The Christmas Promise

by Janice Carter

  “Don’t I know it. The pilots are my kind of people.” She laughed, her gregarious voice most likely carrying throughout the entire pressurized cabin. “Is Dad with you?”

  “No.”

  “Thank goodness.” Her sigh of relief was all too common when Dad’s absence was mentioned. “I really can’t take him right now.”

  “I know, I know. See you soon.”

  For the longest time, Tully had tried to remember what his baby sister had been like when they’d been children and their family had been a family of four. He couldn’t recall a time when Samantha hadn’t been so...much. He knew losing his mom at a young age had changed the trajectory of his life, but for Samantha, he thought it had changed her trajectory most drastically. The only person who could corroborate his theory was his father, but in the old man’s own words, some things were better left unspoken.

  When he finally arrived, Samantha flagged him from the curb as if he would have a hard time spotting her. Dressed like the jet-setter she was, in designer threads and a fancy hairstyle, she stuck out in town like rhinestones on work boots.

  Tully helped her throw her suitcases and gear in the back cab of his truck.

  “New equipment?” he said, jostling her satchel. Samantha rolled her eyes.

  “I had to replace a few things on the road.”

  “Between all your travels and expensive photography equipment, I don’t know how you save a cent.”

  “Who said I ever do?” she said with a laugh. “When I die, I want to skid into my coffin penniless and happy.”

  Tully climbed into the truck and studied his little sister. Her youth kept the wear of a long flight from showing too much on her face, but it was her forced smile that made him pause.

  “Are you happy?” he said, starting the engine. Samantha dodged the sincerity of his question, sliding on her aviator sunglasses with flair.

  “I had the time of my life in Cape Town, John. Wait until you see the followers I’ve accumulated since I uploaded my photos.” She scrolled through the pictures on her phone as Tully pulled onto the main highway, aiming them in the direction of town. “I’ll bet you didn’t know your sister was doing this last week.” She held up her phone to show a picture of herself in a giant steel cage.

  “Don’t tell me...” Tully said, glancing between the phone screen and the road. “Diving with sharks?”

  “Great white sharks to be exact.”

  “Why on earth would you want to do that?” He wasn’t surprised by Samantha’s choice of vacation excursions, but he didn’t see the appeal.

  “It was exhilarating. And I got more hits on a handful of these pictures than I got over the last six months.”

  Tully chuckled. “I’m glad you had fun.”

  “How’s dad?”

  “He’s still kicking around.”

  “Have you seen him since I left?”

  Tully had to think. He didn’t keep track of how often he drove out to visit his father, instead sensing by osmosis when a visit was due.

  “It’s been a few weeks,” he said. “Do you want me to drive that way?”

  “Ugh. And get the you’re just like your mother sneer for the millionth time? No, thanks.”

  “But you’re going to drive out there soon, right?”

  Samantha shrugged. “It would be a lot easier if he lived in his house instead of that shack in the middle of nowhere. I still don’t get why he moved there in the first place. I understand wanting space, but geesh. Have you made any headway on convincing him to move home?”

  Tully shook his head and pulled into Elmer’s Gas Station. Elmer, a crotchety man in his eighties, sat behind the counter, a lump of chewing tobacco tucked in his lower lip.

  “Need anything?” Tully said, shifting gear into Park and stepping out of the cab. Samantha shook her head, engrossed in her smartphone.

  “Not unless Elmer’s started selling cappuccino.”

  Tully no sooner began to pump gas when Elmer came shuffling out.

  “Pump is slow,” Elmer called. Tully glanced at the other pumps, but they were all closed.

  “How slow?”

  Elmer shoved his hands in his front pockets and made a clicking noise with his tongue. “Dripping molasses.”

  “It’s all right, Elmer. I have the time.”

  “How’s your dad?”

  “Same.”

  “He stopped here last week looking for bait. Said the fishing was good.”

  “The lake is high.” Tully tried for polite conversation whenever his father came up as a topic.

  “Sure is. We’re gonna have a lot of tourists for the Fourth, I suspect.”

  “Always do.”

  “Tourists,” Elmer said with a grumble. “Can’t live with ’em, can’t do without ’em. I guess their money burns the same as locals’.” He shuffled back into the station as Tully watched the meter. Elmer wasn’t fooling; the fuel pump dispensed gas at about one cent a second.

  Tully leaned back against his truck, taking a minute to relax and enjoy the sunshine. He needed only enough gas to get him through the long weekend before the Fourth of July holiday sent the price climbing. His old Boy Scout motto to “Always Be Prepared” rang in his head.

  He had begun wondering what plans Charlie and his wife, Paige, had for the holiday, when the rumble of a motorcycle turned his attention.

  A little Sportster with midnight-black paint pulled up behind him and dropped the engine to idle. Tully noted that the motorcyclist was a young woman, not only because of her petite stature, but because he knew every rider within a twenty-mile radius. She had slipped past his radar and, no doubt, the radar of the local, ahem, busybodies. Otherwise, Tully concluded, he would have heard about her before now.

  Tully had a few folks around town who kept him up-to-date on Roseley’s current events. He didn’t enjoy getting involved in the gossip or petty politics, but as Roseley’s only police detective, his job required that he always be “in the know.” When there was a case to solve, he knew whom to reach out to for leads and tips.

  As Roseley was landlocked on three quarters by a lake and a state park, it wasn’t on the way to anything. Rather, it was the very definition of being out of the way. This young woman was most likely not passing through. As she didn’t have any cargo or travel bags strapped to her Sportster motorcycle, she was most likely visiting friends for the upcoming holiday and had ventured out for an afternoon cruise.

  She removed her helmet and shook out a head of dark messy cropped hair. When she removed her leather jacket, Tully made note of the heart tattoo on the back of her shoulder. She was attractive, from where he stood, but when she bent over to check the straps on the bike’s saddlebags, he quickly turned his attention away to maintain his professionalism.

  Checking the pump’s display screen, Tully thought the meter clicked slower than before, as if aware another person waited in line. He took care of a few maintenance things to pass the time: checking his oil, washing his windshield and windows, and cleaning dead bugs off his headlights. He’d just returned the squeegee to its container when a voice called from behind him.

  “Why don’t you give it a coat of wax while you’re at it?”

  Tully turned to find the motorcyclist squaring off with him, clenched fists planted on her hips. Her eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses. Her rosebud mouth puckered in a scowl.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m not waiting here for my health, honey.” Her voice, dripping with sarcasm, purred in his ears. How she managed a smart remark that could make him stand up and take notice, and yet tantalized, was beyond him.

  Before he could form a response and point toward the meter, she strode past him and into Elmer’s shop. He couldn’t decide if she was irritated at him or just plain irritable in general, but something about how she moved, like she was cha
rging onto a battlefield, made him want to offer a memorable reply.

  When the pump clicked that it had finished, he returned the nozzle and swung his truck around so he could watch the motorcyclist emerge. He worked hard to resolve conflict in his town and felt no obligation to explain that the wait was the fault of Elmer’s slow pump, not him. However, he also didn’t mind watching people who’d just lipped off to him have to eat a little crow.

  “What was that all about?” Samantha asked, angling in her seat to see what he was looking at. “Do you know that woman?”

  Tully shook his head as the motorcyclist returned and pulled her bike up to the pump. She squeezed and released the nozzle a few times, noticeably frustrated. When she looked his way, he tipped his head in a nod. The small gesture managed to infuriate her. Though he watched from a distance, he was sure she muttered a curse word or two as she stormed back into the station, most likely to complain to Elmer. Tully chuckled. He knew Elmer wouldn’t respond too kindly to a harsh word from an out-of-towner. In fact, if Elmer had any say, he might try to make the pump go slower.

  Tully put the truck into gear and was about to drive off when she exited the station. He couldn’t help a quick glance since she was now striding in his direction.

  “Here we go,” he said to himself.

  Tully was used to dealing with all types of personalities. His kind demeanor could shift to fierce intimidation in two seconds flat when he sensed danger or deception. It made him both respected and beloved by the townspeople, who could always count on Tully to do what was right.

  Was she coming over to offer an apology? She made no motion to indicate she had made any mistake. “Good afternoon,” he said once she’d drawn near. Her mouth spread in a sarcastic smile, an audible hmph vibrating in her throat.

  “Some welcome committee, you are.”

  “You’re new, then?”

  “Did I say that?” She glanced to either side of her as if checking for eavesdroppers. “I can hear you gloating from across the parking lot.”

  “What about?”

  “You know very well,” she said. “People in this town never change.”

  Tully frowned, noticeably confused. He had been enjoying their encounter right up until the moment she’d tossed some prior emotional baggage into the equation. He leaned out his window, letting the midday sun highlight his face. “Have I offended you in a past life, ma’am?”

  She whipped off her sunglasses. Her eyes were gray, like a storm brewing over the sea. By the way they narrowed on him, he knew they matched her temperament perfectly.

  When he removed his sunglasses, her breath caught. It was quick, something most people would miss, but he was not most people. He had spent years studying every flinch of a person’s eyebrow, every hesitation or redirection when a person was caught in a lie. He’d knocked her off guard, though in what way exactly, he couldn’t say.

  “I—” She blinked rapidly, grappling for words. He struggled to place her, wondering if he’d arrested her during his short stint working in the city. His mind drew nothing but a blank. He was good with faces, heck, names too, but he didn’t know her. As sure as he was about that, he was also sure that he wanted to get to know her.

  “I’m Detective McTully,” he said. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

  “Detective,” she said, the word drawn out slowly as if she had to readjust her perception of him. “You became a detective.”

  He waited, patiently as always. In his line of work, he found that the less he spoke, the more information people gave him. He felt perfectly comfortable idling in the awkward silence that most people despised. Because of this, folks tended to run their mouths, usually to their own detriment and to the benefit of a case solved.

  Unfortunately, his sister, the famous orator of Little Lake Roseley, was riding shotgun.

  “Hi, honey!” Samantha called. “I love your motorcycle. Harley-Davidson, isn’t it?” The woman tore her gaze from Tully to nod, but quickly returned to studying his face. Samantha continued, “I haven’t been on a motorcycle since one of my college boyfriends took me for a spin. I never regretted dumping him, if only I could have kept his bike.” The woman almost smiled at this. He hurried to place her. The rounded pale cheeks sloped to a delicate chin. Her entire face resembled a heart, and it brought his thoughts to the tattoo on her shoulder. Her features were distinct and breathtaking but in no way familiar. She peered back at him like an alley cat, skittish to see what he’d do next. If she was waiting for him to remember her, they could be here all day.

  “Are you visiting family for the weekend?” Samantha asked, leaning over Tully’s lap to get a better view of her target. “Our fireworks are the best in a hundred miles, you know. Who are you staying with?”

  “I’m not.”

  “Not what?” Samantha pressed. “Staying with anyone? Did you move here? Tully knows everyone in this town, but I can tell he doesn’t know you.” He wished Samantha would seal her lips for a moment, as her comment made the woman blink awake, alert. She frowned.

  “I’m sorry about earlier,” the woman said, backing away. “I thought you were... I don’t know what I thought. You obviously weren’t...”

  “We’ve all been there, honey,” Samantha shouted after her, causing the woman to offer a friendly wave as if an afterthought. She sped off, fired up her Sportster and zipped out of the parking lot, heading toward town. “She can certainly handle herself on that motorcycle.”

  “She didn’t get more than a couple bucks into her gas tank.”

  “Then she won’t be able to get too far.” Samantha smirked. “Go on. I know you want to.”

  “What?”

  “Give chase.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Don’t you want to see where she’s going and where she’s staying? I saw how you looked at her.” When Tully shot his sister a look, she giggled. “And how she looked at you.”

  “I didn’t notice.”

  “It was pretty difficult to miss, Tully, and it’s okay to notice, you know.”

  “I might say the same thing to you.” Now it was his turn to chuckle as Samantha shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “You’re as averse to relationships as I am.”

  “If I ever find a man who can keep up with me, I’ll pick out china place settings with him.”

  “No, you won’t,” he said, finally pulling out of the parking lot. Samantha laughed hard.

  “Nope! I probably won’t, but that’ll never stop me from trying to get you settled down. It’s bad enough I have to worry about Dad when I’m traveling. One of these days you’ll turn into an old man too, and I’ll have to check in on you both.”

  “Sis, I’m not the—”

  “—marrying kind. How many times have I heard that?”

  “Yet you’re still ready to fix me up with a random woman on the street.”

  “All I’m saying is I can tell you’re interested in her or else we would have left the parking lot ages ago.”

  “I was hoping for an apology.”

  “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

  “My day goes better when people acknowledge when they’ve done something wrong.”

  “I didn’t realize she’d done anything wrong.”

  “Never mind. She’s not my type.”

  “What, intriguing? She looked like a lot of fun to me.”

  “You think everyone outside of Roseley looks like a lot of fun.”

  “Yeah, and I’m usually right.”

  Tully turned on the radio. “Let’s drop it, or I’ll blindside you with a fix-up as payback.”

  Samantha smacked him on the arm but turned her attention to the view outside her window. Tully was grateful for the silence. And, he thought to himself, it didn’t matter if the motorcyclist had managed to get under his skin. By the sound of it, she didn’
t think too highly of the folks in town and was probably passing through. He figured it was unlikely he’d ever see her again.

  Copyright © 2021 by Elizabeth Mowers

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  ISBN-13: 9781488074394

  The Christmas Promise

  Copyright © 2021 by Janice Hess

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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