Sawdust and Mistletoe

by Michelle Pennington

  Olivia squinched up her nose. “Maybe we should write a few reviews about McBrady Design. Let her remaining clients know exactly who they’re hiring.”

  “I’d love to tell her a few things, but I won’t stoop to her level. You know what? I’m going to go talk to her.”

  When Ava stood up, Olivia’s eyes bulged. “Now? It’s Christmas Eve.”

  “Right. It’s perfect. You know Marcia always says Christmas is her only vacation. She doesn’t get along with any of her family. She’s probably sitting at home on her computer, eviscerating my design abilities all over the internet.”

  Olivia stood up from the couch. “I’d better come with you and make sure you don’t come out the losing end of a cat fight.”

  Ava grabbed her coat. “The way I’m feeling right now, I wouldn’t lose, believe me.”

  “Let’s take my car. It’s still warm and your windshield is iced up.”

  They jumped in Olivia’s car and headed down the street. Ava tried to think of what she wanted to say, but her mind was a big jumble of grievances and accusations.

  “Um, Ava? Do you know where Marcia lives?”

  “Yeah. She lives in a big house in that new subdivision off Meadow Street.”

  “On it.”

  Ten minutes later, they pulled up in front of the house. The drive had been long enough for Ava to start to think this maybe wasn’t the greatest idea.

  Olivia put the car in park and turned to look at her. “Change your mind? We could just go get donuts instead.”

  Ava swallowed. “No. Let’s do this.”

  She got out of the car and strode down the walkway to the big red door, Olivia following right behind her. She rang the doorbell and waited. After a minute, Ava got impatient and rang the doorbell again. Seconds later, it opened.

  Marcia stood in the doorway wearing a leopard print silk robe. The belt was loose, and the neckline of a black lace nightgown showed underneath.

  “I see you and Mrs. Garland have the same taste in housedresses,” Ava said.

  “What are you doing here?” Marcia asked. Her face was free of makeup, so her scowl showed more lines on her face than Ava realized she had.

  “You and I need to have a discussion.”

  “I have nothing to say to you.”

  Ava decided to play a card she didn’t even hold. “You’d probably rather talk to me than the police.”

  Marcia’s face paled, and she stepped back to let them in. Ava and Olivia walked through, pausing in the foyer. Ava looked around, taking in the rather conventional decoration scheme. The complete lack of Christmas décor did not surprise her. If she’d gotten sick of Christmas after only a few years, she couldn’t imagine how Marcia must feel about it. It was all so sad, and thank goodness, Hunter had stepped in to save her from it. She still wasn’t ready to deck her halls with wild abandon, but at least she’d put up a tree.

  The door clicked shut behind them, and Marcia walked past them.

  “Let’s go sit down.”

  In the spacious formal living room with vaulted ceilings and heavy crown molding, Marcia appeared smaller than usual as she sat primly in an armchair, crossing one leg over the other. She seemed diminished somehow.

  Marcia cleared her throat. “Now, why would you mention the police? I assume you’re here because you saw my review of your work for the ball.”

  Ava sat down, promising herself that she was going to keep hold of her temper. This woman was no longer in a position of power over her. “I mention the police to let you know that there is an ongoing investigation into who vandalized my decorations. But even if there’s never any evidence, the damage to your reputation has been done.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “You may have hired some guy in a ski mask to do the dirty work, but you can’t hide your involvement from everyone. You know how effective word of mouth is. Well, it’s going to work against you this time.”

  One side of Marcia’s top lip rose in a sneer. “I have been in business in this town for fifteen years. It would take a lot more than a few sour grapes to damage my reputation.”

  Olivia chuckled and Marcia’s eyes flew to her. Seeing this, Olivia shrugged. “Talk about sour grapes.”

  Ava shook her head. “You’ve done everything possible to undermine my job with the ball. Why? Are you so afraid of a little healthy competition? Especially from someone so amateur and lacking in vision. That is how you described me, right?”

  Marcia shrugged and smirked. “I’ve known for a long time you meant to set up your own business. I saw the way you cozied up to all my clients, sweet-talking them. I wish I’d cut you out months ago.”

  “Well, why didn’t you?”

  “Keeping my enemies close, you might say. This town isn’t big enough to support two big design firms.”

  Ava stared at her, then smiled. “You know. I actually think that’s a compliment.” She stood but paused to say. “I haven’t even leased a building or registered my business, and you’re already worried I’ll get big enough to make you lose market-share. That’s very perceptive of you, Marcia. People around here value integrity—something you’re clearly lacking in. Let’s go, Olivia.”

  “You’re too soft to make it in the business world,” Marcia said, following them to the door. “You won’t make it a year.”

  Ava paused. “Really? Interesting. I’m going home right now to work on a job for my most important client. But if it turns out you’re right, I’ll come by next Christmas so you can say I told you so.” Then, looking around Marcia’s over-designed, empty home that echoed with loneliness, Ava added, “You might be glad of the company.”

  Then she strode down the walkway again, hearing Olivia’s footsteps behind her. Marcia slammed her door on them, startling Ava enough to make her jump. She and Olivia looked at each other over the roof of her car before getting in and laughing.

  As they drove back to Ava’s house, her hands shook. She’d never been good at confrontation, no matter how it went for her, but she was glad she’d gone. It probably hadn’t mattered, but at least she had faced up to Marcia and called her out for what she was doing.

  Olivia pulled into the driveway. “I should probably go finish my Christmas shopping. Will you be okay?”

  Ava smiled. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

  “You know why. Maybe you should call Hunter.”

  She took a deep breath. “I will. But first I’m going to go finish Molly’s dollhouse.”

  “Your most important client?”

  Smiling, Ava nodded. “You got it. It’s time to add all the little details that make a house a home.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Hunter stood looking out the front of the window at Josh’s house, sipping his cocoa, and trying to find his courage. The lights from the Christmas tree shone on the window, making it hard to see through the dark glass, but he didn’t care. There was only one thing he wanted to see right then anyway—Ava’s face.

  He had a text from her that said he could come get the dollhouse when he was free, but there was no hint that she wanted to see him.

  Molly’s laughter bubbled behind him, so he turned to find her walking around with a construction paper Santa mask on her face. The beard was made of cotton balls and the eye and mouth holes had obviously been cut out by Molly herself.

  Hunter laughed. “Hey, Santa’s here!”

  “Ho ho ho! You want a present, Unco Unter?”

  Reaching down, he pulled her up into his arms. “Yes. Lots of them. Can I have them now?”

  Molly giggled. “No. Tomorrow, silly.”

  “Okay. I’ll try to wait, Santa.”

  Molly pulled the mask off. “It’s just me, Molly?”

  Hunter made his best “surprised” face. “You sure fooled me.”

  Laughing again, Molly threw her little arms around his neck and hugged him till he almost choked. “I love you, Unco Unter.”

  Now, Hunter’s throat felt tight for a differ
ent reason. His eyes got a little watery as he looked into the deep adoration shining in his niece’s eyes. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

  “Speaking of presents,” Krista said, coming into the room with a tray of cheese and crackers.

  “Yes?” Josh said, picking up a piece of cheddar.

  Krista sat in his lap and looked at him meaningfully. “I’ve got a surprise for you, darling.”

  Josh held the cheddar halfway to his mouth. “Uhh… no way.”

  Krista nodded. “We’re having another baby.”

  Josh’s eyes bulged. “How long have you known?

  “For about a month. I didn’t want to tell you until you got a job because I thought it would stress you out. You know, because of the money and insurance.”

  Josh laughed. “Thank goodness Mr. Windover hired me on the spot this morning. Otherwise, I might have started to wonder why you were getting so fat and cranky.”

  “Hey,” Krista said, pinching his arm. “I’m not even showing yet.”

  Josh put his hand on her belly. “What about the cranky part?”

  “You’ve been the cranky one. What do you think, Molly?” Krista held her hand out to her daughter. “Would you like a baby brother or sister?”

  Molly went over and let her parents pull her into a hug. Then she said in a very decided voice, “A sister, please.”

  Hunter laughed along with Krista and Josh. “Too bad you don’t get to pick,” he said. “Congratulations, guys. That’s great.”

  Krista smiled. “I’m hoping you’ll get to be around more and be a bigger part of my kids’ lives.”

  Hunter’s smile faltered. “Even if things don’t go the way I want with Ava, you can count on it. Being here with you so long has made me realize how much I like being around family.”

  Josh wiggled his eyebrows. “Now you just need one of your own.”

  Hunter held his hands up. “Okay, okay. I’m kind of floundering on the first step here. Give me some time.”

  Krista smiled and kissed Molly’s cheek. “Time for bed, don’t you think? Santa’s going to come, and pass right on by because you aren’t in bed.”

  With wide eyes, Molly ran to get ready for bed. When she was out of the room, Krista murmured, “I just wish I had more to give her tomorrow.”

  The bright excitement of his surprise couldn’t be contained any longer. Hunter smiled. “Actually, you do.”

  “What?” Krista tilted her head and looked at him in confusion.

  “I, uh, built her a dollhouse. Ava helped me with it. I just need to go pick it up, but I didn’t want to take a chance on Molly seeing it.”

  Krista pressed her fingers over her mouth, and her eyes watered. “No way. I wanted to get her one, but the ones at the store are so expensive and they’re only plastic.”

  Hunter smiled. “Well, I think you’re going to like this one.”

  Krista got up and ran over to give him a hug. Josh came over too, and when Krista stepped back, he put his hand on Hunter’s shoulder. He shook it a little. “Then don’t you think you’d better be getting over to Ava’s house?”

  Hunter swallowed. “Yeah. I guess so. Keep your fingers crossed for me.”

  Josh raised his eyebrows. “It sounds like you have more planned than picking up a dollhouse.”

  Hunter let out a deep breath. “You have no idea.”

  Grabbing his keys off the high shelf where he’d started keeping them, thanks to Molly’s tree decorating, he went outside and got in his truck. The roads were empty as he drove over to Ava’s, but it wasn’t surprising, really. It was Christmas Eve, and most people were already where they wanted to be. He wasn’t even sure he was welcome where he was going.

  The sky was dark, but the icicle lights he’d hung over her porch gleamed in the night. He rang her doorbell and waited with his heart hammering like he’d run all the way over. Then it lurched when the door opened and he saw her.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi.”

  Then he stood there like a bump on a log until she said, “Come in.”

  He stepped in and stood awkwardly as she closed the door and squeezed around him. “You didn’t go to your parents’ house tonight?”

  “I came and went already. I wanted to make sure I was here for you to come get Molly’s present. It’s in the garage. Come see it.”

  He wanted to reach for her and say the dollhouse could wait, but there was a simmering sense of urgency about her, so he followed her through to the garage. She flipped on the light and walked ahead of him. As she waited for him to walk around to the front of the dollhouse, she bit her lip nervously.

  He was about to ask her what was going on when he saw what she’d done to the house. Since he’d seen it last, she’d furnished it with room after room of homemade furniture. She’d made couches and beds, curtains and blankets, tables and chairs. She’d even put artwork on the walls and made a fireplace mantle in the living room.

  His eyes flicked around it trying to take in every detail, but there was too much. Not only was every piece adorable, but it was precisely to scale and worked into the theme of the room it was in.

  “This is incredible. I can’t believe you did all this.”

  She grinned. “I even got my power tools out. See?”

  He followed the direction of her pointing finger and saw a jigsaw and sander sitting on the among drifted piles of sawdust. “You’re incredible. Did you know that?”

  Her smile faded. “No, I’m not. I hurt you, and I didn’t mean to.” She took a deep breath. “So, it might be too late, but I hope you’ll forgive me for being so uptight and not trusting you. Will you give me another chance to…be your friend?”

  He raised his eyebrows. This he had not expected. “My friend. No way in blazes.”

  She looked up sharply at the forceful way he said that, looking hurt and shocked.

  “Not just as my friend,” he amended, realizing that he did want her friendship. “Ava, I’m crazy in love with you, and I’m sorry, but being friends was never going to work between us anyway. That was doomed from the beginning.”

  Watching her smile grow until her eyes gleamed with hope flooded him with something even brighter than hope. Peace.

  “We didn’t try very hard, did we?” She asked. “To not get serious, I mean.”

  He stepped towards her and held his hands out to her. She took his hands and he reveled in the feeling of her soft but capable hands nestled in his much bigger, much rougher ones. “That’s what happens when you meet the right person, I guess. All your plans and intentions go right out the window, and it’s time to make new ones. So, I did. Ava, I’ll be gone for a few weeks, but I’m moving here for good. And just so you’ll believe I’m serious, I have to tell you, you aren’t the only reason.”

  “No?”

  “I want to be close to Josh’s family and see his kids grow up.”

  “Kids?”

  Hunter grinned. “Yeah, Krista is pregnant. She announced it tonight.”

  “Oh, that’s awesome.”

  “I finally know where I want to be. It’s here Ava, with everyone I love. And nothing will ever be more important than that.”

  Ava stepped closer and reached up to put her arms around his neck. Hunter wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. He searched her eyes and waited, knowing she had something to say.

  After taking a deep breath, Ava said, “I believe you. I’m sorry about how I acted before. Since then I’ve been thinking about all the wonderful ways you’d already proved me wrong. You came out here and gave up a whole month for your brother’s family. Since I’ve known you, you’ve always been here to help me, even when I didn’t even know I needed the help.” She nodded toward the dollhouse. “And look what you did for Molly?”

  “I am awesome, aren’t I?”

  Laughing, Ava nodded. “I guess that’s why I love you so much.”

  Hunter tightened his arms around her. “You do?”

  “Yes, you
overgrown lumberjack. You made it impossible not to. Even if I have to say goodbye to you sometimes, I’ll just remind myself that the hellos when you get back will be worth it.”

  Hunter grinned. “I’ll make sure they are.” Then he kissed her, just in case she needed to be convinced that he was up for the task.

  The kiss held all the sweetness of their newly confessed feelings and the hunger for what was to come. With his heart pounding, he felt the need to slow things down and moved to lavish kisses on her eyes and nose and ears. But this only ignited deeper desires within him, so he returned to her waiting lips with all the rawness of his soul. She met him with a willingness that threatened to sweep him away.

  Pulling back sharply, he said, “Okay, we’re going to need to bank this fire for now, before it gets out of control.”

  Ava licked her bottom lip, then caught it in her teeth. “Not yet,” she said, pulling his head down again.

  Hunter returned her kiss but kept his eyes opened. He walked forward, taking her with him, until he could reach the work table. Then he reached out and grabbed a handful of sawdust and dropped it down the back of her sweater.

  “Gah!” Ava let go of him and reached back, trying to get it out. “Why did you do that.”

  “Payback, sweet cheeks. And a man can only take so much of kisses like that.”

  Ava narrowed her eyes at him and started pulling her sweater over her head.

  “Hold on, that’s not going to help any.”

  She had gotten her sweater off, but now her blond hair was rising into the air with static electricity until she looked like a dandelion. Her face was flushed and her lips swollen. She’d never been so beautiful.

  “I have a t-shirt on,” she pointed out, though of course, he’d already made that observation. “And you’re the only one who’s supposed to smell like sawdust in this relationship. Oh my gosh, this stuff is so itchy.”

  He reached out and helped her brush it off. He smoothed it off her neck and back, flicking away the last of it that had settled on the curve of her jeans. Deciding he’d better not get himself in any more trouble that night, he put his hands in his pockets.