Sugarplum Way

by Debbie Mason

  It was the only time Colleen questioned Sophie’s judgment, because there wasn’t one member of the Widows Club who could carry a tune. If Sophie wanted entertainment that would draw a crowd, she should be getting her husband and his brothers to sing, Colleen thought as she looked to where the Widows Club were gathering on the grand staircase.

  They were trying to keep their full skirts from knocking over the gold pots of poinsettias lining either side of the red runner. This year, their long dresses were green velvet and paired with white fake fur shawls and wide-brimmed bonnets.

  So far the women hadn’t managed to break into Jasper’s room. Not for lack of trying though. As soon as Kitty had recovered from her near-faint that day in the sitting room, the women had been on her like dirty shirts. Colleen knew she had to figure out something soon. Her plan to get Jasper’s eyes on Ida’s paper hadn’t worked as planned. Jasper was completely ignoring Simon’s attempts to get his attention these days. She’d thought by now the lad would have learned his lesson.

  At least the Widows Club would be occupied while the children were paying their visit to Santa. Colleen didn’t want to miss out on that. It was the first Christmas for Griffin and Liam’s sons, and neither George nor Ella Rose had attended the event before either: George because she’d lived in Kenya and Ella Rose because her parents were daft. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want their wee one to believe in Santa Claus? Colleen chuckled at the sight of Julia entering the manor in her red coat and hat. She’d like to be in the room when Aidan tried to explain Harper’s no-Santa rule to Julia.

  Colleen had heard through the manor grapevine that the couple were dating. She would have done a jig if not for the Widows Club’s determination to find her book. Aidan and Julia might not need any help from her in the matchmaking department, but Julia needed Colleen to protect her secret.

  She felt a little better when Julia handed her coat to Jasper. Sometimes Colleen thought she was all alone in her schemes, but it appeared her great-granddaughters-in-law were on the job today. Last year’s cute elf costume had been replaced by a sexy one. Julia wore black knee-high boots, red and white stockings, and a flared green velvet dress with a shiny black belt and a hood trimmed in white fur.

  Colleen walked to the entrance to try to gain Jasper’s attention before the parade goers arrived. Julia was admiring the display Jasper had created on the pedestal table. He’d made a red poinsettia tree with white poinsettias serving as the base. Colleen usually picked apart his floral arrangement to capture his attention but didn’t feel right doing so on such a special day.

  Instead, she moved to Julia’s side and tugged on the white pom-poms that hung on the strings from her hood.

  Jasper’s eyebrow went up, and then he looked around, presumably for Simon, his first clue that Colleen was around. “Perhaps you’d like to give Master Colin a hand with his costume. He’s playing Santa this year,” he said to Julia.

  “Yes, I know. It’s a shame that Fergus had to bail at the last minute, isn’t it?” Julia said with a grin, turning as the stately front door opened and Maggie walked in. “Yay!” She hugged the other woman. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you helping out.”

  “How could I say no after you introduced me to Lenny and helped me organize my wine and cheese party?”

  “Is he as talented as I think, Maggie?”

  “Incredibly so. His work reminds me a little of Andrew Wyeth. I just wish he’d see someone. Get some help.”

  “I know it probably doesn’t seem like much to you, but yesterday was a really big step for him. A month ago, he never would have gone to the studio on his own. We’ll talk later though.” Julia picked up a bag from the floor. “Right now, you have to get into your costume. You can change in the study like we all did.”

  “But, Miss Julia…” Jasper trailed off at the look Julia shot him before she hustled Maggie down the hall to the study. “Well, Madame, it appears the last of the Harmony Harbor Gallaghers will find their happily-ever-afters this year.” He smiled, watching Julia shove Maggie into the study and shut the door. “I must say Miss Julia and Miss Maggie will round out the family nicely.”

  From down the hall, they heard Maggie call out, “Julia, there’s been a mistake. Can you please let me out?”

  “Julia, open this door right now,” came Colin’s voice.

  “Sorry, it’s stuck,” Julia said, pulling so hard on the doorknob that she was practically sitting on the floor. “Jasper, help!” she half-whispered, half-yelled.

  “Coming, miss.” He chuckled. “I wonder if Master Aidan has any idea what he’s gotten himself into.”

  “We’ll soon find out,” Colleen said when Aidan pushed open the manor’s front door. Yes, indeed, we will, she thought, noting Ella Rose’s absence.

  Colin and Maggie’s shouts from the study drew Aidan’s attention. He turned his head, and a smile spread across his face.

  “Well, isn’t that a sight for sore eyes, laddie. If I didn’t already know Julia was the one for you, that smile would have decided it for me.”

  A small measure of her happiness disappeared at the thought of what would happen should Julia’s secret be revealed. Colleen had to find a way to warn Jasper.

  * * *

  “Well, that didn’t go as well as I had hoped,” Julia said, watching with a disheartened expression on her face when Aidan’s dad, dressed as Santa, scowled at the three of them and stalked from the study.

  “You forgot your beard and hat, Colin, um, Santa,” Jasper corrected as parade goers started to arrive at the manor.

  His dad harrumphed, turned around, and stalked back to the study. But he didn’t have to go inside to retrieve the rest of his costume. Maggie tossed him his hat and beard and then slammed the door.

  Julia hid her face on Aidan’s shoulder as Jasper helped a grumbling Santa on with his beard and hat.

  “It seemed like such a great idea when I first came up with it,” she said, her voice muffled.

  “You never know. Something good still might come of it,” he said, stroking her hair. “At least Maggie didn’t leave.”

  Julia lifted her head and smiled. “You’re right. There’s still lots of time to turn things around.” Stretching up on her toes, she gave him a quick kiss. “Thanks for trying to help.” She looked around. “Where’s Ella Rose?”

  “Uh, with Harper.” He had to distract her fast or his father wouldn’t be the only one ticked at him. “So you’re an elf again. Great-looking costume, sugarplum. Maybe after your shift we can—”

  “Why are you trying to distract me?” Her eyes widened. “Oh no, is Harper playing hardball with you again? She wouldn’t let Ella Rose come today?”

  For a brief moment, he considered throwing Harper under the bus. But sooner or later the truth would come out; it always did. “It’s not a big deal, okay? It’s just that Harper and I don’t believe in lying to kids, so…”

  Julia crossed her arms, and one of her sexy boots began to tap on the slate floor.

  “Ella Rose knows there’s no such thing as Santa Claus,” he finished quickly.

  “Oh no, that’s so sad. She’s only seven. I hate when that happens. Who told her? Someone at…” She stared at him. “No, you didn’t. Please tell me it wasn’t you.”

  “Okay, don’t go all angry elf on me. We had our reasons—”

  She raised her hand. “I can’t even.” And stomped off.

  An hour later, Julia’s mood obviously hadn’t improved.

  “Whoa, that is one ticked-off elf,” Liam said, leaning against the bar as he gently bounced his seven-week-old baby boy in his arms. He smiled at his wife, who was standing in line with Mia.

  “Okay, boys, raise your hand if you’ve ever seen Julia Landon without a smile on her face,” Griffin said, grinning at Ava, who was making Gabriel giggle while she and Lexi stood in the long line with the baby.

  No one raised their hand but Aidan. His brothers laughed at him.

  “If it makes
you feel better, bro, Olivia says I’m the only one who ever got mad at her, and look at us now.” Finn smiled, winking at his wife, who stood in line with George.

  To prove his brothers wrong, Aidan smiled and winked at Julia, who was talking to the kids and his brothers’ wives. She looked at him and gently knocked a fist to the side of her head with her thumb out.

  “Okay, I don’t read sign language, but I don’t think she’s telling you that she loves you,” Liam said.

  “Nope, she told him he’s a jerk,” Finn said, trying not to laugh, but Aidan heard the chuckle in his voice.

  “All right, it’s obvious you need our help. How badly did you screw up?” Griffin asked.

  “Leave it to me to get involved with Santa’s little helper,” Aidan grumbled, crossing his arms. His brothers waited him out. “Okay, Harper and I have never gone all out at Christmas. We keep it low-key. No Santa and—”

  “Wait. What did you just mumble?” Griffin asked.

  “No Santa. He said no Santa.” Finn glowered at Aidan.

  “Jeez, Finn, keep it down.” Liam covered the baby’s ears. “Uh-oh, you’re in real trouble now. Here comes George.”

  Aidan groaned when she bypassed Finn and walked straight to him. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes and said in her raspy little voice, “Julia says you’re not the Beast anymore. You’re the Grinch. If you let her, she’ll make your heart grow twice its size, and you’ll believe in Santa again.”

  “You’re so smart, sweetheart. If anyone can make your uncle Aidan’s heart get big, it’s Julia. I bet you that by Christmas Eve, he’ll be putting out snacks for Santa just like us,” Finn said.

  “He better or Julia won’t marry him. She can’t. You gotta have Christmas spirit if you marry Santa’s helper, you know.”

  He glared at his brothers, who were trying to keep straight faces. “Thanks for the advice, George. But I’m not—”

  Liam shut up Aidan with an elbow in his ribs.

  “Yes, you will. Me and Mia are talking to Santa about you. And Julia too.” George skipped off.

  “Looks like you better start picking out your wedding song, bro. Everyone knows a wish whispered in Santa’s ear comes true. Just look at me and Soph. We’re living proof that they do,” his baby brother said.

  Aidan rolled his eyes. “You do know that the man in the red suit and fake beard is Dad, right?”

  “Ah yeah, and it looks like his wish just came true,” Griffin said.

  They looked over to see Maggie sprawled on Santa’s lap.

  “How did that happen?” Aidan asked.

  “Julia stuck her foot out and tripped her.”

  * * *

  Colleen followed Jasper to his room. It had taken more than four hours to get his attention.

  “Given the mess you made of the library, I’m assuming this is what you were getting at, Madame. I still have the cleanup to take care of, so I hope it doesn’t take all evening for you to convey what it is you wish me to see in the book.”

  And there it was, her conundrum. She still had no idea how to warn him about Kitty and the Widows Club’s plan. She looked around his room as he went to the far wall to remove the landscape over his safe.

  Spotting a copy of the Harmony Harbor Gazette, she scanned the front-page articles for words that she could point out and then realized that wouldn’t do a whole heck a lot of good since he couldn’t see her finger.

  If only she had someone… George! Up until a week ago, the little girl had still been able to see Colleen. She should have thought of George before. Colleen rushed from Jasper’s room, down the stairs and into lobby, or the great room, as she thought of it. There were a few stragglers about, but she didn’t see any evidence of Finn, Olivia, and George. Or the Widows Club. She wasn’t sure whether that was a good sign or a bad one.

  She was on her way to the study when she came upon Aidan and Julia in the hall. They were kissing under the mistletoe. Now, that did her body good. And reminded her of how important it was that she found a way to convey the danger to Jasper. She walked into the study and almost walked through Maggie and Colin, who were kissing on the other side of the door.

  She didn’t need any more signs about the importance of somehow communicating to Jasper that the Widows Club were on the hunt for her book. That’s it, she had her answer. She called for Simon and had to wait for what felt like an eternity for Colin to let him in the study. She would have been amused to see her grandson so flustered by being interrupted by a cat if she didn’t have a job to do.

  “All right, Simon.” She pointed to a small photo on her desk. It had been taken more than a decade before when they’d started the Widows Club. “When I knock this onto the floor, you pick it up and scoot out the door as soon as Maggie leaves.”

  Colleen would have been overjoyed that the couple couldn’t seem to stop kissing if not for the gravity of the situation. She knocked the photo on the floor, and they jumped apart like a pair of guilty teenagers. It was only last year that she’d pulled the same trick on Liam and Sophie.

  “I should probably leave,” Maggie said, looking both flustered and pleased. “Would you and Miller like to come for dinner tonight?”

  “There’s nowhere we’d rather be.”

  “Oh, for the love of all that’s holy. You’ll see each other in an hour. Give it a rest,” Colleen said when they kissed again.

  Finally, Maggie opened the door, and Simon scampered by with the photograph in his mouth. Aidan and Julia were no longer in the hallway, and Colleen noticed the mistletoe had disappeared too. The journey to Jasper’s room wasn’t as fast as she’d hoped. Every so often, Simon had to rest, the photograph weighing him down. Then it took another five minutes for Jasper to answer Simon’s cries at the door.

  “Did I not make it clear, Madame, that I had things to do? I don’t have time for this.” He frowned and picked up the photo of the Widows Club that Simon had dropped at his feet.

  “Okay, now tug on Jasper’s trousers and make like you’re hunting a mouse, Simon.”

  The cat did what he was told. Jasper looked from the photo to Simon. “The Widows Club found a mouse?”

  “I don’t know, lad. You’re usually much sharper than this. Lovesick, that’s what his problem is, Simon. Until he gets over it, he won’t be much use to us, I’m afraid.”

  Erin, one of the manor’s waitresses, appeared. “Sorry to disturb you, sir. But we have a problem with one of the dinner guests. Mrs. Gallagher told me to get you.”

  Colleen went on high alert.

  Jasper didn’t. He slid the photo into his breast pocket and closed the door to follow after Erin.

  “Simon, stop him!” Colleen cried, hurrying through the door and into Jasper’s room. If she had a heart, it would have stopped. Jasper’s safe was open, and the book was on the bed.

  At the beep of the passkey, Colleen sighed in relief. “What were you thinking leaving the book out in the open, you daft lad?” She turned.

  It wasn’t Jasper. It was Kitty.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Thursday after the parade, Julia was turning her sign in the window to CLOSED when Lenny appeared at her door. He had the hood of his olive-green puffy jacket pulled low, a knitted gray hat pulled lower, and a gray wool scarf wrapped around his neck and face. Pretty much the only things visible were the bridge of his nose and his eyes.

  She opened the door and smiled. “Come on in.”

  “Nah, you’re closing.”

  “That’s okay. I’m always open for friends. Besides, I’m closed earlier than usual. It’s Girls’ Night Out.”

  “Yeah? What’s that?” he asked as he came in, taking a seat at the counter.

  “It’s a shopping night for ladies only. And because a lot of the business owners are women, we’re opening in shifts so we can all enjoy the evening and get some shopping done too. We have temporary liquor licenses so each store can serve a signature drink. Mine is a Hot Chocolate Martini with vanilla vodka and
Baileys.”

  He’d lowered his scarf and taken off his gloves. “You better be careful. You don’t want someone drinking at your store and then driving. You might get charged or sued if they’re in an accident.”

  “No one will be driving tonight. We’ve hired several horse-drawn sleighs to provide transportation, and there are drop-off and pick-up points all over town. Main Street will close in about an hour until midnight.” It was the one time Julia wished she lived somewhere other than Main Street. Maybe she’d walk to one of the pick-up points just so she could go for a sleigh ride. “Now, what can I get you? How about a hot chocolate and a double chocolate cupcake? Mackenzie made them, and they’re awesome.”

  “Sure. Thanks.” He reached in his pocket and put a twenty-dollar bill on the counter. She could tell by the way he did it and the expression on his face that this was a proud moment for him.

  “Hey, what’s this? Have you been holding out on me?” she asked, taking a cupcake from the bakery case.

  “Maggie sold one of my paintings.”

  “Lenny!” Julia dropped the cupcake and launched herself across the counter to hug him. “That is the most amazing news. I’m so proud of you. You must be over the moon. Tell me you’re over the moon.”

  His soulful brown eyes were warm and shiny. “Yeah, I think I’m almost as happy about it as you are.” He laughed and then sobered. “It wouldn’t have happened without you, Julia. I owe everything to you. And one day, I’m going to repay you.”

  “This is all the payback I need, Lenny. Truly.” She tilted her head. “Okay, maybe there’s one other thing that you could do for me. I want this to be the start of a wonderful new life for you. But I think, for that to happen, you need to talk to someone.”

  “I talk to you and the guys. And Maggie.”

  She sensed him shutting down and didn’t want to ruin his day. “I know, and you’re doing amazing. Just promise you’ll think about it, okay?” She turned to get him his hot chocolate. “This is definitely a triple whip-and-sprinkles kind of day, wouldn’t you agree?”