Julia laughed. “I think it’s great that the first party you’re hosting as a married couple is on Christmas Eve. What better way to start?”
“Oh, you’re right,” Bree agreed quickly, the diamonds on her left hand sparkling as she swiped a piece of curly hair out of her eyes. “Cooper loves all this, but I’m not much of a party person. I’ll get used to it. Eventually.”
The final word came on a sarcastic note, obviously intended for her husband as he joined them in the kitchen. Putting an arm around her, he kissed her temple. “Quit complaining. You know you love it.”
“I love you,” she replied with an adoring smile. “That’s why I’m such a good sport.”
“Oh, yeah?” He laughed. “We got the tree you wanted, the huge wreath and six different kinds of wrapping paper. Sammy’s even wearing a big red bow on his collar. I’d say we’re the good sports.”
Julia enjoyed hearing them banter this way. Bright and obviously in love, the Landrys proved that opposite personalities could coexist very happily. She couldn’t help wondering if she and Nick might be able to make it work, too. His demeanor during church was encouraging, and she no longer considered a lasting relationship between them a lost cause.
Now she saw a glimmer of hope. If only he’d stay a little longer, they might actually have a chance.
“Are you mixing or pouring?”
A gruff voice dragged Julia away from her wandering thoughts to the present. When she noticed Mavis Freeman standing in front of the table, she greeted the elderly lighthouse keeper with a smile. “Pouring,” she replied, ladling some into a glass cup for her. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Freeman.”
“I’ve told you at least a hundred times, it’s Mavis. Unless you cross me, and then it don’t matter what you call me ’cause I won’t be listening.”
The bluster made Julia laugh, since everyone in town knew the woman had a soft heart. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you again for your donation to the Gifting Tree. Nick and I delivered the toys earlier today, and there will be a very happy little artist tomorrow morning, thanks to you.”
“Wasn’t much, but you’re welcome.” After a sip of punch, she gave Julia a puzzled look. “Did you say Nick helped you? As in Nick McHenry?”
“Yes, and yes. Some of the boxes were pretty heavy, and I appreciated the help.”
The woman clucked in sympathy. “Poor boy. He was never the same after his brother died. It was like he crawled inside himself and never came out.” She gave Julia a long, knowing look. “Seems you found the way in, though. Good for you.”
When Julia had first arrived in Holiday Harbor, the local gossips had flown into a tizzy, following her every move to discover why she was there and what she was up to. As a precaution, Julia kept her personal life quiet, hoping to blend in as much as possible.
Since Mavis had hit the nail so squarely, she decided to accept her interest for what it was: approval. “Thank you.”
While Julia refilled her cup, Mavis said, “Trust me, honey. The toughest ones are the best in the long run. Now, I better go mingle or Bree will put me to work in the kitchen.”
As she moved away from the desserts, a commotion at the door caught Julia’s attention. Ben had just arrived, and he motioned to Nick from the doorway. The two old friends put their heads together, deep in conversation about something that Ben needed to explain by spreading his hands out nearly arm’s length apart, then pulling them back together. Apparently, whatever they were discussing had ended well because they exchanged broad grins and a high five before joining the festivities.
It brought to mind their quick nod just before the service began. What was going on? she wondered while she added more of Mavis’s famous gingerbread to the nearly empty tray. Hard as she tried, she couldn’t imagine what those two had cooked up tonight of all nights.
One thing she’d learned in the past month was that Nick McHenry did nothing in a small way. Whatever it was, it was big.
*
Nick had never been so nervous in his life.
He’d started Kaleidoscope with little more than a small business loan and an idea, growing it into a national magazine with over a million readers. He’d given speeches at conferences and trade shows in front of hundreds of his colleagues, many of whom were just waiting for him to fail so they could go after the top-notch staff he’d assembled.
But the danger behind this gift was something else again because this time he’d followed his instincts out onto a different kind of limb. He was risking a very personal rejection in hopes of doing something special for the amazing woman who’d ignored every warning and wormed her way into his heart. He still wasn’t sure how she’d managed it, but he couldn’t deny it any longer.
Crazy as it seemed, he was in love with Julia Stanton. It had started that first day, he now realized, when he caught himself wondering how to get another one of her brilliant smiles. Despite the wrong turns he’d taken along the way, somehow he kept ending up in the same place: with her. If that wasn’t a Christmas blessing, he didn’t understand the concept.
As they got out in front of Toyland, he paused a moment to drink in the peaceful stillness of Christmas Eve in Holiday Harbor. Everyone had left their lights on in honor of the coming holiday, the reflections in the snow giving the town a festive glow. Nowhere was the effect more special than in the tall display windows Julia had so lovingly decorated.
Looking down at the replica village that had angered him so much only a month ago, he felt a calm he’d never expected to experience standing in the hometown he’d tried so hard to escape. Now that Julia was here, it was the only place he wanted to be.
“Would you like to come in?” she asked as she unlocked the door. “After all your help today, I’d offer you something to eat, but Bree and Cooper took care of that.”
Actually, he’d been so preoccupied with his surprise, he hadn’t been able to choke down more than a couple of crab puffs. Too late, it had occurred to him that he’d never actually seen the present he’d worked so hard to arrange. The builder had assured him it was the right scale for her furniture, but that was only the start of Nick’s concerns. What if she hated it? What if it was the wrong style? He wasn’t a toy connoisseur like her, and he knew next to nothing about miniature interior decorating.
When he noticed her eyeing him strangely, he realized he hadn’t answered her question. Feeling like a moron, he plastered on a smile. “Sure. Sounds good.”
“What sounds good?”
“Coming in.” Her expression told him he’d missed the mark with his response, but he did his best to shrug it off. “It’s either that or Lainie’ll rope me into helping her and Todd put together the kids’ toys.”
Julia laughed as they walked into the shop. “It’s a lot of work, that’s for sure. I’m a lot faster at it now than I used to be.”
When she opened the door to head upstairs, Shakespeare called out, “No scary monsters allowed here!”
“It’s just me, you loon,” she scolded lightly. To Nick, she added, “I think Hannah taught him a few new phrases while he was at their house.”
“More Sesame Street than Globe Theater,” he commented with a grin. “I kinda like it.”
When she rounded the top of the stairs and abruptly stopped, Nick’s pulse kicked into rabbit range, and he took a breath to steady his voice before speaking. “Something wrong?”
Moving forward as if she was in a trance, she whispered, “Oh, Nick. It’s beautiful.”
Once he could see the model for himself, he couldn’t agree more. With a stately three-story main house and a two-story wing on each side, it spread across the entire long table Ben had dragged in from her study. Lights shone in every room, giving the house a welcoming glow. Crystal chandeliers in the more formal spaces gave it a classy appearance even Nick could appreciate.
From where he stood, he couldn’t find the joints Ben had made while putting the house together. To him, it looked like the thing had been built right where
it stood, waiting patiently for Julia to fill it with her tiny treasures.
Eyes shining with delight, she launched herself at him in an exuberant hug that nearly knocked him off his feet.
“So you like it, then?” he asked.
“It’s exactly what I’ve always wanted.”
She added a joyful laugh, and he wrapped his arms around her with a grin. “You really know how to thank a guy.”
Laughing, she embraced him again, cuddling in for a hug that made him want to stand in that spot for the rest of his life. As she pulled away, he kept her circled in his arms because he liked the way it felt.
“I have something for you, too,” she told him. “I was going to keep it until tomorrow, but it seems right to give it to you now.”
Strolling over to the tree they’d decorated together, she picked up a package done up in shiny gold paper with a striped ribbon and bow. Grinning, he shook the present the way they’d joked about earlier. “It’s a Ferrari.”
Tilting her head, she gave him the chiding look he’d come to enjoy so much. For some reason, he got a charge out of getting that reaction from the classiest woman he’d ever known. “Some people might think it’s better than a fancy sports car.”
“Nothing’s better than a Ferrari,” he retorted as he ripped it open. When he saw what was inside, he had to look again to be sure he wasn’t mistaken the first time. “It’s your first edition of A Christmas Carol.”
“No, it’s your first edition of A Christmas Carol. When I first met you, you called yourself Scrooge, remember?”
“It fit.”
“Not anymore,” she assured him with a warm smile. “Under all that cool, you have a wonderful, generous heart. I’m so glad you let me close enough to see it.”
“I didn’t even know it was there until I met you.” Cradling her cheek in his hand, he added, “No one ever tried as hard with me as you have. I love you.”
He held his breath, dreading her response. Awkward as it felt to say those words, it would be even worse if she didn’t share his feelings.
Resting her hand over his, she looked up at him with shining eyes. “And I love you. Merry Christmas, Nick.”
For the first time in years, that phrase meant something to him beyond an automatic response. Leaning in for a kiss, he whispered, “Merry Christmas, Julia.”
Chapter Twelve
The day after Christmas, Nick stopped at Julia’s in the morning to say goodbye.
The sinking feeling she’d had in her chest since Christmas Eve had deepened throughout the weekend, despite her determined efforts to wish it away. But now there was no way around it. Nick was leaving, and she had to let him go.
His dark eyes were shadowed, as if he hadn’t slept any better than she had last night. When they met hers, he looked as unhappy as she felt. After a long hug, he held her at arms’ length with a hopeful expression. “You could come with me.”
She’d been dreading this moment. Much as she wanted to be with him, she couldn’t follow in her mother’s footsteps and give up her independence for a man. Not even a man she loved with all her heart. “My business is here, not to mention my friends and the roots I’ve always wanted to have. I can’t give all that up when I’ve finally found the place where I want to be.”
“I know.”
He was so downcast, she nearly relented just to see him smile. But she held firm and suggested, “You could stay and run Kaleidoscope from here. When we were delivering gifts the other day, you said ‘maybe.’ Have you changed your mind?”
When he looked away, she knew the answer. He might love her, but like her, he wasn’t willing to upend his life to be a part of someone else’s. Better to find that out now, she supposed, than in a few months when he regretted choosing her and left anyway. She’d only love him more then, and it would be that much harder to accept his decision.
Resting a hand on his cheek, she gave him the smile she wanted him to remember her wearing. “Thank you for everything, Nick. Have a good trip back.”
With that, she forced herself to lightly kiss his cheek and turn away. She didn’t dare look back, but she hoped he might have a last-minute change of heart. She walked into her office and sat at her desk, staring at the mini cuckoo clock her parents had sent her for Christmas while she waited for him to come in after her.
He never did.
*
Nick wasn’t one for big New Year’s resolutions and celebrations, but this year had started out with a thud. Glaring out the window into the dark, he was convinced he was the only one home in the entire condo complex tonight. Laboring over the final installment of Julia’s biography hadn’t helped his mood any. All week he’d tried to finish the draft so he could have it polished in plenty of time, but he kept running into writer’s block.
Too short, too long, too mushy, too cold. He just couldn’t seem to get the tone right, and it was driving him insane. The problem was, every time he tried to fix it, his mind drifted off on tangents that had nothing to do with the article. Her graceful way of moving, the lilt of her voice, how he’d do anything to make her smile. That’s when he caught himself staring at the picture of the two of them he’d framed for his desk. Lainie had taken it when they were sledding, and they were both grinning like little kids, their cheeks pink with the cold. The most fun he’d had in years, that day was so vivid for him, he could almost feel the sting of snow on his face.
Since then, he’d been stinging for an entirely different reason. He’d finally fallen in love, but when push came to shove, he’d chosen the safe route he’d been on for years. Their emotional Christmas Eve was still fresh in his mind, and he couldn’t get the images—or the feelings—out of his head. It had been the best night of his life, and he’d walked away from it like it never happened. Yes, he’d made a token effort to have her come with him, but he’d asked her knowing that she’d say no.
For that mistake alone, he deserved to be miserable.
When his cell phone rang, he picked it up so he’d have something else to focus on.
Julia.
Startled and thrilled all at once, he nearly fumbled the thing onto the floor. When he finally got a firm grip on it, he took a breath to steady his voice before answering. “Hey, there.”
Her voice was like music over the sketchy connection. “Hey, yourself. I assumed you’d be out, but I wanted to wish you a Happy New Year.”
Was it? Not really, but he didn’t want to burden her with that. “Thanks. To you, too.”
“Nick, what’s wrong?”
Several responses passed through his mind, none of them the least bit helpful. I love you. I miss you. Please forgive me and take me back because I can’t stand being without you anymore.
Because none of those were an option, he went with, “Nothing, just trying to get this edition polished up.”
“I’ll let you go, then. Happy New Year.”
After they hung up, he threw his head back and glared up at the ceiling. What was wrong with him? He’d never let anything stand in his way when he wanted something, so why now? He mulled that over for a few minutes, then came up with an answer.
This time, his heart was at stake. To be truly happy, he needed to take that final leap, and it scared him to death. Not only for himself, but for Julia. If things between them didn’t work out and he hurt her more than he already had, he’d never be able to forgive himself. It wasn’t good, he grumbled to himself, but it was an answer. And it was the truth. So what was he going to do about it?
Closing his eyes, he murmured a humble request for help. God was a lot smarter than him, and for something this big, Nick trusted His judgment more than his own. Suddenly, the solution to the problem he’d been wrestling with since leaving Holiday Harbor was as clear as if someone had written it down for him, and he smiled up at the ceiling. “Thanks.”
Picking up his phone again, he thumbed through the list for his IT guru, a fellow night owl. “Frankie, how’s it goin’?”
“I’v
e been trying to reach you,” he replied in a nervous voice. “Did you know the issue’s not up yet?”
“Yeah, I’m still tweaking. Listen, I’m thinking about making some changes. Are you still interested in taking over my condo?”
*
The 40th Annual Holiday Harbor Snowball Dance was in full swing.
It was mid-January, and after being cooped up inside for so long, people were more than ready for a night out. From her post at the baked-goods table, Julia watched laughing couples navigating the waltz, the fox trot and some dances that were apparently local inventions with no names. In addition to the fun everyone was having, the proceeds would pay for a new roof over the lighthouse parlor. Mavis had told Julia she was using so many of her pots and pans for leaks, she had none left for cooking.
A few men around town had asked Julia to the dance, but she’d politely declined. It had been a busy month for Toyland, and she wasn’t up to being entertaining. At least that’s what she told Lainie when her nosy friend asked her why she didn’t have a date.
The truth was, she missed Nick. He’d been gone long enough that she should have gotten over their brief romance, but her heart refused to let him go. He’d done a marvelous job on her biography, and she’d nearly called to congratulate him. But in light of his cool reaction to her New Year’s call, she’d decided not to contact him again. Obviously, he’d chosen to move on without her, and she knew she should do the same.
Easier said than done, she thought with a sigh, crouching down to get another plate of fudge from the shelves under the table.
“I forgot how much I hate this hokey town nonsense.”
The sound of Nick’s grumbling shocked her so much, she banged her head on the underside of the table. Holding the fudge in one hand and rubbing her head with the other, she carefully stood to stare at him. “What are you doing here?”
With that maddening gleam in his eyes, he shrugged. “Heard there was a dance, so I thought I’d come check it out. I don’t like ’em myself, but readers love a good, old-fashioned sock hop.”
Love Inspired December 2013 - Bundle 2 of 2: Cozy ChristmasHer Holiday HeroJingle Bell Romance Page 58