Christmas is You

by Sylvia Blake

  By Sunday evening, when April hugged her and left to drive back to the city – back to civilization – her ankle felt ninety per cent better, and she decided she’d go to the café on Monday after all. She had to learn the ropes sometime, and it was as good a time as any. She figured she wouldn’t have much in the way of manual labor, and Wendy told her that Monday tended to be one of the least busy days of the week, so she wouldn’t have to learn everything on her first day.

  Before she left, April promised to come back the following weekend and stay there again. Debbie was ecstatic, because now she knew it’d be far from a boring weekend. Oh no, her friend was anything but boring. She did warn April that under no circumstances will she ever agree to ski again, so April might as well forget about trying to convince her.

  Debbie went to sleep early on Sunday night, eager to be well rested for her first morning at the café. As she looked through the window and watched the snowflakes glide gently from the sky, she wondered how she would make it through her first Christmas without her ex-fiancé.

  Chapter 7

  Debbie took a sip of her coffee and looked around the café. It was Monday morning at 9am, and she had already been there for an hour. Thankfully, she didn’t have a hard time waking up at 7am. There wasn’t much to do in the town on a weeknight, so she managed to go to bed pretty early, at least when she didn’t get sucked into surfing Facebook. In the morning, she took a long, hot shower, and had the veggie and cheese omelet for which Aunt Wendy was famous, and then Aunt Wendy took her to the café and showed her the very basics of what she needed to know.

  The café was cozy and quaint; it was obvious that it wasn’t a large chain, and she liked it that way. On regular days, small paintings and retro posters lined the walls, but they’d been replaced by Christmas and holiday themed paintings for the season. Aunt Wendy had obviously been busy decorating, because she pulled out all the stops, it seemed, but without being cheesy. There was understated garland, a cute tree in the corner, mistletoe over the entrance, and European glass ornaments hung from the ceiling here and there.

  She heard a groan from the kitchen, and Melissa came out, her large protruding belly leading the way. Debbie glanced up. Melissa definitely had that pregnant lady glow she’d heard mentioned.

  “I really hope my little man here is born soon, because I don’t know how much more of this I can take!” she said, one hand on her belly and another on the counter for support.

  Debbie smiled at her. She loved seeing pregnant ladies - she thought they were so cute.

  "Don't worry, I'm sure he won't make you wait too long. Besides, your due date is in a week, so it can't go on much longer anyways, can it?"

  Melissa scrunched up her nose. "You never know. They sometimes let women go an extra two weeks after their due date. I really, really hope that isn't the case for me," she said, and slid onto a steady chair instead of one of the high stools.

  "I hope so too. He’ll be your first, right?"

  "Yes." Melissa smiled. "We've been married for 2 years, and had been trying all that time. We were so happy when it finally happened! I swear, if one more person told me to 'relax' so I could get pregnant, I would have lost it!"

  Debbie wasn't sure what the appropriate thing to say was, so she just smiled and nodded and changed the subject slightly.

  “Have you picked a name?”

  “No. I mean, we’re trying to decide between Aiden and Anthony…we’ll see.”

  Debbie’s ears perked up at the sound of the entrance bell ringing. The door creaked as it opened, and a whoosh of cold air swept into the café.

  "Yes," Melissa muttered under her breath.

  "What?" Debbie asked.

  "Never mind," Melissa said quietly with a sheepish smile.

  Debbie turned back to the customer who just walked in, but she couldn't see who it was because a mini Christmas tree on the counter blocked her line of sight. It was a relief to finally have a customer; the morning had been eerily quiet, and although she enjoyed Melissa's company, a little variety never hurt anyone.

  Her breath caught in her throat as the customer came into view.

  "Oh, hi Debbie. Nice to see you again," Luke said.

  Debbie was like a deer caught in headlights. She neither moved nor spoke for a moment, until Melissa cleared her throat, urging her to answer him.

  "Hi, Luke. Was it Luke? It was Luke, right?" she said, flustered at the surprise of seeing him.

  He laughed. "Yes, I'm Luke. How's your leg? Did you manage to get some rest over the weekend?"

  She relaxed a little bit once he asked about her recovery, and she was pleased that he was so concerned.

  She couldn’t help but look him up and down. He was wearing black snow pants and a black and white sporty turtleneck that was fairly fitted. It was clear that he was in good shape; well, he had to be, considering how much time he spent skiing.

  "Yes, my leg feels a lot better, and thank goodness, because I was looking forward to starting here. Today's my first day."

  "I know," he said.

  "How?" she asked.

  "Because I stop here every day on my way to the slopes, and today's the first day I've seen you here," he said wryly.

  "Oh, that makes sense." She was mortified. For some reason, she sounded like a complete ditz, and she had no idea how to stop it. Clearly, it was all his fault – he had this effect on her, and she wished he didn't. She suddenly realized that she hadn't asked him what he wanted to order. She glanced at Melissa, who was watching them quietly from her chair. When she realized that Debbie noticed her, she quickly raised her head from the hand she'd been propping it up with and picked up her phone to stare at the screen and pretend not to be eavesdropping.

  "What can I get for you? How about an English muffin with eggs and bacon?" She had no idea why she suggested that specific sandwich, but it sounded good to her.

  “No, thanks, I usually eat breakfast at home.” He paused and looked searchingly into her eyes before speaking again. “Although, I may make an exception if you want to join me.”

  Debbie wasn’t sure at first whether she’d heard him correctly. He wanted to have breakfast…with her? She blinked her eyes as she tried to process what he said.

  “Hmm, yeah, sure,” she said, before realizing what she was agreeing to.

  Luke made his way to a table in a corner by the front of the café, and Debbie made his breakfast and put a little croissant on a plate for herself. Once the coffees were prepared, she took it all over to the table and sat down. She looked back at Melissa, who was watching them but looked away as soon as she noticed that Debbie glanced her way.

  Debbie hoped it was ok that she was sitting down while on duty. The café was still empty, and Aunt Wendy had gone out to get some supplies. She hoped that Melissa wouldn’t tell Aunt Wendy – she was so nosy most of the time. Debbie knew that she’d tease her about her breakfast “date” all day long.

  “So, how long have you been teaching skiing?” she asked him.

  “For a few years now. I took lessons when I was a kid, and I spent all my winters up on the slopes, so it kind of comes naturally to me. The kids are great, and I love watching them have fun while learning.”

  “I see. Well, you won’t ever see me up there again, that’s for sure.”

  “Oh no, don’t say that. Why not?”

  Debbie’s eyes widened. “Didn’t you see me? I was totally out of control, and it was just the bunny hill. I could have killed those kids! No, trust me, you don’t want me up there, at least not around other humans. I’m a menace, trust me,” she said with a laugh.

  Luke laughed along. “Listen, everyone starts out that way. It’s even possible that your boots weren’t the right size.”

  Debbie rolled her eyes. “Thanks, but don’t make excuses for me. I was pathetic up there.”

  “Well, let’s see what we could do about that.”

  Debbie felt dread rising within her. “What do you mean?”

  “I
mean, why don’t you come up there with me…and I can teach you. It’s on me, no charge.”

  “Oh no, I wouldn’t dream of it. First of all, I wouldn’t take your lessons for free; that’s not fair to you. Secondly, I’m deathly afraid!” She smiled at him. “Just no,” she said, in an attempt to put that idea to rest.

  He cocked his head to the side. “Are you telling me you give up that easily? Just because of one nasty little incident? Excuse me for saying so, because I haven’t known you that long, but that doesn’t seem like you.”

  “Really? How do you figure?” She was intrigued at what he could have learned about her in such a short time.

  “Well, you have this spark about you. Some kind of inner strength. And people like you generally don’t tend to give up very easily.” He raised the cup of coffee to his lips, and took a sip while watching her for her reaction.

  “Huh, interesting. I guess I don’t usually give up. I’m kind of a perfectionist, actually.”

  “See, I told you,” he said with satisfaction. “So, what do you say? You owe me this for saving your ankle on Friday.”

  She looked at him, not responding at first. It was true that she had a competitive spirit, and hated to be incompetent at anything she tried. And he was an instructor, so maybe he could help her.

  She couldn’t believe what she was about to tell him.

  “Ok, you have a deal. But you have to let me pay you.”

  He crossed his arms across his chest and shook his head. “Absolutely not.”

  She sighed. “Well, fine. But you absolutely must let me buy you lunch though.”

  “Ok. That I can live with. How about tomorrow afternoon, if you’re not working?”

  “Sure. I think I’ll be done at around 1pm here.”

  “Great, I’ll see you then. Want to meet at the Starbucks?”

  “Sure, why not,” she said. She had no idea how she had let him convince her to take lessons with him. A few minutes ago, she was dead set against ever stepping into a pair of skis, and now she was agreeing to take lessons? Her mind boggled. She looked at him. He was very convincing, indeed.

  He finished his breakfast, thanked her, and left.

  She tried to avoid Melissa’s bemused expression as she approached the counter with the dirty plates.

  “Wow. Did you just get a date with the hottest instructor on the mountain?” Melissa’s eyes were positively sparkling.

  “It’s not a date!” Debbie said, flustered.

  “Well, it sure sounds like the date. You do know he’s the most eligible bachelor in town, don’t you? He’s just very humble about it, so he didn’t mention it. His family owns the Rose Mountain Hotel. The five-star one!”

  “Really?” she asked, surprised. Debbie considered it an interesting piece of information, but she didn’t get excited over it. It was impressive, though, that Luke didn’t feel the need to blurt it out during their conversation.

  “Yeah, really. And he’s so sweet and down to earth. I’ve never heard a bad word about him. At least not as long as I’ve lived here.”

  “How long have you lived here?” Debbie asked.

  “All my life.”

  “Wow, so you must know everything about everybody, pretty much.”

  Melissa nodded. “Well, Luke isn’t such an open book, and he did go away to college for a few years. But I could tell you I’ve heard nothing bad.” Her eyes twinkled. “So, go for it!”

  “I am not!” Debbie protested, shaking her head. “Don’t get any ideas. He’s just going to teach me how to ski, so that you won’t see me on the 6 o’clock news for killing kids.”

  They both laughed. Debbie had an urge to find out more about Luke.

  “Do you know what he studied by any chance?”

  “Yeah, he got a degree in business administration and a minor in film studies. I guess that’s his real passion. And he studied business admin so he could help run the hotel. I think he may have had a girlfriend while he was away, but he never brought her home, and I don’t know much about her. Apparently, she really did a number on him.” Melissa was wide eyed as she spoke; she obviously enjoyed knowing all the gossip in town.

  “That’s too bad, he seems like a nice enough guy,” Debbie said, getting lost in thought.

  “Yeah, I mean any girl would be lucky to have him, in my opinion at least…”

  Debbie took another sip of her coffee, nodding and thinking about what Melissa had told her.

  Chapter 8

  Debbie took a second serving of Aunt Wendy’s chicken casserole, sporting a sheepish grin. Her aunt smiled at her and raised her brows. “Take as much as you want, dear. There’s no reason to be coy with me.”

  It was Monday evening, and Debbie and Wendy were having dinner and discussing Debbie’s first day at the café. Wendy had had some trouble with suppliers that day, so what was supposed to take a few hours ended up taking her the whole day to sort out.

  “So, tell me...how was your day? I’m sorry we didn’t have a chance to chat about it during the ride home.” She had been on the phone with said troublesome suppliers the whole time. Listening in had taught Debbie a thing or two about assertiveness, and she had a newfound respect for her aunt.

  “It was pretty good. Melissa’s really nice and helpful, and she showed me how everything works. It wasn’t too busy, to be honest, which I guess is a good thing for my first day.”

  “Yes, it certainly is. Don’t you worry, business will pick up as the week goes on. And the weekend!” She let out a long whistle. “All the out of towners get here by Friday night, so things get really hectic on Saturdays, and continue like that throughout the weekend. You’ll see,” she added, and it sounded like an ominous warning

  “I see,” said Debbie, taking another forkful of pasta and chicken. She swallowed it and said, “I’m sure I’ll get the hang of everything by then. I wouldn’t want to disappoint you. And who knows when Melissa’s going to go into labor. It really looks like it could be any day now.”

  Aunt Wendy nodded and got up from her seat. She grabbed a gift box off the couch and handed it to Debbie, urging her to open it.

  Debbie’s face brightened. “What’s this?” she asked, obviously delighted that her aunt had thought of her.

  “Just a little something to cheer you up. You need some color in your life!”

  Debbie sighed. It was true, her usual attire consisted of black, white, and earthy basics. She didn’t think she could even recall one item that popped out from the rest. Maybe it was time to try something new. She opened the box carefully, and peeking inside, she spotted a sliver of bright pink. She held the soft fabric between her fingers and lifted it out gingerly.

  “Oh, thank you so much! It’s gorgeous!” She leaned over and gave her aunt a tight hug. She really did love it. It was a pink, fitted turtleneck, and appeared to be made of quality fabric. ‘This’ll be perfect for these cold winter days!” she said, still smiling from ear to ear.

  Aunt Wendy chuckled. “Good, dear. I’m glad you like it. You should invite your friend April over again for the weekend. You can go out on the town together and have some fun. I don’t want to see you all cooped up in here with nothing to do.”

  Debbie felt a surge of affection towards her aunt. “Aww, thanks…I have plenty of fun with you here, trust me. But if you insist, I’ll get her to come up again.” She suspected that her aunt was lonely a lot of the time and missed having lots of company around.

  April loaded the dishwasher when dinner was over. Sure, she was a guest, but she wasn’t going to let her aunt do all the work when she herself was perfectly capable of pitching in. Once the kitchen and dining room were clean, they decided to watch something on Netflix together. Just as they were deciding on the show, Debbie’s phone rang. She turned it over to look at the screen.

  “Oh, it’s April! Speak of the devil!” she said to her aunt.

  “Go ahead and take the call, honey,” Aunt Wendy said. “I’ll wait for you until you’re done.”<
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  “Thank you,” Debbie said, and headed to her room. She didn’t know why, but she had a feeling April wanted to discuss something personal. Maybe it was because April always wanted to discuss something personal.

  She answered the phone, making herself comfortable on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

  “Hi April!” she said, excited to hear her friend’s voice.

  “Hi! It’s so nice to get a hold of you so easily. Back in the city, it was nearly impossible to ever reach you!”

  Debbie laughed. “Well, there’s hardly anything to do here, which is actually a nice change, if I think about it.”

  “Uh-huh,” said April, not sounding convinced at all.

  “I swear! But, apparently, there is stuff to do on the weekends, so why don’t you come to visit again on Friday? If you don’t have to work, that is.” She really hoped that April could make it – she was determined to find out what kind of fun could be had in this tiny town.

  “Yeah, that sounds like fun! I did some googling and there are a couple of gems hidden away. Lounges, pubs, some nicer restaurants, you get the idea. We should check out something like that.”

  “Ok, good idea. Send me the names when we’re off the phone and I’ll google them. Maybe my aunt knows something about them too.”

  “Sounds good. Hey, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Ok, sure, what is it? Is everything alright?” Suddenly, Debbie started to worry. April’s tone didn’t usually change like that unless something serious was going on.

  “I’m ok… Just wondering, have you spoken to anyone from back home recently? Lucy, or maybe Mary?”

  “No, not at all. I probably should give them a call. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, don’t quote me on this, because I think it’s just a rumor…ugh I’m such an idiot. I probably shouldn’t even say anything.”

  Debbie rolled her eyes and thought she’d lose it any second. She knew April liked to be dramatic, but this was ridiculous. She just had to find out what on earth April was talking about.