Trudie faced the window again, uttering a little sigh of satisfaction. She missed all of them. She missed them living in the house.
Suddenly, her eye was drawn to something. A man appeared from nowhere, bundled up in a heavy coat and scarf, a red ski cap pulled low over his head, obscuring his face. He was hunched and braced against the whistling winds. Was he hurt? Did he need help? Trudie stiffened. He dashed under the shade of the porch for cover, and then she heard him ascend the stairs to the front door. Trudie pictured him sick and cold. Where had he come from? Was he dangerous? Should she call the police?
She raced to her hall closet, grabbed her winter coat and slipped it on. She released the door lock, making sure the lock chain was secure, and then opened the door, cautiously, only a couple of inches. She peeked out. There, looking back at her, was the grinning face of Jon Ketch!
“Hey there, Lady Trudie. It’s your old lover boy, Jon.”
Trudie’s face was blank with shock. “Jon! What in the...?”
He shrugged, loosely.
“How...? Why are you here?”
“I’m here because I love you and I want to marry you.”
Trudie made a little sound of surprise. “What?!”
“It’s true. You wouldn’t take my calls and you ignored my texts. So here I am and I want to marry you.” He pointed at his chest. “I, Jon Ketch, want to marry,” he pointed at her, “you, Trudie Parks. You and me! Jon and Trudie. Wife number three, yes, but my one and only, always.”
Trudie stood in bewildered silence.
“You can close your mouth, Trudie. It’s okay.”
She did close her mouth.
“We can go steady for a while if you want. I’m sure your folks would approve of me. I’m so lovable and normal. Hey, and I have a good, steady job. So should we? Go steady?”
He took out his old high school ring. “I have my high school ring and I’m happy to put it on your finger. Shall I?”
Trudie didn’t move. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t think.
Jon studied her, his eyes narrowed on her. “You okay, Trudie?”
She still didn’t speak.
“Can I come in?”
Trudie didn’t move.
“Will you please speak to me?”
She finally found her voice. Her expression darkened. “Jon... why did you leave without kissing me goodbye? Without coming to see me?”
He frowned down at the cement porch. “I should have. I’m sorry. I was all messed up and confused. I was going to tell you all that but you hung up on me. Now that was rude, Trudie. Anyway, there you were and there was Mrs. Childs, who I thought was dying and I’d never see her again. Meanwhile, my girls were waiting for me, texting me every 5 minutes to see if I was coming for Christmas. Pleading with me to come home. I was a mess, okay? And then you hung up on me and wouldn’t take my calls. Okay, so I thought you needed some time, and I needed some time to think things through. I’m not the greatest judge of my own character you know.”
“Yes, I know, Jon. You are very... very...” Trudie was at a loss for words. “I don’t know what you are.”
“I prefer to think of myself as a textured kind of guy.”
“You are that, alright,” Trudie said.
“Okay. So I went home and thought about things.”
“And?”
Jon seemed to melt a little. His eyes captured and then held hers. “I’m crazy for you, Trudie Parks. Always have been. Always will be. You just do it for me.”
Trudie breathed in uncertainty. “Can I trust you, Jon? Can I?”
Jon reached into his coat pocket. He presented her with another ring. He held it up to the light. It was a stupendous diamond ring that glittered and sparkled. Trudie stared, breathless and mesmerized.
“Yes, you can, Trudie. You can trust me, and here is the ring of my commitment. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my mad and silly life with you. Please? Please, Trudie, my love? Say yes?”
Trudie didn’t budge. She stared at the ring, her eyes expanding on it. “Is that a real diamond? It’s huge.”
“Yes. It is as real as I am. It’s prettier, yes. But not as original. I can afford it, Trudie. I just signed a contract to be in a movie with George Clooney. He’s the good guy and I’m the bad guy. He shoots me at the end, but I get paid a lot of money. We’ll be filming in the Caribbean, London and Paris. I’d love to have you with me. I think we’d have lots of fun together. Now, let me have your hand.”
Trudie snaked her arm out of the still-chained door, extending her hand. Cold wind whistled in as Jon slipped the ring over her delicate finger. It dazzled, and she watched the dancing play of light.
“I love the look of that,” Jon said, smiling, warmly.
Trudie suddenly felt drugged and dizzy. A diamond ring? The Caribbean? London? Paris? Marriage?
“Well, do you like it?” Jon asked.
Trudie cleared her throat. “...Yes... Yes. It’s beautiful, Jon. Just beautiful.”
“Now, can I please come in?”
Trudie tried to blink away anxiety. The past 20 years had been safe and predictable, and all her actions and choices had helped to define her. She knew who she was. She had a meaningful and uncomplicated routine. Was she ready to be yanked away into a chaotic life with Jon Ketch? Was she ready to jump out of an airplane without a parachute?
Jon stood in humble anticipation. “Trudie? Will you be my wife?”
Trudie began to tremble. “But how can we, Jon? I live here. You live there. You’re a famous movie star and I’m a nobody dental hygienist.”
Jon turned serious, pointing a stern finger at her. “First of all, you have never been, nor will you ever be, a nobody. You are Trudie the Sweet. Trudie the Beautiful. Trudie, my Great Love, among many other wonderful things.”
Now Trudie melted. “Jon, that was so sweet.”
Jon spoke earnestly. “Trudie, we can live here sometimes. We can live there sometimes. We can live wherever sometimes. The important thing is we live somewhere, anywhere, together. We have fun together, we love together. We have a kid or two together, preferably at least one son.”
Trudie considered his words, while staring down at the ring. She lifted her eyes to see Jon’s hopeful face.
“Well, Trudie?”
Trudie looked beyond him, her face revealing nothing.
Jon shivered. “Trudie! Can I please come in? I’m freezing my ass off out here.”
A puff of wind blew snow across the porch. Jon ducked away, protecting his face from another gust of buffeting wind.
A slow, lusty expression changed Trudie’s face. She stepped back, released the chain and swung the door wide open. Her voice took on strength and conviction.
“Yes, Jon Ketch, you can come in now. But I warn you. It will be a long, long time before you get out.”
He hesitated, thinking about it. He nodded and entered.
Trudie slammed the door behind him.
Thank You
Thank you for taking the time to read The Christmas Women. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and it is much appreciated.
Thank you,
Elyse Douglas
Other novels by Elyse Douglas that you might enjoy:
The Christmas Diary
The Summer Diary
The Other Side of Summer
Daring Summer
The Christmas Eve Letter (A Time Travel Novel) Book 1
The Christmas Eve Daughter (A Time Travel Novel) Book 2
The Lost Mata Hari Ring (A Time Travel Novel)
The Christmas Town (A Time Travel Novel)
Time Sensitive (A Time Travel Novel)
The Summer Letters
The Date Before Christmas
Christmas Ever After
Christmas for Juliet
The Christmas Bridge
Wanting Rita
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