The Christmas Edition

by Robin Shope

  Joe threaded his fingers through Lucy’s. “What now?”

  “Now it’s time for food. I’m hungry.”

  The Christmas Edition

  The Christmas Edition

  Chapter Nine

  Joe put his cell on the table. They ordered their hot chocolate specialty and sat sipping at it while waiting for their lunch, tuna on rye with coleslaw and pickle on the side.

  “This hot chocolate is just okay. No one makes it quite the way you do.” Joe pushed his drink to the side.

  Lucy wiggled in her seat with happiness. “That’s because they do not make it from scratch, like I do.”

  “You have ruined me for any other chocolate but yours. It’s a gift that only you possess.” He reached across for her fingers and kissed them. He gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it. “Have I mentioned yet that this has been the best day?”

  “Yes, you have.” He sure knew how to send chills down her frame. “It’s been my favorite day, too.”

  “There’ll be more of them; I’m sure of it.”

  “I had no idea you were such a good interviewer. You have an instinctive way of knowing the right questions to ask and then have a gift of getting people to open up. I can’t wait to see the heart warming Christmas stories you will be able to write.” Lucy gushed with cheerfulness. “I am fast becoming your number one fan.”

  “I like the sound of that, but we aren’t done with our interviews yet, are we? I remember you mentioning there are five towns in all…we only hit one. If I remember my math skills correctly, that leaves four more.”

  “What a mathematical whiz you are. Is there no end to your brilliance?” Lucy asked filled with laughter. “Of course, you’re right. We may only be able to get to one more today and try to finish up with the rest tomorrow.”

  Joe looked around. “I take it the bathrooms are back there. I’ll be right back.” He got up and disappeared down a narrow hallway.

  After a few moments, Joe’s cell rang. She didn’t even try to resist. She’d make her peace with God later. Lucy turned it around on the table until it faced her and she could read the name of the caller. Angela. Lucy glanced up to see that Joe on his way back down the hallway so she quickly returned it to where Joe had it. The moment his posterior hit the booth, he looked at the cell. Obviously, there was a message that had been left, but Joe didn’t listen to it. He shut it off and put it into his coat pocket.

  Lucy sat quietly, having lost her spunk after reading the woman’s name. Angela . Who was Angela, anyway? Whoever she was, she had stolen a bit of her happiness just now. It wasn’t fair.

  Joe’s foot accidentally touched her boot under the table. She moved her foot back and he touched it again. Lucy moved her foot one more time. When he knocked it for the third time, she realized it was done on purpose. It was definitely something one did when interested in another person. Not that she needed to know that. Not after the kiss by the side of the road. Or the kiss of her fingertips. He was good at redirecting her thoughts on him.

  “Lucy Collins, I thought that was you.”

  She looked up to see the pastor of her church. “Hello, Pastor, would you like to join us?”

  “Only for a moment.” He sat down. “My wife is ready to leave but I wanted to come over and thank you personally for the Christmas card you sent us of our church.” He turned around and waved to his wife; Lucy smiled and waved, too.

  “Pastor, I would like you to meet our newest employee, Joe McNamara. Joe, this is the pastor of our church, Dwight Owens.”

  They reached across the table and shook hands. “What is your position at the paper?”

  “I’m the new editor.”

  “Your name and face aren’t familiar to me.” Pastor Owens narrowed his gaze.

  “I’m new to town.”

  “Welcome, Joe, and if you haven’t yet found a place to worship, I extend an invitation to join us some Sunday.”

  “I would like that; thank you for the invitation.”

  “Splendid. Maybe you can write an article about our Christmas Eve service. We have a lovely candlelight program that night.”

  “Sounds lovely, sir. I’ll plan on it.”

  The Pastor stood up. “Drop by the church sometime before then so we men can get to know one another better. We’ll discuss that article, too. Come alone and we’ll have a nice visit.”

  “We men, huh?” Joe looked at Lucy oddly. “I’ll do that very soon.”

  ****

  Lucy and Joe passed a Christmas store. “Let’s stop in,” Joe suggested. When he pushed open the door, the song Jingle Bells began to play.

  The small shop was jammed with a dozen artificial Christmas trees and the smell of cinnamon filled the air. Each had a hundred or more ornaments hanging from the limbs. Buckets of the same were displayed around the shop.

  “Hey, do you think your folks would like this one?” He held up a glass, hand painted ornament from Germany, a Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. “It reminds me of your dad wearing that crazy hat. I’d like to buy this for them unless you think they wouldn’t care for it.”

  “No, it’s really wonderful. You’re right; it reminds me of Dad, too. My folks will love it, especially knowing it came from you,” Lucy said. It was in keeping with the other glass ornaments her folks had on their tree and it made Lucy feel good that Joe had taken the time to notice.

  “Good, then I’ll get it for them.” Joe grinned.

  “Do you realize what you just did here? You have given my parents another story to tell for many Christmases to come,” Lucy explained with a roll of her eyes. “This time it will be all about you.”

  “Interesting.” Joe reflected on this idea. “And when they tell this story, what will they say?”

  Lucy thought for a moment. “They will be telling the story about the first day you came to the newspaper and impressed us with your editorial skills. They may even mention our Christmas interviews,” Lucy said.

  “I only hope I am there to hear them.” Joe murmured under his breath.

  His answer threw her and she paused for a heartbeat. “What did you say?” She wanted to hear these words a second time. It was something she could think about when she fell asleep at night.

  “Nothing.” Joe lifted his shoulders as he looked at other ornaments. They seemed to fascinate him. It was obvious he didn’t want to leave just yet. Every now and then, Joe stopped at a tree to look closely at the trimmings. When he found what he was looking for he pulled it off the tree. “I’d like to buy this one for you. It reminds me of the cross you always wear.”

  Lucy looked at the delicate piece of glass in the shape of a cross. “It’s lovely, but you don’t have to…”

  “I want to.” Joe cut her off and took his two choices to the counter.

  They headed back outside, braving the wind as they walked to the SUV. Joe opened the door for Lucy and then went around to his side. The little things he did, like opening doors for her, made her feel special. She also enjoyed the smiles sent her way from the town folk when they saw them together. She was proud to be seen with Joe.

  They waited for the vehicle’s heater to kick in.

  “It’s late afternoon. Are you sure you want to hit one more town? The sun is going down right along with the temperature.”

  Lucy hunched her shoulders trying to keep warm. “You’re right. But there is one more stop, I would like for us to make. There is something I want to show you.”

  “Sure. Where to?”

  Finally the air in the vehicle began to warm. Lucy relaxed her shoulders a little. “Turn left on County O and drive about two miles until you see a huge sign that says ‘Ma’s Diner’. On the other side of that sign is Sugar Plum Road. Take that all the way down to the end.”

  Joe drove the car following Lucy’s directions. “What is this place we’re going to?”

  “I’ll tell you when we get there. See? There’s the sign. Turn right here.”

  Joe nearly glided right on past. To make
the turn, he applied the brakes a little too hard causing the car to spin completely around one rotation.

  “Whew. Give me more warning next time.” Joe patted his chest.

  “Didn’t I tell you the road was behind the sign?” Lucy asked smugly.

  “Yes, you did but I didn’t realize it was immediately behind the sign.”

  They drove for a few miles, hemmed in on each side by tall pines weighed down with snow. A few branches had cracked and broken away from the trees and now lay in odd patterns along the narrow road. Snow flakes began to cover the windshield.

  “You don’t think we’ll get trapped down here, do you?” Joe asked turning on the wipers.

  “Trust me; there’s a turn around a bit further.”

  Joe pulled to a stop when he came to a private drive at the end of the road. He looked quizzically at Lucy as though asking if he should continue. She smiled and pointed to keep driving. Joe shrugged and drove onto the private land.

  A windbreak of oak and pine trees surrounded them on both sides; the only pathway through the trees was the tapered driveway they rode in on. As Joe pulled to a stop, he realized the area was so well sheltered that the wind here was nonexistent.

  In front of them was a pink Victorian house trimmed with corbels and white columns. There was a turret built at the side and a porch surrounding it on three sides. A “For Sale” sign hung on the front post.

  “That’s my house,” Lucy proudly announced.

  “You bought this place?” Joe asked. “It’s quite a house.”

  “I’ll race ya to the porch!” Lucy popped out the door and bolted up the steps of the porch. Joe came right behind her.

  A bit breathlessly, Lucy said, “I come here once a week to check on the property. It’s been up for sale a whole year now. I have been saving my money for the down payment. Come the first of the year, I’ll have enough to make my offer.”

  “So, it’s not your house quite yet.” Joe leaned against one of the porch posts. It moved a little causing Joe to stand back and look up at the brackets.

  “That’s merely a matter of perspective. The first time I was here was for a Valentine party when I was in the third grade. The color reminded me of cotton candy so I have always called this the Cotton Candy House.”

  “I am guessing the color stays then.” He chuckled.

  “That’s right!” Lucy gave him a light pat. “This house, my house, has been waiting for me to live inside of it all this time. Often during the summer months, I come to sit on the porch. At night, the yard is filled with thousands of fireflies and becomes a magical place.”

  “I’d like to see that.”

  “The air becomes still and filled with the heavy scent of wood that it feels as though arms are reaching around you in a hug. It’s the perfect spot to come if you want to pray or just be alone.” Lucy had her eyes closed with remembering.

  “I can see why you love it here.”

  “And boy, do I have plans.” Lucy jumped down all the steps at once and into the frozen tundra of the yard. Snow crunched under her boots. She raised her voice, “This spring, I am planting either side of the walkway with tall beard-tongue, yellow sweet clover, spiderwort, wild geranium and red clover. I am going to have flower boxes under every window filled with rose moss and trailing ivy. And over here…this area gets lots of morning sun, so this is where my vegetable garden will be.” Lucy ran back up on the porch to ask, “How do you like my plans so far?” She batted her eyelashes and waited for an answer.

  “I like everything about your place from the fireflies to the bean poles you’ll be planting.”

  “Thanks. A few times in my life I have known something was mine by the very first look, and that is how I have always felt about this place.” She looked at Joe in such a way that this statement included him, too.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Joe said. “The day you get the house keys, I’ll buy you rocking chairs for this porch.”

  The Christmas Edition

  The Christmas Edition

  Chapter Ten

  It was after seven in the evening when they returned home. Joe felt tired to the bone, but it had been such a wonderful day with Lucy that he wanted it to last longer. For the second time, they sat together parked behind the garage apartment in his warm SUV. Motor running. Headlights off. This time he knew without a doubt she wanted a kiss, but was too nervous to make the first move. She was a good girl and good girls never made the first move. He didn’t mind making the first move, and in fact, it was kind-of a nice change.

  Joe looked at Lucy. She was anxiously smiling. Yep, she wanted to be kissed again. Joe thought the soft couch upstairs in the apartment was preferable to the hard bucket seats. He wanted to touch her and hold her close. “Come on, let’s go on up to the apartment. I want to show you what I have done with the place since I moved in.”

  Lucy timidly laughed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s nice enough right here.”

  Okay, now he understood. As much as they both might desire the physical comforts of intimacy, it was something that went against Lucy’s core belief system. Although she never said it, he suspected she was holding out for marriage which Joe respected. In fact, he found it to be refreshing. Joe put his arm around her. “This is fine for me, too. I had a great day; you’re fun to be with.”

  “So are you,” she happily sighed.

  With a sudden movement, Joe lifted her over the stick shift and onto his lap. Joe brushed curly, tangled blond hair away from the side of her face. His gaze tracked the outline of her face and he studied her serene expression. Then he reached up under the back of her jacket and ran his fingers up the length of her spine. Lucy sighed but not as much as when he kissed her neck behind her ear. When she shivered, it turned Joe on more.

  Joe opened his coat and wrapped it around Lucy so they both were in it. Then he held her to his chest, his lips on her forehead. Lucy curled in tight, her breath on his throat. This was the most intimate he had been in years and could have stayed like this all night. The option of staying like this was quickly removed when someone suddenly knocked on the driver’s side window. Since the windows were fogged, neither of them could see out. Joe handed Lucy a Kleenex that she used to clear the humidity away.

  There stood Margaret wearing her chenille robe. Collar pulled up tightly around her ears. “Just checking. Is everything all right?”

  “It’s my mother!” Mortified Lucy covered her face with her hands as humiliated heat poured off her. “I better go, Joe. I am so sorry.” Lucy opened the door and got out.

  “Lucy, it’s you! Is everything all right with Joe?”

  “Of course, Joe is fine. Why?”

  “I didn’t expect to see you driving Joe’s vehicle. Where is he by the way?”

  “Hello, Mrs. Collins.” Joe stepped out feeling like a teenager.

  Even though it was dark, Margaret’s displeasure was still quite clear.

  It didn’t seem like the appropriate time for gift giving. Joe quickly offered his apologies, as he imagined Lucy to be turning bright red. Everyone felt awkward so the goodnights were quickly said.

  From the backseat, Joe grabbed the bag with the ornaments along with his notebook. He went upstairs to his new place and set everything on the kitchen table. Then he went directly to the bedroom window and watched Lucy and Margaret as they went inside the cabin.

  It would serve him right if Margaret asked him to move out. What was he thinking, acting like a lovesick teen in the front seat of his car? Sheesh! He let his desires override thinking. It was best if he just focused on the reason that had brought him to town and walk away from emotional attachments.

  He carefully lowered the shade to the sill and undressed. After his shower, he padded around on the cold floors, leaving wet footprints in his wake. The thermostat read sixty degrees so he cranked up the heat to sixty-eight. All the while, his mind was still flooded with thoughts of Lucy. Not all of them were pure ones. She was a fine Christian girl
with loving parents and a pastor watching over her. God, too.

  And who was Joe anyway? Joe was just an anomalous person with a lot of baggage including a dead man who haunted him. Dr. Boshar regarded Hudson as a symbol of guilt. Joe was pretty sure Lucy’s pastor would consider Hudson as a figment of a sick man’s imagination or a demon.

  For the first time since he left Chicago, Joe wondered how long he would stay in Turtle Creek. Something had to give. He couldn’t go on like this much longer taking advantage of Lucy and her family. But he needed more time. More time with Lucy.

  Joe also felt guilty about raising everyone’s hopes about saving the town’s newspaper. To them he was the hero. They didn’t suspect that he was about to crash and burn in plain sight, taking with him some of their trust. He went into the pantry and dug around for what he never wanted Lucy to see—the reason he insisted on carrying his own things up to the apartment the day he moved in. There it was. Joe found what he was looking for in the second box. He took the bottle of wine by the neck. Uncorking it, he had no reason to bother with a glass. He held it up to his mouth and wrapped his lips around it the same way he longed to kiss Lucy, deep and hard and hungry. The cool liquid filled his mouth and poured down the inside of his throat. At long last, he took a breather. The bottle was a half gone. Good. Maybe he would be able to sleep tonight.