Jingle Bells and Deadly Smells

by Amber Crewes

  Meghan gasped. “Mama, Jacob and I broke up ten years ago. Why are you bringing him up?”

  Rebecca’s eyes twinkled. “I always loved Jacob,” she said wistfully. “He was a nice boy from a good family--an old money family. I just spoke with his mother last week, and she mentioned that he is planning to go into politics! Isn’t that exciting?”

  Meghan gritted her teeth as she thought of her high school boyfriend. Jacob had been right for her at the time, but when she left Texas for college, they had gone their separate ways. “Mama, I heard Jacob was engaged to a girl he met at school. Morgan something?”

  “Didn’t last,” Rebecca informed her daughter. “That Morgan was too dull, I heard, and Jacob and she broke up before they even walked down the aisle.”

  Meghan shuddered. “Mama, this is none of my business. I haven’t thought of him in years. Why are you telling me this?”

  Rebecca gently put the ingredients to the side and looked Meghan in the eyes. “Meghan, you aren’t getting any younger,” she began. “And this John fellow doesn’t seem to be serious about you.”

  Meghan’s dark eyes filled with tears at her mother’s nagging. “It’s Jack, Mama,” she said. “Jack. And he is serious about me. He loves me.”

  Rebecca shrugged. “I don’t see a ring on your finger….”

  Meghan placed her hands on her hips. “We’ve only been boyfriend and girlfriend for months, Mama!”

  Rebecca shook her head. “Your Daddy and I only dated for two months before we were engaged, Meghan. When you know, you know, and I just don’t see the sparks between the two of you.”

  Meghan felt the heat rising to her face, but she did not want to argue with her mother. She quietly wiped her hands on her apron and returned to work on the ginger snaps.

  “Meghan?”

  Meghan felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder. “Meghan, when are you coming home to Texas? You’ve been away too long. You told me that you would move home if things in Hollywood didn’t work out, and yet, here you are, frittering away in a bakery.”

  Meghan’s stomach sank. “Mama,” she quietly protested. “I work hard here. I am the owner. Sure, it isn’t glitzy or glamorous, but I’m happy in Sandy Bay. I’m happy with Jack.”

  Rebecca closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, dramatically fanning her face. “I just don’t understand,” she told her daughter. “You were a debutante, Meghan. You are from a good family, you have an education, and you could easily come home with Daddy and me to Texas. Your brothers and sisters would love to see you, and I could arrange tea with Jacob and his mother…”

  Meghan threw the wooden spoon she had been using on the floor. She was shocked at her own outburst; Meghan was usually a gentle, sweet woman, but now, with her own mother dismissing her successes, she felt a flutter of anger move from her belly to her head.

  “What has gotten into you?” Rebecca asked her daughter as she stared at the spoon in horror. “Meghan that is not how you behave.”

  Meghan clenched her jaw. “Mama, I like my life here. I love my boyfriend. I am not going back to Texas. You have to let me live my life, Mama. You have to let me make my own choices and chase my own dreams.”

  Rebecca removed the apron from her neck and folded it, placing it neatly on the counter. She walked to Meghan and planted a long, motherly kiss on her forehead. “I’ll just let you work,” Rebecca murmured as she collected her purse and moved to the door. “You seem….tired. I think it’s best if you collected yourself, and then we can spend time together later.”

  Meghan said nothing as Rebecca turned to blow her a kiss. “Just think about it, Sugar,” Rebecca insisted as she waved goodbye. “Just think about coming home.”

  Later that evening, Meghan and Jack were relaxing at Eight Ball, the pool bar frequented by the local police officers. Meghan was fantastic at pool, and she and Jack had made plans earlier in the week to play a few games.

  “I’m so glad we get to hang out tonight,” she told Jack as she reared back her arm and then shot the ball forward. “Eight Ball is such a fun place to relax, and it doesn’t hurt that I’ve been schooling you in pool!”

  Jack did not laugh, and Meghan nervously bit her bottom lip. “Are you having fun?” she asked him as she shot another ball. “Your friends are over there. Should we go say hi?”

  Jack shook his head. “Honestly, Meghan, I’m not in the mood to stay here anymore. What you said when we walked in really bugged me, and I think we should call it a night.”

  Meghan wracked her brain, frantically trying to think of what she and Jack had spoken about when they first arrived at the bar. “Are you talking about the conversation I had with my mother today?” she asked him worriedly. “I thought it was kind of annoying, but kind of funny. I just wanted to fill you in.”

  Jack looked down at his pool stick.

  “Jack?” Meghan asked. “What’s wrong?”

  Jack grimaced. “It really irks me that your mom brought up your ex,” he admitted to her.

  “Jack, I dated Jacob in high school,” she protested, placing a hand on Jack’s heart. “I love you.”

  He softly pushed her hand away. “It just doesn’t feel great that despite my efforts, your parents want you to leave me, and to leave Sandy Bay.”

  Meghan pursed her lips, unsure of how to respond to her beloved boyfriend. He was right; he had tried his best to win over the Trumans, but Meghan’s parents were hardly giving Jack the time of day. Meghan did not know what to do; she wanted her family to adore her loyal, loving, boyfriend as much as she did, but with their eyes on Jacob Briland, the Trumans would never see Jack for the amazing man he was.

  “Look, they just need time to warm up to you,” she pleaded. “I’m sorry I mentioned the conversation with my mom to you. I didn’t mean to upset you, Jack. I would never want to upset you.”

  Jack placed the pool stick beneath the table. “I think we should just go, Meghan. I don’t feel like hanging out any more.”

  Meghan followed Jack’s lead, placing her pool stick in a rack beneath the table. She walked behind him as he left the bar, and they walked toward the bakery in silence. When they reached the front door, Jack leaned in and kissed Meghan on her cheek.

  “Not a real kiss?” Meghan asked as she stared up at her boyfriend.

  Jack hesitated. “I just don’t feel great,” he told her. “I think we should just say goodnight. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Meghan stared as Jack turned around and began walking away from her. “Jack? Please? Come back.”

  Jack did not turn around, and as he trudged through the snow that covered the sidewalk, Meghan felt as though her heart had turned to ice.

  5

  The next morning, Meghan’s spirits were lifted when Karen Denton, her dear friend, walked into the bakery. Karen had been Meghan’s neighbor when they both lived in Los Angeles, and Karen had been the one to convince Meghan to move to Sandy Bay. Despite being in her early seventies, Karen was the most adventurous, active person Meghan knew, and she always managed to put a smile on Meghan’s face.

  “How fabulous to see you,” Karen greeted her. “I just left my spin class, and I wanted to stop by and see if your folks were around. It’s not everyday that your dear friend’s family is in town.”

  Meghan smiled and said, “they are upstairs in my apartment visiting with the dogs. I’ll go get them.”

  She returned with her parents in tow, each holding one of Meghan’s dogs. “Karen, these are my parents,” she announced as Rebecca and Henry smiled at Karen.

  “Oh, it is a pleasure to meet you at last,” Karen shouted joyfully as she gathered Rebecca into her arms. “Meghan is a doll, and I try to look after her here. She is such a good girl; she really has a good head on her shoulders! But you both know that, of course.”

  Rebecca gently pulled away from Karen and smiled. “The pleasure is ours. Meghan says you watch out for her here in town. Thank you for being someone of a surrogate mother to our girl.”
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br />   Karen turned to Henry. “And you! Meghan’s father. What a thrill.”

  Henry grinned. “We are pleased to meet you, Karen. It’s been so nice meeting Meghan’s friends in Sandy Bay.”

  Karen turned to Meghan and winked. “And what did your folks think of sweet Jack? What a catch he is.”

  Henry and Rebecca raised their eyebrows, and Karen caught the looks on their faces. “You two have met Jack?”

  Rebecca nodded. “We have,” she confirmed. “He’s...nice.”

  Karen placed her hands on her hips. “He is more than nice,” she countered. “Jack Irvin is one of the most darling boys in this town. He was just promoted to detective, which is a huge deal. He also volunteers with the youth club in town, and he once saved the minister’s cat from a tree!”

  Henry looked at Meghan, his own dark eyes wide. “We’ve probably been giving him too hard of a time,” he muttered as Meghan nodded emphatically. “Rebecca and I just want the best for our little girl.”

  “Jack is the best,” Karen explained to Meghan’s parents. “If I had a daughter living in Sandy Bay, I would give my right arm to have her dating such a good boy.”

  Rebecca frowned. “Maybe we’ve been too hard on him,” she told her husband. “Karen here says that he is wonderful, and if Meghan really likes him….”

  Henry nodded vigorously. “We’ll make things right with him. Meghan, I’m sorry; I’ve been missing my dogs at home, and that’s put me in a foul mood. I’ll make things right with your man, and I’ll get back to being myself.”

  Meghan beamed. “Thanks, Daddy. I didn’t realize you were missing your dogs so much. Why don’t we go take my dogs out for a walk together? Fiesta and Siesta would love a little walk with their Grandpa.”

  Henry smiled. “That sounds perfect, Sugar.”

  Meghan strapped the dogs into their harnesses. She gave one leash to her father, and as they walked out the front door, she asked her mother, “Are you and Karen okay to visit with each other for a bit?”

  Rebecca’s eyes twinkled. “Karen and I are getting on quite well,” she informed her daughter. “We will be chatting away. You two have fun.”

  Meghan and Henry stepped outside into the cold winter air. Fiesta and Siesta shivered; their hair was short, and Meghan wished that they had coats as warm as hers for the chilly Pacific Northwest winter.

  “This is just like when we took walks together when you were a little girl,” Henry shared as he and Meghan walked the dogs along the snowy sidewalk. “Of course, we didn’t have snow in Texas, but you and I would always go for long walks together with the dogs. Do you remember the dogs we had when you were little? You just loved Dave, the Great Dane we had. He used to sleep with you every night! Your brothers and sisters were always so jealous that he loved you best.”

  Meghan smiled. “I remember Dave,” she told her father as they turned a corner, a flurry of snowflakes came sprinkling down. “I loved our walks together, Daddy. With such a big family, it was special to have alone time with you and Mama.”

  Henry’s eyes filled with tears. “You are just growing up so fast, Meghan,” he lamented to his daughter. “I can’t believe my little girl is old enough to live so far from home, or own her own business, or even have a boyfriend.”

  “Hey!”

  Meghan and Henry turned to see Jack walking toward them, in his arms, a bouquet of red roses.

  “Speak of the devil,” Henry muttered as Jack approached them.

  “Meghan,” Jack began as he stared into Meghan’s dark eyes. “I’m sorry I was upset. I’m sorry, and I was coming over to apologize and to bring you these flowers.”

  Before Meghan could speak, she heard her father clear his throat. Henry looked into Jack’s eyes and reached out for his hand. “Jack,” Henry began. “I want to apologize for not being the kindest while my wife and I have been here. Meghan is our little girl, and we want only the best for her. It’s clear that you make her happy, and that you’ve helped her settle in here in Sandy Bay. That said, I want to thank you for taking care of my girl.”

  Jack’s eyes widened. “Thank you, sir,” he said to Henry. “That means a lot to me.”

  Henry shook Jack’s hand. “Let me make it all up to you. I want to take you two to dinner tonight at Luciano’s; their food was just incredible, and I want to start fresh. Can we do that?”

  Jack grinned. “Of course,” he told Henry. “Well, only if Meghan is up for it. Meghan? Can you forgive me? Can we all start fresh?”

  Meghan blushed, aware that her father was watching. “Yes,” she whispered to Jack as she leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him gently on the lips. “Let’s start fresh.”

  That evening, as Henry, Rebecca, Jack, and Meghan stepped out of Henry’s rental car and onto the snowy streets, Meghan gasped as she caught sight of a commotion outside of the restaurant.

  “What is going on?”

  Jack gently tucked Meghan behind him and turned to Henry. “Mr. Truman, I am going to see what’s going on,” he said as he surveyed the scene. “It looks like a crowd of homeless folks is rioting. Meghan, stay with your father. I will be right back.”

  Jack returned moments later with a weary look in his blue eyes. “What happened?” Meghan asked her boyfriend as he shook his head. “Jack?”

  Jack sighed. “One of the homeless fellows is dead. That guy we saw last time with the Santa beard? I just cleared the area, and he was lying on the ground. I took his pulse, but he’s gone. I called for backup and an ambulance, so it’s about to get pretty busy here. Henry, if you could get Meghan out of here safely? I have to stay on the scene.”

  Henry nodded. “Of course I will keep my baby girl safe,” he declared. “Come on, Meghan. Let’s get out of here. This place is brimming with trouble.”

  6

  “I just think you should consider your safety, Meghan,” Rebecca lectured as the mother and daughter sipped tea together at Crumpet, a tea shop on the west side of town. “You are a young woman living on your own in a town filled with trouble.”

  Meghan disagreed. “Sandy Bay isn’t filled with trouble,” she told her mother. “It’s filled with kind, caring people who are passionate about making our little town the best it can be. Look! Over there. It’s Kirsty Fisher. She is one of Sandy Bay’s biggest philanthropists and organizers. You should meet her, Mama. Kirsty!”

  Kirsty smiled her perfectly white teeth at Rebecca and Meghan and flitted over, an organic green tea in her hand. “Meghan, what a pleasure. I was just going over plans for that poor homeless man’s funeral with the junior leader of the City Committee. There’s no one else to plan it, and we feel everyone in Sandy Bay deserves to be honored when they pass.”

  Meghan gritted her teeth. She did not want to discuss the death with Kirsty and her mother; she had hoped Kirsty’s enthusiasm for Sandy Bay could sway her mother, and she tried to change the subject.

  “That’s nice, Kirsty, but tell me, what other projects are you working on for the city these days?”

  Kirsty bit her lip. “Well, my charity is partnering with the local department store,” she told Meghan and Rebecca. “We scout out people to play Santa during the holiday season.”

  “How lovely,” Rebecca cooed. “That sounds like great fun.”

  “It is,” Kirsty agreed. “But it’s a bit sad this year; we work with the homeless population to find the perfect Santa; the department store offers one lucky person employment as Santa for the season, and then they receive a twenty-five thousand dollar prize to help them get back on their feet after the holidays are over.”

  “Twenty-five thousand dollars?” Meghan exclaimed.

  Kirsty nodded. “It’s such a sweet opportunity for someone to turn their life around. It’s just tinged with sadness this year; that man who was killed? He was one of our finalists this year. He came to the audition with a Santa beard and such a wonderful spirit. He received a standing ovation, and he was down to the top three in the competition. The selection committee was ver
y pleased with him, and rumor was that they were going to announce his selection this week. Now, we’ll never see him rise up; I’m planning his funeral instead of his congratulatory tea.”

  Rebecca cocked her head to the side. “I don’t believe we’ve met,” she informed Kirsty. “I’m Meghan’s mother. And, you are?”

  Kirsty flashed her perfect smile at Rebecca and tossed her blonde hair. “I’m Kirsty Fisher,” she said to Rebecca. “I live for Sandy Bay events; I adore this town with all of my heart, and Meghan has been such a doll in helping with several of my affairs.”

  Rebecca studied Kirsty, and then, she smiled at her. “I enjoy your passion,” she told Kirsty. “Now, sit down. Let’s chat. Tell me more about the man who died?”