A Christmas Kiss

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  “Yes, ma’am. It’s hard, but I’m making it work.” His sigh stirred all her maternal instincts. Is he getting enough sleep? Is he eating right? He gave up football. Is he still finding time to exercise?

  June took a breath to ask him all of these questions again, but Noah spoke first.

  “How was the Books and Bakery Halloween party?” His tone was too casual.

  “It was nice. I had a good time.” Didn’t we talk about this yesterday?

  June had attended Books & Bakery’s annual Halloween party and children’s story time on Saturday, which had been Halloween. Trinity Falls’s residents had crowded the bookstore and café. They were dressed as historical figures, or popular characters from comic books, novels, movies and television. June had gone as Florence Nightingale. She’d always admired the historical figure. She still wasn’t sure what Benjamin had been. Dressed in jeans, flannel shirt, and a tool belt, he’d claimed to be a handyman. June and Megan McCloud, Books & Bakery’s owner and the organizer of the Halloween event, had given him a D for effort.

  “Are you sure you had a good time?” Noah persisted.

  The virtual lightbulb came on in June’s brain. I’m going to ground him. “How long have you been using Darius to check up on me?” Silence. “Noah?” She used her best warning tone.

  “I didn’t ask Darius to spy on you, Mom. I promise. You told me you were going to the party. And Darius told me some people have been giving you a hard time. I was worried something might have happened at the bookstore.”

  “Noah, I can—”

  “Take care of yourself. I know.” He sighed and June pictured her eighteen-year-old son taking on the weight of the world. “But just like a mother worries about her son, a son worries about his mother.”

  June was momentarily speechless. Look at him, using my words to turn the tables on me. “Noah, I appreciate your concern, but I need you to remain focused on your future.”

  “I wouldn’t be as worried if you were still living in Sequoia. Sequoia is familiar.”

  June rose and paced across the room to the fireplace. “Neither of us expected Making an Event would file for bankruptcy the week Darius and I moved you into Columbia.”

  She should have realized the marketing and event-planning company for which she’d worked for the past fourteen years was getting ready to close its doors forever. But she was a single parent, working a demanding job, and helping her son prepare for college.

  “I guess Mayor Lopez offering you the job with Trinity Falls’s community center was like good news, bad news.” Noah still sounded troubled.

  “It was all good news.” She injected even more confidence into her voice. “We must remember to count our blessings instead of our burdens. This job is an exciting change. It’s a promotion. The pay’s better. I was fortunate to sell our home quickly and for enough money to put a decent down payment on this one.”

  “I remember what it was like when people in Sequoia rejected you. I don’t want you to go through that again.” The pain in her child’s voice ripped her heart in two.

  “It’s not the same, Noah.” She wasn’t a young woman on her own with a baby to protect. She was a much more mature and battle-tested woman who’d single-handedly raised an impressive young man. “I already have friends in Trinity Falls.”

  “People who aren’t that friendly are there, too.”

  “What can I do to convince you that I’m fine?” June paced back across the room and dropped onto the sofa.

  “Tell me if people are giving you a hard time.”

  “What will you do?”

  “I might not be able to do anything, but I at least want to know. Promise me.”

  Tension drained from June, bringing forth a smile. “Well, if you want to know about the difficult people I’m dealing with, let me tell you about my new boss.”

  “Is he as bad as Miss Gina?” Noah’s voice sounded lighter. She pictured the smile on his handsome, young face.

  Gina Carter owned Making an Event. She was a nice person, but her lack of planning had often caused chaos for June and the rest of the staff. At least she could reason with the older woman. Benjamin Brooks was distractingly attractive. But once you got past his good looks—no easy feat—he also was distressingly unreasonable.

  “He might be worse.” June was only half joking. Or maybe she wasn’t joking at all. “But first, tell me about your chemistry professor. Did you meet with her about your class project?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Noah launched into an amusing account of his meeting with his professor to get clarification on his chemistry report. Thankfully, the anecdote, which had a happy ending, seemed to distract her son from worrying about her. At least for now.

  June listened to Noah with one half of her mind while the other continued to brood over her boss and an idea for their year-end fund-raiser. Ever since Benjamin had shot down her Christmas dance idea that morning, she’d been struggling to come up with a substitute event. But The Iceman wasn’t being helpful. He knew what he didn’t want, but he had no idea what he wanted.

  Was it the event itself or the Christmas theme that he was opposed to? Did he have something against the holiday?

  Chapter 2

  “These cost and income numbers are based on the center’s January anniversary event.” June ran the tip of her No. 2 pencil down the Microsoft Excel chart she’d printed for her meeting with Dita Vargas, Guiding Light Community Center’s recreation and programs manager. Together they were spending Tuesday morning brainstorming new ideas for a year-end fund-raiser, one that Benjamin “Scrooge” Brooks could approve.

  Dita consulted her copy of the chart. She’d worked for the center for two years and had helped with some of the arrangements for the anniversary event. “The figures may be a bit dodgy for this report, but they give us the best comparison to date.”

  Dodgy. It meant questionable. Dita was addicted to BBC America’s programming, particularly Doctor Who, The Musketeers, and Sherlock. One of her quirks was infusing her speech with the British slang she picked up from these shows.

  “Was Sherlock on last night?” June looked up at the younger woman, whom she’d grown fond of during the three months they’d been working together.

  Dita wore her thick, ebony hair in a pixie cut. Her warm cream features were made up to emphasize her big, brown eyes and high cheekbones.

  “No, dearie.” Dita seemed only mildly disappointed. “I borrowed the Luther DVDs from the library. They have all three seasons.”

  June hadn’t heard her coworker mention that show before. “What’s Luther?”

  Dita’s blush-painted lips parted in surprise. “Two words: Idris. Elba. It’s a police procedural that I highly recommend you borrow from the library when I’m done with it.”

  June didn’t do blood and violence. In fact, she missed the days of watching SpongeBob SquarePants with Noah. Teen Titans was as real as she’d let him get until he’d taken control of the remote.

  She smothered a wistful sigh and returned to the budget estimate. “We need an event that will give us the greatest return for a modest investment.”

  “But something that won’t put people to sleep.” Dita rested her copy of the budget on her lap. The hem of her chocolate-brown skirt came to her knees.

  “This budget is adjusted to account for a lower attendance.”

  “Why?”

  “The year-end event won’t have the same turnout as the anniversary party.” June raised her eyes to Dita again. “The anniversary took place when TFU faculty, staff, and students were returning from Christmas break. With the timing of the dinner dance, people will be leaving for the holidays.”

  “A lot of students from Trinity Falls go to college out of town. They’ll be coming home for Christmas, dearie.”

  “That’s true.” June brightened. “And my Sequoia connections will give us a wider audience to reach.” Several businesses from her hometown had agreed to carry brochures about the fund-raiser. It would give S
equoia residents something safe and affordable to do for the holidays. “Maybe we could host a dinner dance without labeling it a holiday event.”

  Dita was shaking her head before the words were out of June’s mouth. “Trinity Falls residents wouldn’t like that. If you host any event after Thanksgiving, you’d better call it a Christmas party, complete with holiday food, decorations, music, and Jesus.”

  “That’s what I thought.” June’s shoulders rose and fell with a frustrated sigh. “Ben’s from Trinity Falls. Why doesn’t he understand that?”

  “So what do you think about our new director?” Dita grinned. “I think he’s dishy.”

  “Since he’s our boss, I hadn’t noticed,” June lied.

  Once sending Noah away to college had become a reality, June had cautiously tuned back into the dating pool. She hadn’t paid much attention to men in almost twenty years. Yes, it really had been that long. But it might not have been if there’d been men like Benjamin Brooks around.

  Dishy was one way of describing him. At several inches over six-feet, he was almost a foot taller than her. His long, lean limbs would make a clothing designer drool. With his clean-shaven, movie-star looks, he reminded June of Denzel Washington in the movie The Preacher’s Wife. Oh, to have been Whitney Houston for just one scene.

  “He’s our boss, but I’m not blind.” Dita snorted. “All of the Brooks brothers look like that. Of course, Vaughn, the middle brother, is engaged to Benita Hawkins, so he’s off the market. But Ben’s divorced and Zach, the youngest brother, is single.” Dita wiggled her eyebrows.

  “We should get back to the plans for the dinner dance.” June glanced at her black Timex wristwatch for emphasis.

  “Sure, dearie.” Dita lowered her voice. “I heard Ben filed for divorce because his wife was shagging someone else.”

  June’s eyes widened. She was pretty sure shagging meant having sex. Benjamin’s ex-wife had been having an affair. June lowered her eyes. She knew something about unfaithful spouses. She’d been the victim of one herself. However, since the sham relationship had blessed her with Noah, she could never regret the experience.

  “Dita.” June held the younger woman’s gaze. “I’m not comfortable gossiping about our boss, and you shouldn’t be, either.”

  June had been the subject of more than her fair share of vicious gossip in the past. Now that she’d moved to Trinity Falls, where most people only knew half-truths about her, she was the target of ugly rumors and innuendos again. She wouldn’t participate in behavior that had caused her and Noah so much pain.

  “You’re right, dearie.” Dita scanned the budget sheet again. “The game’s afoot.”

  June smiled at the Sherlock Holmes reference. “Not yet, but hopefully, we’ll think of something our new boss could approve of and soon.”

  “What will we do if we don’t come up with something?” Dita looked worried.

  “Positive thinking, Dita. We’ll think of something.” But if they didn’t, she’d have to reason with The Iceman. Why did she have the feeling that was easier said than done?

  June knocked on Dr. Quincy Spates’s open door late Tuesday afternoon. The professor’s office was in Butler Hall, Trinity Falls University’s administrative building. Named after the university’s founder, Clara Butler, it was the oldest building on campus.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt.” But what was she interrupting? June looked from the ruggedly handsome professor of African American history to his glamorous fiancée, Ramona McCloud.

  Ramona was seated on the corner of his desk closest to the professor. Moments ago, the two of them had had eyes only for each other. The atmosphere in the room had been thick with desire.

  “Hi, June.” Quincy stood to his impressive six-foot-plus height. He’d been a college football running back. In his pale green dress shirt and smoke-gray slacks, he looked like he could still play. “We were expecting you.”

  I doubt that.

  June struggled to hold back a smile as she stepped farther into the office. Ramona stood and took one of the two gray visitor’s chairs on the other side of Quincy’s desk. June took the other. She lowered her purse and briefcase to the floor beside her chair.

  Her gaze lifted to the display of framed photos on the shelf above Quincy’s computer monitor. Among what appeared to be photos of his family and Ramona were pictures of him with Ean and Darius. One photo in particular caught her attention. It seemed to be a picture of them in their high school football uniforms hoisting a trophy after a game. In the photo, Darius looked so much like Noah, June did a double take. It wasn’t surprising, though. Her son was Darius Knight’s half brother.

  She brought her attention back to the meeting. June had spoken with Quincy on the phone that morning. She’d held her breath as she’d extended a formal invitation for him to present the history and meaning of Kwanzaa at the Guiding Light Community Center. When he’d agreed—with definite enthusiasm—June had done a spontaneous little chair dance.

  “I’ll try not to take too much of your time.” June pulled a folder from her briefcase, sending Ramona an apologetic smile. “When we discussed meeting before lunch today, I hadn’t realized you had plans.”

  “Take your time.” Ramona crossed her long dancer’s legs. “I’m the one who’s interrupting. Quincy didn’t know I was coming.”

  “It’s good to see you.” June relaxed.

  “Same here.” Ramona’s smile revealed perfect white teeth. Of course.

  The other woman was stunning in a figure-hugging scarlet sweater dress. Her glossy, raven tresses framed her diamond-shaped face. Her perfect café au lait features needed very little makeup. Her wide ebony eyes were bright and friendly under expertly arched eyebrows. In the three months that June had lived in Trinity Falls, she’d found Ramona to be as kind as she was beautiful. All of Darius’s friends were.

  June turned back to Quincy. “I was hoping to schedule the discussion for two o’clock, Saturday, November twenty-first. I realize today is November third, which gives you less than three weeks but—”

  Quincy held up a hand to stop her. “You’d asked me about doing this months ago. I’ve done Kwanzaa presentations before. It won’t take me long to refresh my past notes.”

  “Wonderful.” So far so good. “Regarding your speaker’s fee, we’d like to offer—”

  Again, Quincy stopped her. “That’s not necessary, June. I’m happy to offer this presentation for the center.”

  Taken aback, June glanced at Ramona, then again at Quincy. “Our budget is modest but we want to pay you for your time and trouble. It’s only fair.”

  “In that case, I’ll donate my speaker fee to the center.” Quincy leaned forward, folding his hands on his desk. “The community center was a valuable resource to me when I was growing up. I should have given back to it sooner.”

  Quincy’s generosity touched June. Ramona was looking at her fiancé as though he’d presented her with roses. June felt the same way.

  “Thank you, Quincy.” June slipped a sheet of paper across his desk. “This is our event goal sheet. It states the date and time of the event as we discussed. It also has information that you should know as our presenter, like our promotion plan.”

  Quincy and June reviewed additional details, including the length of the event, before she prepared to leave. Ramona offered specific suggestions for setting up the community room with an emphasis on the space’s feng shui.

  “Thank you again for agreeing to be our guest speaker.” June tucked her project folder back into her briefcase. “Your credentials and positive reputation in the community make you a big draw for us.”

  “Speaking of the community, how are you settling in?” Ramona tilted her head, causing her long raven tresses to swing behind her shoulders.

  “Fine.” June nodded for emphasis, hoping Ramona wouldn’t press the issue. Her hopes were in vain.

  “Really?” The former town mayor’s eyebrows knitted. “I heard Nessa, Ethel and a couple of our
other more judgmental residents were giving you a hard time.”

  “I can understand Ethel’s resentment. I expected it.” June shrugged. “I’d probably feel the same way if the situation were reversed. But I needed a job and this offer was too good to pass up.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way.” Ramona nodded. “Just remember there are plenty more people who are happy you’re here. You’re a great asset to the center and a wonderful addition to our community.”

  “I agree,” Quincy added.

  “Thank you.” She’d really needed to hear that. June turned away, taking her time collecting her briefcase as she blinked back emotions. “I’ll let you get to your lunch. I’m getting pretty hungry myself.”

  Ramona stood with her. “Just remember, June, other people’s opinions of you don’t matter.”

  “You’re right.” June glanced at Quincy, who’d also gotten to his feet. “I’ll be in touch. Let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.” With a final good-bye, June left the office.

  How often had she given Noah the same advice, other people’s opinions don’t matter? It was true, but their opinions could still hurt. How long would it take for Trinity Falls to forget her past and judge her on her actions today?

  Books & Bakery’s inviting atmosphere reflected its owner and the store’s staff. June stepped farther into the store Wednesday afternoon and drew a deep breath. She caught the scent of fresh baked pastries and hot soup. Underneath it all was the hint of lemon wood polish.

  Thanksgiving imagery and colors had replaced the Halloween decorations. The heels of her sensible pumps tapped against the dark hardwood flooring as she walked past overstuffed red velvet armchairs on her way to the café. Tabletop displays and rows of bookcases made from the same dark wood tried to draw her off course. They tempted her with the lure of new releases and perennial bestsellers, glossy magazines and fantastic comic books. Somehow June found the will to resist. Her growling stomach kept her moving toward the café in the back of the bookstore. She hesitated only briefly at the genre fiction sections: mystery, romance, science fiction, and fantasy. Noah would love it here.