Christmas To Remember

by Kay Stockham

  The seconds passed as they sat there, him on one end of the bench, Angel on the other, the sounds of cars and people and boats on the nearby river fading to nothing. “I can’t believe they made her go through labor anyway.”

  “We couldn’t, either, but the doctors said it was best.”

  “What about her mom?”

  Angel’s expression hardened. “Marley’s fall from perpetual sainthood had sent her into depression, but she was on medication and seemed okay, but the house was like a tomb and you never knew what might set her off. While they set Marley’s arm Donna was quiet, but under control. But when they came in with news about the baby…She had to be sedated. Marley needed her mom so bad right then, but Donna couldn’t hold it together for her.” Angel swore softly, her blue eyes glittering with tears. “That’s another reason we’re so close. Neither one of us have mothers we can depend on, but we know no matter what, we’ve got each other. We’re each other’s family, sisters by choice.”

  He didn’t know what it was about her words, but they struck a chord in him. “It’s no wonder Marley’s family hates me so much. I can’t blame them after hearing everything Marley went through.”

  “We all hated you for a while,” Angel whispered huskily. “We hated you for treating Marley that way and not caring. She wasn’t the same after that. She grew up instantly and not in a healthy way. It was too much, too fast. Anyway, Donna lost it. And I don’t mean she got upset, but that she literally lost it.”

  “Marley told me.”

  “She blames herself. All her life her parents practically had her locked in a chastity belt. So strict she wasn’t allowed to do anything and when she did get a little freedom look what happened.”

  He turned the bottle to a cooler side against her ankle, watching a drop of condensation trickle down onto her skin. “Are you the same person you were five years ago?”

  “Oh, please. Don’t turn all psychoanalytical on me. Buttering me up won’t help you with her family, trust me. I’m hated nearly as much as you.” She grinned as though proud of the fact. “I gave Marley her first drink of devil water.”

  The description had him smiling. “That’s bad, but not as bad as getting her pregnant.”

  She relented with a shrug. “True enough. You win.”

  He definitely hadn’t won. “Will it help to tell you I’m not the guy I used to be? That the last thing I want to do is hurt her again?”

  “It would help more if you told me why I should believe you.”

  “Because it’s true. Whether it’s because of the hit to my head or something else, I don’t like the guy you and Marley and my father describe me as being back then. I don’t like what I did to Marley, and I know I’m not the same person now that I was.”

  Angel pondered that a long moment, her gaze searching his face. He hoped she found whatever it was she looked for. If he got Angel to warm up to him, then maybe she would help him approach Marley and—

  A Jeep roared to a squealing stop near where they sat. Marley’s brother jumped out, his expression furious.

  Angel rolled her eyes. “Here we go again.”

  Despite her words, however, Beau saw excitement flicker across her features before she banked the emotion for one of indifferent boredom.

  He tried to set her foot aside to stand, but Angel was having none of it. Smiling deviously, she scooted closer to him on the bench and put her arms around him, easing her injured leg farther over his knee to hold him in his seat. “You better not be lying to me.” She smiled up at him, murmuring the words between her gritted teeth. “Now, play along.”

  “Angel, what the—”

  “Hello, Clay. Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

  Marley’s brother stopped in front of them, his hands fisted, his breathing rough. He glowered at both of them. “What are you doing with him?”

  Angel patted his chest, smiling innocently. “What does it look like?”

  Beau glanced at Angel, wondering if she was deliberately trying to get him killed.

  “I took a tumble while I jogged and Beau helped me. Isn’t he sweet?”

  “Sweet? The guy’s a ba—”

  “In fact, he just offered to take me back to his place to ice down my ankle.”

  Clay stepped closer. “You’re not going anywhere with him.”

  Angel loosened her octopus hold and frowned up at Clay. “I suppose you think I ought to go with you?”

  “Yeah, I do.” To prove his point, Clay bent and scooped Angel up into his arms.

  She sighed dramatically. “I suppose the devil I know is better than the one I don’t. See you around, Beau.”

  Taking his chance to escape, Beau left them to it, turning back in time to see Angel wink at him over Clay’s shoulder, twine her arms around the guy’s neck and murmur something into his ear that had Clay stumbling over his own feet.

  Beau chuckled at the sight. The guy didn’t stand a chance, and he figured Clay deserved whatever Angel dished out.

  Just as he did with Marley?

  Suddenly he wasn’t smiling anymore.

  MARLEY HEARD A VEHICLE approaching and turned to see Beau arriving bright and early in a newer model Dodge. She’d seen the truck parked at the house the day she’d dropped Beau off and it must’ve been the one he’d driven the night he’d come to see her.

  She ignored the shiver caused by Beau’s stare and continued working. She hadn’t spoken to him since her father’s visit to the site, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of his every movement in the time since. Still, he’d left her alone and for that she was grateful.

  An hour later, he stood beside her. “Marley?”

  She didn’t respond. Maybe it was rude, but what else could she do? She’d spent every evening of the past week on the computer, researching her mother’s medications and their side effects. And with every click of the mouse, fear settled deeper into the pit of her stomach.

  “Look, just take it easy today, okay? I know you’re trying to finish up, but you’re pushing too hard. It’s okay to take a break every now and again.” He bent and left a bottle of water beside her.

  Marley hesitated briefly, wanting to open her mouth, to at least mutter a thank-you for the kindness, but her guilt kept her quiet. It was best this way. For everyone. Especially her mother.

  A sharp whistle ripped the air from somewhere across the street. Marley looked up to see Angel pulling into the driveway in her bright red sports car. Other than a quick glance to make sure the whistle hadn’t come from Beau—and, no, she wasn’t about to let herself overthink that too much—she ignored the men across the street and shook her head in bemusement when Angel got out and made her way toward her, all long legs and short shorts.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I thought I’d come by and pay for my room and board today. Got an extra pair of gloves?”

  Marley couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped her lips. Angel had filled her cabinets with food, cooked most of the meals and cleaned the apartment from top to bottom. She’d paid for her room and board and then some. “Angel, you do not have to do this.”

  “I know.” She shrugged. “I stopped by the shop, but Amy had her hands full with Eli. He kept dropping things every time I walked by. She mentioned you might need some help here.” She wriggled her fingers. “Gloves?”

  “In the truck.” She grabbed the water bottle and followed Angel to the cab, opening the lid and rolling her eyes when more catcalls sounded as Angel bent over the seat. She could only imagine how Eli had felt given that the Buchanan crew couldn’t keep their mouths shut. An extra pair of hands might help her out, but she had a feeling Barry and Beau’s men wouldn’t get anything done today. “Where were you last night? You didn’t get in until late.”

  “Oh, sorry. I should’ve called.”

  “You don’t have to report to me. I was just curious because we left at the same time yesterday and you were dressed for a run. Something happen?”

  “Ah-ha! Her
e they are.” Angel turned, triumphant. She yanked the three-dollar gloves over her fifty-dollar manicure. “Oh, you know how it goes. I ran into someone and got sidetracked.”

  There was no misreading her friend’s expression. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

  “You know how those horses can be.”

  Marley choked on the water, laughing and coughing at the same time. This was why her parents had never wanted Angel hanging around. Angelique had always been adventurous. She wasn’t easy by a long shot and never had been, but—

  Was she really going to be like her parents and give Angel lectures after what she’d been through with her marriage? “Just be careful, okay? It’s easy to get hurt on the rebound.”

  “That’s why I’m here. So what are we doing today?”

  Why she was there? Marley blinked up at her, envious of the extra inches in height. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Positive.”

  “All right, that’s it. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing.” A curious smile flickered over Angel’s carefully glossed lips.

  Marley frowned, eyeing her more closely. Angel had left for a run yesterday wearing very little makeup. Yet today she’d come to work outside in the dirt in full makeup?

  “Come on, lighten up. I just thought I needed to get out of the apartment. Can’t hide out forever, you know? So, I figured I’d give you a hand and—” she tilted her head toward the house across the street, a twinkle in her eyes “—those guys over there something else to talk about. Oh, who’s the hunky-hunk with the goatee?” She shivered delicately. “You know, I never liked those before but oh, baby.”

  Uh-huh. Something wasn’t right and Marley’s suspicions were starting to gel. “Did you have a run-in with Clay last night?”

  Angel smiled and slapped her gloved hands together. “As a matter of fact, I did. Does he really think an apology is going to fix things? Your brother doesn’t know who he’s messing with.”

  Neither did Beau. She had five years of anger and resentment stored up. One kiss and some pretty apologies weren’t going to fix those, either. “And that’s why you’re here? You’re avoiding him?”

  “Sort of.”

  “But?”

  “Let’s just say your brother’s a bit too…tied up this morning to mess with anything.”

  Marley’s mouth fell open. “Angel—you didn’t.”

  “If I don’t come back after lunch—” she grinned “—don’t come find me.”

  A laugh escaped before she could stop it. Talk about a comeuppance. No, Clay absolutely didn’t know who he was messing with—otherwise he’d know Angel was no angel. “Have I told you how glad I am that you’re back?”

  “Does that mean you wouldn’t mind if I stick around indefinitely?”

  “Are you kidding me? I’d love it if you moved back. When will you decide?”

  “Yesterday.” She grinned. “I’ve made quite a few calls while I’ve been here. And you are now looking at the new owner of WLVV. Thanks to you, Delilah Kane is making a comeback.”

  Marley laughed, happy to have her friend back in town on a permanent basis. “Does Clay know?”

  “No. And don’t tell him. Your brother has a bit more groveling to do before I let him in on this particular secret.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  BEAU STARED AT Marley and smiled when he saw her laugh at whatever Angel was saying. The sound floated on the breeze across the street to where he stood, and while he’d thought her pretty before, now—she was beautiful.

  The wind whipped up and blew the first of the falling leaves through the air. Both women raised their hands to keep their hair out of their eyes and he found himself focusing on Angel as a memory stirred, flashing quickly in his mind.

  A blond girl, blue eyes. Young, in her teens. She sat on the floor, legs drawn up, arms flailing as she tried to get the dark-haired guy tickling her to stop. She laughed like Marley, in full, breathless bursts of sound, belly laughs that—

  “You okay, son?”

  The image disappeared in an instant, leaving pain in its wake. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his head. Pop had been doing that lately, checking on him if he thought he was remembering something, as if he was anxious for it to happen. Problem was it interrupted the memory, causing it to disappear before he could make any progress. “Yeah.”

  “You remember something?”

  “Just someone laughing.”

  “Any names this time?”

  “No.”

  His father hesitated, then indicated the kitchen at the back of the house. “Why don’t you work on the lights in there? You’ll be by the door that way.”

  He sighed, nodding. Pop had picked the room farthest away from the window where he stood watching Marley. Coincidence?

  He didn’t think so.

  “SO HOW ARE YOU, BEAU? Any new memories this week?”

  Beau settled himself on the comfortable leather couch for his regularly scheduled Thursday-afternoon appointment and grimaced tiredly at the shrink. Exhausted didn’t begin to describe how he felt, but it was a good tired. Working hard made him feel better. “I remembered a blond girl with blue eyes.” He’d learned after the first session or two that it was best just to open up and tell everything, then let Dr. Steinman go off on a tangent with his questions. The inquiries never brought up any new memories, but he’d admit to feeling less stressed about not remembering when he left the sessions. “She was laughing because someone tickled her.”

  “This Joe person?”

  He shrugged, knowing Dr. Steinman meant well but not liking the process all the same. “I don’t know. I can’t see his face.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Cut to the chase, Doc.” He scooted down into the cushioned depths, getting comfortable. “What’s it going to be this week? Fire away.”

  The doctor narrowed his gaze, then opened the notebook he carried into every consultation. After scanning his notes, he sighed and took off his glasses. “Tell me about Beau. Do you have friends?”

  THANK GOODNESS for Friday, Marley thought as she tossed the last shovelful of mulch and moved along. She put a base of the less attractive stuff on the bottom before she went over it a second time with the “pretty” mulch. The first frost had covered the ground this morning, and the pressure was on to complete the second house before the Christmas rush hit and the weather turned cold.

  January and February were the only months she considered slow. Normally she took classes and seminars and made sure the equipment was in good repair. October had flown by and Halloween had helped dwindle her fall merchandise down to a few remaining scarecrows and a handful of mums. Thanksgiving was around the corner with the start of the Winter Festival beginning Black Friday. Her To Do List overflowed, but she was thankful to be busy. It kept her from thinking too much about what was ahead of her.

  Right now she focused on making sure her business was ready for Christmas. A landscaping business wasn’t typically thought of as Santa’s Toy Land, but since offering gift certificates and turning her garden center into a shopping haven of unusual accessories last year, things had picked up. People came to her to find items that weren’t the chain store norm.

  Her orders were arriving daily, and between meetings with WLVV’s staff, dates with Clay and her night shift on-air, Angel had pitched in to help. She had a knack for decorating and displaying the merchandise to its best advantage. Angel had even decorated the Christmas trees Eli and Amy had helped her erect in the middle of the garden center, but hadn’t had a chance to finish. While she started on the second house, she could complete the loose ends on her other projects.

  Thanks to Beau.

  Marley inhaled and sighed. Despite treating him like the plague, Beau seemed determined to help her out in an effort to make amends. Every time she turned around, she discovered a new surprise. Over the past couple weeks he’d unloaded her wheelbarrow and tools from the truck, as well as the big
ger trees. And just this morning after she’d arrived, she’d gone into a Porta Potti and when she’d come out, Beau was unloading the last of the bagged mulch where she’d laid out her tools to work. But before she could take him to task for it, he’d dipped his head in a nod, rubbed the do-rag over his forehead to wipe the sweat from his brow and went back across the street, all without a single word.

  She’d thought about it constantly. Hating him for not leaving town as she’d requested, and aching that he’d be so nice. She was limited by finances when it came to hiring an extra pair of hands, and Angel’s and Beau’s kindness meant more than either of them could possibly guess. If she didn’t meet her deadlines the contract stated she could be replaced by another landscaper. She was the new kid on the block and this was her break; she didn’t want to blow it. But why did he insist on helping her after everything she’d said to him?

  Only one way to find out. Marley sighed again. She owed him her thanks if nothing else.

  Taking the long way around the house to avoid the newly strawed lawn, she headed up the rough road to the next house. As she trudged along, her mind balked. What would her father say if he saw her?

  Shaking her head and determining that she didn’t care—her father hadn’t spoken more than a few terse words to her since their argument—Marley bit her lip and made her presence known by stepping onto the plastic drop cloth layering the garage floor. An older man dressed in painter’s whites added what looked to be the last coat on the far wall, while another man installed light fixtures on the ceiling.

  “You looking for Mr. Buchanan?”

  “Uh…Yes,” she said, wondering which Buchanan the man would point her toward. What would she say if it were Beau’s father?

  “Around the side there.”

  She murmured her thanks and kept going. A foundation had been poured to begin work on a deck, and above that, wires hung out of their sockets on both sides of the French doors, the light fixtures on the ground nearby.