Taming Scrooge

by Summers, Sophia

  Holly had worked wonders. The table was set with a tablecloth and linen napkins, and it had a full basket of bread, two plates, butters and oils. “Shall we?”

  Star sat. Ezra enjoyed the happy confusion all over her face.

  “The first course.”

  They laughed. Star shared memories from the diner over the years. As they were finished their last bit of bread, she seemed to have difficulty swallowing. “Ezra. This was my mother’s favorite booth.”

  He could tell the moment was important to Star. “Where is she?”

  “She passed away.” Star looked away. “At Christmas time. Today is the anniversary of her death.”

  Ezra felt sick to his stomach, his own memories of his mother leaving, shuddering through him. “Star, I’m—”

  She reached for his hand. “Thank you. This is lovely. I feel closer to her than I have in years.”

  “What? Oh, well, you’re welcome. I had no idea. If I’d known, we probably wouldn’t have come here.”

  “I know. But that makes it extra special.”

  Perhaps. He wasn’t sure, but he was happy she saw it that way. He tried to shake the debilitating fears that waved through him. “Well, so that’s the first course.” He stood.

  “We aren’t staying?”

  “Oh no. We have a full night.”

  She followed him. “Now where are we going?”

  “All part of the surprise.”

  She laughed. “This is fun.” She reached for his hand this time and he inwardly thrilled.

  He led her the opposite direction from the car.

  “Don’t we need the car?”

  “We need a different form of transportation to go where we’re headed.”

  “OOOH, the mystery increases.”

  He led her across the street to a deserted parking lot. Helicopter turned on the lights as soon as they approached.

  “We’re going in that?”

  “Yes, are you comfortable flying with me?”

  “Like, you are the pilot?”

  “Well, no, but if I was, would that be a problem?”

  She laughed, but he could tell it might be.

  “I have a pilot. He’ll be taking us to our entrée this evening.”

  “Sounds exciting.”

  He held open the door and they climbed in. Then the engine started, the blades turned and he indicated they put on their headphones.

  “How is this?”

  “Fun! I’ve never been in a helicopter.”

  “I’ll have to take you up during the daytime so you can see everything below. It’s stunning. The mountain is one of the most beautiful from the air I’ve ever seen.”

  “I’d like that.”

  They flew for about thirty minutes, stretches of city lights passing beneath them. Star kept her eyes trained out the window, and Ezra focused on her. Her energy, happiness, her light lifted him. When talking to Star, he almost believed there was good in the word, that people weren’t all out for their own selfish purposes. He believed, sometimes, that he might one day experience Christmas without the feelings of hurt and dread that always came.

  They flew lower, and he knew they must be approaching. The familiar helipad landing spot on the resort felt like a welcome beacon to him.

  They landed and ducked low to run beneath the wind of the blades. They entered a door that the staff held open. “Welcome Mr. Stone, Miss Henley.”

  They were led through the beautiful familiar halls of his Del Terra resort, and at last they arrived in his private dining room. The table was set to their highest standards. A string quartet played softly in the corner.

  As soon as they were seated, napkins draped across their laps, drinks poured and orders taken, Star said, “This is lovely. Where are we?”

  “My closest resort, Villa Terrana.”

  She sipped her drink. “How many do you have?”

  “My father and I own five. I was touched by the ornaments on our tree. Mini resorts, such a clever idea. You found them all, well-researched.”

  “Thank you.” Her face lit with such pleasure he recognized how ill-conceived his complaints about the tree had been.

  “We’ve developed the land for countless, twenty or more all over the world, but we designed and built five of our own.” He was proud of them, some of the finest locations in the best resorts he’d ever stayed in.

  “And Sanders Corners makes six.”

  “An even six. It might be our last.”

  “Why?”

  He frowned. He didn’t really want to get into his father’s strange behavior, and he assumed it to be highly confidential. But he wanted to share things with her, hoped they could become closer. “My father had disturbing news this week. We’re not doing as well as I thought, as a company. A lot hinges on the success of Sanders Corners.”

  A shadow crossed her face. He could guess what she was thinking, and he hoped that neither of them wanted to discuss the gulf that stood between them when they considered the building of the new resort.

  He was grateful when she said, “Tell me about your childhood.”

  He relayed some stories, made her laugh, but she persisted. “I cannot understand where the aversion to Christmas comes from. You seemed to have a perfectly normal childhood.”

  He shook his head. “The only normal thing about it is it’s about as messed up as everyone else’s.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “My mom left Christmas day, basically telling my dad he could have me, and I haven’t heard a word from her since.”

  Her face softened, and she reached for his hand.

  “And you know? Besides my own and countless other heartbreaks, Christmas is just a set up for disappointment and rejection. The buildup of Christmas promises things the delivery could never make good on. No one gets what they really want. People go hungry, they’re more desperate; they’re reminded of all that they don’t have during the holidays. Everyone who doesn’t have the perfect postcard Christmas passes the holiday miserably.”

  “Now, I don’t believe that.”

  “You can believe it. Just because you have the postcard perfect…” He stopped. She didn’t.

  “I lost my mother on Christmas, too, Ezra.” Her voice was quiet, but calm.

  “I know, I’m sorry. I can’t figure out how you love it so much.”

  “Tell me your favorite memories from before. What happened the morning before your mom left?”

  He didn’t want to ruin the tone of dinner before it even started, so he tried to be positive. “It was awesome. One of the best I’d had. My mom came and sat by me at the foot of my bed. When I finally woke up, she smiled, she had the greatest smile. And said, ‘Good morning, Ezra. I have something special for you.’ I can still hear her voice.

  “Then she handed me a book. Filled with pictures of me and her, filled with her sayings. She had the best idioms. I don’t know why, but she loved idioms. Pictures of her loving me. And then on the last page the words, ‘I will always love you.’ In huge letters across the middle.”

  “That’s beautiful. I’d love to see it sometime.”

  His heart clenched and then went cold. “My father destroyed it.”

  Tears filled her eyes.

  “But, we aren’t talking about the rest of the day, just leading up to it, right? So, then we went down to breakfast where she’d had cook make all my favorite things. We talked and laughed and shared stories. We moved to the living room by the fire, and she read me two new Christmas books she’d bought. We dimmed the lights and stared at the twinkling Christmas tree in the early hours while the rest of the world woke up.”

  He hadn’t thought of any of this in years. The rest of the day became that much more painful when he thought of what happened next. “Then Mom said, ‘Your father’s going to wake up any minute. Things are going to be different now, but I want you to remember I love you, and I’ll be with you as much as I can.”

  “So, she was planning to leave and still be a
part of your life?”

  He shrugged. He’d puzzled over those words for longer than he could remember. The subject sat with dust and old leaves in his mind. “Father came in, saw us cozy together and asked if he could talk to her. The next thing I knew they were shouting and fighting and throwing things. I became scared and ran out to stop them, and that’s when I saw her run for the door, shouting back that father could have me.”

  Star’s tears trailed down her cheeks. Her face looked so stricken, he regretted sharing his burden.

  “I apologize. Never did I plan to tell you all that.”

  She shook her head. “I’m so happy you did. I have no idea what that experience has left you with as far as emotional stuff to deal with, but I can tell your mother loved you.”

  He shook his head. This was not something he wanted to discuss, but a small measure of hope lit in his heart when she said the words. “I’ll admit, it was good for me to talk about the moments leading up to her leaving. I’ve missed her.” There, he’d said the words. And he didn’t feel as childish as he thought he should, missing his mother.

  “I miss mine, too.”

  “Tell me about your mother.”

  “She was an angel.”

  Their food arrived. In between bites, she said, “She reminds me a lot of your mother.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “How so?”

  “Well, just in those small things you told me. She used to do the same on Christmas morning. I remember waking up to her smiling face at the foot of my bed. As if she couldn’t wait for the day to start. She would read stories to me, books she bought every Christmas. She made my favorite foods every Christmas morning, and we always had hot chocolate and cookies, every night, as much as we wanted, all through Christmas. She built my store, designed it herself and created an icon people from all over the world visit.”

  “Tell me more about your customers, your sellers, how you operate.”

  She explained about her buyers, the type of products she sold and her tremendous success. “We are mentioned in publications all through Europe. Even the Asian nations like to stop by. When they have reasons to be visiting.”

  “I hope my resort gives them an even bigger reason to spend time in Sanders Corners.”

  She shrugged. “Yes, I would like that, too, I guess. I’m not opposed to the resort, you know.”

  “I know. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

  They finished eating. “We have another stop.”

  “You are too much. This is incredible.”

  “When I take a remarkable woman on a date, I want to leave an impression.”

  She grinned.

  As they walked back to the helicopter, he said, “Thank you for helping me dredge through a bit of my past. I feel lighter than I’ve felt in years. Perhaps there was a part of my mother who loved me; maybe she really did, and it just got too difficult.”

  “It sounded like that to me.”

  “My father wasn’t the easiest person to live with.”

  She was quiet, just squeezed his hand in hers. He felt stronger from that little squeeze of her fingers than he had in a long time.

  Chapter 9

  Star joined the other shop owners for their monthly Main Street meeting at the café on Main Street, smiling and humming “O Christmas Tree.” She’d been smiling since her date with Ezra two nights previous.

  As soon as everyone was seated, the bakery owner said, “Star, the others don’t want to talk about it, but I’m gonna tell you straight up. I’m thinking about cashing in the money and getting my dream place somewhere else.”

  Star’s hands shook so she put them in her lap. “You...You’re leaving?”

  Grace held up her hands. “Now, I didn’t say that, but it’s mighty tempting. We got our offers in the mail this week. And they’re generous. More than we thought.”

  “But what about your families? The town?”

  The tandem bike rental owner, Matthew, piped up. “We won’t last a month in this town with a big resort taking all the business. They’ll get their own tandem bikes, have their own bakeries, sell their own Christmas trinkets, and no one will know they’re missing the real deal with us four streets over on some back alley.”

  She pinched the bridge of her nose. What had Ezra done? “I haven’t received my letter yet.” She felt sick. The world wavered at the edge of her vision. “If you all leave, I can’t stay alone. No one will walk all that way just for one store.”

  “Maybe you can work it out with your new boyfriend.” Mary at the children’s home did not look happy.

  “That’s unfair. He’s not my boyfriend. I’m doing everything I can to help change his mind. I promise you that.”

  “Seemed pretty cozy to me, and then taking off in his helicopter. Maybe you’re getting some special deal while the rest of us are just out of luck.”

  “I can’t believe you’d say that or think that about me.” Her eyes welled up. “And all of you, deserting this town? I thought I knew you all better than that. I thought you cared. But looks like you’re just worried about your own bottom line.”

  Grace patted her on the shoulder. “Of course we are, honey. Now, don’t get yourself all riled up. We have to be worried about our bottom line. How else do you think we’re gonna survive?”

  “Together. We survive together.” Star looked to Mary. “No buyout offer to you yet?”

  She shook her head. “Maybe he’s not interested in keeping us around after all.”

  “He has to provide a way for you to move. It’s part of his negotiations.”

  “Negotiations ain’t a done deal. They’re simply just what they say, up for change.”

  Star felt sick. “Well, ok, let’s talk about what we came to discuss. Is everything ready for the festival?”

  They each would decorate a tree out in front of their store, as part of the Parade of Lights and the Festival of Trees. Participants judged which trees they liked best as part of a raffle drawing, and three people’s names were drawn to take home the tree of their choice. The winning stores received the money from the raffle earnings.

  Everyone seemed ready for the part they would play in the festival and no one wanted to linger. Within thirty minutes, everyone was gone. Star sat alone at the back of the cafe. Her food sat untouched, her hot chocolate growing cold. What was happening to her town? Her street?

  She twirled her fork and stared without seeing out the window at her side. Motion distracted her and she blinked. Ezra stood in her direct line of sight, waving and holding flowers. Poinsettias. She smiled; she couldn’t help it. She waved him in.

  He hefted two huge pots of poinsettias. “You do like these, don’t you?”

  “I do! Of course. Please set them on the table in front of us.”

  He did and then joined her. He leaned closer, reminding her of his sizzling hug from last night. They’d ended the date full of lingering promise and yearning for more. His voice, its deep bass, tingled through her. “I’ve been thinking of you non-stop since our date.” He looked so great, newly shaven, as handsome as she’d ever seen him. His eyes sparkled into her own and then, after a moment, dimmed. “But how are you? You seemed troubled through the window.”

  She sighed. What could she say to him, the man who was ruining it all? You’re destroying my life but I’m falling for you anyway? “I’ve had some difficult news this morning.” And I’m tempted to try to dismantle your company. Or I’m determined to stop your influence in this town. Neither of those sounded like promising responses.

  He tapped his fingers on the table. “The shop owners got their letters, though. That had to be great news for everyone.”

  Her eyes shot up in surprise. “Yes, they seemed pleased with overly generous offers from you.” She folded her napkin. “The children’s home hasn’t received one yet.”

  He nodded. “We’re working on something special for them. They’re a different case in many ways and require more research.”

  She couldn’t ask
about her own. She didn’t want to know. It was too painful. Her letter probably sat with the other store mail on her desk.

  “Yours hasn’t been sent yet either.”

  “Oh?” Surprised, she waited, but he didn’t say more, just watched her. Finally, he said simply, “But it will. I hope you’ll be pleased.”

  She nodded. “Ok.” Her whisper barely made it past her lips. At once it was all too overwhelming.

  He stood and reached for her hand. “Come now. Here. I’m sorry.” He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her back. She fit so perfectly. He smelled so wonderful. She tried to forget their situation because she wanted this, wanted him. Then his lips pressed to the top of her head. She pulled back, just far enough to try to read his expression. His eyes filled with caring. He held her close and pressed his lips on her forehead, then her nose. He wiped her tears with his thumb.

  She lifted her chin, unable to resist the feel of his mouth on her own, and when his softness rippled across her lips, pressing and questioning, she lost herself to him. She responded as she’d wanted to since their date. Her arms around his back tightened and he cradled her close. When he pulled away, he whispered, “You are becoming something special to me. I’ve never felt this way about anyone else.”

  She swallowed. And nodded.

  Then he cleared his throat, gaze darting around the nearly empty café. “But I certainly didn’t plan on that today. Not that I’m complaining.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Perhaps we could continue tonight? After ice skating?”

  “Sure, yeah. Pick me up at the store. We can walk over.”

  “You got it.” Then he bent down and picked up her poinsettia pots. “I’ll drop these off at your store on my way out.”

  She waved as he left and again as he walked past her window. What was she getting herself into? Falling in love with the man who held her store in the palm of his hands.

  No. She refused to be a victim by even such a charming man. She flipped open her laptop to do a little research into Ezra Stone’s developing company and why his father was so desperate for this one deal to work out.