Deck the Halls

by Leah Sanders

  Kate froze. Tongue-tied. All rational thought vacated her mind, and she stood in silence, desperately racking her brain for words to string together into a coherent sentence.

  “Madame Hall? Is everything okay?” His voice held tempered concern.

  “Uh, no. I mean, yes… Mrs. Hall is… the cart with the food…” There were words somewhere. She just couldn’t find them. She pulled in a deep breath, trying to gather her wits. “Room service.” She exhaled the breath all at once. “Um… this is Kate,” she finally said, wincing from the pain that was her current state of mind.

  There was a palpable silence on the other end of the line. Was he struggling the way she was?

  When there was no response, she found her words. “Mrs. Hall asked me to check on her breakfast. Is it on its way?”

  Another pause, a throat clearing on the other side, then, “Uh, yes. I can check on that for you, Ms. Curtis. One moment, please.”

  Ms. Curtis.

  Not Kate.

  Ms. Curtis.

  They had gone back to being formal. As if nothing had happened between them. As if she had crossed a line so sacred that he had no other option but to put her back at arm’s length and treat her like the guest she was.

  She was so stupid.

  Luca returned to the line. “Your room service will arrive momentarily. They just stepped onto the elevator.”

  “Thank you,” Kate said tightly and hung up. Maybe a little more forcefully than she should have.

  “Is there a problem?” Mrs. Hall asked, returning to the sitting room, clasping her necklace behind her neck.

  “Breakfast is on the way.” Kate knew full well that was all that mattered to Mrs. Hall, so there was no use muddying the water with any unnecessary information.

  “You seem upset, Kate. Are you sure there’s no problem?” She had yet to look at Kate but was instead focused on the clasp of her diamond bracelet. When the struggle proved too frustrating, she held her wrist out toward her assistant. “Kate?”

  Kate hooked the bracelet. “Everything is fine.” She smiled, hoping it would appear sincere.

  “Well, I need you to be entirely focused, Kate, so whatever it is, put it aside until you’re on your own time, will you?” Mrs. Hall moved with purpose to the desk and pulled a brochure out of the drawer. “These are the events for today taking place in the village.” She turned on her heel and handed it to Kate. “Ordinarily, I don’t go in for the festivals of the peasantry, but I feel like we can make an exception here. Don’t you?”

  Kate opened the brochure and scanned it.

  “Word around the resort is that most guests will be attending the festivities, so at the very least, I’ll have to make an appearance. Some of it sounds almost fun. There is ice skating in the square and a winter carnival of sorts. A parade at noon. I haven’t been to a parade since I was a little girl.” Mrs. Hall laughed at her own joke, then took a seat on the couch. “Of course, I’ll need an escort. Jake is so strung out on pain medication that he will be of no use today.”

  A dreadful thought occurred to Kate, and she hoped Mrs. Hall wasn’t going to ask her to stay here and keep an eye on Jake. Quick on the heels of that thought came another. Who could she get to escort Mrs. Hall to the village?

  There was a knock at the door, and Kate opened it to let room service wheel the cart inside.

  “I’m going to have you come with me today. Since you’ve been to the village a couple of times, you know your way around.”

  “Will we be taking the shuttle?” Kate asked.

  “Oh, no. I didn’t think of that. How did you get to village yesterday?”

  “One of the managers drove me. Luca.”

  “Luca?” She appeared deep in thought. “Oh, yes, wasn’t he the handsome one with the French accent who checked us in? Mmm, I remember him.”

  The way the last sentence rolled out of Mrs. Hall’s mouth made Kate’s skin crawl.

  “Call down and get him to drive us.”

  A jolt shot through Kate, setting every nerve on edge, and tying her stomach in knots. She could not ask Luca to drive them. It would look exactly like she was angling to seduce him. Like she thought she had some claim to him, when clearly, she did not.

  “It’s likely he’ll be busy. He’s in charge of preparing for the community ball and the resort’s Christmas Eve dinner. He only took me because they were shorthanded yesterday. Maybe I can order a car?”

  Mrs. Hall looked up at her from her place on the couch. “Busy? Nonsense. I’m an important guest. They’ll bend over backward for me.” She stared at Kate a moment, then must have thought Kate didn’t believe her, abruptly stood and went to the desk phone. She picked it up and dialed.

  Kate could only watch in horror.

  “Good morning, Renate. I’d like to speak with the manager. What’s his name? …Luca, that’s right…” There was a lengthy pause. “Good morning, Luca… yes, I hope you will… I’d like to go into the village today for the festivities… no, I would rather not take the shuttle. Do you have a driver who can escort me? …oh, I’m sorry to hear that… I was so looking forward to the Christmas celebrations in town. I’ve heard wonderful things about them; in fact, that’s why we chose the Edelweiss Resort for our vacation in the first place. It’s sad, we get so few vacations… would you, dear? Oh, that would be wonderful… Thank you. I’ll expect to leave in time for the parade.” The clatter of the phone on the cradle punctuated her sentence, and she glanced at Kate with a triumphant smirk. “That, my sweet Kate, is how it’s done.” And she swaggered back to her seat on the couch. “Now, shall we have breakfast?”

  THE FIFTEEN-MINUTE DRIVE into the village seemed interminable.

  Kate rode in the back seat with Mrs. Hall, but she didn’t speak unless she had to. Mrs. Hall was prattling on her speakerphone with Paige about the Milan sketches and the model lineup for the spring show. Kate tried to keep her eyes focused on the notes she was taking from Mrs. Hall’s conversation, but every once in a while, her gaze would wander to Luca’s reflection in the rearview mirror, where she would catch him looking back at her and quickly avert her eyes.

  The phone call ended right before Luca pulled into a parking space.

  “Luca,” Mrs. Hall said, “have you been to many of these festivals?”

  “Yes, madame, I come every year. They’re quite enjoyable. The locals put a lot of work into their holiday festivals.”

  Mrs. Hall tossed a look at Kate. “See, Kate? We weren’t pulling him away from business. He was planning to come anyway.”

  That was not what he said, Kate thought, but she didn’t bother to argue. She shot a look into the mirror that she hoped seemed apologetic, but Luca wasn’t looking.

  “That is true, madame, and while I might have come just a little later, I am very happy to have such lovely company.”

  “Oh…” Mrs. Hall pretended to blush. “Isn’t he a charmer, Kate?”

  You don’t know the half of it. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

  Luca stepped out of the car and opened the back door for Mrs. Hall, offering his hand to help her out. Naturally, she took it, wearing her model smile. He glanced at Kate through the door, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t.

  Kate got out on her own side and joined Mrs. Hall on the walkway.

  “Where is the best place to watch the parade?” Mrs. Hall asked, glancing up and down the street.

  The village square was just behind them. Kate could see the carnival booths and people moving in and out of the stalls. There were decorative lanterns laced around the square and, in the distance, a small Ferris wheel.

  She swung back around to find Luca watching her.

  “Of course, I haven’t been here before, but according to the brochure, the parade will come right up the main street and make a loop around the town square, then head back up the back side, ending by the bridge.” Kate traced the path through the air with her finger.

  Mrs. Hall nodded, then turned to Luca.
“What do you think, Luca? Shall we find the perfect place?”

  “It would be my pleasure, madame.” He offered her his arm, and she hooked her hand in the crook of his elbow, giggling like a schoolgirl at his disgusting Swiss allure.

  Kate could feel the fury burning through her as she watched them walk up the street arm-in-arm. And she wasn’t sure who she was more upset with—Luca and his proper Swiss savoir faire, oozing charm from every pore, or Mrs. Hall and her co-ed style flirting, pretending to be thirty years younger. She glared after them.

  The answer was neither.

  Kate was most upset with herself. How could she have been so stupid?

  Mrs. Hall called over her shoulder. “Aren’t you coming, Kate?”

  Grudgingly, Kate forced herself to follow, and with each step her blood boiled.

  They wandered until they found a place Mrs. Hall was convinced was the best spot in the village to watch the parade. A place where she could easily be seen by people gathering in any direction, and her appearance would be noted by anyone who cared about such things.

  The parade passed by, as parades often do. Kate hardly noticed any part of it. Luca and Mrs. Hall, on the other hand, hardly seemed to notice Kate, as they laughed and pointed out all the things.

  By the time the parade was over, Kate had had quite enough for one day.

  “Mrs. Hall, if you don’t need me, I could go back to the resort and check on Jake,” she said as they walked back toward the carnival area. After all, Mrs. Hall had an escort. What could she possibly need with Kate?

  But Mrs. Hall ignored her question. Instead she focused intently on the milling throng ahead of them. “Isn’t that Anderson Cooper?” She squinted—as if Mrs. Hall would ever be caught doing such a thing. “I think it is! Oh, I must go say hello. Kate, be a dear, and keep our Luca company for a bit, won’t you?” She scurried away without another word and disappeared into the carnival crowd.

  Our Luca? Kate snorted in disgust.

  “Kate…” It was Luca. He stood with his hands in his pockets, studying her.

  “Oh, it’s Kate now, is it?” It was impossible to keep the bite of sarcasm out of her voice.

  His eyes widened. “Well, I…”

  “I believe it was Ms. Curtis this morning, wasn’t it? Let’s just leave it at that, shall we, Mister… Mister… Agghh!” She roared in frustration and stamped her foot, balling up her fists at her sides. “Just tell me what your last name is!”

  “Burk. Luca Burk,” he offered, wide-eyed.

  “Thank you!” Kate yelled, maybe a little too forcefully. Then, “Mr. Burk!” She worked to channel all her anger into one searing death glare, but the humor behind his eyes and the way his body trembled ever so slightly, as if he was stifling a laugh, made it clear that her death glare was not having the desired effect.

  Exasperation tore through her, finally erupting in another roar. “Ergghh!” She spun on her heel and charged into the crowd.

  “Kate, wait!”

  She could hear him calling after her, but she was too angry to face him. No… humiliated. That was the word. Tears blurred her vision, slowing her progress through the sea of merry-makers. Blindly, she wound her way through the people and the booths, moving as quickly as she could with no other thought than to escape.

  Just a few more steps and she would be through the square, safely on the other side, beyond the Christmas lights, when she felt Luca’s grip on her elbow, pulling her to a stop.

  “Kate, stop!” he said firmly.

  She couldn’t look at him. Not now.

  THE SITUATION HAD GOTTEN way out of hand. Keeping his distance hadn’t worked. And now the fact that Luca had even tried that strategy was working against him. While he could explain away everything that had happened this morning by saying he was just doing his job, he knew the tears on Kate’s face were all his fault.

  “I’m sorry, Kate. For everything. I thought… I thought I could make it better by keeping my distance. That if I backed off, I couldn’t get too attached. You can see how well that worked out.”

  Kate wouldn’t look at him.

  He kept talking anyway, hoping to get through, to say the right thing. “Last night…” he began but hesitated when her gaze shot to his face. The confusion and pain were evident in her eyes. He started again, “Last night took me by surprise. A wonderful, beautiful surprise. But frankly, it was confusing. Clearly, I like you. I enjoy spending time with you. But you’ll be leaving in just a few days, and I’m afraid I may already be too invested.” There. He’d said it out loud.

  Her eyes searched his face, softening just a little.

  “I didn’t handle the situation well,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

  She stared at him for a moment as if trying to decide if she should speak. “I’m sorry too,” she said at last, and her gaze dropped to the ground. “At first, I just felt stupid. Then I actually was stupid. I am more upset about that than anything else.”

  “You weren’t stupid.” He gently took her hand. It seemed so small in his.

  She lifted her head to look at him again. “So… what do we do?”

  Luca shook his head. He didn’t know how to answer that. He knew what he wanted to do, but he also knew it wasn’t going to happen. The real question was what should they do. “What do you want to do?”

  Kate looked over her shoulder toward the carnival, then glanced beyond Luca in the direction of the ice rink. “I want to skate,” she finally said, smiling sweetly.

  How could he refuse?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  While I tell of Christmas Treasure

  AFTER SKATING, LUCA AND KATE WANDERED around amidst the carnival booths, played a few games, and tested all the pastries. A few times they spotted Mrs. Hall in the crowd, but she never did come looking for them. She seemed to be in her element, and Kate was glad for the reprieve.

  Kate found an empty table while Luca went to get the hot chocolate.

  “Did you see the swans?” Luca asked when he returned with two giant steaming mugs of cocoa.

  “Swans? In town? You’re kidding!”

  “One of the food booths has a pen of swans over there.” He gestured with his cocoa as he sat down beside her.

  “Really? I thought swans were dangerous.” She took the offered cup and lifted it to her lips, taking a tiny sip to test the temperature. It burned her tongue.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised. They seemed pretty mad. Lots of hissing and flapping,” Luca said.

  “I’m glad they’re in a pen. I would not want to meet a flock of swans in a dark alley.”

  “Not to worry,” Luca said with a coy smirk. “There are no dark alleys in Huckleberry Falls.”

  “But there are swans.” Kate could hear them now. They did sound angry, and the noise seemed to be getting closer. When people started screaming and jumping though, she knew there was a real problem. “Um… I don’t think those swans are in their pen anymore.” She rose to her feet and tried to see what was happening, but there were too many people.

  “I think you’re right,” Luca said.

  There was a lot of shouting, and then Kate could hear someone asking people to move away from the area. Kate didn’t need to be told twice. “Can we—?” she began to ask.

  “Follow me,” he said, holding out his hand to her. Leaving her hot chocolate behind, Kate held on, and Luca took the lead, winding in and out of the frantic crowd until they found their way out of the square. Once clear, they crossed the bridge and kept walking until they eventually found themselves in the park.

  “I think we’ll be safe here,” Luca said.

  “Are you sure?” Kate asked. She wasn’t interested in taking any chances with swans running amok. She’d had enough experience with large fowl to know they were not animals she wanted to tangle with. And she’d heard horror stories. A shiver ran through her at the thought.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.” His warm smile was somewhat reassuring.

  She realiz
ed suddenly that she was still holding his hand. Luca seemed to notice too and was staring thoughtfully at their entwined fingers.

  It was crazy. She knew it was. There was no future with Luca, but in that moment she didn’t care. The present was gift enough.

  The park was full of ice sculptures. Luca explained that artists come from all over the world to participate in the ice carving contest as part of the holiday festival. They wandered through the maze of sculptures, hand-in-hand, marveling at the work that had been done. Some were quite elaborate displays that must have taken weeks to get just right. Kate was in awe of the designs, though her favorite was the princess in the flowing gown, dancing with her prince on a cloud of snow.

  “Do you want to head back?” Luca asked after they’d spent an hour admiring the displays. “I know the animal sanctuary people had a booth at the carnival, so they likely have the swan situation under control by now.”

  Afternoon faded to evening. Kate caught only a few glimpses of Mrs. Hall here and there, so she was surprised when the text came through saying that Mrs. Hall was going to ride back to the resort with some friends and Kate should stay and enjoy the carnival.

  Luca had stepped away to take a call from the resort, so Kate found an empty bench and sat down to wait for him. It was strange how peaceful it seemed here even with the bustle of the carnival crowd around her. She glanced around, looking for anyone she recognized.

  Cleo was there, standing with a group of friends. Kate wasn’t sure if Cleo would remember her, but she waved anyway when she caught Cleo’s eye. Cleo smiled.

  That’s when Kate noticed. Right over Cleo’s head. Mistletoe.

  Kate traced the path of the wires hanging all around the town square and suddenly realized… There was mistletoe everywhere. It was a veritable minefield of mistletoe. A surge of fear raced up her spine, and she cautiously lifted her chin to peek above her own head.

  Oh. Sweet. Lord.

  “So, what did I miss?” Luca asked, flopping onto the bench beside her holding two cups of hot tea.

  “Nothing.” It came out as a squeak. Kate cleared her throat and tried again. “Nothing.” Much better.