A Holiday Proposal

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  He pulled open April’s door and frowned. How was he supposed to get her inside? He could carry her, but risked bumping her arm or slipping on the stairs. There didn’t seem any way around it, he needed to wake her. “April,” he said softly.

  She didn’t budge.

  “Unca!”

  He looked over his shoulder just in time to see Ava’s feet go out from under her. She bounced down the steps on her bottom. When she got to the concrete her eyes were huge, and her fingers were splayed. She puckered up, then she burst into laughter.

  Dear Lord, I could use a little help. He had no idea his sister and niece would be such a handful and they’d only just arrived. He shuddered to think what the next two months would hold.

  * * *

  Holly clocked out and walked across the street. What a day. Many more like this one and she’d be tempted to offer to work in her landlord’s candy store full-time. She climbed the stairs to her apartment and quickly changed out of her uniform and into jeans and a chunky red sweater.

  Matthew’s appearance at the hospital had her mind spinning down memory lane. Based on what she saw today, she should have given him a chance in high school, but no, things then were too messed up to even consider dating.

  She walked into the bathroom and splashed water on her face then flicked off the faucet. She glanced at her image in the mirror, noting the haunted look that thinking of high school provoked. One babysitting job had changed the course of her life. She shook off the thoughts, unwilling to spend even another second thinking about that horrible day.

  Instead, she visualized Matthew’s friendly blue eyes, strong chin and warm smile. “Enough daydreaming.” The continuous drip, drip, drip into the porcelain sink propelled her down the interior stairs to the candy shop below. “Afternoon, Keira.”

  “Hi, Holly. What’s up?” Keira pushed aside a box that was plainly too big for her to lift and grabbed a dust rag.

  “I keep forgetting to tell you that the bathroom faucet is dripping. I’ve tried to shut it off, but it still drips. Since you’re the world’s best landlord, I thought you should know.”

  “I’ll tell Pete. He’s rather handy with stuff like that.”

  Holly leaned against the counter and grinned. “What’s it been? Two months of wedded bliss now?”

  Keira nodded and blushed the color of cotton candy, which complemented her blond hair. “Enough about me. What’s going on with you?”

  Holly pursed her lips, trying to hide the smile that the question provoked. It seemed she couldn’t get off the Matthew train just yet. Seeing him at the hospital had been a shock. She hadn’t thought about him in years, yet he was all she’d thought about since seeing him. He’d been so sweet with his niece. He was definitely good with children.

  “From the look in your eyes I’d say you have some news. Did you finally meet Mr. Right?”

  Holly hesitated. Of all the things Keira could have guessed, she had to guess that? Matthew Cook was definitely eye candy, and a really nice guy, too, but she couldn’t imagine herself with him, or anyone for that matter, at least not now. She needed to focus on work if she didn’t want a repeat of the day that changed her life. She shivered.

  A soft smile covered Keira’s face. “Hmm. Sometimes silence speaks louder than words, especially when it’s accompanied by that lovely look you had in your eyes when you first walked in. Who is he?”

  “No one.” Holly turned toward the door that led up to her apartment. “Don’t forget to let Pete know about the dripping faucet.” She couldn’t be attracted to Matthew. Well, maybe just a little, but that would be the end of it. If she didn’t keep her focus where it belonged, who knew what disaster would happen? No way did she care to find out. Nope, men were distractions and distractions were off-limits!

  Chapter 2

  The phone rang, shattering the quiet morning. Sunday, the only day Holly allowed herself to sleep in, and someone had the nerve to call at eight-thirty! She snatched up the bedside receiver. “Hello?”

  “Did I wake you?”

  Her eyes shot open, and she scooted up. “Hi, Todd. I’m awake, just not up.”

  “I wanted to confirm lunch at your parents’ house this afternoon.”

  A shadow of doubt crossed her mind. It wasn’t right to deceive her family, but Mom had given her no choice. “Yes. It’s still on. Like I said, my sister and her husband are in town for the day. I don’t know why my mom is making it such a big deal. They just live in Wenatchee. She could visit them seven days a week if she wanted.”

  Todd chuckled. “How about if we ride together? I could swing by and pick you up.”

  “No. I’ll meet you, unless you want to join me this morning. I’m going to go to church, then will head over from there.” According to Todd, he only went to church on holidays, but there was no harm in inviting him on a nonholiday.

  “Thanks, but no. I’ll meet you at your parents’.”

  She let out her breath in a silent whoosh. Maybe it was for the best, anyway. They didn’t want to lay it on too thick with her family. “Okay. Do you need directions?”

  “I have the address. See you this afternoon. Unless you want to get breakfast before church?”

  “After this past week, all I want to do is sleep. I plan to lie in bed until the last possible moment.”

  “Have it your way. See you later.” The line went dead.

  Great. Now Todd was upset with her, and she couldn’t afford to make him angry. He was doing her a huge favor by coming to lunch. Her mother had been on her case ever since she graduated from nursing school to find a man and get married. Todd was the perfect decoy. He was a good friend, handsome and charming, and came with no strings. Mom would be pleased she brought him, Todd would get a free meal and Holly would get a reprieve from her mother’s disapproving looks. The plan was win-win for everyone. Hopefully by lunchtime Todd would be over his annoyance at her turning down breakfast or they might not be able to pull off the ruse.

  She’d never forget the day they met. She’d gotten turned around in the small hospital and Todd came to her rescue. They’d been friends ever since. He sympathized with her desire to put nursing ahead of finding a husband and even encouraged her to follow her heart. When she’d told him how her mother kept trying to set her up with her friends’ sons, he suggested she find a way to get her mom to back off, and voilà! Operation Get Mom Off My Back was born. She adjusted her pillow and sank back down onto it. Yes, Todd was a lifesaver.

  She closed her eyes and snuggled deeper under the covers, unwilling to give up even one second of lazing in bed.

  * * *

  Even though she wore a sling to protect her shoulder and had to get dressed one-handed, Matthew’s sister had ushered him out the door in plenty of time for church. She hated being late, but he figured if he made it within five minutes of the service’s starting time he was doing well. Now they were fifteen minutes early. What would he do with himself for that long?

  A woman he didn’t recognize headed straight for them from the other side of the foyer. He held Ava in his arms and looked for a way of escape. “Ah, I’m going to take Ava to her Sunday school class.”

  April snaked her hand through his arm and spoke out of the side of her mouth. “Don’t you dare leave me alone.”

  The woman stood before them wearing a pair of black slacks and a light blue blouse. She looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her.

  “April Cook, look at you. How’d you hurt yourself? You look wonderful. How long has it been?” the woman said.

  “Hi, Mrs. Miller. It’s been a long time. I’m April Black now. I’m surprised you even recognize me. How are you?”

  “Couldn’t be better. Jessica and her husband are coming over for lunch today. You must come, too.”

  “We don’t want to intrude.” Matthew had never me
t Holly’s mom, but obviously that’s who she was, if she was Jessica’s mother.

  “Nonsense. The more the merrier. You must be April’s husband.”

  April shook her head. “No, Mrs. Miller. This is my brother, Matthew. Ava and I are visiting him for a couple of months while my husband is deployed overseas.”

  “You are such a good young man, taking in your sister and niece.”

  “Thank you.” Matthew tried not to cringe at the gushing and was thankful she didn’t pinch his cheek. There was nothing praiseworthy about what he was doing. He didn’t want to spend the holidays alone and neither did April. Since their parents had escaped the cold for sunny Florida, he and his siblings were on their own for the holidays. He couldn’t very well leave his bakery during the busiest time of the year, and his younger brother was attending college near Seattle. If John didn’t have a skiing trip planned with a group of friends, he would more than likely be coming for Thanksgiving, too, since airfare was too expensive for a poor college student.

  “I’d love to see Jessica and catch up,” April said. “Are you still living in the same house?”

  “We are. Just head over after the service.” Mrs. Miller smiled and flitted away.

  “Why’d you do that?” Matthew groaned. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”

  “Yes. Besides, we have to eat, and I’d like to see Jessica.”

  “Fine. I’ll drop you at their house and pick you up when you’re ready to come home.”

  “No way. We were both invited so we are both going to be there. Besides, I’ll need your help with Ava.”

  Matthew gritted his teeth. There was no use arguing, but hopefully Holly wouldn’t be eating at her parents’ home, also.

  “Please put Ava down so she can walk.” April grasped her daughter’s hand. “She can sit with us during service this week.”

  Matthew didn’t say a word. Instead, he found his usual seat in the back row. A moment later April walked in and passed right by him. He called her name. She turned and raised an eyebrow. He crossed his arms and nodded to the seats next to him. He always sat here, and as much as he loved his family, he wasn’t moving.

  April came back and sat beside him. “Since when are you a back row kind of person?”

  “I like this spot. It has easy access to the door, which comes in handy when I’m late, which is most of the time.”

  All through the service he thought about how to get out of lunch. But every idea he came up with sounded flimsy. No way would any of them get past April. Maybe Holly wouldn’t be there. Her mother hadn’t mentioned her. He was probably worrying for nothing.

  At least, he hoped that was the case, because Holly was the last person he cared to see today—his pride still smarted from her rejection of coffee. Even if she was seeing that guy, what would catching up with a former classmate have hurt?

  * * *

  The phone blared. “Hello?” Holly’s voice was scratchy and her brain felt heavy. She’d fallen back to sleep.

  “Where are you?” her mother demanded.

  “In bed.”

  “Are you sick?” Concern edged her voice.

  “I’m fine. Just worn out. What time is it?”

  “Ten-thirty.”

  “Oh, no,” Holly groaned. “I’m going to be late to church.” She could be showered and ready to walk out the door in twenty minutes, so she wouldn’t miss too much, although worship was her favorite part, and she wasn’t happy about missing even one song.

  “Never mind church.”

  What was Mom talking about? Miss church? Mom knew how important the services were to her.

  “I need your help. I ran into Jessica’s old friend April. Do you remember her?”

  Holly couldn’t mention that she’d been a patient in the emergency department, but it didn’t matter since her mother didn’t wait more than a breath to continue.

  “She’s here at church with her daughter, such a cutie, and her brother. I invited them all for lunch.”

  Matthew would be at lunch?

  “Holly, are you listening to me?”

  “Yes, Mom.” Her heart rate picked up. She hadn’t anticipated seeing him again so soon.

  “Good. I need you to go to the grocery store and get a few things, then head to the house and start getting everything ready.”

  Holly grabbed the pen and pad from her bedside table and wrote down the list. It seemed her mom was feeding an army. She hung up, then kicked off the covers and padded to the shower. Why couldn’t her mother skip the service instead of asking her to do it?

  An hour later she let herself into her parents’ home. The smell of roast permeated the air, sending warmth through her. She set the grocery bag on the floor beside the fridge and got busy in the newly remodeled kitchen. Someday she’d like to have such a nice place to cook. Her parents had gone all out with high-end stainless-steel appliances and a beautiful yellowish-brown granite countertop. The hickory cabinets were all custom and blended with the faux wood tile to create a kitchen that belonged on the cover of a magazine.

  She stood at the counter next to the oversize sink and rinsed vegetables. Mom wanted a veggie and fruit tray set out on the coffee table before everyone arrived. Guess she figured with the extra mouths to feed, the meal would spread further if they weren’t starving when they all sat down to eat.

  One thing Holly couldn’t figure out was why Matthew and his sister were at their church. She’d never seen Matthew there, but then she usually arrived early and sat up front to avoid distractions. But how could she have missed him?

  She still couldn’t believe he had asked her out for coffee. After she’d turned Matthew down for prom he hadn’t given her the time of day. Maybe she’d made a mistake in high school. He had turned into a handsome man, and without a doubt his niece adored him, which spoke volumes about the man’s character.

  She grabbed several stalks of celery and sliced them into sticks. After peeling the carrots she chopped them, too, then moved on to the rest of the veggies. Before long, the tray was filled with carrot and celery sticks, cauliflower and broccoli. She was beginning to regret skipping breakfast. She spotted the bananas she’d purchased and was tempted to take one, but the last thing she wanted was banana breath. Fatigue washed over her, and her hands trembled. She checked the clock. Everyone would be here any minute—no time to eat, but she couldn’t wait much longer. She knew better than to let her blood sugar drop too low.

  Instead of a fruit platter she placed apples and bananas in a glass bowl. Mom probably would not appreciate it, but Holly felt light-headed and working with knives at the moment was not a good idea.

  The back door opened, and her mom and dad rushed in.

  “Hi, sweetie. We missed you in church.” Dad patted her shoulder as he passed through the kitchen.

  Her mom sidled up beside her. “Did you get everything I asked?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” She looked at Holly a moment. “Are you sure you’re not sick? You are pale.” She touched the back of her hand to her forehead. “You’re not hot.”

  “I’m fine. I just need to eat.”

  Her dad walked back into the room. “Look who’s here. Todd is a friend of Holly’s.” He spoke to his wife and emphasized the word friend.

  Holly barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Evidently the ruse had worked and her parents believed she and Todd were an item. Good. Now maybe her mom would finally stop trying to set her up. “Thanks, Dad.”

  Todd strolled over to stand beside her. “Anything I can do to help?”

  Her mother pushed them out of the kitchen. “You two go sit on the sofa and visit. Dad and I can finish up in here.”

  Feeling shaky, Holly looped a hand through Todd’s arm. “You rescued me just in time.”

 
He chuckled. “You okay?”

  “No. I need to eat.” She reached for a carrot as the doorbell rang. With a sigh she moved toward the front of the house. Her head swam, but she pushed through the fog and opened the door. Matthew stood there wearing black slacks and a warm-looking jacket. “Hi, everyone. Come...” Holly felt her legs give way, then arms reached out and caught her. Heat surged to her cheeks. “Thanks, Matthew.”

  Concern covered his face. “You okay?”

  She blinked, stunned by the depth she saw in his blue eyes. “No, but I will be as soon as I eat. I let my blood sugar drop too low.”

  Matthew released his firm but gentle hold on her arms. “Can I get you something?”

  “I’ll take care of her.” Todd whisked her away from Matthew.

  She looked over her shoulder as Todd propelled her forward. Matthew still stood in the doorway wearing a perplexed look. Her heart beat a rapid staccato and for some unexplainable reason she wished Matthew was the one helping her rather than her friend. Todd guided her into the kitchen and thrust a glass of milk into her hands. “Drink.”

  She obeyed and gradually started to feel better. “Thanks. How about you go and visit with everyone while I help my parents finish up in here?”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Todd rested a hand on her shoulder.

  “I’m getting there. Honestly, I’m so embarrassed, I need a few minutes to myself.”

  He pulled her into a quick hug and placed a peck on her forehead. “Don’t scare me like that again.”

  “Promise.” She shooed him out to the living room.

  “Your friend seems to care a lot about you.” Her mother pulled the roast from the oven.

  “Yeah.” Holly’s conscience pricked at the deception she was perpetuating. She knew her parents would assume he was more than a friend, simply because she’d never invited a man to their home before. But maybe a guilty conscience was worth it if her mom would back off the matchmaking. They’d just keep up the ruse for a while. And then she and Todd could be “friends” again. She grabbed the salad bowl and followed her parents.