Welcome to Christmas, Texas: A Christmas Network Novel

by Katie Graykowski

  She told him about her dream. Her eyes were bright and she was so excited. She was lovely inside and out. How could he not love her?

  Lana held it out for him to inspect the snow globe. As his hands slipped under the snow globe taking it from her, static electricity buzzed into his fingertips and up his arms.

  He had the sensation of falling—not tripping over his own two feet falling, but falling like when he’d fallen out of a tree when he was a child.

  He kept falling and falling until he landed squarely on his butt in front of a very droopy brown house. Nausea rolled through him. All of that falling had made him a little motion sick. He put a hand on his stomach.

  He rolled to his knees and slowly stood.

  Where was Lana? Where was the kitchen? Where was his mother?

  The ground shook. It was like being on the second story of a motel and having someone run past his door over and over again. He leaned against the brown building behind him until the ground stopped shaking.

  White plastic shavings swirled around him. He held out his hand and some landed in his palm.

  “Hey, Jules.” It was Lana’s voice, but he couldn’t place where it was coming from.

  He looked inside the brown building, but there was nothing but darkness. Where was she?

  There was some shuffling, and then there was a click. Light poured in from all around him. Lana’s face was huge as she looked down on him like God must look down on the earth. She was looking down on him, and fake snow was everywhere. He was inside the snow globe!

  “No, you didn’t wake me.” More shuffling from Lana. “Hang on. Let me put you on speaker.”

  Lana sat up propped against several pillows.

  “How are you?” It was a female voice that he’d heard before but couldn’t place.

  Jules? Where did he know that name?

  “I’m fine.” Lana’s voice was monotone almost like she’d rehearsed those two words over and over.

  “No, you’re not. I’ve known you since freshman year. I know when you’re fine, and I know when you’re not.” Yes, it was Julianna or Jules, one of Lana’s college roommates.

  Lana took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s been a year. I’m working to get over it.”

  “What’s to get over? First the jerk completely ghosts you, and then after you meet again, he drives you to the Fredericksburg city limits and drops you off on Christmas Eve.” Jules sounded mad. “He’s definitely insane, or stupid, or both.”

  Was she talking about him? He hadn’t left Lana at the Fredericksburg county line. He couldn’t leave Christmas, Texas ever again.

  “Correction, he didn’t leave me, he had his brother do it.” Lana laughed, but it held nothing but sorrow. “I’ve been telling myself that there’s nothing wrong with me for the last year. Unfortunately, I’m having a hard time believing it.” Lana sucked in several breaths through her nose. Her shoulders started to shake. “You would tell me, if there was something wrong with me, right? You’d be honest with me. You’re my best friend. I need you to tell me the truth. What did I do wrong? I’ve been over every single thing I said and did and I can’t find it. I need you to tell me what’s wrong with me.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with you—”

  “You can tell me. I won’t get mad. I promise. I need to know.” Lana’s voice hitched as tears pooled in her eyes. They began to roll down her cheeks. Each one of her sobs punched a hole in his heart.

  “You didn’t do anything. It was all me.” He ran over to the glass and pounded on it. “It was me.”

  “If you tell me then I can work on it. I can maybe fix it. I can do better. Just tell me what I need to do.” Lana swiped at the tears running down her cheeks as her shoulders shook.

  Nick didn’t know his soul could actually hurt, but it did. He banged harder, but it didn’t appear that she could hear him or see him.

  “Oh, come on. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you. You know that. Nick wasn’t the right one. He wasn’t the one who got away, he was the one who ran away.” Jules ground out.

  He deserved that.

  “I feel like I’m going to be alone forever. Usually that doesn’t bother me, but Christmas is especially hard. It seems that the holidays bring happy families out in droves.” Lana sounded worse than sad, she sounded resigned to being alone.

  “I know exactly how you feel. Men aren’t exactly lining up at my door—well, that’s not completely accurate. They are lining up at my door, but only because they have a sick animal. Men don’t seem to notice the woman behind the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Then again, it’s hard to flirt with a cute animal owner while I’m staring down the back end of a cow with my arm shoulder deep inside her vagina pulling a breech calf.”

  “That is really descriptive and really gross.” Lana thought about it for a second. “I think you just may be more pathetic than I am.”

  Lana wasn’t pathetic, and he hated that he’d hurt her or ever made her feel like she wasn’t absolutely perfect.

  “Don’t I know it. You just thought I called to cheer you up. Really, it’s me who needs cheering up. I would tell you about my day, but it would make you throw up. Suffice it to say, today was particularly gross.” Jules sounded like she loved every minute of it.

  “You love it. I know you, the grosser the better.” Lana smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  So, this was her a year from now. He’d had Chris drop her off? That didn’t sound right.

  He was glad that she had a friend to lean on.

  “I didn’t go to Vet school to not get my hands dirty.” Jules recited that like she’d said it a thousand times before. “But seriously, I know what it feels like to be alone. We’re both independent women, but it would be nice to have someone in our lives.”

  “Promise me that when we’re old, that we’ll move in together so we won’t be alone.” Lana wiped her face with the sheet.

  “I promise. We’ll need each other to watch our backs or the thirty-five cats we’ve collectively adopted, will eat us alive.” Jules was silent for a few beats. “Now that I think about it, you’re allergic to cats so you’ll die of anaphylaxis first. Hopefully, they’ll fill up on you and that will give me time to escape.”

  “Not only am I going to die a lonely cat lady, but I’m going to be eaten by my beloved pets. Wow. I did not see that coming.” Lana sounded much better. “Glad to know our friendship is based on survival of the fittest.”

  “Yes, but your horribly painful death will be saving your dear friend. Let’s focus on the positive.” Jules was all mock seriousness.

  “But Mrs. Mittens and Chairman Meow looked so cute and innocent at PetsMart adoption day. They wouldn’t hurt me.” Lana made smooching noises. “They love their mommy.” Her voice went back to normal. “How was that? Cat Lady enough for you?”

  “You’re alarmingly good at cat lady speak. And sure, Mrs. Mittens and Chairman Meow are cute and sweet, that’s how they get you. Two innocent looking homeless cats turns to five and then ten. Pretty soon you’re knitting their fur balls into sweaters and dressing them in little cat costumes. Four more cats later, and you’re officially a cat hoarder. Your friends and neighbors contact A&E Network trying to get you some help, and you end up on an episode of Hoarders.” Jules sounded like she was taking a drink of something. “From there, your life just becomes another cautionary tale.”

  “Five minutes ago, I thought I’d hit emotional rock bottom, now I know I’ve only scratched the surface.” Lana was smiling for real now. “Thanks for cheering me up.”

  “No problem. It’s part of my best friend duties.” Jules yawned. “Seriously, you’re wonderful, loving, funny, smart, and beautiful. If Nick can’t see how fantastic you are, then he’s blind and an idiot. Call me old fashion, but in my book Mr. Right should be loving and supportive. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life with an idiot. I don’t think happily ever after ever involves an idiot.”

  “I kno
w, you’re right.” Lana’s smile crumbled. “I just wanted him to be the one.”

  Jules yawned again. “I think we both need to get some sleep. Dream of kittens and puppies. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She yawned again. “He’s the jerk, and you’re amazing. Don’t get confused. Love you, bye.”

  “Goodbye.” Lana set her phone on the nightstand and picked up the snow globe. She shook it.

  The ground shook again, and Nick grabbed for the gingerbread house to keep from slamming into the side of the snow globe.

  It was time he woke up from this Charles Dickens-isk nightmare and told the woman he loved everything.

  Chapter 11

  Nick held onto the side of the gingerbread house to keep from bouncing all over the place. Apparently, the nightmare continued.

  Fake snow swirled around him, and the nausea was back. When the snow cleared, he saw Lana staring into the snow globe. Faint lines webbed at the corners of her eyes. They hadn’t been there a few seconds ago. She held a smartphone to her ear.

  “It’s doesn’t matter that it’s Christmas Eve. I can’t make it to Cozumel. I’m sorry. Something came up. I um… I have to work.” Lana sounded like she’d pulled that excuse out of thin air. “The client is always right. I have to get the new storyboard to him by tomorrow morning or he’s going with Lester and Stevens.”

  She waited while whoever was on the other end of the call to finish speaking.

  “For the record, I don’t hate Christmas, I have to work.” She rubbed her temples like she was getting a headache. “I know it’s last minute... I can’t help it.”

  She glanced at the brown leather overnight bag packed and ready on her bed. She was packed so why was she changing her plans at the last minute? He had the feeling that she was lying to get out of something she didn’t want to do. That wasn’t like Lana. She took commitments very seriously.

  Lana rolled her eyes at whatever was being said on the other end of the phone line. “Mark, I’m sorry. I can’t lose this account. I have to stay here.”

  Who is Mark?

  “No, I can’t make it for New Year’s Eve. I’m sorry. I don’t understand the urgency. I’m happy to reimburse you for all the money that you’ve spent on the trip.” Lana pinched the bridge of her nose. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she’d lost weight. “What do you mean it can’t wait? We’re going on vacation. Of course, it can wait.”

  She paced back and forth in front of a king-sized bed.

  “I know we agreed to work on our relationship, but I have to get this done. I don’t have a choice.” Her irritation was moving into frustration. “What special plans? I have no idea what you’re talking about. I thought we were going to Mexico so we didn’t have to spend Christmas eating Chinese food with m-y mother and her new husband. I don’t know anything about special plans? Can’t whatever it is wait until after the new year?”

  Her brows knit together as she shook her head. “Proposal? What proposal? I don’t understand. Are you meeting with a new client in Mexico?”

  She stopped pacing and put a hand over her mouth. She was back to massaging her temples. “Marriage?”

  Whoever Mark was, he wanted to marry Lana.

  Nick’s heart stopped beating. Lana was going to marry someone else.

  She shook her head. “We never talked about this? I don’t remember talking about this.”

  She resumed the pacing. “You mean when we talked about marriage in general? You asked me if I believed in marriage and said that I do. I was talking in general terms. I’m just not sure marriage is right for me.”

  Nick didn’t understand that. She would be a great wife and mother. He wanted those things for her. In a way, he was giving them to her... with someone else. He gritted his teeth so hard it was a wonder they didn’t shatter.

  She pulled the phone away from her ear. Nick could hear unintelligible yelling coming from her phone.

  She held the phone out in front of her. “Yelling at me isn’t working in your favor. This isn’t going to work out. I’m sorry you’re upset. Please send me a copy of your expenses for the trip to Mexico, and I’ll reimburse you. Don’t contact me again. Goodbye, Mark.” She hung up on him, turned her phone off, and tossed it on her bed. It landed beside her leather overnight bag.

  “He was wrong. I’m not cold or heartless.” She sat down hard on the bed and swiped at the tears running down her cheeks. “Being alone is just best right now.”

  Nick had never wanted her to be alone. She deserved someone as kind and loving as she was. He hated that she would end up with someone else, but he wanted her to be happy. Clearly, Mark didn’t make her happy.

  “Are you ready?” Jules walked into the room. “Uber’s here.”

  “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” Lana looked exhausted, but she stood and hoisted the bag onto her shoulder. “I hated lying to Mark and my mother, but honestly, I couldn’t deal with either of them right now.”

  He’d never known Lana to lie. She wasn’t like that. Something was wrong. He touched the glass because he couldn’t touch her.

  Lana rolled her shoulders like they were tense. “I’m pretty sure I won’t have to ever deal with Mark again. I told him to never contact me again. I’d say there’s a fifty-fifty chance of that happening.”

  She didn’t sound all that upset. He drank in her face. He wanted her to be happy. She was still young... there was time for her to meet someone else. He wanted it to be him. He wanted to be the one taking to Mexico on vacation.

  Jules put her arm around Lana. “I don’t think that’s much of a loss. But still, you don’t need any more stress.”

  “I know. I guess my need to not be alone led me to Mark.” Lana shook her head. “It’s this time of year... ”

  “I know. Christmas is always tough, and this year it’s going to be even tougher. Spending the holidays in the hospital isn’t what anyone wants, but I’ll be there. You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.” Jules dropped her arm and took the bag from Lana. “But it’s all going to work out. I know it. The oncologist said that you might not even need radiation after the hysterectomy.”

  Radiation? His body wilted against the gingerbread house. Cancer? Lana had cancer?

  Lana’s shoulders shook, and her laughter was the saddest he’d ever heard. “You know the worst part about this, one of the reasons Nick had for sending me away was that he couldn’t give me children.” Her whole body slumped. “Deep down, I feel like this wasn’t the life I was supposed to have. I feel like there more I was supposed to do.”

  Jules slid her arm around Lana. “Oh no, you’re not getting all morbid on me. You’re not going anywhere and you’re going to be fine. I won’t let cancer rob us of our cat lady retirement. You’re going to fight this and win and I’m going to be there with you all the way.”

  He was so thankful for Jules. It should have been him Lana was leaning on, but he was glad she had Jules.

  Lana rested her head on Jules’s shoulder. “Cat ladies to the end.”

  Jules hefted Lana’s bag onto her shoulder and hit the snow globe. I tumbled off the nightstand and Nick tumbled with it. He closed his eyes trying to keep the nausea at bay.

  “Wake up.” Someone touched his cheek. “It’s time to wake up.”

  His eyes flickered open, and he was back in the kitchen. Lana was holding the snow globe out to him. She was frozen in place. For some reason, he was flat on his back on the floor.

  “What happened?” He looked around just to make sure he was no longer inside the snow globe.

  “I’ve stopped time. She can’t hear you.” His mother held out her hand and helped him up.

  “Lana has cancer. I need to tell her. Maybe there’s something they can do before she gets sick.” He grabbed his mother’s hand and stood. “We have to warn her.”

  The pieces began to fit into place. “You’re responsible for my little Charles Dickens-isk adventure.”

  Had any of it been true?

  “Of c
ourse, I am. And yes, all of it was true. I can manipulate time, not change it. I can only slow it down or speed it up.” She nodded toward the snow globe.

  “Shouldn’t it have shown me my Christmas Past, Present, and Future?” He didn’t understand. His mother needed to snap her fingers and restart time. He had to warn Lana. Her life was on the line.

  “This is her timeline... or well, the one you’ve chosen for her. This is her future, the one you decided was best for her.” His mother put her hand on his shoulder. “She never got over you. She never married. She never had children. She beats cancer once, but it comes back.”

  His mother dropped her gaze.

  “What are you saying?” His eyes went to Lana. She was going to develop cancer.

  “You don’t want to see the rest. It isn’t pretty to watch someone die.” Tears misted his mother’s eyes. “True to her word, her friend Jules was there until the end. Even after Lana’s mother couldn’t deal with it, Jules held her friend’s hand until Lana’s last breath.”

  He’d done this? “But—”

  “But what? Can’t you see, by not telling her the truth about who you are... who we are you have chosen this life for her. It’s one thing if it’s her choice, but you’ve already decided for her.” His mother shook her head. “This was never your decision to make.”

  “If she stays here, she’ll stop aging as soon as she commits to it. She’ll never develop cancer, right?” The only way to save Lana was to keep her here. Once he explained that to her, she had to agree that this was the best thing for her.

  “So now you want to keep her here to save her?” His mother closed her eyes like she just needed a moment to come to grips with something that absolutely didn’t make sense.

  “It’s the only way that she won’t develop cancer.” Now he was committed to keeping Lana here. “I won’t let her leave.”

  His mother opened her eyes and glanced around like she was looking for the right words. “Even after almost three hundred years of living with three men, I still don’t understand you. If only you or your brother had been a daughter, maybe half of my family would be sane.” His mother looked like she didn’t know what to do with him. “You can’t force her to stay here. SHE GETS TO DECIDE.” She over-enunciated the last sentence.