by Nancy Naigle
“He’s the boss,” she said.
“I don’t get it. What do you mean?”
“On Black Friday I drove over to Christmas Galore, just to see how many people were there at one-thirty in the morning.”
“Angela! You didn’t.”
“I did. And I saw him, and I almost went inside the store just because he was standing there.”
“What stopped you?”
“One of the employees ran out to catch up with him. He called him ‘boss.’”
Emma fell silent. “That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s the boss of Christmas Galore. It could be a nickname.”
“Oh, he’s most definitely the boss. I was just there. He introduced himself.”
“Wow.” A nervous giggle escaped Emma. “I can honestly say this is the last thing I expected to hear when I came over.”
“I’m so embarrassed. And mad. And … I don’t know … humiliated, I guess.” She pushed her hair from her face. “He said my store is as outdated as wool underwear.”
“Well, that was just plain uncalled for.” Emma threw a dismissive hand in the air. “It doesn’t matter. Pleasant Sands will never award him or that store of his with the town’s Landmark award. Do I need to pull out my copy of the article from the PS News to remind you of how much Heart of Christmas means to the people in this town? I’ve got it in my scrapbook.”
It was true. The Pleasant Sands newspaper, PS News, had written up a glowing article about the store and its history just last season. Every paper in the state had picked it up, bringing new customers in from all over North Carolina. That had been so exciting. But now, things had taken a turn for the worse.
What was it that Christmas Galore had that she didn’t?
Wait a minute. There’s one important thing I have that Geoff from Christmas Galore doesn’t! Connections in this town. “Hand me my phone.”
Emma picked Angela’s phone up from the coffee table and tossed it to her.
“Game on.” Angela swiped her finger across the screen and typed in a number.
Chapter Thirteen
Dear Santa,
This app is the best thing ever.
Could you add a checklist so I don’t have to write everything down? It’s hard to remember every commercial.
Kevin from the nice list
Geoff stared at the morning news in disbelief. “I can’t believe I thought she was so pretty.” He grabbed for the remote on his desk, swearing under his breath.
“Hey, boss.” Chandler stood just outside of Geoff’s office. “Are you still talking about your coffee shop hottie?”
“Pfft.” Geoff shook his head. “She’s crazy.” He pointed the remote toward the television on the wall and turned up the volume. “Have you seen this?”
Chandler stepped in the office just in time to hear Angela Carson say, “He told me that he didn’t care if parents spend half their paycheck on cheap trinkets that may or may not make it through the holiday while their kids slurp cheap sticky syrup.” She tossed her head, dark hair swinging around her proud shoulders. He could see the beginnings of a bruise on her cheek where that snowball had hit her. He prayed the field reporter wouldn’t mention that.
“You know how to pick ’em.” Chandler snickered. “The owner of the only store on our competitive analysis. I don’t think she’s in to you, boss.”
The news reporter held the mic back to Angela. “Oh yes, well, the snow at Christmas Galore is made out of the ice they use for those sno-cones. An icy snowball hit me.” She touched her cheek with a flair of drama, including a wince as her fingers brushed her bruise. “The snow we have in Snow Valley is—”
Geoff turned off the TV and tossed the remote to the side. “Really?” At least she hadn’t made it sound like he’d hit her with the snowball on purpose. He hung his head. “It’s been on every local station.”
“Did you really say that?”
Geoff nodded, but didn’t lift his head. He could kick himself for letting loose on her. “She caught me off guard. She wasn’t nice to me either.”
Chandler’s brows flickered. “Yeah, but no one is telling that side of the story.”
“Who knew she was hiding a venomous arsenal under those pretty brown eyes?” The corner of Geoff’s mouth twisted. “Hopefully this will fade away before Virgil gets back in town. He’ll never let me live this down.”
“She’s like the town sweetheart. People say anything you want to know about this town … she knows. You’d better make nice with her, or the next two years in Pleasant Sands are going to be anything but pleasant for you.”
“I don’t know how she got this to the news so fast. And that snowball … that was an accident. She didn’t say that.”
Both Chandler and Geoff said at the same time, “She’s the town’s sweetheart.”
“Maybe she’ll be at the tree lighting. You could apologize to her there,” Chandler suggested. “I hear everyone in town goes. People standing around waiting for a tree to light up seems like a pretty safe place to get a minute with her.”
Geoff hated the thought of giving in to her after such a public display, but it wouldn’t do to get on the wrong side of the townspeople this early in the game. “When is the Christmas-tree lighting?”
“It’s on Christmas Eve.”
“I can’t wait that long!” Geoff’s phone rang out with the familiar ho-ho-ho. “Great. Mom has probably already heard what happened. Hang on.” He answered the phone sounding as lively as possible. “Hey, Mom. Good morning.”
“Is this Geoff Paisley?”
“Um?” The man’s voice caught him off guard. “Who’s calling?”
“This is Garvy. I own the restaurant down at the pier. Is Geoff Paisley available?”
Geoff paused long enough to let that sink in. “Yeah. This is Geoff. Hey, Garvy. How are you? Did my mom leave her phone?”
“No. I’m sorry to call with bad news, but she was here for breakfast. I’m not sure what happened, but the ambulance just left with her. She was alert when they left.”
“I’ll go,” Chandler whispered and turned to leave.
What the heck? Geoff grabbed Chandler’s arm, motioning him to wait. “Did she fall? Is she okay?”
“They just took her to County General Hospital. Her phone was here on the counter. I wanted to be sure someone contacted you.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll head there now. Hang on to the phone. I’ll send someone over to pick it up later. Thank you for calling.” Geoff ended the call, still letting the details sink in.
“Your mom?”
“They’re taking her to the hospital.”
“What happened?”
“Not sure. She was having breakfast in the restaurant at the pier. The owner called me from her phone. I wonder if she tripped and fell. I’m always telling her not to wear those high heels. Especially on the pier. That’s just an accident waiting to happen.”
Chandler nodded. “You better go. Let me know if there’s anything I can do once you find out what’s going on.”
“I will.” He went straight out to the parking lot, gunned the engine of his car, and headed for County General Hospital, using every bit of horsepower under the hood of his Mercedes.
Luckily every single traffic light was green so he didn’t have to slow, or run one. Something he’d paid more than his fair share of tickets for.
His mom was spry. She’d give women twenty-five years her junior a run, and she did not like to be slowed down.
Geoff was amused at the picture in his mind of Mom giving the doctors and nurses a hard time. They’d probably thank him for showing up.
He followed the blue hospital signs, then turned into the parking lot in front of the Emergency Room.
The shiny metal and green glass hospital looked starkly out of place around here, where most things had a cottagey look and pastel colors. He parked, and jogged across the lot.
Glass doors opened as he walked up. The huge waiting room was probably full du
ring tourist season, but today there were just a few people scattered across the vast space. It was eerily quiet.
The check-in desk was clear across the ballroom-size waiting area. Who the heck thought that was a good idea for sick and hurt people?
His leather loafers tapped against the beige concrete epoxy flooring. There was no way the lady behind the desk hadn’t heard or seen him come in, but she didn’t even lift her gaze from the computer.
“Excuse me. I understand my mother was just brought in by ambulance.”
“Your name, sir?”
Seriously? The place is nearly empty. Seems like a simple deduction to me. He cleared his throat. “Geoff Paisley. My mother is Rebecca Paisley.”
“Paisley?” The woman’s eyes narrowed, then she smiled a toothy grin and propped her elbows on the desk. “Oh gosh, are you any relation to Brad? I love Brad Paisley. His songs just crack me up. Isn’t he playing Raleigh soon?”
Wasn’t the first time he’d gotten that, but this wasn’t the place for that kind of dillydallying. “No relation. How’s my mother?”
“Oh. Yes.” The woman leaned closer to her screen. “I’ve got her right here. Let me get someone to update you.”
“Can’t you do that? There must be something on that little screen. How is she?” Why couldn’t anyone answer a simple question these days?
“I don’t have that information. Have a seat and someone will be right with you.” She turned her back to him and made a call.
He began to insist on information, but then he shut his mouth. No sense making a scene. Especially after what happened after the last one.
The television was just loud enough that he couldn’t make out the conversation the woman was having on the phone. On a bright note, if his mother were in any real danger certainly the woman would have had that information.
A steady stream of chatter about the latest drugs to help depression and erectile dysfunction and convincing arguments to quit smoking blasted from the televisions around the room. What he needed right now was a drug for patience, because his was running thin.
This hospital didn’t have the sense of urgency he’d like to see from the people taking care of his mother in an emergency.
The woman finally put down the phone, but still didn’t offer an update. Instead, she slipped out from behind her desk and down the hall.
“Seriously?” he said to the three other people still sitting in the waiting room. What kind of customer service is that? If I ran this place I’d make a change to that, tout de suite. But he didn’t run it, so he’d just have to wait, just like he had to wait to make the changes he wanted to Christmas Galore. Not one of his strongest skill sets.
A door swung open across the way.
Geoff turned, anxious for an update about his mother.
Virgil strode into the room carrying a cup of coffee.
“Virgil?” Geoff pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. He hadn’t missed any phone calls. “Were you with her? I didn’t even know you were back.”
“I got back late last night. They just took her to do some tests.”
“How is she? What happened? And who called you?”
“Don’t know. I’m just as worried as you are. She collapsed at the restaurant. I came as soon as I got the call.” He put a hand on Geoff’s shoulder.
“Well, somebody knows something.” Geoff pounded on the desk hoping to get the receptionist’s attention. “Miss, I need some answers.”
“Slow down,” Virgil said in an even tone.
“Why would they call you instead of me?”
“That’s really not where our focus should be right now.”
Geoff’s jaw clenched.
“She probably didn’t want to worry you.”
“I don’t like this.” It was hard to control things if he didn’t know what was going on. “Are we just supposed to sit around and wait?”
“Mr. Paisley?” An ER physician dressed in blue scrubs and a white coat approached him from across the room.
“Yes. Dr. Flagg,” Geoff read his name on his jacket as he shook the doctor’s hand. “I don’t have any information except that she was brought in. How is she? What happened?”
“Hey, doc,” Virgil said.
“Virgil,” he said with a nod.
Geoff glanced between the two men.
“We’re running some tests. With her history of heart problems and the medications she’s taking, we want to check her out thoroughly after this episode.”
“Her history?” What was this guy talking about? “Episode?”
“I’ve contacted her cardiologist. He’s going to stop in later today. Meanwhile, we’re going to get her moved to ICU, where we can keep her under careful watch. The next couple of days she’ll need to rest.”
“I think you’ve made a mistake. Are we talking about Rebecca Martin Paisley?”
“Yes,” Dr. Flagg said, flashing a quick glance toward Virgil.
Geoff swiveled toward his friend. “Virgil?”
The doctor looked from one of them to the other. “I’ll be back to give you an update as soon as we have more information.”
Mom would give him a straight answer. “Before you go, can I see her?”
“Yes. Keep it short, please.” The doctor waved toward one of the nurses. “Nurse Jones will take you back.”
Geoff turned to Virgil. “Are you coming?”
“I’ve already been back. You go talk to her. I’ll wait here.”
Geoff shook the doctor’s hand then fell into step behind the nurse to the curtained room where his mother was.
Looking an odd shade of gray against the blue-and-white hospital gown, his mother reached her hand toward him as he walked in.
“Sorry, son. I know you’ve got a million things on your plate this week.”
“You have a heart problem?”
She squeezed his hand, but she didn’t deny it. “Please be sure to stop down at the pier and pay Garvy for my breakfast. Goodness gracious, this is embarrassing.” She smoothed her hand along the sheet.
“Garvy called me. You left your phone there. Good thing, else I may not have known at all.” He tried to contain his anger. “Don’t be embarrassed. I doubt Garvy thinks you pulled this stunt to get a free breakfast.”
Virgil walked into the room.
Geoff was aggravated by it, but kept his attention on his mother. “Virgil knew. Were you not going to tell me?”
“Virgil knows a lot of things. He’s my best friend. My confidante.”
“I’m your son.”
“And I’m still your mother. How is business? Is the new store keeping up with the chain goals?”
“It is,” Geoff said. “And you couldn’t even call me to tell me you were in the hospital?”
“I would have called you if there was anything to tell you.”
“You’re in the hospital. They are moving you to ICU. That’s something to tell.”
He turned on Virgil. “Were you there when it happened?”
Virgil shook his head. “Not this time.”
“So you called Virgil instead of me?” Geoff’s gut twisted. A bruise on his mother’s cheek was already starting to color. “How did you hurt your cheek?”
She reached for her face, wincing when her fingers grazed her cheekbone. “I’m not quite certain. I felt a little nauseous, began to sweat. I must’ve passed out. Fell? The next thing I knew I was in an ambulance with a young man in white telling me to breathe easy.”
Geoff glanced over his shoulder to see if the nurse had left them alone. She had, so he pulled a chair up next to the bed. “Mom, the doctor said you’re on medication to treat a history of heart problems. Is this your first heart attack or episode?” He air quoted “episode.” What did that even mean? “What is going on?”
“You worry too much.”
“I’m not only your son, I’m your business partner. I deserve to know.”
His mother didn’t respond.
&nb
sp; “How could you not have told me, Virgil?”
Virgil sucked in a loud breath, his mustache forming a fluffy line across his face. As close as they were, he knew that Virgil would never betray his mother. They’d been friends for as long as Geoff could remember.
“Geoff, son, calm down. I’ll be fine until I’m not, and nothing you do or worry over is going to change that.”
“Until you’re not is what I’m worried about, Mom. Why would you keep something like this from me?”
“I’m the parent. It’s my job to worry about you, and I choose to not let you worry about me.”
“Mom. That’s ridiculous. Dr. Flagg said they’ve called in your cardiologist. I didn’t even know you had a cardiologist.”
“It’s the way I want it.” Her voice was steady, but her chin quivered slightly. “I’m going to be fine. It’s a teensy hospital. They put all heart patients in ICU here. It’s not like I’m in dire straits, but in case something does happen there are a couple things I want to be sure we’re clear on.”
“I think this can wait,” Geoff said. She always seemed invincible. It was unsettling to see her like this, although she didn’t look fragile in the least. “You need to just relax.”
“No. I won’t be able to relax unless I know you and I are on the same page.”
“With what?” He passed a glance between his mother and Virgil.
Virgil let out a little moan that made Geoff nervous. “I’ll get some coffee. I’ll be back, Rebecca.”
“Thanks, Virg.” She waited until he cleared the doorway. “When I’m dead and gone I know you’re going to catapult our business into the technology age.”
He laughed. She wasn’t wrong. The only reason they weren’t already there was because she still held 5 percent more power in the company than he did. “Stop it.”
“Well, I’m no fool. I know you, and I’ll admit … it’s probably not an entirely bad thing.” She lifted a finger in the air. “No gloating or I-told-you-so. So here’s what I need you to promise me.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
“I’m being pragmatic. Totally different. Hush. Put your listening ears on. I’m still your elder.”
“Fine.”
“Promise me that you’ll personally handle my Dear Santa letters. Do not hand those over to anyone else for at least two years.”