He picked up the picture on his desk, the picture he refused to put away, even though the girl in it was as unattainable to him as the stars, and carried it back to the window. It wouldn’t be long before the traditional Christmas Village with its wooden booths and assorted German Christmas foods opened for the season. Georgia had loved the lebkuche, gingerbread cookies that they had eaten still warm from the oven. They had followed them with Gluhwine, the warm mulled wine that had been her favorite.
How many hours had they spent strolling through the village, visiting the vendors’ shops, examining the Erzgebirge Christmas decorations, pewter ornaments, and jewelry? Many of her own designs had been born there. They had made plans to take their children to see Santa’s house, the lantern parades, and the great tree lighting ceremony. Those dreams would never come true because of his stupidity and someone’s idea of a joke. He had wrestled with it all night, finally convincing himself that someone had sent him to Lucy’s because that’s where he thought the girls would be – had they been supposed to be there? He couldn’t remember. One thing was certain. None of his buddies would have done that to him—drunk or sober—his feelings for Lucy were well-known.
The girl in the photograph was smiling, her face rounder than the one he’d seen on Saturday. She must have lost almost forty pounds. She was skin and bones. He hated to think that she was wasting away because of him. Although she was much thinner and sadder, she was still the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and he ached to hold her.
He walked back to his desk, put the picture down, and picked up the memo he’d been reading earlier. Much as he wanted to believe that Eleni had earned that exclusive contract on her business acumen, there was something odd about it and its stipulations. She was a dear friend, but she could be naïve at times. Everything about Garth Simmons had checked out, but no one could find a picture of him anywhere. Nobody was that camera shy without a reason. If anything happened to Eleni, Georgia would never recover from that blow.
Holiday Magic was located in a renovated two-story building on Market East, a short walk away from his offices. Although the purchase price for the small building had been steep, making it both her place of business and her home had been a smart decision. The location made her business highly visible, and she made a nice profit off walk-in retail sales. His cash flow covered the mortgage for the first five years, and she would have his investment paid off and returned long before then. In fact, the money she had received from this one job could pay him back completely. At that time, she had the option of buying him out for one dollar. He hoped she wouldn’t. He’d come to enjoy the opportunity to interact with others that the events provided. It was almost the only social life he had these days.
According to his lawyer, the Ocean Front Casino contract itself was a thing of beauty. If Simmons broke it, Eleni would receive five times the amount agreed upon for her troubles. If Eleni wanted to end it, she would be required to return any and all money that had been given to her, as well as pay a steep cancellation fee, a fee that would severely impact her business.
He tossed the papers on his desk just as the phone rang. He pushed the button to take the call on speaker.
“Yes, Ruth, what is it?” He was dismayed to hear the edge in his voice.
“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Anderson, but Ms. Baxter asked to speak to you.”
“Put her through.” He wondered what had gone wrong. With Eleni, it could be anything. He waited for the call to connect. “What’s up, Eleni? Atlantic City not what you expected?” he asked.
“It’s Georgia, not Eleni.” Georgia’s hesitant voice filled his office. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering how long it would be before you had planned to come to the showroom. I have a request for a rush job this weekend, and I need help with the quote. The woman’s on the other line. Can you give me a time?”
“Of course.” He looked at his watch. “I can be there in an hour. Will that do?”
“I’ll ask.” Less than a minute later she was back. “Mrs. Ingram will be here at eleven. See you then.” She ended the call.
After she hung up, Mark sank into his chair and stared once more at the photograph on his desk. How had it come to this—polite strangers with nothing left of the love and friendship they had shared?
Bachelor parties! Who had ever invented them? He couldn’t get that night out of his mind. It had plagued him all weekend. They had all been so drunk, and none of his friends had been able to help either. Now, he knew how he had gotten to Lucy’s place, but he still wasn’t any wiser as to what had happened there.
He didn’t doubt Lucy had told him the truth. Why would she lie about such a thing? He had searched on and off for the guy who had apparently walked out of the bar with him. No wonder he hadn’t found him. He had gone to Alaska! He had been drunk before, but he had never lost his memory. It was the reason he didn’t drink now. He couldn’t afford another blackout. Regardless, he had screwed up, and there was nothing he would not give to be able to undo the damage he had done.
Georgia was the only woman he wanted, and she wouldn’t give him the time of day. If he needed someone on his arm for a function, he could always count on Eleni; at least, he used to be able to count on her. Thanks to this contract, he was on his own. There were a few social obligations at this time of year that he would be forced to accept. The vultures always zeroed in on fresh meat. He thought of Rita, his administrative assistant, but she was six months pregnant and looked ready to pop. The last thing he needed was another scandal attached to his name.
Georgia, that’s who he wanted on his arm, in his arms, and in his bed. He wanted her to have his babies as they had dreamed, and after seeing her Saturday, working with her for the next three months was going to be hell, because he wanted her as much today as he had then.
“Eleni, what have you done to me?” He asked aloud, but no one answered.
How was he going to survive being with her again and not being able to touch her? Would she finally let him explain, plead ignorance, and beg her forgiveness? He thought of the themed wedding they had planned for Christmas Eve—Beauty and the Beast.
They’d met in Glee Club senior year. She’d been cast as Belle, he was the Beast, and they’d fallen in love. He had held her in his arms when her parents had been killed, knowing that she was hurting more deeply than even her sister understood. Only he knew that, behind the cool façade she wore in public, was a little girl craving love and respect. He had asked her to marry him a month later, and they had spent the next year redecorating the loft they had purchased and planning their big day. Well, he had certainly shown himself to be a beast. Belle had forgiven the monster, why couldn’t Georgia forgive him?
***
Georgia looked around the showroom, secretly impressed by the enchanting space her sister had created. Holiday Magic’s display area boasted multicolored arrays of seasonal items divided into themes based on the major American holidays. There was something for every significant event of the year from the Super Bowl to New Year’s Eve. A smaller display offered suggestions for other noteworthy ethnic and cultural celebrations. Her sister was prepared to help anyone decorate and celebrate in whatever way they preferred, and was always willing to listen to any requests.
In addition, each holiday section held a selection of themed jewelry from Delicate Designs, and if Holiday Magic carried exclusive items, well, that just made good business sense. There was nothing wrong with supporting another company, especially when that other’s owner was her talented twin sister. Eleni’s imagination had helped Georgia come up with unique seasonal designs that could only be purchased here.
At the moment, the current display area housed both Thanksgiving and Christmas ideas. After the weekend, she would replace the turkeys and pilgrims with New Year’s Eve glitter, based on the sketches Eleni had left.
She walked into the smaller back room that had been converted into a bridal fairyland and overflowed with wedding themes – everythi
ng from Aliens to Zombies. If you wanted a themed wedding, it could be arranged for a price. Nothing was impossible. Eleni had graciously warehoused the Beauty and the Beast theme package, knowing that the sight of them would open fresh wounds. Since a Beauty and the Beast wedding was still listed in the brochure, she’d have to hope that no one came in while she was manning the store to request one. The back of the building housed the warehouse where everything already created was kept.
Sam was busy counting items in clear plastic boxes.
“How is it coming?” Georgia touched her on the shoulder.
Sam jumped at her touch. “You scared me,” she said and laughed. “I guess I should turn this down.” She indicated her MP3 player.
Georgia smiled. “I’m getting ready to put out stuff for Friday’s sale. Can you go into the warehouse and bring me those boxes Eleni left out for it? Mark should be here shortly. He said eleven.” The one thing she knew she could still count on with Mark was his punctuality.
***
Mark showed up at Holiday Magic at eleven o’clock sharp. Georgia was in the main showroom with a customer, presumably Mrs. Ingram. It looked as if she wanted a seasonal display done, and Georgia was quickly drawing up ideas for her. He didn’t disturb her. Instead, he walked through to the back where he found Sam busily at work on inventory.
“Good morning,” he said pleasantly. “I didn’t know you’d be here. Don’t you have classes?”
“No classes this week. My professor has gone to some convention and won’t be back until Monday, and we have Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving. Meg has gone to visit her folks, so I asked Georgia if I could help out with the year-end. She said I could help you count.”
He laughed. Game, set and match, he thought. Instead of helping him this week as he had hoped, giving them time to get to know one another again, she had arranged for Sam to help with the inventory.
Before he could say anything, the lady in question called to him.
“Mark, can you come out front for a minute? I need your help now.”
He returned to the showroom and walked over to the table where she was seated with the client.
“Mrs. Ingram wants to have her chalet decorated for the Christmas season. It’s located in the Blue Mountain Ski Area, and she’d like to have it done next weekend, if possible,” she said.
Mark looked at her and smiled.
“I think we can manage that. The only other thing we have is the Gatsby-themed wedding, and Meg and Sam can look after it. Have you got all the decorations picked and priced?”
“Yes, but I don’t know how to calculate the time and distance costs. Can you finish it for her?” She smiled. “Holiday Magic is Mark and my sister’s business. I’m just minding the store, so a lot of this is new to me.”
“Sure, I can do that,” he answered. “Do you want to stick around and watch, or would you prefer to help Sam with inventory?”
“I’ll help Sam, and you can explain the process to me later. Mrs. Ingram has a hair appointment at 12:30.” She turned to the client. “I’m sure we can get it done on Friday. I’m going to spend Thanksgiving with my sister, but I’ll be back on Monday to put everything together, and you can bring in the personal items you want me to use.” She said goodbye to the client and hurried out of the showroom.
Mark looked over the semi-completed invoice. Georgia had been thorough in her selection, quantity, and pricing. He quickly added the man-hours required, the driving distance and transportation costs, and the long term rental fee, and soon had Mrs. Ingram’s keys in his hand. Everything she had ordered, except the Christmas tree itself would come from the warehouse. The decorating team, which would consist of him and Georgia since the others would be needed to decorate for the wedding, would have to leave before noon to be able to get up there, do the work, and get back in a day. He wondered if Georgia had realized they would have to work alone to get this done on time?
“Feel free to stay Friday night. We won’t be up until Tuesday, so you’re welcome to use the chalet. I really appreciate you doing this for me on such short notice, and I’d like to thank you somehow. You’ll have to bring your own bedding. There isn’t any there, since I’m bringing it up at the first of the week, but I’ll have the caretaker bring in wood for the fire and get groceries. I’ll call him and tell him to get them on before the weekend instead of after.”
“Thanks, for the offer, but we’ll probably decorate and dash.”
“Well, I’ll call him anyway. The weather changes suddenly up there.”
He smiled. The thought of having Georgia alone appealed to him very much; maybe as a captive audience, he could get her to listen to him.
Not in a million years, he thought.
After Mrs. Ingram had left, he checked the long term weather forecast—the lady had been right. There was snow predicted for the weekend, so being prepared to stay might not be such a bad idea. He would call Eleni and make sure she mentioned it to Georgia. Mountain roads could be treacherous, and the four inches predicted could easily be more at the higher altitudes.
Chapter Seven
“How is it going?” he asked, entering the warehouse.
“Fine,” Sam said and closed the lid on the bin full of favors she had been counting.
Mark turned to Georgia, whose derriere, in tight jeans, as she bent over a box of ribbon was giving his body all kinds of ideas. Down boy, he ordered his imagination.
“Mrs. Ingram’s quote is done. I can finish up here if you like, and you can go work out the details. By the way, you do realize that it’ll be you and me going up there?”
Georgia paled, indicating to him that she had realized no such thing.
“Why can’t the others go?”
Sam laughed. “Did you forget that the Gatsby wedding is next Friday night? We’ll be busy decorating for it all day. Meg is cutting her morning classes, with permission of course, and we’ll need the boys for the church and the ceiling. Allie will have to man the showroom, so unless you can convince one of the seamstresses to go with you, you’re out of staff. Sorry, boss, but we can’t be in two places at once.”
“Damn! I thought the wedding was Saturday.”
He put his arm out to touch her shoulder and felt the shiver run through her as waves of desire flowed through him.
Well, I guess she’s not completely immune to me, he thought, hoping that what she felt wasn’t revulsion. He remembered the way her body had reacted to his on Saturday night. He knew what made her skin flush that way. He smiled. Maybe there was hope after all. Chemistry was as good a place as any to start.
“If we leave before noon, we can get up there, decorate, and be back by midnight. It’ll be a long day, but you can sleep in the van on the way home. We just have to be careful about the weather. They can get some nasty, freak storms in the mountains.”
She nodded. “I guess so. I’m sorry about this. If I’d realized that the wedding was the same day, I wouldn’t have taken this contract. I guess I’m no better than Eleni at reading fine print,” she joked. “I’m used to Saturday weddings. I hope it won’t interfere with your other job or your weekend plans.”
“I have enough notice to reschedule, and I had no weekend plans.” Nothing I wouldn’t have canceled for the chance to spend the day with you.
She smiled reluctantly and left the room.
***
Georgia was amazed at had how quickly the rest of the week had gone. Although Mark was in the showroom each day, he stayed in the back most of the time. He had not commented on her weight, but each day, he brought in some gooey, chocolate treat, the kind of things he knew she did not have the willpower to reject, and seemed pleased when she ate them. He insisted on taking Sam and her out to lunch, claiming that he needed the break to stay focused. She had eaten authentic Philly cheese steaks and fries, a treat she hadn’t indulged in since leaving the city, and she had enjoyed them.
Since she couldn’t walk through Central Park a couple of times a week,
she’d have to work hard if she wanted to keep her new figure. Eleni’s treadmill made up for the walking, but she missed the outdoors. She used to enjoy jogs along the river, and she would have to see if she could find a running partner among her friends. She wondered absently if Mark still ran. He had to do something to maintain that lean body of his.
One thing hadn’t changed. Mark could still make her laugh, and she appreciated the effort he made to avoid painful topics. When he brought in pumpkin muffins from the deli down the street on Wednesday, she had wondered if he had remembered that they were her favorites. Each time she saw him, she regretted the loss of what they had had, but their easy-going friendship seemed to be rising like a phoenix from the ashes. Knowing this eased some of the trepidation she felt about next weekend’s decorating assignment.
The storeroom was closed on Thursday for the holiday, and Allie, Eleni’s part-time salesgirl, had worked the weekend. The showroom had been opened on Black Friday to take advantage of the early Christmas shoppers. Georgia had underpriced some of her jewelry and put out some of the extra wedding favors, as well as items from various other themes including a few of the stuffed cupid dolls whose cheeks turned pink when you pressed their hands, and the three boxes of last year’s Christmas stock Eleni had reduced by fifty percent.
She had kept the penguin salt and pepper shakers, hers and the one Mark had given her. She should probably have added them to the items, but she couldn’t part with them. Somehow, they seemed to offer a touch of comfort. She smiled regretfully. Who was she kidding? She had kept them because he had given one of them to her. How sad was that!
Holiday Magic (Second Chance) Page 5
