Christmas Haven

by Hope White

  “Meaning what?”

  “The mayor’s breathing down my neck.”

  “Why?”

  “He’s critical of the way I’ve handled things.”

  “In what way?”

  “He’s worried that you’ve brought trouble to Port Whisper and it could put residents in danger.”

  “He’s right,” she said.

  He leveled her with a stern look. “I’m the police chief and it’s my job to protect the citizens, which includes you, Jules.”

  “Could this jeopardize your job?”

  “No, but it’s hard to take criticism from someone who knows little about law enforcement. It’ll be fine. Promise.”

  They pulled into the driveway and Morgan walked her up to the house. “Stay put. I’ll be home for dinner.”

  He hesitated, as if he were a husband about to kiss his wife’s cheek before saying goodbye.

  She saw an opening and went for it. She had to clarify last night’s kiss. “Listen, about the kiss—”

  “We don’t have to talk about it.”

  “But we do. It was a thank-you kiss, Morgan. You always know how to calm me down and make me feel like everything’s going to be okay. It was an automatic response of gratitude.”

  “Okay, right.” He broke eye contact and glanced into the house. “You’d better get inside. I’ll see you later.”

  He turned and climbed down the stairs. She watched him pull out of the drive, still not making eye contact. Guilt tangled her insides. It was the right thing to do. She had to set the record straight so he didn’t develop inappropriate feelings for her.

  Much like she had in the past few days. It was to be expected considering the dangerous situation: Julie on the run and Morgan acting as protector. Inappropriate or not, they felt genuine and intense, and somehow she’d have to put them in a box and lock them up.

  The front door swung open and Mom greeted her. “I thought I heard someone on the porch. Where’s Morgan?”

  Julie and her mother went into the house. “Had to go to work. He said he’d be back for dinner.”

  “Good, we should be done with the first coat of paint by then.”

  “Hi, Julie,” Caroline greeted, as she rolled a coat of paint on the dark wall.

  “Can I help?” Julie offered.

  “No, you relax. Read a good book or take a nap,” Mom said.

  Julie wasn’t one for sitting around. “I’m pretty good at painting.”

  “We’ve got it,” Caroline said. “There’s cookies in the kitchen.”

  “Thanks, but if I keep eating like this I’ll gain ten pounds.”

  Julie took off her coat, grabbed a book off a pile on the coffee table and flopped down on the sofa.

  She spent the rest of the afternoon lounging and reading, something she rarely did back in Seattle. Julie offered again to help with the painting project, but realized Mom enjoyed watching Julie take it easy. She knew how work consumed Julie’s life, and probably felt as if she was being a good mother by forcing her to relax.

  It was a foreign feeling for Julie, but for a few hours she lost herself in a cozy mystery about a ladies’ tea group that fancied themselves detectives. Peppered with humor and emotion key to girlfriends’ relationships, the book allowed Julie to escape into another world where the clues were set out in front of you, and everything would wrap up nicely by the end.

  Between reading about the girlfriends in the book and watching Mom and Caroline dive into the painting project, it struck Julie how isolated she’d been since college. She had no close girlfriends to go to dinner with, or take in a movie.

  “Good thing Angela Kotter could find alternate day care for the twins,” Caroline said. “Can you imagine the mess they’d make if they were here today?”

  Mom shuddered. “I’d rather not. I have to figure out what to get them for Christmas. They really are good kids, even if they have a precocious streak.”

  Caroline proceeded to tell a story about her grandson, Mack, who was quite the character, and Mom laughed and offered advice. The tone of the conversation changed when Sketch’s name came up. Worry colored Caroline’s voice.

  “Hey, Caroline?” Julie closed her book.

  “Yes, sweetie?”

  “Sketch is a good kid. I don’t think you have to worry about him.”

  “Thanks, but it comes with the job. Worry about your kids, worry about your grandkids, worry about your friends’ kids, et cetera, et cetera.”

  “Has Sketch’s behavior changed in the past six months?” Julie asked.

  “No, it’s been pretty consistent since he moved in with me.”

  “Where are his parents?”

  “Spokane. I watched the kids while they were away. When Olivia and her husband came to get them, well, Sketch didn’t want to leave. I think it was a combination of not getting along with his stepfather and Sketch’s romance with Ashley. We decided Sketch would be better off staying with me, helping with the inn, that sort of thing.”

  “How did Sketch feel about that?” Julie asked.

  Caroline dipped the roller in the paint. “He acted like it’s what he wanted, but I suspect he feels abandoned. I’m just glad Ashley is in his life.”

  “Ah, high-school romance.” Julie sighed.

  The women shared a knowing glance. Julie redirected the conversation. “I’ve got some suggestions for Sketch if you’re open to hearing them.”

  “Suggest away.”

  Mom shot Julie a proud smile.

  “Convince him to study for his GED and find him a mentor. I suspect he’s very bright and would pass the GED on the first try. You only need to score fifty percent to pass.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “And what about a job outside of the inn?”

  Caroline sighed. “He’s got a reputation in town ever since he put a monkey virus on my mechanic’s computer.”

  “Why not use his brilliant computer skills to help people? He’s been helping Lana with her business computer. She’d be a reference. Sketch could print up cards and go to Chamber of Commerce meetings to network. A few choice clients would really boost his self-esteem. You build that up and he’ll get to the point where he wants to go to school to become a software engineer.”

  Caroline put down her roller, walked across the room and gave Julie a hug. “Thank you, thank you so much for seeing the goodness in Steven.”

  “They’ve all got goodness, we just have to look a little harder with some.”

  Caroline went back to rolling cream-colored paint on the wall and Julie smiled to herself. It felt good to offer insight and advice, to focus on the possibilities for Sketch instead of the dire circumstances of a boy destined for tragedy.

  The back door slammed shut announcing Morgan’s arrival. She sat up, excited to see him.

  Watch it, girl.

  “I like the mentor idea,” Mom offered, rolling paint.

  “Yes, but who would be brave enough to take on a kid with his attitude?” Caroline said.

  On cue Morgan wandered into the living room.

  “Morgan is perfect,” Julie said.

  “Excuse me?” Morgan raised an eyebrow.

  Julie blushed. “We were talking about finding Sketch a mentor.”

  “Ah, right. And I fit the job description because…?”

  “You’re someone to be admired, Chief,” Mom chimed in. “You’re a reliable, quality human being.”

  “Thanks, I think.” Morgan eyed the living room, already brightened by the first coat of paint. “You ladies do good work. I should be paying you by the hour.”

  “You just keep my daughter safe. That’s payment enough,” Mom said.

  “I plan to.” He sat on the couch next to Julie.

  “Any word from Ethan?” Julie asked.

  “Nothing today. He’s probably got the day off.”

  Unfortunately, as they both knew, her stalker didn’t take days off.

  Morgan reached over and touched her hand
. “I’m sure he’ll call the minute he has any news.”

  For half a second, as she gazed into his colorful eyes, she wondered how she could have left this man. Their connection was so powerful, so pure.

  Her cell vibrated, shocking her out of the tender moment.

  She slipped it out of her pocket. “Hello?”

  “Julie, it’s Helen from work.”

  “Helen? How did you get this—?”

  “William is in the hospital, thanks to you.”

  TEN

  Julie clenched the phone. “What?”

  “He was attacked by people looking for you. What have you gotten yourself into, and how could you put the rest of us in danger like this?”

  “I didn’t—”

  “Save it. Here, he wants to talk to you.”

  “Jules? What is it?” Morgan said. But she couldn’t focus on anything but William.

  “Julie?” William said in a raspy voice.

  She stood, pacing across the living room with nervous energy. “What happened?”

  “I was leaving work last night and two guys grabbed me. They wanted to know where you were but I told them I didn’t know.” He coughed and the line went quiet for a second.

  “William?” She clutched the phone.

  “He can’t talk right now,” Helen said. “But he wanted to let you know he was okay, which he most certainly is not. What kind of trouble did you get into?”

  “I don’t know exactly. I didn’t mean—”

  “Grow up and take some responsibility for yourself. Your cute blond highlights and effusive smile can’t get you out of this one. I don’t really care what you’re into, just stop involving the rest of us, you self-absorbed, arrogant princess.”

  “Helen, don’t,” William said in the background.

  “No, it’s about time someone told her how we—”

  “Julie, ignore her,” William said into the phone. “She’s worried about me.”

  “What’s your condition?”

  “Broken ribs, concussion, sprained arm. Nothing serious.”

  “You were attacked because of me! William, I am so sorry.”

  “It’s okay, truly. Stop it, Helen.”

  “I want to talk to her,” she said in the background.

  Julie wasn’t sure how much more scolding she could take. She was beating herself up enough for the both of them.

  “Can you behave?” he said to Helen. “Okay, Julie, I’m going to pass the phone to Helen. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine, but I wanted to let you know about the attack. I didn’t tell them anything other than you were staying with an old friend. I hope I didn’t blow it.”

  “No, you did great. Take care of yourself.”

  “You, too.”

  A second later Helen came back on. “Don’t let him fool you. It’s worse than he’s letting on.”

  “How much worse?”

  “We don’t know. We’re waiting for results from an MRI.”

  “Keep me posted?”

  The line went dead and Julie stared at her phone.

  “Jules?” Morgan stroked her back.

  Mom and Caroline had put down their rollers and closed ranks.

  Julie looked at each of them, fighting back tears, tears of regret for putting her friend in danger.

  “Someone attacked my friend William. They were looking for my location. He’s in the hospital.”

  “But he’s okay?” Morgan asked.

  “I’m not sure. He says so, but Helen claims it’s more serious than he’s letting on.”

  “Helen?” Morgan said.

  “She’s the one who called, she…” She took a deep breath. “She let me have it for getting William involved in this mess.”

  Morgan framed her cheeks with gentle hands and looked deep into her eyes. “You did no such thing. I will not permit you to blame yourself for what happened.”

  “He’s right, honey,” Mom said, putting her arm around Julie. “This isn’t your fault.”

  Anger rushed up her chest. She stepped away from Morgan and Mom and paced the living room. “It if weren’t for me, William wouldn’t have been attacked.” She spun around to face them. “What if they track me down? Hurt one of you, or Lana? Argh!” She fisted her hands and anxiously tapped them against her hips.

  “We’re taking every precaution to prevent them from hurting you or anyone else in your family,” Morgan said.

  “How about informing the Community Cares group about the situation?” Caroline said.

  Julie stopped pacing and eyed her. “Then everyone will know how badly I messed up.”

  “It will help us close ranks to protect you,” Mom said. “It’s like Neighborhood Watch on overdrive. It worked great last year when Arthur suffered from a head injury. He’d get confused and wander around. Nearly everyone in town knew about his condition and we all pitched in to protect him.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Morgan said.

  “I’ve got a better one.” Julie planted her hands to her hips. “I disappear.”

  “Oh, honey,” Mom said. “We’ve talked about this. Running never solves anything. Your problems follow you until you face them head-on.”

  “And I will, but not here, where I’m putting all of you in danger.”

  “Knock it off,” Morgan said.

  The room went quiet.

  “I’m tired of you feeling sorry for yourself, getting scared and running away,” he said. “I’m not letting you get away with it this time. You’re going to stay in Port Whisper and let us protect you. Got it?”

  Morgan had had enough. He snapped, right there in front of Jules, Edith and Caroline.

  For a brief second he worried that he sounded too much like his father: domineering and overbearing, bordering on violent.

  “He’s right,” Edith added. She didn’t look shocked or frightened by his outburst. She looked appreciative.

  “I can call Anderson and ask him to call an emergency meeting of Community Cares,” Caroline offered.

  “Sounds good,” Morgan said, not taking his eyes off Julie.

  She had that panicked look, the kind an animal has right before sprinting away from danger.

  “I’ll speak with the mayor and village trustees to let them know what’s going on,” Morgan said.

  “Do I get a say in this?” Julie crossed her arms over her chest.

  “If you’re speaking from your intellect, not your emotions,” he said. Perhaps it was too harsh, but it was the truth. Leading with emotions meant disaster on so many levels. Especially where Morgan and Julie were concerned.

  “I appreciate what you’re all trying to do,” Julie said.

  “But?” Morgan pressed.

  “The first thing I have to do is visit William in the hospital.”

  “That’s not your intellect talking,” Morgan said. “It’s not safe.”

  “We went to Seattle to check out my apartment and visit your dad,” she protested.

  “No one knew we were coming,” Morgan said. “This time there’s a reason for you to return, and if these guys are smart they’ll be staking out the hospital.”

  “It’s heartless not to go,” Julie protested. “He’s my friend, and he needs me.”

  “You need to stay safe.” He admired her loyalty, but leaving Port Whisper was not wise.

  Edith accompanied Caroline into the kitchen to make the call. Julie continued her frustrated pacing of the living room. She wandered to the front window and turned to him, a hardened look in her eye.

  “I can’t do this anymore,” she said.

  “What?”

  “Be terrified all the time, and guilty. It’s draining.”

  Morgan took her hands. “In these situations, when everything looks lost and I don’t know what to do…I pray.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but he placed his forefinger on her lips. “Just humor me. I’m going to say a prayer and all I ask is that you take a moment to ground yourself with the feel of my han
ds holding yours, okay?”

  She shrugged.

  He closed his eyes and bowed his head. “Dear Lord, we pray for strength to see us through the challenging days ahead, and we pray for guidance to help us make the best decisions to keep Julie safe. Praise be to God, Amen.”

  He opened his eyes and was surprised that Julie’s face was still bowed. He waited a second, giving her time, hoping she’d found solace in the moment.

  She sighed and opened her eyes, but didn’t let go of his hands. He searched her eyes.

  She shot him a half smile. “Okay, that wasn’t so bad.”

  He gave her hands a squeeze and let go. “I’m glad. Now, let’s strategize security measures. What did William tell his attackers?”

  “That I’d moved in with an old friend.”

  “That’s vague enough.”

  “But if they figure out I grew up in Port Whisper—”

  “Let go of the fear, Jules. It’s the enemy of both intellect and emotion.”

  “Wow, don’t you sound mature,” she teased.

  “I’m taking off, kids,” Caroline said, walking into the living room. “Thanks again for your advice about Sketch, Julie. And thanks, Morgan, for offering to mentor Sketch.”

  “I did? When?” He shot her that charming smile.

  “Your mom’s making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. Enjoy.” She hugged Julie and left out the front door.

  “Meatballs,” Morgan said. “I’m never going to let you guys leave.”

  For a second he wondered if his comment made Julie uncomfortable.

  She smiled and said, “I know what you mean. I’m going to miss Mom’s home-cooked meals. I should probably offer to help.”

  “Good idea. I’ll get changed.” He headed for the stairs, strategizing more ways to tighten security around Julie and her family without making them feel like prisoners.

  “Morgan?”

  He glanced at her.

  “Thanks again, for everything.”

  “I told you, no thanks necessary. It’s my—”

  “—job, I know. It’s been a long time since I could depend on someone like this.” With a cute shrug, she turned and went into the kitchen.

  He was going to say it was his pleasure to protect her, not his job. It was probably a good thing she’d interrupted him. He sensed she was still guarded when it came to their relationship, both past and present.