Mistletoe (10 page)

At the end of the winding drive was a Georgia-style farmhouse. With the center section two stories in height and the additions on either side slightly shorter, it appeared almost as wide as it was tall. The stone house was completely outlined in white lights, and with candles in the windows and wreaths hanging on the double doors leading into the home, the decorations were as uncomplicated as they were elegant.

Enjoying the fact that Jamie's taste in decorating matched her own, Diana continued up the drive, but quickly hit the brakes when an elf came into view...a rather tall elf, at that. Amused at the sight of the gangly man dressed in a snug green and red costume complete with a red and white striped stocking cap, Diana shut off the engine as he approached the car.

“Merry Christmas, miss,” he said with a bright smile as he opened the door. “I’ll park your car for you.”

“Oh…okay,” Diana said, trying to keep her grin to a minimum. Jamie’s invitation clearly stated that the night was going to be a casual affair, and when Diana stepped from the car and the cold winter air wrapped itself around her, she was grateful for the warmth her jeans, sweater and boots provided.

Buttoning her leather jacket, she handed the man her keys. “There you go.”

“Enjoy your evening, miss,” he said, getting behind the wheel.

“Thanks.”

“Oh, miss.”

“Yes.”

“You’ll need these,” he said, handing Diana the gloves she had left on the passenger seat.

“I will?”

Receiving only a wink in response, Diana watched as the elf drove away.

Shaking her head with amusement, she took a deep breath of the cold night air and then jogged up the stairs to the door.

Ringing the bell, she laughed out loud when she heard the “ho-ho-ho” of the chime.

Inside, Jamie had just finished giving instructions to the staff in the kitchen, and making her way up the long hallway leading from the back of the house, she broke into a trot when she heard the seasonal doorbell’s message. “I’ll get it, Sam,” she said to a waiter dressed in an elf costume. “They’ve got more trays in the kitchen to bring out. Give them a hand, will you?”

“Sure thing, Miss Nash,” he said as he headed down the hall.

Pausing in the foyer as a few of her guests walked by carrying plates filled with food, by the time Jamie reached the door, the “ho-ho-ho” had begun again.

Chuckling at the sound, she opened the door wide and announced with glee, “
Merry Christmas
!” Shocked to see Diana standing outside, Jamie’s mouth fell open. “Diana?”

Although the temperature was well below freezing, Diana suddenly felt warm…very, very warm. The sight of Jamie wearing a plush Santa cap and white cable-knit sweater adorned with festive name tag announcing she was
Santa’s Helper
brought a smile to Diana’s face. But it was the woman’s tight black jeans and knee-high boots that captured Diana’s attention…and held it.

Damn, Jamie looked good.

It took a few moments before Diana was able to raise her eyes and gaze into those staring back at her. Amused by Jamie’s open-mouth gawk, Diana grinned. “Merry Christmas, Jamie.”

Still working her way through stunned, Jamie blurted, “What are you doing here?” and then immediately shook her head at her own words. “I’m sorry…I…I…I just didn’t expect to see you tonight. I was told that Gwen couldn’t make it, so I just assumed…I mean...I thought—” Stopping to snicker at her own fumbling, Jamie backed away from the door. “Would you like to come in?”

~~~

She sat in a wing-backed, leather chair near a glowing hearth, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes…again.

On the floor in front of her, surrounded by little girls, Jamie was attending a tea party. Although trying her best to remember which hand held her invisible tea and which held her invisible cookie, Jamie was failing miserably and Diana was on the brink of losing control of her bladder. She couldn’t remember ever laughing so hard, and she couldn’t ever remember feeling so good.

Shortly after she had walked into a house filled with the aroma of things sugary, spicy and festive, Jamie introduced Diana to her guests, but those in attendance had never roamed the carpeted hallways of Phelan, Willoughby and Nash.

When it had been decided that three parties would be held, Jamie saw no need to give more to those that already had so much. Sending her corporate clients baskets of fruit, to the people who had walked into her storefront office in the South Bronx, she had extended invitations on ivory parchment.

Promising them a night filled with fun, food and a few surprises, she asked them to visit her home on Christmas Eve, and graciously, many had accepted.

They showed up with eyes wide and smiles bright, wearing their best jeans and corduroys. Walking through the door, they placed in Jamie’s hands small tins of homemade cookies, tiny casseroles holding family favorites and ornaments made from colored paper, and their generosity had left her stunned.

How could those who had so little, still smile so easily or be so gracious? How could children give her a gift, when under their trees, there would be so few?

Jamie’s only wish for that night had been to give a few families a Christmas that they would never forget, but they had turned the tables on her, and she found herself humbled. She had never planned for the night to become a tradition, but as she looked up from the floor and saw Diana smiling back at her, a strange sensation washed over her.

Jamie knew that Christmas Eve parties at her home
would
become a tradition, and Diana would be attending every one.

The tea party came to an end, and as the little girls scampered back to the dining room to fill their hands with cookies and candy, Jamie took a deep breath and looked back at Diana. “How you doing up there?”

“Me? I’m fine,” Diana replied, looking around the room. “Although I have to tell you, I can’t believe that your colleagues are the same people that I met a few weeks ago. They seem so…so down-to-earth now.”

Looking over her shoulder, Jamie saw Ted Phelan sitting cross-legged on the floor with his two children, while Lillian was perched atop a stool near the Christmas tree reading a story book to a small group of toddlers at her feet.

“It’s a side of them that most never get to see,” Jamie said.

“And you do?”

“Believe it or not, yes,” Jamie said, leaning close so only Diana could hear.

“A few years back, Ted went through a rather nasty divorce, but what gutted him the most was not being able to see his kids every day. The man was an absolute mess. There were even a few nights when I had to help him get home, because he had drunk himself into a stupor over it all. Don’t get me wrong, the man can be a total prick, but he loves his kids.”

“And Lillian?”

“She raised three of her own, adopted one more and has six grandchildren with another one on the way. She can be as ruthless as the day is long, but her heart melts when it comes to children.”

“And does yours?”

Smiling, Jamie climbed to her feet and held out her hand. “Come with me and you’ll get your answer.”

Sensing that Jamie’s party plans for the night had not yet ended, as Diana took her hand, she said, “How come I don’t think you’re done playing Santa Claus?”

Without answering, Jamie simply smiled as she led Diana through the room. Coming to a stop next to where Ted Phelan was sitting, Jamie touched his shoulder to get his attention.

For a split-second, Ted sneered back at her, but then remembering his children were close by, he displayed the biggest of grins. “How you doing, Jamie?”

“Sorry to interrupt, Ted, but can I see you for a moment in the foyer?”

“Sure thing, Jamie,” he said, springing to his feet. After tousling his son’s hair, he gave his children strict orders to behave themselves and then followed the women out of the room. As soon as they reached the entrance hall, the sneer reappeared on his face.

“What’s this all about, Nash? I don't get a lot of time with my kids, so I prefer not to waste it on the likes of you.”

Taking a deep breath, Jamie shook her head. “Listen, Ted. Tonight isn't about you and I, okay? It's about these kids. So I'm asking you, just for tonight, can you please just give me a break? Please?”

He opened his mouth, preparing to let fly another cutting remark, but her words stopped him in his tracks. He had expected her to return his barb with one of her own, but instead, she only asked for a bit of common courtesy, and she was asking for it on Christmas Eve.

Remembering that he had just spent the last two hours in her home, enjoying a night with his children, Phelan’s expression softened, and he nodded his head. “What do you need, Nash?”

Relieved, Jamie said, “Linda had to leave to catch a train, and I’ve got a few things I need to do before the clock strikes nine. When it does, I need you to gather everyone and get them onto the patio. Can you do that?”

“What? Why?”

Thinking for a moment, Jamie smiled. “Because, what’s Christmas without Santa Claus, Ted?”

As much as he tried not to, a smile appeared on his face. He didn’t like the woman. He didn’t like her kind. He didn’t like her intelligence, or the fact that the most beautiful woman in the room was on
her
arm, but damn it all to hell, the merriment in Jamie’s eyes had just become contagious. He had no idea what she had planned, but suddenly Ted Phelan wanted to be a part of it.

“Consider it done.”

~~~

Standing on the patio just outside the kitchen, Diana took a breath of the frosty air and looked up at the heavens. Snow had begun to fall again, but unlike a few days earlier when it had rushed to the earth in whirling squalls, now it was just drifting lazily to the ground in silence.

The light of the full moon found its way through the clouds, and in the misted darkness, hundreds of twinkling stars sparkled against the backdrop of night.

Lowering her gaze, she looked out across the rolling, snow-covered meadow behind Jamie's house.

Appearing to go on for several hundred feet before ending at a stand of trees at the base of a hill, the only disturbance to the thick, white quilt of snow were a dozen trees dotted across the field, all of which were covered in white lights.

Drawn to a brightly lit steeple atop the hill, Diana asked, “Is that a church?”

Behind her in the darkness, Jamie smiled as she stubbed out her cigarette.

Walking over, she didn't stop until she was a hairs-breadth away from Diana.

Looking up at the church, Jamie snickered. “No, all homes around here come with steeples.”

With a snort, Diana glanced over her shoulder. “Ha, ha.”

Grinning, Jamie said, “Actually, this house used to be the rectory.”

“Really?”

Hunching down just a bit, Jamie pointed over Diana’s shoulder. “There’s a set of steps built into the hill. See them?”

Diana could see the stairs in the distance, but with the feel of Jamie's breath washing over her cheek, speaking was not yet possible. Taking a moment to relish in the closeness, she cleared her throat. “That's one hell of a climb.”

“You get used to it,” Jamie said as she stood straight.

“You go to church?” Diana said, turning around.

“I try to make an appearance when I can,” Jamie said. “I hadn’t been since I was a kid, but after I moved in here, I kept finding stuff that belonged to the church. I must have climbed those stairs a dozen times in the first week alone, and then one afternoon, the pastor showed up at my door with a welcome basket and an invitation to come to Sunday service. I figured what the hell...and I've been going ever since.”

“That’s nice.”

“It works for me,” Jamie said, shrugging her shoulders.

Nodding in agreement, Diana turned her attention back to the landscape behind the house. Breathing in the chilly air, she said quietly, “This is absolutely beautiful.”

“So are you,” Jamie murmured.

Diana smiled, and without saying a word, she leaned back just far enough so that their bodies touched. What she was feeling was as marvelous as it was frightening, and in a whisper, she said, “Jamie, I've never felt like this before.”

“Neither have I,” Jamie said, resting her chin on Diana’s shoulder. “I know that we’ve only just met, but I feel like…I feel like I did the first time I sat in that church up on the hill.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve found something that I want in my life…for the rest of my life.”

Diana's jaw dropped as all the air rushed from her lungs. What she was thinking Jamie had just put into words, and taking a ragged breath, she whispered, “Me, too.”

With her mouth mere millimeters away from Diana's ear, Jamie purred, “I want to kiss you.”

Turning around, Diana looked up at the sky for a moment. Lowering her eyes to meet Jamie's, dimples appeared as she said, “But there’s no mistletoe hanging above us.”

“That's because I didn't buy any.”

“No? Why?”

“To tell you the truth, I was a bit…well…I was a bit pissed off when I found out that Gwen wasn’t going to be here tonight. I thought you were standing me up.”

“Not a chance.”

“I know that now,” Jamie said.

Invading Diana's space, Jamie rested her hands on Diana's hips. “And I don’t think we need mistletoe, do you?”

Silently, Diana shook her head.

Watching as Jamie lowered her mouth to hers, Diana’s eyes fluttered closed, but just as their lips were about to touch, a snowball collided with Jamie’s head.

“What the fuck!” Jamie shouted.

Wiping the snow from her face, she trotted to the other side of the patio to look for her assailant.

“Do you see anyone?” Diana asked with a giggle.

Scratching her head, Jamie returned to Diana’s side. “No, but it was probably just one of the kids having some fun.”

“And ruining ours,” Diana said with a playful pout.

Stepping closer, Jamie said in a sexy whisper, “Now, where were we?”

Slowly, lowering her mouth to Diana’s, Jamie’s eyes closed, but then they opened wide hearing a loud, chattering chime coming from her coat pocket. “Fuck!” she said, pulling out her mobile. Turning off the alarm, she jammed it back into her pocket. “Shit!”