Trouble With Christmas (9781455544066)

by Mason, Debbie

  “Jack, it’s time to go to the party,” she cajoled as she knelt to look under the island. At the sound of a shuddering crash from the front of the bakery, she shot to her feet and tore through the double doors. “Jack!”

  Chunks of wet plaster had knocked over a round bistro table as water gushed from a hole in the ceiling above. In one breath she was thanking God her baby hadn’t been hiding under the table, while in the next she was crying out his name, her voice ragged with fear.

  “I’ve got him, Grace,” a deep male voice called from the kitchen. Sawyer Anderson, Jack’s childhood best friend and owner of the Penalty Box, came through the swinging doors with her son in his arms. The former captain of the Colorado Flurries, a professional hockey team, he had been there for Grace since the day Jack went missing. Incredibly good-looking and laid-back, he was the one person she’d been able to share her fears with. The one person who understood why she couldn’t keep pretending Jack was coming home. His support made it easy to be with him. Only lately, it’d been too easy.

  She reached for Jack Junior, who wrapped his small arms around Sawyer’s neck. She laid a palm on her son’s back; the rise and fall of his breath and the warm body beneath his blue T-shirt calmed the panicked gallop of her heart. It took a moment before she could get the words out. “Where did you find him?”

  “Back alley. I was coming to check on you…”

  She closed her eyes. The screen door.

  Sawyer rubbed her arm. “He’s fine, Grace.”

  “Only because you were there. If you…” She shook her head, trying not to think of what could’ve happened. Of what had happened that long-ago summer. “Thank you.”

  From beneath the ball cap pulled low on his dark blond hair, he scanned her face, then lifted his gaze to the ceiling. “Shit,” he muttered.

  “Shit,” said her son.

  Grace shot Sawyer a don’t-you-dare look as he fought back a laugh. “Jackson Flaherty, what did I tell you about using the S-word?” Grace’s sweetly innocent child had been spouting expletives with an alarming frequency, and now it seemed she’d discovered the reason why.

  “Me no say shit, Mama, me say shh.” He grinned at Sawyer, who’d lost his battle with laughter.

  She narrowed her eyes at the two of them. Sawyer winced. “Okay, buddy, I’ll make you a deal. No more S-words this week, and Mommy’ll bring you to the bar for a root beer float on the weekend.” He raised a brow at her.

  “Bribery?”

  He shrugged. “Worked for me.”

  Obviously it worked for her son, too. He nodded. “Me like beer.”

  “I’m sure that’s just what your mother wanted to hear,” Sawyer said, handing Jack to her. “We need to do something about the leak.”

  Distracted by her son’s safe return, she’d forgotten about the gaping hole in the ceiling. She wished she could ignore it completely and the dent it was going to put in her meager bank account.

  Leaning over the table, she called to their tenant, “Stu, are you up there?”

  “Stu up there?” her son echoed.

  “He’s not there, Grace. Get me the keys.”

  “How can you be…” She caught the sympathetic look in Sawyer’s eyes. “You think he skipped out on us, don’t you?” She groaned. “Jill’s going to kill me. She wanted to put him out when he didn’t pay last month’s rent, but I thought…” She gave a disgusted shake of her head. “Jill’s right. I’m a sucker.”

  Hefting Jack Junior higher on her hip, Grace rounded the display case and opened the cash register drawer.

  “You’re not a sucker,” Sawyer said, as he followed her. He took the key she retrieved from under the tray and held on to her hand until she looked at him. “You were just trying to give the guy a break. Nothing wrong with that.”

  There wouldn’t be if she could afford to, but she couldn’t, at least not yet. Stu, a recent divorcé whose wife had had an affair and got both their home and their children in the settlement, had easily garnered Grace’s sympathy. She hated the thought she’d been played.

  “I could be wrong. Maybe he didn’t skip out on you. Give me a couple of minutes upstairs and—”

  She shut the register drawer and locked it. “I’ll go with you.”

  “You sure? He might have left the place in a mess.”

  “Oh, I didn’t think of that.” Going into the apartment was hard at the best of times, and this was not the best of times. There were too many memories of Jack there. It was one of the reasons Grace had moved in with her sister-in-law a year ago, the other being the extra income from the rental.

  “Me go, Da. Me go you.” Jack Junior held out his arms to Sawyer.

  Sawyer bowed his head, then lifted his eyes to hers. “I wish, buddy,” he murmured as he rubbed her son’s head and held her gaze.

  Grace clutched the fabric at her throat. “Oh, Sawyer, I can’t—”

  He lifted his hand from her son’s head to caress her cheek. “Yeah, I know. It’s too soon. But—”

  “What the hell’s going on here?” Jill, Grace’s sister-in-law, snapped, keys jangling in her clenched fist as she strode through the front door. Eyes the same vibrant blue as her brother’s were dangerously narrowed beneath her dark hair, her blade-sharp cheekbones flushed with Flaherty temper.

  Grace went to take a guilty step back. But Sawyer, with a gentle yet firm grip on her shoulder, held her in place. He gestured to the plaster-ridden table. “There was an accident. I’m going up to see what I can do.”

  Jill’s gaze shot to Grace and her nephew. “Are you guys okay?”

  “We’re fine,” Grace quickly reassured her. She knew how important she and her son were to her sister-in-law. They were the only family she had left.

  Jill looked up at the ceiling. “Son of a—”

  “Jill,” Grace interrupted her in an exasperated tone.

  “Sorry.” Hands on the hips of her tan uniform pants, Jill’s lips flattened. “So Stu decided to leave us a good-bye present when he skipped out, did he? Wait till I get hold of the little pri—”

  Sawyer cut her off. “I’ll take care of it. Help Grace get the cake and Jack Junior to the party.” The look in his eyes dared her to argue.

  Grace breathed a sigh of relief when her son broke their silent standoff. “Me go party.”

  “Right.” As quick as Jill’s anger flared, it dissolved with one word from her nephew. “Are you going to show me the cake you and Mommy made for your daddy?”

  Jack Junior nodded as Jill took him from Grace’s arms and headed for the kitchen. He looked back at Sawyer and opened his mouth.

  Don’t say it, Grace prayed, don’t call him Da. Jill would never understand that it was normal for a little boy without a father to be looking for one. She’d blame Grace for spending too much time with Sawyer. Given what he’d just said to her, maybe she’d be right.

  “See you at the party, buddy. Save me a piece of cake.”

  Jack Junior grinned. “Me have beer.”

  Jill shook her head. “Nice, Sawyer. Now you’re corrupting my nephew.”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Grace said, as the doors swung closed behind them. She went to drag the garbage pail over to clean up the mess.

  “I’ll take care of it.” Sawyer stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Don’t let her get to you, Grace. You’re not doing anything wrong.”

  “I know. It’s just…” She shrugged, then looked up at him with a smile. “Thanks for everything.”

  “It’s not your thanks I want,” he said before he headed for the door.

  * * *

  With the cake in her arms, Grace walked the half block along Main Street with Jill and her son. Jack Junior giggled as his aunt swung him up the street by his hands.

  “No wonder he’d rather walk with you than me,” Grace said, as though it didn’t bother her how often her son chose her sister-in-law and Sawyer over her.

  Jill laughed. “Mommies aren’t supposed to be fun.”

&nb
sp; “Thanks.” Grace wasn’t fun; she was boring and overprotective. She used to wonder what it was about her that her adventure-loving husband had fallen in love with.

  Jill cast her a sidelong glance. “I was teasing. You’re a great mom.” She stopped, lifting a protesting Jack Junior into her arms. “Are you okay?”

  No, I’ve just said good-bye to the man I loved with all my heart, and if you ever found out, you’d never forgive me. “Just tired. It’s been a long day. Not to mention the ceiling caving in and Stu skipping out on the rent.” Grace sighed. “I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to you.”

  “I’m sorry too, about earlier, with Sawyer. It’s just seeing the two of you…” Jill held the door to the bar open with her shoulder. “Jack’s coming home, Grace. You still believe that, don’t you?”

  I wish I did. “Of course I do,” she said, smiling in response to the greetings their friends called out. It seemed like half the town had crowded into the rustic-looking bar with its exposed log walls and wood-planked floors. Jack Junior reached for one of the hundred yellow balloons that were tied to the chairs and bar stools.

  Gage McBride, Christmas’s sheriff, came over. “Hey, Grace, Jill.” He kissed both their cheeks and took the cake from Grace, setting it on a nearby table. His wife, Madison, who was not only Grace’s partner and friend but also the town’s mayor, took Jack Junior from Jill and untied a balloon from the back of a chair. “Here you go, sugar.”

  Madison smiled at Grace then rolled her eyes when Nell McBride, Gage’s great-aunt, sauntered over with her best friends, Ted and Fred, in tow. “Here we go,” Madison sighed.

  Gage, standing behind his wife, grinned. “You’d better give me little Jack.”

  Madison handed him off to her husband and took a seat, holding up her hands in surrender. “I’m sitting, okay?”

  Ted pulled out a chair, and Fred plunked Madison’s pink-sandaled feet on it. “Now you stay put, girlie,” Nell ordered.

  The three of them shared a few memories of Jack before moving off to join their friends at a large table near the jukebox.

  “Gage, you have to talk to them. I can’t take five more months of this,” Madison complained, rubbing the barely noticeable baby bump beneath her floral sundress.

  He leaned over and kissed her. “I’ll give it my best shot, honey. But the three of them are almost as stubborn as you are when you set your mind on something.”

  “Hey, I’m not stubborn.”

  Gage snorted. “Come on, buddy,” he said to little Jack, “let’s go play some air hockey.”

  Grace felt a sharp twinge of longing. In the beginning, she and Jack had been as head over heels in love as Gage and Madison. Grace missed the feeling, missed being loved, being in love, having a man’s arms around her. She wondered if she’d ever have that again. Just thinking the thought made her feel horribly disloyal. But who was she trying to kid? The citizens of Christmas, especially Jill, would never forgive her if she moved on with someone else. And it wasn’t as if she’d ever leave town. Her father’s military career had taken them all over the world, and Christmas was the only place that had ever felt like home.

  “I’ll be right back,” Jill said.

  Madison held out a hand. “Come sit with me.”

  Grace took a seat. “How are you feeling?”

  Madison groaned. “Not you, too. I’m fine.” She looked at her closely. “But you’re not. Do you wanna talk about it?”

  “We had a minicatastrophe at the bakery. There was a leak in the apartment and part of the ceiling came down. Sawyer’s—What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  Grace arched a brow.

  Madison grimaced. “It’s Gage. He’s worried Sawyer—”

  She was right. They’d never be able to let her move on. “We’re friends, that’s all. And I couldn’t ask for a better one.”

  “Forget I said anything. And don’t worry about the leak. Your insurance will cover the damages. Plus, I have an idea that’s going to make us rich.” Grace’s skepticism must’ve shown, because Madison said, “I’m serious. I’ve been thinking about all those letters. We’re going to create a story about a Sugar Plum Fairy being the one who granted their wishes. We’ll sell T-shirts, and books, and wands… Anything you can think of, we can sell.”

  Grace could almost see the dollar signs flashing in her business partner’s blue eyes. She didn’t want to be a downer, but she had to ask, “Umm, won’t there be an issue with copyright? There’s a Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker?”

  “Fine.” Madison gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “The Sugar Plum Cake Fairy, then. My friend Vivi can write the stories, and you can do the illustrations. Oh my God, this is brilliant. Are you excited?”

  It was hard not to be. Madison’s excitement was contagious. “Of course I am. It’s a fantastic idea.” She just didn’t know where she’d find the time, but it was exactly what she needed right now. The perfect way for her to move on with her life.

  Madison glanced at the door and reached for her hand. “Okay, just breathe.”

  “What…” She followed Madison’s gaze and swallowed, hard.

  Jill followed behind their friends—the twins Holly and Hailey, and Sophia and her sister-in-law, Autumn—with a life-sized cutout of Jack tucked beneath her arm.

  A warm hand gently squeezed Grace’s shoulder. Brandi, one of Sawyer’s waitresses and another of Grace’s friends, set a drink in front of her. “This’ll help. It’s the Hero. Sawyer named it after Jack.”

  “Thanks, Brandi,” Grace murmured, wrapping her fingers around the cold, frosted glass.

  “What do you think?” Jill asked, setting up the cardboard likeness beside Grace as the other women took their seats around the table. They placed their orders with Brandi while commenting on the lifelike Jack in his desert camouflage fatigues and Kevlar vest, a helmet tucked under his arm, his sexy grin flashing perfect white teeth in his deeply tanned face.

  “Good Lord, there’s nothing hotter than a man in uniform. And Jack Flaherty was—” Autumn, the owner of Sugar and Spice, and the woman who made Grace’s chocolate sugar plums, quickly corrected herself “—is, hands down the hottest man I’ve ever seen.”

  He was. And looking at him now, Grace felt the same heart-stopping punch of attraction she did on the night he strode into the Washington ballroom to receive his Medal of Honor.

  Sophia, owner of the high-end clothing store Naughty and Nice, pointed at Jack. “Yes, and he is coming home with me tonight,” she said in her heavily accented voice.

  “Grace?” Jill said, looking hurt.

  She took Jill’s hand. “It was a great idea. It’s like he’s here with us.”

  Jill smiled, her eyes bright with unshed tears. Brandi came back with their drinks, and they lifted their glasses. “To Jack.”

  Everyone in the bar followed suit, and then, one after another, they stood to share their stories about Jack and their prayers for his safe return. By the time they were finished, Grace had downed two Heroes.

  Jill clapped her hands. “Okay, time for cake.”

  They cleared the table and placed the cake in front of Grace. She stood, relieved that her emotional torture would soon be over. Gage, with Jack Junior in his arms, took his place behind Madison.

  Sawyer moved in behind Grace and whispered, “Hang in there. Not much longer.”

  Before Grace could turn to ask how it went at the apartment, Jack Junior yelled, “Da, Da.” And put his arms out.

  Grace’s breath seized in her chest.

  Several people said, “Aw.” While her friends quietly sniffed. “He’ll be home soon, buddy,” Jill said, swiping at her eyes.

  Grace wheezed out a relieved breath. Thank God, no one seemed to realize he’d meant Sawyer.

  But Sawyer did. “How about that root beer float I promised you, buddy?” He went to take Jack Junior from Gage, who gave him a hard look before passing him over. Of course Gage would notice, Grace thought miserably.


  “Yeah, me want beer.”

  Everyone laughed as Sawyer carried her son to the bar. After they sang “Happy Birthday” to Jack, Grace cut the cake while Jill handed out the pieces.

  She reached across Grace, bumping into her. “Sorry,” she said when Grace stumbled.

  The knife jerked and hit the house and it toppled over, revealing the chocolate sugar plum underneath.

  “Hey, no fair, it’s supposed to be hidden in the cake,” someone yelled.

  Grace sucked in a panicked breath and dove for the sugar plum. Jill beat her to it.

  Her sister-in-law laughed. “Finally, I got a sugar plum.”

  As she opened it, Grace wished the floor would crack open and swallow her whole. Jill’s laughter faded on a choked sob. She stared at Grace. “How could you? How could you give up on him?” she said in a strangled whisper.

  “Jill, let me explain,” Grace called after her as she strode to the door.

  From behind the bar came a shrill whistle. “Everyone quiet,” Sawyer yelled, directing their attention to the big screen behind the bar, where a newscaster was announcing breaking news. Sawyer turned up the volume.

  “We have just received unconfirmed reports that the four crew members of the Black Hawk that went down in the mountains of Afghanistan seventeen months ago have been recovered… alive.”

  THE DISH

  Where Authors Give You the Inside Scoop

  From the desk of Jennifer Delamere

  Dear Reader,

  One reason I love writing historical fiction is that I find fascinating facts during my research that I can use to add spice to my novels.

  For Tom Poole’s story in A LADY MOST LOVELY, I was particularly inspired by an intriguing tidbit I found while researching shipwrecks off the southern coast of Australia. In describing the wreck of a steamer called Champion in the 1850s, the article included this one line: “A racehorse aboard Champion broke loose, swam seven miles to the shore, and raced again in the Western District.” Isn’t that amazing!? Not only that the horse could make it to land, but that it remained healthy enough to continue racing.