Christmas Steele, A Lacy Steele Mystery Bonus Novella

by Vanessa Bartal

  Chapter 2

  Luckily when she exited her bedroom, her grandparents had just such a distraction waiting for her.

  “Grandma, are you sure you bought enough butter?” Lacy asked as she surveyed the counter.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” her grandmother said, her tone uncertain.

  “I’m teasing you,” Lacy said, giving her grandma’s shoulders a bracing squeeze. “I think eight pounds is plenty.”

  “I just want everything to be perfect,” Lucinda said. “This is your mother’s first time meeting Tom since he and I became, ah, friends, I want her to approve of him. Even more so because he’s her father. But you know your mother. She’s a bit…”

  “Crazy?” Lacy supplied.

  “Lacy,” her grandfather said disapprovingly.

  “You haven’t spent much time with her,” Lacy said. “You’ll see. Back me up here, Grandma.”

  “I was going to say high strung,” her grandmother said. “But crazy works pretty well, too.”

  Lacy laughed. “Grandma!” It was the first time she had ever heard her grandmother say something even remotely bad about anyone, and her own daughter, no less.

  “Don’t tell her I said that,” Lucinda said, laughing. “It’s just that Frannie and I are very different people. I love her more than anything on this earth, but sometimes she can be a bit difficult.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir, Grandma,” Lacy said. Her mother was one of the reasons Lacy had learned to live in her head, preferring to make up stories instead of listening to her mother’s latest histrionic diatribe. “That’s why she and Riley get along; two peas in a pod.”

  “I hope we can all get along during this visit,” her grandfather interjected, clearly disturbed by the conversation.

  “I do, too, and I’m sure we will,” Lacy said with more confidence than she felt. This was his first Christmas spent with his daughter, even though she didn’t know she was his daughter. Her grandparents had decided not to tell their daughter that she was adopted, preferring not to dislodge her carefully planned world. Lacy felt a little nervous, too. She had never kept such a monumental secret from anyone before, and certainly not her own mother. How was she supposed to deal with the fact that she knew her parent was adopted when her mother didn’t? She still hadn’t told her parents about the inheritance from Barbara Blake because it would raise too many questions, questions she had no answer to.

  The one bright spot in the family visit, at least for Lacy, was that her little sister, Riley, wasn’t coming. Lacy didn’t delude herself into thinking Riley had suddenly developed a conscience and didn’t want to hurt Lacy with her presence. No, she knew the reason Riley wasn’t coming home was because she’d received a better offer, a fact confirmed when Lacy learned Riley and Robert had been invited to spend Christmas in the Hamptons with Robert’s rich aunt.

  Lacy slipped on an apron, turning her back so her grandfather could tie it for her, and then they set to work. Baking with her grandmother was a yearly tradition Lacy treasured, and she was happy with the addition of her grandfather this year. After so many years as a bachelor, he knew his way around the kitchen pretty well, and the three of them enjoyed spending time together—a win-win situation all around.

  They were elbow deep in cookie dough when Lacy’s phone rang, a ringtone she recognized. After a quick swipe of her hands on a dishrag, she picked it up and pushed the button.

  “Dost mine ears deceive me, or is this my long lost friend, Tosh?”

  Tosh sighed. “Don’t start, Lacy. Are you free tonight? I need to be with someone who doesn’t smell like Soft Musk and arthritis cream.”

  “I’m free,” Lacy said, too eager to get out to try and come back with a witty reply.

  “Wear something fancy,” Tosh commanded.

  “Got it,” she said.

  “And make out with me when I take you home,” he added hastily.

  “What?” she asked.

  “You were being so agreeable; I thought it was worth a try. I’ll pick you up at six.”

  They disconnected and Lacy returned to baking, happy that her plans for the evening would include something more than rifling through the freezer in search of some ice cream she may have overlooked on previous raids.

  With three of them working, baking only took a few hours. Lacy washed up and spent a long time arranging her hair and applying her makeup, realizing as she did so how much she had missed the process. Since it had been so long since she dressed up, and since Tosh had told her to dress fancy, she raided the back of her closet, pulling out her little red dress.

  As a rule, strawberry blonds weren’t supposed to wear red, unless it was that perfect and elusive shade of red, the one that complimented hair and skin instead of making one look like a clown. Lacy had found just such a dress in a Manhattan boutique and had snatched it up, despite the fact that it took her two months to pay for it. The dress was worth it, though it was different than her usual preference. Not that it was revealing, but it was definitely less conservative than her other dresses. As such, she waited to put it on until her grandparents were out of the house.

  Six o’clock came and went with no sign of Tosh. He called a few minutes after six to let Lacy know he was running late. After apologizing, he asked her to be ready to go as soon as he arrived. She hated to cover her seldom-worn dress before Tosh had the chance to see it, but it would make for a more dramatic reveal when they arrived wherever they were going.

  His knock was abrupt, but when Lacy opened the door, he rushed inside and swept her up into a tight hug. “If I have to eat one more gingerbread man, I promise I’m going to lose it,” he said by way of a greeting.

  Lacy laughed and surreptitiously set aside the plate of gingerbread cookies she had baked for him that afternoon.

  He kissed her cheek. “Ready?”

  “Ready,” she said, following him to his car when he grasped her hand. After he politely held the door for her, she began to feel a rush of excitement about their possible destination. Before the holiday, she had dropped some not-so-subtle hints about wanting to go to The Nutcracker. When they pulled into the local union hall, however, she tried to tamp down her disappointment. The ballet definitely wasn’t being held here. Still, Lacy didn’t begin to be alarmed until they stepped into the hall and Tosh took his coat off.

  “You’re wearing your clerical collar,” she observed. “Why are you wearing your clerical collar?”

  “Because I’m a minister?” he tried.

  “No, I mean why are you wearing your clerical collar here?”

  “They asked me to give the invocation,” he said.

  “They who? Invocation for what? What is this?”

  “The Fraternal Order of Police Christmas banquet,” he said, turning away from her to scan the crowd.

  “Oh, no, no, no,” Lacy said, closing her eyes in the hopes that when she opened them she might realize she was dreaming.

  “What’s the problem?” he asked. “Afraid you’ll run into Jason?”

  His resentful tone wasn’t lost on her, but she ignored him. She hadn’t considered Jason, though he was definitely another factor in her desire to flee. “The problem is you said to dress fancy, and we obviously have different definitions of that word.”

  “Why? What are you wearing?” He turned to survey her with a combination of amusement and curiosity.

  “This coat for the rest of the night,” she said, tugging her coat tighter around her middle.

  “Oh, no, you have to let me see.” Tosh reached for her, tugging on her coat.

  “Tosh, stop it,” she said, trying to dodge his long and insistent arms.

  “Just one peek,” Tosh said. Somehow in the struggle she ended up bent over, Tosh behind her with both his arms wrapped around her.

  “Hello, Red.”

  I hate my life, Lacy thought before she reluctantly turned to look at the newcomer. “Hello, Jason,” she replied. “How are you?”

  �
�Good. You getting the Heimlich or something?” His gaze shifted from her to Tosh, narrowing. Tosh returned his narrowed gaze but wisely remained silent for once.

  “Jason, I think they’re getting ready to start. Are you coming?” the pretty blond came up beside him and rested her hand on his forearm.

  White hot jealousy sliced through Lacy’s midsection. With maximum effort, she kept her expression perfectly neutral, even when Jason scanned her face, checking for she knew not what.

  “Are you going to take your coat off and stay a while?” Jason asked. “It’s warm in here.”

  “Yes, I think I will,” she announced, throwing off her coat with a slight flourish as Tosh reached for it, catching it before it could fall to the ground.

  There was a slight pause as the assembled group took in her dress and Lacy tried not to feel self-conscious. Maybe she was overdressed, but she looked good.

  “Oh, wow,” Tosh said, breaking the awkward silence. Jason didn’t say anything, but his lips pressed together in a thin line and he cleared his throat.

  “Jason,” his date tried again. “Our seats.”

  Jason gave her a nod. “See you, Lacy,” he said. Spinning, he followed his date to their seats.

  “Where are our seats?” Lacy asked.

  “On the stage,” Tosh said.

  Lacy groaned. “I’m so glad that on the one night I look like I could jump from a giant birthday cake, I’m in a room filled with testosterone-oozing police officers, and sitting on stage, no less. What was I thinking?”

  Tosh rested his arm on her shoulders, ushering her toward the stage. “You were thinking that you look gorgeous and you’re classy enough to look elegant in anything.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “You look beautiful, Lacy. Stop worrying.” He paused. “Although maybe you should drape your coat over your legs when we’re on stage. I wouldn’t want you to accidentally flash anyone.”

  Lacy groaned again and they took their seats. Tosh stood to give the opening remarks, as well as the prayer, but Lacy felt like everyone was looking at her instead. She wasn’t sure it was her imagination when Travis caught her eye and mouthed, “You look hot,” before fanning his face with his hand. It was a relief when the meal was served and people began to focus on their food.

  As she nervously picked at her food, Lacy allowed her eyes to wander, knowing they would eventually settle on Jason and his date. Jason was looking at her or, more specifically, her knee where Tosh’s hand rested. His gaze roamed to her face and their eyes locked before his date leaned over and whispered something in his ear, snagging his attention.

  Who was she? She knew Jason dated, but she had never before come face to face with any of his “friends.” Was this girl something more? Was she the reason Jason hadn’t called in a couple of weeks? The thought brought more pain than Lacy was willing to admit.

  Tosh gave her knee a squeeze. “How’s the chicken?”

  “Tastes like chicken,” she said, holding out a bite on her fork for him to taste. “How’s the beef?”

  “Tastes like chicken,” he replied, reciprocating a bite for her.

  She grimaced. The beef did taste like chicken somehow. “Why didn’t you tell me where we were going tonight?” she asked.

  “Lacy, I’ve been swamped. I barely know where I am. I check my phone and show up where it tells me each day.”

  “Tosh,” she pressed.

  He sighed. “Fine. I was afraid if I told you, you wouldn’t want to come with me, and I needed a date.”

  “Why wouldn’t I want to come with you?”

  “Because he was going to be here, and you get weird whenever his name is mentioned.”

  “Weird how?” she asked uncomfortably.

  “Weird like you won’t take off your coat for me, but you’ll take it off for him.”

  How could she explain to Tosh her mixed up reactions to him and Jason when she didn’t understand them herself? “Sometimes I feel like I’m competing with him,” she said at last. “I don’t feel that way with you, like I have to one-up you all the time. Our relationship is comfortable.”

  “Like an old pair of slippers,” Tosh said disparagingly.

  “Like a good friendship,” Lacy countered.

  “That’s almost as bad,” he said.

  “He and I are friends too,” she said.

  “For now,” he added.

  “Tosh, I’m not…”

  “I know,” he interrupted. “You’re not ready; you’re not over Robert.”

  “I’m over Robert,” she said tightly. “I’m not over what he did to me.”

  Tosh took a deep breath and held it. “Christmas is the time for forgiveness and rebirth, Lacy.”

  “I thought you promised not to pressure me about it, Tosh,” Lacy said.

  “No pressure, just a reminder.”

  “My mother is coming. Trust me when I tell you that I’ll have all the reminders I need.”

  “Am I going to get to meet your parents?” he asked.

  “Of course you will,” she assured him.

  That thought cheered him until a new thought occurred. “Are you going to introduce him?” They both looked at Jason who turned his gaze sharply from Lacy.

  “They already know him. We grew up together, remember?”

  “That’s not what I meant. Are you going to introduce him?”

  “He and I haven’t talked in a couple of weeks,” Lacy said. “I suppose if we ran into him, I would do the polite thing and introduce my parents. But it’s not something I’m planning on. Remember not to mention anything to my mom,” she said.

  “You mean about how she’s adopted, Mr. Middleton is her real father, her real mother was murdered, and you’re a millionaire now? That stuff?”

  “Yes, Tosh, that stuff.”

  “I’m a pastor. My lips are sealed. Unless you’d prefer otherwise.” He made kissy lips at her.

  She rolled her eyes and shoved at his bicep.

  “Someday, Lacy, you’re going to regret rejecting me so often,” Tosh said.

  “But not today,” Lacy said, laughing at his outraged expression. He would have retaliated, but a comedian took the stage then and began his routine.