Christmas Comes to Dickens

by Nancy Fraser

  As they reached his car, they were waylaid by Gramma and Aunt Lolly. They popped like genies out from behind a bush right beside Jett’s car.

  “Have you been lying in wait?” she demanded.

  “Mrs. Moore and my favorite server, Laurel,” Jett cut in smoothly. “Who’d have thought we’d be connected by Brenna here.” Jett was suave. The confident kind of man women fawned over. These two were no exception.

  Both women smiled widely. “Yes, who’d have thought?” Gramma said a little breathlessly.

  Brenna gave her beloved family members the stink eye, but they didn’t notice, given that they were both staring up at Jett.

  “We’re heading to Antonelli’s for a meal. Care to join us?” He invited.

  “No, no, no, we couldn’t,” Gramma said with a nudge to her daughter.

  “We wanted to see how the square looked from a distance,” Lolly said in a bald- faced lie. It was clear they wanted to ask where Brenna headed with Jett.

  “Don’t wait up,” Brenna repeated what she’d said at the house as she’d left. She moved around to the passenger door. Jett tapped his key fob and then opened the unlocked door for her.

  “Ladies,” he bid them goodnight with a silky smile and rounded the front of the car to climb inside. “I have a feeling they kept an eye on us the whole time.”

  “Ya think? How embarrassing,” she groused. “This will only get worse when my mom, sister and cousin arrive.” Except that Trix’s news would soon overshadow a minor fling of Brenna’s. After all, Trix’s whole life had changed while Brenna would return to her old, established life and Jett would fade into history.

  Her life, such as it was, would not include the mysterious Jett Smith.

  “Let’s make the most of our time here, Jett.” She turned in her seat to watch his face in the glow from the dashboard. His jaw held a hint of stubble and his profile looked sharp in the rosy dashboard glow.

  “Absolutely,” he said with a strong whiff of relief in the word. “I’m in, Brenna, for as long as you want.”

  His words sent a delicious shiver down her spine. Christmas in Dickens just got a whole lot more interesting.

  FOR JETT, THE FOLLOWING days were a kind of magic he’d never experienced before. After working all morning, his stops at Dorrit’s for an afternoon coffee became about conversation, jokes, and sitting beside Brenna on a stool while she chatted with her aunt. Laurel introduced him to all the regulars and, strangely, he began to feel as if he belonged.

  After their visit in the diner, they’d head to the studio where they’d hold each other and dance the tango, rumba, salsa and more. By the time Marva arrived for her hourlong lesson, Jett and Brenna had teased and flirted and kissed each other senseless.

  Their kisses were more enticing because they couldn’t take their feelings any further, not with Marva arriving any minute. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t press for more than kisses and brief explorations with Brenna, but he wanted to take his time and get to know her first.

  Brenna had quickly become the most important woman he’d ever had in his life and he didn’t want anything to ruin his chance to make something bigger come out of this Christmas in Dickens.

  Evenings were spent having dinner with Brenna, either out at a cozy restaurant, or at home with her grandmother. He came to learn that Mrs. Moore was a social butterfly who flitted happily from hosting book club to joining friends for dinner or movies.

  Brenna proved to be an avid reader of true crime. The gorier the better, she said once, and he shuddered. At least in political thrillers, assassins worked from a distance or made quick kills.

  Marva reminded him of Delia, his early mentor and dear friend. In a way, spending time with Marva and including her had become his way of paying forward Delia’s kindness.

  The mystery of Billie Adamson had yet to be solved and he’d still not found any Adamsons living in Dickens or in the surrounding area. He’d put off asking Mrs. Moore or Laurel about the mystery man.

  He should ask them about the girl who flipped the switch at the lighting ceremony. Maybe she had an older brother.

  He still felt cautious about exposing his real reason for being here, but it was time he put more effort into finding Billie Adamson. After all, he’d come to Dickens for a reason and for the last few days he’d set that reason aside to spend time with Brenna.

  He needed to remember his other life and his business. Sophia had made noises about him giving up this quest. That would be a first and the idea of giving up on a promising project was hard to take.

  He carried a hot, heavy dish of lasagna out to the dining table for Mrs. Moore and set it down on a trivet. She appeared at his side with a knife and lifter. “Will you do the honors, Jett?”

  “My pleasure.” He’d picked up a crusty loaf from the bakery which Mrs. Moore sliced into. Brenna produced a bottle of nice red wine. She poured a glass for each of them while Jett sliced into the mouthwatering lasagna. “This meal smells incredible. While we eat, I have something or someone, to ask you about.”

  “Sounds mysterious,” the older woman said with a smile. “But ask away.”

  They settled to their meal and after a moment, Jett decided not to share his real name or purpose here. Not yet. There’d be plenty of time to tell all after he and Brenna came to an understanding. He’d already decided he’d relocate to Manhattan when she returned to New York. That conversation needed to be private, and he didn’t want to tip his hand until they were alone, and he was certain of Brenna’s feelings.

  “What did you want to ask me, Jett?” Brenna’s grandmother asked.

  “Nothing important,” he hedged. “I hear there’s a killer toboggan hill around here and there’s snow coming overnight. Care to join me, Brenna?”

  She grinned, mischief dancing in her eyes. “I haven’t tobogganed in years. If you mean the hill at Holly Hill, near the inn, yes, it’s a great toboggan run. I hope I still have the strength to drag a sled uphill.”

  “I’ll take care of that,” he promised. “Tomorrow afternoon then, instead of tango.”

  BRENNA ROLLED OFF THE toboggan into the snow, laughing. “I forgot how much fun this is,” she said on heavy breath. She’d been holding it all the way down the slope from sheer excitement. A few yards away from the main path downhill, several kids were busy making snow angels. “Want to give that a try?” she asked Jett.

  “You’ll have to remind me how,” he said with a grin. But the sneaky rotter had scooped snow into his mitten. He’d also rolled off on the other side of the toboggan.

  “If you throw that at me, you’re dead,” she warned him and launched herself across his body. “Oof!” She huffed as she landed on the solid wall of his chest. But her hands were already busy picking up wads of snow. She smooshed his face with it and laughed like a loon.

  As usual, his morning had been taken up with whatever the rest of his life was about. While she was curious about how he spent his time, she also respected his privacy. And knowing more about him, might make it harder to walk away when the time came.

  As much as she wanted to see more of Jett when they left Dickens, her promotion would mean she’d work too many hours to sustain any kind of relationship. The idea exhausted her, so she avoided thinking about it most days. And they’d promised to take this time out in Dickens to have fun.

  The snow melted quickly on his cheeks and he relaxed back into the snow, inviting her to snuggle closer as she leaned over him. “Brenna,” he whispered as he drew her head down to his. She kissed him, here, in the bright light of day, her mouth moving silkily over his, bringing heat to them both.

  “I want to share more than this time with you,” he murmured against her ear. “I’ve never felt this way before.”

  “That’s sweet of you to say, Jett. I feel the same.” But she’d witnessed many Christmas romances in Dickens before. “Something about this town brings out the best in people, but afterward, not everyone can maintain what they shared here. We need to
remember that our lives will pull us back into the hustle.”

  His eyes shuttered and his face blanked at her reminder. “You’re right. Things will change when you go back to New York.”

  She pushed up and off him and the sky darkened with clouds. “Looks like more snow,” she said. They both brushed off their ski suits and stamped snow off their boots. The family kept old boots and coats at Gramma’s for the coldest days. Dickens wasn’t about the latest fashions, not when tradition ruled. “My old snow boots are worn out. My toes are freezing.”

  “Mine too. Your grandfather’s old boots have next to no lining left in them. Let’s call it a day,” Jett said and grabbed the rope to pull the toboggan to his car. “If I ever come back here, I’ll bring warmer boots.”

  Brenna trudged silently beside him, letting the clouds overhead shadow her mood. They were halfway through their time in Dickens and soon her mom, sister, and cousin would arrive. “Once the rest of the family shows up, we won’t have as much time to ourselves,” she said in a melancholy tone.

  “You sound as bummed about that as I am.” He raised his mittens in surrender. “Not that I’m not looking forward to meeting your family, but I’ve cherished this time.”

  She reached for his hand, mitten to mitten, wishing it were warm enough for skin on skin.

  Chapter 8

  DECEMBER TWENTIETH dawned like any other day in Dickens. Jett went about his morning as usual, still no closer to finding Billie Adamson. Odd, but his failure to find the man didn’t eat at him as he would have expected. Maybe because he’d already sent Sophia home for the holidays. Maybe having Brenna had mellowed his ambition. All felt right in his world as the clock moved inexorably toward the arrival of the James clan.

  And then the bomb went off. He’d never seen an explosion of people and cheery greetings before. Not like this.

  Jett was quickly overcome with the blast of happy these people brought to Mrs. Moore’s front door. Brenna had insisted he be with her to welcome her parents and sister—Kylie or Kayley—followed closely by her cousin, Trix, and Aunt Laurel.

  Introductions were a nightmare. Usually when in a crowd, he had Sophia with him, taking notes and running interference. She blocked a lot of pushy entrepreneurs desperate to get his attention. He was often alone in a crowd and wasn’t expected to perform or conform to a pre-conceived notion.

  Carloads of Christmas gifts were being unloaded from two cars and carried into the house. Names were repeated and relationships explained. He hoped no one quizzed him afterward.

  “Merry Christmas! This is Jett, Brenna’s new boyfriend. Isn’t he handsome?” Gramma announced.

  When they heard this declaration, Brenna’s parents stopped dead in their tracks in the front hall, blocking the stream of traffic. Her mother, Jennifer, was an older version of Brenna, while her dad, Reggie, had passed her his hair and eye color.

  Her family looked him up, down, and across. The women seemed pleased with what they saw, but Brenna’s father was another story.

  Brenna stood immediately behind her parents with a pile of gifts, wrapped and bagged in bright Christmas red, green, silver and gold. She grimaced comically and rolled her eyes as she mouthed sorry.

  Reggie James frowned and grunted until his wife gave him an elbow in the side. He moved past Jett with bags of groceries.

  “Mom, shuffle along please,” Brenna pleaded. “You can inspect Jett after we get all this stuff inside.” Her eyes begged his forgiveness.

  “I’ll squeeze by,” Jett offered, “and get the luggage.” He leaned on the wall as Jennifer and Brenna walked through to the living room. Brenna’s bright, happy smile was reward enough for his agreeing to be here. He hadn’t wanted to interfere with the reunion, but Gramma, Laurel, and Brenna had pressed, saying he was one of them now and they’d hate to think of him in his place alone when they had lots of room and extra food.

  As Jett walked to the back of the first car to get to the trunk, he saw Trix, Laurel, and Kayley conferring quietly and tensely behind Laurel’s SUV. Whatever they talked about was family business and he moved quickly to lift the two wheeled suitcases out of the open trunk. He acknowledged Laurel’s tremulous smile with a brief nod and hotfooted it back to the relative quiet of the parental inspection awaiting him.

  Reggie waited on the front porch eyeing him as if Jett were a midnight intruder. Much easier to deal with than three women with their heads together looking tense and upset.

  Clearly, there were things about being in a family he’d never understand, but he figured his appearance here could prove the least interesting part of the visit. Maybe Brenna had wanted him along for a buffer. He drew the suitcases around to his front and waited while Reggie looked him over skeptically. Jett considered moving up the stairs to make the older man move aside, but chose to remain on the ground, looking up.

  Reggie’s gaze raked him. Jett stood a bit taller, giving the older man a respectful look. “Boyfriend, eh?” Reggie grumped.

  “Seems so.”

  “Been together long?”

  “A couple of weeks.”

  “What do you do for a living?”

  “Right now, I’m teaching dance.” This was tricky. Lying to Brenna’s father felt wrong, but Jett wasn’t completely ready to give up his search for Billie Adamson despite his cooled ambition. He planned to pick up the search again after the new year. Until Jett found the man, he needed to keep his real identity a secret.

  “Leave the man alone,” Jennifer said and tapped her husband on the shoulder. “You’ve got your answers.”

  Reggie nodded and stepped aside to give Jett room to pass by with the suitcases. Instead of helping with the luggage, the older man wandered down to the sidewalk to where Jett had parked. Reggie walked around the car Jett had rented. “Looks too nice for a dance instructor,” came the gruff comment.

  Jett ignored the observation and carried the luggage to the second floor where he set it down. From up here, he looked below to see the family milling about. The chatter of greetings and compliments on the decorations rose merrily to where he stood. Like the rare times he’d been in a foster home, Christmas meant staying apart from the rest of the family members. He’d rarely felt included.

  “Jett come on down here,” Kayley called putting a lie to his memory. “It’s our tradition to get the tree as soon as we arrive so we can decorate it tomorrow. We all go, and you’re coming too. Besides, you can do the heavy lifting,” she said with a sly wink.

  “I’ll carry the tree,” Reggie said in a growl, “like always.”

  “With Jett to help, we can get a bigger one,” Brenna’s mother chimed in.

  All but Jett seemed to be in on the joke and howled with laughter at Reggie’s expense. Jett had never been to a Christmas tree farm. He didn’t know what to look for in a tree. Like most things to do with this holiday, he’d go along with whatever Brenna wanted.

  “GRIDLEY MEADOWS FARM hasn’t changed,” Brenna commented. There were still rows and rows of trees of various sizes. The family had fanned out to optimize their choices, and, Brenna suspected, to give them a few minutes alone. She reached for Jett’s hand and he stopped and turned to her. Laughter rose from all around them, interspersed with cheers and calls about finding the perfect tree.

  “Mom’s right,” she said to Jett. “With you here maybe we’ll get a bigger one. Dad won’t like needing help but he’s not getting any younger.”

  “Happy to help anyway I can. I’m not sure your dad likes me, though.”

  “You’re being a good sport, Jett. I appreciate it. My dad is just cautious with any men who show up in my and Kayley’s lives. I’m sorry if he’s made you uncomfortable.” But her mother had seemed to take to Jett and had accepted her private apology for skipping Thanksgiving.

  “I get it,” Jett said. “He wasn’t impressed with my teaching.”

  She made a line of her lips and searched his gaze. “I’m not sure he believed you. Not after seeing your expensive coat and c
ar.” Not to mention his designer boots which he’d left behind in favor of borrowing her grandfather’s old ones again. “Is there something you’re not telling me about your career?”

  He drew in a deep breath. “You’re right, I’m not telling you everything. I’m not usually a dance instructor, but I enjoy it and I decided it would make a good cover for my real purpose for visiting Dickens.”

  “Real purpose?” Her mind skipped from private investigator, to mercenary, to witness protection, to secret agent. None of which suited the man she’d come to care about. “Explain, because this is confusing.”

  “I’m what some might call an angel investor and I’m here to find a young man I believe has a marvelous new process. I believe he needs my help to get it into production and eventually to market.”

  “This Billie Adamson you’ve asked about?”

  “You’re observant and smart and I apologize for not clueing you in before this.”

  “Are you like those people on TV who help entrepreneurs on that reality show?”

  “Not exactly. They’re running their own business empires and don’t mind the limelight. I prefer to stay anonymous until I’m sure an invention is viable. I do my own searches and keep a low profile.”

  “You must work hard. I recall you mentioning ambition destroying families. Is that why you’re single?”

  “I wouldn’t put it that way. When we talked about your long hours at work, I thought of my last protégé and how he lost his family. Paul wanted his wife and children to have whatever they wanted. In the end, what they wanted was him and he didn’t see the wedge he’d let grow between them.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “I advised him to sell the company and sort things out. Took him a long time to decide what was most important. In the end, he chose love over business. But it took a long time. I wasn’t sure he’d ever figure it out. I got word this morning from my assistant. The family is spending Christmas together and he’s decided to sell.” His lips tilted up at the corners and his eyes brimmed with pride.