Sweet Treasures

by Debra Ullrick

  “Sorry, I kept you waiting. I had to grab my purse and coat.”

  His gaze flew to Anna gliding around the counter and heading toward him. One glance and it took everything he had to hold his mouth shut and to keep his eyes from showing his surprise, not only at how beautiful she looked but at her costume as well.

  In that light blue gown with the silver and gold embellishments, she looked like a real princess. So much so in fact, that he wondered if she had glass slippers on under that long skirt. The bright twinkling lights on the Christmas tree were no match for the sparkling crown she had on.

  Rather than stand there all evening looking like an idiot staring at her, he shook himself out of the shock and strode toward her, took the fur wrap she had draped over her arm, and settled it around her shoulders. “You look very nice.” She smelled just as nice. Like a bouquet of fresh cut flowers.

  “Thank you.” Dimples appeared in her cheeks with the smile. Taking a couple of steps back, her eyes traveled over him. Starting with his black pants with the gold stripe running down the outside of the leg, the white jacket with the red and gold belt, the shoulder epaulettes with a gold cord running under his arm, all the way up to the high red and gold collar, ending at the crown on his head. “Wow. Looks like we both had the same idea. Did Cailyn pick out your costume too?”

  Nicholas didn’t miss the humor in Anna’s voice and he laughed. “No, but I got the idea from her comment about the coach and glass slippers.”

  Anna looked over at Cailyn standing beside her and shook her head. “You and your big mouth.”

  Cailyn giggled and shrugged. “You have to admit, it was a great idea. You both look amazing. Like you belong together.” With those words she brushed past them, grinning from ear to ear and stepped outside. As she walked by the big picture window, her gaze stayed on them and never left them until she disappeared out of sight.

  “That woman’s quite the character, isn’t she?” Nicholas said. It was a statement, not a question.

  “She sure is,” Anna agreed, shaking her head.

  They shared a laugh.

  “Well.” He took the opportunity to slide his gaze down her once again. It was a sight he could definitely get used to. “Shall we go?”

  “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

  “Very well then.” He offered Anna his arm, and she looped her arm through his. “Ready or not, here we come.”

  “They’re probably not,” she whispered, and he smiled.

  Nicholas held the door open as they stepped out into the frigid night air. Anna locked her shop, dropped the keys in the small purse, and pulled her wrap tighter around her.

  Settling his hand on the small of her back, Nicholas led her to his car. He opened the passenger side door of his sedan, and when she was seated, he helped gather the skirt of her dress. Once it was all tucked safely inside, he closed her door, climbed in behind the wheel and turned the key. Since it had only been a few minutes since he’d shut his car off, he was relieved that warm air blew from the heat vents right away. The idea of Anna freezing made him feel he was letting her down, and that just wouldn’t do.

  A glance in his mirrors and Nicholas pulled out onto the road and headed downtown. “Is it warm enough in here for you?”

  “Yes. The heat feels divine.” She held the palm of her hands in front of his heat vents, then rubbed them together. “Thank you for asking.”

  “No problem.” The traffic light turned red and he stopped. A string of shoppers swarmed in the cross walk in front of them, reminding him that he still needed to do his own shopping. Thankfully, Christmas was still three weeks away so he still had time.

  “They’re having their Christmas party kind of early, aren’t they?” Anna asked.

  Nicholas glanced over at her. “I guess they have it the first week of December every year because a lot of them take off early to go and be with their families. My uncle is a real stickler for family, and he pretty much insists that they do.”

  “Oh? Does your family live around here?”

  From the corner of his eye, Nicholas saw her brush something off of her skirt.

  “Only my uncle Tony and his children do. My parents and siblings live in and around New York.”

  “I see. How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

  “Four brothers and three sisters. I’m the oldest.”

  “Really? Interesting. I’m the oldest too.”

  Nicholas wondered how old Anna was but he wasn’t about to ask. A long time ago, he’d learned the hard way to never ask a woman’s age, and he wasn’t about to do it now no matter how curious he was. “How about you? Do you have any family here?” he asked.

  “No. They’re all in California.”

  “California?” He glanced over at her and looked back at the road. “How did you end up here?”

  “Actually, it’s the other way around. I stayed. They left. I was born and raised here in Colorado. My business was thriving when they all decided they were tired of the snow and cold. So my parents decided to retire and move to California, and when my sisters and their families went out for a visit, they all liked it so much that they moved out there too. I, on the other hand, stayed here.”

  That intrigued him. “Are you sorry you didn’t move out there with them?”

  “No-o. Not at all. I love it here. I can’t image living anywhere else. Christmas without snow, um, not for me.”

  He laughed.

  “Besides, I love to ski. It’s one of my favorite things to do. When I get a chance to head up the mountain, I go.”

  Nicholas checked the traffic before shifting lanes. “I’ve never been snow skiing before.”

  She whipped her head his way. “You haven’t? They have ski slopes in New York, don’t they?”

  “Oh yes. In fact, New York has more ski slopes than anywhere in the US. But, my family wasn’t big on snow skiing, so I never went either. None of my friends skied. They were more into boating. Same with me.”

  “That’s a shame. Not about the boating, I mean. About snow skiing. It’s a lot of fun.”

  “Well, maybe you could take me sometime.” Sometime soon. Somehow until that moment he hadn’t been at all bothered by the fact that in the next week or so, he would be back in New York.

  “Maybe I will.” Her smile made him glad he had asked even though skiing was likely to never happen as he didn’t know just exactly how long he would be here in Colorado. With that thought, he took a breath and realized he needed to not get too attached to her. They lived worlds apart, and it would do him good to remember that. Tonight would be enjoyable to be in her presence, and if the opportunity presented itself during his time here, maybe they could see each other again. But this needed to stay light and fun—no strings attached. Nicholas glanced over at her and smiled to himself. Keep it casual. That shouldn’t be so hard to remember, right?

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Anna’s fear about being out of place with her costume was put to rest the instant they walked through the lobby toward the elevators. Three other ladies dressed in princess-style ball gowns stepped into the elevator. Two of them had on sparkly masks. One of the three men with them was dressed like a pirate, the other a gangster, and the other had on a Phantom of the Opera costume.

  Before she and Nicholas got there, the door closed the six people inside, so they waited for the next available elevator and stepped into it. “Seven, please,” Nicholas said to the man pushing the elevator floor buttons.

  “Same as us,” the young man dressed as the Hulk answered. He scanned Nicholas from head to toe. “You must be heading to the Vitale’s party?”

  “Yes we are,” Nicholas answered for them, smiling at Anna as he did so. “It looks like you guys are too.”

  “We sure are,” the Hulk answered, taking Cat Woman’s hand in his.

  Anna got tickled at the Hulk’s bright green face and the woman’s brightly dyed red hair. Red and Green… Christmas colors. Had they done that on purpose? Anna
couldn’t remember what color of hair Cat Woman had in the movies. Didn’t matter, she thought it was great either way.

  “Hey, you’re that lady who owns Sweet Treasures, right?” Cat Woman asked.

  Anna nodded. “Yes, I am.”

  Cat Woman looked up at the Hulk. “You have got to go there. Oh my goodness. She makes the best hot chocolate and cookies around. Her lemon squares are amazing. And her…”

  Anna’s insides squiggled and squirmed as the woman went on and on. While she loved the fact that the lady enjoyed her goodies, when the elevator door opened at their floor and the couple stepped off, Anna closed her eyes for a brief moment and let out a breath.

  “So... Do you think she likes your baked goods and drinks?” Nicholas asked with a wink.

  “Just a little,” Anna said in a silly voice, and they both chuckled.

  Nicholas laid his hand on the small of Anna’s back and waited until she stepped out of the elevator first. He led her through the lobby and over to a place where two doormen, dressed like tin soldiers, stood. They opened the double doors for them.

  Nicholas motioned her ahead. Anna stepped inside the room, and her eyes widened and her mouth formed an O. “Oh my stars, this is amazing.” Not only was the room filled with people wearing various costumes, the decorations were mind-blowing. Silver and white Christmas trees adorned with enormous blue ornaments and ribbon stood amidst piles of white snow. The whole thing was surreal and felt as if she had stepped from reality into a fairytale fantasy.

  “You know how we Italians are. Family is very important to us. My aunt and uncle consider friends as family also. They go all out for Christmas to make it special for those they care about.” That was an understatement. “They love doing it.”

  Anna gazed up at Nicholas. “I haven’t even met them, and I like them already. Look at this. It’s breathtaking.” The whole room had a blue hue to it with tiny white lights that looked like a canopy of stars all across the swag ceiling.

  “Excuse us.”

  “Oh, sorry,” Anna apologized to the small group trying to enter the room.

  She and Nicholas stepped further inside, off to the right, and out of the way of the elevator.

  Anna’s eyes roamed the room.

  The only lights in the room were the Crystal chandeliers that hung down the center of the room and the tall crystal chandelier-looking candlesticks that set on each of the white lace-covered tables. Each table had eight cushioned chairs covered in white lace with either a gold, blue or red lace ribbon tied on back.

  At the other end of the room was a stage where a band softly played Silent Night. The swag stage curtains went from one wall to the other. In front of the stage was a huge dance floor. Two large silver trees with huge red, gold, green, and blue bulbs sat on either side of the stage. Anna had never seen anything so beautiful or so elogant before. In this atmosphere, she really did feel like Cinderella at the ball.

  “Nico. You made it.” A man who resembled Nicholas in many ways grabbed Nicholas’s shoulder with one beefy hand and clutched Nicholas’s hand with the other. “And I see you brought a lady friend with you.” He let go of Nicholas, clutched on to Anna’s free hand and held onto it. His very intimidating gaze ran down the length of her and came back up, ending at her face. “I’m Tony Vitale.” His low, gravelly voice reminded her of a mobster, and his commanding presence dominated the room. “And you are?”

  Uh. Ready to be rescued? Anna looked over at Nicholas, unable to hide the uncertainty from her face.

  Nicholas just smiled. “Anna, this is my Uncle Tony. Don’t let him intimidate you. Everyone tells him that he reminds them of the man in the Godfather movie, so he likes to tease people by acting and talking like him, but he’s really just a big softy.” Putting up his forefinger, Nicholas paused for effect. “Except in the courtroom.”

  A slow, tenuous smile curled her lips.

  His uncle patted her hand and let go of hers, smiling. “I apologize, Anna. It’s just that I can’t seem to help myself sometimes.” He’d done it again, mimicking that accent from the movie. It was uncanny how much he really did sound like that actor, not to mention how much he looked like him too.

  “That’s okay, Mr. Vitale.”

  “Tony. Call me Tony.”

  She nodded. “I will admit, Tony, that you had me going there for a minute. I wasn’t sure what I had gotten myself into. I was about to turn around and run out of here.”

  Mr. Vitale tossed his head back and laughed. “That would have been priceless, especially with that costume.”

  Looking down at herself, Anna had almost forgotten about her costume, and the thought of the sight she would’ve made struck her as funny.

  “Then my nephew could have run after you just like in the movies.” Tony laughed again.

  Heat flooded into her cheeks at his implication, and she didn’t dare look at Nicholas.

  This was going to be a long night.

  Even so, she was determined to enjoy herself and to not be overly conscious about her attire. That was the plan anyway. She’d see how long that plan lasted.

  “Come. Enjoy yourself.” Tony grinned at her and then looked over at his nephew. “I like her, Nico. She has spunk. You need to keep this one. If you don’t, I will.”

  How it was possible that even more heat filled her already flaming cheeks, she had no idea, but they had to be scarlet red by now.

  “I don’t think Aunt Savia would appreciate that.” There was a teasing connotation to Nicholas voice, much to Anna’s relief.

  “You’re right, I wouldn’t.” A petite woman with blue-black hair and blues eyes who Anna guessed to be in her mid-fifties wove her arm through Tony’s and gazed up at him. “Are you flirting again, Caro?” Without waiting for his answer, she turned her attention to Nicholas. “Nico, is so good to see you again.”

  Anna loved the woman’s strong Italian accent. It reminded her so much of her grandmother back in Italy, and Anna made a mental note to take another trip back there soon.

  “It is good to see you as well.” Nicholas leaned down and kissed his aunt’s cheeks. Stepping back beside Anna, he introduced them. “Aunt Savia, this is my friend, Anna. Anna, this is my Aunt Savia.”

  Before Anna had a chance to say anything, his aunt clutched her shoulders and kissed her on the cheeks. “You are molto bella.”

  Anna’s eyes moistened. “I was just about to say the same thing about you.”

  Savia waved her compliment away. “This old face…” Her hand circled her face. “Is no beautiful anymore.”

  “Oh, you are so wrong, Caro.” Tony joined the conversation. “You will always be molto bella in my eyes.” The love that passed between them in their eyes was obvious.

  Feeling like an intruder, Anna looked away.

  “Let’s go find us a seat while we can,” Nicholas whispered near her ear. His warm breath sent a wave of tingles rushing through her that left her speechless.

  All she could do was nod and let him lead her to the table.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Nicholas had never been more proud of someone. Anna was a gem. A gem who didn’t know a stranger. Every one she met, she made them feel special, including himself.

  Dinner consisted of prime rib, roasted turkey, stuffed manicotti, lasagna, risotto, carbonara, baked potatoes, salad and a vast array of Italian desserts. His aunt and uncle had outdone themselves. The caterer they had hired was amazing.

  By the time he and Anna finished eating, the band had just finished their second break, and was halfway through Can’t Stop The Feeling.

  “Would you like to dance, Anna?” Nicholas asked.

  Her attention trailed to the dance floor and then drifted back at him. “Yes, I would love to.”

  He stood and offered her his hand. When she placed her soft hand in his, Nicholas liked the way it fit. On the dance floor, they danced apart to the upbeat song. When the song finished, the band went right into a slow one. Without asking permission, Nicholas g
athered Anna’s hands and led her around the floor dancing the Viennese waltz. The dance lessons he had taken as a young boy were paying off now and he was glad his mother had talked him into taking them.

  Before he knew it, the song ended, and the band started to play Diddly Daddy. He loved how his uncle had them play a variety of music that suited everyone’s tastes.

  Anna looked up at him, and he wondered if she knew how to shag. He hoped so because even though it was hot and he needed fresh air, he enjoyed dancing with her and he loved to shag. There was only one way to find if she knew how to shag.

  He took Anna’s hand, and keeping his upper body still with the exception of his arms, he moved his feet one in front of the other fast and smooth, back and forth, bending his knees and shifting his legs off to the one side and then the other, twirling Anna to him and back as he did. While he couldn’t see her feet under that long dress, Anna followed his lead perfectly and he couldn’t be more elated that she obviously knew how to shag. Very few people he associated with did and shagging was a secret hobby of his. It was good clean fun.

  When the song ended and they stopped dancing, Anna fanned herself with her hand and said something but he couldn’t hear her above the band starting up again and the people talking. He lowered his head and turned his ear toward her.

  “Can we go someplace to cool off?” With her warm breath and her face so close to his, he struggled to get his mind off of her and onto the words she spoke. Doing that was no easy task. “I’m smothering in this outfit.” She moved back and tugged at the high collar on her neck.

  “Me too. I know just the place.” He curled her hand through his arm and led her off the dance floor, out into the lobby, and into the elevator.

  “You did a great job of shagging in there.” Nicholas couldn’t praise her enough.

  Her eyes brightened. “I love to shag. It’s so hard to find someone else who does. I had a blast. Thank you.”

  “No, thank you. Shagging’s a hobby of mine, but I don’t get to do it often.”