Red Hot Christmas (Pride Series Romance Novels)

by Jill Sanders

  “She wants her dinner.” He walked towards the laundry room. “Um, you don't plan on going anywhere do you?” He looked at her, pleading.

  “Where would I go?” She smiled as she finished buttoning up her dress.

  “Good, um, if you're hungry…”

  “No.” She smiled. “Luke, feed the dog, then take me upstairs.”

  His smile was quick, and she laughed as he rushed into the laundry room to feed Jackie.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When Amber opened her eyes the next morning, she was looking directly into a large alien’s face. She would have screamed, but she knew that face all too well. It was the alien from the game Chris had been addicted to. Modark, the alien, had been fighting against evil on his home planet of...She squinted her eyes trying to remember the planet’s name. Oh, well, she thought, it'll come to me. Anyway, the chances that Luke would have a full-size standup cardboard cutout of the character she partially blamed for the failure of her past relationships, was almost laughable. Especially since she was lying naked in Luke's room, which was stocked full of images of Modark and Korkin, the villain.

  Looking around, she saw images of the planets, battle ships, weapons, and more characters from the game. How had she ended up here? Oh, yeah! By having some of the best sex she'd ever had. She closed her eyes and tried not to moan. Luke was lying next to her, his arm slung over her hips. She could feel his breath on her shoulder.

  She thought about trying to sneak out of the bed, but then he moved, and she knew he was awake.

  “Luke, I've got to get going. I work in three hours.” He looked at her and smiled.

  “Three hours is a long time from now.” He tried to pull her closer.

  “Yes, it is, but I hear Jackie begging to be let out.” That got his attention.

  “Oh, poor baby. I usually let her out sooner.” He jolted from the bed, slid on a pair of jeans that looked like they'd seen better days, then bolted from the room, only to stick his head back in and say, “Don't go anywhere.” Then he was gone again.

  Where did he think she'd disappear to? Looking around the room, she walked over and grabbed one of his t-shirts and put it on. It hit her mid-thigh, and she felt sufficiently covered. She looked around his room; he really was a man-boy. There were more toys in here than most ten-year-olds had. The one difference was that they were all from the one game, Alien Engagement. She knew he'd told her it was his job, not something he did for fun, but really, how could he not think of this as fun? Even the mouse pad for his computer had an image of Modark. Leaning over, she looked closer at it. Modark, prince of planet Odge. She snapped her fingers. That was the name, Odge.

  She spent another two minutes looking around before deciding to shower. His bathroom was huge and from the looks of it, recently remodeled. The tan tiles and updated look of the bathroom seemed in total contrast to the rest of the house. When she turned on the large shower, she was jolted to realize that there were multiple shower heads spraying her from all directions. She'd planned on dodging the cold spray until it warmed up, but now, cold water hit her from every angle. She must have squealed, because Luke came running in. He took one look at her through the clear shower doors and started laughing.

  “Got hit with the cold, huh?” He walked towards her, slowly removing his jeans.

  “There should be a warning on this thing.” She pushed her wet hair out of her face. “I didn't even see the other shower heads.” She looked around, holding up her hands to block some of the water from hitting her in the face.

  “Here,” he stepped into the shower just as the water turned warm. Then he twisted the handle to the left and some of the shower heads turned off. “Turn it this way if you just want the main one there.” He pointed to the large one overhead. To get the full deal, twist it—”

  “No!” She grabbed his arm. “I get it.”

  He laughed and pulled her close. “Looks like we'll save a little time by showering together.”

  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders to steady herself. “I'm all for conserving water,” she said, then she reached up and kissed him.

  An hour later, as he drove her back to her place, she asked, “So, what are you doing Thursday?”

  “Thursday?” He looked over at her.

  “Thanksgiving.” She watched his eyes dull.

  “Thursday is Thanksgiving?” Even though he was looking straight ahead, she could see the sadness enter his face.

  “Luke?” She reached out and touched his arm.

  “I'd totally forgotten. Gran would have had me put out all the decorations. I forgot to put them out.”

  “It's okay.” She squeezed his arm lightly.

  “No, it's not. I didn't even know it was Thanksgiving. I guess I've been so busy with everything else, I'd forgotten about it.”

  “Well, there's still time.” She smiled as he looked over at her.

  “Yeah, I guess you're right.” He smiled and looked back at the road.

  “You can even have people over if you want,” she said as he pulled into the parking lot of her place.

  “Yeah, I suppose I could. I've never hosted a party before.”

  “I could help you. Hosting parties is kind of my specialty.”

  “Well, I suppose so. It's kind of short notice, but why not?”

  “Good, it's settled. You invite everyone, and I'll take care of everything else.” She leaned over and kissed him quickly, then jumped from the truck. She was so excited about the possibilities of planning out his party that she didn't even care that Patty and a few of the other women smiled as she got out of Luke's truck wearing the same dress she'd worn to yesterday's party. Instead, she waved and smiled. Then rushed up the stairs to get ready for work.

  By the time she made it to the restaurant, she had a full list of things that she'd need going in her head. She seemed to sail through work the next few days. Maybe it was the excitement of working on a project, or the fact that she'd finally gotten to talk to Iian about some of her changes. Luke had been right; Iian had not only liked them all, but given her the go-ahead to start making them.

  The major change was making the back room more “kid friendly” for birthday parties. She'd noticed the need early on. Most parents brought family and friends here for birthdays or anniversaries. There were almost always small kids involved, and they would spend their time running around looking bored.

  She'd given Iian a few ideas to help the cause, and Iian had taken her hint and ordered the room to be repainted and decorated. The workers would start shortly after Thanksgiving and finish just before Christmas.

  When they were done, Amber imagined the room would be perfect for showers, birthdays, anniversaries, and even graduation parties, without taking away from the main dining experience.

  She'd also pitched her idea of building a large fish tank wall to separate the bar area and the main dining hall. That way, bar goers, who tended to be loud, wouldn't disturb the family dining a few feet away.

  “We can put exotic fish in it so people have something to look at while waiting for a table or just eating or drinking.”

  “I like it, but I'm not sure how it would work.” Conversations with Iian tended to be slow, so she'd come prepared. Pulling out her sketch pad, she showed him a few drawings she'd made. One showed the floor plans with a large V where the tank would be. Then she pulled out another drawing that showed how the wall would look. It was a custom tank that would sit three feet off the ground and be two feet wide. She'd worked with a company in Portland that made custom tanks, and she handed Iian their business card. “They could give you an estimate on the costs. I think you will see an increase in sales at the bar, because the bar will be separated from the dining area, and people won't feel like they are on display. I've noticed your bar sales aren't as high as they could be because of this.”

  Iian liked the idea so much he got on the company’s website, and they spent the next hour looking over the information. She called them and relayed
all the details. They had an opening the week after Thanksgiving to drive down and take a look to give them a better estimate.

  She left work and headed home.. She'd made plans to stay at Luke’s house tonight and was running a little late heading over there, but she had a few boxes of items at her place for the party. She had the next two days off, and tomorrow was Luke's party. She was excited for it, but she was just as excited to get back to work on Monday, to start organizing the changes that would happen over the next few weeks.

  She parked and started walking up her stairs and was half ay up before she saw the woman standing on her landing. At first Amber thought it was another woman from town dropping off baked goods, or a well-wisher. But then the woman spoke, and Amber felt a bolt of lightning go down her spine.

  “Hello, Amber,” her mother said, looking down at her from the top of the stairs.

  Amber's hand fell away from the railing. She knew her chin had dropped and she probably looked like a dead fish staring up at her mother. It had been eight years since she'd seen the woman last. In that time, her mother had aged and grown very frail. She wore thick glasses and her hair was longer and tied in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Her long skirt flowed all the way to her shoes. The neck line of her shirt covered every inch of her underneath a large coat. Amber noticed the long sleeves went past her wrists. She looked like a women who had stepped out of the past. Almost every inch of her was covered with material.

  It took her almost a full minute to recover. “Hello, mother.” Amber finished walking up the stairs and opened her door. The chill in the air forced her to invite her mother inside.

  After removing her coat and hanging it up on the rack, she turned to her mother. “Can I take your coat?”

  “No, that won't be necessary. I won't be here long. I've come to ask you face-to-face to reconsider going to the court tomorrow for the special holiday hearing. Your father needs you. This is our last chance to fix the injustices served him all those years ago.”

  Amber's headache instantly came on. Her eyes narrowed and she could see a gray film cover her vision. She rubbed her forehead. “I've told you what happened that night. I wasn't lying. I saw it with my own two eyes.”

  “Eyes of a nine-year-old. You always had such an imagination. If you'd just go with me, explain that you question what you saw. That there is a chance that you didn't actually see it that way—”

  “Mother, stop!” Amber rubbed her head and walked to the windows, not really seeing the new snow as it started to fall. “I'm not doing this anymore. If you won't stand behind me, then you can stand on your own. I won't go to the hearing tomorrow. I won't ever tell someone I didn't witness my father killing a man in cold blood. I won't lie. If you can't accept that then I'd preferred never to hear from you again.” She kept her back to the room, not wanting her mother to see the tears streaming down her face. Her back was stiff, and when she heard her front door open and close, she knew she'd gotten her answer.

  She’d been standing there looking out the window for an hour when she heard the door open behind her, spinning around, she saw Luke standing there covered in snow a worried look on his face. Spinning around, she saw Luke standing there covered in snow, a worried look on his face.

  “Are you okay? I've been calling you for the last forty minutes.” He shook the snow from his coat and hung it on the rack, then walked towards her. She hadn't realized she was standing in a dark room until he flipped on the lights. When he saw her face, he rushed over to her and engulfed her in a hug.

  “What's wrong?” He kissed her head.

  “I'm sorry. I forgot my cell phone in the Jeep. I was just running in to grab those boxes, but she was there on my landing.”

  “Who?” He pulled back and looked at her.

  “My mother. She came to try to convince me to go to my father's hearing tomorrow.” She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes, realizing that her eyes stung.

  “I'm sorry,” he whispered. “Are you okay?”

  She shook her head no. “But I will be. I told her that if she wouldn’t take my side, then I didn't want to hear from her again. She left without another word.” It stung. Stung so much that fresh tears streamed down her face.

  He pulled her face up and looked her in the eyes, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks. Then he bent down and kissed her lips. “I'm so sorry, Amber. I can't begin to understand what you're going through, other than the feeling of loss.”

  She took a deep breath, and looking into his copper eyes, realized he'd been through much worse lately. Now, this party meant everything to him and to her. It was a way to tell themselves that this was their family. The people they'd invited tomorrow had replaced the blood relatives they’d lost, and the ones that simply had chosen not to be there.

  She took a deep breath again and smiled up at him. “We have a party to plan, and I'm running late getting everything over to your house.” She pulled back and wiped her eyes. “Now, if you'll help me carry down these boxes, we can get going.”

  When she opened the door to help him out, she gasped, “Oh! It's snowing.” He laughed behind her.

  “You stood there looking out a large window for an hour and just now noticed it was snowing?”

  “Well, I was preoccupied.” She laughed, “Okay, it does sound a little weird. I supposed I was reliving that night over and over again, trying to determine if I’d really seen what I’d thought I’d seen.” She opened the back of her Jeep so he could put the box inside and get it out of the snow. She closed it and turned to look at him. The snow hit his hair and instantly melted, making his hair look darker. Large flakes landed on his eyelashes and cheeks. “You forgot your hat and gloves.” She smiled at him.

  “I know. I seem to be forgetting a lot now that my grandmother isn’t around to remind me all the time.” He pulled her into a hug and kissed her as the snow silently fell around them.

  Chapter Sixteen

  By the time the first guest arrived the next day, Luke's house shined like it hadn't in years. He and Amber had spent several hours cleaning and reorganizing. She'd helped him optimize the space so that the room flowed better—her words not his. He had to admit, it did open the place up a lot. Now he didn't feel like he was going to be constantly hitting his shins on the chair as he walked by.

  She'd even helped him clean and organize his food shelves. She told him with this system—yeah, she'd called it a system—he'd be more efficient in the kitchen. He replied, “The last time we were in this kitchen together, I didn't hear you complaining about my efficiency.” He'd followed it up with a loud smack of a kiss and a quick slap on her butt.

  He should have known that Allison, Iian, and Conner would be the first ones to show up. Conner was a sturdy looking toddler, and he played with Jackie in the kitchen while Iian helped with the finishing touches in the kitchen.

  “Not that I don't trust your cooking. After all, I did spend a summer teaching you everything you know,” Iian had signed to him.

  “Right, then I taught you everything you know about women. That's why you're married to hot Ally.” They laughed as they worked in the kitchen. He was just putting the sweet potatoes in the oven when Todd and Megan walked in.

  “Come to give us a hand?”

  “God, no. Don't you know by now not to trust my wife in the kitchen?” Todd laughed and kissed his wife. She smiled and set her youngest, Riley, down on the floor to play with the puppy. Her fly-away blond hair had a pretty red bow in it today.

  “Where are your other two rug-rats?” He asked Megan as he kissed her cheek.

  “Oh, they're coming. They are just seeing the new baby. Aaron and Lacey showed up right behind us.” As if on cue, two kids came running into the room. Matthew, a rambunctious eight-year-old came first, and his sister, Sara, wasn't far behind him. They both plopped down on the ground and started playing with Jackie.

  “Kids, say hello to everyone first.” Megan sat down at the kitchen table.

  “Hel
lo,” both kids said without looking up from the dog. Everyone laughed.

  By the time all his guests had arrived, the place was packed and smelled of wonderful food. The kitchen table was loaded with dishes people had brought. Folding chairs and tables were brought in from the garage. Everyone made their way through the kitchen, grabbing heaping plates of food, then they filled every chair in his house to sit down and eat.

  He enjoyed the feeling of having friends over and knew it wouldn't be the last party he'd throw. He sat next to Amber as they ate at the main table in the dining room, surrounded by their only family, and he knew the path he wanted to take. He wanted Amber to be sitting beside him for the next party, and the next, and the next. His heart skipped a beat when he thought of her not being there. He could only imagine that this was how his grandparents had felt about one another.