Christmas with Carlie

by Julianna Morris

  “Don’t put yourself down,” Leah scolded. “Can I get you something to eat?”

  “Thanks, but I had something earlier.” Carlie had munched on pizza and leftover Greek salad, but her mom didn’t need to know the details.

  “It must be chilly. Your cheeks are nice and rosy,” observed Carlie’s father.

  Carlie was certain her face was flushed from arguing with Luke Forrester, but she shrugged. “Yeah, it’s another freezing night. Say, did I tell you we have identical twins staying at Poppy Gold right now?”

  “I hope it’s still standing next week,” Mike said in a dry tone.

  She laughed. “I think these kids are less inventive than Quinn and Russ.”

  Her father scratched his whiskers. “I’ll never forget the time they decided to keep the woodpile dry by bringing it into the house in the middle of the night.”

  Carlie wouldn’t forget, either. She disliked bugs and had encountered far too many creepy crawlies after the woodpile incident. Not that she’d shown Quinn and Russ that it bothered her; letting younger brothers learn your weaknesses was an invitation to torment.

  “Yeah, but my favorite story is the one about the basement swimming pool.”

  “Lord, yes,” Leah affirmed. “They were a handful.”

  “They still are.” Carlie rose to her feet. “On that cheerful note, I’m going to have an early night. Mom, do you have a roll of parchment paper I can use? I’m making cookies with some guests tomorrow night and baking them on parchment is much easier. I’ll order more for you.”

  “Don’t worry about that—I always have plenty. There are several rolls in the pantry, on the second shelf to your right.”

  “Thanks.” Carlie kissed them good-night and went to fetch one of the rolls. Yet as she walked out to her apartment steps, she scowled, thinking it was best to load everything into the SUV tonight. There might be fewer people around to see and ask questions.

  She already had her mixer and other supplies packed in boxes ready to go, so she hauled those out and put them on the floor of the SUV’s passenger seat.

  Slamming the door, she glowered at the shiny paint. Maybe if she lived in snow country it would be good to have four-wheel drive, but snow was rare in Glimmer Creek.

  “New car?” called someone from behind her.

  Carlie fixed a smile on her face and turned. She’d forgotten Dr. Suehiro walked his dog each evening. “Good evening, Dr. Suehiro. Hey, Pancho.” She gave the beagle a pat. “It’s a temporary loan from a guest.”

  “I hope your car hasn’t broken down.”

  “No, there was a misunderstanding, that’s all. Everything will be sorted out quickly.”

  She hoped.

  “Excellent. Insurance and registration on such a vehicle would be quite high. And gas mileage?” He shook his head gravely. “I prefer my hybrid. Very economical at the pump.”

  Yes, Carlie thought triumphantly.

  Dr. Suehiro was an ophthalmologist who saw patients one day a week in Glimmer Creek and commuted to the city the rest of the time. The town was fortunate—few specialists were available in such a small community. And with his profession he could afford a luxury car; instead, he preferred trendy practicality.

  “I agree completely,” she said. “You and Pancho have a nice walk.”

  They continued on, the beagle as dignified and serious as his master.

  Though tempted to kick the tires of the SUV to vent her frustration, Carlie went up to her apartment again. After a hot shower, she crawled under the blankets, her brain still churning. But instead of thinking about an unwanted luxury vehicle, she was recalling the way Nicole had described her brother’s marriage.

  A series of perfect interludes.

  Exasperated, Carlie turned on her back and stared at the dark ceiling.

  It was hard enough competing with a memory, never mind with perfection. Of course, no one could compete with Erika Forrester, regardless—with her flawless beauty and heroism, she was practically mythical. And as a military officer, Erika had probably been one of the few women who could challenge Luke’s autocratic behavior.

  As for Luke? Carlie was quite sure he didn’t want to feel obligated to anybody, and the SUV was his way of discharging a perceived debt. She was even willing to believe he’d tried to be nice in his extremely inept way.

  Finally Carlie got up and fixed her mom’s sleep remedy. She poured the mixture into a china teacup and curled up on the couch, the scent of maple wafting through the air. Her mother had always served warm milk to her in a special cup decorated with tiny roses, making the drink particularly special. If she ever had a daughter, she’d do the same.

  Pushing the thought away, she clicked on the television and checked the channel guide, pleased to see that I’ll Be Home for Christmas was starting in a few minutes. There were at least three films with the same title, but this one was set during the last days of World War II and starred actors like Hal Holbrook, Eva Marie Saint and Peter Gallagher.

  Quickly she set the DVR to record it so she wouldn’t need to stay awake for another two hours.

  Carlie finished her warm milk and slid down on the cushions, letting the film murmur softly in the background. With any luck, it would distract her enough to keep her from thinking about SUVs and Luke Forrester.

  And kisses.

  * * *

  LUKE FURIOUSLY TYPED out a string of emails.

  Nicole and the girls were in bed and he was trying to figure out what to do about Carlie. He was appalled that he’d lost control with her, however briefly.

  What if Beth and Annie had seen them kissing? They could have gotten bored with the movie and come looking for him, or just gone to the kitchen for milk and spotted them through the window.

  The girls liked Carlie, but he’d already dealt with their questions about a new mommy. They weren’t ready for a new mother figure in their lives, even casually.

  Hell, he wasn’t ready. First he needed to come up with answers that would make sense to them. Maybe Beth and Annie were too young to have thought things through, but sooner or later they’d start to wonder why their mommy hadn’t stayed with them instead of going half a world away to be a soldier. He worried they’d blame him, but he also didn’t want them to think Erika hadn’t loved them enough. Somehow he’d have to help them understand...which was going to be difficult since he didn’t understand that well himself.

  All he could do was try to keep things under control so nothing else could happen to his family.

  Luke’s phone rang and he saw the call was from William Gunderson, the salesman who’d delivered Carlie’s SUV to Glimmer Creek. Earlier he’d left a message saying he needed her sedan back and asking him to return the call, no matter how late.

  “Hello,” he answered.

  “Mr. Forrester, I’m sorry for not calling earlier,” the man sputtered. “My phone was—”

  “That’s all right. But as I mentioned in my voice mail, I need that sedan back here by morning.”

  “You want to return the SUV?” William sounded dismayed, probably because he’d received two generous commissions, one for the sports utility vehicle and the second for immediately driving it to Glimmer Creek.

  “No, but the ownership will need to be registered in my name, not Ms. Benton’s. She’d, uh, prefer to choose her own vehicle.”

  The SUV could be donated to a worthy cause when they left for Texas and would be useful in the interim.

  “If you return the sedan to Glimmer Creek by four o’clock this morning, I’ll double the commissions you’ve already received,” Luke added. “You’ll need to pick me up and we’ll take it over to her home.”

  “Of course, sir. I can leave within the hour. I just need to arrange for a ride back to Stockton.”

  “Excellent. Call when
you get into town. I’ll be awake.”

  Luke disconnected, glad one problem was getting resolved. Carlie’s outrage was another issue. She was a talented woman who was helping his daughters enjoy the holidays, and she was spending extra time at Poppy Gold because of his family’s needs. Didn’t she deserve the kind of bonuses he gave to people for hard work?

  Still, she wasn’t his employee. If she had been in his employ, he never would have kissed her.

  So he was a hypocrite. No wonder she was upset.

  Much as he hated to admit it, Carlie was right that he had one rule for himself and a different one for other people. He’d refused to accept the use of the Yosemite suite as a gift and wouldn’t listen to what anyone had to say about it, yet he’d expected her to be all right with being given an SUV?

  His best intentions aside, maybe he should have stopped at the anonymous lunch he’d sent to Old City Hall.

  * * *

  THE NEXT MORNING, Carlie stared blearily into her bathroom mirror. She was supposed to be perky and cheerful like Julie McCoy, the cruise director on the old Love Boat television series. Instead, she looked pale and sleep deprived.

  Obviously her mother’s warm milk concoction had worked better when she was eight and worried about an upcoming math test. It had less effect on a grown woman whose body was at war with her mind.

  It wasn’t that Carlie thought Luke was a skunk like her ex-fiancé, but she couldn’t understand why she was drawn to him. He wasn’t the kind of man she normally found appealing. It had to be sex and a ticking biological clock. A broken heart, moody good looks and unquestioned authority might entice some women, but not her.

  She splashed cold water on her face and padded into the bedroom to get dressed. The apartment was cute and functional. Her dad had built it years before as a rental, only to discover he hated being a landlord. She’d insisted on paying rent herself, however, claiming she would find somewhere else to live if he didn’t agree.

  I have my pride, too, she’d announced.

  With her keys and a bag of clothes to loan Nicole in hand, Carlie went outside and saw her silver sedan in the spot where she’d left the SUV. She felt a rush of relief. Dealing with the fallout would have been ugly. She couldn’t even imagine how much the gift tax, insurance and registration would have cost—probably more than a new car of her choosing.

  There was just one problem... She hurried across the street and saw her baking equipment had been loaded into the backseat. It would have been so typical to have her lovely KitchenAid mixer and AirBake cookie sheets disappear when the vehicles were exchanged, provoking yet another confrontation. She wouldn’t put it past Luke to overlook something like that. He was a big-picture guy, oblivious to the nitty-gritty of everyday life.

  Carlie fished her spare key from her purse and unlocked the door. There was a manila envelope on the passenger seat and she tipped the contents out to find the spare key to the sedan, a VISA gift card and a folded sheet of paper. Impatiently she shook the paper open and saw a note scrawled in strong, angular handwriting.

  I couldn’t fill your tank since there isn’t a twenty-four-hour station in Glimmer Creek, so I got a gift card at the convenience store. It’s only right to replace the gas that was used, so don’t get all stiff-necked on me. We need to talk. L.

  Carlie scowled. No, they didn’t need to talk. She’d be happy if they never talked again.

  She didn’t know if he was just bored or wanted an affair, however unlikely that seemed. Boredom she could take care of as the Poppy Gold activities director. If it was an affair, he could forget it. She wasn’t cut out for short-term relationships.

  * * *

  NICOLE COULD TELL that something was going on with Luke.

  The night before, he’d come back after answering the door to say he’d be out for a while. But then he’d returned almost immediately, only to sit moodily as Beth and Annie finished watching Santa admit that he’d treated Rudolph badly.

  Tension was still thick at breakfast and her brother wouldn’t talk, so Nicole decided a trip to the Glimmer Creek Veterinary Clinic would be easier than trying to get him to open up. When Luke didn’t want to talk, he was as impervious as a glacier.

  “I need to run an errand this morning,” she said casually. She hadn’t found an opportunity to tell Luke about the second kitten she’d found. Further explanation was impossible with the girls sitting at the breakfast table, finishing their oatmeal. “I won’t be gone long.”

  Luke handed her a key. “I’ve arranged for an SUV to use while we’re here. You’ll find it parked in the Mark Twain lot—the white SUV with no plates yet. Take all the time you want.”

  “Thanks.”

  It was odd that he hadn’t said anything about them needing their own transportation, but she shrugged and headed out. While the clinic wasn’t that far, visiting after dark would be easier with independent wheels. Taxis weren’t always easy to get in Glimmer Creek. Poppy Gold often provided rides, but she couldn’t impose on them to visit a sick animal.

  Nicole parked at the clinic and got out, praying Bandit was all right.

  “Hello,” she said to the receptionist at the front desk. “Is, um, my kitten...that is...” She trailed off into silence.

  The other woman smiled. “He’s holding his own. Dr. Cartwright mentioned you might visit. He schedules routine surgeries on Thursday mornings, so he doesn’t have regular office hours. I’ll show you to the feline treatment ward.”

  Nicole smiled politely, though she knew the way. In the back she saw Bandit curled into a more normal position and reached in to pet him. “Hey there, little one.”

  He pressed against her finger and purred briefly, but he obviously wasn’t much stronger. Nevertheless, knowing he was warm and being cared for made him look better. She pulled up a chair next to him, vaguely aware of the receptionist leaving. Her heart ached that she hadn’t found him earlier.

  “Sleep, baby. It’s good for you,” she whispered.

  * * *

  GIDEON DROPPED HIS surgical scrubs into the laundry bin and came down the hallway, not particularly surprised to see Nicole Forrester sitting with the kitten she’d rescued. But unlike some pet “mommies,” she wasn’t fussing at the cat, trying to get him to respond; she was just quietly watching him sleep.

  He’d wondered if the little guy would survive the night and had gone down a couple of times to check, only to be scolded by the night attendant.

  “Don’t you trust me?” Peter Talua had asked, looking wounded. He was a certified EMT who’d discovered he’d rather treat animals than people. He liked the night shift because he was taking online classes, and Gideon didn’t object to him doing course work on the clinic computer, provided his duties weren’t neglected.

  Gideon had reassured Peter, but he couldn’t admit that it was his attraction to a client making him restless—a nervous-Nellie client who jumped when a dog barked.

  Get a grip, Gideon thought now, staring at Nicole.

  Despite her fears, she seemed to have more affinity for animals than his ex-wife, but that didn’t make her safe. Nicole’s casual comfort with wealth was another huge problem. Maybe it wasn’t fair, but he’d never seen her wear anything except fine jewelry and clothes, though her current footwear...

  Gideon raised his eyebrows at the inexpensive canvas shoes on her feet. He’d noticed them the previous day, as well, but only in the back of his mind.

  “Good morning,” he said, the words sounding inordinately loud in the quiet room.

  Nicole jumped and put a hand to her chest. “I think you gave me a heart attack.”

  “Sorry.” Gideon walked over and did a quick exam of his patient. “He’s doing all right—that’s the only thing I can tell you.”

  “Okay.”

  “It looks as if you’ve been shopping at th
e Argonaut Market,” he commented, gesturing to the loafers she wore.

  “Aren’t they great?” Nicole said, lifting her right foot and wiggling it. “I got two pairs and they can go right in the washing machine. I didn’t expect to do much outdoor stuff at Poppy Gold, so it was a relief to find them.”

  He’d anticipated embarrassment, not enthusiasm.

  “Er, yeah. They carry a little bit of everything at the Argonaut since there are so few regular stores in Glimmer Creek. Aside from souvenir shops, of course.”

  “I noticed, but the Argonaut’s sweat clothes and T-shirts are way too big for me.” Nicole’s gaze shifted to the kitten and she stood up. “I’m afraid we’re disturbing Bandit. I’d better get going and I’m sure you have things to do.”

  “Yeah, I have another two surgeries this morning.”

  It was true, but he felt illogically out of sorts. Yet when Gideon went to check on the cat he’d just spayed, he decided it was mostly because he’d expected trouble getting Nicole out of the clinic. Instead, she’d done as promised, visiting Bandit and leaving without a fuss.

  “Our patient is awake and feeling sorry for herself,” Sandra observed in the postoperative area. She was entering information on the computer terminal.

  The six-month-old feline growled grumpily when Gideon checked her over. It was the nature of his work. However much he liked cats, they didn’t appreciate being vaccinated, prodded or operated upon. There was also something about the way a vet’s office smelled that set them off—one whiff and they either got terrified or bared their teeth.

  At least he had the satisfaction of knowing he was doing his part to give them a long, healthy life.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  THE SECOND VISIT of the Madrigal Feast Players was just as successful as their first, but it was difficult for Carlie to enjoy the performance. She expected Luke to walk over any minute and bluster through an explanation that he hadn’t meant anything by kissing her and not to make anything of it.

  She wasn’t going to make anything of it. She planned to pretend that kiss had never happened. A few problems did go away if you pretended they didn’t exist.