by Jill Downey
“I’m so excited about Christmas… being with you and the baby…I can’t believe what a difference a year can make,” Penelope said, linking her arm through Griffins.
His warm gaze as he smiled down at her made her toes curl. “Your excitement must be wearing off on me. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I am getting into the holiday spirit for the first time since I was probably six years old.”
She stood on her tip toes and kissed him. When she looked up through her lashes, he was grinning with amusement.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Just how adorable you look in that tasseled hat with the fuzzy ball on the end. You look like you’re sixteen all bundled up, mittens, snow boots, scarf, bulky parka. It’s a wonder you can even move.”
“Not everyone can look as metropolitan as you do. I’m a small-town Ohio girl at heart. We bundle.”
“Yeah, sure you are. You moved to California when you were eighteen.”
“It doesn’t matter, you can’t take the small town out of the girl.”
“And I’m in love with my small-town girl. Where to first?”
“Let’s go into Sam’s Hardware and grab the lights. We can load them into the car so we won’t have to lug them around.”
“How could I forget…the lights for the barn…my Christmas spirit is slipping away.”
“You love it, just admit it and be done with it.”
“It’s a good thing you’re so beautiful; it makes up for your bossiness.”
Penelope elbowed him as they pushed open the door which jingled, signaling to the clerk that customers were entering.
“Hi, back again?”
“Hey Sam. All we need are some more outdoor lights,” Penelope said.
Sam and Griffin exchanged an amused look. “Just tell her we cleaned you out the last time,” Griffin suggested.
“Well now, I just happened to get another order that came in yesterday. I don’t need to tell you which aisle.”
Penelope tugged Griffin along until they found the lights. “Now how many feet do you suppose we’ll need?”
The locals loved that the famous movie star Penelope Winters had made this her home for the last five years and was their best kept secret. They all tried to protect their resident celebrity. Since she’d bought her ranch, she spent as much time in Montana as her schedule allowed. Her life felt almost normal here.
They paid for their purchases and loaded them into their SUV. As Griffin closed the hatch Penelope hurled a snowball at him. It whizzed by, just missing his head. He turned sharply and Penelope ran laughing and ducked behind the hood.
“You asked for it,” he called out.
She peeked up over the hood and saw him reaching down to pick up a handful of snow, packing it into a large, rounded ball.
She laughed as she pleaded, “I couldn’t help it. Some alien took over my body…please forgive me.”
“Not going to happen,” he said. She giggled, then made a run for it, shrieking as he gave chase.
She stood behind a lamppost begging, “No! Griffin please, I’m sorry. I surrender!” She closed her eyes tightly as a snowball whirled by and before she knew it, she’d been swooped up into Griffin’s arms. He turned her to face him and she gazed into his sparkling blue eyes right before he bent down to kiss her. His lips were soft and warm against her cold skin and she wrapped her mittened hands behind his head and held on tight.
“I love you Penelope, from your little pink nose and rosy cheeks to your dictatorial personality.”
“What?” she sputtered. He laughed and kissed her again, his warm breath caressing her cheeks.
“I suppose we’d better get shopping before we freeze to death.”
“Does this mean you’re calling a truce?” Penelope asked.
“Because I’m such a nice guy and because you’re so adorable, yes, truce.”
She snuggled into his neck, breathing in his familiar scent, male, earthy, and today the added bonus of a musty hat. She loved that smell.
“Where to next?” he asked.
“Let’s go to the local artisans co-op. Maybe you can find something for Ella there. And hopefully I’ll find something for your mom.” They walked hand-in-hand to the corner shop and stopped to look at the window display before entering. Right up her alley…a snow-covered Christmas village, replete with an animated ski lift and lodge. Santa and his reindeer were circling around in a continuous loop and tiny figurines of children and villagers were scattered about. She pulled her gaze away and tried to conjure up Giselle. Now what would she like? No clue.
The store had a table set up for holiday shoppers with cookies and your choice of hot chocolate, cider or coffee. Christmas music was playing throughout the store, and the smell of pine and clove permeated the air. Penelope soon discovered the homemade soy candles producing the smells and had to buy some. She picked up several, sticking her nose in each one to capture the scent.
“Hey Griff, come over here. What do you think of this one?”
He stuck his nose in it. “Smells like reindeer poop,” he said, grinning.
She snorted with laughter, “You’re so bad. No really, I am definitely getting the pine, but do you like this one…I think it smells like musk.”
“Whatever you say. Just don’t buy that one for my mom.” She put it back on the shelf and chose another more flowery scent and placed it in her basket.
“Pen, over here.” He stood in front of a display of novelties all hand carved from wood and painted in bright colors. “I’m thinking Finn would love one of these ships. He collects models of boats and ships.”
“Gorgeous, the detail is unbelievable. Go for it.”
“You pick.”
“I like this one,” she said, reaching for what looked like a pirate ship, complete with skull and crossbones etched on the hull.
“Perfect! Finn will love it.”
Penelope found some hand died silk scarves and knew her search for Giselle was over. Her voice was hushed as she said, “This!” They were displayed on hangers and she pulled out three of her favorites to narrow it down.
“Mom’s favorite color is peach. I think this one,” Griffin said, fingering the soft material. He pulled out the peach and cream scarf for a closer look.
“I think it’s perfect!”
“Now Ella,” he said.
Penelope spotted some hand-knitted matching scarf and glove sets and they were able to cross another thing off their list.
“Let’s go get a pastry and some coffee. I’m already worn out.”
“You big baby. We’ve only been out for an hour total. We’ve got miles to go.”
“Even more reason to take a break.”
“Let’s dump these off at the car and then we’ll grab a bite to eat,” she said.
On the way to the car they passed some Christmas carolers and stopped to listen as they sang Silent Night. Penelope was suddenly overcome with nostalgia and longed to see her mother again…hear her voice, tell her all about her life. Catch up…she’d tell her how her husband liked to sing to her and Savannah, how funny and playful he was, how much she loved him. How cherished and loved she felt. She would ask her advice about being a mom. Ask her if she had ever felt overwhelmed by the enormity of parenting. She sighed as Griffin slipped his arm across her shoulders and hugged her against his side. He always seemed to know.
3
Malena
Malena held her breath as she opened her laptop computer and logged into her university account. The first thing she did was check to see what her final grades for the semester were. She exhaled loudly when she saw that she had maintained her 4.0 and had made it onto the Dean’s list again. She’d applied for and been awarded The Presidential Scholarship which included a full tuition waiver. It was a prestigious award only offered to outstanding honor students.
Her parents were so proud of her. She missed them and her four younger siblings, but she was grateful for the opportunity to live here w
ith her Aunt Josie while she completed her studies. Penelope and Griffin were great to work for and her room and board were free. And she was absolutely head over heels in love with Savannah. It was an extraordinary opportunity and she truly felt blessed.
She closed her laptop and went to check on Savannah. Peeking into the nursery, she was met by two sparkling blue eyes and a wide grin. Sweet baby.
“Oh, mi dulce niña.”
“Da da da da.”
Giggling Malena reached for her and lifted her out of the crib. “No, ma ma ma ma, frijolita.” Malena had to laugh. She’d just started to say dada and it was almost as if Savannah was in on the joke between Penelope and Griffin. It drove Pen crazy that she wouldn’t say mama and she pretended that she didn’t hear all the dadas coming from her daughter’s mouth. Griffin enjoyed it way too much.
They were so down to earth. You’d never know that Penelope was a famous movie star. She gazed at the ceiling dreamily; she loved them as a couple. They were fun and cool and playful. They were also obviously still hot for each other. She sighed, a perfect romance…I won’t settle for anything less.
“Let’s change your diaper little one. Then we’ll go see what Tia Josie is up to. Shall we?” She lay the baby on the changing table and handed her a teething ring. Her tiny fingers gripped it and she immediately stuck it in her mouth while cooing and babbling.
“It won’t be long and those teeth are going to pop right out.”
She grabbed a Christmas-themed onesie and slipped it on, then clipped a red bow to the top of her head.
“You look like a tiny Christmas angel. I could eat you up. I want a little girl just like you some day.” Malena picked her up and headed to the kitchen, sure she’d find her Aunt there preparing something scrumptious for supper.
“Hmm, smells so good,” Malena said. “What are you making?”
“Enchiladas.”
“Goody, one of my favorites.”
“Si. Miss Penelope’s too.”
“I’m going to heat up a bottle for the baby. Is there anything you need Tia Josie?”
“No. Did you find out your grades yet?”
A smile lit up her face. “Si. I made the Dean’s list!”
“Muy buena!”
“I’m so excited. Gracias, Tia Josie. I couldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you.”
Josie waved her hand at Malena. “Shh. You are doing all the work. I’m so proud of you.”
Malena went over to her beloved aunt and hugged her with the baby in the middle. “I love you so much. I will never be able to repay you. Gracias from the bottom of my heart.”
“And you have a huge heart,” Josie said, her eyes suspiciously bright. “Now scoot. I have work to do.”
“Si Tia. Let’s go Van, we’ve been booted out of the kitchen.”
She grabbed the bottle and went to sit in front of the fireplace. The baby couldn’t take her eyes off of the Christmas tree; she kept pointing at it while she contentedly sucked on her bottle.
“Your first Christmas. Santa is coming soon carina.” She began to sing “Away in a Manger,” her voice clear and pure in perfect pitch. The baby turned her attention from the tree to the beautiful sound of her voice, eyes wide and spellbound, as Malena rocked her and sang. It would be her second Christmas in Montana, away from her family. But these wonderful people had become her family too. She was enjoying the holidays very much. Feliz Navidad.
4
Penelope
After dinner, Griffin and Penelope curled up on the couch in front of the TV with Savannah propped up between them.
Penelope sighed. “I have to say that the script for the Nellie Bly biography has me salivating.”
“I’m certain you’ve got the part if you want it. Savannah, Archie and me, are all in. We’ll just pack up our bags and move to your film location, no matter where it is. Right Van?”
She started babbling, “Ba-ba, da-da.”
Griffin’s jaw dropped. “Did you hear that? She said it again. That was no accident. Are you daddy’s girl?”
Penelope bit back a smile, “What? Ba-ba? She says that all the time.”
“No! She said da-da. You missed it? I swear, she just said it again.”
Penelope patted his arm, trying to look sympathetic. “Don’t worry. She’ll be saying it before you know it.”
He suddenly became suspicious of her tone and narrowing his eyes he glared at her, “Just admit it. She’s been saying it a lot. Isn’t that so Van? Is Mommy jealous because you said da-da first?’
“Da-da,” she babbled.
Penelope started laughing. “Why you little traitor.” She picked her up and buried her face in her daughter’s belly, blowing raspberries against it. Savannah started giggling, the joyful sound encouraging Penelope to carry on until she had Savannah laughing uncontrollably.
Griffin held his stomach, sore from laughing so hard and Archie, not to be left out of the fun, excitedly covered Griffin’s face with kisses.
“Stop… no Archie,” he said, trying to fend the pug off. Griffin finally buried his face in a couch pillow until Archie gave up.
“I can totally see where this is going,” Penelope said. “I’m going to be outnumbered with you two every time.”
“We’ll cut you some slack now and then.” Suddenly looking serious, he said, “Are you ready to face my whole crazy family tomorrow?”
“No. And you could be a little more understanding of my feelings,” she said, pouting.
“They are who they are and that’s not going to change. My dad is way too serious and a control freak on top of that, and my mom is a bit self-centered but she’s okay for the most part. Just keep your head on straight and let everything slide off your back,” he said, softly kissing her.
“They can’t be that bad. Can they?” Penelope frowned.
“As Ty would say, they can be a little extra. My father is wound so tight you could use him as a sling shot.”
Penelope laughed at the visual. “I know I’ll have the rest of the gang…and of course you to run interference. But if I’m being completely honest, it was slightly awkward with your mom when I met her before. I felt like she didn’t like me.”
“How could anyone not like you? Impossible,” he said, rolling her bottom lip down with his thumb.
“Well you are her baby after all, and we didn’t invite anyone to our wedding except Kyle and Ella.”
“That’s because we didn’t have a wedding. She knows we didn’t have a ceremony. You’re imagining things anyway.”
“Call it woman’s intuition but something was off. Still, I’ll keep an open mind. I’m sure nobody would ever be good enough for her son.”
He grinned wickedly. “I am quite the catch.”
“Oh my God! If you do get the Oscar nod that everyone is buzzing about, you’ll be impossible to live with!”
“Picture it…and the award for best supporting actor goes to…wait for it…Griffin Bennett. And the crowd roars.”
Penelope giggled, “You’re so weird.”
“But seriously, it’s much more likely that you’ll be nominated. And it will be well deserved. I’d rather see you get the nod than me. I only looked good because of you.”
“You were amazing Griff. You know you could easily have a career in acting.”
“No thanks.”
“Maybe someday the perfect script will come along, and you’ll have the amazing Penelope Winters as your co-star and you won’t be able to turn it down,” she teased.
“Throw in Noah and you might just convince me,” he said, sarcastically, referring to her ex-lover, the mega movie star Noah Davis. He and Penelope had been the headliners in the film that had released earlier in the year. Penelope knew Griffin still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he too, in his supporting actor role, had played a huge part in the film’s success.
“Hey, you and Noah ended up on a good note.”
“We did. He’s alright, especially now that he ha
s his own woman and isn’t vying for mine.”
Penelope wrinkled her nose, “There was never any contest. Now back to real life…your family and the gift exchange…are you sure the scarf is okay?”
“Quit worrying, she’ll love it.”
“I’m hoping for a perfect family Christmas together. A chance to get to know your mom and dad and for them to spend time with Savannah.”
“You’ll definitely get that, but the wild card is what the outcome of getting to know each other will be. Don’t romanticize it or I’m afraid you’ll be sorely disappointed.” He lifted Savannah onto his lap and wrapped his other arm across Penelope’s shoulders. “And I don’t want to see you hurt by their insensitivity.”
“It might seem silly to you but it’s not to me. Family is important. Right now, your family is the only one I have.”
Griffin rolled his eyes, then grinned, “God help you!”
“I’m going to try to enjoy every minute of our first Christmas.” A cloud of sadness danced across her face. “I only wish that my mom was here. I really miss her.”
“I wish I could have met her,” Griffin said. “She raised an incredible daughter.”
Why do I always get so sentimental around the holidays? Everything made her feel weepy. One minute she felt full of gratitude and awe and the next she was filled with nostalgia, wishing her mom was here sharing her joy, seeing her granddaughter growing by the minute, laughing at her charming husband’s wit…she would have loved Griffin.
She sighed. Ah but we are making new memories. And she knew that one day she’d be reminiscing about these days, when she and Griffin were old and gray, and wishing she could have these tender times back again. She pulled herself from the past and plunked herself right back into the moment. I don’t want to miss a thing!
