Christmas with the Recluse

by Lieske, Victorine E.

  She stared at the truck loaded with boxes as Milly jumped into a pile of snow. Maybe she should wait until morning to take them. The sun was getting low in the sky and she knew Alexander didn’t like her driving at night. She brushed her hands off on her skirt. That settled it. She’d wait until morning to take them over. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. Maybe they wouldn’t even be open. She might have to wait until the day after Christmas.

  Yep. That made sense. She’d take the load in after Christmas. She picked up Milly and lowered the garage door, carrying the kitten into the kitchen. Dorothy was at the stove, putting seasoning into something that smelled delicious. A box from Amazon sat on the counter.

  “How’s Paul doing?”

  Dorothy gave her a side smile then went back to cooking. “He’s doing well.”

  “Did you call him?”

  “We’ve been talking.”

  Charley squealed and bounced on her toes. “Are you serious? Are you guys going to go out?”

  “Maybe.” Dorothy opened the cupboard and grabbed the pepper.

  Milly squirmed to get down, and Charley set her down on the tile floor. She scampered off toward the bowl Dorothy always kept full of dry cat food. “Maybe? What does that mean? Did you guys make plans?”

  Dorothy waved her hand at Charley. “Now stop your fussing. We’ll make plans when we get around to it.”

  “How often do you talk on the phone?”

  “Every day.”

  “What?” Charley leaned against the counter. “And he hasn’t asked you out?”

  Dorothy turned to her and smiled. “We’re taking things slow.”

  “Well, don’t take things too slow. I’m dying to hear about it when you go out.”

  “I don’t kiss and tell.” She motioned toward the door. “Now get out of my kitchen. I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”

  Charley laughed and walked toward the door. “All right, fine. But I’m not letting you get away with that forever. I want details.”

  Dorothy didn’t answer, but her lips curled up into a smile. Charley shook her head as she exited the kitchen and walked toward the living room. Maybe she’d read some more of that book she’d started the other day. Milly followed after her as she walked. Charley scooped the kitten up and snuggled into her fur.

  “You still thinking you’ll take that cat with you when you go?”

  Charley turned to see Alexander behind her. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and her heart skipped a beat. Dang, he looked amazing. “Yes,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. “If that’s still okay.”

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s fine. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “Maybe if you decided you wanted to keep her.”

  The kitten hopped out of her hands and skittered across the floor. “What’s she after now?” Alexander said.

  “I don’t know.” Charley and Alexander followed the kitten as she ran through the house. She stopped outside of the sun room, her head down low, her tail twitching.

  “What are you doing, Milly?” Charley took a step toward her, but Alexander put his hand on her arm.

  “Wait. Let’s watch.”

  Milly wiggled her behind, hunching and twitching. As Charley waited for Milly to move, she could feel the warmth from Alexander standing right behind her. Her heart sped up. And it didn’t help that she could now smell him. She wanted to turn around and stuff her face into his chest and sniff, but she thought maybe he wouldn’t react the best to that, so she forced herself to remain still.

  Milly pounced, and Charley stepped into the room to see what she had jumped on. A little mouse tail swung wildly out from under Milly’s paws. And then Milly jumped back and the mouse ran toward the wall.

  “Thomas!” Alexander called.

  He appeared a second later, and Charley wondered how he always did that. “Yes?” Thomas asked.

  Alexander turned to Thomas, a frown on his face. “We have mice. Can you call an exterminator?”

  “Right away, sir.” He left the room.

  Charley watched Milly gear up to pounce again as the mouse paused along the baseboard. “Do you have to exterminate? It’s just one little baby mouse.” She picked up Milly, who gave her a dirty look. The mouse ran behind a potted plant.

  “Since when do you see just one mouse? And if it’s a baby, that means there are parents here too. And probably siblings. You wouldn’t want them getting into your food, or crawling in bed with you.”

  The thought made her shudder, but she didn’t like the idea of killing them either. “I could pick up some no-kill traps. Mice love peanut butter. Just a dab in the trap and we’ll catch this guy. And we could set more out for his family.”

  Alexander shook his head, but she could see the smile just behind his lips. “You’re not going to let me get an exterminator, are you?”

  “It’s your home. But look at the cute little mouse.” She pointed as the creature ran between two plants. “It’s defenseless. We could take care of the problem without killing it.”

  Alexander gave her a look that she couldn’t quite interpret. Then he turned and called out, “Thomas!”

  The butler appeared. “Yes?”

  “Don’t call the exterminator.”

  “Would you like me to get some no-kill traps, sir?”

  Alexander chuckled. “Heard the whole thing, didn’t you?”

  Thomas smiled. “Of course.”

  “Then, yes. You can go get some traps and set them up around the house.” After Thomas left, he turned to Charley. “Happy?”

  She couldn’t stop smiling. “Extremely.” The kitten squirmed and she walked out of the sunroom, waiting until Alexander was out to shut the door and put the cat down. Milly pawed at the closed door.

  “Come on, kitty. I have a ball of yarn you can play with in the living room.”

  As if she heard and understood, Milly started toward the living room. Alexander chuckled. “How did you do that?”

  She gave him a silly grin. “I’m magic.”

  He slowed. “I was beginning to wonder if you were.”

  She sent him a questioning glance.

  The smile faded from his face and he turned to her. She didn’t have much space in the hallway, and she ended up with her back against the wall, looking up at him. He slowly reached out and touched her cheek.

  Charley tried to calm the panic rising in her. Was he going to kiss her again? Was he going to tell her he loved her and then take it back, like he did before? And why did she find herself almost wishing he would?

  That was crazy. She wasn’t in love with him. She just had a silly crush. Well, a big crush. He was handsome and enigmatic. She was attracted to him in an insane way. But love? No way. It couldn’t be.

  His finger trailed down her jawline. “You brought Christmas back into my life.”

  Oh. Was that all? And was that disappointment that weighed on her chest? She let out a breath that she didn’t realize she was holding. “That wasn’t me. You’re the one who decided to let me decorate. And bake cookies.”

  “It’s more than just the tinsel. You brought something back into my life that I was missing.”

  That, too, wasn’t her. He was getting into the Christmas spirit. He wasn’t falling in love with her. He was feeling the warmth of this special time of year. She forced a smile. “You’re welcome.”

  He paused before stepping back and putting his hands behind him. “You are pretty amazing.”

  “You’ll be happy to know, then, that I should be able to finish up the garage tomorrow.” The words were out before she could stop them, and she pinched her lips together. She wasn’t going to tell him that. She was going to wait until after Christmas to finish.

  Alexander raised his eyebrows at her. “Really?”

  Great. Now she was stuck. She had to tell him. “Yes. I only have a few more boxes to go through.”

  “Oh.” He scratched at his chin. “Then will you leave tomorrow?”

&
nbsp; Did he want her to leave? She’d been hoping to stay for Christmas, but now with him asking if she was going to leave, she wasn’t sure if she was invited. Trying to decide what to say, she shifted her weight. “Um...”

  “I mean, you don’t have to leave. If you don’t want to. You could stay another day. So you’re not spending Christmas in an airport.” He dipped his chin and broke eye contact.

  Relief flooded through her. He did want her to stay. “I will leave after Christmas.”

  He smiled at her. “Good. Because I want to see you open your presents.”

  That evening at the dinner table, Alexander called Dorothy and Thomas to the table. He stood. “I would like us all to have Christmas dinner together. Then I would invite you to the living room to open presents.”

  Thomas looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. Dorothy smiled and nodded her head. “That would be lovely.”

  “Thank you. You are dismissed.”

  After they left, Charley smiled at Alexander. “You’re turning into an old softie.”

  He chuckled. “Am I?”

  “I think so. Keep going down this road and soon you’re be a regular nice guy.”

  He dipped his spoon in his chicken noodle soup and raised one eyebrow. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we? I mean, it would ruin the whole vibe I have going on here.”

  Milly scampered into the room, batting the ball of yarn Charley had given her, leaving string along the floor as she went. Alexander’s gaze followed the kitten as she ran after the ball under a chair leg, then through to the other side. She continued to hit the ball until it rolled into the kitchen.

  “You will clean that up, right?”

  Charley giggled. “No, I thought I’d use it to create a maze and hide your present at the end of it.”

  “Not a bad idea.”

  She hid her smile as she ate a bite of noodles and chicken. They ate for a few minutes before Charley couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?”

  “Nope.” He went back to his soup, but then he paused. “But I bet you do.”

  “How did you guess?”

  “What are they?”

  “We always ate shrimp cocktail and beef stroganoff.”

  He laughed. “What? I would have thought you’d eat ham or something.”

  Charley shrugged and stirred her soup. “That’s my father’s favorite. And my mom loves to make it for him.”

  “What else?”

  Thinking about Christmas Eve with her family was making her miss Florida. She swallowed back the homesickness. “We always bought a gift basket for a family in need. We’d fill it with fruit and some gifts for the kids. On Christmas Eve we would deliver it to their doorstep, ring the bell and run away.”

  Alexander’s expression softened. “That’s sweet.”

  “It always made me feel so good to do something nice for someone else anonymously. It helped me get into the holiday spirit.”

  “Would you do anything else on Christmas Eve?”

  Charley thought about it. “Not really a tradition, but we’d often watch a Christmas movie before bed.”

  “Sounds nice.”

  Charley smiled at him. “Yes. It was.”

  Chapter 20

  Alexander awoke the next day with an energy he hadn’t had in a long time. He talked to Dorothy last night. He wanted to surprise Charley with her family’s Christmas Eve traditions, and Dorothy was on board. But in order to accomplish everything, he had to take a trip into town.

  His first stop was the church. He hadn’t stepped foot in it in over two years. It felt good when he walked in the door. His next stop was the store. It took a while, but he found the perfect basket and filled it with food and other things, then had them wrap it in cellophane and put a bow on it.

  It took him longer than he’d expected, but he was back by three in the afternoon. As he pulled up, Charley was loading a box into the back of his truck. She waved at him as he parked his car and got out. “Merry Christmas Eve.”

  He chuckled. “Merry Christmas Eve to you too.”

  “I just finished the last box. I’ll take this last load into town and then sweep up. Looks like you have three boxes for the auction.”

  He nodded. “Okay. Do you mind if I go with you to town? I have a delivery I’d like you to help me make.”

  She only paused a second before covering her surprise with a smile. “Sure.”

  While she was inside getting her purse, he hid the gift basket he’d purchased in the back of the truck. When she came out, he opened the door for her and held out his hand to help her up. When she had trouble climbing in, he chuckled. “Do you want a step-stool?”

  She gave him a dirty look. “Hey, no making fun of my height—or lack of it—on Christmas Eve.”

  He put on an innocent face. “Just trying to help.”

  “Sure.” She stuck her tongue out, but a smile flitted across her lips.

  He got in the driver’s seat and turned on the engine. “First, we’ll go drop these boxes off at Goodwill. Then we’ll run my errand.”

  “Sounds fine.”

  When he pulled up to the back of the building, he turned to her. “I’ll unload the truck. You sit tight.”

  “No, I can help.” She unbuckled.

  He did not want her to see what he’d hidden in the truck bed. “Stay. I’ll get it. You can listen to Christmas music.” He turned on the radio and that did it. She grinned.

  “All right.”

  He got out and unloaded the boxes. When he got back in, she was singing along to “Santa Baby,” which was perfect because her socks today were red with black buckles, making them look like Santa’s belt.

  “Okay. Let’s go run my errand.”

  “Where are we going?”

  He shrugged and tried to look innocent. “Nowhere special. Just have to deliver something.”

  She crossed her legs. “That’s fine.”

  As he drove, she sang to the radio. He followed the directions that the pastor had given him this morning and pulled off the road into a neighborhood. As he pulled up to the white house, Charley looked out the window. “Is this it? What are you doing?”

  “We’re delivering a Christmas basket to a family in need.”

  Charley stared at him, her eyes getting wide. “Seriously?”

  “Yes.”

  “This house?” She pointed.

  “Yes. They have three kids and the father just lost his job.”

  She waved her hands frantically. “Well, don’t stop in front of the house! They’ll see us! Hurry, go.”

  He pulled back out into the street. “I didn’t know. I’ve never done anything like this before. Where should I park?”

  Charley giggled, growing animated. “Turn the corner, then park a block away. And we really should have done this at night so there’s less chance of being spotted, but since we’re here, we’ll do it now.”

  He hadn’t thought about the time of day. “Oh. Sorry.”

  “No, it’s okay. It’s really sweet you’re doing this.” She pointed to the curb. “Okay, pull over here.”

  He stopped the car and turned off the engine. “I’ll get the basket. You go run it to the door.”

  She shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m not doing this alone. You’re coming with me.”

  “What?” He hadn’t thought he’d be doing the ding-dong ditch. “Why?”

  “Because that’s the fun part. Come on.” She hopped out of the truck and he followed suit. He lifted the basket out of the back of the truck and Charley clapped her hands. “That looks amazing!”

  “I wasn’t sure what toys to put in it, so the pastor helped me. They’re just little things, but I also put a gift card in there so the parents can get them what they need.”

  Charley looped her arm around his. “It’s perfect. Let’s go.”

  They walked down the sidewalk and turned the corner. When they were in front of the house, Charley ducked do
wn and tugged on his arm. “Don’t let them see you out the windows.”

  He wasn’t sure how crouching down was going to make them not see him, but he did it anyway. They ran up the porch steps and he set the basket down. Charley rang the doorbell, then she grabbed his hand and they ran down the steps.

  As they turned the corner, they heard a little kid yelling, “Hey, someone left this on our porch.”

  Charley giggled and they ran to the truck. She opened her door and he helped her climb in. When he was in the driver’s seat, she turned to him, her eyes moist. “That was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

  His throat tightened as his emotions swelled. They’d just helped someone else, yet she was grateful for what he’d done for her? She was an amazing woman. “It was nothing.”

  “No.” She put her hand on his. “You went through a lot of trouble, just to give me the opportunity to not miss out on this Christmas Eve tradition. That was really thoughtful of you. And I know it’s going to mean a lot to that family.”

  He wasn’t sure how to respond, so he just tossed her a smile and turned the steering wheel, pulling out into the street.

  “This is going to be a wonderful Christmas Eve.”

  CHARLEY COULDN’T BELIEVE Alexander had set that up. He’d even talked to a pastor from a church to find a family in need. She was astounded. He did all of that to make Christmas Eve a special day for her. She tried not to sit there in the truck grinning like a fool, but it was difficult. He’d made her so happy.

  When he pulled up to the house, he opened the garage and started pulling in. “Hey,” Charley said. “I still need to sweep in there.”

  “You can sweep another day. Dorothy will have dinner on the table soon. Besides, I want to enjoy my garage. I haven’t been able to park in here for over a year.”

  “Okay.” They got out of the car. When Charley entered the kitchen, the smell hit her and her heart swelled. “Are you making beef stroganoff?”

  Dorothy nodded. “Yep. A special order from the master of the house.”

  Charley turned to Alexander and threw her arms around him. “You did this for me too?”