Home For The Holidays

by Elena Aitken

  Like talk to Bella Burton again.

  And he very much wanted to do that.

  And not just about her grandfather, although discussing Roy Burton’s memory loss was also at the top of his list. Particularly because Ed Walker, the fire chief, had asked him more than once about Roy’s status. Ed and Roy were old friends, which was part of the reason Ed wanted to take a bit more of a hands-off approach—he didn’t want his feelings about Roy to compromise the decision—and also because Jeremy was certain he was trying to give him more responsibilities. Perhaps in preparation to taking over as chief one day. Either way, Jeremy wasn’t the only one who was concerned about the old man’s wellbeing.

  Obviously, if Bella was in town, Roy’s family must also have concerns. Not that they’d been to visit him in…well, probably since the last time he’d seen Bella.

  Bella.

  Jeremy shook his head with a low whistle.

  Who would have thought she’d grow up to be so friggin’ gorgeous?

  He would have.

  At least, when he was in his late teens, he used to daydream about how she’d turned out. And he’d had some damn good guesses. She’d been sixteen the last time he’d seen her. He’d been fourteen. Barely more than a child. But old enough to experience his very first, very strong, crush on a girl and experience his first kiss.

  And his second.

  For almost three years, when he was a kid, he’d been obsessed with Bella Burton. Old enough to notice that Bella was…Bella.

  When he was a kid, her parents would drive her out to Glacier Falls and drop her off as quickly as they could before jetting back to the city to spend a summer child-free while Bella ran wild in the woods with her grandfather, and whatever kids her age were available to play. Which, for at least a few years, included Jeremy.

  His summers with her were some of his fondest memories, and not just because of the kisses on that last hot August night before she’d gone home for school. In the time before the internet and texting, they’d exchanged a few phone calls, and only one or two letters—turned out, Jeremy wasn’t much of a pen pal—but it had fizzled out and when she hadn’t come to visit the next summer, he’d gradually forgotten about her.

  Mostly. Not entirely.

  She’d always been at the back of his mind.

  An unanswered question.

  And now…here she was.

  Finally, after thirteen years he could—what?

  What could he do?

  Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh at himself because obviously his fantasies had gotten the better of him. They’d been kids last time they’d seen each other, playing kids’ games.

  A first kiss at fourteen was a whole lot different than—well, everything else. And just because his imagination had spun elaborate stories of what could have been didn’t mean that was reality.

  No.

  The reality was that Bella Burton may be back in town, but they were virtual strangers to each other. A few shared summers when they were kids meant nothing. Not really. And worse, there was the whole matter of her grandfather, Roy. He couldn’t imagine Bella would be very happy to hear that they were on the verge of calling social services in. Everyone was worried about the man’s welfare, and it wouldn’t be long before they were pushing to have the old man moved into a nursing home facility, where he would no longer be a danger to himself.

  Jeremy couldn’t imagine that Bella would be happy to hear that. No granddaughter would.

  Which was why he needed to be the one to talk to her. It would be easier to hear coming from a friend. Old or otherwise.

  He shoveled the last load of snow onto the now towering pile and turned around to examine his work. With the snow still coming down in large, fluffy flakes, the drive was already covered in a thin layer. No doubt, he’d be out there clearing it again a few more times before the day was done. Jeremy made a mental note to look into the department’s budget to see about a snowblower.

  Ed Walker always said it was an unnecessary expense, but maybe if Jeremy was going to be in charge soon, he could finally make a case for it. He straightened his shoulders, excited the way he always was, at the prospect of being appointed fire chief. Even in a small town like Glacier Falls, it was a big deal and a much bigger job than he probably realized yet. But Jeremy was up to the task and more than ready. He’d worked hard, and he loved his hometown. He’d happily serve as chief, taking the good with the bad.

  First things first. Jeremy tucked the shovel inside the garage and shook the snow from his parka.

  He needed to go find Bella.

  “It’s beginning to look a lot like—ow!”

  The box Bella was pulling off the shelf shifted and slammed into her shoulder. She jostled and only barely stopped herself from falling off the step stool as she regained her balance.

  “What was that, Bella? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Papa. Just getting the Christmas decorations down like you asked.”

  When Bella agreed to the task, she hadn’t realized the boxes were kept on the very top shelf of the storage room and were heavier than…well, pretty much anything she’d ever lifted, ever. After dragging the second box down and lugging it up the basement stairs into the living room, Bella was completely out of breath. She dropped into the easy chair next to her grandfather, who’d already started digging through the first box she’d brought up.

  “Were you singing down there, baby girl?”

  Without opening her eyes, she nodded in response.

  “I thought so. It was beautiful.”

  Bella opened one eye then and looked at him. But he wasn’t looking at her. Instead, he gazed at the snow globe he held in his hands. She knew the one. Inside the glass was a tiny house with two carolers standing in front of it. Bella knew if you wound it up, it would play “Silver Bells,” her grandfather’s favorite Christmas song.

  “Remember when you used to sing to me, Bella?”

  She nodded, but when he still didn’t look away from the globe, she spoke. “I do. Every Christmas when you came to visit, I’d sing you all the carols in front of the tree.”

  It was a fond memory. The only time Bella’s parents could convince him to come and visit them in the city was during the holidays. Otherwise, they had to go to him, or as was more often the case as Bella got older, only she would visit, her parents too busy working in the city to take any time off. Or, more likely, not wanting to use up any vacation time on a trip to the mountains, when it could be used for a sunny beach down south instead.

  “And in the summer, I’d sing them all to you again,” she added and he laughed.

  “Just a silly old man wanting to hear Christmas songs in the heat of the summer.”

  He turned to her and she couldn’t help but notice the shine in his eyes. Had she ever seen Papa cry?

  “But your voice was like an angel, and they were the only songs that we both knew all the words to.”

  Bella pushed up from the easy chair and sat next to him on the couch. She carefully lifted the snow globe from his hands and cranked the toggle until the sweet melody of “Silver Bells” played and she began to sing.

  The sound of singing stopped Jeremy from knocking on the door.

  He listened to the beautiful voice. It had been years since he’d heard it, but he’d know it anywhere. Only now, Bella’s voice was deeper. Richer and silkier somehow.

  A woman’s voice.

  She always did have a talent for singing, and it was no wonder she’d been able to make a career out of it. After Roy had mentioned it, he couldn’t stop himself from doing a quick search on social media. Sure, he probably could have just asked her what she’d been up to since they were kids, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself.

  Not wanting to disturb the singing—and selfishly, wanting to hear it better—Jeremy very lightly knocked on the door and let himself in. Roy saw him from across the room and smiled before turning his full attention back to his granddaughter, who was lost in song.
/>   He didn’t dare move, lest she see him and stop, so he stood as quietly as he could, his eyes glued to Bella. Her thick, dark, curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail, with strands escaping around her face. She wore a knit sweater over her jeans and even with the simple outfit, she looked glamourous.

  She’d always spoken about being a professional singer one day, and from the posts and announcements Jeremy had scrolled through, it was clear she’d made her dreams come true. She was the lead singer in a jazz group, Velvet Heart. Jeremy tried not to judge it by its name, but they seemed pretty successful and Bella had even posted on her Facebook that she’d be recording an album soon.

  He could see why.

  Anyone who could take a simple Christmas carol and make it sound the way Bella did was pure talent.

  A moment later, the song was over and, unable to help himself, he started to applaud.

  Bella spun around and stared at him, her mouth open. But a moment later, she laughed. “Do you always just let yourself into my grandfather’s house?”

  “Seems I do.”

  “Come in, Jeremy,” Roy ordered. “Don’t just stand there lurking. Maybe Bella will sing you a song, too? What’s your favorite Christmas carol?”

  Jeremy shed his jacket and boots, and walked into the room. “Do you only sing Christmas songs?”

  She shrugged. “What’s your favorite?”

  “Mine is ‘The Christmas Song,’” he answered without hesitation.

  “A little chestnuts roasting on an open fire, hey?”

  “What’s yours?”

  “If I tell you, will you sing it with me?” She tilted her head and before he could answer, she said, “‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside.’”

  “That’s a duet.”

  She laughed. “Which is why I asked if you’d sing with me.”

  He reached up and scratched at the scruff on his chin as he shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

  She smiled and a shot of desire raced through his body. Did she have any idea how sexy she was when she smiled?

  “How about a cup of hot chocolate then?” Bella stood. “I’ll make us all one. With extra marshmallows,” she added with a squeeze to Roy’s shoulder.

  Both men watched her as she left the room.

  “She’s something else, my Bella.” Roy shook his head with wonder. “I’ve sure missed her. But I guess that’s the price you pay when you move out to the mountains. Your family is far away, and they never come to visit.”

  There was a longing in the old man’s voice as he spoke. It had never occurred to Jeremy that Roy might be lonely, but of course he would be. Even when you were surrounded by good friends and neighbors, there was something different about the love of a family. It was clear that Roy loved his granddaughter deeply.

  “Well, she’s here now,” Jeremy said. “How nice that she came for the holidays.”

  Roy’s face lit up. “Such a nice surprise. She called and said, ‘Papa. I’m coming to visit.’ And the next day, here she was.”

  “That is a nice surprise.” For both of us.

  “She’s going to be a star, that girl.”

  Jeremy chuckled at the man’s certainty. “I don’t doubt that for a minute.” There was a crash from the kitchen, and Jeremy jumped up. “I better go make sure she’s not lighting your oven on fire again.” He laughed, but when Roy looked confused, he instantly regretted the joke. After all, there was a chance that Roy didn’t remember the events of the other day, or at least not all of them. His laughter died on his lips. “I’ll go give Bella a hand.”

  “I’m really not usually this clumsy in the kitchen,” Bella said for at least the third time since Jeremy had found her on her hands and knees, cleaning the broken mug that had slipped and shattered on the tile when the boiling water splashed onto her hand. “I swear, I can’t remember the last time I…well, to be honest, I actually can’t remember the last time I cooked a meal.”

  She laughed when Jeremy raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Just being honest.”

  He shook his head with a chuckle that made his eyes crinkle in the corners. He dumped the rest of the broken pieces into the trash and wiped the spill before taking a new mug from the cupboard. She watched as he easily measured out hot cocoa and poured equal amounts of water into the mugs.

  “You know your way around.”

  “In general? Or in Roy’s kitchen?”

  She shrugged. “Both.”

  “I do a lot of cooking at the station.” He winked at her. “Not that making hot chocolate can be counted as cooking.”

  It was absolutely crazy, but when Jeremy looked at her that way, her stomach fluttered wildly. Crazy because it hadn’t done that since she was sixteen. And even more crazy because she barely knew him. Not really.

  “And my grandfather? You really do seem pretty comfortable here.” She’d been thinking about it ever since the other day when she’d lit the oven on fire. It wasn’t the first time Jeremy had been there. “You said something that gave me the impression that my little oven fire wasn’t the first time you’d been called out.”

  Jeremy’s face changed. The easygoing lightness was replaced by a frown that darkened his features. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”

  The butterflies in Bella’s stomach died abruptly, turning into heavy stones. Jeremy wiped his hands on a towel and tossed it over his shoulder in a casual way that Bella would have, under any other circumstance, found incredibly sexy.

  “About what?” she heard herself ask and immediately felt stupid. She knew exactly what Jeremy wanted to talk to her about. She’d noticed it herself in the few days she’d been there. But somehow knowing something bad was different than knowing you were going to hear it from someone else. It seemed worse somehow. More real.

  Jeremy gestured to a chair at the table but she shook her head. It would be easier to get it over with.

  He nodded in understanding and pressed his lips together. Despite herself, and the heavy conversation she knew they were about to have, dirty images involving herself and those lips flashed through her mind. She shook her head in an effort to clear it. If he’d noticed her lapse in concentration, he didn’t mention it.

  “We’re worried about Roy,” Jeremy said without any preamble. “The other day was the second time this week that I’ve answered a call.”

  “To be fair…”

  He smiled a little. “It was your fault,” he finished for her. “I get that. But it doesn’t take away the fact that the number of concerning episodes is increasing. We think maybe it’s time to consider moving your grandfather into a—”

  “Don’t say it.”

  “Bella.” Jeremy reached out and squeezed her forearm the way he’d done the other day, and her body reacted the same way it had then, in a full-body vibration. What was it about this man?

  She took a step back, not wanting it, but needing the space between them. “What do you mean we?”

  He looked confused for a moment.

  “You said that we are concerned,” she explained. “Who is we?”

  Jeremy nodded and once again pressed his lips together. “Natalie and I.”

  A girlfriend.

  Shit.

  A wife.

  Of course Jeremy would be taken. He was gorgeous and a firefighter, and he obviously had a heart of gold if he was so concerned about her grandfather. Why wouldn’t he be snapped up?

  But why did it matter? Especially right now.

  Still. The thought of some other woman. Some Natalie having discussions about Papa with Jeremy upset her in a completely unreasonable way. She scrubbed her hands over her face and tried to smooth her ponytail. A pointless task with her wild curls. She straightened her shoulders, and did the only thing she knew how to do in the situation. She got defensive.

  Jeremy knew the conversation would be hard. After all, how many grandchildren who adored their grandparent wanted to hear that they were becoming a danger to them
selves?

  But, for a moment, he thought it might actually go easier than he’d assumed. Bella had even seemed to be on the same page with him, maybe already thinking what he was. That would have made things easier.

  But then something shifted.

  “Look.” Bella’s voice was icy in a way he’d never heard before. “I don’t know what you and Natalie think. But you don’t know my grandfather. And if the two of you don’t have anything better to do than talk about Papa while you’re sitting around in the evenings sipping wine or whatever it is the two of you do, then I don’t know how to help you.”

  Wine?

  Evenings?

  What was she talking about? Jeremy didn’t sit around drinking with his partners. Even when they were off shift, Natalie never—oh.

  He couldn’t stop the smile from stretching across his face when he realized the misunderstanding and exactly what it meant.

  Bella was jealous.

  “What’s so funny?” She put her hands on her slim hips in a move that was so completely adorable and totally ridiculous at the same time. “Jeremy!”

  He forced the smile off his face and looked down at his feet. “Sorry. I don’t mean to—”

  “Laugh at my grandfather’s situation?” She stomped a foot and again, Jeremy had to bite back a laugh. “It’s not funny.”

  He cleared his throat and looked up. The moment his eyes met hers, the laughter died. She might be jealous in a seriously sexy way, but more importantly, she was filled with concern for her grandfather. She was terrified.

  “Bella.” There was no trace of humor as he stepped forward and took her in his arms. To his surprise, she let him hold her. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny. Not even a little bit. Roy is becoming increasingly forgetful, I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

  She nodded against his shoulder and he stepped back. Her deep-green eyes shone with unshed tears, but they didn’t spill. She sniffed hard and nodded again.

  “I’ve noticed. It’s hard not to.”

  He nodded knowingly. “And that’s why Natalie—my rookie partner,” he added quickly before she could react again, “and I are worried. The chief is asking me to recommend to social services that maybe it’s time he’s moved to a nursing home or a facility where he won’t be a danger to himself but still have a high quality of life.” Her pretty face was a mixture of emotions and questions. “Part of my job is to work closely with other community agencies, like social services. In this instance, since you’re in town now, I wanted to come to you first before getting social services involved.”