19
Bridget
“There, that’s the last one. It fits like a glove.”
Bridget fastened the top button on the back of Lori’s dress. Her little sister was the picture of a winter bride in their mother’s timeless satin wedding gown. With an elegant boat neckline that revealed the hint of her sister’s shoulders as the three-quarter sleeves hit just below her elbows, Lori was the mirror image of their mother on her wedding day thirty years ago.
She tucked a curl behind her sister’s ear as the women stared at each other in the mirror. How quickly time passed. It seemed like only yesterday she was braiding Lori’s hair in the tiny apartment they shared when it was just the two of them, barely getting by. And now, here they were—back at Kringle Mountain.
This should be one of the happiest days of her life, but a cloud of chaos had come in with the winter storm thanks to Soren’s actions. This morning at breakfast and then again at lunch, no one had spoken of what happened last night. Not even Cole or Carly mentioned it. Everyone had put on a brave face and tried to keep it light. It was Christmas Eve and Lori and Tom’s wedding day, for goodness’ sake. But nobody seemed to know how to navigate the conversation around the missing best man. So, understandably, much of the day had passed in a heavy silence.
No matter. She and Lori had endured the loss of those they loved best. They knew how to press on. And the Abbotts were good people who loved her sister. It would all work out. It had to.
Bridget couldn’t let her guard down. She was determined to get the wedding back on track. But she kept catching glimpses of Soren’s things, lying about inside their room.
No, not their room. Her room.
She still couldn’t make sense of what happened last night—still couldn’t understand why Soren hadn’t even tried to make it right with his best friend. And his words, his cruel and callous words, had shattered her heart.
Why had he reverted to his old ways?
Old ways!
She was fooling herself.
Those weren’t his old ways. Those were his ways. His self-imposed modus operandi.
Yes, he had monstrous parents who planted the idea in his mind that he was unlovable and that there was a part of him that would always be like them. That alone broke her heart. But she had to come to terms with the fact that, as much as she saw the good in him, he didn’t see it. And that would be his greatest downfall.
But that hadn’t kept her from crying herself to sleep last night with the hint of his sandalwood scent in the air. This man, who a week ago meant nothing to her, now invaded her every thought. And as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t forget his touch, his kisses, or the way the breath would catch in her throat and butterflies would erupt in her belly when he said her name.
Bridget Dasher, you’re part angel, part vixen, and all mine.
And she was.
Despite knowing he’d lied when he said that she’d meant nothing to him, she had to put him out of her head. She needed the gift of distance.
And he’d given it to her.
By now, he was most likely long gone.
She’d buried her parents. She’d buried her grandmother. She’d raised her little sister. She had the strength to get over Soren. She had no other choice.
The lights in the room flickered, and she glanced out the window at the falling snow.
“I’m glad Dan was able to pick up the wedding cake last night. It’s really coming down out there.”
Best man or not, this wedding was going to happen. She’d veered from her focus thanks to his beguiling eyes that drank her in with each look. And there was no denying the overpowering attraction that crackled between them whenever they were together.
Stop!
He was gone. He’d made his choice.
Putting on a brave face, she adjusted the neckline of the wedding dress as Lori ran her hands down her abdomen.
“It won’t be long before I look like I’ve eaten an entire wedding cake,” Lori said, resting her hand on her belly.
The strippers couldn’t hold a candle to the shock of learning that Lori and Tom were expecting.
Bridget placed her hand on top of her sister’s as they stared into the mirror. “You’ll be an amazing mother.”
Lori grinned, her eyes growing teary. “Can you believe it? Me, a mom?”
“I can. You’ll be just as loving as Mom and Grandma.”
Lori turned to face her. “And you! Don’t forget, you had a hand in raising me. You were almost worse than Mom and Dad. You’d check my homework. You never let me date, and you still signed us up for community service projects,” she finished as her expression grew somber.
“What is it, Lori?” she pressed.
Her sister blew out a slow breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the pregnancy right away. It was such a shock. It didn’t even seem possible. I had Tom run down to the village to buy another test. And after that one came back positive, there was no denying it. I was going to tell you after the wedding. I know how much work you’ve put into it, and I didn’t want that huge announcement weighing on you while you were busting your ass to replicate Mom and Dad’s big day.”
Bridget waved her off. “I understand. But were you guys trying to conceive?”
Lori shook her head. “No, I’d switched birth control pills and must have started the new pack at the wrong time. But to be honest with you, I don’t know what happened, but I’m over the moon about it. I’m so in love with Tom, and despite what Scooter thought, he’s excited to become a dad. He loves being an uncle. Sure, we’re terrified of taking the leap into parenthood, but we’re in it together.”
At the mention of Soren, her body stiffened as a sharp pain, both icy and searing, sliced through her chest.
How many times could a heart break?
She’d stopped counting.
“Birdie, have you read the letter yet?” Lori asked gently.
Bridget frowned. “What letter?”
“The one from Grandma Dasher.”
How had she forgotten?
Well, that was a stupid question. After she’d lost the man who she foolishly believed could be the one, she hadn’t even thought of what her sister had given her at the chapel.
Flustered, Bridget rose from the bed. “I think it’s still in my coat pocket.”
“We have some time now, Birdie. I would like you to read it. You need to know what’s in the letter.”
Bridget eyed her sister warily. “You keep saying that.”
“It’s very important. Let’s read it while it’s just the two of us.”
Bridget resurrected her placating expression. In all fairness, she didn’t know if she could handle another jolt of shocking information. From Soren’s deception to the strippers to Lori’s pregnancy, a message from the past felt eerily ominous.
But if it was important to Lori, she’d do it.
She found her jacket hanging over the side of the couch and retrieved the envelope from the pocket. Again, she was met with Grandma Dasher’s handwriting. How many times had she watched her grandmother jot a note in a cookbook or write down an order from a client? She loved how her grandmother wrote the D in Dasher when she signed her name—the gentle loops reminding her of a snowflake dancing in the air.
The sisters settled themselves on the end of the bed as Bridget slid the stationery out of the envelope.
Before unfolding the paper, she met her sister’s gaze. “My letter from gram was about what I needed to do to take care of you. I tried to do everything she’d asked.”
Lori touched the corner of the stationary. “And my letter has a part about taking care of you, Birdie.”
That didn’t make sense.
“Of me? You were only a kid.”
“Grandma knew that. Just read the last paragraph, Birdie,” Lori said, brushing a tear from her cheek.
Bridget willed her hands not to shake. In her grandmother’s last hours, she’d sat with the woman, holding her hand,
staying strong and steady. Even at eighteen, she’d understood the circumstances. She was responsible for her sister and didn’t have the luxury of falling apart.
And she hadn’t fallen apart.
But at this moment, she feared the words written on the page might be her undoing.
Carefully, she unfolded the letter and skimmed the words her grandmother had written to Lori.
Work hard.
Listen to Birdie.
You are meant for great things.
I am so proud of you.
But her heart nearly stopped when she came to the last paragraph.
Lori, we both know that Birdie is going to make sure that you’re safe and loved. But here is something you might not know about your sister. She will do all these things to the detriment of herself. She will give and give and never stop. After you’re older and can understand what I’m telling you, it’s up to you to give Birdie permission to let go. My dear Lori, I know with all my heart that you will find love, happiness, and success. But Birdie won’t take the leap to reach for those things for herself until she knows that, without a doubt, you no longer need her as a guardian but are ready to walk beside her as a sister and a friend.
Now, for you, sweet Birdie, when you read these words, please know that it’s time for you to spread your angel wings, set your own course in this world, and soar.
I, along with your mother and father, will always be with you both.
Bridget stared at her grandmother’s message until the blue ballpoint pen loops and lines blurred together.
“Birdie?” Lori said, her voice barely a whisper.
With the weight of her grandmother’s words, Bridget had to come clean to her sister about Soren.
“There’s something I’ve been keeping from you. And you might be disappointed in me.”
Lori took her hand. “You can tell me anything, and there’s nothing you could do to disappoint me.”
“Do you remember that night when I had to stay over in Denver at the hotel?” she began.
Lori gave her a strange look as her brows knit together. “Of course.”
“You should know that the man at the bar—my hotel hottie—the one that I spent the night with.”
Lori leaned in. “Yes, I remember.”
Bridget swallowed hard. It was now or never.
“It was Scooter,” she confessed.
Her sister’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “You’re kidding?”
“I wish I was.”
Or did she? Did she regret that night?
Her head said she should, but her treacherous heart couldn’t let him go.
“Why didn’t you say anything, Birdie?”
Bridget shook her head in frustration. “I didn’t know what to say. The guy had been an absolute creep to you, but we had this amazing night together. I didn’t know it was him at the time. We didn’t share any personal information. He only knew me as Bridget, and I only knew him as Soren.”
Lori gasped. “I never told you that Soren was Scooter’s real name, did I?”
“No, and he only knew of me as Birdie. That is, until the next morning, when Dan picked us up at the hotel, and we put it together.”
Her sister chuckled. “Well, it all makes sense now.”
Bridget reared back. “What are you talking about?”
“I was telling Tom that half of the time, you guys looked as if you wanted to tear each other apart. But the other half of the time, you guys looked more like you wanted to tear each other’s clothes off,” Lori added with the hint of a mischievous grin.
Oh no! Had everyone gotten that vibe off of them?
Bridget held Lori’s gaze. “I never wanted to complicate anything. I didn’t know what to say to you about him. I thought that, once Soren and I figured things out, I’d tell you that I…”
“That you like him?” Lori offered perceptively.
Bridget blew out an exasperated breath. “Something like that. But now, after what he did, I feel so foolish for falling for him.”
That wasn’t a lie, but there was so much more to what she was feeling. Even when they were going at each other, she’d found such comfort in his presence. And not only that, he’d pushed her. She’d never had a real adversary—never had to fight so hard for what she believed in.
Thanks to this curmudgeon of a man, she’d learned that she wasn’t the doormat Dasher sister. She possessed a backbone of steel, and it was time to put her tenacity to the test in her own life.
He’d brought out the vixen in her. There was no denying it.
There was also no denying that she wasn’t the only one he’d hurt.
“How’s Tom holding up?” she asked.
While the man had maintained his kind, positive persona throughout the day, she’d seen sadness in his eyes when he didn’t think anyone was looking.
Lori released a pained sigh. “He’s crushed. Tom sees the best in everyone, so it hit him especially hard.”
Bridget nodded. Despite only knowing Soren for a handful of days, she understood Tom’s pain.
“You really like Scooter, don’t you?” Lori asked without even an ounce of judgment.
Bridget glanced at the bed where she’d slept in Soren’s arms and dreamed of a forever with him.
A forever that would never come.
She smoothed her dress, needing to work out her nervous energy. “I don’t know. Maybe,” she lied.
Lori caught her eye in the mirror. “I’m so sorry, Birdie. But if it’s meant to be, it’ll work out.”
“But he’s awful. He tried to stop Tom from marrying you. How can you say that? Don’t you hate him?” she shot back.
Lori’s expression softened. “No, I don’t hate him. I feel sorry for him.”
“Why?” Bridget asked, stunned by her sister’s response.
“Because now I understand. He doesn’t know that he’s surrounded by love, and that’s the saddest part. That’s Scooter’s greatest tragedy.”
Bridget stared out the window at the falling snow. Her sister was right.
“Birdie, look at me,” Lori coaxed gently.
She blinked back tears, then turned to meet her sister’s gaze.
Lori took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “We’re Dasher girls. We’re made of tough stuff. Look at where you are in your life. Now, you can do whatever you want. The sky’s the limit for you, Birdie. You don’t have to stay in Texas. You could move to Boston and be close to me and the Abbotts. You could even open a shop there. Look at everything you’ve done just this week!”
Her first impulse was to say no, but then, she remembered Grandma Dasher’s words.
Spread your angel wings, set your own course in this world, and soar.
She felt for the angel pendant around her neck.
Lori and her grandmother were right. It was time to take a leap.
She was no longer the Dasher sister who was afraid to jump.
She’d embrace the vixen.
“When did you get so smart?” she teased her sister through her tears.
Lori smiled as her gaze reflected deep gratitude. “I learned by watching my big sister. You see, she’s a remarkable woman. She cared for me. She worked two jobs to make sure I could focus on my studies. She cheered me on every step of the way. She’s the reason why I am the woman I am today. And more than that, she’s my hero.”
Lori’s words danced in the air like magical fairy dust, and Bridget could feel the shift in their connection.
She’d kept her promise to her grandmother. And while she knew her family would be grateful for her sacrifice, she couldn’t deny that she’d used the promise as an excuse for something less noble. A guise that masked her fear of reaching for the stars and living a full life.
That ended today.
Lori’s words set her free.
It was time for this Birdie to fly.
Bridget slid Grandma Dasher’s letter back into its envelope. “I could do with a change of scenery, and I like the thought o
f living on the East Coast. After working for Gaston and running his shop for years, I know what it takes to maintain a successful bakery. I’m ready for the challenge.”
“I’m thrilled to hear you say that,” Lori exclaimed.
Bridget wrapped her arms around her sister, not seeing her as the little girl she had to protect, but a capable woman. A confidant. A best friend. An equal.
Bridget Dasher was no longer stifled or stuck. It was time to believe in herself. And, lucky for her, she had three angels to guide the way.
The lights flickered again when a knock at the door caught their attention.
“Aunt Lori, Birdie, it’s me, Cole! I think I saw a Christmas fairy! Come quick!”
Bridget shared a look with her sister. “At least he didn’t leave the house this time.”
The women started down the hall, but Grace, Denise, and Nancy met them before they’d entered the main room.
“I’m afraid there’s some bad news,” Grace said, worry written all over her face.
“Cole just missed the Christmas fairy?” Lori asked.
Nancy shook her head. “No, I wish it were something as innocent as that. It’s the gondola. It’s not working.”
Denise nodded. “The main power to the mountain is out. You might have noticed the flickering lights. Delores told us that was the generator kicking on. Dan’s been trying to run power to the gondola, but the generator isn’t powerful enough. We didn’t want to worry you, but it looks like we may need to make alternative plans.”
“We know how much you wanted to get married at the chapel, Lori, but I’m not sure what can be done,” Grace said, squeezing her sister’s hand.
Bridget paced a few steps back and forth in the corridor.
Not the gondola!
She’d worried this could happen.
Think, Bridget! Think!
“Has anyone checked the weather report? Is the snow supposed to taper off soon?” she asked.
Scott joined them in the hall. “No, in fact, it looks like another eight to ten inches could fall before tomorrow. And there’s something else.”
Lori threw the man a nervous glance. “What else?”
“The judge isn’t here. He left me a message last night that he was going to spend the night in the village at Kringle Acres. I thought that he’d returned early and just went to take a nap, but Russ says he hasn’t seen him all day.”
Not Your Average Vixen: A Christmas Romance Page 29
