A Little Mistletoe and Magic: Ho Ho Howls Romance Holiday Edition

by Marianne Morea

  “Charlie was such a good dad,” she said, unfolding another drawing. “He would lay on the floor in our family room and color with the girls.” She laughed at the memory. “That is when they weren’t making a fort out of my throw blankets.”

  Next were the framed pictures from Charlie’s desk. Formal family portraits, and one black and white artisan shot of just her, as well as easy, natural family pics from their everyday life.

  She picked up a small pile of greeting cards. Old birthday wishes, homemade cards from the girls. She shuffled through them, stopping at one in particular. It was a Valentine’s Day card.

  Opening it, she smiled, but that smiled faded to shock as she scanned the words written inside.

  “Jen, Charlie’s dead,” Amelia said, moving to perch on the end of the couch. “I was afraid of something like this. Let me finish sorting through his stuff. It doesn’t do you any good.”

  Jenny’s Spidey senses went off the charts. “You knew?”

  Panic etched Amelia’s face. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”

  She looked at Amelia, stunned. “Didn’t know, or didn’t want to?”

  Jenny’s hands shook as she rummaged through the box for Charlie’s cell phone. She’d cancelled the service, but not the cloud, knowing he had family pictures stored. Plugging it into a rapid charger, she unlocked the screen.

  “Honey, it’s password protected. Why are you doing this to yourself?”

  “Amelia, if I told you what I can see, sense, and what I know these days, you wouldn’t believe me.”

  Jenny held the phone in her palm, covering it with her other hand. Images of a woman laughing flooded her mind. Her and Charlie, taking selfies. Her teasing him, playing keep away with the phone. Hiding it in her bra, and him going for it with a passion he never showed her.

  In that moment, his password was there in her mind, and she typed it into the locked screen. Hundreds of pictures were at her fingertips. Mostly of the twins, some of her, but her jaw went slack and her mouth dry as she continued to scroll. There were dozens of sex pics of him and this woman.

  “No one wanted to hurt you, Jen. I was trying to protect you. I was afraid you’d leave Charlie, and it would ruin our friendship. It’s always awkward when friends divorce, and I didn’t want that for us.

  “You mean you didn’t want that for YOU. You were my friend, Amelia.”

  “Try to understand. Even Jerry agreed. We had too good a dynamic. You and Charlie were our best friends. Our kids were best friends. When the accident happened, we thought it best to let all this die with Charlie.”

  “Do you even hear yourself? Choosing to let this huge lie die with my lying, cheating husband so I could stay the widow of the group? I bet my tragic story gave you and Jerry plenty to talk about with the rest of the parasites! Poor Jenny. Sad Jenny. Jenny lost everything. Including her ability to walk and talk, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?”

  “Jen! Please!

  Jenny went numb. “How long, Ames?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yes, you do. All I have to do is touch your hand, and I’ll have my answer. I told you I heard my girls’ laughter. What you don’t know is that little gift has evolved into full blown second sight, so I suggest you tell me what I want to know or risk me tackling you to the floor so I can rip it from your mind.”

  “He met Celine shortly after the twins were born.”

  Jenny cringed at the gut punch. “He started an affair when I was recovering from childbirth.” Her words were matter-of-fact, thought her mind reeled.

  She sat dazed, staring at nothing. “Sure. Because if your wife is sleep-deprived, has bleeding nipples because all she does is breastfeed one child after the other, smells like baby spit up because she’d rather sleep than shower, it’s the thing to do if you’re a guy. Go fuck another woman.”

  “Jen, no! He met her then, but he didn’t start his affair until you went for your PhD and then started teaching.”

  Jenny exhaled. “Preoccupied with newborns or preoccupied with your career. What’s the difference, other than you smell better?”

  “He was wrong, Jen. He knew it, too. He told Jerry he was ending it with her that day.”

  Jenny blinked, turning to Amelia. “Which day?”

  “The same day as the accident.” Amelia drained her brandy. “It’s why he was late picking you up. Why he was so distracted driving.”

  At Jen’s sharp breath, Amelia winced. Jenny straightened to her feet, shaking her head in disbelief.

  “You all said we were hit by a drunk driver. You, Jerry…even Linda! You all said the car that hit us was stolen, and the driver fled the scene.”

  Jenny’s fingers dug into her scalp on either side of her head. “The police reports, the investigations.” Her gaze jerked to Amelia. “Were they real, or did Jerry make it up?”

  “There was a police report, but Charlie caused the accident, Jen. He was speeding, and the car flipped on a curve. The SUV rolled over and over, crashing through the guardrail and down a ravine. You were thrown from the car, but he and the girls—”

  Jenny held up one hand, stopping Amelia. “You don’t have to tell me the rest. I know the rest.”

  “I’m so very sorry, Jen. If I could go back and tell you, I would. With your life hanging by a thread, we all thought it best to let sleeping dogs lie.”

  “That’s funny. Considering my husband was the dog, who did a lot of lying while sleeping around.”

  Jenny crossed her arms at her chest. She took a long look at Amelia, and truly saw her for the first time. “I need you to leave.”

  “Jen, please.”

  “I’m serious, Amelia. I don’t know you anymore. Maybe I never did. I do know that I can’t trust you, and after all I’ve been through, that’s all she wrote.”

  Jenny paced, glancing at Amelia intermittently as she pieced things together. “Funny how you offered to get Charlie’s boxes from Linda’s house. Did I ruin your plan to scrub the evidence before I got to it? I bet you thought you won the lottery this afternoon when Jack said he needed me to do the maze. Too bad his gentlemanly nature put the kibosh on that when he offered to buy us dinner.”

  Amelia didn’t reply.

  “You must have shitted a brick when I opened that box. I bet you snooped around the inn for it, as well. Except it wasn’t here. It was at the shop. My shop. The Curious Cat.” She snorted a wry laugh. “Curious all right, except my curiosity didn’t kill me. The only thing it killed was our friendship.”

  Amelia dragged in a rough breath. “I’ll leave first thing, if it’s okay with you. It’s too long a drive to do this time of night.”

  “Fine.”

  Putting the empty snifter on the coffee table, Amelia got up from the couch on wobbly knees. She stood awkwardly for a minute as if hoping something would give, and then simply nodded. “I’m so very sorry, Jenny.”

  Jenny didn’t reply. Just watched Amelia climb the stairs, crying.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jenny sat on the end of the couch, numb. She couldn’t even muster the strength to try and understand what happened or why. She simply banked the fire in the hearth, and then headed upstairs.

  Closing her bedroom door, she raked a hand through her long hair. She’d have more respect for Amelia if she came clean at some point during her visit, instead of looking down her nose at everyone and everything, knowing there was a timebomb ticking beneath their friendship.

  Her hand was on her cell phone to call Jack, but she locked the screen instead. She needed to think, and Jack was a distraction. A gorgeous distraction. One that made her feel beautiful and smart. She exhaled a rough breath. Jack would try to help, but she needed to deal with her own baggage herself.

  She sat on the edge of her bed and rubbed her face with her palms. Her breath hitched, but she refused to give in to tears. Not because she was too angry or too sad, but because up until an hour ago, it had been a perfect day.

  Jack
stood by the entrance to the Holly Maze, and the smile that greeted her made her butterflies zing and her heart squeeze.

  “Hey, you beat me here.” He must’ve been at a fair booth where they had glitter, because his dark hair and heavy sweater sparkled with specks of silver and white in the torchlight outside the maze.

  “Go ahead and laugh. I got roped into helping with the kids’ Christmas star-making booth.”

  Jenny went up on tiptoe for a kiss. “You make a good Snow Miser.”

  “From the Year Without a Santa Claus?”

  “Yup. All that’s missing are the icicles hanging from your nostrils.”

  “You’re cute.” He tweaked her nose at that. “Too bad you’re going to lose this maze run, Blitzen.”

  “Blitzen?”

  “Well, you called me Snow Miser.”

  Jenny grinned, striking a pose. “Don’t you think I’m more Vixen than Blitzen?”

  “That is totally a loaded question, but everyone says you came into town like a blitz, so…”

  Laughing, she hugged him around the waist. “Jenny and Jack.” She pursed her lips. “J & J, so how about Jingle and Jangle.”

  “Who’s who, though?”

  She shrugged. “Does it matter? They go together like your mistletoe and magic.”

  “Speaking of which, are you ready? Because it’s time to run for it.”

  “Run for what?” she teased, trailing a finger over his bottom lip.

  “Wait till I catch you, lady. You are going to get good and kissed.”

  Jenny laughed, dancing away from him to her starting point. Blowing Jack a kiss, they each disappeared into the tall holly at the stroke of five.

  Hurrying through the tunnels, she stopped to get her bearings. Shit. She chewed on her lip.

  “Jennybean! You lost yet?”

  “Not a chance, Prancer.”

  “I thought I was Jingle.”

  She giggled. “You’re going to eat my holly leaves, Jingle!”

  “Ooh, baby. Talk dirty to me some more!”

  The maze was silly and fun, and she howled with laughter as they worked their way through, teasing each other like a couple of teenagers. Her face hurt from smiling so much, especially when she’d catch sight of Jack through the holly. A flash of silver-blue glitter glinting in the lantern light. God above, she could seriously fall for this man.

  She was giddy and breathless when she got to the Mistletoe Arbor, and it had nothing to do with exertion. She was happy.

  “I was ready to send in a search party.” Jack stood beneath the holly arbor with its cluster of mistletoe hanging from the center top, tied with a big red bow.

  “Oh you were, were you?” Jenny walked toward him, flushed and a little sweaty.

  With all the holiday green around, his eyes seemed to flash and glow in the lantern light. The setting was so romantic, she had no trouble believing the mistletoe legend. He held out his hand, and the moment her fingers slid into his palm, he pulled her in tight, kissing her with both hunger and joy.

  Magic? Hell yes.

  Jenny sighed at the memory. Even when they first dated, she never felt that effortless joy with Charlie. The closest she got was the week the twins were born. He was so good with the girls. So attentive. Learning Charlie met that woman after the twins’ birth was a knife to her heart. It didn’t matter the affair didn’t start then. The seed was planted.

  Maybe fate decided to cut her a break, granting her second sight, though she needed to work on the blind spots when it came to her personal life. At least now she had a secret weapon, guaranteeing no one hurt her like that again. She hoped.

  People like Tess were honest and sincere. She knew that in her gut. And Jack? Everything about the man was genuine, though she knew he had secrets he was waiting to share. Trust went both ways, and she respected that.

  She stripped out of her clothes, and pulled on a pair of fleece pajamas. Washing her face, she didn’t look in the mirror. If she saw her reflection, she’d probably cry.

  Past experience told her she was still in shock, and it was just a matter of time before the onslaught of emotion hit. Anger, mostly. She’d grieved enough. Right now, she just wanted sleep.

  The bedroom door creaked open, and Jenny turned expecting Amelia. Instead, the cat padded in, winding his way between her legs.

  “How did you get inside?” She squatted to scratch between the cat’s ears. “Doesn’t matter. I’m glad for the company. Especially tonight.”

  Straightening to her feet, she patted the bed. “C’mon,” she said, making psss, psss, psss noises to coax him up onto the bedspread.

  The cat jumped onto the bed, circling like he did the last time. He bumped her hand as she pulled down the covers. Jenny slipped between the sheets, but went up on her elbow to pet the cat.

  “I don’t know how you knew I needed a friend tonight, Kitto. Maybe it’s just coincidence, or maybe I’m not the only one in Whisper Falls with extra special senses.” She nuzzled his face. “After seeing those hidden falls, anything is possible.”

  Jenny lay back on her pillow, and Kitto curled into the crook of her arm, his purring lulling her to sleep.

  A loud twig snap woke her, and she sat up. She blinked, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. She looked at the inky sky and exhaled. “What is it you want from me? Enough with these dreams. I’m exhausted!”

  A lone crow cawed in the tree above where she sat, and she slumped back against the pile of pine needles. “I’ve had a really rough day, so whatever this is, get on with it!”

  Vertigo struck, and she was caught up like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. “This is so not funny!” She fell, twisting end over end, until she landed with a harsh splash in the pool beneath the falls.

  Sputtering, she wiped water and wet hair from her face, only to go under again. Flailing, she fought for air, but something pulled her under again. Reeds tangled around her ankles, holding her so her nose and mouth barely broke the surface.

  Adrenaline flooded her veins even as water went up her nose and into her mouth. This was bullshit! What could the universe want to show her with this crap?

  Jenny struggled, kicking and kicking until she finally broke through. Exhausted, she dragged in a breath to get her bearings. It was then she caught sight of Charlie standing with his back to her on the bank.

  “Charlie! Please!”

  He didn’t turn. She screamed for him again, but he walked into the woods instead, disappearing from view.

  Shivering, she battled for the edge. She caught movement on the bank, and raised her arm thinking it was Charlie. Instead, it was the same black cougar she’d seen in her other dreams.

  It paced in front of the low slope, growling and snapping at the woods. She knew then what the universe wanted. Either drown, or trust the unknown.

  She reached for the edge and let the big cat pull her from the water. No sooner did her face hit the muddy bank—

  Thud.

  Jenny sat up on the floor beside her bed. Rubbing her face with her palm, she shivered on the chilly hardwood. “Note to self. Buy a thick area rug.”

  She got up and got back into bed. Kitto was gone. Probably off chasing mice somewhere in the basement. Sinking into her pillow, she threw an arm over her eyes.

  “I get it already, so can we stop with the weird ass dreams? Charlie’s dead. Whatever happened, growling and snapping at ghosts doesn’t do anyone any good, but did you have to nearly drown me to make the point?”

  Rolling onto her side, she shoved her arm under her cheek, hoping for dreamless sleep. The morning was going to be hard enough with Amelia.

  ***

  Jenny came out of the bathroom and threw her hair up in a messy bun. She dressed in jeans and a purple knit sweater, shoving her feet into a pair of running shoes.

  Not that she was running anywhere. Though the thought of facing a scene with Amelia this morning made the idea sound pretty good.

  Unplugging her phone from its charger, she sent Jack a q
uick text telling him to come over as soon as he could. She did not want Amelia to linger, and if Jack was here, she’d go before the door had the chance to hit her in the ass.

  She stuffed her phone in her back pocket, and went downstairs. She smelled coffee, and hesitated on the stairs before remembering she set the pot ahead of time. Who knew when she did that things would be so very different from yesterday morning?

  The downstairs was chilly, so she made herself a cup of coffee and then went to light a fire in the parlor fireplace and wait for Jack.

  The box and all its telltale woe still sat in front of the cold slate hearth. On top was a note from Amelia.

  Jenny scanned the scribbled lines, and then crumpled the paper, throwing it on the fire. It wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. True to form, Amelia proved herself even more a selfish and cowardly fair-weather friend than Jenny thought. She’d rather cut and run than face her in the cold light of day.

  Jenny slid the box to the far corner of the room. She’d have Jack move it into the storage space in the attic, where she could revisit her memories after they settled in her mind.

  Sitting on the Queen Anne chair, she watched the starter flames lick the dried kindling, waiting for the heavy logs to catch fire.

  The inn was quiet. Before she moved, she hated the silence of her old house. Now it was a welcome respite.

  “What are you doing sitting in here alone? Where’s Amelia?” Jack asked from the foyer, taking off his coat.

  “She left.”

  “Left. Why?”

  Jenny inhaled quickly, and then proceeded to tell Jack the whole sordid story. At the end of the tale, she shrugged. “That’s everything.”

  “Why didn’t you call me sooner?” He pulled her from the chair to sit beside him on the couch.

  “I thought about it, but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Besides, this is my baggage.”

  “That’s silly. I told you, I’m here.” He made her look at him. “For you.”

  “My life has been a complete lie, Jack.”

  “None of it is your fault. You were cheated and lied to by people who were supposed to love you.”