Two Hearts Christmas Wish

by Tamara Ferguson

  “Well.” Jason smiled.

  “Well,” Kat answered, smiling back. “Keep in touch.”

  “Will do,” Jason answered as Kat began walking off behind her parents.

  She turned around inside the elevator and waved as the doors began to close.

  Giving her a rueful grin, Jason waved back.

  Chapter Four

  3 months later

  Kat sat at her desk in her bedroom on Thanksgiving weekend staring at the blank computer screen. She’d just finished reading Jason’s email. Kat and Jason had been sharing messages more than a couple of times a week since August.

  But not for too much longer. Jason had graduated high school early, he’d finally told her, and he and his mom would be leaving for Germany after the first of the year.

  Kat had wanted to keep in touch. But Jason had insisted it would be the best way for Kat to move forward after he was gone.

  It was really bumming her out. She wasn’t really sure about what she would do without Jason to talk to, they’d gotten to be that close, even though they’d purposely stuck to communicating only by email.

  But she knew where he was coming from. He’d be starting a new phase of his life and heck, what had she really expected?

  For him to actually wait for her to grow up?

  Besides, eventually there would be one, or possibly a ton, of women in his life. And she really wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle it.

  There was knock on the bedroom door. “Kat?”

  “C’mon in, Mom.”

  Her mom opened the door and stuck her head inside. “Hey. Your dad just called. You don’t have anything going on over Christmas vacation, do you?”

  “Nah. Swim team practice won’t begin until after the first of the year.”

  “Dad was thinking about a road trip?”

  Kat stared outside through her bedroom window at the park across the street. They lived in a high rise with some beautiful views, and Kat had spent a lot of time lately gazing out through the window.

  Yeah, maybe a road trip would be a good distraction for her with everything going on between her and Jason.

  “We thought we’d drive to Michigan and stay with your aunt and uncle for Christmas, after dropping in to say goodbye to the Matthews’ for a few days before they leave Crystal Rock.”

  Somewhat stunned, Kat turned slowly to look at her mother who was walking towards her through the room.

  Kat stood up onto her feet and fell into her mother’s arms.

  “Your dad and I were kind of worried about letting you and Jason keep in touch,” her mom said softly. “But your dad was the one who reminded me how responsible you are.”

  “We’re really going back to Crystal Rock?” Kat asked.

  “Yep. Cause I remember what it was like to fall in love for the first time. You should at least get the chance to say goodbye. And from what Dianne says, Jason is just as disappointed about having to say goodbye to you. Besides, Dianne and I were pretty good friends back in college. It was really nice to see her again and I’ll enjoy visiting the family before she and Jason leave the country.”

  Kat pulled back and gave her mom a rueful grin. “Crystal Rock is pretty far out of the way from Iron Mountain, Michigan.”

  “Eh, so we do a little bit of extra driving. What’s the use of having that nice luxury van if we never actually travel anywhere?”

  Kat laughed and hugged her mom tightly.

  * * * * *

  This time the Conlins were only staying in Crystal Rock for a couple of days, and since the Dragonfly Pointe Inn was usually booked solid during the holidays, the Matthews family had invited them to stay with them before traveling on to Michigan for Christmas.

  Jason had a smile on his face when Kat came walking through the door. God it was so good to see him again. It was strange seeing him wearing winter clothing with his hair a little bit darker.

  And a whole lot shorter.

  She grinned at Jason. “What happened to your hair?”

  Jason grimaced. “Dad’s coming home in a couple of days. He tends to be a little overly enthusiastic when it comes to rules regarding the Air Force.” He grinned. “I’ll be getting a scalp job when I enter the academy, so I thought I’d better get used to wearing it a little shorter.”

  Kat laughed. “Are you looking forward to becoming a pilot?”

  “Didn’t I tell you? I’ve already spent some time in the air with my Dad and I’ve had some flying lessons.”

  Kat’s eyes went wide. “Really? That’s so cool. You never told me about that.”

  Jason smiled widely. “I guess I spent too much time bragging about my touchdowns?” Jason was a wide receiver and had sent Kat some of the footage from his games via email.

  Their conversation went on and on throughout the day. Jason had the entire upper floor of the cottage to himself, like an apartment. Half of the huge space served as a family room while the other half had been set up as Jason’s bedroom. While her parents sat downstairs in the kitchen with Jason’s grandparents and mother snacking and having a few drinks before dinner, Kat lounged upstairs with Jason watching movies on the couch in the family room. There was a towering Christmas tree set up in a corner of the room at the peak of the vaulted ceiling. Kat noticed a sprig of mistletoe was hanging over the landing of the staircase that led back to the living room downstairs.

  When they were on their way down the staircase for dinner, Jason halted beside her on the landing and stared into her eyes.

  For a moment, Kat thought this was it. Jason was finally going to kiss her.

  But instead Jason reached over her head.

  Kat blinked.

  Jason grinned, grabbing the sprig of mistletoe from the hook where it hung and shoving it into his pocket.

  What was that all about? Kat thought, as he led her down the staircase, holding her hand.

  The mood was festive as everyone began eating after being seated at the huge dining room table. Jason’s mom had made lasagna, and there was a ton of other food to choose from, including an assortment of side dishes as well as cheesecake for dessert.

  After they finished dinner, her parents and Jason’s mom and grandparents began clearing the table while chatting as if all of them had been friends their entire lives.

  “They sure seem to be having a really good time,” Kat said to Jason where they remained sitting at the table. In fact, her family and his were getting along so well, they barely seemed to be paying any attention to her and Jason.

  “Yeah,” Jason answered. “Funny how some people really seem to hit it off together. Mom has a lot of friends, but you can sure tell that she and your mom used to be close. Mom really misses my dad.”

  “I always meant to ask you. How come you and your mom aren’t living with your dad in Germany?”

  “It was actually my mom’s idea when Dad accepted his assignment overseas. She thought I would be better adjusted if I wasn’t pulled out of school and forced to attend high school in a different country.” Jason grimaced. “It’s going to be a pretty big adjustment adapting to academy life, from what I’ve seen after visiting Colorado.”

  “So you’ve been going here to school in Crystal Rock since your freshman year?”

  Jason nodded. “We sold our house last year. Dad thought we should get that out of the way since Mom would eventually be moving with him to Germany.”

  Picking up his water from the table and taking a sip, Jason peeked into the kitchen.

  Kat noticed Jason’s Grandpa Will pulling out a deck of cards while her parents and Jason’s mom and grandmother sat around the kitchen island drinking coffee.

  Lips pursed, Jason turned to Kat and asked, “How about we take an after-dinner drive?”

  Kat agreed with a nod. “I doubt that they’ll even miss us.”

  Jason laughed and glanced at his watch. “It’s only about seven o’clock. I don’t think they’ll be going to sleep anytime soon.”

  Kat stood up on her feet.
“I’ll go get my coat.”

  There was a lot of square footage in the Matthews family lakehouse. According to Jason, every inch had been utilized in a remodeling by his grandparents nearly twenty years ago when they’d decided to make Crystal Rock their permanent home. Kat and her parents would be sleeping downstairs in the basement of the cottage, which had been divided into two guest bedrooms along with another family room and additional bath.

  Kat walked upstairs wearing the fuzzy down parka she’d arrived in and carrying her gloves, scarf and ear muffs.

  Jason grinned slipping into a navy-blue parka. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his stocking cap and gloves.

  Watching Kat pull on her gloves, he held up a key. “I don’t believe it. Gramps leant me his truck. It has to be for your benefit, Kat. He’s never trusted me with it before.”

  Kat heard laughter in the kitchen.

  “I heard that, Kid,” Jason’s grandfather called out.

  Jason snickered.

  “C’mon,” he said. Grabbing Kat’s hand, he steered her through the kitchen and opened the door that led into the garage.

  Kat waved at her mom, who was watching from her seat at the island.

  Although Dad was definitely scowling, Mom gave her a huge smile before turning to Jason’s mom Dianne, who was smiling widely as well.

  Grandpa Will seemed pretty pleased with himself as he looked over at Grandma Winnie, who was grinning at Kat and Jason too.

  Kat sighed resignedly. She wasn’t exactly sure why she’d had the impression that no one was paying any attention to her and Jason. After seeing the looks on everyone’s face, Kat figured that they’d probably been the topic of conversation the entire afternoon.

  * * * * *

  Jason snorted as he backed the truck into the roadway from the drive.

  “Did you see that?”

  Kat grinned. “What?”

  “The way your dad was acting.” Jason turned and grimaced at Kat. “I think he was ready to kill me.”

  Kat began to giggle. “I was noticing that our parents were watching us a lot more carefully than I thought they were.”

  Jason clenched his teeth mockingly. “Yeah, I kind of realized that too, Kat.”

  Kat kept giggling.

  “I think the only reason they’re not saying much is because they know that we’re not going to see each other again.”

  There was a finality to her voice that saddened Jason greatly, and they remained quiet for the next few minutes while he drove.

  It was cold but there was only about an inch or two of snow on the ground. Jason had a destination in mind as he drove across the bridge that divided Stone and Crystal Rock Lake, and he peeked over at Kat’s feet to make sure she was wearing boots.

  They reached Dragonfly Pointe fifteen minutes later, and Jason pulled the truck into the beach lot where there was a bunch of vehicles already parked.

  Kat looked at the cars curiously. “What’s going on here?”

  “The inn hosts a hockey team and there’s a game going on right now. Want to go watch for a few minutes?”

  “Sure,” Kat answered, pulling her earmuffs over her head.

  Jason walked around and opened the passenger door for Kat, and she quickly stepped out from the truck.

  Jason held her by the hand as they strolled across the road onto a path that led down to the Dragonfly Pointe Bay. This area was much more protected from the winds in the winter time, so Jake Loughlin, the owner of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn, had come up with the idea of turning the bay into an ice rink over the winter months. When the hockey team wasn’t playing, the outdoor rink was opened to the public as well as the guests of the inn.

  They stopped at the busy concession stand and Jason bought them each a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

  It was pretty crowded, they discovered, walking over to the benches set up beside the bay. They sat down and watched the hockey game for about fifteen minutes.

  There was a bonfire blazing near the edge of the beach, so they decided to walk over to warm up.

  “The inn hosts a bunch of contests and games for the kids the entire week before Christmas, and a lot of them take place here,” Jason said.

  Kat nodded. “That sounds like fun.”

  “Feel better?” Jason asked a few minutes later, after they’d warmed up by the fire.

  “Sure do,” Kat answered.

  But Jason wasn’t quite ready to return home yet. He began walking Kat along the icy edge of the beach until they reached the path leading up to Crystal Rock.

  “This looks familiar,” Kat said, smiling as they began traveling along the trail.

  Something was drawing Jason towards Dragonfly Pointe again. Maybe it had to do with the folklore associated with the region? Dragonfly Pointe was legendary for its power to ensure new beginnings. There was just something so special about what was going on between him and Kat, and he wanted to hold onto it forever.

  When they reached the top of Crystal Rock, Jason lifted her chin with his fingers so he could gaze into her eyes.

  “Kat. If you knew all the things that’ve been going through my mind since I met you, you’d probably be running away from me right now.”

  She pulled away and answered somewhat shyly. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  Jason laughed softly but soon went quiet.

  Finally, he asked, “Have you ever been kissed?”

  She looked sheepish and answered with a shrug, “In sixth grade.”

  When Jason barked out a laugh, Kat began laughing too.

  “Can I kiss you, Kat?”

  She had a dreamy look in those jade green eyes of hers when she smiled and nodded yes.

  “You know I almost did it back in August?”

  She hesitated before nodding her head up and down. “I was disappointed when you didn’t.”

  Jason grinned. “Okay. But there’s just one thing—if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right.”

  Jason pulled out the mistletoe he’d jammed into his pocket earlier. Reaching up, he slipped the sprig into a cluster of needles hanging down from the pine branch directly over their heads.

  Kat took in a deep, shaky breath when Jason lifted her chin and stared into her eyes. Probably because she was nervous, she went stiff and closed her eyes.

  Jason grinned. She looked so cute with her eyes closed and her head tipped upward, waiting for the kiss. He was a little nervous himself when he lightly laid his lips over hers.

  “Oh, that’s so good.” he whispered against her mouth, moments later once she’d finally relaxed.

  Kat laughed softly with her mouth still pressed against his.

  He covered her mouth with his again, running his tongue gently over her lips. She tasted like cinnamon and spice and everything that was oh, so special about Christmas.

  Jason pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

  And this time, Kat began kissing him back.

  Whoa. It just about drove him crazy, feeling her warmth and the softness of her skin as she fell further into his arms.

  He couldn’t understand it. Everything about her in his arms just felt so right. He’d been kissing girls for a pretty long time now, but what was it about this girl that made their kiss extraordinary?

  Kat was like magic, he decided, nuzzling his face against hers. He simply held her in his arms because all he really wanted to do, deep down, was to be with her.

  “Why, Jason?” Suddenly pulling away, Kat looked like she was ready to cry. ““Why kiss me now? We’ll probably never see each other again.”

  He cleared his throat, answering hoarsely, “It’s because I am going away, Kat. I’ve wanted to kiss you from the moment we met.” He gave her a mischievous smile. “And now that it’s finally happened, I totally understand why.”

  Plus, he felt like it was important for him to have something to remember her by. With the state of the world today, there wasn’t a single doubt in Jason’s mind that someday he’d be clo
se to combat.

  “Oh,” she answered, in a shaky voice. “I…well, I’ve felt the same way too.”

  He sighed deeply. “But Kat, you’re so young. Even if I weren’t going into the Air Force, you’ve got three and a half years of high school ahead of you.” Jason turned away staring across the snow-covered lake. “You’re going to meet someone else.” He looked back at her with a rueful grin. “Actually, you’re probably going to meet a lot of someone elses in the future. It won’t take you long to forget about me.”

  But he’d never forget her.

  When tears began falling down Kat’s face, Jason moved in closer. “Oh, man. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  She sniffed before slipping back into his arms. “I’m not crying.”

  “Could’ve fooled me,” he whispered softly into her ear.

  She cleared her throat. “Kiss me again, Jason. Please?”

  “Sure.” He grinned. “I was planning on it anyway, Kat.”

  But this time it really scared him, the way she was making him feel. Like he never ever wanted to let her go.

  Jason made a wish. He’d wanted to bring Kat here because Dragonfly Pointe was legendary for its power to ensure new beginnings, and he wished as hard as he could for their future. Maybe, just maybe, they’d have one together.

  Someday?

  It was getting all hot and steamy around them, like they were melting the snow. In fact, it felt like the temperature had risen by twenty degrees, and before it could go any further he decided it was time for them to stop.

  Gently shoving his hands under Kat’s arms, he lifted her up from where she was standing and rested her a couple feet away from him.

  Kat blinked, and then looked at Jason with an owlish stare.

  Breathing hard, Jason glanced at the mistletoe above him and grinned, plucking it out from the branch. “Seemed to do the trick.”

  He was feeling a little disoriented when he turned and smiled at Kat. “A little too well,” he added, splitting the spring in half and handing part of it over to Kat. He shoved the other half into his pocket while Kat just looked down at hers.