Red Hot Christmas (Pride Series Romance Novels)

by Jill Sanders

  “Good riddance, if you ask me,” Patty said with a huff. “We sure are proud of you for standing up for what's right. You've earned your spot in this town, working as hard as you do down there at the Jordan's restaurant. Best manager they've had, besides Lacey, that is.” The two women smiled and nodded.

  “You don't worry yourself about that appeal coming up. If your mother is pestering you about it, you just tell her to give me a call, and I'll set her straight.”

  Amber was still standing still. At this point, she was unsure of what had just happened. Surely these two strangers hadn't stood up for her? No one had ever stood up for her before. Not like this. She blinked a few times. When she opened her mouth, nothing came out.

  “Oh, see what we've done. We've upset her now.” Patty pulled out a box of tissues from behind her counter and handed a few to her. Amber looked down at them, unsure of what to do. Then a tear hit her hand and she realized she was crying.

  “I'm sorry, Amber. I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted you to hear the details of my visit from me and not your mother.”

  “It's just that...Well...I'm sorry.” She wiped her eyes and face.

  “It's okay, honey. I'm sorry we brought the whole subject up. Now we're standing around watching your ice cream melt,” Patty said as she started to scan Amber's items quickly. Ruth helped her bag the items.

  “Thank you, both of you. I'm sorry you found out about my past. I tried to hide it, and now I wish I would have come clean right away.”

  “Don't worry about it. We understand. We know we can be quite the gossips, but we both wanted you to know that your story wouldn't go any further than us. Some other people in town might not understand, since they don't know you like we do.” They both shook their heads. “Well, we'll just keep it to ourselves. You tell whomever you want whenever you feel more comfortable.”

  When Amber made it back upstairs, she realized her heart was lighter than when she'd gone downstairs. Now she thought she could get through the night without downing the entire container of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

  Luke's grandmother died in her sleep on the tenth of November five days after her farewell party. She was seventy-nine years old. She'd looked at peace when he'd found her that morning. He'd instantly known when he’d entered her room that she wasn't there anymore. He walked over to her bed and sat on the edge, looking down at her in the dark room.

  An hour later, when one of the Henderson sisters walked in, all his tears had been shed or so he'd thought. It took a day to make all the final arrangements. His grandmother had set everything up for her funeral shortly after his grandfather had died. Still, that didn't stop the steady stream of people from coming and going in the house. The place always smelled of home cooking and had people in it all hours of the day.

  That first night was the hardest on him. Iian stayed until late. He'd even tried to crash on the couch, but Luke knew he needed to get home to Allison and their son, Conner. Finally, around midnight, he convinced him to leave. Luke walked down the hallway and looked in to his grandma’s dark room. He could still smell the fancy perfume he'd bought her for her last birthday. He knew the bottle sat on her dresser, a cherished prize she'd enjoyed.

  Her funeral was all set for two days from now. No doubt the house would be packed with every member of the town afterwords. He knew he needed his sleep, but instead found himself up all night staring at the computer screen. Programming and designing helped take his mind off of how empty the house now felt.

  He'd never known how much his grandmother had filled the place with her smile, her laughter. When morning came around, he decided to take a quick drive and ended up at the old cemetery adjacent to the church. He knew he would be here again tomorrow, but he just needed to talk to his grandfather beforehand.

  As he stood on the hill, looking down over the small, peaceful town, he could almost believe everything would be alright. He talked to his grandfather, knowing the good it did was only for him. He was thankful they hadn't started digging the grave yet for his gran. The grass next to his grandfather’s marker was still green and whole. The night’s rain had soaked the ground and his boots sank a little in the grass as he chatted to himself.

  He must have been standing there for an hour, when he heard a cough behind him. Turning, he nodded to Father Michael.

  “Hey.” Luke stuck his hands in his coat pocket. He hadn't realized how cold he was until his fingers started to tingle.

  “How are you doing, son?” The father walked over and stood next to him, looking out across the cemetery towards the town.

  “I'm hanging in there.” Luke knew and liked the father. He'd been a steady staple all his life since they day he'd arrived in town when he'd been a lost child. Realizing he now felt a lot like that little boy so many years ago did little for his ego.

  “I know it's hard to believe, but your grandmother is with your grandfather now, and most likely getting a warm welcome in heaven.”

  He smiled, “Yeah, but it doesn't make the hurt and loneliness go away.” He turned to the father. “How does someone recover from losing everyone they've ever cared about? First my parents, now my second parents.”

  The father turned and looked at him. “Did you know I had a son? He'd be about your age, if he'd lived. When I was twenty-seven, he and my wife boarded a plane to visit my wife's family out east. The plane slid off the runway in Philly. I remember thinking the same thing back then. I'd come up here one day to pray and the priest, Father Patrick, had walked with me out here. He waved his hand over the view here.” Father Michael waved his arm towards the hillside, the trees, and the town. “He told me, “You have what you need in life. God never takes something without giving something else to help you.” Father Michael turned to Luke. “Then he said, “You have Pride, let the people here be your family. I can't take away your pain, your loneliness, but these people can and will.” The father put his arm around Luke's shoulder. “There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss my old life. But there isn't a day that goes by that I'm not thankful for the people I love and surround myself with. They are the reason I wake up every day. The reason I do what I do and enjoy my job.” He wiped a tear from his eyes. “Now, don't be going around saying that to anyone. As far as they know, God is the reason I do everything, and he is, because He gave me them.” He waved his arm again, pointing to the small town.

  Luke smiled, looking out over the town. He could see the smoke from the chimneys, and the cars driving down the roads. He could even make out someone walking down the street in a bright red rain coat. He knew almost everyone in town. He liked every single person and loved living in the town and couldn't imagine living anyplace else. He'd never given any thought to what he would do after his grandmother had passed. Would he stay here, would he go back east? But somehow he'd always known he'd stay.

  He knew that his gran's will ensured that almost everything went to him. There were a few items that went to his uncle and cousin in Portland, but the house was his.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then turned to the Father and smiled. “Why is it that you always say the right things? I can see that God gave us you in return.” He shook the man's hand. “I knew that losing gran was going to be hard, but I had lost sight of everything I still had. Thank you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Amber balanced the tray on her shoulder and tried not to notice that Luke was sitting in the large back room, surrounded by most of the people in town. Iian had shown up that morning and called her into his office. Today was Luke's grandmother's funeral, and instead of the whole town going to his place, he wanted to host the party here, in the large backroom. Amber had called all the staff and asked for everyone to come in and help out. Now the place was packed. Not just the back room, but the whole restaurant.

  She'd seen Luke come in, surrounded by his friends. He'd stood next to a man who could have been his twin, and she’d realized it must be his cousin Blake whom he'd talked about. The older
man next to them was most likely his uncle. Iian kept close to his friend as well. The small kids played, running around the back room as the adults chatted.

  She'd made a decision to run the event as a buffet, and had ordered the chefs to make larger amounts of some of their more popular dishes. She'd spent almost an hour setting up the long tables with some of the staff. The tables were lined up along the back wall and had large pans with gas burners keeping everything warm. A line was formed and everyone made it through quickly and smoothly and now sat at tables throughout the restaurant. Drinks were provided and desserts served and by the time the last guests left the place, Amber’s feet hurt, and she'd worked herself into a small stress headache.

  She hadn't had any time to stop by and talk privately to Luke. She felt bad and made a mental note to stop by that next day. Walking into her place, she decided a hot shower and some hot coca was in order. There was a new movie in her Netflix queue that she'd decided to watch, and she knew she had a bag of caramel popcorn tucked away.

  She was just about to get out of the bath when she heard the knocking on her door. Grabbing her thick pink robe, she made it to the door, but when she opened it, no one was there. Poking her head out, she looked down the stairs and saw Luke's back as he headed down the stairs.

  “Luke?” He turned when he heard her and started heading back up the stairs.

  “I didn't know if you were...” He dropped away when he got to the top stair and noticed her standing there, dripping wet in her robe.

  “Home?” She added for him, smiling a little. “Come on in, you're getting soaked.” She pulled him inside by his coat front until he stood just inside her door, dripping on her mat. “You're soaked. How long did you stand out there knocking?” He pulled his jacket off and hung it to dry on her coat rack.

  “I...I walked over.” His eyes followed her every move.

  “You walked? In this downpour?” She pointed to the large windows. Everything beyond the glass was gray and dark. The water slid down the outside of the glass.

  “Yeah, well, when I started walking it wasn't raining.”

  She thought about it. It had been raining when she'd left work almost an hour ago. “You've been out in the weather for over an hour? Come in, sit down. No!” She realize that he was indeed soaking wet. “Hang on.” She rushed to the bathroom, coming out with three large towels. Laying them on the couch, she motioned for him to sit. “If you want, I can stick your clothes in the dryer. I think I have an old pair of Chris' sweats around.” She started to walk back to her room.

  “No, that's okay. I'll be fine.” She looked at him and realized he looked so lost. His hair was dripping in his face. He took one of the towels and dried his face and hair, and she watched his motions.

  “I didn't mean to interrupt your...bath?”

  “Yes.” She nodded her head. “That’s okay, I was getting out anyway. I've been in too long, and I was starting to prune up.” She waved her fingers at him. “I didn't get a chance to talk to you today. I'm sorry about your grandmother. I only met her that once, but she was a sweet woman.”

  He smiled. “She couldn't stop talking about you after that night.” He sat there looking at her. She looked down and realized she was still in her robe.

  “Oh, um...If you'll give me a minute, I'll go change.”

  He nodded his head, and she disappeared into her room to change. Running into her bathroom, she towel dried her hair and ran a comb through it. She knew it would dry quickly. She opted to put on an old pair of jeans and a large comfortable red sweater. She put on her thick socks and dabbed a bit of her favorite perfume behind her ears.

  Checking her reflection she wished she could take a little time to apply make-up, but knew she'd kept him waiting long enough.

  When she walked out, he was standing by the windows, looking out at the dark street. The rain had let up a little. When she walked over, she noticed the streets were flooded, the drains strained from all the water quickly rushing down the streets.

  “You know, I never realized what a great view you have here. Somehow looking down at Main Street is soothing.”

  She smiled, realizing she'd thought the same thing. “I enjoy standing here in the mornings. It's fun to watch people rushing about, getting their business done.”

  He turned to look at her. He'd removed his wet sweatshirt and his white t-shirt was fairly dry.

  “I can see why people stay here their whole lives. It's more than just the view and the location. It's the people. My grandparents moved here shortly after my uncle was born. When both of their boys decided to leave after high school, they stayed. Then after I graduated, I went to school out east. But I returned when my grandfather died, and now...” He looked back out to the street.

  Her heart did a little dip. She'd never once thought that he'd been staying in Pride due to his grandmother. If he left, she'd feel a small empty spot. The realization of it caught her off guard. She turned her head back to the window and thought about what it all meant.

  She knew she'd been telling herself that he was just another man-child. For all she knew, he did stay up all night playing video games. After all, his room was decorated in early teen fashion.

  “I can't really imagine leaving here.” He turned back to her. “Why does it seem like I keep ending up at your place? Burdening you.”

  She looked at him. His copper eyes looked a little dull, and she remembered how he'd looked at the dinner. Making up her mind, she smiled at him. “You're not a burden. Actually, you are just what I needed. A big strong man to save me from the werewolves.”

  He smiled and looked around. “Werewolves? I don't see any werewolves.”

  “Oh, but you will.” She walked over and turned on her television. “You see, I was too busy to watch this for Halloween, so I've saved it especially for a spooky, rainy night when some tall, dark, handsome stranger would come knocking on my door to protect me.”

  She motioned to the couch. When he just looked at her like she was losing it, she piped in, “I'll make hot chocolate and caramel corn.”

  He smiled and sat down, crossing his foot over his knee. “Well?” He motioned to the television. “Let's get this party started.”

  He didn't know how she could say that she'd watched the movie. After all, her eyes were covered for over half the movie. He sat there, with her tucked close to his side, and at some points, she was almost in his lap. She squealed at every scary moment and covered her ears and eyes when the music would build before a scary scene. He laughed and loved every minute. At one point she had even spilled a little hot chocolate on him when a dog had jumped out of a dark alley on the screen. She'd made a bag of caramel popcorn; it had been years since he'd had caramel popcorn.

  By the end of the movie, he felt like his old self. He'd smiled, laughed, and even at one point, been a little scared himself.

  “Well, I can see why the movie made so much money at the box office. It's been a while since I went to a movie at a theater.”

  “I expect so, since they don't have one in Edgeview. Do you know, that was the second thing I checked out when I drove through there?”

  “Really? What was the first?”

  “To see if they had a Starbucks. I can't believe there isn't a coffee shop in town.”

  He shook his head. “Yeah, the coffee Patty gives out for free to customers just can't compare to a cappuccino.” He laughed.

  She chuckled, “Do you know, the first time she offered me a cup, I drank it and had to force myself to swallow it all and not spit it out. I didn't want to hurt her feelings.”

  They were sitting on her couch, pretty much in the same position that they'd been during the movie, but it felt more intimate now that the television was black. His arm was slung over her shoulders and it was the most natural thing to just lean over and place a soft kiss on her lips.

  She tasted like caramel and smelled like sin. His hands moved around her neck and into her soft hair. He could still feel a few damp strands
in her hair from her bath. Her skin was soft and smooth as he ran his other hand over her neck, pulling the large sweater to the side, exposing her neck. His lips left hers, running a trail down her slender neck. Here he found more of the sinful smell which had driven him nuts during the movie. He licked her slowly behind the ear and felt her shiver under his hands. Then she moaned and wrapped her fingers in his hair, holding him to her.

  “Luke,” she moaned. He pulled back and looked at her. Her blue eyes were closed and her head was leaning back against the back of the couch. Using one finger, he softly moved her sweater until the large open neckline fell off her bare shoulder. He wondered if she wore anything on under it. Her eyes opened and he could see desire; her blue eyes were unfocused and cloudy with want. He leaned in and took her mouth again as her hands reached for him.