She wondered if he could feel her heart beating through the thick material of their coats because it was thumping in time with the thoughts that Anika wanted to kiss him. Carlos hesitated and then brushed a kiss on her cheek. He stepped back and Anika immediately felt the loss of his touch. She craved his warmth and goodness. Before she could think about how much she wanted to stay in his arms, she turned and shoved her key in the lock. She swung the door open and then turned toward Carlos. “Thank you for a wonderful day.”
He nodded and patted Megan’s head. Anika saw him glance at her lips before he lifted two fingers in a wave. “My pleasure.”
The cold air was seeping inside so Anika hurried in and shut the door even though she wanted to be with Carlos. She raised a hand to her cheek, thinking of his gentle kiss. Was she crazy to want more? Her toes tingled when she thought about how much more she did want. Was it possible that the dreary future she’d anticipated was about to change?
THE NEXT FEW DAYS WERE HECTIC at Kenworth’s leaving Anika and Carlos little time for the flirting they’d been accused of. Anika yearned to be near him in a way that should have had alarms going off but she had finally quieted the doubts circling her mind about men— at least one man.
With Cecilia still out of town, Anika helped Carlos with some of the finish work on the soda fountain. The late nights were wearing on her, but the exhaustion was pushed to the edges whenever she was near Carlos. He lit up her insides like a Christmas tree, and Anika wished there was mistletoe hanging from every aisle in Kenworth’s. He hadn’t kissed her yet, but every time they were together Anika felt an almost magnetic pull toward him.
On Wednesday, Anika arrived at Kenworth’s early. Christmas was next Friday and everyone was scheduled to work more hours until then, doubling up the amount of sales clerks available to help customers.
Halfway through her shift, there was some cheering near the soda fountain. Carlos had told her he’d be testing out the equipment today with Keira. The nervous ball that had been sitting in her stomach, dissolved when she peeked around The Candy Counter and saw the small group serving up the first ice cream soda. Carlos had wanted Anika to be there, but she thought it was better if he did the test on his own, especially because she was working. Cecilia’s accusations still hung heavy over Anika. The threat of not having a job beyond Christmas was still a possibility.
After ringing up a sequence of at least twenty customers, she and Jessica finally hit a lull. “Why don’t you take your break now, Anika?” Jessica offered. “I’m going to run and put away some of these items.” She tugged on a rolling rack of clothes and headed to the back of the women’s department.
Anika glanced at her watch. It was almost seven and she’d been standing in the same spot for three hours. Her legs and feet ached and her stomach complained about its neglect. “I will, but let me know if you get in a bind,” she called after Jessica.
Anika stepped around the cash register just as Carlos rounded the corner grinning like he’d just opened his Christmas presents early.
“I have the best news ever,” Carlos said. “Come over here.” He tugged on her hand, leading her toward the Hope Tree.
“I’m definitely in need of good news,” Anika muttered. “Christmas is killing my feet.”
Carlos looked down at her feet, and then lifted his face to hers, his smile brighter than ever. Anika raised an eyebrow. “Hmm, this must be really good news.”
It didn’t seem possible, but Carlos’s smile widened. “Cecilia quit!”
“What? Like she’s leaving Kenworth’s?” Anika held onto Carlos’s arms to steady herself.
“Like she already left. Keira just told me that she abandoned them.” Carlos squeezed her arms gently.
“That’s weird. Why would she do that? I mean, I’m glad, but it doesn’t make sense.”
“I guess this store has too much Christmas spirit for the Grinch,” Carlos said. “I heard something about a better offer in downtown New York. I’m not crying about it though because Keira loved what I’ve done with the soda fountain and wants me to start on some new projects in the store after Christmas.”
“That is the best news I’ve heard in weeks.” Anika could hardly believe that Cecilia was really gone. A weight toppled off her shoulders. There might be a chance for her to continue working at Kenworth’s.
“Oh, I think I can top that news,” Carlos said. “See, I talked to Keira about how crazy Cecilia has been acting and how she threatened you. Keira said that you aren’t going anywhere and she gave me permission to share the good news that they want to hire you on full-time.”
Anika leaned back and blinked. It couldn’t be. Good things like this didn’t happen to her. “It’s true?”
Carlos smiled. “Definitely.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you. I can’t believe it.” She pulled back so she could look in his eyes. “This means everything to me.”
“And you mean everything to me,” he murmured. He glanced at her lips and tipped his head, slowly coming closer. Anika met him halfway, her lips like a spark of light between them. And then they were kissing and Anika felt her entire body fill with warmth. Carlos put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, his fingertips leaving little trails of fire along her back.
Her toes tingled and she touched the curls at the nape of his neck with her fingertips. His mouth moved against hers, gentle yet passionate kisses sending fireworks bursting in her chest. She kissed him again and then remembered that they were standing in the middle of the women’s department. She took one small step back and bumped into the edge of the Christmas tree. Carlos grabbed the tree before it could tip and then steadied Anika.
“I thought you said you were going to keep your distance the next time you saw me near a Christmas tree.” Anika touched the rough stubble on his cheek.
Carlos turned and kissed the palm of her hand. “Hmm, I think maybe you misunderstood.”
“Thanks for watching out for me, Carlos.” Anika meant what she said. From the first day they’d met, Carlos had been rescuing her little by little. She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but she needed rescuing. She leaned in and brushed his lips with hers, the movement sending sparks through her body. Carlos pulled her toward him and kissed her gently. She definitely wanted to stay right there in his arms. His mouth moved against hers with more intensity. She loved the way he held her carefully, but with a strength that said he didn’t want to let her go.
“Anika, I love you,” he murmured against her cheek.
Her heart thrummed wildly in her chest, a thread of worry blooming next to each heartbeat. Carlos loved her. Jimmy used to tell her he loved her all the time. She’d stopped saying it back to him after the first time he’d hit her. She shoved that thought from her mind. Carlos wasn’t Jimmy. Carlos really did love her, he’d shown her that since the first day they’d met. She kissed his mouth again and snuggled in deeper, feeling the pounding of his heart against her chest.
His words hung in the air and Anika tasted them in his kiss. She wanted to say them back, but she was afraid of what might happen to her when she did. It was like tumbling down a dark hole, not knowing where the bottom might be or how she’d land. She wanted to take that leap, but her rational side kept a firm grip on her emotions.
She pulled back and studied Carlos. His dark eyes were full of so much love that she felt a part of her armor breaking away. She tightened her hold around his neck and rested her head against him. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Later that night, Carlos relived every second of that amazing kiss with Anika. His stomach clenched when he thought about how he’d told her he loved her. He wanted to feel stupid over it, but at the same time he couldn’t because he knew it was true. He loved Anika, and Megan, and he wanted them in his life. Anika hadn’t said the words back, but he was pretty sure she was thinking about it. Her rough past had sealed those words inside and one day he’d break through all her barriers and she would tell him she loved
him. He had to believe that because he wasn’t going to give up on her, no matter how tough things were.
He sanded another small piece of the dollhouse he was building for Megan. The frame was sturdy and the furniture was simple, but she would love it. The work with the soda fountain was complete and he’d use the extra time to finish his present for Megan. The little girl talked about her Christmas dollhouse nonstop and he’d seen Anika looking at one on display in Kenworth’s that he was pretty sure was out of her budget.
He still needed to work on Anika’s gift. He was carving a Christmas tree ornament that was in the shape of a Christmas tree. He knew that Anika would understand the significance of the tree, patterned after the Hope tree at Kenworth’s where they’d first met, first kissed, and where he hoped to continue to build a future with Anika.
When he’d checked with the Ladies League Christmas council last week, they said that everything was taken care of for Anika and Megan. It was a relief that they would get the things they needed this winter. He had wanted to do more, to give more to her personally, but with Anika’s pride and fragile heart, that would be treading in dangerous territory.
He adjusted another part of the dollhouse frame. If everything went well, he’d be able to deliver the gift on Saturday and ease Anika’s worries over fulfilling her daughter’s Christmas wishes.
THE THURSDAY BEFORE THE CANDY cane twist, Anika came in to work early to cover for Jessica. The store was flooded with holiday shoppers and they all bustled about spending lots of money on gifts. It was as though everyone in Echo Ridge could hear the ticking of the clock counting down to Christmas Eve. To Anika it sounded akin to a death knell— the death of her young daughter’s dreams. Maybe she shouldn’t put so much emphasis on fulfilling Megan’s wish list, but as a child, Anika remembered very little of happy Christmases. She remembered feeling cold, hungry, and wearing shoes that seemed to suck in all the ice and snow to numb her little feet. At least she had provided better for Megan in that respect.
The competition for the store credit would most likely go to the children’s department. Tayton had been updating them on sales, encouraging them to work hard on their goals, but Anika knew it was better not to hope for something that wasn’t going to happen. She’d all but given up on the idea of a dollhouse for Megan. Instead, she’d buy her a new doll and together, they’d play in their apartment, allowing imagination to create a huge doll house among couch cushions and blankets.
Anika rolled her shoulders back and decided to be grateful for the things she did have— a drafty apartment, a temporary job, Megan, and possibly an incredibly fine man named Carlos. Her smile finally turned genuine when she thought of Carlos. It still seemed risky to consider dating him, and the future that might entail but he was changing her as if he’d cleaned the lens she used to view the world. Carlos had also grown up with very little and still struggled, working several jobs to attain his dream yet he kept a positive attitude. That’s what she needed, a little dose of Carlos. Anika hummed along to “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” as she put away winter items and mounds of clothing.
After she finished hanging up all the clothes from the dressing rooms, Anika took over for Jessica at the cash register.
“Do you have a dress for the dance?” Jessica asked.
“Not yet. I might just have to wear my black skirt.” Anika twisted her hands together. The thought of the dance had been dogging her ever since she went to church and noticed the beautiful dresses several of the women wore. They weren’t flaunting their clothing, but Anika had been looking. Her skirt was fine for church but she would be underdressed for the dance. At least she would match Megan— who didn’t have a nice dress either.
“Oh, no. That won’t do,” Jessica said. “This is your first dance with Carlos. We have to make you shine. There’s a red dress over in petites that’s marked down. It has a fitted bodice with a side seam zipper. You ought to try it on.”
“Jessica, I probably can’t afford it. I just don’t have any extra money right now.” Anika turned away so her manager wouldn’t see the redness creeping into her cheeks.
Jessica frowned and tapped the side of her cheek. “I’m sure something will work out. I’m not going to give up, so you can’t either! What would it hurt to just try it on?”
Anika remembered the hope she’d felt on Sunday. It would take work to trust that feeling, but she wanted to put herself out there to see if it would grow. She swallowed and nodded. “Okay, I’ll see if I have a minute to try it on.”
“How about now?” Jessica asked. “I’ll wait here for a few minutes and you can go take a peek. It’s hanging on the back side of the clearance rack.”
Anika sighed. It was better to oblige Jessica than try to win a fashion fight. “I’ll hurry.”
The clearance rack was stuffed with clothes, many of them from last season. Anika pushed aside some ugly green and orange dresses and gasped when the red dress came into view. The bodice shimmered with a line of crystal beading that fell in a slant toward the flared skirt. Anika ran her hands over the fabric— a blend of rayon and probably polyester. It hung beautifully, shining like a Christmas ornament.
She held the dress up to her as she walked into the dressing room and gazed in the mirror. Even without trying it on, she could tell it was perfect. A bell chimed somewhere in the store— a customer needing assistance— and Anika snapped out of her reverie. She turned the dress around and dug inside for the price tag. Another gasp, this one with no delight, escaped her lips. The regular price of the dress was eighty-nine dollars and it had been marked down to thirty-nine, definitely a can’t-miss deal. Anika’s shoulders slumped, and she walked back to the racks and hung up the dress. Even with her twenty percent employee discount, the dress would be about thirty-two dollars with tax and she didn’t have that much money. She trailed her fingers along the beading, and with a sigh walked back to the cash register.
Before she rounded the corner she pasted a smile on her face. “You’re right. That dress is absolutely gorgeous. It will be perfect.”
Jessica clapped her hands. “I knew it! I can’t wait to see you in it. Okay, gotta run.” She left in a rush of curls and a lingering scent of vanilla and peppermint. She didn’t really understand what Anika meant when she said she didn’t have enough money. Most people thought that meant you couldn’t go on vacation or buy those three-hundred-dollar pair of jeans. Most people could come up with thirty-two dollars to buy a discount dress.
Anika leaned against the counter for a minute, trying to shake the fog of doubts shrouding her. Who was she kidding? Dating Carlos was a bad idea. She couldn’t even afford a discounted dress to wear to the dance. Carlos had said he didn’t mind what she wore, but when they got there and everyone, especially the Ice Money, was dressed in their furs and sequins, he’d see her for the washed-up wannabe she really was. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes and she blinked, swiping a hand across her eyes angrily. It was no use pretending. She hated Christmas and a good attitude couldn’t change the fact that she was two steps away from poverty. Anika shrugged. The grandfather clock was busy chiming out the seventh hour. It was nearly rush hour at the store. She looked up and saw a line forming at her cash register. Thankfully, she could lose herself in her work instead of wallowing in her worries.
“Did you find everything you needed tonight?” she asked the first woman, infusing a false cheerfulness into her voice.
“Yes, lots of great gifts,” the young woman said as she piled her merchandise on the counter. “I just love Kenworth’s at Christmas time.”
Anika nodded, trying to swallow the lump in her throat that was lodged like a piece of fruitcake leftover from the holidays. She worked that way for another hour, trying to breathe around the pressure weighing down on her that had everything to do with Christmas.
“I’m so glad someone told me about this lovely Christmas tree,” a sweet voice interrupted Anika’s miserable thoughts.
She looked up to meet the we
lcoming smile of an elderly woman. The woman adjusted a strand of her beautifully styled silver-white hair. Her nails were manicured with tiny red gems set in painted holly berries. She put her purse on the counter and it was all Anika could do to resist reaching out to touch the supple leather in a deep shade of burgundy. The woman smiled brightly. “The Hope Tree is such a wonderful idea. I love the thoughts of being able to help people right here in our own community. I don’t know why but it just means more to me to buy something for people in Echo Ridge rather than to give a few dollars to some huge national charity. This just feels more like what an old-fashioned Christmas is all about.”
Anika nodded as the woman babbled on. It was hard not to catch a bit of her Christmas spirit. If Mrs. Claus herself were to help Santa and the elves with shopping, Anika thought that maybe she would look a lot like this woman.
Her blue eyes sparkled behind rimless glasses. “Isn’t this dress exquisite?” She lifted up the red dress Anika was supposed to wear to the Candy Cane Twist.
Anika swallowed. “I love it.” At least she was telling the truth.
“It seemed like this dress was just calling me to buy it, so I hunted around and look what I found hanging on the Hope Tree.” She lifted up a cream colored card and dangled it in front of Anika’s nose.
Anika opened the card and read,
Woman’s Evening dress, size 4
Thank you for your support of The Hope Tree and Echo Ridge.
Merry Christmas from Kenworth’s!
Well, at least her dress was going to someone for a good cause. Anika pulled out a dress box, folded it and tucked in a sheet of tissue paper. “Here, I’ll snip the price off the tag and wrap it up for you.”
“Wonderful,” Mrs. Claus said. “And I have another one here.” She handed Anika a Christmas dress that looked like it was made for Megan and a pair of jeans with pink stitching and rhinestones on the pockets. “Here’s the tag that goes with them.”
Christmas Kisses: An Echo Ridge Anthology (Echo Ridge Romance Book 1) Page 29