Seaside Christmas

by Stacy Claflin

  Beads of sweat formed around her hairline—she was glad she'd opted for a ponytail or she'd be even warmer. Once she had a routine down, it seemed to go faster. It was trickier when she got to the front of the building because of the bushes in the yard and the stairs by the doors, but she managed.

  Talia was quite proud of herself and nearly felt like a pro by the time she reached the other side of the building. She set up the ladder and ran back inside for another string of lights. She climbed up and attached them to last set and then slid them into the hooks, excitement growing. She was almost done, and couldn't wait to plug them in.

  The next time she moved the ladder over, she had a hard time getting it as she wanted it. There was a strange ledge sticking out. It wasn't very big, it stuck out a couple feet and appeared fragile. Talia didn't want to touch it for fear it would crumble. It looked like it led to the attic.

  Talia climbed the ladder and slid the lights into the first spot. As she reached for the second hook, the ladder wobbled. Talia held still, glancing down. Nothing looked unusual down there, but as she moved her gaze up, she noticed the ledge against the ladder at a funny angle she hadn't noticed before.

  She slid her foot down one rung, but as she did, the ladder moved to the right. She was going to crash down onto the ground—two stories below. Heart racing, she reached for the ledge and immediately regretted that decision. The board made a creaking noise as the ladder fell to the ground, crashing below into the snow.

  On one hand, she was glad to have not fallen with it, but on the other hand, she couldn't hold onto to the ledge for long, and there wasn't anything else for her to cling to. Had there been anything she could grasp, she would have climbed down. Talia stared at the window leading into the attic.

  There wasn't any way she could get that open to climb inside. The window looked as difficult to open as the ones in the classroom and she couldn't risk letting go of the ledge as she hung on for dear life.

  Looking around, she really only had one option, and it wasn't a good one. She opened her mouth and screamed as loud as she could, making her throat sore. Most of this block and the next one over were abandoned. The few places open for business weren't likely to be on a Saturday morning.

  Heart pounding, she listened, hoping to hear footsteps crunching over the hardened snow. Nothing. But it was hard to hear over the sound of her own pulse.

  Talia took a deep breath and screamed as loud as she could again, not caring how raw she made her throat. Once safe, she could drink all the tea and honey she wanted to soothe it.

  The ledge made another creaking sound. Talia held on tighter, staring at the string of lights hanging down toward the ground. There was no way they would hold her weight… would they? Could that be a possibility? It was starting to look like her only choice.

  She imagined sliding down, tearing up her skin on the lights. But that was the best case scenario. More than likely, it wouldn't hold and she would crash down on top of the ladder, breaking bones and bringing down the eaves with her.

  Talia yelled for help one more time. Why had she decided to do this alone? What had she been thinking? If she killed herself, she would send her dad to an early grave. Though he was strong, she knew how much he ached over her mom's loss. She wanted to kick herself for being so stupid.

  "Talia?" came a familiar male voice.

  She turned her head and saw Cruz. Her fear faded slightly with the hopes of him rescuing her. "Help!" she called.

  He let out some profanities, but she could hear sounds of the ladder. He had to be picking it up.

  Talia breathed a sigh of relief, but her sweaty palms slid on the ledge. Her heart sped up even more. What if she couldn't hold on long enough for him to get to her? If she fell to her death, not only would it kill her dad, but Cruz would probably feel guilty for not getting to her in time.

  She moved her hands around, trying to find a part of the wood that wasn't slippery. But the plank wasn't the problem. It was her hands. Tears sprang to her eyes.

  She heard the ladder hit the wall next to her.

  "Hang on!" Cruz called. She could hear the sounds of him climbing up the rungs.

  Cruz's hands grasped onto her side.

  "As opposed to letting go?"

  "Are you always difficult?"

  She let Cruz guide her onto the ladder and then she whipped around and wrapped her arms around him, clinging tightly. "Thank you," she whispered, unable to keep her tears back.

  "I… can't… breathe."

  She released her grip slightly and stared into his eyes, never having been so happy to see anyone.

  "You're going to have to let—"

  A loud crack sounded. Talia turned back to where the ledge was and saw it tumbling toward the ground. Her eyes widened, watching until it hit the ground, smashing into dozens of pieces. A horrible sound escaped from her throat.

  "Come on," Cruz whispered. "We need to climb down. I need you to do that for me. Are you okay to do that?"

  Talia nodded, afraid to speak.

  "I'll be right below you. If you slide, I'll catch you. But I can't carry you down."

  She swallowed. "Okay."

  Sixteen

  Cruz planted his feet firmly against the ground and put his hands on Talia's side, steadying her as she came down the last few rungs of the ladder. As soon as she was on the ground, she spun around and wrapped her arms around him, nearly cutting off his breathing again.

  He heard the sounds of sobs as she pressed her head against his chest. His heart ached to make her feel better. He ran his hands over her head and down the ponytail.

  "Shh," he whispered. "It's okay. You're safe now."

  Talia shook her head no, clinging all the more.

  "Let's go inside."

  She looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears and some makeup smeared around her eyes. Even still, she was gorgeous. But he would do anything to bring a smile to her face.

  He rubbed his hands over the sides of her face, pressing stray hair away. "It's okay now. I promise."

  Talia stared back into his eyes. She seemed to want to believe him. "If you hadn't been there…"

  Cruz ran his palm down over her jawline. "I was, and you're safe." He wanted to demand to know why she'd been up there alone, but knew it wasn't the time.

  She shook, and he wrapped his arms around her. "You believe in God, right? Obviously, he was looking out for you." Cruz had to wonder if there wasn't some merit to that. He'd woken early that morning, unable to get back to sleep—he'd tried. Finally, he decided just to go to his shop and get some more cleaning done. Then as he turned off his bike, he heard her screams.

  Talia nodded, not saying anything. "I can't believe I was so stupid."

  He cupped her chin, staring into her eyes. "Stop. Everyone makes mistakes."

  "But I—"

  "Shh. Everything's okay. You're fine."

  "Cruz, I'm sorry for everything."

  He arched a brow. "What do you mean?"

  "Everything. Judging you. Being rude. All of it. I'm sorry." Her face softened even further. "Even with all of that, you've still been nice to me, and now… now this. You saved my life." More tears spilled onto her face.

  Shaking his head, he wiped them away. "I was no better. We just got off on the wrong foot. That's all."

  Her mouth opened like she was going to say something, but she didn't.

  Cruz had the overwhelming desire to kiss her. It was even stronger than the other day in the classroom when he'd barely had enough self-control to step away. He stared at her rosy lips and then moved his gaze up to her sad eyes. It was the only thing he could do to possibly make it better.

  Part of him thought she might slap him, but it was worth the risk. He brushed his lips over hers. They were soft and sweet, and she smelled nice, like flowers. He breathed in deeply, and after realizing she hadn't smacked him, he pressed his lips firmly against hers, closing his eyes.

  She relaxed in his arms and kissed him back, mov
ing her hands up to his face. She ran her palms over his beard, kissing him eagerly. He wanted to deepen the kiss, but he was sure she'd want to take it slowly. He paused, enjoying the moment—really enjoying it. Just savoring the sweetness of the kiss and the embrace. It was unlike anything else he'd experienced.

  Cruz ran his fingers along her face, pulling some loose hair behind her ears. He didn't want to stop kissing her, but he didn't want to scare her away—though given her reaction to his kiss, she wasn't remotely put off.

  He pulled back, staring into her beautiful blue-green eyes.

  "Was that okay?" he whispered.

  She nodded, leaning closer.

  Cruz put his finger against her lips. "Maybe we should slow down. Emotions are high right now." Oh, how he wanted to kiss her again. He hated saying no, especially when she seemed to want it as much as he did. He just felt like he needed to do the right thing by her.

  Talia nodded, disappointment covering her face. "You're right."

  "Maybe we should go inside. You're really shaken."

  "No. I don't want to be in there right now. I'm feeling claustrophobic after that. That probably sounds crazy."

  "'Course not." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her to a bench at the edge of the property. With any luck, it wouldn't crumble.

  They sat, and Cruz kept his arm around her. She continued to shake, so he leaned back, slid off his jacket, and rested it over her shoulders. She didn't seem to notice.

  "Are you goin' to be okay?" he asked, leaning in closer to her. He breathed in deeply, holding onto her sweet floral fragrance.

  "Yeah. I just need a minute. I… I… that plank over there, it could have been me."

  He shuddered, glancing over at the broken wood. "I doubt you would've broken into that many pieces," he said, trying to make her laugh. She didn't even crack a smile. He leaned closer to her, resting his head against hers. "Seriously, though, I'm sure you would have survived. A couple broken bones, probably, but no way you would've ended up like that."

  Talia glanced up at him, not appearing convinced.

  "And the even better news is that you didn't fall, and you're in just as good of shape as you were before."

  "How could I have done that?"

  "I've done lots more stupid things than that."

  The corners of her mouth twitched. "Why don't I find that hard to believe?"

  "I'm probably the one who inspired Brayden to become a doctor. After seeing all my injuries, he realized the earning potential."

  "What did you do?" she asked.

  "The worst was when Jake, Zachary, and I took a bunch of tires and other stuff from an abandoned parts store and made them into an obstacle course for our skateboards. I made air like you wouldn't believe, but ended up with a broken arm and a sprained ankle. Not to mention the goose egg on my forehead."

  Talia's eyes widened. "Do I want to know how?"

  "All you need to know is that bones and concrete aren't a good combination."

  She grimaced. "But at least you weren't two levels up."

  "I was closer than you might think."

  Talia's eyes widened. "Aren't you cold? I just noticed you're not wearing your coat."

  "You need it more."

  "But you only have a t-shirt. I don't need two jackets." She slinked out from it.

  "It looks better on you, anyway." He pulled it back onto her shoulders.

  Pink covered her cheeks. She studied his arm. "What's this one?" She ran her fingers over one of his tats, giving him the chills. Her skin was so soft. Her finger lingered there.

  "See?" she asked. "You're cold."

  "That wasn't from the weather." He peered down to see which one. It was a deep purple iris with broken hearts along the stem. "That's in honor of my sister. Those were one of her favorite flowers."

  Talia's eyes widened. "Were?"

  He nodded, holding her gaze. "She passed away a few years ago from cancer."

  Her mouth dropped open. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

  "It sucks, but helps remind me to live my life as full as I can. In a way, I feel like I'm doing it for her."

  Talia's face softened further. "That's so sweet."

  Cruz shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. He didn't like talking about Sophia. "I'm sure you do things for your mom, too."

  She shrugged, too, but she looked more deep in thought than uncomfortable. "I haven't really had all that much time yet."

  "You haven't?"

  "It's only been a few months. There hasn't even been a trial yet. We'll go back up whenever that finally happens." She frowned.

  "Trial? She wasn't sick?"

  Her eyes filled with tears, but she kept Cruz's eye contact. "I haven't talked about this with anyone. Not even people who knew about it back home."

  "You don't have to tell me," Cruz said.

  Talia sat a little taller. "I want to." She took a deep breath.

  Cruz pulled her closer, wrapping her tight. He was getting cold, but didn't care. Watching her shiver, he would rather give it to her. Also it seemed like she needed to talk.

  Talia spoke, her voice wavering. "My mom was helping a lady who lived in a different part of town but went to our church. She met her over by her work in a park. They were just walking along a jogging path." She took a deep breath. "A man came at them with a knife, demanding their wallets."

  Cruz stiffened.

  She leaned her head against his shoulder, sniffling. He wanted to be able to do something to make it better for her, but he knew better than anyone how impossible that was. So he rubbed her back. That was all he could do.

  "So, my mom told the other lady to run. She did, and knowing my mom, she probably tried to convince the guy to turn his life around. He's not speaking… and neither is she."

  "Oh, my G—I mean… That's horrible. There aren't words."

  Talia shook her head. "No, there aren't. And that's the short version. I've tried not to listen to the details. It's easier to pretend that it happened fast and she didn't suffer. But I know all I'm doing is imagining a fantasy."

  He continued rubbing her back, lost in thought. He couldn't imagine how furious he would be if someone did that to his mom. "It's only been a few months?" he asked.

  "Well, five now. Just long enough to know that both of us needed to start over somewhere else. So here we are, fixing up this place, and I nearly kill myself in the process."

  Cruz leaned back just a bit, cupped her chin, and gazed into her eyes. "Thank you for telling me. I know it couldn't have been easy."

  She shook her head, her eyes shining.

  "I know how much it sucks to lose someone—not like that, though." He frowned. "If you ever want to talk, just call me. Day or night. Tell me what's on your mind, even if you just want to share some goofy memory from your childhood. I know how that is."

  The tears spilled over onto her cheeks again and she leaned against him, sobbing. His heart ached for her. As much as he wanted to find something to say, he knew how much silence was appreciated. She cried until Cruz started shivering.

  Talia sat up, her makeup smeared all over. "I shouldn't have kept you out here."

  "I'm tough."

  "As iron." She smiled weakly. "Thanks again."

  "Hey, I know what it's like, yo. Sorry."

  "For what?" she asked.

  "The way I talk."

  She brought her hand to his face. "Don't ever apologize for being you. You can even call me a dude, yo."

  He grinned. "Now you're just makin' fun of me."

  Talia shook her head. "Never."

  Cruz leaned over and brushed his lips against hers. "You don't know what that means."

  "I think I do."

  They held each other's gazes for a moment. Cruz really wanted to kiss her again, but he needed to take things slowly with her. She was different from the rest.

  "How about I clean up the mess,"—he flicked his head toward the broken plank—"and you can go inside and warm up. Or wash your fac
e. Not that I think you need to. You're beautiful even with smeared makeup."

  Her cheeks turned pink again and she felt around her eyes. "Okay, but only if you take your coat back."

  "Deal." He shivered.

  She slinked out of his jacket and helped him put it on. She stared into his eyes, her gaze moving down, stopping near his mouth. "You're so cold," she whispered and then placed her soft, sweet lips on his. "Even your mouth. You should have taken the coat back sooner."

  He shook his head. "You needed it more."

  "Don't be macho with me." She gave him another quick kiss before heading inside.

  Seventeen

  Talia slid the tube of mascara back into her purse pocket and stared into the mirror. She looked about as good as possible just touching everything up with what she had with her. She wasn't one of those people who carried her entire bathroom in her handbag. She was lucky to have had all her eye makeup with her that day.

  Chills ran down her back as she realized how everything had worked out perfectly, even down to such a petty detail. She spun around to go outside and help Cruz, but she stopped when she noticed a cross on the wall.

  She frowned, her chest tightening with guilt. All her life, her faith had gotten her through difficult times. Not this time.

  She sighed, studying the intricate carving that was likely older than her great-grandparents, who were long gone and had been leaders of faith in the family on both sides. As she continued focusing on it, she felt like she was missing a message. Her life had been spared even though she was mad at God.

  Sure, she'd been doing all the right things. Praying with Dad, quoting scriptures to him, trying to help him. Even going as far as moving away to restore this building and start a new congregation. But all of that was while she was angry at God, and she hadn't admitted that to anyone—not even herself. Until now.

  "You've got my attention," she whispered, looking up. "I'm ready to talk, but not while Cruz is out there cleaning my mess."

  Talia sneezed as she left the bathroom. They really needed to get the downstairs cleaned soon since a dust mask was required just walking around down there.