Coming Home for Christmas

by Fern Michaels

  He turned off the computer systems, did a batch report on the credit card machine, and counted out the cash, checks, and traveler’s checks. After that was finished, he tallied up the day’s total sales and was extremely impressed. Stephanie usually made a bank deposit on her way home from work. He’d do it because he felt he owed it to her. Once he had all the required checks stamped with the account numbers on the back of them and deposit slips made out, he stuffed them into the bank bag.

  Since all the normal closing duties were finished for the day, Patrick walked back to the office just to make sure there wasn’t anything there that needed his attention. He opened the door, peered in, and saw nothing out of the way. He ran his hand along the length of the wall searching for the light switch when the flashing green button on the answering machine caught his eye. Dammit, he couldn’t leave without listening to the messages. They might be important, and with Stephanie not there to take them, he’d have to intercept them in case there was something that needed his immediate attention. He pushed the PLAY button. A monotone female voice said, “You have fifteen messages.”

  “What the hell?” He hit the forward button several times as most were calls from suppliers, customers, and other departments at Maximum Glide. He was about to click the STOP button when he heard a soft, but businesslike voice speak as though the woman were in the room.

  “Hi, Stephanie, it’s Jessica Rollins. I have some good news. I’m pretty sure the owners on the Placerville property are going to accept your offer. If Lady Luck stays on your back, I might be able to close this deal before the end of the year. Call me as soon as you can. I think you and your daughters just might have a Merry Christmas after all. Oh, before I forget, the bank wants to verify your employment. Talk s—”

  The machine stopped.

  Patrick flicked the light switch back on. He opened a drawer in search of something to write on when he was completely taken by surprise. In the top drawer was a pile of gold ribbon, and a movie ticket stub. He picked it up to read the title of the movie. He let the soft gold silk run between his fingers, then dropped the two items back in the drawer where they belonged. This wasn’t good at all. Really it wasn’t. Though he broke out into a grin as wide as the bunny run. She’d kept the ribbon from the box of candy he’d bought her, and the tickets from the movie they’d attended on their last date. It was that movie that sent him running for cover. She’d probably put these things in the drawer the next day and forgotten about them. Women did that. Saved things that had no meaning or value whatsoever. Stephanie must have forgotten she’d left them there. Should he take them to her, or should he just leave well enough alone? He didn’t want her to think he’d been prying through her desk drawers, but he’d needed something to write on so he could remember Jessica Rollins’s message. He found a blank Post-it. He played the message once more, wrote it down as best he could, then crammed the paper in his pocket. This Jessica hadn’t left a number, but Patrick figured if Stephanie had been dealing with her, then she already knew her phone number. He closed the drawer again, turned off the light, and left through the employee exit.

  He’d left his jacket in the Snow Cat; hopefully, one of the guys would remember it belonged to him and return it. Those Spyder jackets cost big bucks. The parking lot was completely covered in snow. What he wouldn’t give for a snow tube just right then. He’d sail across the parking lot like a bat out of hell. He had a quick flash of two little girls in bright yellow ski jackets and wondered if they’d ever experienced the pure joy of sliding in a parking lot on fresh-fallen snow. Something told him they hadn’t had much fun in their lives. It caused a lump to form in the back of his throat. Damn! I’m not cut out for this.

  Yeah, those girls were as sweet as hot cocoa laced with the finest whipped cream. When he’d heard they were missing, he about jumped out of his skin though he didn’t tell that to anyone. Riding the lift up to where the Snow Cats were stored had been his first priority. He knew if he took a Snow Cat out, first he would be in an all-terrain vehicle that would take him to any part of the mountain, double black diamonds and all. Also, it was equipped with bright lights and had a kick-ass heater. Lucky for him and the girls, and the dogs—he couldn’t forget the mother and her pups—he hadn’t had to go far. And now it seemed all was as it should be.

  He jumped into the Hummer, cranked the heat up as high as it would go, then carefully made his way out of the parking lot. The snow was still falling, but it wasn’t nearly as thick as it had been earlier that afternoon. He needed to go home for a quick shower and a change of clothes. He’d make sure to give Stephanie the message from her realtor friend, then he would apologize, tell her how sorry he was for being such an . . . a dope, then he’d tell her she could come back to work first thing in the morning. Once that was out of the way, he could breathe freely again. Hell, he might even ask Stephanie and the girls out to a movie. There were all kinds of G-rated movies out at Christmas. Maybe he would take Megan’s boys along. One big happy family.

  He shook his head as he traveled down the salt-covered road.

  One big happy family!

  He couldn’t believe a thought like that had even entered his head! What the heck is going on here? It must be the holidays. Maybe he was supposed to enjoy them this year. It was just so hard without Shannon. When his family was together, it was so obvious a link was missing. Shannon was the first grandchild, the first niece. She was just the first. And, sadly, she was the first to die.

  Tears filled Patrick’s eyes, blurring the road in front of him. Damn! He wanted to be happy; he just didn’t want all the pain that came with it. Knowing he couldn’t have one without the other, Patrick figured he would always be the uncle, the good friend of a friend. He didn’t have what it took to be a father figure. To anyone’s child. He didn’t know a diaper bag from a baby bottle. Well, yes he did, but it wasn’t something he wanted in his daily life. That was all. Or was it? And was he just afraid to take the leap?

  Chapter Nine

  The crowd gathered smack-dab in the middle of Maximum Glide. Hundreds of people had faced the cold weather to attend the Christmas tree lighting. A thirty-foot evergreen was placed directly in front of the main offices, the site of most of the day’s comings and goings. Ski lessons could be arranged in the building to the right of the giant tree. To the left, children under the age of three could be left in the capable hands of Bunnies and Babies, the day care offered by the resort. North of the tree was The Lodge, where one could eat breakfast or lunch, or simply sit by the raging fire that never seemed to burn out in the giant fireplace. South of the tree were the ski lifts that took men, women, and children to the other forty-six lifts that covered the mountain. Tonight was like a scene from a Charles Dickens novel. Snow twirled like tiny ballerinas in the chilled night air. Mock gaslights wearing bright red bows flanked the main street on both sides. The shops stayed open, all displaying brightly colored lights and Christmas trees decked out in all the finery of the holiday season. The odor of mulled cider emanated from several of the shops, along with the earthy smell of burning wood.

  Stephanie held her daughters’ hands in hers as the three of them walked through the festive village that made up Maximum Glide. Melanie walked alongside them. The four were silent as each took in the fairy-tale-like images that lit up the resort like something right out of a magical storybook.

  As expected, it was Amanda who spoke first. “Mommy, this is the most beautiful place in the whole wide world! I never want to leave here. I bet when Santa comes here, he doesn’t want to leave either, right?”

  They all laughed.

  “I’m sure he doesn’t, but he has many places to go all over the world. Still, I’m sure it hurts him just a tiny bit to leave this very special place,” Stephanie said, as they continued their leisurely stroll down the main street, taking in all the brightly decorated windows and people dressed in their warmest, most colorful outdoor wear. It really was beautiful, Stephanie thought. It would be equally beautif
ul in its raw form, too. No lights, no flashy decorations, just the tall trees with the scent of evergreen perfuming the air, along with the clean freshly falling snow. Yes, she mused, that would be just as beautiful.

  “What time do they light the tree?” Ashley asked excitedly.

  “I can’t wait. I know it’s just a tree, but it’s so big!”

  Stephanie and Melanie looked at one another over the girls’ toboggan cap-covered heads. They laughed. “Seven o’clock, right on the dot. And it’s ten minutes till, so we’d best hurry over so we can get in as close as possible. I don’t want you two to miss anything.”

  “We don’t want to either, Mommy. Right, Ashley?” Amanda singsonged.

  “Right, Amanda. You know what I’m going to wish for when they light up the tree?” Ashley asked in a firm voice.

  “I haven’t the first clue,” Stephanie said. “Why don’t you tell us.”

  “I’m going to wish that Amanda would stop saying, ‘right, Mommy,’ ‘right, Ashley,’ ‘right, Melanie’ all the time.”

  Stephanie looked at Melanie, who could barely contain her laughter. Amanda, on the other hand, looked as if she was about to cry.

  “It’s okay, honey. Your sister is just doing what big sisters do.” Stephanie fluffed the ball on top of her toboggan cap, hoping this wouldn’t turn into an all-out verbal war between the two.

  “Santa Claus doesn’t tell me what to say, right, Mommy?” Amanda asked in her squeaky-I’m-about-to-cry-voice.

  “Of course not. You’re the only one who can decide what words come out of that sweet little mouth of yours. Look”—Stephanie pointed to the tree a few yards ahead of them, hoping to distract her younger daughter—“they’re about to light the tree. Come on, let’s hurry.”

  Without another word, the quartet weaved their way through the throngs of people clustered around the giant tree’s perimeter. They were able to find a spot about six feet away. Stephanie figured that was as close as they could get without actually trampling on toes, strollers, and, looking down, the largest boot she had ever seen. Her eyes followed the boot to the calf, then the knee, all the way to the thigh. Why did this look familiar to her? Before she knew what was happening, the boot man snatched Amanda right out of her grip and hoisted her on top of his very broad shoulders.

  Patrick!

  “If you’ll follow me, I’ve got the perfect place to view the tree,” he said.

  Stephanie was about to tell him to back off when Melanie shook her head and pointed to the girls. They were so excited, the sparkle in their eyes could light up half the giant tree if needed. She mouthed okay and inched behind Patrick, with Ashley sandwiched between her and Melanie.

  Patrick guided them through the crowd without too much pushing and shoving. On the opposite side of the street, Stephanie spied what she knew to be a giant boom lift, or a cherry picker as some referred to it. She couldn’t help but grin. She glanced behind her at Melanie, who wore a grin as big as the tree. Ashley hadn’t said a word since Patrick had come in and literally swooped Amanda onto his shoulders. Not that she could’ve been heard through the sounds of excitement coming from the groups gathered around the center of the resort.

  “Let’s hurry, we have about two minutes to climb up in this thing,” Patrick said.

  “This will hold our weight?” Stephanie asked cautiously. Up close, the machine didn’t look that big or steady.

  “I’m one hundred percent sure,” Patrick attested. “I wouldn’t risk it if I wasn’t.”

  Was that supposed to be a dig of sorts, she wondered, as Patrick opened the glass door. Did he think she’d taken too big a risk when she’d allowed Melanie to take her girls skiing on the mountain? She figured if he had, too bad. It wasn’t his concern how she raised her children. She told herself if he really knew her, he would know the last thing she would do would be to place her children in danger. A small voice reminded her that was exactly what she’d done when she’d remained married to an abuser. But that’s for another time. Tonight, I simply want to enjoy being with my daughters and Melanie.

  Trusting he knew what he was doing, Stephanie allowed Patrick to lift Amanda inside the boom. Ashley wasn’t nearly as excited as her sister about climbing into the small bucket.

  “Mommy, is this safe?” she asked.

  “Absolutely,” Stephanie replied in her most reassuring voice. “I would not allow you inside if I thought otherwise,” she added.

  “Well, okay then,” Ashley said, allowing Patrick to assist her.

  Patrick placed Ashley next to Amanda on a small seat. He grabbed Stephanie’s hand to help her take the giant step leading to the inside of the bucket. Sparks shot up and down the length of her arm as he held her for what she thought was a minute too long. She felt out of sorts for a few seconds. She stood behind the girls, then Melanie climbed in. Once they were all securely in position, Patrick spoke up.

  “I’m going to be operating this thing. It’ll only take a minute to reach the height you’ll need to view the lights. Just try not to jump around too much, okay?” Patrick said.

  “You’re not gonna watch the lights with us?” Amanda asked.

  “I’ll see them from below, kiddo. Now let me close this door and get all of you ladies up in the air,” Patrick said. He gave Stephanie a small smile before closing the door.

  She wondered if this was his way of making up to her for the way he’d talked to her at Snow Zone. She wasn’t sure, but again, for the girls’ sake, she wouldn’t question it, at least not just then. There would be plenty of time later for her to think about and rehash the day’s events.

  Before any of them could utter a word, they were lifted in one giant swoop. Patrick had positioned the boom so that they were able to view the tree at its midpoint. They could look up and down, yet they weren’t so close that they couldn’t see the people below them, too.

  “Oh, Mommy, this is the best fun ever,” Amanda said.

  “Okay, let’s watch,” Stephanie said.

  Within a matter of a few seconds, the giant evergreen lit up . . . just like the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center!

  Hundreds of red, green, blue, and white lights clung to the tree’s branches, illuminating the entire perimeter around the tree. From somewhere there was a drumroll, then a giant silver star as big as a car tire sparkled, completing the ceremony.

  “Wow,” Ashley said. “This is so way cool from up here.”

  “And I’m not even scared, right, Mommy?” Amanda informed them.

  “See, she’s doing it again!” Ashley pointed out.

  “Girls, now isn’t the time. Let’s just enjoy the view before Patrick puts us down.”

  A few minutes later, Patrick lowered the boom to the ground. Once they stopped, he stepped out of the cab, opened the door, and let them out into the frigid night air.

  “That was the coolest thing ever, thanks,” Ashley said.

  “Yep, it sure was. Mommy thinks so, too, right?”

  “Amanda,” Stephanie chastened, “it was wonderful. Now, what do you girls say to Mr. O’Brien?”

  Quizzingly, Amanda said, “That we want to do it again.”

  They all burst out laughing, even Stephanie.

  “That’s not what I had in mind,” she said as an afterthought. Her girls knew their manners. Or at least she thought they did. Apparently tonight, that knowledge had taken a leave of absence.

  “Thank you, Mr. O’Brien. That was very thoughtful of you to think of us,” Ashley said in her most prim and proper voice.

  Again, the adults laughed.

  “You two are very welcome. That tree sure is a sight to behold, huh?” Patrick said as he gazed up at the rainbow of colors.

  “Do you wanna go to Burger King with us?” Amanda asked. “We didn’t have lunch today when we were with the pups. I am starving, and Mommy says we both can have double-dipped ice-cream cones because we didn’t talk on the ride home.”

  If there had been a giant hole somewhere, Stephanie wis
hed it would swallow her up right then and there. She was really going to have to start explaining to Amanda exactly what social manners were. She realized her daughter was only seven, but she had to learn sometime, and it might as well be now, before she totally humiliated Stephanie.

  For once, Patrick saved her from Amanda’s eagerness. “I’d love to, but I need to go to Claude’s to see how the pups are doing.”

  “Oh, I want to go with you,” Ashley said. “I’ve been so worried about them. Can I go with Patrick, Mom? Please?”

  Stephanie wasn’t sure exactly what had gotten into her girls, but she was really going to have to sit them both down and discuss manners with them.

  “No, you may not. And please don’t assume that Mr. O’Brien has to invite you just because you want to go. That is very rude.”

  “I tell you what I’ll do if it’s okay with your mom,” Patrick said to both girls. “As soon as I leave Claude’s, I will call your mom with a pup report. Maybe later this week, if it’s all right with your mom, I can take both of you girls to see the pups.” Patrick looked at Stephanie, shot her one of his killer smiles, and her heart turned to mush, but only for a second. She remembered just how hateful he had been to her that afternoon.

  “I’ll think about it. I’ll certainly have enough time on my hands to do so,” Stephanie said directly to Patrick.

  Patrick looked at his big brown boots. “About what I said today—”