by Jacki James
His eyes widened for a brief second, and then the corner of his lips crept up. He quickly came down the ladder to stand beside me. He reached out his hand to shake, and then laughed as he realized it was still full of Christmas lights. He draped them over one of the ladder steps before turning back to me. “Terry Sullivan. Right?” he asked.
I’d thought he was gorgeous the other day. He’d had on casual but still nice clothes and looked very put together. But today in jeans and a college sweatshirt, with his hair all disheveled and seeming a little discombobulated, he looked even better. More approachable, maybe. “Well, you seem to have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don’t know yours,” I said with a smile.
He chuckled and said, “Yes, Ellen told me yours at the Chamber of Commerce building the other day. I’m Nicolas Stavros. But my friends call me Nico.” He reached out his hand to shake, and when I placed mine in his, I regretted my choice to wear my gloves. But still, the warmth from his reached mine and neither of us let go.
“Well, Nicolas, I just met you, so we aren’t friends yet, but I hope to call you Nico someday soon.”
“I think I would like that.”
I glanced up where the stand of lights was attached to the roof on one end and was in a wadded-up ball on the ladder on the other. “You seem to be having a little bit of trouble with your lights here, Nicolas.”
“Well, actually, I haven’t ever decorated a house for Christmas before. I may have bitten off more than I can chew here.”
“It’s your first year, and you just moved in, right? You could always get one of those projector things that throws lights up against your house and call it good this year, and then go all out next year.”
“I could, but I let Todd convince me to put my house on the tour of houses for this year, so I don’t think that would do at all.”
I looked at the wadded-up strand of plain Christmas lights and had to agree. He had bitten off more than he could chew. “Umm, have you ever seen the type of decorations the houses have that are on the tour?”
“I have. I’d planned to find someone to come from the city to do the decorations, but I was too late, and they were all already booked. Then I contacted the group that sponsors the tour to pull out, but the programs had already been sent for printing, so I’m kind of stuck.”
“It’s a pretty big job. All I had to do was my small house and the window of my flower shop, and I ordered things months ago.”
His eyes lit up. “Precious Petals on Main is yours?”
“Yes, that’s my shop.”
“Your window’s amazing. I’m not even a big Christmas person, and I got sucked into looking at your window when I went to the diner for lunch yesterday.”
I felt my cheeks warm. “Thank you, it was fun doing it. I wanted it all ready for Black Friday.”
“Well, I’m glad you had fun doing yours. I’m not having fun doing mine at all. Christmas just really isn’t my thing.”
“Christmas isn’t your thing.” I let out an exaggerated gasp. “Surely you jest.”
He shook his head and let out a small chuckle. “No, sadly, I don’t jest at all. But now here I am, stuck trying to be all festive and shit.”
I cocked my head to one side and studied him. He was serious. Christmas really wasn’t his thing, but he was being good-natured about it. He could have gone ahead and pulled out even though the programs had gone out, but he didn’t, so that told me he was a standup guy. “Well, we’re going to have to work on that bah-humbug attitude.”
“People have tried. I’m afraid it’s a permanent condition, but that isn’t my most pressing issue. Getting this house Christmas Tour of Homes ready is. I don’t suppose you want a job?”
“Nope, I have a business to run, and it’s the holidays.”
“But you don’t work twenty-four hours a day, do you?
“Some days it feels like it.”
“Please, I’m really in a bind here.”
I looked in his eyes and knew I was going to say yes. I really didn’t have the time, but from the first time I’d seen him, I’d felt a pull that I hadn’t felt with anyone else. But I didn’t want to just give in, I wanted to make him work for it, at least a little bit. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll help you decorate, but you have to agree to something first.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to let me show you Christmas Terry style.”
“Terry style?” he asked.
“Sure. I’ve always loved Christmas. My grandmother used to say that Merry Christmas didn’t cover it, instead she wished people a very Terry Christmas, because she wished everyone could enjoy it as much as I did.”
“A very Terry Christmas, huh?”
“Yep, so you let me show you how much fun Christmas can be, and I’ll help you decorate your house.”
“And you think we can get this house tour worthy in two weeks?”
I looked at the house and thought about what I would do if this were mine. “What does our budget look like?”
“I mean, I don’t want to spend tens of thousands of dollars, but pretty much however much you think it would take.”
“I’ll have to see if Jerri can work extra hours so I can take a couple of days off, but I think we can do it.”
“And all I have to do in exchange is let you show me that I’ve been wrong most of my adult life, and Christmas is actually fun instead of a giant pain in my ass.”
“Exactly,” I said.
“Okay, you have yourself a deal.”
Chapter 5
Nicolas
I couldn’t believe my luck. To have Terry wander by right then and realize I needed help. I’d noticed his flower shop’s window when I was in town and it was stunning. It was bright and colorful but not gaudy or overdone. I bet his house was decorated fabulously as well.
“The biggest issue is I have no idea what I’m doing, so how about I stop and give you a tour of the house so you can help me come up with a plan,” I said. He looked a little conflicted, so I quickly added, “Unless you have someplace to be, or maybe someone waiting for you at home.” In my mind I rolled my eyes at my lack of subtlety. I might as well have come right out and asked if he was single.
“No, no one waiting for me at home today, or any other day for that matter.”
“Great, let me put this stuff away and we can go inside.”
“Here, let me help.” We took down the lights I had put up and collapsed the ladder, then we carried it around to the garage.
“We can go in here,” I said, going through the door in the garage that led to the mud room and then the kitchen. “You can hang your coat right here.” I indicated the hooks on the wall as he followed me in.
“Oh wow,” he said as he entered the kitchen. “Did Charles do this?’
“He did. It’s fabulous, isn’t it? When he suggested a countertop of recycled glass, I thought he was crazy. But once he showed me some samples, I knew it would be perfect. But even then, I wasn’t prepared for how perfect it would turn out.”
“I’m speechless. Do you know how amazing this kitchen will look decorated for the home tour? It’s like the perfect setting for a winter wonderland with just a little pop of color.” I gave him a full tour and he continued to compliment the house and give me ideas for each room. “Have you ever been on a house tour before?”
“I haven’t, so I’m not really sure what to expect.”
“Well, it isn’t the whole house naturally, like you don’t have to display your bedrooms, or any other rooms you’d prefer to keep private. In yours, I think you should do the living room, the kitchen, the dining room, the study, and then end with the great room. So basically, it would have a natural flow that would keep people moving through.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad, I guess.”
He laughed and lay his hand on my arm. “It really isn’t,” he reassured me. “We’ll have a plan for each room that will flow from room to room, and we don’t have to do much outs
ide, the inside is what will matter. As a matter of fact, I think we should hire someone to do the outside if that works for you.”
“I tried to hire someone,” I insisted. “Everyone was booked. That’s the first thing I tried to do.”
He shook his head. “You tried to hire someone from the city. I’m talking about someone local. I know people we can get to do it. That way we can focus on the inside.”
“That would be amazing!”
“Well, we are short on time, and we have fun Christmas things to do as well. Don’t forget about that part of the deal.”
“I’m thinking you aren’t going to let me forget,” I teased.
“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t. Do you have plans for later today? We could pull up some sites online and get some ideas.”
“I don’t have any plans, I’m all yours.”
“Sounds good to me. I want to run by the shop and make sure Jerri is doing okay, and I’ll grab some lunch at the diner. Then I’ll come back and we can get started.”
“Instead of going by the diner, why don’t you just come back here and I’ll fix lunch?”
“You actually cook?” he asked, sounding like he didn’t believe me.
“I do, all the time actually. I’m a bit of a foodie, to be honest. I prefer organic whole foods and I’m sure they’ll be harder to find here.”
“Oh, only this time of year. Come spring, the farmers market will open and there will be more fresh vegetables than you could possibly use. But if you’re cooking lunch, I’ll just go by the shop and then run by my house and get my laptop.”
“Do you want me to drive you?” I asked.
“Oh goodness no, it’s so nice out there and I’m just a few blocks away,” he said and then he laughed. “Of course, in Avana Springs everything is only a few blocks away.”
“True enough. Do you like salmon?”
“With crispy skin?”
“Of course with crispy skin.”
“Love it!” he said in a cute singsong way.
“Great.” I laughed. “Plan on salmon and Cesar salad when you come back.”
While I waited on him to return, I made the salad and placed it in the fridge. I had a wonderful Cesar dressing that I got at a little shop near my condo, so I didn’t have to make it myself. I seasoned the salmon so I could put it on to cook as soon as he returned.
I had mixed feelings about what we were about to do. On one hand, I was looking forward to spending time with Terry. He was sweet and easy to like, not to mention he was extremely attractive. On the other hand, I was about to spend the next month surrounded by all the trappings of Christmas. It seemed so ridiculous to me to spend a small fortune for things you were only going to leave out for a few weeks. It was like people lost their minds this time of year.
Once I had lunch prepped, there wasn’t really anything for me to do, so I decided to get out the things I had ordered to decorate with so Terry could see what I had and if he could use any of it. I carried the boxes into the great room and opened them up. I laid out all the items and stepped back. Seeing them all together like that made me realize how badly I needed Terry’s help. I’d ordered items kind of at random, things that looked like what my mother had in her house for Christmas. But my parents had collected stuff over thirty years of marriage, and it didn’t exactly go together. I should have decided on a theme instead of just ordering stuff.
By the time I heard a car in the drive, I’d decided it was pretty much hopeless and all of this would need to go back. I went to the door and opened it waiting for him. He came around the corner of the house carrying a computer bag. As he walked toward me, I really regretted laying all that stuff out. I should have pretended I didn’t have any of it instead of spreading it all out so he could see how incompetent I was. I mean, what kind of person couldn’t even figure out how to decorate for Christmas?
“What is it? What’s wrong? Did you burn the salmon?” he asked.
“No.” I might as well go ahead and say it. It wasn’t like he hadn’t already seen me up on the ladder like a fool earlier, anyway. “I opened all the boxes of stuff I ordered to decorate and realized that most likely none of it will work. I’ll have to send most of it back, I’m sure.”
“Let’s take a look. Maybe we can use some of it.”
“I seriously doubt it,” I grumbled as I led him into the great room.
“Oh, wow. You ordered a lot.” He walked over to the couch where a lot of it laid and looked through it. He picked up one of the small cups shaped like Santa Claus and grinned. “My grandmother had these at her house when I was small.”
“Mine too, that’s why I got them. I tried to remember what my family used to decorate with and that’s what I ordered, but it doesn’t have a theme or fit the house or anything.” I picked up a snowman figure and started to put it back in the box, but he snatched it out of my hand.
“That is adorable, and you’re wrong. It does all have a theme, it isn’t all snowmen or all silver bells, but it’s family. It’s the kind of decorations you find in a home not a house, and it’ll be perfect in this room. That’s what a great room is for, right? A living room is formal and would be perfect elegantly decorated, but the great room is about comfort and coziness and tradition.”
I looked at him for a second trying to decide if he meant it or if he was just saying that to be nice, but I didn’t see anything but sincerity in his expression. “Okay, well, let’s get something to eat and then you can tell me what ideas you have for the rest of the house.”
“Sounds good to me, I’m starving.”
“I couldn’t put the salmon on until you got back because it only takes a few minutes, so why don’t you set up at the island in the kitchen, and you can talk to me while I cook it.”
He took a seat at the island and set up his computer while I took out the fish and got it cooking. He had wonderful ideas for each room and kept turning the computer around to show me pictures. I honestly didn’t care what he did, but I didn’t have the heart to say so. He was so excited about each idea. I might not care about the Christmas decorations, but I figured that was okay, he was excited enough about it for both of us.
When the food was done, we moved to the table. So far, I hadn’t seen him not be excited about anything, and food was no exception. He practically moaned when he took the first bite. Terry seemed to experience everything. Some people moved through their day doing what needed to be done, but not him. He did everything like he expected it to be special. He had this energy about him that brightened everything he did. Like each thing mattered, not the last time he did it or the next, just this time, this moment.
“I have so many ideas, but we don’t have the stuff. We can likely get most of it local, but not all. Do you want to take a trip to the city for the rest, or do you want to order it and have it delivered?”
I thought about it. I was doubtful we would find much here in Avana Springs. The hardware store had some things but not enough. I couldn’t see vibrant, happy Terry dealing with traffic jams, crowded streets, and rude people, though. “Let’s order it so we can go ahead and get started with what we have.”
“Good choice!” he exclaimed. “We need to get Christmas trees anyway, and I know the perfect place to get them.”
“Them? Like more than one?”
“Oh, sweetie, definitely more than one.”
Chapter 6
Terry
Of course, we would be doing more than one Christmas tree. I was planning one in the living room, one in the study, and one in the great room for sure. I wasn’t positive about the dining room. It had a beautiful chandelier and I had plans for that and was thinking a tree in the room would detract from it, but I reserved the right to change my mind. Either way, we needed to go tree shopping.
“I was thinking that’s where we should start. We can go to Robert’s and get three trees. Two medium-sized ones and one massive one. They’ll also have a bunch of the things we need to decorate, so it’ll give us a
good start.”
“There is a place here in Avana Springs where we can get some of the things we need?” he asked.
“Oh goodness, yes. Robert’s Garden Center has tons of decorations, plus the most beautiful trees. I ordered the glass ornaments that are hanging in my window but everything else came from Robert’s.”
“Okay, I think three trees is kind of crazy, but if you say so, let’s go get them. Will they deliver?”
“No, but I have a friend with a truck. He’ll come help.”
“I can pay him,” I said.
“Don’t you even dare. He’d be insulted if you offered. He’ll take donations of bags of dog food, though. He runs an animal rescue and he’s always trying to give me a puppy.”
“Well, why don’t you take one?”
“I’m not home enough. I have been thinking about getting one that I could bring to the shop with me, though.” I called Justus and he agreed to come help us transport the trees. He was a few years older than me. His sister Cora had been one of my best friends, and I had crushed on him hard in high school. He’d joined the military after he graduated and was gone for six years. Then he came home and opened the animal rescue. He was one of the hottest guys I’d ever seen, and I still liked to look, but he was a bit too dommy for me. Which was funny considering the way he was with the animals at the rescue. He had a way of calming a spooked animal that was surprising considering his no-nonsense, take-charge attitude.
“I think you having a dog with you at the store would be fun. I bet it would bring people in just to see the dog. I mean, as long as you don’t get a big scary one or something.”
I laughed and struck a pose, running my hand through the air in front of me. “Do I look like a big scary dog kind of guy?”
“Not really.” He chuckled. “Now how do we get to this garden center? Do we walk, or do we drive?”