Be Mine for Christmas (3 page)

“Okay, you’ve talked me into it.” She followed him to the counter for another slice from the box.

“You’re welcome to bring Brandon here while you’re working,” Reece said.

“That’s kind of you, but I think he’d get bored after an hour or two. I have him in an afterschool and weekend daycare program that he likes. Especially the fun playground. When I got canned I had to give up the house I was renting and move into an apartment with no backyard for him.”

“What kind of work are you looking for?” he asked, refilling their mugs.

“Guess that’s one of my problems. I’m not sure. I have a degree in art and had been lucky enough to be hired right out of college for the membership department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I got promoted quickly, my hours were flexible, and after I moved I didn’t have to commute into Manhattan every day. But last year funds got cut and so did a lot of personnel. Replacing a job like that isn’t easy.”

“What? You aren’t excited about working for Madsen’s Christmas tree farm?”

“Truth is, I am. You’ve created a fantastic place here, Reece. I particularly love the almost magical effect it has on the kids.”

“Thanks. Me, too. That’s why I wanted Brandon to have his Christmas tree.”

Ellie sighed and wiped a hand over her eyes. “That reminds me. Brandon’s latest is that he wants to ask his daddy to buy the tree.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“There is no daddy. Well, there is, but Leonard Dean doesn’t give two figs about his son or if he ever sees him again. The only time he ever spoke of wanting Brandon was two years ago when he used that tactic to scare me into accepting a divorce settlement so cheesy it evaporated in no time.”

“He’s not giving you any child support?”

She shook her head. “It hadn’t been an issue back when I was earning enough to care for all of Brandon’s needs. The love was long gone from the marriage and all I wanted was my freedom and my son. So the letters, gifts and cards Brandon’s dad supposedly sends from Japan are actually sent by me.” Ellie couldn’t believe she’d just told all this private stuff to Reece, but somehow it felt good to share it with him.

“I’m guessing he’s not really in Japan.”

“Philly. But it’s my brother in Portland who makes Daddy calls to us a couple times a month. That only works because Brandon hasn’t seen his uncle since he was two years old.”

Reese whistled. “Not gonna work for long, Ellie. Not once Brandon is old enough to start texting, emailing and making his own phone calls.”

She hated hearing it, but Reece was only voicing the dread she’d had lurking in her gut for a while. “I know. He’ll never forgive me when he finds out. But he kept asking ‘where’s daddy?’ and I couldn’t bear to hurt him. Especially when he hit kindergarten and came home one day crying because some kid teased him about not having a father.” She bit her lip, shaking her head. “I am such a jerk.”

“No, Ellie, you were just trying to rescue him. To save his life. Just like you saved mine.”

“Yours?”

Reece opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He shut it and looked away. When he turned back to her he said, “The Christmas shop. You saved it.”

Ellie’s brows knit. She could tell he pulled that one out of thin air. Reece Madsen was definitely odd. She made a note to keep her distance, no matter how tempting she found his amazing his physical attributes.

**

When Brandon heard that Ellie would be working at the Christmas tree farm, he started bouncing up and down on his bed. “That is so cool. Can I go with you, Mom? Can I?”

Ellie usually scolded him for jumping on the bed, worried that he’d fall, but tonight she found herself giggling. Something she hadn’t done in a long while. “You have to go to school, sweetheart.”

“Just think, you can play with the trains and see Santa every day.”

“Santa’s only there on the weekends.” She thought about Reece’s offer to let Brandon hang out at the farm. Hoping it wouldn’t end up in a disaster, she added, “Would you like to spend Saturday at the farm with me?”

“Yes!” He sprang forward and hugged her in the mini-vice grip she relished. “Does this mean you can get my Christmas tree for free?”

“No, but it means we can buy one. We’ll pick one out on Saturday.”

His mouth formed a grim line. “I already picked mine. And somebody could take it by Saturday.”

She patted his cheek. “But there are plenty of trees.”

“Not like mine. Tell Mr. Madsen to save it for me. Please. He knows which one it is.”

Ellie sighed. “Brandon…” With a wave of mother guilt, she reminded herself to go easy on him. He was in one of those obsessive stages where certain things took on more meaning than they should. Moving out of the house he’d come to call home only a year after his father disappeared from their life had surely left its mark. “All right. I will. Now lie down.”

She tucked him in and rubbed his back a while, which usually helped him sleep.  But tonight he was too wound up. He chattered about Christmas and the toys he wanted Santa to bring, and a game they played in school.

Then he dropped the big one. “Do you think Daddy will come for Christmas this year? Maybe if we write and tell him we’ll have the bestest tree he ever saw, maybe he’ll come.”

Ellie’s throat went dry. Tears pricked at her eyes. Leonard had been a cheating liar who could talk his way into any woman’s bed, but that same golden tongue had also charmed Brandon. Just as it had her.

And when Len started spending less and less time at home, on those rare days when he did appear he’d dazzle the boy with a performer’s skill and exit just as smoothly. Which ironically raised “Daddy” to the status of an idol and turned the crumbs he tossed his son into blessings.

Trying to control her voice, Ellie said only, “We’ll see.”

**

“Of course I remembered which tree he picked out.” Reece led Ellie down a row of balsam firs. He tried not to think about how good she looked in those tight jeans she wore today. Or the cute way she’d tucked a sprig of bayberry into the band of her white earmuffs.

Brandon had already raced ahead. “Here it is!”

“That’s awfully big,” Ellie said. “How will I even get it home? We’re on a second floor over a garage.”

Reece didn’t miss her pleading expression, but he wasn’t about to try and convince the boy to take another tree. “I can bring it over when you’re ready to set it up.” He gave Brandon a gentle punch-tap on the shoulder. “Gotta say, you made a wise choice. Couldn’t have picked a better one myself.”

“Hear that, Mom?” The boy gave her a proud smile.

“Here’s one way you know a good tree, Brandon.” Reece stroked his hand along a branch and held his fingers out toward him. “Smell that.”

“Whoa. Sweet.”

Next it was Ellie’s turn. “Mmm. That has to be one of the most wonderful scents in the world.”

Reece gently brushed a strand of hair off her face. Ellie shivered. Their eyes locked for a moment. He wanted so badly to kiss her, but he knew if he made the wrong move the friendly flirtation they’d begun over the last week could be destroyed. So it was just as well that her son stood nearby.

“So, can I have the tree, Mom? Pleeeeese.”

Ellie nodded. “I guess you two have me outnumbered.” She dug into her bag. “Seventy-five, right?”

“You don’t owe me anything.”

“No way.”

“Employee’s discount.”

“Oh, come on.”

Reece held up his hand. “We’re done.”

Ellie touched his arm. “I can’t get over you.”

Those words sent his heart reeling. If only it were true. He sensed an attraction between them, but every time the cute teasing went too far she tensed up and backed off. “When do you want the tree?”

“A week or so, I guess.”

Brandon whined. “What if somebody else comes along and cuts it down?”

“Hey, Brandon, don’t forget I own this place. Didn’t you notice the special marker I put on it?” Reece showed him a branch with a blue ribbon and a tag tied to it. “That means nobody will mess with it.” 

“Promise?”

“Yep. But you’ve got to promise me you’ll make some really cool decorations for it today.”

“I will. With pinecones and lots of sparkles.”

His earnest tone and wide eyes tickled Reece. He gave him a thumbs up, thinking how great it would be to have a son like Brandon. What kind of loser would abandon his own kid?

Standing here in the bright winter sunlight, inhaling the fresh scent of evergreen, Reece allowed himself to imagine Ellie and Brandon were his. And for a moment a warm contentment filled him.

They dropped Brandon off at the little Santa house where Reece’s sister and her son Tommy held an open workshop every Saturday for kids to make Christmas decorations. Between that and Santa’s visits and the Santa train that buzzed around the farm, he hoped there would be enough to amuse Brandon while Ellie worked the day in the gift shop.

He introduced Ellie to his sister Claire, and the two women discussed things like scissor safety and what hour Brandon would eat lunch. But Reece noticed his sister sizing up Ellie. Yesterday she’d told him he had that ‘you’ve met someone’ look.

Was she right? Was this meant to be? Was that why he’d seen Ellie’s face when he nearly died?

He sure wouldn’t find it difficult to fall in love with Ellie. A good part of him was already halfway there. But he could tell she didn’t really trust him. Reece took a deep breath and tried to let go of that strange, insistent longing that had taken hold of him since he met her.

But as he walked her back to the Christmas shop, he couldn’t stop himself from taking Ellie’s hand. She didn’t pull away. Or tense up. Or say, “Let’s not do this.”

No, she wrapped her gloveless fingers around his hand, returning the gentle squeeze he gave hers.

And it felt so darn right.

**

Ellie chatted with a customer as she rang up his purchase. A set of reindeer bells on a red leather strap and a Frosty the Snowman music box. She’d just completed her second full week working at Reece Madsen’s Christmas shop and could hardly believe how much she loved being here.

Most of the time she felt like she was playing in Santa’s workshop. Aside from an occasional rush on the weekends, she had time to talk and be friendly with customers. The paper work was easy, unloading stock fed her need to handle the pretty objects in the store, and making hot chocolate and coffee was fun when she saw how delighted people were to find it.

Of course, if she ever wanted to move out of the apartment over Mr. Felsky’s garage she needed a “real” job, and so far none of the interviews she’d gone to had produced an offer. But secretly, she couldn’t help wishing this weren’t just a holiday stint.

Would she see Reece once she left here? He’d taken her out to lunch a couple times. Were they dates? He’d also taken her and Brandon ice skating. So maybe whatever was going on between them was just friendship. Wasn’t that what she preferred anyway?

The answer came with the little jump her heart did as he walked in the door of the shop. It was a Saturday, so Brandon pattered along next to him, his cheeks rosy from the cold, his expression elated from the company of the man he so clearly adored.

Reece stepped close to her, smelling of evergreen and fresh, icy winter. A shudder went through her when she looked up into his sea-blue eyes.

“Time to close up shop, Ellie-belle.”

Brandon burst out in a high-pitched giggle. “Ellie-belle. That’s a funny one, Mom.”

Hand on her hip, she said, “Okay, Fleecey-Reece.” Which sent Brandon into another round of laughter.

“Guess what, Mom? Reece showed me the tree. It’s really, really big.” At dusk Reece would hold his annual Christmas tree lighting celebration with the public invited to join. “And I’m gonna be the one who gives the signal for the lights to go on.”

“Woo-hoo.” Ellie tapped knuckles with her son in congratulations.

“And you know that star I made and gave to Reece? Well, it’s hanging right on the front of the tree for everybody to see!”

Ellie gasped in wonder and gave Brandon a hug. He squirmed away, too big for that mushy mom stuff these days. She cut a grateful look at Reece, but he turned away quickly. She guessed she ought to know by now that he would never openly acknowledge the things he did for her and Brandon. 

Outside, the air had that nippy winter bite but was shot through with a festive energy. People greeted them as they walked to a clearing on a hill. Ellie knew her share of the tree farm’s staff by now. Of course, there was Santa, a local fisherman named Steve who regaled the children every weekend. But she’d also met a number of the men and women who planted, fertilized and pruned the trees over the years, ever vigilant for bugs and disease. And although young Tommy produced some lovely decorations every Saturday, it was Trudy who worked full time during this season making wreathes, grave blankets, kissing balls and holiday corsages.

“Look at all the people, Mom!”

Brandon dashed ahead of them toward a tree that looked maybe forty feet tall. Ellie’s jaw dropped and Reece grinned at her.

“That Norway Spruce was here when I bought the tree farm. To think I was going to build condos here.”

“What? That doesn’t sound like you at all, Reece.”

“Another lifetime,” he mumbled, his face clouded over. “Excuse me, I’ve got to check with the electricians and make sure everything’s good to go.”

Apparently it was, because within minutes she saw Reece approach the tree with Brandon on his shoulders. He held up a hand for silence, wished everyone a happy holiday, and announced that Brandon would be doing the honors. Reece then passed the remote to Brandon and voila—a burst of colorful, glorious lights.

Christmas carols played over a loudspeaker and people began to sing along. Ellie lost sight of both Reece and Brandon. It was full dark now. Her mother-hackles began to rise, but then a warm hand took hers. (She almost wished she hadn’t worn her gloves tonight.)

“Don’t worry,” Reece said. “Santa’s got them rounded up for a game with some pretty neat prizes.”

“Not those annoying little whistles you showed me. Oh, gee, that’s just what I need. May Santa bring me earplugs.”