by Rita Herron
“It happened two years ago while I was in Vegas,” Lucy said. “The police finally arrested him, and I thought it was all behind me. Then a few days ago he was on a prison bus and broke out.”
Lucy waved to Mae as she settled on her balcony next door with the morning obits.
“The Marshal handling my case thought it was a good idea if I left town until he was apprehended.”
A long heartbeat passed. “You haven’t told Reid any of this?”
“No,” Lucy said. “I wanted to protect you and him in case Emmet tried to use you to get to me.”
“Lucy, is this guy dangerous?” Sophie asked.
Lucy debated. “I don’t know. He used to leave me gifts, forced me to go with him once. He’s crazy, Sophie. He thinks he’s in love with me.” She hesitated. “And I don’t know what prison did to him.”
Another awkward moment. “Well, now he’s been found, you can come home.”
Lucy wanted to go back, but the Silver Sneakers waved that they’d found sand dollars to make more ornaments, and she remembered how excited they were about the Christmas talent show and knew she couldn’t leave until the show was over.
“I can’t, Sophie.”
“Why not? Is it about Reid? Are you trying to break up with him?”
Dear God, was that what Reid thought? “No. I love Reid, but that Marshal I mentioned got me a job at this sixties-and-up community named Sunset Vista in Delray Beach and we’re planning a talent show on Christmas Eve. The residents are so excited I can’t just run out on them.”
Sophie muttered something Lucy couldn’t understand.
“I’m sorry, Sophie, don’t be mad.”
“I’m not mad,” Sophie said. “I’m…proud of you, Lucy.”
Lucy’s pulse fluttered. “I have an idea. Why don’t you come here for the show. We can still spend Christmas together.”
“What about Reid and Lance and Maddie and Chase? And Deseree?”
Lucy twisted her hair into a ponytail. “You’re right. It’s not fair to ask them to leave their plans. I’ll stay for the show then drive home Christmas day.”
“That sounds good. And listen, Lucy,” Sophie said. “If you really care about Reid, call him and explain.”
Lucy hated confrontation. “I’ll just surprise him when I come home.”
Her phone buzzed, and she saw Bannister’s number. “Hey, this is that Marshal calling. See you soon.”
Sophie agreed, and she clicked to answer Bannister’s call. “Hey, Wallace. My sister texted that she saw the story about Emmet’s arrest in the paper.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, Lucy,” Marshal Bannister said. “But that was a mistake. Two officers that were watching your place did find a man in your house and arrested him. I don’t know how the papers got hold of it, but they got it all wrong.”
Lucy gripped her phone with sweaty fingers. “What do you mean, they got it all wrong?”
“The man they arrested claimed he was your boyfriend, but it wasn’t Emmet.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No. Do you have a line of men chasing you, Lucy?”
If not, Emmet, then who? She sank onto the lounge chair as the truth dawned. “Oh, my God. Don’t tell me you arrested Reid?”
“Yes, that was his name,” Bannister said.
“Oh, no,” Lucy whispered. “Where is he now?”
“I questioned him, then released him.”
“Did you explain about Emmet?”
“No,” Bannister said. “I figured if you’d wanted him to know you would have told him.”
Dear Lord. She should have told him.
“Where is he now?”
“I have no idea,” Bannister said. “But the problem is that Emmet is still out there.”
Nausea climbed Lucy’s throat as she hung up. No telling what Reid was thinking…
And that man on the beach…he could have been Emmet.
Panicked, she texted Sophie back and told her that Emmet was still on the loose, and that she wouldn’t be coming home until he was.
They would have to celebrate Christmas without her.
Now, what to do about Reid? Maybe it was best to leave him in the dark until Emmet was caught.
Then she’d explain everything. She just hoped he would forgive her when she did. After all, she was trying to protect him.
That was what a girl did when she loved a man, wasn’t it?
Emmet’s chest bubbled with excitement as he studied the Sunset Vista. He was going to rescue Lucy from this place.
Why, the people were almost antiques.
The plastic Santa waved to him from the lawn, giving him an idea. Maybe he and Lucy would have a Christmas wedding. Then they would honeymoon together and make a Christmas baby…
He’d heard the women on the beach discussing their upcoming Christmas Eve talent show. They were all dressing in festive attire. The show was open to the public.
It was the perfect opportunity for him to sneak inside. Now, he just needed to find something Christmasy to wear. A disguise of some sort so he could get close to Lucy.
He clapped his hands in glee and began to hum Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer as he headed into town to find a costume.
Chapter Six
Reid had just stepped from the shower when his cell phone buzzed. He snatched it up, hoping it was Lucy, but Sophie’s name flashed on the caller ID screen.
“Reid,” Sophie said in a strained voice. “We need to talk.”
Reid’s stomach plummeted. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you see the newspaper this morning?”
“No,” Reid said. “I just got out of jail.”
“Jail?”
“Yes,” Reid said. “I went to Lucy’s to surprise her with a Christmas tree -- ”
Okay, he was officially a bona fide sap. “-- but the police busted in and arrested me.”
“Oh, dear lord,” Sophie whispered.
“They accused me of stalking her,” Reid grumbled.
“Oh, dear lord,” Sophie said.
Reid tossed his towel aside. “Stop saying that and tell me what’s going on.”
“First of all, I just talked to Lucy and she’s okay,” Sophie said.
A mixture of emotions pummeled Reid. He wanted her to be okay.
But that meant she was ignoring his calls.
“She didn’t go to L.A. for an audition,” Sophie said.
So she had lied to him. “I see,” Reid said tightly. “She left me and was too chicken to tell me.”
“That’s not it,” Sophie said, sounding annoyed.
“Then why hasn’t she called me?”
“She’s trying to protect you.”
“Protect me?” Reid asked. “From what? I know about her dancing. What other secrets does she have?”
“Well,” Sophie hedged.
Reid cursed. “Spit it out, Sophie.”
“She does have a stalker,” Sophie said. “That’s why the police were watching her place and arrested you.”
Sophie’s words boomeranged in Reid’s ears. Suddenly the cop’s accusations, the underwear across the bed…they’d called him a pervert – it all made sense. “Who’s stalking Lucy?” he asked, barely able to control the rage bubbling inside him.
“His name is Emmet Roach,” Sophie explained. “He’s been in prison but apparently he escaped.”
“And the police think he’s coming after Lucy?” Reid said, his heart hammering.
“Yes.”
“Where is she, Sophie?”
“She doesn’t want me to tell you,” Sophie said. “She said she’ll come home after he’s apprehended.”
Hurt mingled with worry. If she’d told him, he could have protected her. Dammit. That was the way it was supposed to work.
“I’m going after her,” Reid said. “She shouldn’t be alone if some psycho is after her.”
“Reid –”
“Either tell me where she is or I’ll find out myself.”
“Reid –”
“For God’s sake, tell me, Sophie. I’m not going to let Lucy go through this alone.”
Tension stretched between them, then Sophie finally replied. “You’re right. We should all be together on Christmas.”
“Sophie –“
“Let me call Lance and my mother. If Lucy can’t be here, we’ll go to her tomorrow.”
“All right. I’ll call Maddie and Chase,” Reid said. “We’ll take Christmas to Lucy.”
But when he hung up, his imagination went crazy with awful things that this freak might do to Lucy if he found her.
Reid didn’t know if he could wait one more day to see her.
Then again, he needed the time. He still didn’t have Lucy’s Christmas present…
Christmas Eve
All afternoon and into the evening, Lucy felt jittery. Every time the door opened to the common room, she jumped like a reindeer caught in headlights.
Now night had set in, Christmas Eve was upon them, and the excitement over the Secret Santa gifts and the program was mounting.
Red and green streamers draped the walls, the Christmas lights glittered, and everyone had contributed party foods, decorative cupcakes and Christmas punch for the celebration after the show.
One Secret Santa gift remained on the table. Her name was on the card.
She glanced around the room where three residents were finishing decorating the stage, then through the picture glass window at the pool area, but didn’t see anything suspicious.
No sign of Emmet.
But when she opened the bag, she discovered a pair of sexy red stilettos.
Fear jackknifed through her. No one here knew about her obsession with shoes.
But Emmet did. In fact, he liked trying on her shoes and underwear.
She punched Wallace Bannister’s number, but his machine rolled to voice mail. “Wallace, it’s me, Lucy. I’m afraid Emmet’s found me. Please call me back.”
She tucked the phone in her pocket, then smiled as Mae tottered toward her carrying a blueberry cobbler. “Taylor, guess what! I’ve got a date tonight with Harry, the man I met in the obits! He must have liked my pie after all.”
Lucy laughed although guilt weighed on her for lying to these sweet people.
Moon strolled in dressed as Santa Claus. Billy and Nelda wore matching jingle bell shirts while DeEtte’s shirt glittered with blinking lights. The others filed in, all dressed in festive attire, the mood jovial as they gathered for the show.
For a brief moment, she wondered what her sister was doing tonight, if she and Lance, and Reid, and Maddie and Chase were all together, sipping drinks over dinner and making toasts to the holiday.
Tears threatened, but she blinked them back. She missed her family, but she loved the people here. And she would be home soon.
Would Reid be waiting?
Christmas music piped up, and she studied the guests as they entered, one eye open for Emmet.
Sue directed everyone to take their seats, and introduced the first act.
Four Silver Sneakers, DeEtte, Ellen, Sue, and Willene performed a tap dance to Jingle Bells, the bells on their shoes ringing. Laughter and applause rang out as they finished.
Act two featured Billy and Nelda who performed their own version of Ghosts of Christmas Pasts by reenacting some of the funniest holidays they’d spent together. In the first scene, they’d spent Christmas rubbing lotion all over their six children who’d come down with chicken pox. But the first holiday was the best – they were so poor they didn’t have money to buy a tree, so they chopped one down in the woods, but it was so lopsided they had to tie it to the wall with a belt to keep it upright. Then they cut Christmas cards and threaded them onto the tree for decorations.
Lucy’s heart churned with emotions. She wanted the kind of love those two shared.
Next, Moon played Here Comes Santa Claus on his spoons while his buddy Lewis accompanied him on a set of water glasses, and Roger played the harmonica. Bradford, dressed as Santa, hung candy canes on the tree then pretended to climb up the chimney. But his big belly got stuck, and the cardboard fireplace fell apart, bringing another round of giggles.
Suddenly a commotion erupted near the back door, and Lucy went to see what it was. But when she reached the door, she noticed a woman wearing a lampshade decorated like a Christmas tree, sunglasses and a frilly bright green skirt made of netting.
The woman waved and moved toward her.
The woman had the hairiest legs she’d ever seen.
Then the truth hit her -- the lampshade hat belonged to a man.
Dear God, it was Emmet!
She started to scream, but her voice died when he shoved a gun in to her side. “Hi, sweetheart, miss me?”
Lucy tensed, and saw Santa Claus climbing on stage. Maybe Santa would save her. “You won’t get away with this, Emmet.”
“Oh, yes, I will.” He gestured toward the stage where Reba, Betty and her sisters Sheila and Shirley, and their cousins Linda, Vicky, and Janet were doing a can-can dance to We Wish You A Merry Christmas with Santa dancing in the middle. The crowd had joined in, everyone clapping and cheering.
“Let’s go, Lucy. I’ve been waiting for you a long time.”
“Just don’t hurt any one here,” Lucy whispered.
He leaned close and licked her earlobe. “Funny, Lucy, I never imagined you at a place like this.”
Neither had she, but she loved the people, and she’d do anything to keep them safe..
Even if it meant going with crazy Emmet.
Reid, Lance and Sophie, and Maddie and Chase and Deseree had slipped into the back of the room to watch the talent show, then Reid spotted Lucy with the strange looking woman in the lampshade hat.
Only it wasn’t a woman. Hairy legs stretched below that green net skirt.
“That’s him. He has her,” he said in a low voice to Lance.
“He has a gun,” Maddie screeched.
“Chase, keep Maddie out of this,” Lance told Chase.
“You take care of Sophie,” Reid said. “I’m going after Lucy.”
“Where’s Deseree?” Sophie asked.
“She’s over there flirting with that man in the reindeer shirt,” Chase said.
On stage, a man and several others were acting out The Night Before Christmas with Santa ho-ho-hoing as he handed out gifts to the few grandchildren attending the show.
Reid wove through the row of seats toward Lucy and her stalker, but Lucy saw him and gasped.
Suddenly Deseree screamed, “Lucy’s in trouble, call 911!”
“Who’s Lucy?” several people shouted.
The guy in the lampshade fired a shot into the air. Chaos erupted. Everyone on stage dove to the floor. Santa threw his arms over them to protect them. Women screamed and took cover under the food tables. Casseroles and punch splattered the floor.
Lucy’s stalker dragged her outside by the pool. Reid pushed his way through the crowd. Lance yelled at Sophie and Maddie to stay put while he and Chase separated, running in different directions to cover the other doors.
“Stop,” Reid yelled.
The lampshade jangled ornaments as the man jerked Lucy’s arm.
But he saw the fight flare in Lucy’s eyes. She jabbed her elbow into her stalker’s side. He bellowed in pain and shock, and dropped the gun. Reid stormed him, then the two of them fought and fell into the pool.
They went under, the man’s headdress floating away as Reid punched him in the face. The man fought back, but Reid was stronger and subdued him in seconds. When he dragged him to the surface, the man sputtered water.
“Let me go, I love Lucy!”
“You’re going to jail,” Reid shouted. “Lucy’s going to marry me!”
Reid had plenty of back-up. Chase and Lance, Sophie and Maddie, Deseree, and all the residents formed a circle around the pool, shaking their fingers and fists at Lucy’s stalker.
A siren wailed, tires screeched outsid
e, then two officers raced in along with Marshall Bannister.
“He’s in the pool,” a white-haired man shouted.
Reid hauled Emmet to the pool steps and shoved him over the edge. When he looked up, Lucy was waiting. So was the Marshal who’d interrogated him at the police station.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Lucy said.
He climbed from the pool and reached for her, but she slugged him, sending him flying back into the water.
“Oh, my goodness,” DeEtte tittered.
“Hon, I think we’d better have that talk about how to get a man again,” Mae said.
“Maybe they do it different now,” Ellen commented.
“Let me know if you two need a house,” Sue shouted.
Reid flung water from him as he pulled himself out of the pool. “What the hell?”
“You could have gotten yourself killed,” Lucy shouted.
But tears streamed down her face, and she was trembling.
Reid’s heart melted. “I had to do something,” Reid said with a smile. “I couldn’t let that guy in the lampshade steal my girl.”
He dragged her into his arms and closed his mouth over hers. Lucy fell into him, and kissed him back, the fear that had driven him here turning to passion.
When he finally ended the kiss, applause and cheers erupted around them.
“Well, maybe we should take man-hunting lessons from Lucy,” Ellen said.
“She has a great right hook,” Willene muttered.
Heat climbed Reid’s cheeks when he realized that everyone was watching.
Lance was talking to the police officers on the side, obviously explaining what had happened.
Then Lucy pressed a hand to his cheek. “What was it you said about me?”
Reid narrowed his eyes. “I…hmmm…”
Lucy slapped at him. “You remember, something about me being the girl you were going to marry?”
“Get down on one knee,” Ellen whispered.
“Tell her you love her,” DeEtte yelled.
“Do you have a ring?” Nelda asked.
“Promise her forever,” Willene said.
“And trips, lots of cruises,” Sue added.
Reid threw his head back and laughed. “I love you, Lucy. But this is not the way I planned this.”