This Holiday Magic

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  Sage stood still and tried not to giggle as Ruby stretched the measuring tape up and down her body, her lips pursed in concentration. A pair of red-framed reading glasses hung from a chain around her neck, and she had a pen stuck behind her right ear. She wore her silver hair in a relaxed pixie cut. The red pantsuit and red strappy sandals she had on suited her vibrant personality to a T.

  “You’re a size eight,” she told Sage after putting her tape measure away. “With very nice curves, I might add, so I’ll make sure you have adequate room in the bust and hip area. Mr. Benson tells me you two are going to a dressy dance, and you’ll be mingling with people who think nothing of shelling out big bucks for designer clothing. But he also said you’d be embarrassed by too much ostentation.” She slid on her glasses and looked Sage in the eyes. “Was he accurate in that assumption?”

  Sage nodded. “He was,” she confirmed with an apologetic smile. “I don’t want to make this harder on you, but if you could keep the cost down I’d really appreciate it.”

  “You don’t want to be too beholden to Mr. Benson, huh?” Ruby correctly deduced.

  “It’s hard to explain, but no, I don’t,” Sage answered.

  “Oh, honey, I have two daughters around your age,” Ruby told her. “Believe me, I understand. Sometimes a man’s generosity comes with a price tag. I also know Mr. Benson pretty well, and he’s not like that. But I’ll adhere to your rules in this matter because as of this moment, I’m your personal shopper.”

  And so they chatted about clothes for a while, after which Ruby left to begin her shopping expedition. Then Sage’s cell phone rang. It was Adam.

  “Hi,” Sage said when she answered, her tone light and welcoming.

  “Hi, yourself,” said Adam huskily. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  “Nah, Ruby just left after a very thorough consultation.”

  “She’s the best. You’ll be happy with her results. Listen, you’ve got to call off your mother and her club. To thank me for my donation, I’m being inundated with cakes and pies and casseroles. Mrs. Harrison, the housekeeper, is starting to give me nasty looks. Especially since I insist that she freezes everything instead of tossing the treats out. I can’t toss those ladies’ family recipes in the trash. Besides, I love your mother’s sweet-potato pie.”

  Sage laughed delightedly. “I’ll make sure they get the message in a tactful way,” she promised.

  “Thank you,” said Adam. He sighed softly. “It’s really nice talking with you over the phone. This is the first time I’ve heard your voice this way in years. Remember the conversations we used to have?”

  “Well into the night,” Sage said, recalling those days when it was sheer torture to say goodbye to him. The sound of his voice could always curl her toes. It still had that effect on her.

  “By the way,” said Adam, “our flight leaves very early on Wednesday morning—5:00 a.m.—so I’ll be picking you up at four.”

  “I’d just as well not go to bed at all,” Sage said with a smile in her voice.

  “You can sleep on the plane,” Adam told her. “The company plane’s very comfortable, and you and I will be the only passengers, so you can wear pajamas if you want to.”

  Sage laughed again. “What are you trying to do—spoil me?”

  “I’m shameless,” he admitted.

  “Yes, you are.”

  “Just making up for lost time,” he said in defense.

  Thinking their conversation was taking on too intimate a tone, Sage changed the subject. “Tell me something about the summit. Who will be there? Will you have to give a speech?”

  “It’s a meeting of minds,” Adam told her. “The best and the brightest in science and technology get together to discuss how to make the future better for mankind. And, yes, I’ll speak at the summit. I hate to call it a speech because it’ll really be just a conversation with lots of comments and questions from the audience.”

  “I’m looking forward to hearing what the great thinkers of our time believe we have to do to make our future brighter,” Sage said excitedly.

  “And I can’t wait to see how you look in pajamas these days,” Adam joked.

  “I’m hanging up now,” Sage threatened. Laughter was evident in her tone.

  “I’m phoning Ruby and telling her to buy you some silk pajamas,” Adam said.

  “They would just be a waste of money,” Sage told him. “I don’t sleep in pajamas anymore.”

  “What do you sleep in?” he inquired.

  Sage could tell by the lowness of his voice and the keen interest in his tone that he was waiting with bated breath for her answer.

  “Nothing,” she said. “Goodbye, Adam.” And she hung up, laughing.

  * * *

  When Adam picked her up on Wednesday morning, Sage was packed and ready to go. They both wore casual clothing of jeans and shirts and athletic shoes for comfort on the plane. Adam carried her big suitcase to the car and put it in the trunk while Sage, briefly peering up into the pitch-black sky at that time of morning, followed with a carry-on bag and her shoulder bag.

  Adam opened the car door for her and she climbed inside. Once behind the wheel of the SUV, Adam turned to her and said, “We’re off to Wonderland.”

  Buckling her seat belt, Sage smiled at him. “I did some research online, and Vienna does seem to have a lot of fairy-tale palaces.”

  “It does,” he said. “And we’ll be staying at one of them.”

  “What? A real palace?” She tried to keep the excitement out of her voice but failed miserably. She felt like a little girl at Christmastime.

  “The Palais Schwarzenberg,” Adam told her. “It was built in the eighteenth century by a family descended from royalty. It’s in the center of Vienna, and because it’s surrounded by eighteen acres of land, it’s more like a private home than a hotel. And they boast one of the best restaurants in the city, so I hope you enjoy it.”

  “I’m sure I will,” Sage said breathlessly. “You’re really pulling out all the stops, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve dreamed of sharing experiences like this with you, Sage,” he told her quietly. “Now that I have you all to myself, I’m not holding anything back.”

  Sage was secretly thrilled at his words, but she was afraid to tell him how good it made her feel that he was eager to share his world with her.

  “That’s very sweet of you,” she said softly.

  Adam smiled at her and returned his attention to his driving.

  “It’s no more than you deserve.”

  She looked out the window as he maneuvered the car down her street. Except for security lights around their houses, her neighbors’ homes were dark.

  His last words made her a bit melancholy. He believed she deserved special treatment. Was his opinion based on what he had known of her when they were young? He certainly wasn’t basing it on what he knew of her present life because he knew nothing of it, except what he’d heard from secondary sources.

  She thought it best to lay her cards on the table. “Adam, I’m not as sweet and innocent as I used to be. In my job I’ve seen so many marriages dissolve that I’ve become cynical, and that’s probably why I’m not married. I’m beginning to believe the institution of marriage doesn’t work anymore.”

  “What about my parents and your parents?” he asked softly. “They’ve been together for more than thirty years.”

  “They come from a different generation.”

  “That’s nonsense,” he stated emphatically. “True love still exists.”

  “Yes, but it’s rare. Half of my friends are divorced, and out of those who’re still married, their marriages are in trouble. Only one couple I know is still as in love now as they were when they tied the knot, and that’s Jim and Sha-Shana Douglas.”

  �
�The Jim Douglas we went to school with?” Adam asked incredulously.

  “Yes. He’s my partner.”

  “I always thought he had a thing for you,” Adam said thoughtfully. “I figured he wouldn’t waste time asking you out after we broke up.”

  “He was there for comfort, but no, Adam, Jim and I never dated. We’ve never even kissed. He’s my best friend.”

  “Your best friend is a guy,” he said.

  She couldn’t tell how he felt about that from his neutral tone. “Yes. Who’s your best friend?”

  “Ethan Strauss,” Adam answered. “He runs the West Coast office. We’ve been friends since my first year at MIT. You’ll meet him and his wife, Trudi, on this trip. And they’re very much in love.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting them.”

  Chapter 5

  About half an hour later Sage was stepping onto the plane. Adam had driven them to a private airport on the outskirts of New Haven. The luxuriously appointed plane had seating for twelve. The color scheme was neutral, and the seats were extra large and upholstered in leather as soft as butter, Sage learned when she ran her hand along the back of one of the seats.

  “Get comfortable,” Adam said, “while I have a word with the pilot.”

  In his absence Sage strolled down the aisle until she found a seat in the middle that appealed to her. As soon as she seated herself, a tall, good-looking guy in a dark suit, green eyes welcoming, approached her. “You must be Ms. Sage Andrews,” he said, smiling down at her. “I’m Georges, and I’ll be your flight attendant.” He reached for her carry-on bag. “I’ll stow that for you if you like.”

  Sage smiled at him and handed him the bag. “Thank you, Georges.”

  He took the bag and put it in the overhead compartment. Then he smiled at her again and said, “We’ll be taking off soon. Would you like a preflight drink?”

  “No, thank you,” Sage said, eyes full of humor. She wasn’t much of a drinker, and having one at five in the morning seemed excessive.

  “Water, coffee, tea?” asked Georges.

  “Nothing, thank you,” Sage said. “I like to have both hands free at takeoff so I can hold on tight to the arms of my seat.”

  Georges laughed softly. “You don’t like flying, huh?”

  “Can’t say that I do,” Sage told him frankly. “I just see it as a means to an end that unfortunately sometimes can’t be avoided.”

  “I hear you,” said Georges.

  Adam arrived at that instant and Georges asked him if he could bring him anything.

  “No, thanks, Georges,” said Adam.

  Georges left them alone.

  “Is Georges a regular?” Sage asked Adam teasingly. “Or was he hired specifically because you didn’t want me to meet the gorgeous female flight attendant who usually works on your company plane?”

  “You mean Brigit?” Adam laughed. “I’m afraid she’s busy posing for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.... No, my dear, Georges has been with the company for years.”

  Sage looked at Georges at the back of the plane, standing at the flight attendant’s workstation that included a small kitchen. “He’s a cutie.”

  “Married,” Adam said. “The only unmarried male on this plane is yours truly, so...down, girl.”

  They were leaning back in their seats, facing one another, smiles on their faces. “Fasten your seat belt, Duck. We’re going to take off in a few minutes.”

  “I was wondering when you’d bring that up,” Sage said, enjoying the closeness.

  “Don’t worry. Your nickname’s safe with me,” Adam assured her. “No one will ever know that when you started walking as a toddler, you were so cute and chubby that you waddled like a duck, and your mom took one look at you and started calling you Duck.”

  “I’ll never forgive her for that,” said Sage.

  “You were adorable,” Adam said. “I used to love the times your mom would bring out the home movies.”

  Sage felt her face grow hot with embarrassment even now. “Isn’t it peculiar how your most embarrassing moments seem to be adorable to someone else?”

  Georges put in another appearance to advise them to buckle their seat belts. “Five minutes,” he said as he hurried to the back to buckle up himself.

  Adam reached over and buckled Sage’s belt. “Only to the people who love you,” he said.

  Sage didn’t say anything. She simply continued to meet his gaze. Some part of her wanted to believe all his sweet talk. She wanted to simply let go and enjoy herself and not worry about being careful. The cynical part of her warned that Adam had broken her heart before and there was a possibility that he would do it again. Either because he was looking for something in her that she didn’t possess, or he had truly changed for the worse over the years, and this was all a cruel game to him, a diversion to entertain a jaded playboy.

  Adam buckled his own seat belt and smiled at her. Sage yawned. He yawned in response and laughed. “I guess they really are contagious.”

  Sage’s eyes were dreamy. “You really did turn out well,” she told him. “I mean, I thought you were cute when you were younger, but you’ve only gotten better with age. You’ve got that rough-hewn, masculine thing going for you. Some men look like bums when they miss a day shaving, but you just look hotter for some reason.”

  “Have you been drinking?” Adam asked. He smiled, revealing dimples in both cheeks. He simply gazed at her with those beautiful dark brown eyes.

  “No,” Sage told him with a sigh. “I’m just tired of being Sage Andrews, the lawyer, someone who always does what’s expected of her. I’m such a good daughter, a good citizen, the responsible one. Let’s make a promise to each other to say exactly what we’re thinking on this trip, Adam.”

  “Okay, there won’t be any filters between the two of us,” Adam promised.

  The sound of the plane’s engines got her attention, and Sage braced herself for the liftoff. She closed her eyes and grasped the seat’s arms.

  Adam put his arm around her shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell me you hate to fly?”

  “I didn’t want to disillusion you,” Sage said. “You seem to think I’m perfect.”

  Adam grinned. “That wouldn’t have disillusioned me,” he said. “It only makes me want to protect you more.” He held her until the plane evened out.

  Sage opened her eyes and smiled at him. “I know it’s childish. Traveling by plane’s supposed to be the safest way to travel.”

  “Statistically, it is. But try to explain that to your body, which reacts instinctively to the unnaturalness of flying. I don’t like it, either. I just have to do it so often that I’ve gotten used to it. I try not to think about the science behind a metal machine weighing several tons shooting through the air.”

  “You’re not making this better,” Sage said with a laugh.

  “Oh, hell, I’m sorry,” Adam apologized. He bent and kissed her. Sage felt her body relax and leaned into him.

  The kiss deepened and she soon forgot everything except the feel of his mouth on hers.

  “Better?” Adam asked hopefully when they came up for air.

  “Better,” Sage said, smiling happily.

  Like an apparition, Georges was once more in the aisle. “You can remove your seat belts and relax now.” He smiled at Sage. “How about that drink?”

  Before she could answer him, Sage stifled a yawn. “No, thank you, Georges, but I will take a pillow and a blanket. I think I’ll sleep for a while.”

  “Make that two, Georges,” Adam said. When Georges left, he pulled Sage close. “Finally, we get to sleep together.”

  Sage laughed softly and snuggled closer.

  As she drifted to sleep she heard Adam ask, “Do you still ride horses regularly?”

  “M
mm-hmm,” she murmured. “Why?”

  “Just wondering,” he said and left it at that.

  * * *

  It was night when the plane landed in Vienna. En route to the Palais Schwarzenberg, they passed Schloss Belvedere, the Belvedere Palace, and Sage couldn’t take her eyes off the magnificent edifice, which was actually two eighteenth-century palaces with painstakingly landscaped gardens between them. The lights inside gave the huge palace a golden glow, and the lights reflecting off the man-made pond out front gave it a surreal quality.

  There was one magical building after another, and Sage soaked it all in while Adam watched her with a smile on his lips. He seemed gratified that she was enjoying herself.

  “I wanted your first glance of Vienna to be at night,” he told her. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “Breathtaking,” Sage agreed. She couldn’t stop smiling.

  Adam leaned forward. “Driver, could you drive by one of the squares?”

  “I’d be happy to, Mr. Benson,” the driver, a native Austrian, said.

  “From mid-November to Christmas, Vienna transforms its squares into Christmas markets. Vendors sell all sorts of Christmas-themed items. People turn out in droves to buy their Christmas gifts and just to eat and socialize.”

  “There’s Christkindlmarkt at city hall,” the driver suggested. “We’re not far from there.”

  When they arrived, there was nowhere to park. “Want to get out and stretch your legs?” Adam asked.

  Sage agreed, so they got out and Adam asked the driver to come back for them in half an hour.

  The square looked like a Christmas wonderland with decorations everywhere, and it was packed. Men, women and children milled around, stopping at several of the more than one hundred stalls where vendors sold everything associated with Christmas, from cookies to Christmas trees.