Her Wish Before Christmas (Holiday Hearts)

by Quinton, Kimberly

  “Stroke.” She sniffed and took a deep breath. I can do this. “Cilla found her in the store. We think she fell and hit her head. Passed away a couple weeks later. I’m sorry no one told you. I guess your parents didn’t know.”

  “I guess not. Mom’s in Florida, and Dad’s in Arizona. I don’t talk to them much.”

  There was a sober acceptance in his statement. A maturity that wasn’t there before. Age had added depth and character to his handsome features. A slight crinkle at the corner of eyes flecked with green and gold enhanced the boy-next-door appeal of his looks.

  Words failed her. Refusing to drown in awkward silence, Genny picked up the broom and headed to the spot where the evening had taken a turn for the worse.

  He stood close to her with the dustpan while she swept up a pile of glass. His stare weighed down on her, clashing with hers every time she looked at him. Careful of the remaining panes of glass still in their respective doorframes, she braced her hip against the side of the cabinet and tried to slide it over to get to the fragments underneath. Crafted out of solid oak, it didn’t budge. She propped the broom against a nearby chair and pushed with both hands.

  “Just going to stand there, or are you going to help a girl out?”

  He took hold of the other side. His added strength tipped it, shifting the items displayed on the shelves.

  “Easy. Just a few inches.” The cabinet swayed, then settled. A cluster of bowls and ornaments on the open top shelf rocked and one fell out. Connor caught the intricately carved wooden dish in a chest hug. The contents spilled over him and across the floor.

  “Good catch.” He shrugged and remained quiet, his focus never leaving her face.

  “Oh, man, I haven’t seen these in years.” She bent to gather the necklaces and small scraps of paper that had fallen out.

  “What are they?” He leaned closer, his hand brushed hers sending sparks of awareness firing over her nerves. Warmth radiated from him, cocooning the moment from reality as he examined one of the pieces of gold-foil paper.

  “Oh, uh, nothing. Just something my sister and I used to play with as kids.” Genny tucked the items into the bowl and back onto the shelf.

  “You were never a very good liar, Genny.” Connor smiled at her.

  His charm was hard to resist. I can’t forget lessons of the past that easily. The questions she had buried tumbled into each other. She’d fantasized about this moment so many times and all the answers she wanted to demand. But she refused to open old wounds.

  “Thanks for your help. But I’ve got this. I’m sure you have more important things to do than help me clean up my own mess.” Her hands strangled the smooth plastic of the broom handle as she concentrated on sweeping any missed corners. Anything to keep from saying what was really on her mind.

  “I do have to run. I just stopped in to say hello.” He stepped close and looked at her as though he had something more to say but closed his mouth in a hard line. Within kissing distance. Why did her mind go there? He brushed a hand across her cheek and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. A familiar gesture that used to bring her so much joy. “Good night, Genny. It was good to see you.”

  Watching him leave, she swallowed the urge to call him back. The abrupt dismissal bit deep. He’d broken her heart when she was eighteen and ready to marry him—the shards of a shattered heart far sharper than glass. What the hell do you do when the love of your life strolls in after more than a decade apart? The bells on the door interrupted her thoughts. Is he back for more shocking announcements?

  “Was that Connor O’Rourke I saw walking out of here?” Cilla rushed to Genny and stopped abruptly. “What happened?” She gestured to the broom and pile of broken glass.

  “I had an accident with the cabinet.” Genny focused on sweeping, catching any stray shards. “And yes, he’s moved back.”

  “Really. He’s back. You’re back. And right before Christmas. What did he want?”

  “Don’t go there.” Genny jerked her head to meet Cilla’s probing stare.

  “So you do remember your fortune.” A glimmer of smug I knew it tainted her words.

  “I also remember him dumping me on Christmas Eve.” She pushed the broom at her sister. “I’m not talking about him or fortunes right now. I’ll clean up the blood in the morning.” Ignoring the sting from her cut, she shoved her feet into her boots and abandoned Cilla. No more question and answer sessions that night. Years. She’d had years to get over him.

  You haven’t.

  Not you, too. Genny ignored her grandmother’s voice in her head. Her life didn’t involve Connor. Not anymore. A mature, successful woman could handle seeing her first love again without melting into a puddle of wounded rejection. Connor wanted to act like old friends. Old pals. She could do that.

  Lying to yourself is a waste of energy.

  Shut up.

  Why did she have to find those damn charms? Huddled into her coat for the short walk home, the goose bumps that tingled her scalp and covered her arms weren’t from the cold.

  Sorry. Even in her mind, she couldn’t get away with being rude.

  Genny’d had more imaginary conversations with Nona since her death than any other time in her life. She’d never questioned the special connection they’d had since she left home. Sure, they wrote letters—a dying art the cousins wanted to keep going. But even with letters and sporadic phone calls, her grandmother always seemed to be in her thoughts. And still was.

  Genny remembered every word of those damn fortunes. Undoubtedly, so did her sister and cousins. They still believed. She’d had such confidence in that nonsense when she was younger. They all trusted the story that their nona was a gypsy and had special powers. As little girls, they pretended they would also one day grow up to be great gypsy fortune tellers.

  Don’t lose faith.

  I grew up. I don’t live on faith anymore.

  Chapter Two

  Genny Ridgeway was back. God, she smelled good. Just as he remembered, sunshine and spring flowers even in the middle of winter.

  Still mad as hell at me. But not wearing a ring.

  Hope buried the regret he carried for the selfish choice of breaking up with her in college. She’d moved on and found a dream to pursue, as he’d known she would. As he’d wanted her to. When his parents divorced and moved away from Laurel Cove, he lost his source for keeping track of her. Assuming he’d find out she was happily married, he’d used unpacking and getting his clinic set up as an excuse to put off visiting her grandmother’s store, never expecting to run into Genny herself.

  He’d left, pursuing bigger and better things for himself, never intending to return to his hometown. As life went, he’d spent every day of the last five years working to return.

  He couldn’t help wondering how good life would be if Genny had been with him along the way. But he wouldn’t have his son, a blessing he would never wish to change.

  Connor stomped light snow off his boots before entering the updated cottage-style house he had closed on two weeks previously. The smell of burning meat alerted him to the whereabouts of the home’s occupants.

  “Hello.”

  The blare of the smoke alarm started as he stepped through the dining room and into the kitchen. Jake sat at the small kitchen table holding his hands to his ears, and Ellen, their part-time housekeeper and nanny, was running water over a smoking pan in the sink. He opened the back door as he passed to let in some fresh air.

  “Daddy!” Jake’s wrinkled frown turned into a smile only a six-year-old could give as he rushed to Connor and jumped with the trust of a child that he would be caught and hugged. Connor stood on a chair to peel the alarm from the ceiling, quieting the noise.

  “Oh, Dr. O’Rourke. I’m so sorry. I burned the chicken.” She scraped the pan into the garbage can.

  “That’s okay, Ellen. We’re fine with a sandwich.”

  “Is peanut butter and jelly okay? I didn’t make it to the store.”

  “I think
we can manage. Did you pick up the dry cleaning and mail that package today?”

  At her cringe, he knew she had forgotten. She was a sweet woman, and Jake adored her, but he needed real help.

  “I need to go. My daughter’s picking me up, and we’re going to see my grandson perform in A Christmas Carol. I bought tickets for every showing this week.”

  “Tell Richard to break a leg for me. Wait. Not every night this week. I need you tomorrow night. I have an important meeting at the hospital.

  “Oh no. I’m sorry. I will see if my niece can babysit.” She grabbed her coat out of the hall closet.

  At Jake’s look of panic, he declined Ellen’s offer to have her niece Matilda sit for him and assisted her with her coat.

  “I’ll handle it. Good night, Ellen.”

  “Let me know if you change your mind,” she said on her way out.

  Connor walked back into the kitchen, a little less smoky and a lot chillier with the door open.

  “If I can’t find anyone else, I’ll have to ask Matilda.”

  “She’s mean. I don’t like her, and she just watches TV all night. I want a fun babysitter.”

  “I bet.” Connor took off his suit jacket and laid it over a chair. “Well, buddy, I guess dinner’s PB and J for us tonight.”

  “I want cereal.”

  “How much did Ellen let you have today already?”

  “One bowl, I promise.”

  “Okay.”

  “Yay, cereal.” Jake skipped to the pantry and returned with a box of his favorite cinnamon squares. “Are we going Christmas-tree shopping tomorrow?” Jake followed Connor to the fridge for the milk and back to the counter. “You promised we’d get a real tree this year.”

  “Yes, and I’m glad I have you to make sure I remember saying that.” Connor picked him up and sat him on the counter while he prepared their food.

  “I’m your right-hand man. Right, Dad?”

  “Right. I’d never keep everything straight without you.” Duplicates of his hazel eyes stared up at him with such an earnest expression. Ever since they decided to return to Laurel Cove, there’d been a subtle change in Jake. A quiet confidence he hadn’t seen while living in Boston.

  Connor’s cell chimed in his jacket.

  “I’ll get it for you, Daddy.” Jake jumped down and fished through the pockets for the phone.

  “Thank you.” He finished prepping dinner with one hand while responding to a text with the other.

  “Good news, bud. We don’t need Matilda or any sitter for tomorrow night. Meeting’s been moved to the afternoon. We’ll have just enough time to pick a tree before dark.”

  “What’s this, Daddy?” Jake held up a leather necklace holding a small rose-colored glass vial.

  “Hmmm, that’s not mine. Must have fallen in my pocket by accident.”

  Jake passed him the necklace. “Looks like a girl toy. But there’s something inside.”

  Connor tried to pop the top off but the stopper held tight. Close to the light, he could just make out the edge of a tightly rolled piece of paper.

  “I know who can tell me what this is. She’s also the person this belongs to, so put it back and I’ll return it tomorrow.”

  Jake shrugged, dropped the necklace in the coat pocket, and dug into the cereal waiting for him.

  “Have you decided on your Christmas wish yet?” Jake asked between bites.

  “Not yet. What’s yours?”

  “I can’t tell you, and you can’t tell me, but you have to have one. It’s a rule.”

  “Yes, definitely. I promise to have a Christmas wish ready to go Christmas Eve right on time. And what about your list for Santa? Add anything today?” He sat down at the table with Jake.

  “Uh-huh, Ellen took me to the toy store, and I picked out a lot more things to make sure Santa knows about. I forgot how much I love Spider-Man. And trains. And there’s this really big dinosaur that runs on batteries and makes a really cool noise like this.” Jake stood up in his chair to demonstrate with a hands-to-mouth, “Rawr.”

  “Holy smokes, that’s an impressive dino yell. What about this one?” Connor mimicked his motions with a roar of his own that had Jake squealing with laughter. A competition of growls and yells, one louder than the next, commenced before they settled into eating their dinner.

  It was times like this Connor didn’t want to miss anymore. They could skip the peanut butter and jelly, but he would have dinner with his son every day possible.

  He reached over and brushed sandy-brown hair off Jake’s forehead and gave his shoulder a squeeze. The answering lopsided grin squeezed his heart in return. How will Genny react to meeting Jake? Was she as amazing with kids as he thought?

  None of the few friends he still had in Laurel Cove had bothered to mention Ms. Camilla had passed away. Jake would have loved her. Connor had felt welcome in her home when his had been so cold. He remembered her as full of laughter and mischief and always warm and loving. He’d wanted a grandmother like her so much, he’d been jealous of the Ridgeway girls.

  They’d had the kind of family he’d hoped to give his children one day. Yet, here he was, a single dad with a single kid, no other family around, and few friends. He would change that. His Jake was not going to grow up alone. And he knew the person to help him. Geneva Ridgeway was the right one twelve years ago but he had been too scared to have her and go after his big dreams. If he’d failed, she would have been stuck with him and his fear that their marriage would turn as empty as his parents’. Held together by nothing but regrets, resentments, and broken promises.

  She hadn’t understood why he’d broken up with her. How could he explain that he couldn’t have taken the risks he’d needed to get out if he’d worried about her happiness? Genny had accused him of being selfish, but at the time, she wasn’t going after what she wanted in life. She followed him. Her mother’s direct request to leave her and let her build a life of her own had been confirmation of his fear. That he wasn’t good enough for her. Too bad. No more taking advice from mothers. His or Genny’s. He was going to do what he wanted. And he wanted her back.

  This new Genny intrigued him. She looked him in the eye with a confidence she hadn’t had before. Time had filled her out in all the right places, softening the more angular features of youth into an invitingly lush woman. Her sensuous mouth would haunt his dreams.

  But he saw the old wound and anger, mixed with the surprise at seeing him. Did he dare hope that underneath the hurt was a sliver of what she used to feel for him? He would do everything he could to get her to give him one more chance.

  “What are you smiling about, Daddy?”

  “I think I finally decided on my Christmas wish.”

  ***

  Connor walked through the door to Camilla’s and into one of the biggest girl fights he’d ever seen. Genny, Lena, Cilla, and Jacqui were each talking over the other, competing for their voices to be heard. The silver bells on the door didn’t make a dent in the noise level and certainly didn’t give any of the women pause in whatever they were arguing about.

  He cleared his throat, hoping to catch someone’s attention. Not one of them looked his way. He stepped closer, but not too close. There’d been enough Real Housewives playing in the doctor’s lounge at Boston Medical to know when to stand back.

  “He’s a jerk, Lena.” He zeroed in on Genny’s clear voice as he tried to make sense of the argument. Her skin was flushed a pretty pink and the flecks of amber in her eyes sparkled. She was fascinating to watch; not that he planned to make her mad just to see what would happen.

  “You can do better,” Cilla added. Genny and she were clearly on the same side. They even stood next to each other, facing off against their cousins.

  “We’re having fun.” Lena crossed her arms over her chest and stood her ground.

  “She’s having a fling.” Jacqui mirrored Lena’s stance, shoulder to shoulder.

  “Ladies, perhaps I can be of help here.” He pitched his wor
ds into the mix.

  “Eavesdropping’s not cool, O’Rourke.” Genny didn’t try to hide her exasperation at his interruption, though the others quieted.

  “It’s not eavesdropping when I can hear you out on the street.”

  Four red faces turned his way. Four sets of eyes blazing with female ire settled on him. Innate male instinct told him to get the hell out of there or he would be crucified for whatever one of his gender had done. And he had bumbled in with both feet—joking was not the right response. He backpedaled a pace and stopped himself from holding up his hands in a plea for mercy.

  “I just needed to speak with Genny. I can wait.”

  She blew out a breath and motioned for him to move to a quieter corner. The women dispersed, but not too far. Cilla hovered around the office door, and Jacqui and Lena fiddled with the trays of samples on the front counter. Apparently, eavesdropping was okay when they were the ones doing the listening.

  “Thanks for your help last night, Connor.”

  Surprised at her thank you, he inclined his head as a quick you’re welcome, tongue-tied at her openness.

  “How’s the foot?” he asked, trying not to sound as nervous as he felt.

  “Won’t be in heels for a few days, but fine.”

  There was so much he wanted to tell her, but it wasn’t the time or place. He needed to get her to talk to him. How much has she changed? Does she still like the same things? Only one way to find out.

  “So, I was thinking, maybe I could take you to lunch? Lola’s?” He crossed his fingers she still loved the pizza at what used to be their favorite hangout.

  “I don’t know….”

  “Oh go on, Genny. Lena can help with the rest of the decorations now that Jacqui’s here for a while,” Cilla said.

  Genny threw her sister a look he couldn’t miss. He mouthed thank you over her head before she turned back to him.

  “Yeah, okay, lunch. I haven’t had Lola’s in forever. Do they still have the meatball mushroom?”