A California Christmas

by Brenda Novak

  “Thank you.” Emery hit the End button and stared at the phone in her hand for several seconds afterward, Tommy’s words circling around and around in her mind: I just arrived at work and the restaurant’s busy.

  Why did he lie to her?

  15

  Susan was waiting for her when Emery walked into Sugar Mama—but not in the way Emery had expected. She’d assumed her employer would be looking forward to having her arrive so that she could leave the store and grab some lunch or, possibly, take another nap. But Emery could tell Susan had been waiting for other reasons.

  “There you are,” she said, even though Emery wasn’t so much as a minute late.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked.

  “No. I just... I heard about what happened at the Blue Suede Shoe last night, and—”

  “Word is spreading that fast?” Emery had expected gossip, but it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours!

  “A friend of mine was at the bar when the fight broke out.”

  Of course. That was how it worked in a small town. It wasn’t that everyone knew everyone else; it was that everyone knew someone who knew someone and so on. “I’m sorry that it happened, but it wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t Dallas’s, either. The guy I was dancing with was drunk, and he was saying some very inappropriate things to me.”

  “Because of that sex video that was posted online right after Thanksgiving.”

  Emery’s heart sank. The fight had brought the scandal to Susan’s attention. Was she about to be fired from another job? “Yes. But that wasn’t my fault, either. My ex-boyfriend posted that video to embarrass and humiliate me.”

  Susan’s lip curled in disgust. “What a terrible betrayal of your trust.”

  Emery blinked in surprise. “What?”

  “I spoke with Aiyana about it this morning. I can’t believe you were fired from your job—a job you loved—and yet he’s still working at the station.”

  “It’s enraging,” Emery admitted, but she still wasn’t sure she was safe. Susan didn’t strike her as a particularly broad-minded person.

  “It’s too bad he did what he did, especially right before the holidays,” she said. “What a way to ruin Christmas. But I’m glad you had the courage to apply here, even though it puts you in contact with the public. That couldn’t have been easy.”

  Emery’s mouth fell open before she had the presence of mind to close it. “You don’t think I’m a terrible person? You’re not afraid there will be people who’ll criticize you for hiring me?” She didn’t dare add that some of those people might go so far as to quit patronizing the shop.

  “No. If I’ve learned anything after what I’ve been through in my life, it’s that it’s not up to me to judge.” She smiled. “If anyone gives you any trouble while you’re here at work, be sure to let me know and I’ll take care of it.”

  Although she didn’t plan on involving Susan, she was grateful for the offer. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now I’m going to bake a fresh batch of chocolate chunk cookies—we’re running low—while you watch the front, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said, but before Susan could disappear into the back, Emery called her name.

  Her employer turned.

  “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much...how much your support helps right now.”

  She nodded. “No problem. Next time you see Tobias, tell him he has taught me something,” she added with a wry grin.

  “I’m not sure what that means,” Emery admitted.

  “It means everyone makes mistakes.”

  That didn’t explain what had gone on between her and Tobias, but when Susan went to do her baking, Emery knew it was all she planned to say on the matter.

  * * *

  “You’re in a good mood.”

  Aiyana focused on Cal, who was dusting off his hands after rearranging lawn furniture. “I am?”

  “You were smiling a second ago, while staring off into space,” he said.

  “Oh.” She laughed as she watched Dallas, Bentley and Liam set up an outdoor bar under the shelter of an open-air barn. “I was thinking about this morning.”

  Cal, his silver hair combed off a face weathered from the many years he’d worked outside, squinted at her. “Something happen that I’m not aware of?”

  Once again, she recalled the many covert glances she’d noticed between Dallas and Emery this morning at breakfast, the way Dallas seemed to mark wherever Emery was at in a room and how quickly he’d come to her defense at the bar last night. He liked her; Aiyana could tell. “It’s Dallas.”

  “What about him? Don’t tell me you’ve finally convinced him to give up climbing without safety gear.”

  “Sadly, no. He’s as stubborn as they come. As stubborn as you are,” she joked. “But I’m hoping he’ll take more care if he finds someone he loves so much he can’t bear the thought of not being with her.”

  “Like I have?”

  She cupped his cheek. “Yes.”

  A twinkle entered his blue eyes. “Who might that be?”

  Emery had been there earlier, helping right along with the boys, until she’d had to leave for work. “My houseguest, of course.”

  “I thought that might be the case. Anytime she started to lift something, if it was heavy, he hurried over to do it for her.”

  “He’s definitely watching out for her,” Aiyana agreed.

  Cal folded his arms across his button-down work shirt and plaid wool overshirt. “I can see why he might like Emery. She’s smart, she’s nice and she’s beautiful. Not quite as smart or nice or beautiful as you, but...close,” he added with a wink.

  She took the gnarled hand she’d come to know so well and studied the veins tunneling under the sun-spotted skin, the thick calluses on his palms, the heavy silver and turquoise ring he always wore because she’d given it to him. “You’ve loved me since the moment you met me,” she said, remembering the day twenty-five years ago that he came to her aid in a city council meeting and, as one of the largest landowners in the area, helped advocate for her to be able to start New Horizons. “Haven’t you?”

  “I have,” he confirmed without hesitation. “And I will love you till the day I die. There’s never been anyone else for me.”

  Never in her life had she expected such devotion, never had she dared rely on it. She was embracing his love now, and part of her was far happier for doing it. But there was still another part that was frightened and waiting for it all to go bad. “I’m a lucky woman.”

  “I hope I make you feel that way.”

  “I can’t believe we’ve been together for so many years.”

  “This has been a long time coming,” he said, obviously referring to their marriage.

  She pursed her lips. “I don’t see any need for a ceremony, not at our age. A piece of paper doesn’t change anything between us.”

  “It’s important to me.”

  “Which is why I finally agreed, but I’m yours regardless.”

  He took off his cowboy hat—used to shade his face, not to make a fashion statement—and wiped his brow. “So you think Emery might lasso Dallas?”

  She smiled at his terminology. She was marrying an old cowboy and not only the hat proved it. “I’m hoping she will—or someone else who’s deserving. All I want is for him to be happy.”

  “Eli and Gavin got lucky. He could, too.”

  “Not everyone has what we have. Look at Seth.” Her fourth-oldest son had lost his wife of only a few weeks to an infection from a cat scratch, of all things, and she feared he might never get over it.

  “You never know what might happen as the years go by. It took us a while.”

  She looked around at all they’d done to prepare for the big event. “Yes it did.” Her phone went off and she glanced down.

  It was Eli. Planni
ng to call him back later, she silenced the ringer. She wanted to finish their work first.

  But then she received a text from him that read:

  Call me ASAP.

  “Mom? Cal? Where should we put this?” Dallas called out, lifting the handle of an old, rusty plow. “I’m guessing you don’t want it around the wedding party. Someone could fall and get hurt on it, especially a child.”

  “You’re right,” Cal said, and since Bentley and Liam already had their hands full planting poinsettias all along the edge of the barn, he walked over to help Dallas drag the old plow to a safer part of the ranch.

  Aiyana, meanwhile, couldn’t budge. She felt as though her feet were encased in concrete as she stared down at the words on her screen.

  ASAP. Eli wasn’t easily excitable, so she couldn’t help the terror that rose up inside her.

  Before she could call him, however, he called back.

  “Hello?” she said, answering immediately this time.

  “Where are you?” he asked.

  “Still at Cal’s with some of your brothers, getting ready for the wedding. Why?”

  He didn’t offer to come over and help. She’d already told him she preferred he spend the weekend with his wife and kids. He put in long hours at the school—they both did—and she had enough help on hand with his single brothers. She’d told Gavin the same thing when he said he’d come. “Are you sitting down?” he asked.

  Her eyes sought the people she loved. The ones who were with her were fine. She could see that. But she couldn’t be sure about Ryan and Taylor, the two boys she’d adopted who were the same age. Or Seth, in San Francisco. The three of them wouldn’t be home until Friday. “How bad is it?” she asked. “Has anyone been hurt?”

  “No, it’s not that.”

  She closed her eyes as she drew in a deep breath. She’d never forget the call she’d received when Seth’s wife died. “Then it can’t be that bad.”

  “It’s not good.”

  Her chest tightened. “Tell me.”

  “Someone, an older man, just came by the school, looking for you. I ran into him after taking Cora and the kids to see Santa.”

  “Who was it?”

  “Said his name was Robert Ogilvie.”

  Aiyana covered her mouth. “That can’t be right.”

  “That’s what he said.”

  She dropped her hand so that she wouldn’t have to raise her voice. She didn’t want anyone else to hear her. “Robert Ogilvie is in prison.”

  “Not anymore,” he said.

  * * *

  Emery told herself she shouldn’t—obviously, Tommy wasn’t willing to be helpful—but thirty minutes before closing, she couldn’t stop herself from texting him again.

  Sure you were at work. Why’d you lie to me? What have I ever done to you?

  She doubted he’d respond. She’d had trouble getting him to answer her before. But she wanted him to know that she was aware of his dishonesty.

  She waited fifteen minutes, but when he didn’t reply, just as she’d suspected he wouldn’t, she added:

  At least I’m learning who I can trust. Maybe it really was you who filmed and posted that video.

  A customer walked in. It wasn’t until she’d made the man’s ice cream sandwich and he was gone, and she’d said goodbye to Susan, who was staying behind to clean and lock up, that she was able to check her phone again.

  Surprisingly, Tommy had answered.

  I had nothing to do with it.

  So why won’t you help me? You’re that in love with a total narcissist—a narcissist who will never return your feelings.

  His response came as she was getting into her car:

  What’s done is done. There’s nothing I can do to fix it. Why should I ruin my relationship with Ethan? He just loaned me $300 so Thiago could pay his electric bill. Ethan might be an asshole, but he can be a nice asshole—sometimes.

  After she started her car, she called Tommy via Bluetooth so she could drive.

  “If he’s being nice to you, it’s for a reason,” she said as soon as he picked up. “You realize he wanted you to move out, or he’d be furious that you did. He needs help with the rent.”

  “Why would he want me to move out?” he asked skeptically. “We were getting along fine.”

  “Think about it. What he did to me is a crime. He has to cover for it—and his story is far more believable if you’re not still there, living with him.”

  No response.

  “Tommy?” She heard him sigh. “Do you think he gave you that money because he cares whether you keep the lights on?”

  “When you put it that way...”

  “He only cares about himself, and you know it.”

  “Maybe so. But like I said, what’s done is done. There’s nothing we can do about it now. The video is already out there.”

  “There is something we can do.”

  “What’s that?” He sounded suspicious.

  “I’m suing him, and you could help me.”

  “Whoa! You’re kidding.”

  “I’m not. He’ll be served tomorrow.”

  “Are you sure you want to do that?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because he’ll win. He never plays fair. He’s so used to getting what he wants he cheats if he has to.”

  “That’s the kind of thing I need you to tell my attorney! How he throws a tantrum like a child anytime he gets upset. How he tries to get revenge. That’s all important in establishing who he is and why he might’ve done what he did.”

  “Shit. I’m going to have to get involved—right after he loaned me money,” he said as though realizing he couldn’t avoid it.

  “Again, he didn’t do that for you.”

  There was a long silence.

  “Will you at least talk to my attorney? I’m only asking you to be honest about who Ethan is, what he’s like and what you might have heard about me or that video or both.”

  More silence.

  “Tommy?”

  “Okay,” he said in resignation. “I don’t know that I can really help. I hate ruining my relationship with Ethan for nothing. He’ll never forgive me, and you know that. But what the hell. I don’t live with him anymore. I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. Tommy had always been a little starstruck. He loved being personally acquainted with a local celebrity. But Ethan wasn’t a true friend to either one of them. And it wasn’t fair for him to get away with destroying her life. Everyone who could needed to stand up and stop him. Otherwise, he could go on to victimize someone else. “Thank you.”

  “Are you going to be able to get back on at the station?” he asked.

  “If I win the suit, they might have to offer me my job back.”

  “You’re suing them, too?”

  “I am.”

  “Damn. You are the wrong person to piss off.”

  “I’m only demanding what’s right.”

  “But would you want to go back to the station even if they made you an offer?”

  “I doubt it. I’ll probably try to continue my career somewhere else. I might even move to New York.”

  “What are you doing now?”

  “I work at a cookie store in Silver Springs, where I grew up. But only until after the holidays. Then I’ll have no income whatsoever.”

  “That sucks.”

  “It’s frightening, and it’s all Ethan’s fault.”

  “I’ll do what I can.”

  He sounded more committed, but she still worried he’d change his mind. “Okay. I’ll have my attorney call you tomorrow.”

  “Good luck getting through the holidays.”

  She remembered how upset and depressed she’d been when she first arrived at Aiyana’s. She cou
ld barely get out of bed, barely leave her room, and here she was working. Apparently, Dallas had made a big difference; nothing else had changed. She enjoyed his friendship and support—among other things.

  It was those other things that worried her. She couldn’t make another mistake. Not at this juncture. She was already trying to rebuild her life.

  16

  Aiyana had to tell him, didn’t she? She couldn’t risk having Dallas be blindsided. A man who could murder his whole family wouldn’t be likely to care about how it might affect his one remaining child to be confronted by him. If Robert Ogilvie possessed a sensitivity gene, he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did in the first place.

  That meant he’d most likely come to Silver Springs for selfish reasons. He’d been in prison for twenty-three years. The entire world had changed since he’d been locked up. Aiyana could see where he might be lost and bewildered and looking for some way to establish a life on the outside, but with so much time gone by, there probably wasn’t a soul left who could or would help him. The only thing he had on the outside was a son.

  What if he wouldn’t be willing to leave until he located Dallas and saw for himself that his son wasn’t going to forgive him and allow him back into his life?

  She watched Dallas joke around with his brothers, pinning them to the ground when they tried to challenge him, as they put away the mower and other tools. As the older brother, he was obliged to put down the younger upstarts, who loved wrestling with him. He was happier than she’d ever seen him, and yet she knew he still battled the demons that had plagued him since his mother’s and sister’s murders. She wasn’t sure he’d ever find the peace she wished he could have. He felt too responsible for Jenny’s death, wouldn’t allow it.

  How would this latest development affect him?

  She wanted to kick herself for ever responding to Robert. Now she saw his attempt to reach out in a completely different light. He’d sent those letters—the one to her and then to Dallas—just before being released, intending to establish contact, so he could examine the possibility of building a relationship with Dallas. Having someone to help him would make everything easier.