The Heart of Christmas

by Kathryn Shay

  She smiled, he smiled, and they headed toward the house where helping out always made them feel better about what had happened to them both fifteen years ago.

  “ARE YOU SURE you two can handle them alone?” Faith Ruscio’s beleaguered expression was typical of mothers. “Only my parents and Rick’s mom and sister have babysat all four of them.”

  Stacey smiled. “Yes, I’m sure we can do this.”

  Jimmy Curtis, who’d been Sam’s best friend, gave Faith a boyish grin. “We think we can do it. If not, we’ll lock the two boys in their rooms and play with the babies.”

  “What—oh, you’re kidding.”

  “Go, now,” Stacey told Faith. “Meet Rick and have a nice dinner.”

  “I haven’t been out on a date with him since the girls were born. I hope I don’t start to cut his meat.”

  “He’ll understand if you do. He’s a great father, Faith.”

  “I know. We need more alone time.”

  “Well, you got it, babe,” Jimmy told her. “Now scoot.”

  Faith left the big rambling Victorian by the garage door.

  Watching her go, Stacey said, “She has everything and life is still tough.”

  “She’ll be fine.”

  “I feel bad she doesn’t get out much.”

  “That’s what happens when you have a double set of twins in five years.”

  Crossing to the two bed-swings set up in a corner of the living room, Stacey gazed down at the girls. They’d entered the world four weeks ago, and were tiny. Their little fingers curled around the blankets and their faces were scrunched. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

  Jimmy joined her and looked down. “Nah. No babies are. The other two, now they’re handsome devils.”

  As if on cue, the boy twins, Abraham and David, raced into the room. Freckled over the bridges of their noses, with Faith’s blond hair and Rick’s dark eyes, their expressions were mischievous. “Is Mom gone?” Abe asked.

  “Yes.” Jimmy slapped them some high fives. “Wanna go outside and play some ball?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Yes!”

  Turning to her, Jimmy squeezed her arm. “If they wake up, call me.”

  “No fair. Those girls get everybody’s attention.” This from David, the taller of the two.

  “Get used to it, kid. Women rule the world.”

  After the boys headed out to the big backyard, Stacey watched the babies sleep. Angels, Faith had told her. As good as the boys were handfuls. They were identical, so Faith had tied a pink bow around Rachel’s head and a blue one around Sarah’s. The scent of baby powder surrounded them, making Stacey nostalgic again.

  When neither stirred at the slammed door, she crossed to the window and stared out at the front yard. The leaves on the big oak trees had turned colors and the grass had lost its summer burn and was now richly green from the rain. She loved fall. So had Jess. They’d married in October, when she was eighteen and he was twenty-two. He’d been a firefighter for three years by then; she’d worked at her parents’ bookstore. They thought they had the world by the tail. Little did they know what would happen to them. First, her parents died in a boating accident on the lake. Then, nine years later, Jess had been taken from her by fire. Stacey had learned quickly that life could be snatched away in a second, so she’d vowed to make the most of every single minute. And right now, it meant enjoying these two infants.

  Turning away from the view, Stacey took a seat on the nubby-fabric couch and opened the laptop she’d brought with her. She called up the plans she and Nick Evans had made two days ago for the Christmas party. They were meeting again tomorrow at Parker Erikson’s house on the lake. Parker would supply numbers on attendance as well as budget information. The creative stuff was up to them. To her and sexy Nick Evans. They’d planned to show her what they’d decided last week.

  She was still embarrassed by how she’d reacted when he’d stared at her coffee-soaked blouse. Best not to think about him. And his blond brows, green eyes and strong jaw.

  On the computer, she called up Google and typed in female superheroes. Everybody knew about the men, but she wanted equal billing for the gals. The first site had a list of ten women, with bios. Number ten was Spider-Woman. Who knew there was a counterpart to the male spider hero? She read how Jessica, the young daughter of a scientist, was genetically altered in a lab accident, gaining the characteristics of strength, agility and the ability to discharge electrical currents. She fought for truth, honor and justice. Definitely, Spider-Woman. Same for Wonder Woman, a very well-known hero. Next, she read about Ms. Marvel, the counterpart of Captain Marvel. After an encounter with aliens, the woman gained strength, resistance to injury and the ability to manipulate light. She also worked alongside the X-Men and the Avengers, heroes all the kids would be familiar with, so she was a good choice.

  Stacey let herself think for a second about Nick and how his eyes twinkled when he teased, then called up his email. They’d exchanged a few in September and she had him in her address book. She typed, “Take a look at these superheroes.” The link went next. “I choose Wonder Woman, Spider Woman and Ms. Marvel. What do you think?”

  Okay, that was innocuous enough. She hit send.

  Then she clicked into the male heroes, but before she could peruse them, a chime indicating an incoming email sounded. From Nick. “I think you’re a female chauvinist. I demand equal time for us guys. Who would have known you had this side to you?”

  She laughed aloud and wrote back, “I have a lot of sides to me, Captain.” Okay, Stacey, flirt. “Maybe you’ll get to see them someday.” Geez, was that too forward? She pressed send, anyway.

  A minute later, a response. “I’d like that.”

  She gasped, never expecting the reply. But wrote back to him, “What about you? How many facets are there to Captain Evans?”

  Response. “Too many to count. Guess you’ll have to find out, too.”

  A wail came from the bassinets. Then another joined the chorus. “Oh, damn,” Stacey mumbled. “Just when this was getting good.” She typed, “Gotta go. Am watching Faith’s kids. The babies woke up.”

  Without waiting for an answer, she rushed to the bassinets. Picking Rachel up, Stacey slid her into the crook of her arm, then managed to gingerly ease Sarah into the other crook. She sat in the rocker with one anchored in each arm. And rocked. They quieted immediately. Yep, they were angels.

  Jimmy found her there thirty minutes later when he came back in to check on them. “Why didn’t you call me?”

  Stacey rolled her eyes. “I didn’t think I needed to. I got them settled like this and then couldn’t put them back in the bassinets. My arms are numb.”

  He took Rachel and nestled her into his shoulder. She did the same with Sarah, smiling at the sight Jimmy made. “Babies look good on you, buddy. You ought to remarry and have one.”

  He gave her a sexy wink. “Interested, doll?”

  Uh-oh, was he flirting with her, too? Jimmy, who’d been like a brother to Jess. Nah, couldn’t be. They’d comforted each other for years after Jess’s death. Had been best pals going to ball games together and eating out. Oh, dear, she hoped he wasn’t interested in her. She didn’t feel any chemistry with him at all. She glanced at the computer. Not the kind she’d felt with Nick Evans, anyway.

  THOUGH HE CHIDED himself for his sappy mood, Nick was happy about the meeting at Parker and Cal’s home on the lake. He’d been out here before for social things, but appreciated again the stone-and-glassed, three-story building. He grinned, but not because of the house. He was looking forward to seeing Stacey Sterling again. Their email exchange had been too brief. He’d been surprised when she’d flirted with him—or had he started it?—and despite the caveats he’d put on himself, he’d wanted the repartee to continue. Babies had a way of derailing those things. He remembered when Taylor was born and how he and his wife could barely take care of her. Making a mental note to call his daughter tonight, he pressed the bell.
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br />   Parker drew open the door. He admired her classic beauty—Cal said she resembled a young Elizabeth Taylor, and she did. Though it was midday, she wore a tailored suit, pretty pink blouse, hair tidy in a bun at the back of her head. The epitome of sophistication. Which he didn’t find appealing these days.

  “Hey, Nick.” She looked behind him. “Oh, there’s Stacey.”

  “Hi, there, everybody.”

  Turning he saw, well, pretty much the opposite of Parker. Stacey wore a blue sweat suit, the jacket hiding all her assets. On her feet were sneakers. Her hair was tied up in some kind of ponytail, with tendrils escaping.

  “I hope I’m not late.”

  “No, right on time,” Parker said. “Shall we sit?”

  Nick followed, with Stacey beside him. Under her breath, she whispered, “Does she have to be so polished all the time?”

  He noticed a note of something he couldn’t place in her tone. “Polish isn’t for everybody.” He winked at her. “You look cute today. Don’t tell me you walked way out here.”

  “Nope, I left my car a mile away so I could get some exercise in.”

  Parker led them to a first-floor room that opened onto the deck. “It’s sunny today, and seventy degrees, so I thought we’d sit outside.” She nodded to the house. “My nanny’s with Madison.” Her year-old daughter.

  The air was warm, even with a slight breeze coming off the lake. They sat and Stacey asked about the child. Nick enjoyed the smell of the water and the whoosh the waves made.

  “Sorry I’m all dressed up. I have politicians coming for a lunch meeting, which is why I asked you two to drive out.” She opened her iPad. “So, we have one hundred kids go to the camp, and I assume most of them will come with their families. At least that number of community members should show up. And then there are the fire and police members and their kids. I think we’ll have quite a crowd all day long. Local businesses have offered to provide most of the food and decorations. The departments’ Benevolence Funds are donating the money we’ll need to purchase anything else.”

  Stacey smiled. “That’s terrific.”

  Parker nodded to the computer which Stacey had taken out of a backpack. “Do you have preliminary ideas for activities?”

  “Yes.”

  She called up the information she must have typed in after Nick left her last time. When he thought of the coffee-soaked blouse—and other related things—he shifted in his seat.

  “We’re going with a hero theme,” Stacey told Parker. “We’re using everyday heroes, like firefighters, police officers and veterans—who are big heroes, especially after 9/11—intermixed with superheroes, which are always popular. We want them to see that their fathers and mothers are just as super as Wonder Woman.”

  “Or Batman,” Nick added.

  He and Stacey shared a smile.

  Parker cocked her head, sending black hair over her shoulder. “And Christmas comes in how?”

  “We’ll make cardboard cutouts of the heroes and arrange them all around the gym. We can put Santa hats on them.”

  “That would be cute. And we could decorate in greens and reds. Have a tree. Maybe even elves.”

  “I got some rookies I’d love to see assigned to play elves,” Nick grumbled.

  Stacey told Parker of their plans for a festival-like atmosphere. “I sat down with Faith Ruscio yesterday and she told me her church had a festival like this, but not in a while, so we borrowed the idea.”

  “What kind of booths?”

  Stacey called up a different screen. Her face was animated, and cheeks tinged with red, making her freckles stand out. He wondered if this was how she looked when she got excited in other ways.

  “Face painting, darts, ring toss and other baby games for the little ones. With prizes. Hey, those could be wrapped as Christmas presents.”

  “Great idea,” Nick told her.

  “For the older kids we’re planning a basketball throw, paintball, remote-control cars. We need a few more activities for them, though.”

  Nick nodded enthusiastically. “A lot of the firefighters are good carpenters. They could help the kids make Christmas ornaments.”

  “All those things will be popular with teens.” Stacey smiled at Parker. “I’ll run the basketball booth. I played point guard in high school.”

  “Our high-school team won state championship two years in a row,” Nick asserted.

  Parker gave a ladylike snort. “Don’t look at me. I can manage yoga, but you two jocks will have to plan the sports activities.” She thought for a minute. “Cal said the Fire Belles—you know the women in the department who run the blog—want to help out with food.”

  “My group is in charge of food. This is a Station 7 project. But the Belles can help out.”

  “I’m afraid I’m not a very good cook, either,” Parker said.

  Stacey grinned. “No problem. Let’s list how many superheroes and real heroes we’ll have, then pick what activity booths go in between the heroes.”

  They decided to have six superhero cutouts and six real-life heroes. Stacey suggested, “How about if we pick real-life firefighters and cops and veterans made as cutouts?”

  “Yeah,” Nick agreed. “Jess should be one.”

  A sharp intake of breath. “How sweet of you to suggest that.”

  Though the expression on her face affected him, he kept talking. “And we got a veteran firefighter, Beckett Sloan, who’ll do double duty.”

  “Know any cops?” Stacey asked.

  Nick smiled fully. “We have to use Meggie.” At their questioning looks, he added, “Megan Hale. The brains behind the camp.”

  When the doorbell rang a half hour later, Stacey rose. “I think that’s our cue to leave.”

  Gracefully, Parker stood. “Thanks again for coming out here.”

  Together, they walked out and stopped by Nick’s car. He’d parked a ways down the road because he knew Parker was having a houseful. Stacey asked, “So, you know Megan Hale well?”

  “Yeah, from when I worked in New York. She was a cop there.” He wondered why she asked.

  “You called her Meggie. Pretty familiar.”

  “She and her husband were good to me.”

  Stacey nodded. The sun—really hot now at noon—bounced off the fifty shades of red in her hair. His hand itched to touch it.

  “That’s right, you aren’t a native of Hidden Cove. Why’d you leave the Big Apple?”

  “I wanted someplace small.” Someplace safe. “And I’d gotten tired of big-city firefighting.”

  She nodded. “Well, Captain, you’re a veritable font of contradictions.”

  He ducked his head. “How’d it go, playing Mary Poppins the day you emailed me about the superheroes?”

  Stacey grinned. “We managed.”

  Huh. “We?”

  “Yeah, Jimmy Curtis came with me.”

  Shit, was she dating a firefighter? Well, maybe that could stop this stupid attraction he felt in her company.

  “Do you know him, Nick? He works at House 3.”

  “Yeah, I pretty much know all the firefighters in town.”

  “He’s a great guy.”

  Damn it, he had to ask. “So, is it uncomfortable dating your husband’s best friend?”

  She laughed again. “We’re not dating. We’re friends.”

  Friends with benefits? But, thankfully, he didn’t blurt out that question. He was having trouble controlling his words, his thoughts around her. For a man who kept strict rein over his emotions, his lack of willpower was disconcerting. “Sure you don’t want a ride to your car?

  “Nah, I feel like a slow easy jog.” Dropping her backpack on a patch of green grass and raising her arms, she stretched by arching her back. The action revealed a small patch of skin on her tummy. “Man, I’m tight. I really need exercise.”

  Nick swallowed hard. The pose wasn’t suggestive, but he experienced the sharp zing of desire. So he said, “Mind if I join you. I can jog there and back
and get in my exercise today, too.”

  “Sure.” Her eyes narrowed. “Think you can you keep up with me?”

  “I’ll try real hard.” He looked to the ground. “Want me to carry the backpack?”

  “What, and give you an excuse for why I beat you? No way.”

  Nick changed into sneakers he kept in the car. Luckily he’d worn loose jeans and he shucked his jacket before he locked the trunk. They started down the hill at a slow pace. “I like fall,” he said.

  “Me, too. The air is warm still, with a hint of cool air. And hear those birds. Love that.” She smiled. “I was married in October.”

  “I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

  “No, no, fall is great for me. I’ve learned to live with only good memories.”

  “Man, give me some of that fairy dust.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You aren’t an optimist. You see the glass half empty.”

  “I see the glass broken most of the time.” Fuck, he hadn’t meant to say that.

  She stopped jogging. Her pretty eyes were filled with concern. “I’m sorry. Does this have to do with your sister? With why you work at the shelter?”

  Jesus, was she psychic? “Nah. All firefighters know the dangers that lurk everywhere.”

  Her brow furrowed and her nose was slightly pink from the sun. “Jess didn’t think that way.”

  “I’m sure he was a better man than me.” He nodded up the road. “Race you to the crosswalk, Stacey.”

  “What…?”

  But he’d already taken off. He was mad as hell at himself for blurting out his feelings to her. He needed to be more careful around this woman. It was okay to be attracted to her—hell, he couldn’t help that—but no way was he going to confide in her or any other human being. He was right before. He should be staying away from her and find some other woman as jaded and pessimistic as he was.

  STACEY WAS WASHING the big plate-glass windows in the front of the store, when she heard a crash at the end of the block. Rushing inside, she grabbed her phone, went back out and headed down the street. As the scene came into view, she dialed 911. The dispatcher answered.