Christmas On Nutcracker Court

by Duarte, Judy

  At that, she returned his smile. “I guess there’s nothing like success to make a person feel festive.”

  “You’re right, and since you played such a big role in helping me get past my writing slump, I’d like to take you to dinner. I’m probably going to go home and crash this afternoon since I’ve been up all night working, but are you free tomorrow?”

  “That’s the twenty-fourth, and I’m taking the boys to Mulberry Park for the Christmas Under the Stars program the church is sponsoring.”

  “Oh, yeah. I’ve seen those flyers around town. Well, we could make it tonight, if you can get a sitter.”

  “I’m sorry. That’s not going to work, either. I can’t ask Lynette to watch the kids again so soon. But why don’t you join us at the park tomorrow?”

  “I’m really not into church events.”

  “But this isn’t anything like sitting in a pew and listening to a sermon.”

  He didn’t appear convinced, but for some reason, she really wanted him to go.

  “Everyone bundles up in jackets and winter clothes. We hold candles, sing carols, listen to the Christmas story, then have hot cocoa and cookies. I think you’ll be surprised at how much fun you’ll have.”

  He seemed to give it some thought, then shook his head again. “I think I’ll pass. But thanks for asking.”

  “Okay.” As she stood there, a sense of awkwardness settled over her, and she glanced at the cash he’d given her, then returned her gaze to his. “You really don’t need to pay me anything extra.”

  “I know, but I want you to have it. Use it to buy a tree and get your kids a few presents.”

  “Actually, as much as I’d like the boys to have a Christmas to remember, I’m going to give this to my landlord. It’ll get me current for the month, which is a real blessing.”

  His brow furrowed, and his left eye twitched. “I’m sorry. You mentioned having some financial trouble, but I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

  “Things are looking up now,” she admitted. “And this extra two hundred dollars is an answer to my prayers.”

  His head tilted slightly to the side, and a whisper of confusion crossed his face. “So do you pray regularly?”

  She used to be better at it, but she tried to make prayer a part of her daily routine, so she nodded.

  “I know you said you would, but did you actually pray about my manuscript coming together for me?”

  “Yes, right after you left my house. And again last night before I went to bed.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. “I guess you have Someone else to thank, too.”

  “Maybe so.”

  “Carly?” another stylist said. “Your eleven o’clock is here.”

  “Thanks, Jennelle. Tell her I’ll be right there.”

  “Well,” Max said, “I won’t keep you any longer.”

  On impulse, Carly lifted her arms for a parting embrace.

  He hesitated briefly, and for a moment, she thought he might bolt out of the door, but he stepped into a hug. As they came together, she caught the scent of soap laced with his woodsy cologne, felt the warmth of his touch, the strength of his arms.

  When had she last experienced a heart-stirring embrace like that?

  She had no idea, yet in spite of the temptation to hold on to him as long as she could, she let him go. “Thanks again for the bonus.”

  “I wish it was more.”

  Reluctant to see him leave, she said, “If you change your mind about going to the park with us on Christmas Eve, just let me know.”

  He nodded, then headed toward the front of the salon.

  In spite of having a client waiting for her, she remained rooted to the spot, watching him go.

  He’d only taken a couple of steps when he turned to face her again. “You know, maybe I’ll take you up on that invitation after all.”

  “To go to the park with us tomorrow night?”

  He gave a single shoulder shrug. “To be honest, I really don’t have anything better to do.”

  A smile spread across her face. “It starts at six. I’ve got lawn chairs for us to sit on.”

  “Okay. I’ll pick you and the boys up at five thirty.”

  “We’ll be ready.”

  She waited a moment before heading to the front of the salon herself to get her eleven o’clock appointment, savoring a buzz of excitement.

  Inviting Max to attend Christmas Under the Stars had seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do. And something she realized she’d never even considered asking Grant to do. She supposed that was because she’d been thinking more about Max in terms of friendship—or whatever.

  Trouble was, with her situation, she had no business thinking of anyone other than her sons or anything other than making a home for them.

  And even though the extra cash meant that she could catch up on her December rent, January was closing in on her, so she wasn’t out of the woods yet.

  Lynette had spent more money in the last two hours than she had in ages, which was quite a feat for a woman who pinched her pennies, even when she had plenty of them to spare. Yet that wasn’t all she’d done. She’d actually paid the department store to wrap all of her gifts, which was another first.

  However, if she’d taken them home, she would have had to scrounge around the house for paper, tape, and ribbon, so it had been easier this way.

  Besides, she’d been eager to see Carly’s expression when she walked into the salon with Christmas presents for her and the boys.

  Now, with her arms loaded down with bags and feeling like one of Santa’s elves, she strode across the tiled floor on a natural high she hadn’t expected.

  Maggie had been right about giving freely to those in need this year. And for the first time in her life, Lynette understood what people meant when they said it was more blessed to give than to receive.

  As she made her way to Carly’s station, her heart and spirits soared.

  “Wow,” Carly said, spotting Lynette. “Someone’s done some major shopping today.”

  “You’re right.” Lynette set the bags on the floor and rubbed the reddened crease lines the weight of the bags had made on her arms and fingers. “And every last one of these is for you.”

  Carly, who’d been trimming a teenage boy’s hair, froze in mid-snip. “They’re for me?”

  “Well, one is for you, but the rest are for Josh and Mikey.”

  “But why . . . ?” Carly stared at the bags, clearly surprised, then she looked up at Lynette, the question still splashed upon her face.

  “Because I wanted to.” Lynette had missed out on enough Christmases in her life to know what it felt like to be the only kid in school to return from winter break without having one single new item to wear or a toy or game to talk about.

  Carly’s eyes filled with tears, as she set down the scissors and embraced Lynette, who didn’t know what else to do, other than to hug her right back and to relish the feel of friendship.

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” Carly said.

  “You don’t have to.”

  “Yes, I do.” Carly slowly released her new friend. As she stepped back, she wiped the tears from her eyes. “You’ve given my kids the Christmas I’d been praying they’d have.”

  Lynnette, who was choking up, too, liked thinking that she’d been a part of God’s plan, but she knew better than that. She’d always felt more like a divine afterthought in the scheme of things, so she tried to make light of what she’d done by asking, “Where do you want me to put the presents?”

  “I guess in the trunk of my car—if they’ll fit.”

  “I’m sure they will,” Lynette said, “but since you’re working, why don’t I take them out for you?”

  “That would be great.” Carly reached for her purse, then dug inside until she pulled out a heart-shaped key ring. “Here you go. It’s the white Toyota Celica parked in back of the salon.”

  “You’ve got it. I’ll be back in a snap.”
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  Before Lynette could pick up the bags, Carly gripped her arm and gazed at her with unshakable appreciation. “You have no idea what a blessing this is. God is awesome. He really does answer prayer.”

  Yeah, well, who was Lynette to question God’s plan, especially since she found it hard to imagine herself being a part of anything like that.

  Minutes later, after she’d locked the packages in Carly’s trunk and returned the keys, Lynette wished her hairstylist-turned-friend a merry Christmas, then left the salon and headed to her own car.

  As a cool breeze whipped around her, she pulled her sweater closed, wishing she’d worn a jacket. It wasn’t supposed to rain today, but it wouldn’t be the first time the weather forecasters had been mistaken.

  She’d no more than clicked on the remote, unlocking the driver’s door of her vehicle, when she spotted Maggie walking away from the church parking lot, rubbing her arms as though chilled to the bone.

  When Lynette called her name, the blonde broke into a warm smile and strode toward the car.

  “What are you up to?” Lynette asked.

  “I was helping out at the soup kitchen today, but Carlos and Rosa showed up. Carlos insisted that they take over the cleanup, so I’m walking home.”

  “It’s getting pretty cold and wintry out for that. Why don’t you let me give you a ride?”

  “Okay, thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

  Moments later, the women were seated in the car and headed down the street. As Lynette adjusted the heater vent, she said, “You’ll never guess what I did today.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I bought Christmas presents for a family in need, and you were right. It’s a great feeling to know that I made a difference in someone’s life—just like Adam, the guy who had the chest of coins that never emptied.”

  Maggie smiled, a light sparking those remarkable blue eyes.

  As Lynette pulled in front of Helen’s house, Maggie thanked her for the ride, then climbed from the car. But rather than drive off, Lynette waited to make sure she got inside.

  While Maggie unlocked Helen’s door, the roar of a diesel engine sounded, as a FedEx truck parked in front of Grant’s house. Moments later, the courier carried an envelope to the front door.

  Grant’s car wasn’t in the driveway, so he probably wasn’t home. And since the guy seemed to be leaving a note, she realized it required a signature.

  Should she step in and tell the courier that she would accept it on his behalf?

  She waited for a moment longer, watching the FedEx guy head back to his truck with the envelope still in his hand, then climbed out of her car. “Excuse me. Grant Barrows is a friend of mine, so if you need a signature, I can do that for you.”

  “Thanks, ma’am.” He handed her an electronic device to sign. After she scratched out her name, he gave her the envelope, hopped into the truck, and drove away.

  She was just about to write a note for Grant and leave her phone number, when she heard his car drive up.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” she told him, “but I signed for this delivery. If I hadn’t stopped the courier, he would have taken it back to his station.”

  “I don’t mind at all. Thanks.” Grant took the envelope, glanced at the return address, then tossed her a smile. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve wanted to ask you something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Would you like to have dinner with me one of these evenings—and maybe take in a movie?”

  The question nearly sucked all the words she’d ever learned right out of her.

  “What about Carly?” she finally asked.

  “What about her? It’s not like we have a commitment to each other.” Grant’s gaze locked on hers, and her heart spun dangerously out of control.

  “But that would be awkward,” she said.

  “Not for me.”

  Lynette didn’t know how to respond, especially since she couldn’t quite form the word no.

  “If I had my choice in the matter,” he added, “I’d rather go out with you. So what do you say?”

  Yes came to mind, but so did thoughts of both Susan and Carly. Opting for time to think, she said, “I really hadn’t planned on dating anyone.”

  “Why’s that?”

  She didn’t want to tell him that she’d made bad choices when listening to her heart, and that her marriage to Peter had been more of a business decision based upon a trusted friendship. But she doubted that he would understand, and she feared he’d realize that she still harbored a few too many insecurities than a woman ought to.

  So instead of answering, she nodded at the FedEx envelope in his arms. “Important papers?”

  If he thought it was odd that she’d bypassed his question completely, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he said, “I sold a piece of property out of state, and the agent’s scanner is on the blink. He had to overnight the paperwork instead of e-mailing it to me. So time is of the essence.”

  “You mean you could miss out on the deal?”

  “No, but I need to sign the settlement statement and get it back to him so the deal will close before the end of the year.”

  “The tax stuff can be such a headache, especially capital gains and that sort of thing.” Fortunately, Peter’s CPA took good care of her so she didn’t have to worry too much.

  “Actually,” Grant said, “I had a couple of bad investments earlier in the year, which left me in a jam. So I need the cash to turn things around for myself.”

  He was having financial problems?

  That in and of itself was a good reason not to go out with him. What if he went broke? Or worse yet, what if he thought Lynette ought to bail him out, risking her nest egg?

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  Had he read her reaction in her face? If so, she tried to feign indifference. “Nothing’s wrong. I just realized that I was supposed to . . . go to the bank and sign some papers myself. I can’t believe that I nearly forgot.” She was lying, of course, but hopefully he wouldn’t come to that conclusion.

  As she turned to go, clutching her purse close to her side, he called out, “Lynette, wait a minute.”

  “I really can’t.” She didn’t dare stick around any longer. Not while Grant was turning her heart on end.

  Goodness, he was the kind of man she was growing more and more attracted to, which meant that she could decide to ride off into the sunset with him, only to find herself parked in front of the poorhouse.

  About the time she reached for the door handle of her car, Maggie stepped out on Helen’s porch and called her name.

  “Can it wait?” Lynette asked, feeling as though both Grant and Maggie had it in for her.

  “I’m afraid not,” Maggie said. “Dawn Randolph just called. Rosa collapsed while washing dishes at the soup kitchen. She’s in an ambulance and on her way to the hospital.”

  “Oh, no.”

  “Do you mind giving me a lift to Pacifica General?” Without waiting for an answer, Maggie was heading down the sidewalk with her purse.

  “Of course not.” As Lynette slid behind the wheel, her heart pounding with real fear instead of that which might only have been imagined, she looked over the hood at Grant.

  “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” he said.

  “You can pray,” Maggie told him, as she climbed into the passenger seat.

  Lynette barely waited for the woman to close the door, then she put the car in Drive, her fear growing by leaps and bounds.

  If Maggie suggested that Grant pray, then things must not look at all good for Rosa.

  Chapter 18

  Before entering Lydia’s House, Susan sat a while in her car, studying the estate that had once belonged to Alejandro Montoya, the patriarch of Fairbrook’s most successful pioneer family.

  The grand, three-story brick mansion sat on a hilltop overlooking Mulberry Park on one side, and providing an impressive view of the Pacific Ocean on the other.

&
nbsp; According to what Barbie had told her, the ornate house had been custom-built during the World War I era and modernized over the years to provide handicap access. But it had always been surrounded by lush, park-like grounds encircled with a black wrought-iron fence.

  Both Lydia’s House—the building itself, as well as the foundation that had been created to benefit adults with developmental disabilities—had been named after Alejandro and Josefina Montoya’s youngest daughter, who’d been twelve years old when she suffered a serious head injury after being thrown from a horse.

  Lydia had lived, thanks to the best surgeons and medical care available at the time, but the bright and effervescent young girl who’d dreamed of owning a stable full of Thoroughbreds when she grew up would never be the same again. And the Montoyas had to accept the hard fact that their beloved child would need constant care the rest of her life.

  Doctors had advised the parents to find a suitable institution in which to place her, and while they’d gone so far as to check out several, they’d refused to send the girl to live with strangers in settings like the ones they’d seen.

  In the early sixties, Alejandro suffered a debilitating stroke. At that time, the family began to worry about what would happen to Lydia when her siblings and her parents passed away. So they’d created a charitable foundation that would provide housing and training for other adults like her—whether their disabilities were genetic birth disorders or conditions acquired later in life.

  From then on, Lydia’s House filled that special need within the community.

  In the early eighties, Lydia Montoya passed away in the only home she’d ever known, but the foundation named in her honor continued to provide the same loving care to all the other residents.

  Deciding that she’d taken enough time to brace herself for the afternoon’s festivities, Susan slid out from behind the wheel of her car, reached for the plate of brownies she’d baked earlier, and started for the house.

  As she made her way from the parking lot to the lawn, she thought about the twenty-three people who lived on the property, one of whom was Ronnie Ferris, Hank’s brother. Unlike Lydia Montoya, Ronnie had been born with his challenges.