by Susan Hatler
The lobby boasted stunning leather sofas for those waiting for a table and plush chairs sat in cozy groupings close to the floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. Beside the crackling fire, sat a towering tree decorated with twinkling lights and surrounded by piles of exquisitely wrapped boxes bearing perfectly tied red ribbons.
The hostess, an older red-haired woman named Elizabeth who’d been there forever, greeted me. “Hello, Morgan. Your mother said you’d be joining the family this evening. They’re already seated at their usual table. I’ll take you there.”
“Thank you.” I nodded, feeling uneasy already.
As I followed her out of the lobby, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a mirror. I’d taken great pains with my outfit: a long sleeved cashmere dress in an electric blue hue, tall, high-heeled boots, and diamond earrings. I’d blown my hair out after a good shampoo and gloss rinse, and then applied a careful amount of makeup, plus a fringe of eyelash extensions to give my eyes an additional pop. It occurred to me I’d taken so much time with my hair and makeup to show my mom how good I was at those things.
I spotted my mom, my dad, and Connor at a table tucked into a corner that had windows, which overlooked both the surrounding hills and the sparkling shimmer of downtown’s lights and decorations. The dining table was covered with a fine white cloth, the napkins sat in china holders and the place settings were gold-rimmed.
I sucked in a breath as I approached. “Hi, everyone.”
“Morgan!” Dad stood and gave me a big hug. The familiar scent of his cologne and the rustle of his evening clothes—a solid black jacket and pants, a crisp shirt smelling of starch and a festive red-and-blue striped tie—brought back so many memories. “You look so good, sweetheart. I’m happy to see you, even if you did hide out on us for a while.”
Eek! I cringed, giving him a genuine smile. “I’m sorry about that, Dad.”
Mom stood and gave me a stiff hug that said she hadn’t forgotten our argument. Her perfume was the same brand she had worn since I was a child and her hair was up and off her face, held back by elegant clips that had a small row of pearls on them. She wore matching pearl earrings and a single strand of pearls around her neck that contrasted beautifully with her black long-sleeve wool dress. “I love your dress, Morgan. Did we buy that the last time you were home?”
She knew very well I hadn’t been home in eight years.
“No, you gave it to me last Christmas,” I said, even though she knew I’d never wear this dress in Florida. I’d worn it tonight to show her I appreciated her. But she was already driving me nuts. I may as well have worn jeans and my “I do hairdos” top.
Connor gave me a hug and muttered into my ear, “If you have to face the firing squad then you might as well dress up for it so you leave a good looking corpse.”
I sucked back a laugh and took my seat, taking the napkin out of the holder and laying it across my lap while I studied my family carefully.
The server came to our table and I stared at her familiar face. She was beautiful, lean, and tall, with flawless latte skin. Nina Abbott. She’d been in my grade at school, was an avid skier, and—oh, yeah—she’d taken Dallas to prom.
“Good evening . . .” Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened with recognition. “Oh, Morgan! You’re back. It’s great to see you again.”
“Good to see you, too.” I smiled at Nina, who had to have been close to Dallas for him to fly back for her prom. A picture of them dancing close at prom popped in my head. My stomach roiled at the image of him with another girl, even though prom was a long time ago. Nina had always been a nice girl and it wasn’t her fault she and I had liked the same guy. “I think the last time I saw you was when I decided to take up snowboarding and you gave me a few lessons.”
Connor chuckled. “Was that the year you slid down the mountain on your face?”
I shot him a glare. “Thanks for that, bro.”
Nina smiled. “Morgan was doing quite well until that skier bowled her over.”
I gave her a grateful look. I’d fallen more than I’d actually snowboarded, in truth, but it was nice to have an ally. “Thanks. I did sort of go down hard.”
She flashed me a gentle smile. “Everyone does their first time. Do you still snowboard?”
I shook my head. “I’ve been living in Miami the last eight years. But your lessons did help me learn how to surf more easily.”
Connor nudged me with his hand. “That sounds like a hard life, sis. All sea and sun and surfing.”
I lifted an eyebrow at him. He grinned back at me. Then Nina took our orders and left.
Dad leaned back in his chair, fingering his chin. “Morgan, your mom told me about the place you rented downtown. Are you serious about this whole hair cutting thing?”
“Of course she isn’t,” Mom said.
I stiffened. Oh, great. It had started.
“She’s serious enough to sink her money into a business,” Connor said, coming to my rescue. “I’d say she’s thought long and hard about opening the C.M. Salon.”
Aww. He’d remembered the initials and hadn’t even made fun of me. I’d give my brother an extra big hug later. “Thanks, bro,” I said, gratefully.
“It seems so out of character for you,” Dad said, looking utterly baffled as if I’d taken on a job as a belly dancer or something.
Nina returned, carefully placing a breadbasket and serving a white wine, before checking to see if we needed anything else before she left again.
I reached for a piping hot roll and buttered it generously.
Mom reached for her wine, giving me a sudden smile. “I meant to tell you that Thomas Brand stopped by our table before you arrived at quarter past seven.” Her tone lowered on the last part, making it clear she’d noticed my tardy arrival. “He’s in town for the holidays and enjoyed an early dinner with his grandparents. He asked after you.”
“That’s nice.” I sank my teeth into the soft bread and creamy fresh butter, chewing slowly as my mom waited for a better reaction. She wasn’t going to get one from me. Did she honestly think I’d trade Dallas for an ex-boyfriend because he happened to be back in town? Tom had dumped me for no reason and I’d been long over him.
Mom turned to gaze out the windows. “Do you remember the first time we brought you here, Morgan? After we’d joined the club?”
My chest went tight. “Yeah, I was nine.”
Dad spoke over the rim of his wineglass. “You were so determined to be proper. You sat so still I was shocked you didn’t freeze up and stay like that forever.”
I took a huge gulp of wine. “I wanted to be such a good daughter.”
“You always were honey. You and Grace were the best . . .” She stopped and looked away, her eyes going to the windows. “She would’ve loved the club so much. She used to beg to borrow my clear lip gloss because she thought it was lipstick. I can’t imagine why she thought she needed lipstick for us to join the club, but it was so sweet . . .”
She fell silent. The muted sounds of the club hung around us: conversations and laughter, the chink of glasses and dishes and silverware, and Christmas carols in the background.
I shifted uneasily in my seat as Nina appeared and served our dinners. My stomach rolled as I looked down at the sea bass I’d ordered. It had looked amazing on the menu and looked amazing on the plate, but I had zero appetite.
“Do those peas have mint in them?” Connor asked.
I nodded. “That’s what the menu said.”
He dug his fork into my peas.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you just order your own?”
He grinned at me around the mouthful of pilfered food. “I wanted the potatoes.”
I rolled my eyes at him and then stuck my fork into his Yukon potatoes, taking a heap of creamy buttery potatoes. “I would’ve ordered my own. But, you know.”
Dad chuckled. “You two. You always loved stealing food off each other’s plates.”
Mom laughed and it sounded g
enuine, making me smile. I popped the potatoes in my mouth, starting to relax for the first time this evening.
Then Mom lifted her wineglass. “I was thinking about Morgan’s salon issue. Sweetheart, you said the landlady accidentally leased the space to both you and Dallas Parker. But what would happen if she came back and decided to give the lease to him?”
Just like that whatever appetite I’d mustered up had vanished. I set my fork and knife down. “I don’t know,” I said, answering honestly.
Dad pointed a finger in my direction. “She should refund your money. This double-lease situation was hardly your fault.”
I didn’t want my money back. I wanted my salon and I wanted it to be successful.
Mom nodded. “I still think it would be better to cut your losses here and now. Perhaps Dallas would give you back a portion given that he’ll be taking over the space entirely. Then, you could come work at the bank and be with family and not have to worry about your income fluctuating and so on. You’re twenty-six now. It’s time to start thinking of buying your first home and settling down.” She smiled as if the matter had been settled. “I do hope you’ll see Tom while he’s in town,” she said, and the meaning was not lost on me.
“I doubt it.” My gut churned. I managed to flake a bite of fish away from its bones and put it in my mouth, but I could taste nothing.
Connor touched my arm. “Well, I don’t care if you choose to be a beautician, a banker, or a butcher, Morgan. I’m glad you’re home.”
Dad nodded. “I agree. It is nice to have the whole family together again.”
Mom looked down at her plate a moment. “Yes, it’s good to have you home, sweetheart,” she said, her voice soft and sad.
I noticed she hadn’t repeated, “the whole family was back together.” Of course she would never say that. Grace wasn’t here and so our family would never be whole again.
And that was my fault.
“It was time to come home,” I said, as exhaustion set in. I’d known coming home would be hard. That opening my own salon was something I’d have to fight for and that it would be a hard fight. I just hadn’t realized how hard it would actually be.
Chapter Thirteen
The next week flew by in a blur from all of the hours decorating the salon, stocking all of the supplies, and avoiding my mom’s jabs about signing the lease over to Dallas each time I saw her. All of a sudden it was the Friday before my grand opening. Christmas was right around the corner and definitely in the air, too. The sidewalks were packed with shoppers and people peering at the decorative window displays downtown.
I’d picked up several “hairstyle” books at the bookstore earlier in the day and had run into Carol Bennett—one of my bff bracelet buddies from my choir team—who now worked there full-time. We caught up a bit on what we’d been up to since graduation. Apparently she’d been modeling all over the world, but had stopped because it was too high-pressure. She seemed happy to be at the bookstore, though.
One of the best things about being back in Christmas Mountain was seeing my old friends again. So I was definitely excited when Ruby invited me Christmas shopping.
“There’s the shop I was telling you about the other day,” Ruby said, as we came up to a store with a red and silver awning. “Moxie just opened. Anyway, let’s look in here for the Secret Santa present I need for my gift exchange at work.”
“Sounds good.” I smiled, my feet slowing on the sidewalk as I took in the adorable window display that held a series of gift boxes wrapped neatly in red paper and green bows. “Dallas and I just added faux gifts under the tree in our store window,” I said.
“Things are still going well between you two?” she asked, watching me nod. “Maybe you guys will exchange real gifts this year then, instead of just empty boxes under the tree at work.”
“Very funny,” I said, thinking we were too early in our relationship for gifts. Then my gaze fell on an item in the corner of the window display and an idea came to mind. “Actually, I think I will get Dallas a present.”
“Huh. That was easy.” Ruby opened the door and we walked through it. “Speaking of your shop. . . Are you ready for your grand opening? It’s on Monday, right?”
“Yes.” My heart gave off a massive thump. “I think we’re ready. I hope so. But I always think that right before something breaks, or a pipe bursts, or the flooring decides to shift. Things tend to go wonky on me. Ahem, orange chair.” I raised my eyebrows, exchanging a smirk with her. “What if something goes wrong?”
She waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t beg for trouble.”
“Right.” I sighed, eyeing Moxie’s Christmas tree and the kids gathered around it, all of them smiling and laughing as their parents shopped.
Suddenly, I imagined several small caramel-brown eyed kids gathered around a decorated tree on Christmas Eve. Dallas would have chopped it down himself, of course. We’d set the tree up beside his window with those incredible mountain views. He’d bring me a latte from Sleigh Café, we’d place an angel on top of the tree, and then we’d kiss, while our kids danced around us. . . .
“Look at that scarf. Is that cashmere?” Ruby asked.
I blinked, dragged from my thoughts. Had I really just imagined a future with Dallas? Talk about getting ahead of myself. Our relationship was only in the beginning stage. Although, we had known each other all of our lives. My stomach tightened. Christmas Eve was my family’s special night to exchange thoughtful gifts, but my mom would never spend a holiday with Dallas Parker. She could barely look at him the one time she’d seen him. Sigh.
“It is cashmere.” Ruby ran her fingers down the men’s scarf and nodded as she held the soft pewter scarf out to examine it further. “Do you think my manager would like this?”
I nodded. “Um, yeah. But isn’t that kind of an expensive gift for a Santa exchange? I always receive a bottle of wine or one of those tins filled with popcorn.”
Ruby let the scarf go. “Do you think it’s too much?”
“Not if there’s something going on between you and your manager that you’re not telling me,” I said, raising my brows.
“Well, he has asked me out. But I’m not sure if I like him in that way . . .” Her voice trailed off, making me wonder what she was thinking about. Or, rather, who.
“Hmm.” I decided not to prod further and headed toward a sign advertising gingerbread houses. When we got to the table itself, though, it was bare but for a few display houses. “Oh, no. I was hoping to get Dallas a gingerbread house kit. I wonder if they have any in the back?”
Ruby looked around but the two salesclerks were busy ringing people up, or running to the back to get something. “Give them a minute and we’ll ask. Why do you want a gingerbread house kit? They’re so hard to make.”
“I know.” I turned away from the table and examined a table filled with gift sets. “I want to make a gingerbread house with Dallas. His mom used to make them with him when he was younger and he loved the tradition. I don’t think he’s made one since she left.”
Ruby stopped poking through the gift sets. Her mouth dropped open. “Okay, wow. Making a gingerbread house is a commitment. They’re crazy difficult and they can go down in a heap of crumbles and icing if you make one mistake. You don’t make something with that potential for disaster unless you’re committed to a man. So spill. Now.”
I darted a glance around the store then grabbed her by the arm and guided her toward a quiet corner. I took a deep breath. “He took me to the Overlook last night. I love how amazing the view of town is from up there. All of the twinkling lights. We rolled our windows down and heard the church bells. So romantic. Much better than the time I went with Tom Brand when I was seventeen and I had to constantly fend off Mr. Octopus Hands.”
Ruby’s face fell. “Dallas didn’t kiss you, huh?”
“Oh, there was plenty of kissing. Believe me. But it was more than that. He’s kind and funny and we have this connection. I know I wanted him out of the space
at first, but now I can’t imagine the salon without his store in front. You should see the dividing wall he made to separate our businesses. It’s stunning. I didn’t even have to ask. He just did it.”
“Go, Dallas,” Ruby said, raising her brows. Then she busied herself toying with the display. “How does your mom feel about you two seeing each other?”
I groaned. “I haven’t told her that part of it. She’s trying to set me up with Tom Brand.” Ruby’s eyes went wide. I plunged onward. “He looks good on paper, and I really liked him in high school. But what he and I had was nothing compared to how I feel about Dallas. My mom will never understand. She saw us kiss, but I think she’s blown it off as an accident or mistake or something. If she knew I’d fallen for him, it would devastate her.”
Ruby laid a hand over mine. “I’m sorry, Morgan.”
I knew exactly how sorry she was. She’d been there that day when Grace had fallen and died. She’d also been there when Mom had rounded on Dallas, screaming that it was his fault. That my mom had never forgiven him was no secret. That she would never forgive him was a given.
As far as my mom was concerned, Dallas was the last man in the world she wanted in her family. In her mind, he’d already cost her the one member of her family she’d loved the most. I didn’t know which part of that hurt me the worst.
Chapter Fourteen
The night before our grand opening, I stood in the C.M. Salon slash Parker’s Furniture store, a smile forming at what I saw. The front space held Dallas’s furniture, all of it arranged in smart groupings that invited people to sit on gorgeous sofas, in carved and polished chairs, enjoy one of the magazines fanned on coffee tables, or sit down at a dining room table and chair set.
A second tree had been set up near one of the sofas and at that moment I could believe that this was a home that I wanted one day for myself. My gaze fell on the tall and wide partition screen, which was cleverly fashioned so that the front section would be hidden from view and the patrons of my salon could relax in the privacy and calm décor of the part of the business space that was mine.
