by Lyn Gardner
“I have no idea,” Gwen said, taking a bite of her salad. “But that’s what the invitation said, and as soon as I saw the date, I called her assistant, Linda. I explained the situation, and was excused from making an appearance.”
Diana’s shoulders drooped. “Oh, I told her that I’d be there,” she said quietly.
“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you showed up without me. She’d probably appreciate it. Having you all to herself, so to speak.”
“That’s not the problem.”
“No?”
“Gwen, I’m leaving for Burlington on the twenty-second.”
“Oh, I forgot about that, but I’m sure Jamie will understand. Like you said, it’s Christmas Eve, and normally people do have a tendency to spend that night with their families.”
Diana’s appetite disappeared, and putting down her fork, she sighed. “I suppose.”
“Look, just call her up. Tell her that you’ll be out of town, and you’ll get in touch with her when you get back. What’s the problem?”
“I…I just wanted to see her again, that’s all.”
Studying her friend for a second, Gwen leaned over, and touched the back of Diana’s hand. “You’ve really fallen for her, haven’t you?”
Taking a deep breath, Diana nodded her head. “Yes, I have.”
Thinking for a moment, Gwen grabbed her handbag off the floor.
Removing a small wad of papers, she shuffled through them and then slid an ivory-colored parchment envelope across the table. “That’s the invitation.”
“I just told you, I can’t go.”
“I know, but it’s got her direct number on it, so you don’t have to go through the switchboard. Now, how about we finish our lunch, and our shopping, and then head back to yours?
That way, you can call her this afternoon, and we can spend the night wrapping our presents like we planned.”
“Thanks,” Diana said, picking up the envelope and putting it in her bag.
“Diana, it’s not the end of the world. She’ll understand. Trust me.”
~~~
With two mugs of coffee in one hand, and a folder tucked under her arm, Linda stopped at the window to gaze at the snow rapidly covering the city. Smiling, she tapped on Jamie’s door and walked inside.
“It seems you got your wish,” she stated, placing a mug on the desk. “It’s snowing like crazy out there, and they say it’s not going to let up for a few days.”
“Yes, I know,” Jamie said, taking a sip of coffee. “Isn’t it great!”
“Great, my eye. You have people to shovel your walks.”
“Linda, you know I can arrange—”
“Oh stop,” Linda said, waving off Jamie’s offer. “You’re as bad as your father. I don’t need any help. I’m just complaining because…because at my age that’s what you’re supposed to do when it snows. Personally, I adore the stuff.”
“Could have fooled me.”
“Apparently, I did,” Linda said with a snort. “I’ve got to tell you, when you came up with this idea of yours, I thought you had lost your mind.”
Grinning, Jamie said, “I know.”
“You are by far the soppiest person at Christmas I’ve ever known. You even surpass your father.”
“That bad, eh?”
Rising to her feet, Linda walked around the desk and placed a small kiss on Jamie’s cheek. “No…that good.”
Placing the folder on the desk, she said, “This is the final list of who can’t attend. Due to it being on Christmas Eve, as expected, there are a few that can’t make it, but you’ll still have a full house.”
“Tell me that Phelan and Willoughby are included in this list and I’ll love you forever.”
“You’re not that lucky, I’m afraid.”
“Damn,” Jamie said, opening the folder. Reading down the neatly typed list of names, her head jerked up.
“Linda, this can’t be right. Gwen Fowler is on here.”
“That’s right. She had to cancel. Something about being out of town. Her name was on the list I gave you last week. Didn’t you see it?”
“No, to tell you the truth, I never looked at it. Too busy doing other things,” Jamie said. Slumping in her chair, she shook her head. “She blew me off.”
“Who?”
“Diana. She said she was coming to the party with Gwen, but obviously that’s not the case.”
“I thought you and she were getting along marvelously?”
“So did I,” Jamie said, tossing the folder across her desk. “Apparently, I was wrong.”
Saddened by the look on Jamie’s face, Linda said, “Maybe she didn’t know that Gwen wasn’t going to be there. I mean, I don’t tell my friends all my plans.”
“I suppose.”
“Why don’t you just give her a call and invite her personally, then you’ll know for sure.”
“I don’t have her number.”
“Well, that’s certainly not like you.”
“She told me she’d be there, and I believed her,” Jamie said, rocking back in her chair.
Reaching over, Linda moved Jamie’s laptop to the edge of the desk. Tapping her fingers over the keys, she asked, “How does she spell it?”
“Spell what?” Jamie asked, looking up. “What in the world are you doing?”
“I’m doing an Internet search. Now, how does she spell her last name? With or without an e?”
“I have no idea.”
Taking a deep breath, Linda said, “Well, I do enjoy a challenge. Let’s see what I can find.”
A few minutes passed before Linda moved the laptop back to its original position. “It appears that between the two spellings, there are twenty-seven Diana Clarkes in New York alone. Of course, that doesn’t include those who prefer not to have their number listed, or those living in Jersey or Connecticut. Do you know if she lives in the city?”
Still feeling like she had been played, Jamie sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t call her anyway.”
“What are you talking about? You like this woman.”
“She lied to me.”
“Jamie, it’s not like you to be this way. Why don’t you just go find Gwen, get Diana’s number, and give her a call?”
“No,” Jamie said, crossing her arms.
“I’ve got five days until the party, and I have too much to do to spend my time chasing some bitch that lied to me.”
“Jamie—”
“You know what?” Jamie said, looking at her watch. “It’s almost three. Pack up your things. We’re getting out of here.”
“What?”
Reaching over, Jamie switched her phone to the answering machine and closed her laptop. “What I need to do, I can do from home. You’ve already got Monday off, so enjoy your extended weekend, and I’ll see you on Tuesday.”
“Jamie, I know you’re hurting right now. It’s as plain as the nose on your face, but you’re not being rational. This is just a misunderstanding. I’m sure of it.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“And neither do you! Don’t assume the worst. It’s not fair to you, and it’s certainly not fair to her.”
“She lied to me!”
“Oh, I can’t stand it when you act like that stubborn little girl you used to be. It infuriates me!”
“I’m not being stubborn!”
“No, you’re being stupid!” Linda shouted, placing her hands on her hips.
“Jamie, I have known you since you were six years old and I know when you’re scared, and right now, you’re terrified.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Jamison, you’re in love. You’ve fallen for this woman, and it scares you, because all of a sudden, nothing else matters. I know you Jamie, and I know that the thought of not seeing her is driving you crazy, and you’ve channeled your frustration into this…this…this stupid idea that she lied to you.”
“She did.”
“Oh, Jesus Chris
t, Jamison, you’re acting like a child!”
Shoving her chair away from her desk, Jamie stood up and glared at Linda. “No, I’m not, because children believe in Santa Claus, Linda, and I don’t!”
~~~
Looking up from his cup of hot chocolate, Santa smiled as Percy scampered into the dining room.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” he said as he approached the table.
Motioning toward a chair, Santa said, “Sit down, Percy. We need to talk.”
Sensing a bit of foreboding in Santa’s tone, Percy grew worried.
Keeping one eye on the man in the red suit, Percy pulled out a chair and hopped onto the seat.
“It seems we might have a bit of a problem,” Santa said.
“A…a…problem, sir?”
Momentarily forgetting that his lead elf was also his most nervous elf, when Santa realized his mistake, he shook his head. “Relax, Percy, you haven’t done anything wrong.”
“I haven’t, sir?” Percy said, his voice raising an octave.
Amused, Santa asked, “I don’t know, have you?”
“What? No…no, sir. Of course not, sir. Well, other than the small detail about Miss Diana’s letter in the sack lining, but we’ve taken care of that, or we will after I deliver the last sprig of mistletoe.”
“Actually, that’s why I called for you. It seems that the last party our Diana is supposed to attend is not on the twenty-first as we were told.”
“It’s not, sir?”
“No, apparently He has a new secretary, and she misread His handwriting. I received an e-mail from Him this morning with the correction. It seems that Jamison Nash’s party is on the twenty-fourth.”
Tilting his head to the side, Percy asked, “The twenty-fourth?”
“That’s right,” Santa said, waiting for the elf to catch up. It didn’t take long.
“The twenty-fourth!” Percy shouted as he jumped from his chair. “Why…why…why…why that’s Christmas Eve, sir! I can’t deliver mistletoe on Christmas Eve, sir. My job is sitting on the sleigh with you. Helping you deliver the gifts. It’s what I work for. It’s what I wait for. It’s what I live for!”
“I know that, Percy, which is why I called you in here,” Santa said, watching as Percy climbed back onto his chair.
“You and I have a decision to make.”
“We do, sir?”
“Yes, we do. As I see it, we have three options. The first is that I send another elf in your place to deliver the mistletoe.”
“But no one else has traveled by themselves, sir. They always go in groups, except for me, that is.”
“Yes, I know,” Santa said. “The next option would be for us to forego the placement of the last sprig, and concentrate on our deliveries for Christmas Eve. We can’t forget that there are millions of children depending on us, so if one wish never gets granted, that’s the way it will have to be.”
“I don’t like that option, sir,” Percy said quietly, shaking his head.
“No?”
“No, sir. Every child gets a wish granted. That’s the rule. We can’t break the rule, sir.”
“You forget. Miss Diana isn’t a child anymore.”
“But she never got her wish! You can’t go with option number two, sir. You just can’t.”
Nodding his head, Santa said, “Well, then…there’s only one other option, isn’t there?”
Tears formed in Percy’s eyes as he realized what Santa was saying.
Swallowing back his emotions, the little man took a ragged breath, and then straightening his backbone, sat proud and tall in his chair. “I’ll deliver it, sir. As lead elf it’s my duty to see a job through to the end, no matter what the cost.”
“Are you sure, Percy? I know how much Christmas Eve means to you.”
“I’m sure, sir, because while you’re granting the wishes of the children, I will be granting one for an adult. It’s a first, I believe, yes?”
Smiling, Santa said, “Yes, Percy, it is a first.”
Jumping off the chair, Percy took a deep breath and straightened his jacket.
“Well, then, I best go plan for my trip. May I be excused?”
“Of course.”
Watching as Percy shuffled across the room, Santa called out, “Percy!”
Turning around, Percy replied, “Yes, sir.”
“Make sure you have some eggnog at the party.”
Smiling, Percy nodded his head.
“Will do, sir…and I’ll have a cup for you as well.”
“You do that, my friend. You do that.”
~~~
“Any luck?” Gwen asked, walking into the lounge.
Setting her cell phone on the coffee table, Diana said, “No, I just keep getting a message that the line is out of order. Must be the storm.”
“Yeah, well, it’s getting rather nasty out there,” Gwen said as she sat down.
“Did you run an Internet search?”
“Yes, but her home number isn’t listed,” Diana said with a sigh as she leaned back into the sofa. “I guess I’ll just have to wait until Monday when she gets back to the office—”
“Diana, she won’t be in on Monday.”
“Why?”
“She’s on vacation until after the first.”
“Shit! This just keeps getting better and better.”
“Calm down,” Gwen said with a snicker. “I’m sure the phones will be working soon, so just keep trying and when you get through, leave her a message. Since it’s the number she put on the invitation, I’m sure she’ll be checking it. I know it’s not the same as talking to her in person, but it’s better than nothing.”
Drumming her fingers on the sofa, Diana thought about her options. “No, I’m not calling her.”
“Why the hell not? I thought you liked her.”
“I do.”
“Then for God’s sake, call her. Don’t just stand her up. That’s not like you.”
Seeing that Diana was retrieving her mobile from the coffee table, Gwen said, “Thank goodness you’ve come to your senses. Just leave her a message—”
“I’m not calling Jamie,” Diana interrupted as she scrolled through the contact list on her phone. “I’m calling Brenda.”
“Why?”
“To tell her I won’t be up for Christmas.”
“Hallelujah!” Gwen screamed as she reached over and squeezed Diana’s arm.
“I swear to God, Diana, if you hadn’t just said that, I was going to take you by the shoulders and shake some sense into you!”
“Really? I’m not being stupid?”
“Diana, hand me the phone. I’ll dial the number for you.”
~~~
Returning from the kitchen with another bottle of wine, Gwen asked, “Well, how’d your aunt take it?”
“She’s fine and wished me luck.”
“You told her about Jamie?” Gwen asked as she sat on the floor next to a pile of wrapping paper and bows.
“Yeah, when I went up for Joanie’s baby shower.”
“She’s okay with it?”
“Apparently, she’s gay.”
“Joanie’s gay?”
“Not my cousin, my aunt.”
“Your aunt Brenda is gay!”
“Yep.”
“When the hell did that happen?”
Laughing at the wide-eyed look of surprise on Gwen’s face, Diana said, “Do you remember me telling you about a woman named Susan?”
“Susan?” Gwen said, searching her memory. “Susan. Susan. Sus—oh, you mean the one that leases the apartment over your aunt’s gar—age.”
“That’s the one.”
“They’re lovers?”
“Yep.”
“She told you that?”
“Yep.”
“Can you say something other than yep?”
“Yep,” Diana said with a giggle.
Sending her friend a playful sneer, Gwen said, “Seriously, Diana, how did she keep it a secret for so long
…and why?”
“She told me that she was afraid that Joanie and I would suffer if people found out. She didn’t come to terms with it until she and Uncle David had been divorced for a few years, and then she met Susan, and they fell in love. So, Susan rented the apartment so they could be close without anyone suspecting anything.”
“Didn’t Susan move out a few years ago?”
“Yeah. Brenda said that she got tired of waiting for her to come out, but it sounds like they’re getting back together, which is the reason that Brenda finally admitted it to Joanie and I.”
“Joanie knows?”
“Yes, Brenda told her a few months ago, but she was waiting until she could tell me face-to-face.”
“Wow.”
“Tell me about it,” Diana said, chuckling as she refilled her wineglass.
“Here I was thinking that my aunt was this prim and proper schoolteacher, and all the while she was banging a librarian over the garage.”
~~~
When Jamie arrived home, she refused to allow her bruised heart to rule her mood. Pushing her disappointment aside, she focused on the task at hand.
After calling all the vendors to make sure everything was in order for Christmas Eve, she changed into a pair of jeans and a red T-shirt, and in socked feet, began decorating her house. Asking only that her staff pile the totes of decorations in the main hall before they left for the evening, alone in her home, Jamie set about hanging the lights and garland. Amidst the smell of the pine tree delivered the morning, and the sounds of Christmas carols playing on the stereo, she worked into the night. It wasn’t until her stomach complained, that she finally put the decorations aside and padded to the kitchen to find something to eat. Afterward, with her belly full, she grabbed a bottle of wine and retired to the solitude of her library to have a smoke.
In a room lit only by the glow coming from the fireplace, Jamie sit behind her desk of cherry wood. Watching the cigarette smoke float through the air, she groaned as her body pulsed again. “Shit,” she whispered to the empty room.
Jamie had made a mistake, and she knew it. She had opened a bottle of Cabernet, and the taste of the wine brought back the flavors of a kiss. No longer able to hide from the memories and the desires that raged within her, she closed her eyes and allowed her thoughts to run wild.
In only a matter of minutes, her breathing began to change. Lazy breaths morphed into short gasps as she imagined what it would be like to caress the woman of her dreams. To kiss her.