by Debbie Mason
Colleen could work with that. She walked through Ida’s upper body, headed to the center of the circle, and lay on her stomach by the board. She put all her energy into her forefinger and touched the yellow planchette. When the plastic heart began moving around the board, the women gasped, some placing a hand over their mouths while the others placed one at their throats. By the time Colleen had spelled out Touch. The. Book. And. Die, she was exhausted.
Ida, who’d been writing out the letters, read them aloud.
Colleen managed a smile when Kitty looked about ready to faint. Now all Colleen had to do was bring the piece of paper in Ida’s hands to Jasper’s attention. He needed to know the book was in danger.
* * *
Julia put two shots of expresso in a white mug with MERRY AND BRIGHT stamped in gold on it. She then added a dash of gingerbread syrup and a dollop of gingerbread-flavored whipping cream, and topped it off with crushed gingerbread cookies. Resting her elbows on the counter in her coffee shop, she brought the mug to her nose with a happy sigh. It smelled like Christmas in a cup. The perfect way to end a perfect day.
Today’s sales had doubled over last year’s, and her throat was no longer sore thanks to another forty-eight hours of lounging in her jammies under the directive of Dr. Gallagher. Not the real one. Aidan, who’d apparently appointed himself her personal unlicensed physician, had insisted she take another couple of days off work. Since her staff were more than happy for the extra hours, she took advantage of the free time to work on Warrior’s Touch.
It was the first holiday she’d had in years, and she’d never felt more relaxed and happy. No doubt sending off Warrior’s Touch to her editor this morning was partially responsible for lifting the crushing weight from her shoulders.
She did a little shimmy-shake to celebrate and took another sip of her coffee. She didn’t linger on the fact that her manuscript was still technically late. Her editor was thrilled, and so was she.
But it was Aidan who was truly responsible for the endorphins rushing through her body and lighting her up inside like a Christmas tree. If he hadn’t read her manuscript, she’d still be stuck in revision hell, trying to find a way to disguise Adrian’s likeness to Aidan. She didn’t have to worry about that now. He was out there for all the world to see—her perfect crush.
Perfect might be stretching it a bit. Not on the outside, of course. There was no denying that physically the man was absolute, mouthwatering perfection. She knew this because she’d routinely had to check for drool just from sitting close to him and casting him sidelong glances.
She didn’t have the same problem when he opened his mouth. He was a true alpha: bossy, broody, and bullheaded. And what was most annoying was that, after spending, like, a day with her characters, he thought he knew them better than she did, especially Adrian. Sometimes, even though Aidan could send her hormones off the charts with just one look, she wanted to send him home.
But then she’d catch a glimpse of her marshmallow man. Usually when he thought she was overdoing it or that she needed to eat, and then there were the times when she’d catch him watching her with a tender expression on his face.
And those were the times when she should have kicked him out. Because that’s when she began playing the “what if” game. As she knew from experience, that was a very dangerous game to play. Especially when she found herself looking at him and “what if” became “I do.” Like in, Yes, I really do love you. Yes, I’ll go to the chapel with you and say I do. Yes, I’ll have your babies too.
It was probably a good thing Aidan no longer had a reason to hang out at her apartment. Her strep throat had cleared up, she wouldn’t receive revisions on her manuscript for at least another couple of weeks, and Aidan was back at work on Monday. Sadly, there was only a small part of her that seemed to agree that not being with Aidan every day was a good thing.
Julia took a sip of her coffee and glanced out the window. Her eyes went wide. “Snow!” she cried at the sight of the fluffy white flakes drifting lazily from cotton-candy clouds.
She hurried around the counter to the front door. The cars parked along Main Street were already lightly dusted with the white stuff. It looked like they were going to get their first real snowfall of the season.
It was just what Julia needed to return her to her happy place. There was nothing that put her in the holiday spirit faster than snowflakes falling from the sky. It pretty much guaranteed that tomorrow would be busier than today at the store. Snow seemed to signal the Christmas countdown alert in her customers’ brains better than any advertising she had ever done.
But not everyone would be happy about the arrival of winter. She thought of Lenny, a vet who’d served in Iraq. She’d met Lenny last summer. She’d been picking up litter in the village green and had mistakenly put a bag of half-eaten potato chips in the trash. In Lenny’s eyes, she’d stolen his dinner.
She wouldn’t lie: Her heart had skipped a beat when he stormed out of the woods. All she saw was this big guy in tattered jeans and a grungy T-shirt, his dark blond hair as scraggly as his beard, coming at her. But she did what her brothers had taught her and visually checked him for weapons and intent, and then she stood her ground.
Actually, her two oldest brothers would have told her to get her butt out of there and fast. Her younger brother, he’d do the same as she had. Neither of them were the type to run scared. She was small, but she was no coward. She wasn’t an idiot either. If she’d gotten even a hint that Lenny might harm her, she would have dropped the trash and left.
But she saw something in his soulful brown eyes that made her stick around. She’d bought him hot dogs and fries from the food stand nearby. She’d been checking on him a few times a week ever since. He refused to go to the VA or a shelter. As far as she knew, he didn’t have family.
Along with Julia, a couple of the guys from town who were also vets looked out for him. The war had broken Lenny. She thought maybe it had been worse for him because, like Josh, Lenny had the soul of an artist. When he’d moved from the village green to the fishermen’s shacks in early November, she’d discovered that he loved to paint.
In the spring and summer months, local artisans sold their wares out of the brightly colored fishermen shacks, and Lenny had found a brush and some old paints that he’d been able to use. On the wall of the shack, he’d painted a stark winter seascape. The true extent of his talent wasn’t revealed until Julia brought him new brushes, paints, and canvas to work with. In a week, he’d filled the shack with paintings so realistic and haunting they made Julia’s heart hurt. She wanted to talk to Maggie about him, but he refused.
Julia hadn’t seen Lenny since last week and decided to pay him a visit. Caleb had been looking out for him while she’d been sick. Lenny would sometimes stop by for a coffee and muffin, but only when Julia was alone at Books and Beans. She’d bring him both tonight, and an extra sleeping bag, scarves, and mittens too.
If he was having a good day maybe she’d try to get him to agree to go to a shelter. Knowing how low the chances of that happening were, she played with the idea of setting up a place for him in her storage room—an idea she’d best keep to herself. Caleb and his friends would pitch a fit if she brought it up again. They’d shut her down when she suggested Lenny stay with her before. As much as she didn’t like to admit it, they were probably right. She’d seen Lenny in a rage once before and didn’t know what had set him off. Then again, she hadn’t entirely understood what set her mother off that long-ago night. The night that had changed everything for both of them.
Not today, she told herself. She wasn’t going to think anything but good thoughts today. It was a happy day, a day to celebrate. But her friends were busy. Unlike Julia, they were all in relationships at the moment. And Aidan and Harper were meeting with Julia’s Realtor friend at their place in Newton. Aidan had been there last night too. Harper had invited him to Ella Rose’s birthday.
Julia hadn’t spoken to him since the party, so sh
e wasn’t sure how it had gone. Her Realtor friend was the one who’d told her about tonight’s meeting when she’d called to thank Julia for the lead. She had an interested client already.
Which meant Julia should be over the moon. Her job as Aidan’s fairy godmother was almost at an end. She was happy for him, she really was, and she was grateful too. Grateful that she’d been able to play a small part in helping him find his happily-ever-after. Even if that happily-ever-after didn’t include her.
A small, depressing weight settled heavily on her chest. Aidan not calling was bothering her more than she’d realized or wanted to acknowledge. Or maybe she just had time to think about it now that she was alone.
Suddenly the lyrics from “All by Myself” were playing in her head. Nice. Thank you, brain, for pulling that oldie but goodie out of my memory bank. Oh well. What the heck. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, she thought, and belted out the lyrics to the song as she opened the bakery case to take out three muffins for Lenny. She added sugar cookies to the box and decided to bring him hot chocolate instead of coffee. She’d have her turning-in-the-manuscript celebration with Lenny.
The words by myself warbled in her throat as once again her thoughts turned to Aidan. He’d known she was sending off the manuscript this morning and hadn’t bothered to call. Julia bowed her head. She’d been better off when the only interactions she had with Aidan Gallagher were in her dreams and within the pages of her books.
Chapter Fourteen
The end,” Aidan said from where he lay half in and half out of Ella Rose’s princess bed. He returned the book to the nightstand.
“No, Daddy, you’re supposed to say and they all lived happily ever after.”
As he repeated the words back to her, his chest got tight. Along with the question in his little girl’s eyes, he saw hope. He understood why. Things had been better with Harper over the past week. They hadn’t fought, and Ella Rose had noticed.
Tonight, his ex had taken it a step further, acting as if they were back together. She’d said as much to the Realtor. Aidan had caught Ella Rose peeking around the hall corner and listening with a smile on her face when she was supposed to be in bed. He’d gotten her back to her room with the promise of a story, but obviously, the damage had been done.
He couldn’t put the entire blame on Harper. After all, it was Julia who’d put the idea in his ex’s head. Not that it had taken much effort on Julia’s part. From the day Aidan had left, Harper had been using whatever means at her disposal to win him back. He honestly didn’t understand why. Though sometimes he’d wondered if it was because Harper had never failed at anything, and thanks to her doting older parents, she’d gotten everything she’d ever wanted and didn’t handle disappointment or rejection well.
There was part of him that didn’t want to rock the boat. Just the possibility that they’d sell the house had him feeling more hopeful for his future than he had in years. Yet he couldn’t let Ella Rose start believing in a fantasy where they’d all live happily ever after. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt his little girl and damage the progress he’d made in the past couple of days, but it was important she knew the truth. He’d never lied to her before. He wasn’t about to start now.
“You know, pumpkin, mommies and daddies and their kids don’t have to live in the same house to have a happily-ever-after.”
Her bottom lip quivered. “You’re not going to live with us in the new house like Mommy said?”
“No, baby, I’m not.” He put his arm around her and held her close. “I’m sorry. I don’t like making you sad. Mommy and Daddy weren’t happy together, pumpkin. It happens sometimes. It’s no one’s fault. And it doesn’t mean we love you any less. You’re the most important thing in our world. I know it’ll be tough for you to move to Harmony Harbor and change schools, but I think it’ll be good for all of us. I can see you more and help out Mommy.”
Ella Rose played with the button on his shirt. “Sadie is moving too. And George says her school is way more fun than mine. She’s going to talk to her teacher and get us in the same class. We’re going to have tea parties at the manor and go on treasure hunts too.”
Leave it to George, he thought with an inward laugh. He owed the kid. Ella Rose was handling the idea of moving better than he could have hoped.
He was about to share a couple more selling points with her when she yawned and snuggled closer. “Can you sing to me, Daddy?”
“Sure, pumpkin.” If only the conversation would go as well with her mother, he thought, as he began to sing “Over the Rainbow” to his little girl.
It might have, if Harper hadn’t met him outside Ella Rose’s room with tears shining in her eyes. She gave him a watery smile. “I’ve missed that. So has she.”
He placed a hand at the small of Harper’s back, guiding her away from Ella Rose’s room. “That’s why living close by is a good idea. Even when I’m working, I can drop in on my breaks. I can come by and tuck Ella Rose into bed at night, help her with her homework. It’ll be better for you too. You won’t feel like you’re doing this on your own.”
Her hand pressed to her chest, Harper stopped at the top of the stairs. “What do you mean? I thought the whole point of me moving to Harmony Harbor was so we could get back together.”
“I’m not being a smart-ass, but we’ve been divorced for a couple of years now, Harper. I don’t understand why you think anything has changed between us. And honestly, I have no idea why you’d even want to get back together. All we ever did was fight. It wasn’t good for either of us. We weren’t happy. The best thing that came out of our marriage was Ella Rose,” he said as he reached the bottom of the stairs.
“You don’t understand why I’d want to get back with you?” Harper asked as she came to stand in front of him, her voice tight, her cheeks flushed. “I’m forty and a single parent, Aidan. I don’t want to be alone the rest of my life. But that little girl up there is my life. What if I meet someone, and I let him into our world, and he turns out to be a sociopath or a pedophile or a stalker or—”
That was the problem with Harper’s job. As a psychiatrist, she’d dealt with a lot of unsavory characters, including the criminally insane. “I get it, okay. Our jobs put us in contact with some really bad people. But you’re smart, Harper. You’d know if something was off with the guy, and if you had any worries, all you’d have to do is pick up the phone and call me. I’d check him out. Simple as that. And a lot simpler and safer if you live close by. I think moving to Harmony Harbor is a good idea for all of us. I really do. And to be completely honest, the mortgage payments here are killing me.”
She twisted the strand of pearls she wore with her black sweater. “I understand what you’re saying, I do, but I’m concerned about uprooting Ella Rose. Eventually, I’ll be able to pay my share. Just not yet. Though you should know that I’ll never agree to joint custody wherever we live.”
“That’s not fair. I love Ella Rose as much as you do. I’m a good father.” He walked down the hall to the kitchen as he spoke, trying to keep his voice low and his anger under control.
“I’m not being a bitch,” she said, following him into the kitchen. “I know that’s what your family thinks, but they have no idea the psychological problems a child of divorce can develop. If you saw what I did in my practice, you’d understand. Ella Rose needs me, Aidan.”
“Are you sure it isn’t the other way around?” he asked quietly.
* * *
On his way back from Boston, Aidan drove down Main Street. His foot eased off the gas pedal when he spotted the sign for Books and Beans. Like the rest of the shops along the street, Julia’s outdoor Christmas lights were on, but other than a faint glow from her security lights, the store was dark. His gaze lifted to her apartment. There was a soft pool of light in her bedroom window.
He knew her home intimately now. And he’d begun to feel like he knew her the same way. She ate peanut butter straight from the jar when she was trying to figure o
ut something in her book. She wouldn’t wear anything that wasn’t soft to the touch. She talked to her plants and her fish. She was happiest when she was reading or writing or having deep conversations with her friends or walking in the snow. She was curious, and her mind never stopped. Sometimes in the middle of a conversation, she’d get this look on her face, and he’d know she was thinking about her story, writing in her head.
There was nothing fake about her. You got exactly what you saw, a funny, warm woman, who was kind and caring and a little quirky. He liked her passion and ambition, the joy she took in the simple things, the way her purple eyes darkened when she looked at him. If he was honest, he pretty much liked everything about her. It’s why he’d vowed to keep his distance when he’d left her place yesterday afternoon. At least for a while.
He pressed on the gas and left her apartment in the rearview mirror. The temptation to check on her rode him hard all the way home. It was annoying and unnerving.
His dad looked up from the hockey game he was watching on TV when Aidan walked in the house. “How did it go?”
“The Realtor’s clients loved the house. Supposedly they’ll be coming in with an offer in the next twenty-four hours.”
“That’s fast. How do Harper and Ella Rose feel about it?”
Aidan hung up his jacket. “Now that it’s looking like it might actually happen, I think Harper might be having second thoughts. Ella Rose just found out her best friend is moving, so it’ll make it easier for her. She likes the idea of having the family close by and seeing more of George and Mia.”
“How do you feel about it, son?”
“Honestly? I should have insisted we sell the house when we divorced. I let Harper know tonight that, one way or another, I’m done. Julia’s right. I can’t keep this up. And it’s not like we could make a go of co-parenting with me here and them in Boston anyway.” Though after his conversation with Harper tonight, he’d told his lawyer to withdraw his petition for joint custody for now. As long as Aidan could see his little girl whenever he wanted, he’d hold off until Harper was in a better place. He was hoping by then they could come to an agreement on their own.