california christmas dreams (23 page)

She warmly greeted guests, recognizing a number of the volunteers who’d helped save the park from the fire. John stood inside the park, a walkie-talkie in one hand. He greeted the first customers even as he worked on last-minute issues. Jake had decided he would run the carousel for the day. Merry found that charming. He might not be attached to the park, but he loved the carousel.

The park itself was festive and bright, with Christmas lights hanging from every surface. The carolers stood just inside, singing as the customers came in. Christmas music blasted from the loudspeakers. Santa Claus would be arriving at noon in his own special parade. Various Christmas-themed activities were planned throughout the day all leading up to the concert, which would be ready to roll at seven o’clock.

“This is it,” Noelle said.

“Are you ready?”

“This is going to be fantastic. The park is amazing. You did a great job.”

“Thank you,” Merry replied.

“What’s next for you?”

“John isn’t going to need me full-time now, so I’m contemplating a couple of video shoots.”

“I’m impressed. Anybody interesting? I’d make a wonderful personal assistant.”

Merry slanted a glance at her sister. “Maybe. Supposedly. One of them is in Cabo San Lucas.”

“I’m already packed.”

Merry laughed at her sister’s enthusiasm.

“What about you and Mr. Hot Lips over there?” Noelle pointed at Jake.

“We’ll have to see.” Merry smiled at Jake and he smiled back. He was greeting people and handing out flyers for the concert. Fenya stood to one side, handing out info about her bakery and inviting people to come have a complimentary bite of her pirozhki. John hadn’t succeeded in filling all the empty stores, but enough of them were open to satisfy people’s needs to shop, and were offering Black Friday discounts.

“I’d better get going. My assistant doesn’t come in till noon.” Noelle walked off, her hips swaying. A couple of men turned to watch her and Merry suppressed a giggle.

“Today is going to be great,” Jake said.

“What? Where is the real Jake Walters and what have you done with him? My goodness.”

“Okay,” Jake said. “I was wrong and I’m man enough to admit it.”

“Where is your sister?”

He hitched his thumb over his shoulder. “She’s beating down some five-year-old so she can be first on the Tilt-a-Whirl.”

Now that was a real surprise. She was glad Evelyn made it to the opening. It would mean so much to John. “Really? I didn’t see her come in.”

“She came earlier with Dad. Just because we didn’t want to take over the park didn’t mean we didn’t have good times here.”

“Your sister made it sound like the end of civilization as we know it if your dad kept the park.”

“She teaches physics. She needs a little drama in her life.”

Merry shook her head. Eventually, she and Evelyn would be friends. Despite their differences, they had a lot in common.

“Jake,” a woman said. Jake grinned at a tall, stately looking woman with shoulder-length blond hair, who was pushing two babies in a stroller with four more children following her. A tall, burly man followed the children as though herding them.

“Narissa, Cooper,” Jake said in surprise. “I didn’t expect you.”

“We wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Merry recognized Cooper James. Daryl Wicks admired him very much and often talked about him.

“Merry, this is Cooper James and his wife, Narissa, and their children.”

What an assortment, Merry thought. The children ranged in age from what looked like six months to ten years. They looked to be of various ethnicities. Merry assumed they were adopted.

“Hello, Mr. Walters,” the eldest one said, shaking Jake’s hand politely. Solemnly, each child shook Jake’s hand and said hello.

Merry was amazed at how well behaved all the children were and how neat and tidy they were. After a few minutes, the family walked into the park and Merry turned to Jake.

“Are they all adopted? The older ones look like him, but not like her.”

Jake smiled. “That’s a story for another day.”

“This is one of your crazy client stories, isn’t it?”

“Like I said, another day.”

“You’d better get going, then. They look like they’re heading straight for the carousel.”

Jake took off after them, leaving Merry to continue greeting arrivals. Benny the Bear came to stand with her and children grouped around him, patting his fur. Parents urged their children closer for a photo op.

The trickle of customers tapered off. Merry decided to tour the park to make sure her displays were holding up. A child raised a scratched hand to her mother and Merry directed them to the first-aid station.

As the day wore on, the crowds grew denser. The lines for the rides grew longer. The food stalls were jammed and maintenance patrolled the picnic areas, cleaning up as each table emptied. John was adamant about keeping a clean park.

By dinnertime, the crowds had doubled as people arrived for the concert. Merry went backstage to watch The Brothers J get ready for their concert.

“This is the best day we’ve had in ten years, even with all the comp tickets you and I gave out,” John said. He sat on a box, looking tired and a little bedraggled but happy.

“And it’s going to get better.”

“I stopped by the ticket office and people are buying yearly passes like nobody’s business.” John gave her a hug. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but we’re set for the next year.”

“Don’t tell your son I said this, but we’ll worry about next year, next year.”

John put his hand out and she shook it. “Deal. What’s your next project?”

“Mardi Gras,” she replied. “I’ll have the preliminary sketches for you next week. All the sets we have now can be easily repurposed with a little paint and imagination.” Merry already had the designs in her mind. Now that the park didn’t need her on a daily basis, she could get the next designs done quickly. After Mardi Gras would be Easter, then the Fourth of July, Halloween and back to Christmas again. She’d allowed for some minor variations to account for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and a few other one-day celebrations. Her mind churned with all the possibilities. It was one thing to get people here for a day but another to get them to come back.

“I know you’ll do just as marvelous a job.”

The Brothers J tuned their instruments. One waved at John and he nodded back.

Jake made his way to the staging area. Like his father, he looked tired. “Wow, what a day.”

“It was epic,” Merry said. She’d been on her feet all day.

“Where do we go from here?”

“We keep getting better.”

He took her hand. “Where do you and I go from here?”

“I think I’m going to let you apologize to me very nicely. I didn’t cheat your dad, and you have to admit that the park looks terrific.”

“That’s not the only thing I have to apologize to you for.”

“And what would that be?”

He gave her a sidelong look.

“Do I need to give you two some privacy?” John asked, pushing himself to his feet.

“You don’t want to see him groveling,” Merry said with a grin.

“Am I going to grovel?” Jake asked.

“Son, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll grovel.” John walked off leaving them alone.

“Merry,” Jake said, “I had you wrong from the very beginning. I don’t do that very often.”

“That’s because you see a celebrity and you automatically assume they’re a train wreck.”

“In my defense, by the time they get to me, they usually are.”

Merry studied him. “I’m not a train wreck.”

“I know that now. Figured it out all by my lonesome. I like you, Merry.”

Her eyebrows rose. “I like you, too.”

“You proved me wrong at every turn. I never thought I was making love with Chloe. I knew I was making love with you. I was trying to tell you that the reality of you was much better than the fantasy of Chloe. But my words came out wrong. I love you, Merry.”

Her eyes went wide. “Really? You’re absolutely positive you’re not in love with Chloe?”

“Chloe was a nice girl. You’re an amazing woman, and I want to spend my life with that woman, her mean cat and an amazingly detailed shoe collection.”

Merry slid her arms around him. “I never thought I’d fall in love with a guy like you.”

His eyebrows went up. “What’s wrong with a guy like me?”

“Absolutely nothing.” She kissed him, feeling light-headed at his declaration.

“Hey, you two,” Noelle said. “Break it up. The concert is about to begin and we have some serious partying to do.”

“We’ll talk later,” Jake said.

Merry chuckled. “I plan to do a whole lot more than talk.” She linked arms with her sister and went out into the amphitheater just as the concert began.

Epilogue

M
erry and Jake stood on the balcony waiting for the fireworks to begin. They’d taken a suite at the Mission Inn to celebrate New Year’s and to take a little break from the park. When they’d left the park, it had been packed to the gills. She figured half of Riverside was there ready to celebrate New Year’s.

“Mr. Chapman called me today,” Merry said. “I didn’t tell you, but he came by the park right after the fire and offered me a position running the set-design department. Apparently his niece didn’t work out. She preferred to be a mime at the park.”

Jake stiffened, his eyes questioning. “What are you going to do?”

Merry had so wanted that position, begged for that position, but her life had changed. “He called me this morning and I told him thanks but no thanks. I’m in the family business now.” She held her hand out. The engagement ring sparkled as it caught the lights above them.

“Technically,” he said, “it’s going to be about six weeks before you’re family.”

“I would have been family yesterday, but you’re the one who wants to get married on Valentine’s Day.”

“Your mother wanted the extra weeks to plan this.”

“I’m okay with Valentine’s Day, but I’m not so certain I like delaying our honeymoon until after tax season.”

“Life with a person who deals with as much money as I do is all about keeping to a schedule.”

A flare went off, lighting up the sky and bursting into white threads that spiraled up and out.

“The fireworks are starting,” Merry said. She loved fireworks. She never missed a Fourth of July or New Year’s Eve event that had them.

“Forget those fireworks. We’re going to make our own.” He pulled her into the suite, closed the doors behind him and led her to the bed.

* * * * *

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ISBN-13: 9781460321454

CALIFORNIA CHRISTMAS DREAMS

Copyright © 2013 by Miriam A. Pace and Jacqueline S. Hamilton

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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