Aloha My Love: Christmas in July
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Aloha My Love
The Ornamental Matchmaker Series
Marisa Masterson
Aloha My Love
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to persons, organizations, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
The book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. All rights are reserved with the exceptions of quotes used in reviews. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage system without express written permission from the author.
Aloha My Love ©2020 Marisa Masterson
Cover Design by Erin Dameron-Hill https://www.edhprofessionals.com/
Images used with license from Creative Fabrica
Editing by Amy Petrowich
Formatting by Christine Sterling
1st Ed.
Table of Contents
About the Ornamental Matchmaker
Aloha My Love
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
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Sneak Peek
Books by Marisa Masterson
About Marisa Masterson
About the Ornamental Matchmaker
Mrs. Claus is all about spreading Christmas cheer — especially to the many, lonely hearts seeking friendship, love, healing, second chances, and that special someone to call their own.
To help each lovely heroine and dashing hero find their perfect match, Mrs. Claus sends them a magical holiday ornament. From a carousel horse that matches the exact horse a hero will be found riding to an iced angel just like the cookies a dreamy chef bakes, each ornament has a real-world counterpart that, if followed, will lead to true love. These books are designed to be a fun, quick read with a touch of magic and romance.
From historical to contemporary, from heartfelt to humorous, each of these sweet romance stories ends in a festive happily ever after that will leave you wanting more — so be sure to check out all the titles by multiple authors in our Ornamental Match Maker Series, by visiting https://www.facebook.com/groups/712109532498752/.
Aloha My Love
A hula dancer—seriously? And blonde to boot!
Why did someone send JT Kirkwood a hula dancer ornament? This was July, not even close to December and the season for a Christmas tree. The note promised that the dancer was real and waiting for him. No matter how ridiculous this seemed, JT looked at the ornament and felt compelled to find the woman mentioned in the note. Too bad his father’s accident prevents him from looking.
A luau—seriously? With their town of Oak Grove hit by layoffs, why did Bonnie Miller’s mother insist that they throw a city-side party at the small strip mall that housed Bonnie’s restaurant. Still, her mother had fantastic insight into what the public wanted, so Bonnie went along with it. She even danced the hula for the crowd, and saw the man of her dreams watching.
Serenaded by Elvis, this couple easily falls in love. But is love at first sight enough to overcome the distance that separates the couple when JT has to return to his job in another town far from Oak Grove? He loves his home and job, but Bonnie is fiercely loyal to hers as well.
Mrs. Claus is discovering that not even the magic of a compelling ornament or the lyrical sounds of Elvis will be enough to bring about this couple’s happily ever. Which one will compromise? Will each say Aloha--meaning goodbye?
Dedication
Thanks to my Facebook friends who helped choose the name of this story. You set the direction of the book when almost every one of you chose Aloha My Love.
Chapter 1
Bonnie Miller secured the lid of the small, disposable container and placed the serving of potato salad into the white clam shell next to the sandwich. Lifting that, she slid it carefully into the plastic bag on top of the other takeout boxes.
Thank the Lord for loyal customers. She’d been devastated when the plumbing in her bathrooms failed catastrophically. It was so bad that Bonnie couldn’t allow customers inside. Without the steady stream of takeout orders, she’d have been up a creek without a paddle.
Or maybe a spatula. That fit a restaurant much better.
“Well Bonita, when do you think we can host it?”
Her shoulders stiffened. She hated hearing her real name. It always meant her mother wouldn’t give in.
No, the woman would push and hint. Prod and nag until Bonnie fell in with Rita’s plans. Typically, weird plans. This time seemed no different.
“I don’t know, Mother. A Luau doesn’t exactly go with my restaurant. And with this huge layoff scare—”
“Don’t say that word. I’m up to my Clairol-colored hair in information about that. And I think just about everyone else is, too.”
Bonnie frowned as she looked up from the soup she had just stirred. Shaking the long spoon at her mother, she made her voice as stern as she could manage. This was her mother, after all, so she couldn’t be disrespectful.
“You had better be careful who you say that too! In a small town like ours that depends on the factory, people might think you are being heartless just because you have money.”
Rita’s eyes narrowed below her wildly applied blue eye shadow. “Watch that tone, young lady!”
Swallowing any snippiness Bonnie reminded her mother, “I’m not a young lady, Mother.”
“Thirty-years-old. High time to take a risk and try something different.” Her mother punctuated those words with a nod of her outthrust chin. Typical—bossy and belligerent.
“And anyhow, with this whole bathroom catastrophe in the restaurant, how can I host something special? I can’t even let people come inside to eat anymore.”
Rita hummed. That was a bad sign. It meant she had Bonnie asking the exact questions she wanted from her.
“People will be outside for the luau. We’ll have it in the parking lot and advertise for people to bring lawn chairs. They can even spread blankets on the grassy area between the parking lot and the road.”
Bonnie grasped for anything to slow her mother’s plans. “But we’d have to get the mall owner’s permission. Maybe even a permit from the town.”
She arched a brow at her mother doubtfully. “I don’t think the town council will grant one. It’s awfully short notice.”
For one small moment, something flickered in her mother’s eyes. Like a candle’s flame when a sudden breeze hits it. But only briefly. All too quickly, determination flared like a steady flame in Rita’s light-colored eyes, causing Bonnie’s shoulders to sag slightly inside her Bonnie’s BBQ t-shirt.
“If I didn’t realize what a good thing this would be for the shop owners in the mall, I’d think you want me to forget this whole thing.”
There it was. That tone that somehow combined hurt and patience. Bonnie inwardly cringed at it. Outwardly, she ducked her head to hide her true feelings as she answered Rita.
“Of course not, Mother. Your other ideas for special sales have been a huge help to me, and you do have a knack for knowing what the public wants. Only, don’t they usually bury a pig in coals and cook it that way. I don’t know how—”
“We’ll sell pulled pork sandwiches. Use the smoker behind the mall, like usual. People will love a pineapple garnish. That’ll be all the Hawaiian they need.”
But the permits—”
“All taken care of, darling. Since mother knows best, I went ahead and got them. I’ve even collected money from the other strip mall tenants. We’ve more than enough to pay for the port-a-potty rentals and to cover the cost of the band.”
That grabbed Bonnie’s attention. “Band? What kind of lollapalooza have you planned!” Fear at managing her mother’s scheme blossomed, causing the tightness to start.
Automatically, Bonnie pulled off her clear plastic gloves and reached for a small paper bag emblazoned with her business logo. Before the hyperventilation took hold, she had the white bag at her mouth and was breathing into it.
“Honestly, Bonnie! You’d think I’d just told you I’d robbed a bank the way you panic.” Rita’s inflection told her daughter what Bonnie already knew. Any sympathy her mother felt about Bonnie’s panic attacks had dried up long ago.
While her daughter’s breathing grew steady and even, Rita continued detailing her plans. “You don’t have a big part to play. Just plan how the food can safely be sold. Oh and,” her mother’s voice broke off for a moment. “I have a costume for you to wear. You’ll introduce the band and give a few hula tips.”
The white bag went flat at Bonnie’s sudden gasp. “What do I know about dancing the hula?”
Rita’s hands fixed on her hips as she narrowed her eyes. “Gracious, Bonnie. You and your friend—Darcy wasn’t it—took that trip to Hawaii last year. You must have learned something at that resort where you stayed.”
Warmth filled her at the memory. Darcy, her best friend since the day they’d both refused to eat paste like the other children in preschool, had won the trip. Since it was an all-expenses paid trip for two, she’d invited Bonnie to go with her. Before they’d flown home that week, Darcy met her husband and became engaged.
Thinking about it pulled a wistful sigh from Bonnie. “That was such a fun week. Watching Darcy and Sean had been like living in a romance novel.”
Quietly, Rita muttered, “Yes, think romance.”
“What?” The daughter’s wandering thoughts returned to her mother. “Why do you want me to think about romance?”
A patient smile curved Rita’s lips. While Bonnie couldn’t see it, she knew it was there by the crinkled corners of her mother’s eyes. “Well, it will help you dance the hula better, of course. That’s all.”
Narrowing her eyes skeptically, Bonnie asked, “Are you planning something? You’re not setting me up on another of those terrible blind dates, are you? The last guy even made me pay for the meal!”
With a tsk, the poker-faced mother waved her right hand. “Darling, this is only a Christmas in July luau. We need to bring a little summer fun to this little town. Not everything is about you, sweetheart.”
That last sentence raised even more concern. Her mother only said it when she was up to something and didn’t want to admit it. From the older woman’s expression, Bonnie knew it would do no good to pry.
Her mother wouldn’t crack under questioning. Bonnie shook her head at her mother as she moved toward the front door where a patron waited for her order. Like clockwork, Nancy Jones arrived from the local dentist’s office each day at this time. The ladies there had been great customers.
Holding out the square reader, Bonnie let Nancy scan her credit card. As she handed Nancy the large bag full of white clam shells, Bonnie caught a movement at the corner of her right eye.
Turning her blonde head, the restaurant owner gaped. Rita already had posters printed and was hanging one in the plate-glass window.
“What a great idea, Bonnie! Everyone needs an excuse to come together.”
Bonnie looked doubtfully at her customer. “You don’t think I’m pushing things since I can’t seat them inside yet.”
Nancy quickly shook her dark hair. “Not at all. People love summer events, and this might be the closest I ever get to Hawaii.”
Then she gave a rueful snort. “I definitely need a little ‘Christmas in July’ cheer. It’s been rough since Jim lost his job at the factory over in Janesville.”
Like lots of places in the country, local factories and businesses had laid off workers. Not all of them had been called back since the economy supposedly had “rebounded”. Just yesterday, the shoe store in town announced a going-out-of-business sale.
“Do you have more posters? I’ll take a couple. One for the dentist office and one for my church.” A hand reached around Bonnie to shove the posters at Nancy.
It seemed, once again, that Mother really knew what was best. At least, if Nancy’s enthusiasm was a predictor of success.
So, why did Bonnie have this nagging feeling that this luau event would change her life?
“Well, are you with me or not?”
The gnarled fingers of Gus Granger’s hand shook as he ran them over his bald head. Rita Miller wasn’t an easy lady to deal with when she was in a good mood. And, no one could describe her as happy right now.
“Now, Rita. I don’t know that I can play injured for two weeks. That shop’s my life and I want to be the one running it.”
The woman shook her long, dyed-red hair. “You’re a selfish old goat! This might be your boy’s only chance at happiness.”
When he opened his mouth to speak, Gus’ dentures slipped forward. Rita watched him shove them back in place and sighed. “You just sit back for two weeks and enjoy having JT staying with you. Let me take care of everything else.”
“I don’t see how you can be sure the two of them will fall in love. Life don’t work like that, woman.”
At his use of that last word, Rita glared. Gus tried to squeeze more tightly against the plaid couch cushions and disappear. She really was a bossy woman.
The shrew clucked her tongue at him, making him shrink behind the large pillows on the couch. “There you go thinking again. Gus, I told you what to do. Let me handle everything else.”
Maybe her condescending tone provoked him. Or, it could be he was just that protective of his foster son. He and Mildred, God bless her, had raised him after the accident.
Whatever the reason, Gus sat up as straight as the arthritis in his back allowed and growled at Rita. “No! You tell me what’s gonna happen or I won’t be injured.”
A flash of what might be admiration flickered in Rita’s pale eyes. None of it leaked into her voice. Annoyed, she answered him with as few words as possible.
“Merry Claus is on it. Ornament, Luau, grandkids.” Then she scowled at him, “Get it?”
“Merry Claus? Some poor woman actually has that name?”
She giggled. Rita Miller actually tittered out a girlish giggle! “And it fits her perfectly. She’s just what you’d expect in Santa’s wife.”
Gus shook his head, confused. “So now even Santa’s wife is part of your plan. You’ve gone and lost your mind. Crazy old woman!”
Whirling, Gus stomped to Rita’s front door, his cane tapping along with him. It was one more sign he was getting old. He was almost seventy and had no business pretending there was a Santa Claus. The thought of that alone had him grumbling and turning on the top step of Rita’s porch.
“I’m not gonna pretend to be hurt. You’re a—”
Too late, Gus realized he’d missed his step. He shouldn’t have tried to walk down the steps with his eyes pointed over his shoulder.
The cane flew in the air, hitting him on the head as the old man tumbled down one and then another step. A sickening crack sound before he screamed in pain.
Muffled, like from a long way off, he heard Rita speaking on the phone. Then a hand urged him to stay on the ground. “The ambulance is coming.”
Through his clenched teeth, Gus ground out his words. “I’m not gonna pretend.”
Rita stood up. With her hands on her hips, she stared at him. “Well, shoot Gus, now you don’t have to.” Then the woman gave a throaty laugh.
Why should he expect anything else? Rita Miller was crazy!
Chapter 2
“Why didn’t you call me right away?”
Gus and Mildred Granger had been Pa and Ma to him. At least since he’d decided that Papa Gus and Mama Mildred were what a baby would call them. He remembered that day when he’d asked if he could call them Pa and Ma. Mildred’s eyes had filled with tears while Gus cleared his throat like a rock was stuck in it.
Even while his parents were alive, he’d lived with the couple. He’d called them Papa Gus and Mama Mildred, and his parents encouraged the names. As a jungle pilot for a missionary organization, his father’s job held a lot of risk. His mother always went with him, working for the same group. Gus and Mildred had been JT’s only stability for as long as he could remember.
After his parents crashed somewhere in the Guatemalan jungle when he was five, not a lot changed. Sad, but there it was. His parents sort of faded from his young mind.
Not that Mildred didn’t work to keep their memories alive. JT’s mother had been Mildred’s younger cousin, and they’d grown up together. Ma told him stories about his parents, one a night so he would feel like he knew them.
That same sweet voice that told the stories spoke soothingly on the phone. “Calm down, Captain. Pa’s gonna be fine.”
JT realized he was holding his breath and let it out with a whoosh. Mildred chuckled at the sound.
“Still doing that, Captain. I never could break you of holding your breath. Like you thought something bad was gonna drown you. Thought you’d grown out of it.” Her voice trailed off, as if she were talking to herself and not him.
While he loved Ma, JT acknowledged that the woman was scatterbrained. How she could write successful novels, he’d never know. But she did, and her readers loved her.
“Ma, you didn’t answer my question. Should I drive down to Oak Grove tonight?”