The Christmas Edition

by Robin Shope

  “Lucy! Sorry I didn’t get right back to you. That is not like me, I swear, but I was finishing up with a court case. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, John, thanks.” Lucy sat at her dad’s desk and after a few moments of catching up, she came to the heart of her call. “John, I would like to ask a favor.”

  “Anything.”

  “Great. I was wondering if you could draw up an iron-clad, two-year contract that doesn’t look so iron clad unless someone tries to break it.”

  “This doesn’t sound like you. What’s up?”

  “I just hired this really gifted editor and the paper is teetering at the make-it or break-it stage. Joe McNamara could just be the answer to our prayers.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this then? If he is the answer to your prayers, shouldn’t you leave the timing up to God? This contract could backfire on you.”

  “Backfire on me?” she repeated. “I am not sure what you mean.”

  “What if you find out something questionable about this guy?”

  “Like what?”

  “Ah oh, that question means you haven’t run a criminal check on him. Please tell me I’m wrong.”

  “No, you’re not wrong.” Lucy tugged at her curls. “But I know he’s all right. I just have this feeling.”

  “You are probably right. This Joe McNamara is most likely a good guy as you say but Lucy you have got to be sure. Listen to me, if you’re that close to losing your family business you cannot afford to take this chance. These days I do not even hire a secretary without a thorough background check first.”

  “Can you run one for me on Joe?” Lucy asked.

  “Of course, I’ll be glad to do that for you. One other thing; let’s say he checks out fine with no red flags but then it turns out that its not he who wants to walk away, but you. For some reason, you are the one who wants to get rid of him. He will wave that contract under your nose.”

  “I never thought of that.” Lucy sighed now more confused than ever.

  “Let me think it over and see what phrasing I can come up with on the contract that will help you in either scenario. I’ll get back with you soon.”

  “Thanks, John.” Her elbow ached from the old injury that always acted up in cold weather. She switched hands to hold the phone.

  “No problem. I will be at my vacation home on Lake Delavan in another week and can bring the contract with me then. Is that soon enough?”

  “That’s fine, and John, I really appreciate this.”

  “Don’t worry about it and we can catch up on our lives over dinner. It’ll be fun.”

  “Great. I look forward to seeing you again.”

  John’s words of warning echoed in her ears. She touched her cross. What should I do, Lord? There are so many voices in this world. I have my faith in You. You are the living word. The living word in me.

  The door opened and Monica walked in. “You have an odd look on your face.”

  “I think I have disturbing news.”

  “Oh, no, what?” Monica took a seat on the couch.

  “I think I am developing feelings I don’t know if I’m ready for. I may even be falling in love.”

  “With Joe?” Monica scrunched up her face.

  “Yes, with Joe. He is handsome, talented, articulate, well-educated…”

  “You don’t look happy about feeling this way.” Monica noticed. “Why is that?”

  “Because I am scared. My feelings are happening too fast and I really don’t know much about him.”

  “You should be apprehensive. Lucy, you’ve only known him for about a week.”

  “Love knows no limits of time. It cannot be restrained.”

  “What’s that from?” Monica narrowed her eyes.

  “I just made it up. Never mind. And it’s been longer than a week…about ten days for your information.”

  “Ten whole days, huh?” Monica mocked. “Well then, throw yourself an anniversary party!”

  “Not funny.” Lucy scowled.

  “Let me reflect back to your love history. There was Steve...”

  “Let’s not discuss my former fiancée please,” Lucy cut her off sharply.

  “Fair enough. That would take us back to your high school years. Now, let me reflect back on those years, who was it that you loved back then?” Monica thought for a minute and then sat forward. “I remember now. John Friedman! Handsome John, who was the captain of the football team. John, who went off to Northwestern University and didn’t come back here to practice. Yet you two still get together from time to time.” Monica leaned back in her chair. “You know, I always thought you two would eventually end up back together again.”

  “Speaking of John, I just got off the phone with him.” Lucy looked back at the phone.

  “Oh? Do we have ourselves a love triangle in the making?” Monica seemed interested.

  “Not at all. He is drawing up a contract for Joe to sign.”

  “That’s a new one. I don’t recall any employee ever being asked to sign a contract. Not even me.”

  “We knew everyone when they applied, but nowadays with new people moving into the area, we can’t be too careful. This is to protect us and Joe, too.” Lucy did her best to explain away her real intentions.

  “All right. I accept that explanation; it sounds reasonable. But tell me how your feelings are different than the other two times.”

  “For one thing, I am older and have more experience with life, as well as with men. And with Joe…it’s a love that is meant to be.”

  “A love that is meant to be, huh?” Monica repeated. Then she straightened her back and looked around Harold’s office. “Where are they?”

  “Where is who?”

  “Where are you hiding those trashy romance novels? Ah ha! I remember you used to put them behind the books on your dad’s shelf.” Monica pointed toward the bookcase.

  “I haven’t read one in years. Please take me seriously, would you?”

  “I don’t have a thing against Joe. Give yourself a year. If it’s really meant to be, as you say, then it will happen.”

  ****

  If it’s meant to be…if it’s meant to be…Monica’s words kept rolling around inside her head as she lay in bed that night. It was the word ‘if’ that she hated. Lucy wanted him. Wanted Joe. He was so close. Mere yards away in his apartment. She closed her eyes and willed her brain to stop thinking about him. But there he was—charming smile, gray eyes, wonderful kisses. Darn, this had to stop.

  Lucy remembered one Sunday in church Pastor Owens told the congregation that it was impossible to think about two things at once. Okay, what should she think about? Snow skiing. She used to go skiing all the time. Whatever made her stop going? Oh when she started working at the paper. Now she didn’t have the time or the money to put into it. Those first years at the paper were fun for her, no competition with area newspapers because there weren’t any. Now there were newspapers springing up in nearly every town and crowding them out. One was coming here on their territory. But they had a secret weapon now to help them. His name was Joe. Joe McNamara could wipe up any newspaper with his fine words. And her one track mind had just circled right back to Joe again.

  Lucy wrangled with the bed covers and gave up. She would have Joe any way she could get him. For as long as she could have him. Lucy got dressed and put on her heavy coat before trudging across the yard. She looked up at his windows. All of them were dark which was natural since it was after midnight.

  Lucy sighed, rubbing her arms as she continued to look up. She hadn’t seen Joe all day. Oh, how she missed him. The only way she could rest would be if she could see him now. Right now.

  Lucy climbed up the steps and knocked softly at his door. When he opened it, she would leap into his arms like she had seen the girls in the movies do. Lucy waited and then knocked again. Still no answer. She knocked harder this time. Again, no answer. Now she pounded so hard she feared her sleeping dad would wake up and answer his door. She dr
opped her arms to her side.

  It was obvious. Joe’s ‘situation’ had taken him out of town for longer than she expected. It was Saturday night, wasn’t it? A horrifying thought came to her mind. Angela . His emergency was Angela. The thought of them together was most upsetting.

  Angrily, Lucy dug into her pocket for her car keys, and against her better judgment, drove off without her purse and license. Right now, she just needed to get away. She crept down snowy roads, not wanting to get hung up in a ditch somewhere. It was dark and eerie out.

  She decided to drive to Delavan, the scene of their last fun day together. All the stores were dark but the Christmas lights still illuminated the streets. The hours they spent here were relived in a few minutes. It was too cold to linger for the full-length version. If only she could turn back time…

  Lucy put on her left turn signal and drove back toward Turtle Creek. Coming through town, she was happy to see Ma’s Diner was still open. Lucy wasn’t ready to go home just yet and a warm place to sit for a bit was very appealing. The place was nearly empty but she still took a seat in the back booth.

  “I’ll take a hot chocolate with whipped cream,” she told the waitress. “And can you add a splash of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon.”

  The waitress looked oddly at her. “There is a gentleman who has been in here several times in the past few weeks and he orders the same, odd hot chocolate concoction as you just did. Come to think of it, he comes in here about this time, too.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Beats me.” She shrugged.

  “Has he been in here tonight?” Lucy looked around hoping to see Joe.

  Susie looked around, too. “No, I don’t see him.”

  Elvis singing Blue Christmas began playing on the jukebox.

  While she waited for her treat, Lucy began to think about her former fiancée. A wealth of tears came. She couldn’t hold them any longer. She put her head down on the table and silently wept. Thank goodness no one was around to see her in this condition.

  Unexpectedly, someone touched her head. The most comforting words in the universe were spoken. “Mind if I join you?”

  “Joe.” She looked up to see him.

  He slid in beside her. “Hey, what’s this all about?” He smoothed her blonde hair back from her eyes.

  The only person she wanted to see, needed to see, was seated right here with her. He might have been with Angela earlier, but he was with her right now. And now was all she had. “Joe. I didn’t expect to see you.”

  “You look really upset.” His voice filled with concern.

  “Oh, it’s nothing. I just couldn’t sleep.” She wiped her eyes, sniffling hard, not wanting to tell him what was wrong and yet wanting to tell him everything all at the same time. “Usually, I can lie down and within seconds, I am asleep. But not tonight.”

  “And why do you suppose that is?” Joe chuckled.

  “Just feeling a bit lonely, I guess,” Lucy answered, doing her best to shrug it off.

  “Let’s talk about what is making you feel this way.”

  “Are you the perfect man or what? You are always ready to listen and want to help. What makes you do that?”

  Joe seemed taken back by her words. “You’re a sweetheart. Why wouldn’t I care about you?”

  “Well, there’s something you should know about me, Joe.”

  “Tell me anything you want.” Joe put an arm around her.

  Lucy eased fully into his side.

  “Take your time. Talk when you are ready.”

  “Even though it’s been a few years, I still struggle over my broken engagement but I strongly suspect you may have all ready figured that one out.”

  “Would you like to tell me about it?”

  Lucy paused for a few minutes, trying to sum up her feelings into a brief snapshot. “Christmas is a hard time of year for me.”

  “It’s that way for many people. Holidays can be rough. Any particular reason it’s been a dark month for you? Or is it just hard in general?”

  “I became engaged at this time of the year.”

  “That first evening together, at your parents, you told me you got depressed at this time of the year, so now I know why that is.”

  “Not only are you a man who is a good listener but you also remember what I say. Who are you and where did you come from?” Lucy smiled and then continued, “Do you remember when you took the heart ornament from the box?”

  “It was an uncomfortable moment.”

  Lucy nodded. She choked back tears. “Steve gave it to me. For two Christmases, it hung on the tree but for the last few I have kept it in the box. It’s still too agonizing to look at it. I know I should be over it by now, but I’m not.”

  “The heart symbolizes how you once felt about one another. Even though it has ended, it still represents that time in your life.”

  “It’s an unhappy reminder.”

  “Have you thought of embracing the happy memories you and Steve shared together?”

  “I can’t embrace the memories.” Lucy spat. “Not ever. In fact I want to smash the ornament and toss all those memories away.” She hit the table with her fist.

  “Then why don’t you? Go ahead and do just that since that is what you are feeling.”

  “It wouldn’t be wrong?” She sat up straight in the booth and tilted her head to the side.

  “What would be wrong about it?”

  “It would be hurtful.”

  “To whom would it be hurtful? The relationship is over and has been for quite a while. The only one left hurting is you. Let it go and if it means getting rid of that ornament to make it happen, then toss it.”

  “I just might do that.” She calmed her breathing.

  “Okay.” He ran his fingers through her short curls.

  Joe stared at her and Lucy had this feeling he was analyzing her piece-by-piece, making conclusions.

  “Anything else?” he asked.

  “Yes, there is.” She sniffled. “Monica is a rotten interviewer. We can’t use anything we did together today.”

  “I think we have enough with what we already have.” Joe laughed. “Anything more you want to say?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes. As long as I am opening my mouth, I might as well open my heart and say it all. That is if you are you sure you want to hear this?”

  Joe nodded.

  “Thanks to you, I’m enjoying Christmas again and have this brand new hope.” She looked up at him and patted her cross.

  “Hope keeps us from giving up.”

  “You came to find me tonight?” she sniffled again. “How did you know I was here?”

  “I didn’t. I had no idea you were here until I walked in. I came in just to sit a while.”

  “Me, too. Joe, there’s something you still don’t know.”

  “I’m still listening.”

  “This probably seems soon but I am developing feelings for you. I don’t know what to do with them because I have no idea how you feel about me. You might suddenly decide to leave and then I would be alone again.” Lucy prattled. “I’m sure I am scaring you away by saying all these things to you but if I do not get them out, right now, I am going to burst.”

  “You’re a hard woman to resist, Lucy Collins.” He kissed her cheek.

  “I am?” Her face felt raw from tears.

  Her smile grew and his lips parted. She stared into his face and felt lost in his eyes. Joe sure knew how to crank up the heat.

  Susie returned with her drink and laid the ticket down next to the cup. It was then Lucy remembered she didn’t have any money. “Joe, I didn’t bring my purse.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” A surprise laugh burst out of him.

  “And do you want the usual?” Susie asked him.

  “I think we’ll share this one.” Joe nodded to the hot chocolate.

  The Christmas Edition

  The Christmas Edition

  Chapter Thirteen

  Decem
ber 12

  “Did you pick up the new advertising contract for the tire shop in Twin Lakes yesterday?” Carol asked Joe when she got to the office.

  “I did. You’ll find it on your desk. I must admit this is the most confusing road system I have ever driven on,” Joe complained as he set up his laptop. “I spent two hours yesterday trying to find Twin Lakes, and then, I even got lost coming back. Everything looks the same around here—the roads, the pastures, the cows, the snow, the sky, everything!”