Chapter 19
Christmas Eve day dawned clear and bright, and by nightfall, the sky glittered with millions of stars. Whenever I stepped outside, I had to catch my breath and stare. The Milky Way gleamed overhead and sent silver sparkles across the rippling lake water.
Every time I saw it, the thought entered my mind, This is my home. This is where I belong.
Then something would call me back inside. I got so engrossed in preparing for the party, I forgot all about the starry sky and the silver waves until the next time when it took me by surprise all over again.
I never saw a more perfect Christmas Eve. The ice sculpture shone at the end of the buffet table. The plates and silver reflected the thousands of colored Christmas lights hanging around the windows. The massive gingerbread house towered over one end of the table.
The inn throbbed with life and laughter and vibrant spirit. Camille’s cheeks flushed every time she entered the room. She did her best to bite back her excited smile, but when I met her eyes, she always burst into the most radiant grin. I never would have recognized her.
She really came into her own that night. She ordered her staff around and raced back and forth to the kitchen. Piled platters of food crowded the tables. Champagne flutes stood in a little sparkling forest around the ice sculpture and the champagne fountain. Huge cakes festooned with floral frosting decorated one whole table of their own.
Tiny stockings bulging with candy and party favors hung from the dining room wall around the fireplace. Wrapped presents heaped under the Christmas tree for any children who happened to attend, although I couldn’t imagine any that might come at this hour of the evening.
By eight o’clock, the inn vibrated at a fevered pitch. I hardly saw Levi, he was so busy finishing last-minute jobs around the building. When I did see him, my breath stuck in my throat. He wore an absolutely stunning black suit with a black satin bow tie knotted at his collar. Mother of pearl cufflinks winked under his sleeves, and his black leather shoes whisked along the carpeted hall.
His shoulders filled out his jacket and made his back look even wider than usual. He moved through the inn on a magic carpet of magnetic energy. He shot me a hawk-sharp glance when I stared at him. “Is anything wrong?”
I scanned him up and down. “You look amazing in that.”
He turned around to grin at me. “You don’t look half bad, either. Where did you dig it up from? You look like something straight off Park Avenue.”
I blushed and rotated right and left. I waved my shiny silk gown back and forth. “This? Oh, this is just a little something I stuffed at the bottom of my suitcase when I drove out here from the city.”
He took a step toward me. “You look like a million bucks. You look like you should be on top of the tree instead of that angel doll.”
My nerves tingled, but before he got to me, a footstep echoed on the front porch. I hurried to the desk to greet the first guests. When I looked over my shoulder, Levi was gone.
Eliza rushed into my arms and gave me a big hug. “So good to see you, darling! You look amazing.”
“You look great, too.” I took in her full-length taffeta gown in one glance. A huge pink bow stuck out on both sides of her back. “And who are your friends?”
Eliza spent the next twenty minutes introducing me to every Potter in the tri-state area. After her parents and brothers and sisters, she ushered in so many cousins, second cousins twice removed, uncles and aunts, and adopted whatevers that I lost track of all their names and interrelationships.
By the time we got finished with the Potters, a regular receiving line developed on the porch. A steady stream of people filed up from the parking lot to shake my hand and move on into the dining room. I got so wrapped up in greeting everyone and wishing them a Merry Christmas, I didn’t see what went on behind me. I only saw Camille rushing faster and more excited than ever.
I kept receiving until after nine o’clock. When I finally got to the dining room, bodies packed the place from wall to wall and spilled out in every direction. People wandered the halls. They studied the pictures of the inn in past days and poked their heads into every room not locked down. I thanked my stars I had the foresight to lock up Hector’s room beforehand.
Back in the dining room, Eliza held court around the Christmas tree with her younger cousins arrayed at her feet. Instead of Santa Claus, the Christmas Fairy handed out presents to one and all. She told them stories and got down the little stockings from the fireplace to give them all a treat.
In the middle of the festivities, Sheriff Mills wandered over to me in the front hall. He still wore his uniform and gun belt, but mercifully, he left Deputy Leonard at home. “Great party, little lady.”
“Thank you, Sheriff, but you can call me Allie. How are you finding everything? Did you get yourself something to eat and drink?”
He shook his head. “No alcohol for me tonight. I’m on duty.”
I put my head on one side. “You are? Is attending Christmas parties one of your official duties?”
He did his best not to smile. “Not exactly. I came out here to tell you the FBI is taking over the case of Nathaniel Rowe.”
I gulped. “The FBI? Wow!”
“Wow is right. When the State Troopers got your evidence, they looked up Nathaniel and that Hector Engle-something on their fancy-dancy computer. Seems those guys ran a very lucrative trafficking operation covering five states, so the case went straight to the FBI.”
I couldn’t get my mind to accept this. “Wow.”
“They took custody of Nathaniel three days ago. They moved him to their own lock-up downstate somewhere. They’ll question him and start coordinating with his lawyer to gear up to try him. It’s all over the radios how you caught him yourself. No one expected that.”
“I hope I didn’t cause you any discomfort, Sheriff. I never meant to do that.”
“You didn’t.” He pulled a business card out of his pocket. “This is the name and number of the agent in charge of investigating both Beatrice’s murder and the attempted murder on you. If you have any further evidence to turn in, you should pass it on to him. He told me to tell you he’ll be in touch as soon as possible to go over Hector’s room.”
“But the State Troopers’ investigation team already went over it. They dusted it for prints and took away all Hector’s stuff. I was just waiting for the all clear so I could rent it out again.”
“You’ll have to wait a little longer. The FBI want to bring in their own guys, just to make sure the State Troopers didn’t miss anything.”
I tucked the card into my bra. “Okay. I can do that.”
He surveyed the room. Camille stood behind the buffet tables and talked to everyone about her work. She looked happier than I’d ever seen her. Eliza glowed pink and shiny next to the tree. Rex Townsend sat in a corner and worked on his phone while his parents socialized with the townsfolk.
“This is a great party,” Sheriff Mills remarked. “It reminds me of the parties your aunt used to host at Christmastime, although she never did anything as fancy as this.”
I peered sideways at him. “Thank you.”
“It would be real nice if you made it a regular thing. This town needs a shot in the arm. I suppose you’re the best person to give it.”
I could have hugged him then and there. “I would love to make it a regular thing. I only did it to sort of break the ice between me and the town.”
“Oh, you’ve done that. Look at this place. Everybody’s happy. Everybody’s stuffed and sauced and having the time of their lives.”
I cast my eye over the crowd. He was right. Every face lit up with smiles. Every hand held a piece of cake or a glass of champagne. Almost everyone in the room—except Rex, of course—talked and laughed with everyone else in the room. What hostess could ask for more?
“If I can do this every year, I certainly will.”
He eased away. “I better go. Now that I’ve delivered my official message, I can’t claim
to be here on business anymore. Thank you for a most pleasant evening. Maybe next year I can attend as a guest, even if Glenda won’t come with me.”
I jumped out of my skin. “Glenda! Glenda’s not here! Is she still mad at me?”
“She’s not mad at you. She’s mad at me for arresting her nephew. She broke up with me, and it’s just as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if she handed back that greenhouse of hers.” He tipped his hat and sidled out of the room.
So, everything worked out in the end. Nathaniel was gone where he belonged, and qualified investigators would handle the case from now on. I couldn’t say I was sorry. This town needed a lot more than a shot in the arm—Christmas-wise. It needed a real sheriff and deputy, not to mention a decent medical examiner.
I didn’t have time to think about that right then, though. This party took all my attention. Eliza flew up to me and hugged me for probably the fiftieth time that night. “Great party. You did an amazing job. Everyone is having a great time.”
“Thanks. I’m glad everyone is enjoying themselves.”
“We want to play Blind Man’s Bluff. Is that all right with you?”
“Who’s we?”
“Me and the kids. I’m going out to my dad’s car to get a scarf for the blindfold.”
I cast a quick look around. “All right, just do it in the card room instead of in here. I don’t want anybody bumping into the buffet tables and knocking over the ice sculpture. Besides, there are too many people in here. You wouldn’t have room to move around.”
Her face fell. She looked around, too. Then she brightened up. “Okay. No problem.”
She hurried away again. Her bow bobbed behind her back like an enormous pink butterfly. I had to smile, but when I turned to go back to the dining room, I bumped into Levi coming down the stairs.
He gave me another appreciative glance down to my feet and back up to my face. “Having a good time?”
My cheeks glowed with happiness. “The party seems to be a success.”
“You can say that again. You really knocked it out of the park.”
“Sheriff Mills says I ought to do this every year.”
“You should. You’re great at this. Whatever you set out to accomplish in getting the townspeople to loosen up around you, you achieved it.”
I chose my next words carefully. “He also says the FBI is taking over Nathaniel’s case. Another batch of investigators is coming out to go over Hector’s room again.”
He showed no sign of surprise. “What did I tell you? Aren’t you glad now you locked it up and didn’t go sticking your big toe in it?”
I beamed at him. “Yes, I am. Thank you for showing me the error of my ways.”
He broke into a boyish grin. “Cut it out. I didn’t do anything. It was all you. You have every right to be proud of solving that case.”
“But don’t do it again, right? Isn’t that what you really mean?”
He took a step closer. His bright eyes skipped to my face. “So… uhh… are we still on the back burner?”
His presence sent thrilling waves of excitement through me, but I had to keep myself together. “The back burner is a pretty good place to be. I wouldn’t want to spoil it by bringing it to the front burner before it was ready.”
He nodded, but his eyes bored into my soul. “I know what you mean. It would be a tasty treat, though, if it ever did get cooked all the way through.”
I bit my lip to stop myself smiling so much. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his face. “Are we talking about food, or are we talking about us?”
He drew the next fraction of an inch closer. His breath smelled of champagne and savory meat. His whole being radiated power and energy and attraction. He murmured into my face. “Do you know how much I want to kiss you right now?”
I couldn’t breathe. He stood so close I couldn’t focus on his eyes. His face blurred in a cloud of intoxicating energy. Was that him casting his spell over me, or was the excitement of the evening going to my head?
I had to lean my head back to keep eye contact with him. “Levi…”
He cut me off with a curt shake of his head. “Don’t say anything. You don’t have to say anything. Don’t make it into anything it doesn’t have to be.”
Faster than lightning, he swept his hand behind my back. His rough palm sent a delicious quiver through my satin gown into my skin. He pulled me against him, and his soft lips touched my mouth.
The next thing I knew, we were kissing. I folded into his arms and sank against his chest. Our lips locked, but we kept gazing into each other’s eyes. The world stopped turning. Nothing existed but him and me, kissing on Christmas Eve.
His lips trailed off me, and my vision cleared to take in his whole face. His hand stroked my back, up to the bare skin where my gown plunged to the waist. He cradled my neck from behind and studied me at close range.
He leaned back. “There. I did it. I wanted to kiss you from the first day you walked through that door, and now I can say I’ve done it. Now I can go back to my place on the back burner.”
I laid both hands on his chest. “Look, Levi. What we have is so good, let’s just keep it this way. I didn’t want to say anything about it before, but I know you came up here to get away from something and so did I. I don’t want to step on your toes. Let’s just like each other and help each other and work together. Let’s be happy with that.”
He let his hand drop. “I am happy with that. I’m happy with it exactly the way it is. I’m happy to simmer on the back burner until the main course comes around—whenever that turns out to be.”
I squeezed his arm. “Thanks.”
“I should be thanking you. It’s not every night of the year I get to kiss a woman as stunning as you.” He headed for the dining room. “I hear the Christmas carols starting up, which means I’ll have a straight run for the coffee table. Are you coming?”
“In a minute.”
I watched him out of sight, but his kiss still clung to my lips. Man, that guy could kiss! He knew just how to touch a girl to produce the maximum effect, but we wouldn’t be anything more than good, close friends. This thing wouldn’t progress to anything more serious—not anytime soon, anyway.
Voices bubbled through the dining room door. They started with “Christmas is Coming,” “The Goose is Getting Fat” and segwayed into “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” I listened to the strains rising to the ceiling and ringing off the rafters. People joined in with spontaneous harmonies. It sounded ten times better than any recording I ever heard. The whole inn pulsed with sound and beautiful emotion.
I did that. I brought those people together and gave them the time of their lives. I made them all happy on Christmas Eve, and I would do it again and again in the years to come. As long as I stayed at this inn, I would host a Christmas party for anyone who wanted to come.
The song changed to “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” but I didn’t go back to the dining room. I cherished this moment too much. Eliza and the children came back from the card room. They hurried to join the adults in the song.
I turned away and walked out onto the front porch. A brilliant white moon hung over the lake. A track of white foam glistened to the far horizon. A brisk breeze ruffled the waves and sent showers of light in every direction.
The moon light shone over the snowy mountains so I could see every detail of the peaks and forests all around. This is mine. This is all mine. I stood at the center of a great wheel, and it rotated all around me. It encompassed me, and I radiated out from the center along the spokes to all the people standing around the circle.
Levi stood on that ring, and so did Eliza and Camille. Even Nathaniel occupied his own place. Farther out, the FBI agents working on this case moved in the darkness. My friends and family far away subscribed a wider arc beyond sight, but they were still there. They still moved in my world.
As long as I stayed here, at the inn, I stood on solid ground. I knew where I was. I knew who I was and what my life
meant. I never had to question. My life and my world made sense, probably for the first time in my life. Aunt Beatrice had to die so I could find my way home.
I was the inn, and the inn was me. The inn and I created the hub upon which the rest of the world turned. I’m here. I’m where I belong.
* * * * *
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More Books From N.L. Cameron
Heather’s Forge Cozy Mystery Series
Green with Envy, Book 1
Choked Up, Book 2
Straight Through the Heart, Book 3
Hounded to Death, Book 4 - Coming May 2018
About N.L. Cameron
N.L. Cameron is as much of a mystery as she writes about in her books. Crossing over from having written romance novels for the last ten years, she’s now applying what she learned while obtaining her degree in criminal justice and binging on crime dramas.
When she’s not in front of the glowing screen of her laptop she’s likely driving her kids around town from appointment to appointment, playing tennis, practicing yoga or enjoying a fine craft beer.
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Green with Envy Page 12
