if you just sit there, it’s better than staying in this room thinking of...him.”

  “I’m not... It’s not my fault. Well it is and it isn’t. We should have picked a different island.”

  “Yeah, well too late now so deal with it. Besides, I love it here and as you can see I do not need a man to have fun.”

  “I know, but I’m sick of seeing lovers everywhere I go.”

  “But that’s the best part,” she said excitedly. “The Sky Bar is a singles joint. No one is paired up. And if you’re worried about getting hit on, we’ll pretend we’re a couple.”

  I laughed.

  “Okay.”

  Again, I was stuck in a hard place. Charlotte deserved to have fun and who was I to bring her down? Besides, there was no way I was letting her go to a bar, any bar, by herself. I loved her too much to take that chance.

  “Is it okay if we don’t stay all night?”

  “Of course. As long as you want.”

  IT HAD BEEN AGES SINCE I’d been out dancing, the last time being... On second thought, my birthday party. Chase was a fabulous dancer.

  Why does everything remind me of him? I came here to heal, to move forward, and forget. Why couldn’t I seem to do that?

  I froze, thinking this was a mistake, my arm linked with Charlotte’s. I almost turned right back around when I heard Caribbean music drift across the sand.

  “Oh no, you don’t. We’re going to have a blast tonight. I guarantee it and whatever happens, happens.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Nothing,” she said quickly, my suspicions already raised.

  The music grew louder taking over my thoughts.

  The building was small, built of wood and had a carving of toucans over the entrance. We climbed the stairs and strolled through the double swinging doors. The room was filled with people seated at round black tables with squat square candles in the middle, and Charlotte had been right. Most were not couples. Some were filled with women. Some just men, but there was one table waiting just for us toward the back. Almost like it had been reserved, although I didn’t think much about it at the time.

  The next hour we spent laughing and joking, and then eventually discussing more serious subjects. Like what we would do with our careers when we returned home.

  I could tell the guys were looking for dates and the women...Well, they were horny as hell. Every time I saw a man look over at our table, I grabbed Charlotte’s hand and kissed it. When she leaned over and grabbed my boob, I thought I would die laughing at the expression of horror on one particular guy.

  After several mai tais, I said, “This isn’t so bad. I think I’m actually having fun. Who knew?”

  “See, I told you so.”

  “I don’t usually drink, except for that wine at your house.”

  Charlotte lifted one brow. “You’ve been doing a lot of drinking if I recall.”

  “Whatever. I’m on vacation.” I held up my glass. “These are great. Tastes like Kool-Aid.” My eyes were getting heavy as I leaned on one elbow.

  “Maybe you should switch to juice drinks, Ab.”

  “Why?”

  “Just a suggestion. You look a little tipsy is all.”

  “Is that what’s in your glass?”

  “One of us has to keep a clear head. Besides, they’re delicious. Want to try?”

  She handed me her drink and I took a big sip. “Yup. Lovely, but not as much as... Oh look. They’re setting up some sort of side-show.”

  “Karaoke,” Charlotte supplied.

  We continued our conversation about the fact that she needed to do something different with her life, perhaps along the lines of fashion, but it didn’t last long when a familiar voice came over the loud speaker.

  “Testing. Testing one, two, three. Okay, that’s good.”

  I’d had a lot to drink, but not nearly enough to disguise that soft, husky voice I knew so well.

  “This song goes out to Cinderella.”

  “Oh God!” My head swiveled around so fast, my head started to spin.

  And there he was, looking gorgeous as ever. He winced as if in pain while he leaned into the microphone. His beard had grown thicker, and his eyes were red-rimmed. He also had a crutch leaning against the karaoke box. Beautiful guitar music filled the room.

  A hundred days have made me older, since the last time I saw your pretty face.

  I glanced to Charlotte, mouthing, “What the hell—?”

  She half stood, sprawled across the table so she could whisper in my ear. “He stepped on a sting ray and then a broken shell.”

  “Not that. Why is he here?”

  She shrugged.

  I turned my attention on Chase. He wore a brocade vest in blues and pinks, a pale linen blue shirt, and dark trousers, entirely too formal for this seedy bar.

  A thousand miles have made me colder and I don’t think I can look at this the same.

  The music was hypnotic, the words painful. Filled with sadness. It was as if he’d written every word himself. Felt every note. Lived each shattering breath of hopelessness, intensity, and love.

  My eyes misted over.

  I wondered how I’d missed this. Missed Him. This gorgeous voice he’d never shared with me until now. Singing to me like a songbird.

  I’m here without you baby, but you’re still on my lonely mind. I think about you, baby. And I dream about you all the time.

  The tears were running like water now as I watched the way his lips moved with the song and tried not to laugh when he got a few of the lyrics wrong.

  He tucked the crutch below one arm, took the microphone off the base, and limped across the floor.

  I’m here without you baby, but you’re still with me in my dreams and tonight its only you and meeeee. Oh yeah.

  My heart swelled, my tears flowed, and I crumbled into a blithering idiot.

  I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t get up. I couldn’t even speak.

  It was as if we were the only two people on the island.

  I was caught without a net.

  Finally, the song ended. I hadn’t known that every eye in the room had been glued on the two of us. The lights came on and so did reality. I swallowed and bit my lip, as Chase dropped down on one knee before me.

  “Oh God. What. What are you doing? Get up. Get up, get up.”

  He was going to propose, right here in front of all these people and I’d not even had a chance to process any of it. Sure it was romantic. Yeah, I still loved him, but I did have a lot of alcohol in my bloodstream. This was not how you made a life-changing decision.

  “Baby,” he said with pleading eyes. I focused on the sprig of forget-me-knots in his lapel. They were probably silk, but the fact that he’d worn those special flowers, almost undid me.

  I was breathing heavy from all the emotion, but I managed to squeak out, “Chase, I... I’m not ready. We can’t force this. Please.”

  The joyful expression on his handsome face fell. Charlotte looked at me like I was nuts. I immediately wanted to take it back. I wanted to say yes, but I couldn’t. I’d done that once and look how that turned out.

  Chase held up the box, but didn’t open it. The bright lights hurt my eyes and the whole room went quiet.

  “Abigail,” he breathed. Then, he stood, held out his hand and said, “I won’t rush you, darling. Will you walk with me in the garden instead?”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chase

  I had no idea what went wrong or how to fix it, but I was determined not to give up. Maybe the song wasn’t right. Or the ring was over the top. Definitely too much for her to take in. I saw that now. At least I got her to talk to me though. That was all I’d wanted after all.

  As we made our way toward the
gardens, the world around us floated away. At least it did for me. As for Abby, I had no idea what was going on in her head. When we got to the soft sand, she stumbled a bit and fell into me. From that moment on, she let me put my arm around her.

  Pausing under an arbor of lilies, we found a wooden bench, and I eased her into it.

  “You look nice,” she said, tugging on my boutonniere. “Nice flowers, Steve. So are you my knight in shining armor now?” She cocked her head at me, smiling.

  I kissed her hand, saying, “I am. If you let me.”

  “And the song, it was lovely.”

  I bent to kiss her on the lips, but she pulled her head back slightly.

  “You look like you belong on a wedding cake.”

  “Actually there is a wedding. I’ve been invited to it too. Tomorrow morning. Will you...Will you be my date?” I knew she wanted to say yes, just like I knew she was on the brink of just that when I was about to propose. If I just knew what it was to push her over into my arms everything would be all right.

  Tomorrow, I thought. My plan will work. It has to.

  “I guess there’s no harm in two friends attending a formal event.” She gave me a weak smile. “As long as you know...”

  “No more pushing.”

  “Yes.”

  “We have to stop this, Chase. When we go back. None of this can happen between us again.”

  Her words cut me sharp. Was she telling me, or begging me to stop because she couldn’t stop, herself?

  “Don’t you want to see the ring?” I asked, hopeful.

  “Um...” A tear streamed down her cheek, but she brushed it away quickly and I took her indecision as a yes.

  Flipping up the lid of the light blue box, I held it in my palm, revealing an African sapphire. Oval. Surrounded by diamonds in a platinum setting.

  In spite of her rejection, she gasped and then smiled. “It’s...it’s different.”

  “Of course it is, darling. You can teach an old dog new tricks you know.”

  “And...and so beautiful,” she breathed. Then she stiffened. “It’s still just a ring, Chase.”