Breakfast with Santa

by Carol Henry

  ****

  The rest of the week flew by. Katelyn put the finishing touches on her final reports for the end of semester classes, and then put in as much time at the Hearts and Hands Daycare as she could fit in. She needed to keep busy—keep her mind off Mark and his son. Friday night found her filling in at her parent’s restaurant again. Mariner’s was hopping after the high school basketball game. Several groups of students were hanging out in their usual booths in the far end of the dining area, keeping Katelyn busy busing burgers and fries and lobster rolls—the smell of hot beef on the grill and lobster boiling permeated the air.

  Families with small children filled the center tables, while couples occupied the tables closer to the window overlooking the bay. Dawn Sullivan kept the groups of families happy, and Katelyn concentrated on waiting on the teens. By the time she had delivered their platters, it felt as if she had already run a marathon and served a million burgers and lobster rolls. Unfortunately, it hadn’t done a thing to take her mind off the news that Mark Logan was back in town, or that Sven was in Norway. Sven hadn’t contacted her since he’d called to tell her he’d arrived in Bergen.

  She wasn’t sure how she should feel about Mark coming home. It had been a long time—they had each gone their separate ways. But memories surfaced and tugged at her chest all evening, reviving feelings she’d thought were buried forever. What would she say when she did see him? And with his wife and son by his side? What would she do? She was curious to find out what he’d been doing all these years, but then again, she wasn’t sure she really wanted to know.

  He had been tall, dark, and drop-dead gorgeous in high school. One of the star football players. Would he be more handsome, and powerfully built after his life-style in the military? Would she recognize him?

  Would he recognize her?

  Why was she letting it get to her? She was engaged to Sven now. She had to let it go or she’d make herself crazy.

  She was relieved when the last customer left for the evening. She joined her mother in the alcove next to the kitchen entrance, ready to kick off her shoes.

  “I’m beat.”

  “We’ve had a successful evening despite the snowflakes outside.”

  “It’s Lobster Cove, Mom, everyone is used to a few snowflakes. At least it’s not a wet snow, and the roads aren’t slippery. Do you need me to help cash out tonight? You’re looking tired. Why don’t you call it a night and I’ll finish here?”

  “No, no. I have to wait for your father, anyway. You go on home and put your feet up. You look tired—a little pale. Are you okay? You’ve been working day and night the last few weeks. When are your classes over?”

  “My last exam is Monday. I’ll have plenty of time to study over the weekend.”

  “Have you heard from Sven? He’s been gone a whole week now. You must miss him. When is he supposed to come home?”

  Katelyn had no answers. She’d wondered the same thing. Would he be home in time for Christmas?

  “I don’t know. I hope soon.”

  “Have you seen Mark yet? I know this must be hard for you, honey, but you’re going to have to face him sooner or later.”

  “There is nothing to gain by ‘facing’ him. I understand he’s married and has a son.” She couldn’t hide her shaky voice. Tears threatened, but she held them back.

  “Oh, my dear. I’m so sorry.” Her mother pulled her in for a hug. She let her. “You know we’re here for you. Anything you need.”

  Katelyn hugged her mother, wanting to cry on her shoulder. But she wasn’t eighteen any longer. She was more mature than that—or at least considered herself mature. “Thanks. You and Dad have been a rock. I love you both. I think I will go home and call it a night if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all. Like I said, I have to wait for your father.”

  Katelyn rushed to the employee’s locker room and put on her blue woolen coat, hat, and gloves. Her shoes were sturdy enough to weather what little snow had fallen. She stepped outside, welcoming the clear, cold, frosty air nipping her nose, which brought her back to the present. The snow had stopped, so there was no need to brush off the windshield. Her ride home was a short one through the now deserted streets. Green garlands hung draped across Main Street adorned with large red bows in the center. Wreaths decorated the lamp posts, and every store front twinkled and shone brightly and reflected onto the empty roadway. The loneliness of the night resonated deep inside, despite the colorful streets.

  ****

  Saturday morning turned out to be another crisp, clear day in Lobster Cove. A perfect day to take Kurtis to pick out a Christmas tree at the lodge where the Boy Scouts were set up for the day. Mark walked the shoveled path, circling the cut Christmas trees. A few trees leaned against the building, others were tied to a rope like clothes on a clothes line on the other side of the path. Kurtis’ arms were wound tight around his neck as he squirmed to get a better look at the trees. He was pleased to see his son’s cheeks a rosy shade, even if it was from the cool morning breeze off the harbor—a color that had been missing for some time. Mark had given up so much in order to bring him home to be around family. He knew Kurtis missed having a mother. The kid needed more than a passel of babysitters. He needed stability. Would he find it here in Lobster Cove? He couldn’t think of a better place to start, than with his parents.

  Katie came to mind—seeing her last Sunday at Breakfast with Santa had warm memories of their time together in high school flooding his mind. He understood she was in her last year of university, and engaged to be married. His mother had mentioned it in passing. He hadn’t expected Katie to wait for him—they had parted on friendly terms, each going their separate ways. But he hadn’t expected her to attend Breakfast with Santa, and certainly not looking hotter-than-hell in that elf getup. She had filled out in all the right places since he’d seen her last. She was one sexy lady. His heart had just about jumped out of his chest the minute he spotted her. Just his luck she was about to be taken off the eligible list. Talk about bad timing.

  Mark circled around another row of mid-sized evergreen trees, their branches spread out with a bit of snow clinging to a few of the lower branches.

  “That one.” Kurtis pointed, his red mitten making it difficult to see which tree he wanted.

  “Let’s look around a bit more, bud. We need the right one to take home to Grandma.”

  “Grandma?”

  “Yep. You’ve got a grandma and a grandpa now. We’ll be there for Christmas.”

  “You, too?”

  “Yep. I’m not going anywhere. We’ll be together, always.”

  Kurtis planted a cold, wet kiss on Mark’s cheek. An emotional tear formed, but he smiled, continued, and then stopped in front of another tree. He was always amazed at the emotional tug his son had on his heart. Kurtis jumped up and down in his arms like a monkey, excited when he spotted a black dog with a red collar and bow around its neck sitting in front of the tree.

  “Dog.”

  “Yes, it’s a black lab puppy.”

  “Want puppy.”

  “Not sure Grandma and Grandpa Logan are ready for a puppy, bud. They have us to deal with—for now.”

  Maybe when they’d settled in, found a place of their own, he’d consider getting Kurtis a puppy.

  “Want puppy.” Kurtis’ plea grew louder. He held Mark’s cheeks in his mitten-covered hands, and stared into his eyes. It was hard to say no.

  “Maybe someday we can have a puppy. But not now. Now, we need to pick out a tree so we can take it home and decorate it.”

  “Tree. I want that one.”

  Finally.

  “Yep. That one will do. Let’s go tell one of the Boy Scouts to load it on the roof of the car so we can take it home.”

  Home. God that had a lovely ring to it. He and Natasha hadn’t even had a chance to buy a home. They’d lived in a small, unobtrusive apartment boasting one extra room he’d made into a nursery for Kurtis. For the most part, his life in the milita
ry had been a solitary one. Natasha had been on the Russian team with him, and for the first year they had worked together. Their relationship had been totally platonic—but that had changed over time. They certainly hadn’t expected to become parents. They married—it had been the right thing to do. After she gave birth to Kurtis, Natasha had gone back to working Special Ops. She’d been sent on assignment without him. The team had been ambushed and she’d been fatally shot. The entire operation had been in question from the get-go, but she’d insisted on taking part.

  He mourned her loss, of course, but he’d had Kurtis to raise. And raising a son on his own wasn’t easy. Still wasn’t, but trying to remain undercover and retain a modicum of secrecy was neither beneficial to him, nor Kurtis—not to mention damn difficult. It was time to call it quits when he’d learned of a kidnapping plot against his son. His directors weren’t happy when he’d told them he wanted out. In fact, they were irate, and tried to talk him out of leaving the force. They offered him plenty of incentives to stay, but he adamantly refused—at first. However, when they offered him a position with the Department of Homeland Security stateside, letting him choose Maine as his home base, he couldn’t resist. And honestly, standing here, right now, with Kurtis wrapped around his neck, gawking at the string of lights glittering around the fenced-in area, with dozens of Christmas trees, and seeing the wonder shining in his son’s big blue eyes, it was worth foregoing a promotion and settling back home any day of the week.

  Mark circled the last row of trees and headed for the stand to ask one of the Scouts to bundle the tree for him, and stopped in his tracks. Kurtis tightened his hold on Mark’s neck. Mark’s throat closed, and it wasn’t from Kurtis pressing against his Adam’s apple. Katelyn Sullivan stood next to the check-out stand talking to the two Scouts on the other side of the make-shift wooden structure. Whatever they were talking about, it made her laugh. Memories stirred. The sound was music to his ears. And it didn’t help that she looked sexier than she had in her elf outfit. Those tight blue jeans, tall black leather boots, a blue quilted jacket with matching scarf, and a winter cap covering her beautiful blonde hair, with a few wisps sticking out, had his heart stuck in his throat. She should be on the cover of a L.L. Bean catalogue. He took a deep breath, and then, taking his chances, stepped closer, shifting Kurtis to his other arm.

  She turned. And froze. Her eyes wide with what he could only assume were shock. After all, he’d already seen her, and he was certain she hadn’t recognized him in his Santa outfit.

  “Mark?”

  “It’s been a long time, Katie. How are you?”

  She stared at Kurtis, then back at him. She looked stunned.

  She looked amazing.

  She smelled of apple blossom shampoo—he knew because that’s what she always used—it reminded him of crisp autumn days, football games, and Katie on the sidelines, cheering.

  “This is Kurtis. My son. Kurtis, say hi to my friend, Katie.”

  “Hi, Katie. I’m Kurtis.”

  “Um…ah…hi, Kurtis. It’s nice to meet you. Have you found a tree yet?”

  “We were just about to have one of the Scouts load it up on the car for us. What about you? Are you here to pick out a tree? Are you alone?” He was digging for information, something he usually excelled at covertly, but even this was a bit obvious. He looked around to see if she was alone, or if there was someone with her—a man? Her fiancé?

  “Yes, I’m here to pick out my tree. Sven, my fiancé, is in Norway with his parents visiting his grandparents for the next couple of weeks. But I was anxious to get started on my decorations. Christmas is my favorite time of year.”

  “Yes, I remember.” Damn. She was engaged. His mother was right. Still, having her confirm it had a lump the size of a mortar round hit his gut with a thud.

  “What about you? Visiting your parents?”

  “Actually, I’m staying with them—for now. They’ve been kind enough to take us in until we can find a house and get settled.”

  “Oh? You’re moving back to Lobster Cove?”

  “That’s my plan. What about you? You and your fiancé plan on staying in Lobster Cove?” He wanted to tell her how great she looked. Wanted to keep her talking—anything to keep her standing there even though he was making himself miserable wishing things between them had been different. Wishing they hadn’t drifted apart. ’Cause his libido was going crazy standing this close to her. Would he be overstepping the fiancé thing if he took her in his arms and gave her a hug? He stepped closer, remembered he had Kurtis in his arms, and then shifted him to his other arm, again. Damn, she’d stepped to the side, her facial expression pale despite the cold breeze blowing around the now crowded tree stand.

  “Mister? You want to show me the tree you picked out? I’ll load it for you.”

  “Yeah. Sure. It’s back here.”

  “Tree.” Kurtis put a cold mitten on Mark’s face, and twisted his face around to meet his. Between the Scout and his son distracting him, Katelyn had started to walk down a different path—away from him.

  “I’ll see you around,” he called. “Maybe we can get together for coffee…or dinner at Mariners?”

  She waved and called goodbye, and was out of sight among the trees before he could breathe again. Based on her reaction, having dinner with Katelyn Sullivan didn’t look promising. He needed to get on with his life—let the past go and concentrate on his son.

  Easier said than done. After seeing her again, it was going to be impossible.

  “Mister? You need help with that tree, or what?”

  Chapter Three

  Katelyn couldn’t get away from Mark fast enough. He’d called her Katie in that deep, sexy tone of voice that had always driven her insides wild. No one called her Katie, least of all Sven. It was always Katelyn. Gads, his look had shot straight to her heart and made her long to be held in his arms once again—those strong, enticing arms that had always been comforting, loving. She wanted nothing more, at that moment, than to have his arms encircle her, pull her close, recapture those long ago emotions they’d shared. Comfort her. She wanted to confide in him. Tell him about their pregnancy—their miscarriage. How she’d tried to get the nerve to reach out to him, try to locate him, but too emotionally depleted after losing their child, she hadn’t been able to find the courage or the strength. She’d turned inside herself for so long, her parents urging her out of her shell. They had been so supportive in her decision to go on to college as planned. And with her choice of career—working with children even though it would never erase what she had lost—it would help fill the void in her heart.

  She sighed as she walked along the narrow path between the sweet smelling scents of fresh snow, evergreens, and the salty ocean blowing off the bay. What an idiot she’d been—standing there tongue-tied, lusting after an old boyfriend when she was engaged to Sven. And Mark had married and had a son. Where was his wife? No one had mentioned her, including Mark. Linda had warned her he had a child, but it hadn’t actually affected her as much as it did seeing them in person, just now. Together.

  It was obvious Mark enjoyed fatherhood—loved his son—they looked so right together. Happy. Kurtis looked like his father—the same Icelandic blue eyes, dark, wavy hair, and that sexy dimple in his left cheek when he smiled.

  A lump formed in her throat. She shook her head and straightened her shoulders—and stomped around the end of the first row of trees. The excitement of searching for the right tree sank clear to the bottom of her leather boots. Emotionally drained, she was ready to turn around and go home.

  Her fiancé was absent, her ex-boyfriend was married and had a son, and her best friend, Juelle, had remarried and was now living in Hawaii. She, on the other hand, had no one to help celebrate Christmas. Still reeling from having had to dress as an elf and embarrassing herself in front of the entire town of Lobster Cove, she was ready to pack it in and call it quits. Even another cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows in front of a roaring fire in an empty r
oom wasn’t going to do the trick when she got home. And right now, any tree would do.

  “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” blared over the loudspeaker, bells jingled. Cars brimming with anxious children excited to get out and pick out their trees, pulled in. She grabbed the first tree, a few inches taller than her, one she could handle when she got home. She hailed the nearest Scout for help, and then followed him, the tree thrown over his sturdy shoulder, back to the stand.

  After she paid for the tree, the Scout loaded it onto the top of her car, securing it with elastic ties for the short ride home. She pulled into her drive, ignored the tree on top of the vehicle looking like a sadly neglected tree from Whoville, and went inside. She started the CD player—Christmas music automatically kicked in. She was in dire need of something to help lift her spirits, but music alone wasn’t going to do it.

  She started a fire in the fireplace, and then stood and surveyed the room empty of decorations. It looked cold and lonely despite the fire that was starting to crackle in the grate. What she needed was the tree set up so she could decorate it, and whip the place into something more festive—at least it would be a start. It was time to pull the tree off the car, and drag it inside before she settled in with a cup of hot cocoa.

  Strains of “Blue Christmas” followed her to the front door. She missed Sven. But her mind shifted to Mark Logan. It had been a shock to see him. Her emotions always high during the holidays, seeing Mark with his son, didn’t help.

  Katelyn trudged to the door. Prepared to drag the tree inside, she swung the door wide, and gasped. She hadn’t expected to come face to face with Mark and Kurtis standing on her front porch so soon.

  “Hi, again.” His smile had her insides fluttering as if a swarm of baby butterflies were fighting it out inside.

  “Hi. Is something wrong?” Her mind shut down.

  “No. Kurtis was concerned you didn’t have someone to help you with your tree. He suggested we give you a hand. I see it’s still on the car.”

  Speechless. Thrilled. Turned on by his sexy good looks, she didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t a good idea to let him help her. In fact, it was a bad idea to let him inside. She looked around him, expecting to see his wife sitting in the car.