Restoring Christmas

by Kate Kasch

  “That’s kinda lame guys,” Gretchen handed out glasses of wine. “Why are Nick and Gabe’s names so much cooler?”

  “Sorry, our brains are fried. It was the best we could do with such time constraints,” Adrienne grabbed a handful of popcorn.

  “And what about Adrienne’s superhero name? We didn’t get that far . . .” Gabe said, thinking.

  “I actually came up with her name while I was in the kitchen,” Gretchen smiled. “Adrienne, the IRON VIXEN.”

  “That’s amazing! Maybe you should apply to take over my position in marketing, Gretch,” Adrienne said. “There should be an opening at Morgan Lynch soon.”

  “No thank you. I value my soul.”

  “Ha. Funny. Well, I love my superhero name. From here on out I expect you all to refer to me as the Iron Vixen,” Adrienne said. “Now, Captain Phenomenal, I insist that you find us a Christmas movie, stat. And please make sure my wine does not get too low.”

  “It would be my pleasure, Ms. Vixen.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  The sun teemed through the window so brightly; Adrienne could feel it warm her closed eyelids. Cracking one eye open she looked around, not immediately realizing where she was. Braving the illuminated room, she opened her eyes as far as they were willing to go and sat up. Popcorn was sprinkled all over the coffee table and floor, and empty wine glasses were left abandoned on end tables. The fireplace held the ash remnants of a once roaring fire. And four, now three, adults were passed out on two sofas, their bodies contorted and squished under layers of blankets.

  It’s Christmas Eve! And although this year that day included a deadline for a contest they weren’t ready for, Adrienne felt the magic of the day fill her soul and warm her heart. This day would always bring back memories of her parent’s tragedy, but for the first time in four years Adrienne could look back and remember the good times too: the joy, the laughter, the love.

  Ever so quietly Adrienne pushed the blanket off her and untangled her legs from Gabe’s. Gabe. The thought of him made her tingle from her belly up to her throat. Could life really be like this? Could she wake up feeling happy and light every morning? Tiptoeing into the kitchen she started the coffee pot, put some bacon in the oven and mixed together some pancake batter. Looking over at the chalkboard she knew what she had to do. Erasing the number one, Adrienne wrote a big fat zero. There were no more days -- today was the day. It was 8 a.m., so the Harkins’ family had nine hours before judges would start to arrive. And what needed to be done? Adrienne crossed off “Paint house” (hallelujah!) and “Fix roof” (yay!).

  Harkins Christmas List:

  Mow lawn

  Trim bushes

  Paint house

  Clean gutters

  Fix roof

  Paint front door

  Fix Paint front porch/pillars

  Paint and Re-hang shutters

  Rake leaves

  Dust

  Wash floors

  Clean refrigerator

  Buy Christmas tree

  Decorate interior

  Exterior Christmas lights, wreaths

  Clean bathrooms

  Fix garage roof where tree fell

  Obviously, the biggest thing to get done today was the garage roof. Even once the hole was repaired, the garage would need to be painted a little, and its roof would need new shingles. The shutters still needed to be hung . . . and then they could decorate – hooray! Adrienne had already chosen what her job would be today, on Christmas Eve. She would be hanging lights, wreaths and garland -- creating a magical Christmas wonderland. She made a mental note to check the basement to see if any of the lawn ornaments were down there.

  “Good morning,” Gabe’s voice was just above a whisper.

  “Good morning,” Adrienne smiled. “Merry Christmas Eve. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “No, you didn’t. I feel like I’m in one of those coffee commercials where the smell of the coffee brewing wakes everyone up. That’s me right now – and let me tell you, there’s nothing better than being woken up to the smell of coffee and bacon . . . and having you be the first person I see. This might well be the best Christmas Eve ever.”

  Adrienne blushed, and nervously stirred the pancake batter. “You might be speaking a bit too soon – you haven’t looked at the to-do list yet. It’ll be a working Christmas Eve, unfortunately.”

  “I don’t mind at all. I have to say I’ve been thinking about you, a lot, and wondering how you were going to deal with Christmas Eve. This must be a tough day for you.”

  Adrienne kept busy making pancakes; afraid if she looked up and into Gabe’s eyes, she would get too emotional.

  “Honestly, the past few Christmas Eves were awful. I would sit alone in my apartment avoiding Christmas movies, avoiding anything to do with Christmas actually, which is no easy feat. And I would wallow in my misery. Gretchen and I would maybe send each other a text, but sometimes not even that. I can’t believe I thought that was the best way to handle the pain.”

  “And what about this year?” Gabe asked.

  “I’m overwhelmed,” Adrienne stopped stirring the batter and looked into Gabe’s concerned eyes. “I’m overwhelmed with . . . happiness. Family. Love,” she spoke the last word barely above a whisper.

  “What’s going on in here? Ooohh Adrienne, are you making the traditional Harkins’ Christmas Eve pancakes?” Gretchen barged in.

  “I sure am,” Adrienne took a deep breath, and then smiled at Gabe.

  “You know,” Gretchen walked over and grabbed a slice of bacon, “I made these by myself the last few years on Christmas Eve. I can tell you, they taste much better when shared with friends and family.”

  Adrienne plopped pancakes on plates, set out the butter and syrup and poured coffee all around. Nick walked in soon after and they all enjoyed a big hearty breakfast before their busy day. They laughed as they reminisced about the night before, teasing each other with their Superhero names.

  “I see that big zero on the chalkboard and I can’t believe the day is really here. Sometimes it felt like it would never come, and sometimes it felt like it was coming too quickly,” Gretchen said.

  “I know I was skeptical, but I actually think we are going to pull this off,” Adrienne smiled at the group.

  “Wait, is that Adrienne being positive? Maybe we should be calling you the Positivity Protector?”

  Once everyone had showered and dressed (for the guys, it was right back into the clothes they wore all yesterday and then slept in), they all met outside for job assignments. Nick took over as foreman and was all business, “Gabe, you will start by hanging shutters. I don’t think this will take you more than a few hours, and then you can join me on the garage. Adrienne and Gretchen, I know you two will be so sad not to be painting today,” the girls smiled, “but instead, I’m afraid you are going to have to put up all the Christmas decorations. Now this is a very important job, you know. Think the Griswolds from Christmas Vacation – no skimping on the lights. And please, be careful on the ladder.”

  Adrienne and Gretchen were jumping up and down with excitement. Once again, the girls brought out a portable speaker and blasted Christmas music. Then they began the search for all the outdoor lawn ornaments, lights, wreaths and garland. Some of the décor was in the boxes they had stored in the den, and some things were in the basement, and some are in the attic – it took the girls quite a while to gather it all up on the front lawn where they took inventory.

  “I need a coffee break already,” Gretchen laughed. “And do you know what would go perfect with hanging Christmas lights?” Adrienne stared at her blankly. “Gingerbread lattes from the Dreamy Bean!” Gretchen’s eyes lit up like twinkle lights.

  “Okay, but you’re going into town. I feel like I’ve been in and out of town a million times a day. I will get started with the front portico. I was thinking we wrap lighted garland around the columns, hang garland with a bow around the front door, and then a lighted wreath on the door. What
do you think?”

  “I think that sounds perfect. I will be super-fast at the Dreamy Bean, I promise. And it will totally be worth working alone for a bit once you taste that amazing gingerbread flavor.”

  Adrienne couldn’t argue with that. As she started to wrap the lighted garland around the two front portico columns, she and Gabe kept passing each other by as he went back and forth with the freshly painted shutters. They couldn’t stop smiling at each other. Does he have a girlfriend or not?

  Trying to reach the top of the column, Adrienne put one foot on the small stepladder. Distracted by her thoughts of Gabe, as she reached up high on her tippy toes, she lost her balance and felt the ladder begin to tip. A small scream slipped from her mouth and she squeezed her eyes tight, bracing herself for impact. Just as she should be hitting the hard cement, she was suddenly floating in someone's strong arms. Relief washed over her as she opened her eyes to thank her rescuer. However, words escaped her when she found herself inches from Gabe’s face. They stared into each other’s eyes. Caught up in the moment, Adrienne leaned in to kiss him.

  Gabe quickly pulled away and planted Adrienne back on her feet.

  “I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over me! I know you have a girlfriend and did that anyway. What is wrong with me?” Adrienne was incredibly embarrassed by the rejection.

  “Girlfriend? What are you . . .? That’s not why I . . ..”

  “It’s okay, Gabe. I saw you two together in town. The pretty blonde sitting on the bench?”

  “What? Oh, I see,” Gabe said, “Jennifer.”

  “So that’s her name,” Adrienne felt nauseous.

  “Yeah – Jennifer, my assistant Louise’s daughter.”

  “You’re dating your assistant’s daughter?”

  “No! We’re not dating. We’re just good friends. She works for the Department of Buildings. Jennifer is the person who helped us with the permit information.”

  “Ohhhhhh,” Adrienne felt silly and euphoric. “But wait, then why did you . . .?”

  “Why did I pull away from you?” Gabe finished her sentence. Adrienne nodded.

  “I’m not sure I can put myself through that again. Through this again,” he moved his hand between the two of them. “When you left, it crushed me Adrienne. I’m not sure I can take going through that again. Once this contest is over, what is your plan? Are you picking back up with your old life with the apartment in the city, the high-stress job? Do you even have a plan?”

  Adrienne stared at him blankly, unsure how to answer him.

  “Until you know that, Adrienne, I can’t let myself fall for you again.”

  “Hey, what’s with all the chit-chat over there? Let’s get back to work, huh?” Nick yelled from across the yard. Gabe turned and walked back to the good side of the garage to grab another shutter to hang. Adrienne didn’t move for a few minutes, too dizzy by the thoughts zooming around her brain.

  Gretchen walked over carrying the tray of coffees. One look at Adrienne and she asked, “Adrienne, are you okay? What happened?” Adrienne continued to stare off into space.

  “Helloooo? Earth to Adrienne! What’s going on?”

  Adrienne snapped back to life, “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m a little out of it. I almost just fell off the stepladder and then I got hit with a truth bomb.”

  “Oh my, let’s take one thing at a time. You almost fell off the ladder – and you’re okay?” Gretchen gave Adrienne a once-over looking for injuries. Adrienne nodded her head, letting Gretchen know wasn’t hurt.

  “Okay, great. And now for the truth-bomb . . .I’m assuming that was from Gabe, since I don’t think Saint Nick delivers truth-bombs on Christmas Eve,” Gretchen tried to get a smile out of Adrienne. However, Adrienne seemed to barely hear her.

  “What did he say?” Gretchen asked quietly, almost reluctantly.

  “I’m an idiot.”

  “He said you were an idiot?”

  “No, I just am an idiot. I tried to kiss him, and he backed away.” Gretchen grimaced. “And then he told me that he couldn’t ever be with me again because of the way I treated him after Mom and Dad died. Unless I have a plan, or something like that . . .I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m an idiot and he hates me.”

  “Now, some of that sounds awful, some of that sounds, well, true, and some of it sounds crazy. He doesn’t hate you, Adrienne. He’s just trying to protect his heart from being broken again. I think you know a little about that, don’t you? Why else would you have dated Jason for so long?”

  Adrienne looked at Gretchen, confused.

  “You dated him for so long because you were never at risk of falling in love with him, and therefore never at risk of getting hurt. I’m proud of you for trying to kiss Gabe. Personally, I think it’s the bravest thing you’ve done in a long time – putting yourself out there like that.”

  Adrienne smiled at Gretchen, and then leaned in for a quick hug. “You are really easy to talk to, ya know that?”

  “Well, we should do it more often, then. Right? Here, this will make you feel better,” she handed Adrienne a gingerbread latte.

  After a few more hours of work, Gabe had all the freshly painted shutters rehung, and the girls were in the midst of turning the exterior of 22 Oak Street into a Christmas spectacular. The portico and front door looked gorgeous, and now Adrienne and Gretchen were moving on to hanging strings of lights along the roofline. Even with hooks already in place from previous years, this was still a difficult job. Considering Adrienne had already fallen off a short stepladder, Gretchen was doing most of the high ladder work.

  Adrienne stood at the bottom of an extension ladder as Gretchen balanced on one of the top rungs, reaching over to hook a light strand. Nick walked over and was watching the whole scene.

  I can’t even watch; it’s making me too nervous!” Adrienne said to Nick. “I feel like she’s going to come tumbling down any minute!”

  “It is a bit nerve-wracking to watch. But I feel better with her up there than you, no offense,” Nick teased.

  After an eye roll, Adrienne asked, “How are things going over there on the garage?”

  “We’re moving along okay. I’ve got it cleaned up and Gabe is working on framing it out. Right now, I need to run to the hardware store and pick up some sheathing, felt paper and more nails for my nail gun. Do you ladies need anything?”

  “I have no idea what you just said, but it sure sounded good,” Adrienne laughed. “We don’t need anything, right Gretch?” Adrienne yelled up to her sister.

  “We need lunch! I’m hungry already!”

  As Nick walked down the front path, a small sedan pulled up to the front of the house. Adrienne, Gretchen, Gabe and Nick all stopped what they were doing to see who was paying them a visit this time. Historically, they didn’t have much luck with surprise visitors, aside from Angela, of course. And it looked like they would keep that unlucky streak alive, as Elaina stepped out of the car.

  Pulling her cashmere coat tightly around her, Elaina click-clacked up the walkway on four-inch heels. Her face was pinched and stern; she was all business, as usual.

  “Elaina? What are you doing here?” Adrienne asked.

  “Hello Harkins, so this is what you’ve been doing instead of working? Hanging Christmas lights?” Before Adrienne could even respond, Elaina interrupted her, “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Can I speak to you in private please? And maybe somewhere that’s not freezing cold?”

  “Sure, come on inside.”

  As they two women stepped inside, Elaina gasped at the décor. “Wow, it’s like Christmas threw up in here. Harkins, what has gotten into you?”

  “I think it’s magical. But that is only one of many things we disagree on. Now, I know you didn’t come all the way to Connecticut to talk about Christmas decorations. What do you want, Elaina?”

  Elaina looked down at her feet sheepishly, “The truth, Harkins, is that I want you to come back to work. Remember that big important meeting regarding the cell phone loca
tion technology that you did all that research on?” Adrienne nodded.

  “Well, the Board hated the idea. They thought it was creepy and invasive, just like you tried to tell me.”

  A contrite Elaina was something Adrienne never expected to see, ever. “Look Elaina, I’m sorry the meeting didn’t go well for you. I know you worked hard on it. But I still don’t know what that has to do with me.”

  “You used excellent judgment, that I was lacking, in coming up with new marketing ideas for the company. Thankfully because of the Just-In-Time marketing you had told me about, I was able to save myself at the meeting. Everyone loved that idea of paying closer attention to what clients do with our company, and then offering them a relevant additional service. The Board thought that was a total win-win. I guess I’m here to thank you, firstly. And secondly, to say that you can have a little time off for the holidays, but then we would like you to come back to work as the new Marketing Manager.”

  “You’re offering me the promotion?” Adrienne couldn’t have been more surprised if Santa himself jumped out from behind her Christmas tree right now.

  “We’re offering you the promotion, which you have worked hard for and deserve. You will have an actual office, not just a cubical, and a pay raise of course.”

  “Please email me the terms – I need to go over them and think about it.”

  Although many expressions don’t show on Elaina’s face, Adrienne was pretty sure she saw a glimpse of surprise.

  “Of course. I will email you the paperwork this afternoon for you to review. But we will need an answer by December 26th.”

  Adrienne walked Elaina out to her car, said good-bye and wished her a Merry Christmas. Elaina looked as though no one had ever said those words to her, and even more surprisingly, she said them back. This certainly was the season for miracles.

  As Adrienne walked back up toward the house after Elaina drove away, she felt three sets of eyes boring into her. “What?” she asked all of them.