A Silver Cove Christmas

by Jill Sanders

  “Thank you. My gingerbread has won the blue ribbon several years in a row at the county fair.” She leaned closer. “It was my mother’s recipe.”

  His eyes narrowed as he looked at her in the dim light.

  “You are a surprise,” he said out of the blue.

  “Am I?” she asked sipping her tea.

  “You look one way, talk another, yet live like this.” He motioned around.

  “Like?” She waited.

  “Surrounded by history. You look young enough to be your daughter’s sister instead of a grandmother.”

  She laughed and took a bite of the bread.

  “Thank you.” She smiled and set her teacup down.

  “How old are you?” he asked, setting his empty cup down next to hers.

  “A man should never ask a woman such a question.” She laughed.

  “I’m forty-two. I’d wager, by your looks, you’re in your early thirties.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  “But you’re not? Not unless you had your daughter when you were ten.” He frowned over at her as if he were crunching the numbers in his head.

  Her smile doubled. “My grandfather had a saying. If anyone wanted to know someone’s age, all they had to do was look deep into that person’s eyes.” She leaned forward. “You’re as young as you believe you are.” She gathered the tea tray and empty plates. “I’ll show you to your rooms. You’re probably tired after your journey.”

  Rory followed Crystal up the wide stairs, carrying his overnight bag and his laptop case.

  When he’d met Serenity, or Sarah as she liked to be called by anyone other than family, he’d been surprised at how much the pair of them looked alike. There were only slight differences in their hair and height, and he could see slight signs of age on Crystal.

  He would have easily mistaken them for sisters instead of mother and daughter, if he hadn’t known better.

  As they moved through the house, he tried to take in everything he could about the massive place. Even on the second floor, the holiday decorations were everywhere. He vaguely wondered how long it had taken her to put everything in place.

  He had to agree with her on one thing, he was tired.

  The tea and bread she’d given him had hit the spot and filled him to the brink of sleepiness.

  He normally didn’t sleep more than five hours a night and did some of his best work early in the morning before all the calls and emails usually started. Which was one of the reasons he’d turned down the early morning yoga. That and he didn’t like the idea of trying something new in front of a room full of strangers.

  Crystal was walking in front of him, and he watched her hips sway as she moved. The sweater skirt looked soft and his hands itched to touch it and her skin, which looked even softer.

  “Here you are.” She broke into his thoughts. “You’re welcome to use the room there as an office.” She motioned to the next door. “It was my father’s study. The wireless password is on the desk.” She walked into the bedroom and turned on the light. “The bathroom is through there.” She motioned to a heavy wood door. “If you need anything”—she walked over to the phone—“just dial pound. It will ring me upstairs.”

  She turned to go. “Thank you,” he said, setting down his case. The room was big and decorated much like the rest of the house. He imagined the bed had belonged to her great-grandparents. The classic style of the furniture told him that it had been in the rooms since the house was built. The fact that it was still in like-new condition told him that it had been taken care of all that time. “Miss…” He stopped when she raised her eyebrows at him. “Crystal,” he corrected. “I’m not sure what I can do to help you find your money, but I can assure you that whoever did this, by the time I leave, will never be able to take anything from you again.”

  Her smile was quick. “I believe you, Rory.”

  Hearing his name come from those sexy lips had him daydreaming again as she shut the door softly behind him.

  Once alone, he glanced around the massive space, void of the holiday cheer. He decided a warm shower was needed, then he’d dig into his computer and find out everything he could on Crystal Holley and her family before he started work tomorrow.

  The bathroom attached to the room was beautiful. He had always loved classic architecture, one of the many reasons he loved to travel to new places.

  There was more Italian marble in the space than he’d seen in all the places he’d visited in the past few years. The floors, shower, and bathtub were all surrounded by it. Even the walls were covered with the soft color. It appeared that the room had recently been upgraded, since the shower was glassed in with new showerheads and a large seat that ran the length of it.

  The bathtub, a massive sunken square with jets on every side, made him think of bathhouses.

  He itched to give it a try, but knew he’d probably fall asleep and drown in the thing before it filled up all the way.

  Flipping on the shower, he smiled when the water instantly heated. Pulling off his clothes, he folded them and laid them across the marble countertop.

  It took him a few minutes to adjust the half dozen showerheads spraying him, but finally, he got them to hit his lower back just right. He’d been struggling with aches and pains for the past year.

  By the time he stepped out of the shower, his body was completely relaxed. Just the thought of pulling out his computer caused him to groan out loud. So instead, he pulled on a pair of boxers and fell face first onto the king-sized bed.

  He hadn’t planned on falling fast asleep and not moving once during the night, but when he woke, his neck and back ached all over again.

  He’d slept outside of the covers, and his body shook from the cold as he waited once more for the water to heat. When he stepped under the spray, he sighed with relief.

  The last time he’d slept the entire night through had been shortly before he’d started Sinclair Financial Security Firm, or as he liked to call it, SFS.

  Running his own business had taken its toll on his body and his state of mind. It was different when you could count on a steady paycheck from an employer, but knowing that his income was a direct result of his getting work caused more stress than he’d ever imagined. Not that he would give up the chance of working for himself. He never wanted to go back to working for someone else again.

  After getting dressed, he sat down at the enormous oak desk in the room down the hall, logged on to the internet, and started his search to find out all he could on Crystal Holley.

  Chapter 3

  She tried to not be nosy with her guests. She’d had so many over the years. Some she’d brought in as lovers, others had only remained in the friend zone.

  She knew instantly upon seeing Rory Sinclair which zone she wished him to fall into.

  “How’s it going?” she asked, walking into her father’s old study. It was a quarter to six and she only had a few minutes to chat before heading out for her regular morning class.

  She caught him off guard, and he jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. She’d heard him moving around more than an hour earlier and guessed he’d be hard at work by the time she made her way downstairs.

  When his eyes landed on her, she watched them widen behind a sexy pair of wire-framed reading glasses.

  “I was just about to leave for my yoga class. I’ll be back after so we can eat some breakfast before heading in for your massage, and then we can get to work.”

  He blinked, then nodded. She smiled. Even though she had just celebrated her forty-sixth birthday last month, she knew she had the body of a thirty-year-old, thanks to her habit of healthy eating and exercise.

  The tight yoga outfit she always wore fit like a glove. In order not to cause the man a heart attack, she had pulled on one of her favorite long sweaters, which draped over her shoulders and ended just above her knees, before she had headed down the stairs to the second floor. The morning air had a bite to it, especially since the sun wasn’
t set to rise for another few hours, which meant she’d pull on yet another layer before leaving the house.

  If she was lucky, there would be frost covering everything when she stepped out for her morning jog to the store.

  “You… uh, going to leave the house in that?” He nodded to her outfit.

  “Yes. Don’t worry, hardly anyone’s awake at this hour in Silver Cove. My class is only forty-five minutes long. I’ll be back before the top of the hour.” She shifted her eyes to the screen and was a little shocked to see a picture of her and Serenity on his screen. “How’s it going?” she asked.

  He must have snapped out of the trance, because he flicked his fingers and the screen went black.

  “Slow,” he said, avoiding her eyes.

  “Does your research into my stolen money require you to research me and my daughter?”

  “It requires I look into everyone you know,” he said, turning towards her. “I’ll need complete access to everything, including your private lives. Who you’re involved with, who you trusted with access to your business accounts. We’ll need to make a list… later today.”

  “Right.” She sighed, feeling a little put off by his bluntness. But seeing the way he was holding himself, she immediately knew he was in pain. “You didn’t sleep well?” she asked, moving closer.

  “I slept fine,” he added quickly.

  She took another step closer and he tensed. “I’ll make sure to get you penciled in for that massage first thing.” She took a step back, and he nodded his head in agreement. “I’ll see you in an hour. We’ll have breakfast then. Until then, if you need anything—”

  “Thanks,” he broke in. “I’ll be fine.”

  “See you then.” She turned away.

  When she stepped outside, she took in a deep breath and let every ounce of stress leave her body before she took off at a brisk walk. By the time she hit the corner, she was at a full jog. She was slightly breathless when she hit the front door of Serenity’s Attic.

  When she walked through the front of the store, she waved to Olivia who was busy stocking the daily fresh fruits as she passed through.

  Half of her class was already in the room warming up when she walked in. Hanging her jacket and sweater on the hook by the door, she pulled out her mat and began her own warm-up.

  It was strange, her morning ritual was more than soothing, it was… automatic. Like breathing. Her body flowed with each move. Her lungs filled and emptied. Her muscles stretched, her mind cleared.

  By the time she was done with class, she felt centered and ready for the day. Keeping her body in motion was one of the things she attributed her youthful appearance to.

  There had always been talk about how young she looked. People in town who didn’t know her personally gossiped behind her back and insisted that she’d spent thousands of dollars to have work done. Other’s believed she was younger than she stated and even suggested she’d been fifteen when she’d had Serenity. She usually laughed about all of the gossip, but lately, talk was going around town about her hiding the money from the government. That no one had actually stolen the money from her.

  She wasn’t one to fall into depression because of gossip, but she had to admit, it had affected her in other ways.

  “I’ll see everyone tomorrow,” she called out, reaching for her sweater. When she saw Joe Stoker walking towards her, she tried not to show the stress the man caused her recently.

  She’d fallen for his good looks last year. The fact that he was ten years younger than her had boosted her morale for a while. At least until she’d had enough of his small mind.

  “Morning,” she said, trying to sound cheerful.

  “I heard you hired some fancy PI to track down your money.” Joe never was one to mince words.

  “My son-in-law thought it was best,” she said, wrapping the sweater around her shoulders and untucking her long hair from underneath. She’d tied it up in a long braid for the jog and yoga. It was far too warm in the room for the sweater, but she needed the extra layer as a shield.

  “I can help you. I’ve offered—”

  “We’ve been over this,” she interrupted. “Kayla thinks its best—”

  Joe sighed loudly. “If you had trusted me with your books, none of this would have happened in the first place.”

  “Thank you.” She rested a hand on his arm, which he quickly covered with his own hand, holding hers hostage.

  “Crystal, let me come back,” he said softly. The room was still emptying from the first class and started to fill with students in Joe’s high-impact class. “I miss you. We were good together.”

  “I don’t think that’s wise. I’ve moved on.” She tugged her hand free. “It’s just not in the cards for us.” She smiled. “Have a good class.” She walked away quickly.

  She was right, it had never been in the cards for them. She was a strong believer in tarot readings. She’d learned from the best psychic in Maine and had, for the past fifteen years, read her own cards and those of the people she loved on a daily basis.

  Star charts and horoscopes were also intuitive, but tarot cards were uncanny for getting things right, at least as far as Serenity’s life and the lives of her family and friends went.

  Ben was hard to narrow down, other than he would be a loyal and good husband and father. The rest about him she’d picked up herself by just studying him.

  She walked back to the house. The sun was coming up and the frost was melted already. When she walked in the front door, she guessed that Rory was still upstairs, plucking away at his computer.

  She surmised that she had an hour before he would want food and rushed up to her space on the third floor to shower and dress for the day.

  When she walked back down the stairs, she was wearing dark blue leggings with a large white sweater over them. The sweater hung off one of her shoulders, exposing the skin. It had been years since she’d worn any undergarments. She found that they only restricted the blood flow and gave her headaches. She knew this too was a point of gossip around town, but she didn’t care. Especially when there were new studies in France about how undergarments cause damage more than they help.

  Taking a moment to do a quick reading, she pulled out her cards and laid them in front of her, asking the questions that had been running through her mind.

  When she flipped the cards over, she thought about each card’s meaning to her. Today, there wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before. The Seven of Swords card was a troubling sight, but its meaning could be viewed in many different ways. Deception within a relationship was its most common meaning. Stealth or getting away with something and even mental challenges and breaking free were some other options. So many different ways she could look at the card staring back at her for the sixth time that month.

  When she was done, she walked into the kitchen to make breakfast and thought about the answers she’d found.

  Another card had showed her that something was hidden from her. She expected it was the thief and the money.

  Once again, she knew that change was coming her way. Was it Rory?

  Lastly, she would be making a new journey soon. A trip? She was due for a slight vacation and figured another trip to East Haven was in order.

  None of these were concrete answers to the questions she’d asked, but she held onto them. She quickly ran through the cards with Rory in mind, but what she really needed was to do a reading with Rory himself. She doubted he would agree right away, but maybe by the end of the week she could convince him of it.

  She busied herself making a sweet braided yeast bread filled with cinnamon and raisins. She had a pan of dough already risen from the day before. She usually had the fixings for something ready and frozen for her to thaw and create each week.

  She loved spending her Saturday mornings baking or preparing meals for the coming week. Today was no different. She took her time creating the intricate braid with the dough and then slid it into the waiting oven.

  T
hen she pulled out some of her favorites fruits and cleaned them before dicing them into a large bowl. Adding some Greek yogurt and mixed nuts to the side, she arranged the table just as she heard footsteps on the stairs.

  The warming bread caused the entire house to smell like heaven. She’d known it would only be a matter of time before the smell pulled him out of his work.

  “Hungry?” she asked, turning around and smiling at Rory as he entered the room.

  “What’s that smell?” he asked, looking around. His eyes traveled over her outfit, staying for a moment on her bare shoulder, then moving back to her eyes.

  “Fresh cinnamon raisin bread.” She set the bowl of nuts on the table next to the fruit and yogurt.

  “Fresh as in… homemade?”

  “Yes.” She motioned for him to sit. “Tea?” she asked. She noticed that his eyes had moved down to her bare feet. She hardly ever wore shoes in the house, and when she did, they were usually her yoga or dance slippers.

  “I’d kill for some coffee, but tea will do.” He sat down, his eyes going to the oven. “You went to yoga class, then came home, showered, and made fresh bread?”

  “Sure.” She set the cup of hot tea in front of him. “And you have almost three full hours of work under your belt already.”

  “True.” He sighed. “It’s just… people don’t cook from scratch… not anymore.”

  She laughed. “You just don’t know anyone who does. Who do you think bakes all those donuts or rolls you buy in the fancy coffee shops in town?” She set her own cup down next to his.

  “Machines… people.” He shrugged.

  “I like baking.” She pulled the pan of bread out of the oven and deeply inhaled the sweet scents. “Perfect.”

  “My god!” he said when he saw the bread. “You made that?” He got up to stare down at the pan. “That should be on the cover of some magazine.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and to her surprise, snapped a few pictures of it. “If it tastes half as good as it looks, it’s a wonder you don’t weigh five hundred pounds.”