Baby, Let It Snow: I'll Be Home for ChristmasSecond Chance Christmas

by Beverly Jenkins

  “You don’t believe in spending any money.” He laughed.

  “That, too.” He took a puff of the cigar and sat back on the bench. “Well?”

  Robert glanced at him warily. “Well, what?”

  “Are we gonna just sit here reminiscing about old times or are you going to ask me about what you really want to know about?”

  Robert raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. “And what exactly is that?”

  “Diana, of course.”

  Robert shrugged. “I wasn’t planning to ask you anything about her, but since you brought it up.”

  “Sure you weren’t.”

  “What happened?”

  “A lot’s happened. You gotta be more specific.”

  “Okay, why is she still single?”

  Oscar’s mouth twisted in a sarcastic expression. “Why are you?”

  Robert nodded. “Okay, point taken. Next question. What happened to La Bohemia?”

  “This horrible recession.”

  “No, that’s not what I meant. It’s something I can’t quiet put my finger on. The place feels the same and yet at the same time it’s different.”

  Oscar nodded. “I know what you mean. I feel it, too. If I had to guess I would say that the troubles of the past few years have taken their toll. Just like people, land needs to be loved and appreciated. And, well, most of the people who truly love this place have gone on. I don’t think it will ever be the same.”

  The pair sat in silence for several long minutes before Oscar finally tossed the remains of his cigar to the ground and stubbed it out with the toe of his shoe. “I’m kinda surprised you didn’t come back for the funeral.”

  “I didn’t know about it,” Robert answered quietly. “How was it?”

  Oscar nodded in satisfaction. “We gave him a good send off.”

  “He wrote me the week before he died, never mentioned he was sick.”

  “I’m not surprised. You know how your daddy was. Didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him.”

  Once again, Robert had no idea what to say in response. For all the years he’d spent traveling around the country with his father as a child, truth was he barely knew the man. Robert Fenton senior had the paternal instinct of a rock. Not that he was neglectful, exactly, just not affectionate in any way. After Robert’s mother had died in childbirth, Bobby Fenton had taken on the full responsibility of raising his infant son.

  Depending on whom you asked, this was either an incredibly selfless act or incredibly irresponsible given that Bobby was a gardener and his work was mostly seasonal, which meant his employment opportunities were fairly few and far between. That was, until the day he and his young son landed at the La Bohemia Winery where the work was plentiful, the pay was decent and as a result, it ended up being where Robert would spend most of his formative years.

  And despite the fact that he’d spent his whole life with the man, he had never felt anything more for his father than a vague fondness, and by the end, not even that.

  “You know, looking back, it all started after John Rogers died. It’s like the land knew it’s foreman was gone.”

  “John Rogers.” Robert huffed loudly. “Really sorry I missed that funeral. I would’ve liked to have danced on his grave.”

  Oscar frowned and cast a quick glance at the younger man, knowing more than most about exactly what fueled that anger. “Oh, you shouldn’t say that, son. John was a good man in his own way.”

  “Depends on who you ask.”

  “You can’t judge him by what happened back then. That was just a normal reaction to finding out his little girl was no longer a little girl.”

  He turned narrow eyes on the old man. “He tried to ruin my life, Oscar.”

  Oscar shook his head fervently. “No, no, it wasn’t like that. You misunderstood.”

  His jaw set in a hard line as his mind wandered back. “No, trust me, I didn’t misunderstand anything. He scandalized my name to the point that I couldn’t find work anywhere around here. People started treating me like I was some kind of child-chasing pervert, giving me strange looks in town. You don’t know what it was like.”

  The older man just listened silently.

  “And Pop,” he sneered as the memories rushed back, “he did nothing. Just let that bastard spread lies about me and he did nothing!”

  “Well, don’t matter no how, that’s all water under the bridge.” Oscar touched Robert’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. “Ghosts are best left undisturbed.”

  Robert sat up suddenly. “You’re right. That’s all old news, and I’ve come a long way from that penniless kid. So, tell me about the business. There is only so much you can find out from a report.”

  Over the next couple of hours the two men discussed all the contributing factors over the past ten years, and by the time he left Oscar puffing on another partially used cigar, Robert had a much better understanding of the way things were and what needed to be done to fix it.

  Chapter 5

  After he left Oscar, Robert wandered the estate revisiting his childhood with each step. He came to a cliff that overlooked Traverse Bay and stood looking down at the empty beach. In the summer the area would be filled with tourists and locals enjoying the almost-perfect weather that the region experienced in the heart of summer. He and Diana had spent many summer days as children running along that beach.

  He inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of the freshwater lake and only then did he realize how much he’d missed being here. He watched a seagull swoop toward the water and in a movement too quick for the eye, the bird had captured a fish and was flapping with full strength as it climbed high through the air. A small band of birds followed, and Robert knew the seagull would have to fight for his meal. He had no doubt the bird would triumph in the end. Robert knew firsthand that hunger was a great motivator.

  In the early years, he’d had more than a few hungry days and only his desire for revenge had given him the strength to keep pushing forward. The fateful night he’d left La Bohemia, Robert had vowed to himself that one day he would find a way to punish John Rogers for spreading the lies that had not only ruined any chance he had of building a life in Traverse City, but also any chance he’d had of building a life with Diana.

  That night had devastated him in way that took years to come to grips with. In one single swipe, with one well-orchestrated lie, John Rogers had managed to turn everyone in the world against him.

  The cool late-November breeze was blowing across the cliff top, but instead of returning to the comfort of the inn, Robert simply pulled his jacket collar up and headed down the embankment toward the beach.

  The cold crisp air was clearing his head in a way it had not done in years and memories that he’d buried deep within his heart and mind were beginning to resurface; along with those memories came a revelation.

  Even though he’d been young, Robert remembered some of the places he and his father had lived before coming to La Bohemia. Most of them had been run-down shacks filled with seasonal laborers, most of whom were too caught up in their own troubles to pay much attention to a lonely child.

  But when they’d arrived at La Bohemia it had been completely different. It was heaven. Coming up the main road, he remembered thinking it had even looked like heaven. As the foreman his father had been given his own cabin, a small two-bedroom bungalow, and for the first time in his life Robert had had his own room. Every Sunday during the summer Ms. Ella had had a big cookout for the staff up at the inn, and Robert had looked forward to those fun, festive gatherings all week.

  But best of all, La Bohemia had something Robert had seen shamefully little of in his life…other children. For the first time, Robert had had friends, and he’d cherished every moment he’d spent with them, especially Diana, who’d fascinated him from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her.

  Diana’s easy smile and cheerful nature had been so foreign to the guarded boy he once was that she’d seemed like some exotic creature. Before l
ong, she’d had him wrapped around her finger. If there were a tall tree that needed to be climbed, or a beach toy that had floated too far out on the lake, all she’d had to do was drop a hint and he’d be shimmying up branches and dog-paddling through the waves. And his fascination with her had only grown over the years as she had blossomed into a beauty.

  Then came the fateful day during her fifteenth year when she’d turned to smile at him after he carved an inscription into the white birch tree. And he’d seen it. A spark—just a spark of interest. A recognition that they were no longer the children they’d once been. A silent acknowledgment that she was becoming a woman and he was becoming a man.

  Robert had been turning eighteen that summer, and even though he could sense the woman in her awakening, he knew she was still too young. But that was alright, she was no longer looking at him through the prism of brotherly affection and for the time being that was enough. For anything more, he would simply have to wait, and for Diana Rogers he had been willing to wait until the end of time.

  After that summer the pair had become inseparable. When Robert was not working somewhere on the estate, he had been with Diana. And when Diana was not in school, or helping her mother run the inn, she had been with Robert.

  But what Robert had not known was that someone else had been watching the budding romance, as well, and John Rogers did not like what he saw. Looking back on it now, Robert could almost understand the man’s concern. From his point of view, Robert was a penniless farmhand with no future, and that farmhand had his eye on John’s precious jewel, his little girl.

  The first time John had warned him off, Robert had not taken the threat seriously. In his youth and ignorance, he’d thought the threat was more in the way of a suggestion. That was until Robert senior had taken him aside and reiterated the message. His father’s warning had only served to anger Robert. After all, his father had generally paid little to no attention to anything his son did until the boss had told him to care, apparently.

  Robert had planned to take it nice and slow with Diana, but he’d soon learned that when Diana wanted something she got it, and after all he was only human. Right before her seventeenth birthday they’d made love for the first time. And with that one impetuous act, the axes of their worlds had shifted.

  From there everything had spiraled out of control so fast, it was only after he’d left La Bohemia that Robert had been able to piece together everything. He and Diana had gone to her parents to announce their intention to marry, and to say John had taken the news badly would have been the understatement of the year. Ms. Ella hadn’t been happy, either, but she’d later explained that her greatest concern was their youth.

  John had gone to Robert in secret and had offered him a bribe to leave, but Robert had refused, convinced that once they were married John would be forced to accept the situation. But for all the years of living in his home, Robert came to realize he did not know John Rogers at all.

  Unbeknownst to Robert, John had been trying to convince Diana to end the relationship, using lies about him. Small insidious lies that had just a grain of truth to them to make them believable. If Robert had gone into Traverse City to run errands for his father or Oscar, he would later be confronted by an irate Diana insisting he give an accounting of his whereabouts. Somehow Diana would find out about relationships he’d had years ago, and before long doubt and suspicion were cropping up between them. Until that last fateful day, the night before Diana’s eighteenth birthday, and Robert, sensing the wind changing, had asked her to elope with him.

  What he had not known was that by then it was already too late. Robert would later find out the so-called young girl who’d appeared on the doorstep at La Bohemia accusing him of fathering her child had been a paid actress. And a very good one.

  By the time she was done putting on her little show, Diana and Ms. Ella had been convinced he was the worst kind of slime. She’d gone so far as to name specific dates and times they’d been together, and they were all times Robert had been with his father working in the winery. But when he’d asked his father to alibi him, Bobby Fenton had stood mute, too afraid of losing his job to defend his son. The argument had escalated until he’d been told to pack his things and leave.

  But John’s total annihilation had not ended there. When Robert had tried to find a job with the other local wineries, he’d soon discovered that he had a reputation. One he’d never known existed. Apparently there were rumors about him and an even younger girl than the one he’d supposedly impregnated, and with the cloud of being a pedophile hanging over his head no one would hire him.

  Forced out of the only home he’d ever known, having had the woman he’d loved turned against him and with no future prospects, Robert took the only path left to him. He had headed to Chicago and had found a job as a waiter. And he’d planned, plotted and he’d schemed, and now, ten years later, revenge was at hand.

  But as he walked along the beach enjoying the smells of nature, it wasn’t revenge on his mind. It was Diana, and the rightness of his being back at La Bohemia.

  Chapter 6

  “All right, Mr. Mayfield. Here you go.” Diana handed him the receipt that had just printed out. “Thank you for staying with us, and please, come again.”

  He smiled. “You know, I think I will. When the missus suggested spending our Thanksgiving at an inn I thought it was a ridiculous idea, but this was actually quite enjoyable. Although, I think next time we’ll come in the summer when it’s nice and warm.”

  “Well, you’re welcome back anytime.”

  A few minutes later, Diana along with Shawn and Robert stood on the front porch and waved goodbye as the last of the inn’s guests disappeared down the road.

  Diana turned to Robert and Shawn. “Well, that’s that. La Bohemia is now officially closed for the season. Which one of you burly men is going to close the gate?”

  Shawn started down the porch stairs. “I’ll do it.”

  As Diana and Robert went back inside, he asked, “When did you start closing for the winter season? The way I remember, this place used to be open year-round.”

  “A few years ago when things got lean, we had to make some cuts. After looking at the books, Mom realized that from December through February we were spending a lot more than we were taking in. So, she closed the inn for those months, and it saved us quite a bit.”

  “Hmm. That makes sense, but I think you should revisit the idea of staying open during those months. If handled properly, this place could be a Mecca for some during the holidays.”

  Diana tried to keep her face blank, although she was seething underneath. Who the hell did he think he was? He’d been making suggestions for the past three days, and he hadn’t even been back a full week yet!

  “I’ll take that into consideration.”

  Robert laughed. “Right. I’m sure you will.” He moved past her to open the office door. “Tell me something, will you ever consider anything I suggest, or should I just stop trying now?”

  “I said I’d consider it.”

  “Yeah, that’s what you said, but we both know you don’t mean it. It pisses you off every time I make a suggestion. Why is that?”

  “Well, I know you’re supposed to be some kind of hotel expert, but the truth is you know nothing about La Bohemia.”

  “I’m trying to learn.”

  “Well, learn first—before you make suggestions on how to change things.”

  He shrugged. “Okay, that’s fair.” He took his seat. “So, what now?”

  “Now, I reconcile the accounts for the year.” She took her own seat and opened a file on her computer. “You do what you want to do.”

  “Can I help?”

  “Thanks, but it’s really a one-person job.”

  His mouth twisted into a sarcastic expression. “Right.” He turned his attention to some paperwork on his desk.

  Diana looked up at him. “Since we will be closed for the next three months, are you planning to leave?”

>   He gave her that devastating smile of his. “Nope.”

  Despite her best attempts, she could not stop the frown of frustration that flashed across her face. “Why not?”

  “I’m supposed to be learning, remember? I have to be here to do that.”

  “I just don’t understand you. After reading all those stories about you jet-setting around the globe, how can one little inn in northern Michigan hold your attention for any length of time?”

  “Trust me, Diana, there is plenty here to hold my attention. Besides, I give the same care and attention to each of my projects, no matter how small or large.”

  She just stared at him for several long seconds, until finally he released a heavy sigh. “You know, the sooner you stop looking for any ulterior motives for my being here and start teaching me how this place is run, the sooner we can get you back in the black. What do you say?”

  With a shake of her head, she returned her attention to the file on her computer and the pair worked in silence for the next several hours.

  When Diana looked up at the clock and saw that five hours had passed, she was shocked. She looked across the room at Robert who was typing away on his computer.

  Despite her best efforts to deny it, she was forced to admit Robert’s presence had already had an effect on the bottom line, even in the short time he’d been there. Robert Fenton was a well-known name in the hotel industry, and, in the way that things happened, the word was already circulating regarding the ownership transfer.

  So all week long Diana had found suppliers were willing to return her calls again, where they’d been ducking her for weeks. And yesterday when she’d done payroll for the week, she’d found out that a large deposit had been made to the corporate account the day he’d arrived. Enough that she was able to give Oscar and his small staff their full back pay and have enough left over to schedule contractors to come make some minor but much-needed repairs to the winery.