Carrolls and Firrs: A Christmas Novella

by Janice M. Whiteaker

  And lord she wanted to spill her guts. “They treat me like they did when I was in high school.” She shook her head. “Like I’m still the same girl who will do whatever they say.”

  “Is that what you used to do?”

  Ellie blew out a quiet scoff. “It’s what I still do.” She shook her head. “How is it I can go from running a business, managing people, being a professional, a respected adult, and as soon as I’m back here I have people telling me what to wear, who to go to lunch with, what to think.”

  It was embarrassing. Ridiculous even.

  And she just confessed it to Doug. Right after he asked for her help with his business.

  Bet he was regretting that right about now.

  Ellie stacked her papers in a pile and tapped it against the table, lining the edges up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to over share.” She tucked the stack into the pocket of her binder. “Thank you so much for your help.” She shoved her binder in her bag and yanked on her coat, quickly turning to go before she managed to make herself sound like any more of a child. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

  “Ellie.”

  She cringed at the thought of turning to face him but her feet stopped dead, glued to the polished concrete floor. She turned her head to the side. “Yeah.”

  Doug’s strong hand gripped one shoulder and slowly spun her around. His other hand rested on her empty shoulder and squeezed. Doug dipped his head to look her right in the eyes. “You are the best business person I know. You are also the best daughter I know for what you’re doing to help your parents.”

  “I won’t tell Aspen you said that.” The comment was meant to break the rope of tension between them twisting tighter with every second his hands held her and his eyes looked deep into hers. To distract herself from how much it meant knowing Doug believed in her. Unfortunately, the voice leaving her throat was barely a whisper, low and hushed. Not at all the axe of sarcasm she intended it to be.

  Doug smiled slowly.

  “I appreciate that.”

  ***

  Ellie nearly bounced in the seat as she made the last turn of her drive. The Jeep’s headlights cut through the flurry of snow swirling in the wind, leaving a soft glow on the road in front of her.

  Never in a million years would she have expected her parents to react the way they did to her ideas. But that wasn’t the best part of the whole evening.

  They turned the whole thing over to her. Told her to do whatever she thought was best. Not once did they question her. Not once did they pat her on the head and tell her thanks but no thanks.

  They sat and listened. Quietly. Treating her with the respect any business owner would give a consultant they hired. And at the end of the day that’s what she wanted to be to them. It was unexpected. It was unbelievable. It was fantastic. It was news she wanted to share. Right now.

  Ellie turned into the parking lot and her heart sank. It was empty. The darkened interior of The Grove dampened her excitement over the evening’s victory.

  She went into the meeting ready to fight for what was best for her parents with her business face on, ready to do battle. Ready to show her parents who she was now.

  All because of Doug. Because he told her he believed in her. Believed in what she could do.

  Maybe it wasn’t all Doug, but he’d told her exactly what she needed to hear, exactly when she needed to hear it and it made all the difference in the world tonight.

  And she wanted to thank him. Tell him how much it meant to her.

  Pulling into a spot, she parked and considered her options. Driving to his house was out of the question for more reasons than she could count, the top one being that it would be weird.

  Not that sitting in an empty parking lot wasn’t. Maybe she should just go tell Betsy. Talking with Doug would have to wait. Ellie sighed in disappointment as she put the Jeep into gear and started to back out.

  And almost ran over Doug.

  She yanked the Jeep back into park and jumped out to be sure it really was only almost. “Doug!” She skidded to a stop at the back corner of the Jeep. “I am so sorry. Are you okay?”

  “I didn’t expect you to try to run me over if the meeting bombed.” Doug dusted off the sleeve of his coat where she did actually manage to bump him with the back end, covering him with a dusting of snow.

  The adrenaline pounding in her veins from the near miss jumped on the wagon still carrying her excitement from before and barreled through her insides making her feel giddy and a little lightheaded. “No. It was great. They loved everything.”

  Doug’s face split into a wide smile. “Ellie that’s fantastic.”

  “I know!” She was so excited she felt like she would explode. Her parents business would be fixed. They treated her like an adult. For the first time since she moved back things felt different. In a good way.

  She jumped at Doug, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thank you so much. I don’t know that I could have done it without you.”

  She stopped, almost hanging mid-air, her toes barely touching the ground.

  Oh no.

  She just made it weird.

  She should just let go and step away, try some sort of a casual retreat.

  But she couldn’t move.

  Because Doug’s arms were around her too.

  Ellie leaned back. His eyes were shadowed in the dark parking lot, tiny bits of snow clinging to his black lashes. It was surprising they didn’t melt from the heat in his gaze.

  And he was looking at her.

  Oh no.

  “Doug, I—”

  She didn’t finish because his lips were pressed against hers. Or hers were pressed against his. Her brain was too overloaded to identify who kissed who.

  Or maybe she was in denial.

  Ellie held him tight, his beard rasping her chin, his breath warm on her cheek, his arms tight around her waist.

  Oh no.

  Ellie pulled her lips free and slowly unwound her arms from Doug’s neck letting her feet flatten out against the asphalt. “I, um,” she thumbed over her shoulder at the still open driver’s door, “I’m gonna probably go. Then. Now.”

  Doug stepped away from the back of the Jeep and up beside the door as she angled one leg in.

  “Ellie.”

  She slowly looked his way, trying not to wince at the embarrassment beginning to set in.

  “Drive careful.” He gave her that perfectly dimpled smile, grabbed the frame of the door and started to swing it closed.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  DOUG TAPPED HIS fingers against the counter and stared out the dusty front window. Was this what he really wanted to do?

  Was it worth putting everything on the line based on a hunch things might work out the way he wanted?

  He took a deep breath of the musty, stale air. Standing here wasn’t going to help him make his mind up.

  Pulling out his cell phone, Doug touched his way through the screen until he found the number he wanted. There was only one thing that could help him with this decision.

  The phone rang in his ear. Then it rang again.

  And again.

  Then voicemail. He took a breath and ran through what he should say in a race against the beeps, counting down the seconds until he had to leave a message for the woman who was making him rethink all his plans.

  A louder beep came right before he started to speak. Doug glanced at the screen. It was Ellie calling him back. Already.

  He switched calls hoping the smile on his face didn’t come through in his voice. “Hey.”

  It did. Doug tried to pull back, knock his feelings down a peg. But her sweet voice on the line made it hard.

  Almost impossible.

  “Hi. Sorry. I had to run outside.” Ellie’s words were breathy, rushed.

  She’d hurried.

  Doug walked to the front window and tried to look up the block. “Are you still outside?” The deep set of the window made
it impossible to see past the first couple of buildings.

  “Yes. I’m not so sure my parents are quite ready to know the full truth about my plans to fix the shop.” She laughed a little. “They’d probably revolt.”

  Doug stepped out the front door and onto the sidewalk. He could barely see Ellie tucked against one of her parent’s buildings. “Start walking away from downtown. Toward the elementary school.”

  She shifted, leaning out and looking in either direction. “Are you down here?”

  “Maybe.” He stepped farther away from the building and held up one hand.

  Ellie laughed in his ear as he watched her throw a quick glance over her shoulder hurry his way, ending their call as she went.

  She was still laughing when she stopped in front of the building. “What are you doing?”

  He thumbed at the building. “I want to show you something.”

  Ellie raised her brows, a smile quirking her lips. “A strange man trying to get me to come into a vacant building so he can show me something? I feel like this is a situation my parents warned me about.”

  “You sure?” Doug wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I have candy in there.”

  Ellie threw her head back and laughed, making a large cloud of misty fog in the cold morning air.

  Doug frowned down at her thin sweater. “Where is your coat?”

  Ellie cocked an eyebrow at him. “I thought I was just calling you back.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn’t realize I’d be taking a field trip.”

  Doug unzipped his coat and threw it over her shoulders.

  “I’m fine.” She rolled her eyes as he pulled the open edges together in front.

  “There’s no heat inside.” He grabbed Ellie’s hand and pulled her through the still open door. “It is out of the wind though.”

  Ellie stepped into the front room and spun in a slow circle. Her eyes covered every inch from the dusty floors to the flaking ceiling. She turned to him, her face unreadable. “Is this where you’re opening the coffee shop?”

  He wished he could tell what she was thinking. Just a little. Just enough that he could be prepared for her reaction to his deepest dream.

  But the woman had one hell of a business face and as glad as he was to have business Ellie here to help him, it had him shaking in his boots a little.

  He nodded, taking a slow breath trying to calm his nerves. “Yes.”

  Ellie returned his nod, her expression thoughtful as she started slowly moving through the building. She peeked into the next room, giving it an appraising once over. “Did you already buy it?”

  He swallowed. This conversation was bringing him a sickening feeling of déjà vous. “Not yet.”

  She continued on, silently making her way past the third and final room that made up the main floor before stopping at the bottom of the stairs. She eyed the handrail still resting on the top stair. “I don’t think that’s up to code.”

  Doug managed a chuckle and she rewarded him with a smile that made the tension bunching in his shoulders drop a notch.

  Ellie’s steps were light as she went up the stairs, her fingertips brushing the wall. “What will you do with the other two floors?”

  “I was thinking apartments.”

  Ellie didn’t answer. She kept moving, quietly taking it all in. First the second floor, then onto the third. It was enough to make even a patient man lose his sanity. By the time she’d seen every inch of the building Doug was barely hanging on. He couldn’t wait any longer.

  “Do you think it’s a terrible idea?”

  Ellie walked to the window and looked out, letting her palm rest against the glass. “I saw this building nearly every day growing up.” She turned to face him. “It reminded me of the dollhouse Santa brought me for Christmas when I was five.” Ellie smiled. “I always wondered what it looked like inside.”

  “You’re kidding.” Doug watched as Ellie skimmed her hand over a smooth section of the plaster wall. Her touch was soft, almost loving.

  She shook her head an easy smile on her face. “I don’t want to pressure you but…” She took her hand from the wall and tucked her arm back under his coat. “You absolutely have to buy this place.”

  She stepped closer. “And I’m not just saying that because the coffee shop would be right down the street.” She gave him a sly grin. “That being said I would be happy to exchange my business consultant services for free coffee.”

  Doug laughed. Loud. And then he grabbed her, pulling Ellie tight against his chest.

  If she was going to give out appreciation hugs then he was going to take full advantage and do the same. “Ellie you’re…”

  He wasn’t at a loss for words. He was at a loss for the right words.

  Words that wouldn’t be weird or make the fact that he was holding her, alone in an abandoned building awkward.

  “Really wonderful.”

  Ellie’s head was tucked against his chest and she made no move to wiggle free so he kept his arms wrapped around her, his coat protecting her from the cold. It felt different holding Ellie than it had any other woman before her. He felt possessive. Protective. And something else deep in the pit of his stomach that he didn’t want to consider.

  Something that wanted to always have her this close to him. Something that wanted to take care of her. “Maybe when it’s done you can move in here.”

  Her body tensed in his arms. Not much, just enough that Doug could tell his time with her against him was over.

  She stepped back, her cheeks touched with pink. “I bet it will be beautiful.” Her eyes avoided his. “I can’t wait to see it.”

  He didn’t want her to wait to see it.

  “I was hoping you would help me decide what to do. How to make it look.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, giving them someplace to go instead of trying to find Ellie’s. “I was thinking of giving it a more modern look, like something in the city. A little more high end then what’s around here.”

  “Most of the apartments around here are awful.” Ellie stepped past him to the stairs. “If you made these beautiful I bet you could get enough money to cover the mortgage and then some.”

  She stopped in the front room and looked around again. Ellie pointed to the wall separating the front two rooms. “If you could knock that down you would even be able to have a fair amount of seating in here.” She went to stand on the wall running up the right of the building. “You could have the coffee bar along this wall.” She held one finger in the direction of the next room. “The back room could be the kitchen area.” The same finger tapped against her bottom lip. “But you’ll need a bathroom I think.” Ellie turned to look his way. “Right?”

  The word was barely out before her eyes widened and Ellie dropped to the ground.

  Doug lunged to catch her but was too slow. Ellie was sprawled against the dusty floor when he reached her side. As he reached out to scoop her up, Ellie’s arm reached up and grabbed his shirt, yanking him down beside her.

  Her phone started to ring, the sound muffled by his heavy work coat.

  “Shoot.” Ellie fumbled around until the ringing stopped.

  “What is going on?” Doug tried to raise up but she had him back down before he even saw her hand coming.

  Ellie held her finger to her lips. “Shhhh. My mom’s outside.”

  “She’s not looking for me.” Doug raised his head, peeking over the deep window ledge. Sure enough, Cris Carroll was standing in front of the building talking into her cell phone.

  He grinned down at Ellie. “You want me to invite her in?”

  “Oh my gosh can you imagine?” Ellie rolled to her back and let out a stifled snort. “She’d have a heart attack.”

  “You think?” Maybe after Ellie’s trip through the building Doug was feeling optimistic, but a little part of him hoped maybe her parents wouldn’t have so many hard feelings, valid or not, if they knew how much he wanted their business to be successful.

  Not for them so much,
but that was beside the point.

  Doug scooted across the filthy floor, inching closer to Ellie. “If I’m going to give her a heart attack then I want to be sure it’s worth her pain and suffering.” He leaned down slowly, giving Ellie plenty of time to hit the brakes. Thank God she didn’t because there was nothing he wanted more in this world than to have his lips on hers.

  Not the building. Not the coffee shop. Nothing.

  And if her arms around his neck, pulling him closer were any indication, Ellie wanted the same thing.

  Doug was just relaxing against her, enjoying the soft press of her mouth when her phone began to ring. Again.

  He leaned up remembering the last time her mother interrupted, cutting their very first coffee date a little short. “I feel like your mom has a sixth sense about things.”

  Ellie huffed. “I should go before she calls the police and reports me missing.”

  Doug gave her a wink. “The perks of being an only child. Your parent’s whole world revolves around you.”

  Ellie groaned. “You have no idea.”

  Doug kissed the tip of her nose. “Nope and I’m not gonna say I wish I did.” He pushed up from the floor and held out his hand, gently pulling Ellie up when she placed her hand in his.

  She pulled his coat from around her shoulders. “I’m going to give this back.”

  He hated the thought of her walking back in the freezing cold. “You sure?”

  “Positive. I’m not creative enough to come up with an explanation for where I went and why I came back with a coat that smells like a man.”

  Doug tucked the coat over his arm and walked her to the door. “After that idea to host classes at the shop I wouldn’t underestimate your creative talents.”

  Ellie opened the door and flashed a smile. “Maybe I’ll save them all up for this place.”

  “Do that.” He held the door as she stepped out onto the thick stone stoop. As she started to walk away he leaned out the door. “Ellie.”

  She paused.

  “I’ll call you.”

  Ellie gave him a smile and a quick wave then hustled down the sidewalk. He watched, stepping out for a better view until she disappeared into the door of the Carrolls’ shop.