by Anthology
“Fuck, you’re amazing.”
I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. Luckily it was too dark to see anything. All I knew was I wanted to spend more time with Jackson. Not only kissing but getting to know more about him. It seemed as if I’d only learned a small part tonight.
“How about you do more than walk with me? Once we get back to my place, you can come in and share my bottle of tequila.”
He smiled and the sight warmed me all the way to my toes. “I think I like that idea even better.”
I turned in the direction of the subway and practically melted when he reached down and linked his hand with mine. About halfway to the entrance I glanced up at him. “So you’re a cop.”
“I am. Is that okay?” His tone was a bit emotionless.
“It’s fine with me. I’m just curious since I thought you were in constructions.” I winked.
He stopped mid-step and pulled me in for another kiss. When we broke apart he turned and resumed walking. “Let’s get you home and I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me.
I smiled. This Christmas was turning out to be okay after all.
Lucky Plus One
By M. Stratton
Suzee
With extreme care, I placed the last ornament on the tree in the exact spot it had been for the past twenty years. I took a step back and looked at my handiwork. The small apartment I used to share with my mother in Brooklyn, since I was only three years old, was perfectly decorated as we always had done it. This year was different. This was the first year without her.
Slowly spinning around to the sounds of “Silver Bells,” I looked at the precise empty life I had lived. I stopped and walked over to the small kitchen table, and with shaking hands; I took the box of Disney ornaments I had just purchased.
I was about to change my life into something completely different, and I was scared to death.
My mother, although sick, always ruled our small piece of real estate with an iron fist. Everything had to be done the way she wanted it: her way or the highway. She’d made me so dependent on her; I could never see how I could possibly break free. She made me feel small and inadequate. I secretly read and watched movies, learning how other people lived. Their lives were never as bleak as mine had been. And I dreamed. I dreamed a lot.
Now she was dead and I could do whatever I wanted.
Reaching through the branches on the fake tree, I grabbed a hold of the plastic ‘trunk’ and shook as hard as I could. Watching the decorations fall to the ground, I smiled. It wasn’t so orderly now, now there was chaos. Chaos I had created. Biting my lip, I had to admit; it kind of felt good. I wanted Christmas to look like I always wanted it to. Not the way my mother ordered it to look.
"Goodbye, Mother, I hope you are finally happy." I wish I could feel the sadness everyone always claimed to feel when losing a loved one, especially their mother, but I couldn’t. Honestly, I only felt joy, and I wondered if that made me the monster she always claimed I was.
Without a care, I boxed up everything she required us to use for years, and before long, it looked like Christmas hadn’t been there at all.
I ran over to the table and grabbed my purse. There was a tree lot around the corner. I was going to buy a real tree, the first one I would have ever had. I was going to buy one of those filthy, disgusting things, and sit it right there in the middle of my living room, dropping needles all over the place.
A laugh escaped my lips. I was finally going to have the Christmas I’d always dreamed of, like the ones they showed on all the Christmas movies. Sure, I might be alone, but I could finally do whatever I wanted. I was finally going to be able to live my life the way I wanted to at the ripe old age of thirty-six.
I couldn’t stop “Winter Wonderland” from bursting from my lips as I locked the door and skipped down the stairs. This was going to be the best holiday ever.
Lucky
“Hey, Frosty, what do you say we hit Scalini’s after we finish up with Goober here?" I smirked to my partner.
“Come on man, we had pizza last night. Remember, it’s my night to pick, and I crave meat. A nice juicy steak.”
I purposely ignored as Goober started squirming in my grip. I knew, given the right line of questioning, he was going to cave and give us all the information we needed on the burglary case we’d been working for two weeks now. Frosty and I worked together like a well-oiled machine. He could shut down and turn on the cold easier than anyone else I'd seen. And me, well, they called me Lucky for a reason. I had a sixth sense for following the right leads down the rabbit hole, and we had a high success rate on our cases.
“You know what would be really useful when we’re sitting down to eat that nice, thick, juicy steak? Silver flatware, you know the fancy kind that’s been in a family for generations. The kind the family has held onto, something that really means something to them and could slice through a nice thick steak like it was butter,” I said.
“Yeah, yeah, your right. Maybe some, what do they call it? Depression glass, that's it. I didn't realize some of that stuff I'd always seen sitting around my grandma's house was so collectible,” Frosty’s voice chilled. “This glass was produced during the 1920’s to 1940’s when Americans were going through the Depression. When this might have been the only nice pieces they had because, at the time, it was used as giveaways for consumers to spend their money on certain products. Some patterns are worth some serious bank. Takes a certain kind of scum to take off with that.”
"That it does, that it does. Hey, Goober." I leaned down so I was eye level with him. "Know anybody who'd do something like that?"
I watched as sweat started to roll down the side of his face.
“No, no, man. I know nothing.” His voice shook.
“I’m sure Deter would love to know we had this chat with you.”
“You can’t, you’ll get me killed.” Goober started squirming even harder.
“Nah, you’ll be fine. You didn’t tell us anything,” Frosty’s voice chilled even more.
I purposely loosened my grip so he could wiggle out of it, and he went running through the tree lot, trying to get as far away from us as possible.
Frosty made a quick call to the other team, who was going to be following him. The goal was to let him think he’d gotten away from us, and someone else would see where he went. Then we’d catch up with him later.
Out of the comer of my eye, I caught sight of this small redhead hugging a tree. At least I thought she was hugging a Christmas tree. Maybe she was trying to move it. Either way, I was intrigued and felt it was my duty to see what she was up to and help her if she needed it.
“Ma’am?” I tried to approach her so she wouldn’t get scared, but I didn’t succeed. She screamed, jumped around, and mimicked a karate move. Trying not to smirk, I raised my hands to show her I meant no harm. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just wondering if you needed some help.” I tried to look as harmless as possible because I really wanted to get to know her better.
She narrowed her eyes at me and slowly let her guard down. “Yes, actually I do need some help. I’ve already paid for this tree, but that was before I realized I needed to somehow get it home. I just live around the corner, but I’m at a loss as to what I should do.”
I watched as her bottom lip quivered and my heart went out to her. This was supposed to be the happiest time of the year, and everyone needed a little joy in their life. It was part of my civic duty to help.
“No worries, we can help you get it home.” I flashed my famous Lucky grin at her.
“We?” Her brow furrowed as her eyes darted around the tree lot. I sent up a silent prayer that Frosty was still there and hadn’t disappeared, leaving me hanging. “Yeah.” Thankfully, I found him, still on the phone about ten feet behind me. “Frosty over there can help.”
“Frosty?” A musical laugh escaped her lips. “That’s perfect! This has been a perfect evening. I decided that, for the first time, I was goi
ng to have a real Christmas tree, and I’m going to have Frosty help me get it home. Is that made up? Is your name Rudolph? Because if it is, it would have to be some kind of sign, of what I don’t know, but something.” Her eyes lit up.
At that moment, I wished my name was Rudolph. “Sorry to disappoint, but my name’s Lucky, actually Tom Mein, and that’s Liam Snow, otherwise known as Frosty.”
“Ahhhh. I get it, Snow, Frosty.” She tilted her head to the side. “But why are you Lucky?” Her cheeks turned a delicate pink.
I wasn’t about to tell her the whole story; between the cases and the women, I’d earned my nickname at a young age. I kept it simple. “Good luck always seems to find me.”
“Well, I think it found me tonight. I would really appreciate your help in getting this tree home. I didn’t realize it was going to be so heavy. Or awkward.”
“Seems like it’s lucky I was here to help you, but you see, I’m at a disadvantage, you know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
I watched as she looked down and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Suzee Little.”
She peeked up at me, and I couldn’t help smiling, it was a perfect name for her. I bowed. “A pleasure to meet you, Suzee Little, on this fantastic winter’s night. Are you ready for the holidays?”
“I will be after I have this tree in my apartment. I went out and bought some new Disney ornaments today and can’t wait to see them on the tree with my new colorful lights twinkling.”
Cocking my head to the side, I had to admit, I loved her enthusiasm. If this small act helped her holiday season be one to remember, then I was all for it. “You like Disney?”
Her eyes crinkled as she laughed. “Like is too tame of a word. I love Disney. Growing up it was something magical I always wanted to experience. One of these days, I’m going to visit all of the Disney parks. But for now, I’ll work on decorating my tree.” Her smile was filled with such happiness; the dark part of me that always seemed to be seeing the worst in human beings was drawn to her. She held something my soul craved.
“So, Princess Suzee, what do you do?” I wanted to keep her talking and get as much information as I could out of her before Frosty showed up and ruined everything.
“I’m a physician’s assistant at a medical office, not too far from here.”
“And do you like it?”
“Yes, yes, I do. I enjoy helping people who want to be helped.”
I suspected there was more to her comment but didn’t want to press her. She looked like she’d do everything she could to make sure a patient would get everything they needed to be healthy. Before I could ask another question, Frosty came up and pounded me on the back.
“What do we have here, Lucky old dog?”
“We have Suzee Little, who needs help getting this tree to her apartment around the corner.”
“Ma’am.” Frosty tipped an imaginary hat to her. “We’d be honored to help you get your tree home. Now, if you’ll move.” He elbowed me aside. “I’d be more than happy to make sure you and your tree arrive at your destination safe and sound.”
I didn't think I could roll my eyes any harder, without spraining something, but hearing Princess Suzee's laugh; I think she was on to him. Without any further hesitation, we had her tree home and set up where she wanted it. The look of happiness on her face was an image I wasn't going to be forgetting anytime soon.
Frosty’s phone rang, with a few short words he was off and gave me a look. We were back on the clock.
“Well, Princess Suzee, I hope you enjoy your tree.”
“I will. Thank you both so much for helping me get it home.”
“No worries.” Frosty waved to her. “Stay safe.”
“Good-night.” Here the musician, who came up with lyrics, was at a loss as to what to say to her.
She gave me a smile. “You know, Lucky was always my favorite puppy in 101 Dalmatians.”
I couldn’t help it, the smile spread across my face. “Mine, too.”
I closed the door behind me and ran right into Frosty.
“Look at the cute puppy, Lucky.” He grinned at me.
“Shut up.” I pushed him and he started down the stairs. Seems like Goober led us right where we needed to go. Now to return some family heirlooms to a nice little old lady, who treasured her memories of loved ones long gone.
Suzee
I leaned back on the closed door, my face burning red; I couldn’t believe I just did that. I flirted with someone, and he was actually in my house. Automatically, I glanced through the bedroom door where my mom used to sleep, waiting for her to chew me out, but she wasn’t there.
I looked back and forth between the room and the tree, trying to decide which one was the most important to tackle tonight: setting up my dream Christmas, or moving my things into her room. We only had one bedroom, so I had slept on the couch for decades.
I was torn between practicality and whimsy. Taking a deep breath, I decided I’d been practical too long already, whimsy won out. Besides, I could wake up in the middle of the night and see the lights of the tree winking at me like we were in on our own personal secret. Happiness.
Grabbing a glass of wine, I put on my favorite Christmas music and started making my home my own, personal winter wonderland.
After a night of dreams, where a handsome stranger named Lucky kept showing up, I woke up happy, again. I felt bad about being so damn happy all the time, since my mother died, but I couldn’t help it. I was. Now I was beginning to realize how much I’d missed out on for so many years. And Lucky kept me company all morning while I was at work. The thought of him was never far.
On my adventure to try something new, I opened the door to the fifties style diner called The Gemini and nervously glanced around at the crowded diner. Cautiously, I made my way between the booths, looking for a place to sit. Slowly it dawned on me there were an awful lot of men in here. There were some women, but not even half of customers were female. I gulped. Most of the men were really, really good-looking. This was a mistake; I shouldn’t have come in here. I’d have to eat in front of them. I’m sure I’d drop something down the front of my shirt, or one of them would talk to me and I’d have something in my teeth. I shook my head, what was I thinking? Assuming one would talk to me? I decided the best thing to do was to walk all the way around and leave again. It didn’t look like there were any tables anyway.
I was focused on the door, and not paying attention, when suddenly someone was standing up in front of me and knocked me a few steps backward. Strong hands came out and steadied me. I stood there, looking at his chest, afraid to look up.
“Well, what do we have here? Is this the second time, in as many days, I’ve come to your rescue, Princess Suzee?”
I gasped and looked up to see Lucky, I couldn’t stop myself, my face instantly flushed. The curse of being a redhead. “Hi.” Uncontrollably my eyelashes fluttered. “Sorry.”
“You have no reason to be sorry, he’s the big lug to jumped out in front of you,” a voice came from behind him.
I looked around Lucky’s immovable body to see his friend, Frosty, from the other night. “Hi.” Again, my vocabulary astounded me and I tried really hard not to roll my eyes.
“Don’t listen to him,” Lucky said. He still hadn’t let go of me. “No one does anyway.”
“Hey,” Frosty retorts. “Dude, do I have to remind of the last time you didn’t listen to me? So, Suzee there we were… Ow! Why’d you kick me?”
I watched as Lucky looked back to Frosty and they had some sort of non-vocal communication. I didn’t mind, as this gave me to an opportunity to study him. I watched, mesmerized by his pulse beating in his neck, then his strong jaw, and cheekbones that looked like they could slice hot bread without smashing it. Then his lips, oh, those lips. I wanted to know what they tasted like. I already knew what his body felt like. Hard. Solid. Strong.
“Suzee?”
“Huh?”
“Are you okay?”
&
nbsp; “Oh, yeah,” I absently answered.
“Are you sick?” Finally, the concern in his voice registered through my daydreaming about his lips and body. The heat rose again to my face, but this time I also broke out in sweat. Great.
“No, no, I’m fine. Excuse me.”
“Wait.” He didn’t let go of me. “Do you need somewhere to sit? You can have our booth; we were just leaving. Or if you aren’t feeling well, we could stay.”
“Lucky.” Frosty’s voice came from behind Lucky.
“We can’t, sorry. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
I was disappointed and relieved he couldn’t stay. There was something about him; I wanted to spend more time with. “No, I’ll be fine. But thank you.”
“No problem. So, how does the tree look?”
He spoke to me, and with his hands still on my arms, I felt like I was protected and it was only the two of us in the room, the noise of the other diners faded away.
“It looks great.” I smiled. “Thank you again for helping me, I thought I could do it on my own.”
"No problem. Let me know if you need any more help." His smile was crooked and one dimple flashed at me.
“I don’t know how to get a hold of you.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me hole. I’d never been so forward in my life.
He chuckled, let go of my arm, and dug his wallet out of his back pocket. Fishing out a card, he handed it to me. “Anytime you need help, Princess Suzee, call me.”
I didn’t look at the card, I couldn’t; I was lost in his warm brown eyes.
“Detectives Asher, Kennedy, Snow, Mein, Dunne and Foster. My office. Now!” A woman yelled from the door of the diner.
"Shit, you did it now, Lucky," Frosty said to him.
“Looks like we all did.” He turned back to me. “I’m sorry, I have to go. But call me.”
