The Trouble with Christmas

by Kaira Rouda

  He looked at the clock on the wall. It was eight a.m. Lily, if she showed up, would be here in an hour. In a panic, he called over to the inn for room service. He ordered two plantation breakfasts—two eggs over easy, toast, hash browns, a bowl of fruit, and sausage. He added a large pot of coffee and two fresh squeezed orange juices. When the woman taking his order asked for his room number, he told her to deliver it to the members’ club. And, he promised an extra big tip if she got it there in twenty minutes or less.

  Hanging up, Cole raced outside, hopped onto his golf cart and pressed the pedal to the floor, thankful he had plugged the cart in the night before. He still remembered the way Lily made him feel, the warmth that had spread throughout his body just by being near her. He arrived at the Melrose Inn, but realized he’d been in such a rush he hadn’t worn a coat. He hadn’t noticed the temperature had dipped below freezing on this gray morning.

  Cole didn’t feel any chill as he ran up the inn stairs two at a time and bounded into the lobby. Paula, the front desk clerk, eyed him curiously, but he shot her his most innocent smile, and he crossed the lobby, passed the Christmas tree, and walked into the Member’s Club. It reminded him of the Putnams’ library, dark wood paneling, walls of bookshelves, and a large fireplace.

  Cole sat in one of the brown leather wingback chairs and stared out the large windows, across the winter brown rose garden to the white gazebo and the ocean beyond. It was hard to tell where the sky ended and the sea began; it was that type of gray, drizzly, cold morning.

  “Mr. Stanton?” a young woman pushing a cart full of room service domed dishes asked.

  “Yes, that’s me. Thank you so much for getting this all prepared so quickly. I need to load it all into my golf cart. I’ll of course bring all the dishes back. Should I pull around back? Yes, that would be better. Why don’t you roll on over to that door over there, and I’ll be right back,” Cole said, knowing he was overwhelming the young woman whose name tag read Sarah, Georgia. Cole assumed her name was Sarah and she was from Georgia but it struck him as odd suddenly. Perhaps because he was in a panic.

  She stared at him. “You aren’t dining here?”

  “Look, Sarah Georgia, I’m in a bit of a rush. I’m going to hand you my club card, here you go, and I want you to add a thirty percent tip on the total. Just roll the food over there to the door and I’ll be right back,” he said and smiled.

  He hurried out the way he’d come and maneuvered his golf cart to the ocean side of the inn, parked at the bottom of the stairs, on the oyster encrusted, no carts allowed path, and bounded back up the stairs. He waved at Sarah through the locked glass door.

  Sarah turned the knob and reluctantly let him in. She handed him the check, which he signed without reading, stuck his club card in his pocket and said “Let’s just start carrying things out. Shouldn’t take us more than two trips.”

  It didn’t and soon he drove carefully, so he didn’t spill the hand-squeezed juice, back to his cottage. By the time his doorbell rang, Cole had re-plated the meal onto his own dishes, put them in the oven to stay warm, hidden the telltale room service trappings in his laundry room, taken a shower, and shaved. He was, in his mind, perfectly prepared for a relaxing breakfast.

  He opened the door. Her smile stole his breath. It was crazy how she did that. Lily was wrapped in a navy blue wool coat, white mittens and hat. Her nose was red with the cold.

  “Come on in,” he finally said, and she walked inside, oohing and ahhing about how beautiful his home was. The thing was, he didn’t have anything to do with the decoration or the planning or any of the little touches that made his house special. He knew this and saw it through her eyes as if for the first time.

  Cole was happy to see her ring finger was unadorned again.

  “I haven’t taken the time to personalize the place,” he said, suddenly, wondering why he was confessing to an almost stranger with huge brown eyes with gold flecks in them. She wore a white turtleneck and jeans that fit her perfectly, showing off her amazing body that he needed to stop obsessing about.

  “It takes a while to settle in a place. This was a big move for you,” Lily said, her sincerity making him feel better.

  “I should at least have a photo of my mom and dad,” Cole said, “And my brother and his wife and twins. Anyway, let’s go into the kitchen. I hope you’re hungry?”

  “Famished,” she says, smiling as she follows him into the kitchen. “Smells great. What did you make?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing, have a seat,” Cole said. As he pulled the eggs out of the oven he realized the yolks were cooked through. The sausage looked like jerky and forget about the potatoes. He didn’t know what to do.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?” Lily asked. “Oops,” she smiled when she looked at the plates. “It’s hard to keep cooked foods warm. But don’t worry. I can fix this!”

  And as Cole watched, Lily did just that. She grabbed both plates from the oven with a potholder Cole didn’t know he owned and hadn’t ever used. She dumped the contents of both plates into a skillet she’d pulled from below the oven.

  “Butter?” she asked.

  Cole shook his head.

  “I’ll use olive oil,” she said, grabbing the bottle he thought was just decoration on the kitchen island. Cole took a seat at the island. He liked to watch her cook. He liked having her in his home.

  He liked her. Period.

  “Okay, I think I’ve salvaged everything,” Lily said as she re-plated their meal. “What kind of sausage is this? It’s great!” She added, popping a piece in her mouth.

  Cole smiled, knowing he should confess, but he’d made such a poor showing last night telling her about how he’d screwed up so many of the Thanksgiving orders that he was loathe to let Lily know he not only couldn’t cook, that he didn’t even have food in his fridge.

  “It’s an Indigo Island specialty. We serve it at the restaurant,” he said, hoping she’d leave it at that.

  “Pork, chicken?”

  “Pork,” he said, taking the plate she handed to him and following her to the kitchen table.

  “It’s chicken and sage,” Lily said and sat across from him just as the clouds outside started to break up and shoot shafts of light through his windows, lighting her up.

  “You had someone cook breakfast for us, didn’t you?”

  “You busted me,” he admitted. “I know. I’m a restaurant owner without the slightest idea how to keep a meal warm. Pathetic.”

  Lily laughed and took a sip of her coffee. Despite the rough start, Cole enjoyed his meal and her company, but he was torn. He wanted to address the ring, or the relationship the ring implied, but he’d just met Lily. Still, he couldn’t get past it.

  “I hope I’m not being too forward, but I noticed an engagement ring on your ring finger yesterday and last night it was gone. And I, well, it’s not there today either. Did you just forget to put it on or is there a chance you aren’t engaged?” Cole said. He felt ridiculous, almost desperate to make his hopes crystal clear.

  “I was engaged, for three months, to a man named Bob. We dated for almost five years,” Lily said softly.

  She slumped a little in her seat, and her face shuttered. Cole was afraid he’d ruined everything. He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. Her hand was so soft, so small. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she looked up at him with impossibly sad eyes. He never wanted to see her that sad ever again. He had no idea what this Bob guy had done to her, but he felt Bob definitely needed to be decked.

  “I’m sorry he hurt you,” Cole said. He needed to hold her, and that was all he thought as he stood and walked around the table. And Lily rose and fell into his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her small frame. “And I’m sorry I brought it up,” he said, chin resting on the top of her head. He smelled her hair, clean and flowery, and his heart beat faster in his chest.

  “Avery said all along he was a snob and a jerk. I didn’t listen. I guess I just thought it was all real,
” Lily said and pulled her head back from his chest to lock eyes with him. “He’s marrying somebody else, on Christmas day.”

  “This Christmas?” Cole asked, stunned.

  “Yes,” Lily said and buried her face in his shirt again.

  “Good riddance,” he said. “His loss. You don’t need someone like that in your life.”

  Lily’s tears dampened his chest, but she laughed a little. “Are you for real?” she asked.

  He reached down and swept the tear off her cheek with his thumb then placed his finger beneath her chin and tilted her head back for a soft kiss. He meant to pull back, but when her lips parted, he instinctively pressed harder. She felt so right in his arms, so yielding, and she smelled wonderful. His arousal increased with Lily’s gasp, but reluctantly, he broke off the kiss and pulled her into a tight hug, his heart thudded in his chest. “I’m very real,” he said, wishing he hadn’t become so instantly and intensely aroused. He wasn’t a teenager anymore, but Lily did something to him, yet now was definitely not the time. She’d just broken up with her fiancé, and he had a restaurant to try and run.

  “Great breakfast,” Lily said and pulled away. “Let’s do the dishes and talk about your Christmas catering mess.”

  Lily stacked their empty plates and carried them to the sink, Cole followed with their glasses and coffee mugs. He was glad that she no longer seemed sad. Instead, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled. As Lily loaded the dishwasher, she said, “I take it those white boards in the dining room are your plans for the Christmas meal?”

  “Yup. I thought I’d use the same system as Thanksgiving, since that was such as success,” Cole said and heard her laugh.

  She finished putting the dishes into the dishwasher, washed her hands, and walked across the kitchen into the dining room. Cole followed closely behind, enjoying every moment in her presence, but Lily had switched to business mode, he noted, wishing he could get his brain out of the bedroom and back into the kitchen.

  “This is your problem right here,” she stared at his white boards. “This menu is way too ambitious. The ingredients are too sophisticated, and well, all wrong for your restaurant and Indigo Island, not to mention too high in calories,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about the menu all night, and you definitely want to offer something completely different from what the inn is offering.”

  Cole had been thinking about something all last night, too, only his obsession was standing in his dining room, proposing a solution to his troubles, and he had to get his head in the game.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Why are you guys even delivering soup? The She Crab Soup is cream based, hard to reheat let alone keep at the right temperature. It’s more highbrowed Charleston, than casual Indigo Island,” she added, wiping it off the board.

  “Turkey, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes. Isn’t that exactly what you delivered at Thanksgiving?” she asked and Cole nodded, embarrassed and feeling helpless. “Did Sally Ann plan this menu or did you, based on your New England memories?”

  “Sally Ann’s planned nothing and I don’t blame her. She’s mad at me because I got us into this mess. She’s teaching me a lesson and just saying it’s all up to me. I’m at my wit’s end,” Cole said, his jaw clenched.

  “I’m sure the feeling is mutual.”

  Cole watched as Lily erased the rest of his planned Christmas menu. She grabbed the black marker and wrote:

  Marshside Mama’s Christmas Feast

  Authentic Lowcountry comfort and cheer delivered right to your door

  Indigo Crab Patties

  Ol’ fashioned pot pie available in three choices:

  Vegetable, Chicken, and Pot Roast.

  Smokin’ Joe’s Butter Beans

  Indigo Island Cucumber and Tomato salad

  Homemade Christmas Cookies with Sprinkles and Glazes

  “What do you think?” Lily said, a grin on her face.

  “Sounds good,” Cole said slowly. “But how does this save time and kitchen space? Still looks like a lot of work. And what are butter beans?”

  “They’re an Indigo Island staple. They’re similar to lima beans,” Lily answered, concentrating on the board. “I think this is very doable. Sally Ann and I can make the side dishes and the Christmas cookies a week ahead. Same with the pot pie dough. I have a great recipe. Each pie serves six people. You’ll call and confirm the holiday orders beginning today. Ask for their pie preference, and we’re set.”

  “We? You really want to help?”

  “I really do,” she said.

  “Well, I love the idea and the menu,” he said and had to fight the urge to pull her in for another kiss. The way the sun streamed through the window made her hair shimmer. “Will you help me explain it to Sally Ann?”

  “Absolutely! This is what I love,” Lily said and clasped her hands together in excitement. Cole couldn’t help himself. He leaned forward, placed his hands on either side of her face and drew her closer. Their lips came together, soft at first but then sexy as he deepened the kiss. Soon Cole was dizzy with desire, turned on to his core. Lily moaned softly, but then she stiffened and pulled away.

  “Stop. We need to slow down,” Lily said and pulled away. She turned her back to him and faced the windows. “This is too fast. I can’t feel this, be like this. I was just engaged, I was going to marry Bob. I was so sad that he broke it off, and now, you appear.”

  “I’m sorry,” Cole said, and he was. He couldn’t believe he was so out of control, so turned on and prone to act on his impulses. He’d always been much more deliberate. They had only met yesterday.

  “Lily, I’m sorry. I’m not usually so pushy. I just—” He broke off not really knowing how he could explain his deep attraction to her when he couldn’t even explain it to himself. “I promise, no more messing around, not until you’re ready. If you ever are.”

  Lily turned around to face him. His stomach tensed as he watched her swallow. He remembered the taste of her mouth, the softness of her lips, the smell of her hair. She looked at him and he knew she felt the electricity, but it was too soon, she had been too hurt to trust again. He needed to be patient.

  “I would love your help, though.”

  She burst into her signature smile.

  “I’d love to help at the restaurant. Let’s go, so I can discuss menu ideas with Sally Ann.”

  The awkwardness evaporated and they walked out the door.

  *

  LILY

  Cole parked the golf cart in the back of what Lily could only describe as a charming white cottage with turquoise trim tucked inside a canopy of moss-strewn oaks. The view of the saltwater marsh beyond was breathtaking, the wood-planked dock was empty of boats, the entire scene was eerily still like a painting. Although she had been here before, the second time really was the charm.

  Cole led Lily in through the back door and they arrived in Sally Ann’s kitchen. Cole made a quick excuse that he had to set up the dining room, which left the two women to size each other up again.

  Once Cole exited, Sally Ann smiled and she welcomed Lily with open arms. Literally. Once Lily explained her ideas for an authentic down home Christmas meal, Sally Ann wrapped her in a bear hug, she oohed and ahhed over Lily’s Christmas menu suggestions. She seemed excited Lily incorporated some of Sally Ann’s signature dishes. Sally Ann instantly understood they could prepare every dish ahead of time.

  “You’re my savior, you are, honey,” she said still grinning. “He’s about to kill me with these holiday notions. I have five kids, a husband, and a mother-in-law who all expect me to be cookin’ for them on Christmas, not messing around here with what all the fancy people need.”

  “I’m so glad to be helping. But don’t thank me yet, we still have to get all of this prepped, ingredients sourced. If we start today confirming all the orders, we should be able to get started tomorrow,” Lily said.

  It was eleven in the morning, and Sally Ann quickly hurried to the corner of the kitchen a
nd pulled a white board from behind the sink.

  “Here’s what we’re serving today,” she said and pulled out a black marker, much like Lily had done at Cole’s house. Lily stood beside her watching Sally Ann fill the board with today’s offerings: Fresh Local Shrimp, Warm Artichoke Dip, Lowcountry Gumbo, Shrimp and Andouille Creole, Indigo Island Devil Crab Dinner, and Carolina Seafood Boil; Salad and Bread, family style.

  Even though Lily and Cole just finished breakfast, her stomach growled. The air was filled with the scent of pine, the sweet, salty air of the marsh, and the spices being used in Sally Ann’s cooking. The windows were screenless and open to the chilly air outside. Three large iron pots simmered on the stove and voices could be heard from the restaurant’s seating area just through the swinging door. Lily felt an essence of comfort and ease here in this kitchen, a feeling so different than any restaurant she’d ever stepped inside.

  While Sally Ann finished putting prices next to the menu list, Lily peeked through the door and watched Cole. He was on host duty, seating customers with a warm smile and a personal greeting to those he’d come to know. She loved the way he filled a room, the presence he commanded. But he wasn’t threatening or stuck up, the way Bob acted all the time. Cole was kind, and his blue eyes sparkled with genuine interest as he chatted with each guest, whether the person was a wealthy vacationer or a simple island worker. He looked up, caught her watching him, and smiled. She ducked back inside the kitchen.

  “You’re sweet on him,” Sally Ann said, coming up behind her. “I suppose he’s a good boy, just has no feel for this business. I’m gonna go on and start taking orders. Want to stick around and help back here today?”

  “I’d love it,” Lily said as Sally Ann pushed out the door, humming a tune Lily didn’t recognize. She looked around the simple kitchen and took stock of everything in front of her. She knew she could make her menu ideas work. In the corner, she spotted two large freezers and opened one to see how full it was. Both of them were about half full. Yes, it would all work just fine.