Christmas Carol (Sweet Christmas Series Book 3)

by Samantha Jacobey

  Blinking at the older woman a few times, Candy allowed the words to sink in before she replied, “You have such a way with people, Eve. Every time I think you are going to react one way, you totally surprise me.”

  “Well, that’s what I’m here for,” she laughed in reply. “Now, how about we start dinner so everything is ready when Gary and Caroline get home?”

  Come and Go

  Caroline rode in the front seat of Gary’s SUV, picking at her fingers anxiously. “What am I going to say to her? I’ve made such a mess of things. I should go back to my apartment and my old life and forget all about any of this.”

  “You could do that,” Gary agreed, fairly certain that’s not what the young woman next to him really wanted to do.

  “Yeah, I could do that,” she sighed.

  Making the turn into his private drive, Gary’s heart leapt into over-drive at the sight of his parents’ car parked behind his house. “Damn,” he muttered under his breath. “Mom and Dad are here.”

  “Your mom and dad?” she gasped. “Oh, no!”

  “Relax. They already know what happened; I phoned and filled them in after everything had been taken care of with Harvey and his accomplices. We go in, and we act normal, and you don’t have to explain anything.”

  “I’m not sure I can do this, Gary. I think I should go; really.”

  “Then go up and pack your things, and I’ll take you home,” he pacified. He couldn’t make her stay, even if Candy still needed her. This was something the two women would have to work out between them, and he fully intended to stay out of it.

  Parked in the garage, Gary climbed out and locked the vehicle when Caroline had exited the other side. Walking beside her, she seemed to move at a snail’s pace. “Oh, look! They’re building a snowman!” he observed, indicating his father and stepson. “I think I’ll go help, and you can take care of things inside.”

  “I thought you were taking me home!” she stated loudly.

  “I will – go get your stuff and we’ll go when you get back down,” he called as he plowed through the deeper drifts, towards the work in progress. “Hi, guys! Need a hand?”

  Watching him go, Caroline could feel the angry flush on her cheeks; just great. He left me to face his wife and mother alone, the two people she felt had more reason than anyone to hate her at the moment.

  Entering through the back door, she found the women seated at the table, along with Lanelle. The group fell silent as soon as she stepped inside. “Hello,” she said politely, removing her jacket and hanging it on a hook. “I’m here to gather my things, and then Gary is taking me home.” She walked stiffly past them, wiping at an escaped tear as she turned the corner and clomped up the stairs.

  “She’s leaving?” Lanelle stated in shock, still not fully understanding what all had taken place over the few weeks that the girl had been a part of their household.

  Staring at her mother-in-law, Candy sighed heavily, who only gave her an exaggerated shrug before she said quietly, “Maybe you should go talk to her, Candy dear. Be sure everyone will be happy with that decision.”

  Biting her bottom lip, Candice followed the blonde calmly, then knocked quietly when she arrived in front of the closed portal.

  “Who is it?” Caroline called from the other side.

  “You know who it is,” Candy giggled. “It’s me.” Grasping the handle, she opened the door a crack and asked, “Do you mind if I come in?”

  “Not at all,” the other girl sniffed, doing her best to hide her sorrow.

  Closing the wooden panel behind her gently, Candy inhaled deeply and let the breath out nice and slow before facing her employee. “Caroline, I know I made a big deal when Gary brought you here,” she began.

  “Under false pretenses,” Caroline filled in. “Don’t forget that part.” She had begun stuffing clothes into her suitcase, but stopped as her shoulders shook. Crying, she sobbed, “I’m so sorry, Candy. I never meant to put any of you in danger.”

  “Hey,” Candy shot back, taking the girl’s arm and pulling her to face her. About six inches shorter, she looked up at the tall blonde, and smiled. “I can’t believe you’re crying over this! We are fine, no one was hurt; the bad guys are in jail, or will be once they get out of the hospital,” she laughed.

  “Stop it,” Caroline pulled her arm away. “You guys would have had a great Christmas without me around to ruin it for you,” she challenged.

  “Christmas is tomorrow, silly,” Candy reminded her.

  “Yes, I know. Today is Christmas Eve. Oh my God, and it’s your anniversary. I’ll get a cab home and you can have Gary for the rest of the day,” she offered, returning to her packing.

  “Is that really what you want?” Candy pushed the issue. “You don’t seem very happy about it.”

  “I just don’t think you guys will want me here after all I’ve done,” she blubbered, her words slurred and unclear.

  “After all you’ve done? Scrubbed every floor and flat surface in this house. Cleaned the carpets, the tubs, the toilets… the drapes. Oh, and taken excellent care of my mother and my son; neither of which is a small task.”

  She had never in her life wished she had been taller than she did at that moment. Reaching up, she brushed the hair out of the other girl’s face, then laughed as her own tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “Crazy Caroline, don’t you know? I never would have made it out of this semester if it hadn’t been for you!”

  “You don’t mean that,” Caroline pushed her hair behind her ear and faced her new friend fully. “I really didn’t do much.”

  Shaking her head, Candy wrapped her in her arms the best she could. Fortunately, Caroline didn’t fight her and accepted the hug graciously, then asked, “Are you sure you want me to stay here?”

  “Only if you want to,” Candy beamed. “Gary says we can afford to keep you on, and I really do appreciate all the help. Honestly, I think I would be doing at least one or two classes over if you hadn’t been here to help get me through finals.”

  “And nearly get you –”

  “Shh,” Candy interrupted her. “I told you, we’re fine, and all that wasn’t your fault… exactly. I’m glad they were caught and the guys who burned our apartment won’t be doing that to anyone else; so thank you. And please, stay and be our nanny.”

  The corner of her mouth twitching, Caroline could feel her heart flutter. “You know, Candy; I don’t have much family to speak of, and I don’t have many in the way of friends either. But if I ever had a little sister, I think you might be what it would be like.”

  “Does that mean I can call you Carol?” the shorter girl giggled. “I’ve noticed that Daks does.”

  “Yeah, he does, but he can’t say the rest.” Biting her lip, she could feel her tears ready to make another appearance; “Ok, you sold me, you can call me Carol. A friend of mine once told me that nicknames are a show of affection.”

  “Yes, they are,” Candy agreed, giving her another squeeze, then inching towards the door. “I’ll let you put all your stuff back in the drawers and we’ll see you in a few minutes so we can have dinner.”

  “Oh, right!” Carol nodded, her smile wide. “I’ll be right down,” she agreed as the door clicked closed.

  Came and Went

  Outside, Gary had joined in the snowman building, but quickly found himself lost in thought with his father standing beside him. Across the yard, Daks seemed to be having the time of his life, rolling a crooked ball of snow and attempting to get it to grow into a proper mid-section for his creation.

  “Dad, I really need to talk,” he finally confessed.

  “Are you unsure about keeping Caroline on as your housekeeper?” Roger inquired calmly, leading the way over to help his grandson free his lump of snow from being stuck.

  “Actually, no, I’m pretty confident about that choice. I’m more in doubt about my position in the company. I’m not sure sales is the right place for me,” he stated with a huff. “In fact, I’m not sure bei
ng in an office is the place for me.”

  Roger stood up straight and looked him in the eye; “Does Candy know about this?”

  “I don’t think so,” Gary breathed, exhaling a thick cloud of steam. “I’ve been pretending everything is fine for months now. I’m a little afraid to tell her. I really want to keep my word to her, but I have to admit it felt pretty darn good helping Carol out with her problem, and making sure those guys have their day in court will be fantastic.”

  “I see,” his father nodded.

  Gary could feel the doubt in his gut. He loved Candy more than anything and the last thing he wanted to do was to let her down. Ice that cake with the fact his mother would be disappointed, and it was more than he could bear. “Mother isn’t going to like it,” he stated more calmly. “She’s wanted me there forever.”

  “Your mother will understand,” Roger replied calmly, lifting the large ball into position and helping Daks start another for the head. “You have to do what makes you happy, son. You’re going to be working another thirty or forty years; you don’t want to spend all that time in a job you hate. If your time with the company came and went, then it’s time to move on. End of story.”

  Nodding his understanding, Gary grinned, “Thanks, dad.” Leaving them to their assembly, he marched towards the house and knocked the snow off his boots before he went inside. “Hi, ladies,” he greeted the two grandmothers warmly. “Where are Candy and Caroline?”

  “Upstairs,” Evelyn informed him. “Girl talk; you probably shouldn’t interfere.”

  “Probably not,” Gary agreed, ambling into the living room to wait. When his wife finally came down the stairs, he felt relieved that she was alone. “Has she decided to stay, or will I need to take her home?” he inquired after stealing a brief kiss. Using a hand on the small of her back, he guided Candy towards his office and closed the door so they could speak alone.

  “She’s staying,” his bride replied, unable to hide her obvious joy at the decision. “I’m so glad she’s going to be here, Gary. Thank you so much for bringing her into our lives,” she cooed, then held up her hand to prevent him from making a reply. “But there’s one thing I need to ask you to do.”

  “Anything, baby,” he grinned, longing to sweep her into his arms and thinking he should save his request for another time.

  “I think you need to go back to work for the fire department,” she stated calmly.

  Gary felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. “You want me to do what?” he gasped.

  “I want you to be happy,” she answered calmly, swishing from side to side as she spoke. “I know how much you loved being at the fire house and saving people’s lives, Gerald Ford. We do what we are, and you are a rescuer. I can’t change that about you; I love that about you. But please; don’t ever bring anyone else home again. Not without asking me, first.”

  “It’s a deal,” he squealed, stepping forward and pulling her off her feet and into his arms. “Oh, my God. I thought you were going to be so angry! I never dreamed you would understand.”

  Hugging him tightly, she could feel her heart pounding. “I didn’t make this decision lightly,” she replied against his chest. She still had her fear that she would one day get that call that meant he would never come home again, but it was a risk she felt she had to take. “I’m still scared of losing you,” she reminded him as he set her back on her feet. “But I’m more afraid of not letting you be the man you were meant to be, and I could never live with myself if I took that away from you. Now, let’s go get dinner made and celebrate year number one, Mr. Ford.”

  “After you, Mrs. Ford,” he laughed, shutting off the light as he followed her out of the room.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Thank you for reading, and I hope that you have enjoyed the 2017 installment of the Sweet Christmas Series. Look for a new adventure for Gary and Candy at Christmas next year. ~ Sam

  Books in this series include:

  Christmas Candy (2015)

  Christmas Eve (2016)

  Christmas Carol (2017)

  About the Author

  Anyone who knows me could tell you, I am a friendly kind of person, never met a stranger and take up conversations anywhere at any time. I work hard, and my mind never seems to shut down, as I wake up often in the middle of the night with ideas pouring out and demanding to be dealt with. Of course that means much of my books were written in the middle of the night.

  I grew up and still live in the great state of Texas where everything is bigger, where we have warm weather and a central location. I love my state, my town, and my family, which includes my four sons, my significant other, and many friends as well.

  I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this story and hope that you will love reading it just as much. And of course, there will be many more adventures to come.

  You can follow Samantha Jacobey at:

  Website: www.SamJacobey.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamJacobey

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamJacobey

  Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/samanthajacobey/

  Other works by Samantha Jacobey

  http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00GEB5LX0

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