Maxie Duncan Box Set

by Webb, Melissa L.

  Don’t get me wrong. I’m usually all about lights, mistletoe, and eggnog, but this year I just didn’t have anything to be jolly about. I should. Goodness knows I was where I was meant to be. I should have been celebrating my shoes off, having the time of my life.

  But here I was, standing behind the check-in counter at the Hotel DenMark and growling like the Grinch. It was Christmas Eve morning and I wanted the day to be over. Now.

  I could go back to the Cove, watch cheesy movies with Van, and hope that the next day wouldn’t be steeped in unbearable misery.

  This would be my first Christmas without my parents. I was used to the whole family thing. I’d wake up, smell turkeys roasting in the ovens on my way downstairs, and find my parents seated around the Christmas tree sipping eggnog, their joy reflected in the lights shining on their faces.

  Now, maybe I’m a little too old to have those traditions, but I do. And it was killing me I couldn’t have them this year. I invited my parents out to L.A. for the holidays. I had even reserved the DenMark’s penthouse for them. It would be perfect. My old family and my new family together for the holiday. That would have been something truly worth celebrating.

  Unfortunately, my parents had to cancel at the last minute. My father had an important business trip and couldn’t get out of it. So there I was, spending Christmas without my parents.

  But, if that wasn’t enough, Danny had some kind of super secret Trickster meeting he had to attend. Don’t ask me specifics on that. I probably couldn’t tell you even if I did know what it was about. All that’s important is he took Jensen with him for some kind of magical support. The meeting was held the day before and the guys were still not back yet.

  So I was riding low on my blues, wishing my first Christmas in L.A. would just go away. Maybe I just needed more friends. Or at least some normal ones. Man, being a witch was sure complicated.

  And I never thought I would say this, but I missed snow. The balmy California weather was getting on my nerves. I wanted snowflakes, and snowmen, and the beauty of a white backdrop. (Though, I have to say, I certainly didn’t miss trading in my six inch heels for a pair of ugly mukluks. Not that I would ever actually wears those, but you know what I mean.)

  So as you could plainly tell, the spirit of Yule was not with me as I muddled through work, forcing a smile as I dealt with all the bubbly, cheerful people around me. Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas and all that junk.

  I was getting ready to polish the brass room keys (Yeah, I was that desperate to keep myself busy.) when a voice startled me. “Hey, Maxie.”

  I turn around, hoping for a distraction from the blues. I was not disappointed. Katelyn, one of the hotel’s maids, stood there. How she always managed to sneak up on me, I would never know. I paused for a moment, taking her in. She looked like I felt. Horrible. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked like she was still wearing last night clothes. Maybe rotten Christmases were the trend this year.

  “Are you working this morning?” I asked, because honestly, I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Is Christmas treating you as bad as it is me, just didn’t seem like a proper greeting.

  She shook her head, her limp blonde hair falling into her face. “No. I just came to pick up my paycheck before my shift tonight.”

  Ah, yes. It was payday. Even that wasn’t enough to cheer me up. Oh, well. Maybe I could do something to brighten her day. “Are you okay?” I asked, fishing the envelope with her name on it out of a drawer.

  Taking the envelope from me, she ducked her head, avoiding eye contact. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she muttered as she shoved her two week’s pay into her purse.

  “Katelyn,” I spoke softly, hoping she’d let me in. I knew when a girl had troubles. God knows I’ve had my fair share of them lately. “What’s wrong?”

  She raised her head, eyes glistening as she looked at me. “I…I lost him, Maxie.”

  I frowned. That did not sound good. “Who?”

  “Allen. He broke up with me last night.”

  “What? What happened?” I thought I was having a lousy Christmas. Allen was Katelyn’s fiancé. They were getting married in three months. Or at least, that had been the plan. I felt myself shudder, the memory of Stephen’s betrayal swimming to the surface of my mind. I knew what the poor girl was feeling. Being tossed aside by your fiancé was heart-wrenching.

  Katelyn leaned forward, letting the counter bear the weight of her misery. “I’m not really sure. I thought everything was perfect,” she sobbed quietly. “He was promoted yesterday. We were celebrating. It was a good day for us.” She took a deep breath. “But then he told me the promotion meant a move. To Chicago. We had to be all moved in three weeks.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Can you believe that? Three weeks to end my life here. I don’t want to end my life here,” she said with a sigh. “My family is here. Everything is here. I don’t want to move.”

  “So he left you?” I asked, shocked.

  Katelyn nodded. “Yes. He chose his career over me. I guess a wedding proposal doesn’t mean as much as it use to.” She lowered her head, the tears coming hot and fast.

  Handing her a tissue, I watched as she tried to compose herself. Men. They were all the same. They only thing they were good for was breaking your heart.

  I was really surprised to find out Allen was one of the bad ones. They had always seemed so in love whenever I saw them together. I would have thought he would have done anything for her, including finding a way to keep his job and her. I guess you just never know about people. And about how low they’d be willing to stoop.

  And people thought I was crazy for not rushing back into a relationship. I wasn’t ready to trust my heart with a relationship again.

  I handed her another tissue, my heart breaking as I watched her body shake with each sob. Someone needed to do something. Someone needed to show Allen what a mistake he had made.

  Suddenly everything became really clear. I needed to do something. After all, what was the point of having magical powers if you couldn’t help the people you cared about?

  I knew a girl needed a shoulder to lean on at a time like this. My mom had been there for me. I would be there for Katelyn. Only this time I’d right this wrong. “Would you like to go somewhere and talk about it?”

  Looking up at me, then around the lobby, she suddenly realized how public her tears were. “Yes. I’d like to have my meltdown somewhere other than where I work,” she said with a faint trace of humor.

  I smiled, relieved she still could joke at a time like this. “I just need to make a few calls. Find someone to cover the front desk for me.”

  Nodding, she wiped at her eyes. “I’ll wait outside for you,” she said with a small smile, heading towards the door.

  Pulling out my cell phone, I quickly dialed my best friend’s number. “Hey, Van. Are you free to come to the front desk? I need a small favor.”

  T

  Van was more than willing to cover the front desk for me. She knew how much part of me still ached from being treated the same way by Stephen. She probably figured dealing with this would be a type of closure for me. Little did she know this would be cathartic for me. It would be a sort of do-over. Even if it wasn’t actually me erasing my past.

  I could erase Allen’s mistake. I could fix Katelyn’s shattered heart. That would be a Christmas worth suffering through.

  I had made a quick stop before meeting Katelyn outside. A little side trip to the bathroom gave me the privacy I needed to cast a spell. Nothing too fancy. Just something to call Katelyn’s true love to a spot of my choosing.

  I chose a small café a couple blocks from the DenMark. We were now sitting at one of its outside tables. Katelyn sobbed as she vented. Listening patiently, I kept an eye out for Allen. I knew he would show up. After all, he was her soul mate.

  “It’ll be okay,” I told her. “He’ll realize what a terrible mistake he’s made and come crawling back to you.”

  She look
ed up at me, her eyes even redder than before. “Do you really think so?”

  “I’m sure of it.” Of course, I was sure of it. I had cast a spell, hadn’t I? It should have been a matter of moments before her one and only made his way back into her life.

  “What can I get you Ladies today?” a waiter asked, coming over to our table. He smiled down at us, pen poised to take our order.

  “I’ll have a Carmel Macchiato with extra vanilla,” I told him and looked over at the soggy mess beside me. “Katelyn?”

  She looked up and cringed as she locked eyes with the waiter. “Oh, sorry,” she said, daubing at her face with a tissue. Her cheeks flushed as she glanced away. Ah, the curse of being a woman. Even in our darkest moments, we still find time to worry about the way we look.

  The waiter waited, his eyes never leaving Katelyn. Come on, dude, she didn’t look that bad. He must have felt my disapproving glare, because he suddenly cleared his throat. “I bet you could use something festive,” he said, eyes still glued to her. “We have a hot eggnog latte that is simply too good to be ignored.”

  Katelyn shoved her fist full of tissues aside and met his eyes. “That sounds wonderful,” she said with a slight sniffle.

  “You got it. One special eggnog coming right up.” He gave her a charming smile, then hurried away.

  Sighing, I watched him go. Where was Allen? He should have been here by now. Katelyn didn’t deserve to be in such misery.

  “I want to thank you, Maxie.” Katelyn told me after the waiter was completely gone. “I needed this. I didn’t really want to be alone right now.”

  “Trust me,” I said. “I know exactly how it feels. Before I moved out here, my fiancé broke up with me in a crowded restaurant.”

  She sucked in a small breath. “You? Really?”

  I nodded solemnly. “Yep. He had me show up there just to meet who was replacing me.”

  “What a creep!” she exclaimed, forgetting all about her sorrow for a moment. I’m glad my war stories were so terrible they made her life seem better. At least she wasn’t crying anymore.

  “Yeah, he was a real class act.”

  “Here you go,” the waiter said, appearing suddenly, setting our cups down in front of us. “I hope you enjoy,” he said, more to Katelyn than to me.

  “Thank you,” she replied, smiling. Well, now. That was a step in the right direction. Now if only Allen would show up and fix the rest of her day.

  The waiter told us if we needed anything to let him know and, with one final glance at Katelyn, headed back to work.

  “Mmmmm,” she almost purred as she sipped the eggnog latte. “He was right. This is so good.”

  I smiled. It was good to see the tension flowing away from her. I sipped my own vanilla/caramel goodness and glanced up just in time to see the man of her dreams walk by. “Hi Allen,” I called sweetly to him.

  He stopped, pushing tussled brown hair out of his eyes as he stared down at our table. A small frown tugged at the corner of his lips. “Hey, Katelyn. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

  She sat up straighter, pushing her tissues into her purse. “I didn’t know I was going to be here either.”

  I smiled up at him. “Would you care to join us?”

  He glanced nervously around him. “I hate to intrude.”

  “No. Please. We’re all adults here,” I said, glancing over at his soon-to-be ex ex. “Join us.”

  Allen smiled dutifully, pulling out a chair. “I can only stay a moment.”

  I could tell he didn’t really want to. Katelyn was beginning to fidget as well. But how else were they supposed to get back together if they didn’t start talking. Communication is the key to everything.

  “So, congratulations on your promotion,” I said, trying to break the ice. I sat back, sipping my drink, waiting for him to get the ball rolling.

  “Um, thank you,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “It’s a really good job, but…” He glanced over at Katelyn. “It’s in Chicago.”

  I nodded. “So I’ve heard.”

  “When do you leave?” Katelyn asked softly.

  “I’m booked on the first flight out tomorrow morning.”

  “Christmas day?”

  “Yes,” he said, dropping his gaze. “That was the plan. Now I wonder if it wasn’t too soon.”

  Hmmm. Really? That was a start.

  “Look, Katelyn, I’m sorry. I know I went about this all wrong.”

  She looked at him over her steaming mug, her eyes large and hopeful. “Really?”

  He sighed. “Yes. I think there is still a lot left to be said.”

  Okay, that was my cue. “I need to be heading back to work. Van will kill me if I take much longer.” I gave them my best innocent smile and hurried inside the café to settle our check.

  Walking along the busy sidewalk, my heels clicking as I hurried back to work, I couldn’t help smiling. I had brought those soul mates back together. They were talking again. And talking things out could only make it better. Right?

  ***

  I stepped back behind the counter, straightening my blouse and slacks. Being a busy, hard-working adult didn’t mean you couldn’t look your best.

  “How is Katelyn?” Van asked, logging out of the computer.

  “She’s better. All she needed was a little dose of girl talk.” And maybe one little spell, but I decided not to mention that. My friends tended to get nervous when I cast spells. Given my track record, I can’t really say I blame them. But still…

  “Must be hard to lose everything at Christmas,” she said, coming over to me. “Do you think she’ll be alright?”

  I nodded, barely holding back my grin. “I think she’ll be great before the day’s over. When I left her at the café, she and Allen were having a heart to heart.”

  Van’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really?”

  “Yes. I‘m glad, too. I couldn‘t bear the thought of her being so sad on Christmas.”

  She frowned slightly. “Are we sure that Allen is really what’s best for her? I can‘t believe he would do this to her in the first place?”

  “I agree it was pretty low. But…she loves him. What more do we need to know?”

  “I don’t know,” Van said, picking up her paperwork. “I need to get back to work.”

  “Van?” I asked, suddenly feeling very lonely. “Any word from the guys?”

  She shook her head. “Not yet.”

  I sighed, shuffling through some stacks of papers absently. I might have fixed Katelyn’s Christmas, but it looked like mine was still as blue as it had been.

  “Don’t worry, Max,” Van said, seeing the truth of what I was feeling. “The day’s not over yet.” Giving me a weak smile, she headed back to her office.

  I got back to work, busying myself with guests and phone calls, paperwork and keys. It helped if I only thought of it as a regular work day. But the people singing carols as they passed and the workers getting ready for the big tree lighting that evening were a little hard to ignore.

  Bah humbug. Had I said that yet? I think even Scrooge himself was bombarded less with Christmas than I.

  “Hey.”

  I glanced up. Katelyn was leaning against my counter, looking tired.

  “Hey,” I said, surprised to see her so soon. Didn’t heart to hearts take a while?

  “I just wanted to thank you for earlier,” she told me. “It was nice of you to take the time to let me vent.”

  “No, problem,” I told her seriously. “It‘s what friends do for each other.” I took in the slump of her shoulders and the faint darkness under her eyes. Maybe things hadn’t gone as I planned. “What happened after I left?”

  “We talked some. He kept telling me how he never planned for any of this to happen. Then he got a phone call and left.”

  He left? That wasn’t the outcome I wanted. “So you guys aren’t getting back together?”

  She shook her head, slightly confused. “No. I told you. He’s done. We w
ant different things in life and he wants to be free to follow the path he chooses.” She straightened up, tugging her purse strap higher on her shoulder. “Anyway, I have to go get ready for work. Thanks again for letting me weep on your shoulder. It means a lot to me.”

  “Anytime,” I called as I watched her walk away. Well, crud. That didn’t work. But I wasn’t taking no for an answer. It was time to come up with plan B. What could I do to save this holiday?

  ***

  Staring at the clock, I sighed. The day was taking forever. Didn’t it know this girl wanted to go home and mope? It was early afternoon and I was about ready to strangle the next person to wish me Merry Christmas. (Not that I’d really do that, but imagining my revenge was better than nothing.)

  My mood was getting worse. Not only was I suffering, I knew Katelyn was still suffering as well. And with good reason. That was just no way to spend Christmas Eve. I needed to do something.

  I had thought about casting a love spell, one that would make him want her back. But even I realized that would be wrong. I couldn’t force love like that. I wanted the love between them to stay pure and honest, like it was when they had first met.

  No, I needed to do something less invasive. Something that would ensure the integrity of their relationship. But I didn’t have a clue what that could be.

  “I know that look, Maxie. Are you still meddling?” Van asked, coming behind the counter.

  Yes, I was still meddling. But meddling was what I did best. Well, besides shopping. “In fact, I am. I’m just out of ideas at the moment.”

  She was quiet for a second. “Maybe you should let Fate decide what is best for her.”

  “But they were so in love. I just want to keep that alive.”

  She shrugged as she filed a stack of paperwork in the cabinets behind us. “Maybe they’ve lost the magic. It happens sometimes. As you are well aware of, Max.”

  I couldn’t keep the smile from coming to my lips. She was a genius. “That’s it. I just need to reignite the magic between them.”