Sugarplum Way

by Debbie Mason

  Once Julia had taken her place, facing away from the window and posing in the fifth position, she heard the swoosh of the curtains opening.

  “Remember, give the kids a couple of minutes to look at the window before you start to dance. I want to get some shots of their faces when they realize you’re not a mannequin. Break a leg,” Poppy said, and headed back to the coffee shop. “Byron, get off your phone and pay attention. I’ll knock on the door at the exact moment you’re supposed to hit the lights.”

  Julia heard Byron say something about bossy baby sisters and was about to comment herself, but the sound of Aidan’s voice distracted her. It was so close that she was positive he was leaning against the window. A woman responded. His ex-wife, Julia assumed, and her heart gave a nervous flutter. For her plan to work, she had to get five minutes alone with Dr. Harper Granger. Julia thought her best chance of doing so was to have the woman sign the copies of Where Evil Lurks that she had in stock.

  “Showtime, sugarplum,” Byron called out a second before the exterior Christmas lights went on. Inside, the spotlights in the window illuminated the space where Julia stood. She’d changed the bulbs to soft purple and pink. Silently, she counted in her head to a hundred as Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum” came through the store’s speakers.

  From outside came the sounds of oohs and aahs and clapping. She hoped it looked as magical as it had last night when she’d done a trial run. “Okay, sugarplum, you’re on,” she murmured to herself, smiling when the movements of the dance brought her face-to-face with her surprised audience. Her smile widened when the children pressed their faces to the glass. For one brief and shining moment, their wide eyes reflected the belief that magic was real. And that made all the long nights preparing for today worthwhile. Because to her, there was no greater gift to give a child than the belief in miracles and magic.

  George pushed her way past the bigger children to the front and waved at Julia. Mia and a little girl with a heart-shaped face and long wavy hair and blue eyes joined her. If she had any doubt that this was Ella Rose, Aidan dispelled it.

  When he’d talked about his daughter the other day, Julia had seen a hint of the man now standing on the other side of the glass looking down at his little girl like she was his sun and moon and stars. To see his love for his daughter shining from his eyes up close and personal nearly undid her. Underneath his grumpy, badass persona beat the heart of a warm and loving father. Now more than ever, Julia was determined to see her plan through.

  Crouching beside Ella Rose, Aidan’s gaze lifted to meet Julia’s through the glass, a slow smile curving his lips. Maybe because he didn’t smile often, it felt like a precious gift when he did, like you meant something to him, like you were special. The thought made her miss a step, but she quickly recovered and ended the dance by pirouetting off her tiny stage and out of the spotlight.

  Her hands trembled when she reached for the warm hooded cape she planned to wear outside. She didn’t want to miss the entire lighting ceremony, but she wasn’t sure she could face Aidan. Last summer, she’d honestly thought he’d crushed any feelings she’d had for him. Some people would say, What feelings? You shared a kiss. Big deal. But they were the same people who didn’t believe in soul mates and love at first sight. Over the past few days, as she’d gotten to know the man behind the fantasy, she’d sensed those feelings coming back to life.

  Tonight had made it worse. Because where she’d once believed there wasn’t the remotest possibility of Aidan ever returning her feelings, something about his smile made her think he wasn’t completely immune to her.

  She drew the cape around her and walked under the arch to the coffee shop. Behind the counter, Byron stopped filling small paper cups with hot chocolate to clap. “You’re the star of the festival, sugarplum.” He picked up his phone from the counter. “Poppy said to tell you she got some great shots.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you two. Come on, I don’t want you to miss all the fun because of me.” She picked up the tray of hot chocolate. “Can you grab the cookies, please?” Mackenzie, her friend who owned Truly Scrumptious, had made Clara and the Mouse King cookies. They tasted as scrumptious as they looked.

  “Trade,” Byron said, replacing her tray of hot chocolate with a tray of cookies. “You’re more likely to get trampled than me.”

  As soon as she stepped out the door, Julia was greeted by cheers and clapping. She smiled and curtsied. “Thank you. Is everyone enjoying the Festival of Lights?” she asked, doing her best not to search the sea of people for Aidan. From the number of yeses though, it sounded like the event was a hit.

  George hurried over with Aidan’s daughter. Well, Ella Rose didn’t so much hurry as she was dragged along by George. “This is our friend Julia. She owns the bookstore and coffee shop. Your dad got your present here. You should get him to bring you to storytime. It’s fun,” George said to Ella Rose.

  “You’re one of my favorite storytime kids, you know that,” Julia said, giving George a hug. She smiled at the little girl looking at her shyly from beneath her bangs. “Happy early birthday, Ella Rose. Did you like your present your daddy bought you?”

  She nodded, giving Julia a tentative smile.

  “Can you say thanks to Julia, pumpkin? She helped me pick out your present.”

  Butterflies pirouetted in Julia’s stomach. She should have known Aidan wouldn’t let his little girl out of his sight. Her smile wobbled as she lifted her gaze to meet his. There was something about the way he looked at her tonight that was different from any time before. It felt like maybe he was seeing her for the first time.

  Ella Rose glanced from Aidan to Julia. “Thank you. It was a really nice present.”

  “I’m glad you liked it. Your daddy said it had to be special because you’re a very special little girl.”

  Ella Rose smiled up at Aidan.

  “Would you guys like a cookie?” Julia offered.

  George helped herself to three.

  “George,” Aidan said when she went for a fourth.

  “They’re for all the family, Uncle Aidan,” the little girl said, not at all fazed by his growly voice.

  He rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

  Noticing Ella Rose looking over her shoulder, Julia followed her gaze. Harper was speaking to a group of well-dressed older women. Julia couldn’t help herself and groaned.

  “What’s wrong?” Aidan asked.

  “Your ex-wife’s talking to Mrs. Bradford and her friends.”

  “And…?”

  “Since she took the town to court over me being named chair of the Christmas committee instead of her, I don’t imagine she’s here to do anything other than make trouble.”

  “You might be surprised. That was quite the performance, Julia. The whole night has been great.”

  She warmed at his praise. Especially since she had the feeling he wasn’t exactly a fan of Christmas. “Oh gosh, you’re going to miss the best part. Hurry. Get to the front so Ella Rose can see the harbor. You too, George.”

  Julia hung back, realizing her earlier plan to get Harper alone in the store wasn’t going to work. It was already seven thirty, and Aidan’s ex had at least a forty-five-minute drive ahead of her. It was now or never. Aidan towered over most people, and he had George in one arm and Ella Rose in the other, so it wasn’t hard to see where he was. Julia offered the parade goers cookies and waved to her friends in the crowd as she inched her way toward Harper.

  “There she is. That’s her. The hussy, making a spectacle of herself. You should be ashamed of yourself, Julia Landon. I’m going to have you charged with public indecency.” Mrs. Bradford practically shouted her charges as she held up her phone. “We have all the proof we need right here.”

  Julia’s cheeks heated as people turned. She wouldn’t let the older woman ruin everyone’s memory of the night by causing a scene. “I’m sorry you were offended, Mrs. Bradford. That was never my intention.” She moved t
o walk away, and the older woman grabbed her arm, causing the cookies to fall off the tray.

  One minute there was no one in front of her and then Aidan was there, removing Mrs. Bradford’s hand from her arm. “Don’t touch her again. Are you okay?” he asked Julia.

  “Assault! He assaulted me! Mavis, call Chief Benson. I think my wrist is broken.”

  Chapter Ten

  The front of Books and Beans was a crime scene. All they needed was the yellow tape. And for the Sugar Plum Fairy to act on the murderous intent Aidan saw in her purple eyes. Julia hugged herself, her gaze flicking to where one of his colleagues took Mrs. Bradford’s statement.

  “She ruined everything. Now all anyone will remember is this. They won’t remember how magical the night was.” Julia looked up at him, the Christmas lights glinting off the tiara she wore in her dark hair, which was gathered in a bun.

  He thought she might be right, but he didn’t want to make her feel worse than she already did. An unhappy and angry Julia was something he hadn’t seen before. She usually sparkled with happiness and light—like she’d swallowed the sun. He imagined that’s why people were drawn to her. Himself included, he thought as he remembered his reaction to her dance in the window. Like everything she did, Julia had put her heart and soul into tonight.

  He glanced at the bitter old woman finishing up her statement, feeling a little murderous himself. “Most people won’t even know it happened. The biggest crowds were at the town hall and down by the harbor. All any of us standing here will remember is you and your dance.” He stroked her cheek, holding up his glitter-coated finger. “You sparkled. Don’t let her ruin your night.”

  “If it was just me, I wouldn’t. But it’s not. It’s you I’m worried about, Aidan. I’ve been working on an idea that would prove to Paul that you’re an asset to HHPD, the best detective on the force. Nothing elaborate, just a couple of small things that would show him he’s wrong about you. And now, thanks to Mrs. Bradford, I’m going to have to think of something really big.” She sighed. “It was sweet of you to intervene, but I really wish you hadn’t. I can take care of myself, you know.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders and ducked to look her in the eyes. “So can I. It’s not your job to make things right for me, Julia. As much as you look like the Sugar Plum Fairy, you aren’t her. You can’t grant wishes and make everyone’s dreams come true.”

  There was something behind the shimmer in her eyes, an emotion, a secret he couldn’t read. He had the feeling though that he’d just caught a glimpse of the real Julia. The woman behind the many masks she wore.

  She looked away and murmured, “The Sugar Plum Fairy doesn’t grant wishes or make dreams come true. She rules the Kingdom of Sweets and plans the festivities.”

  “There you go. The perfect job for you. Now—” He broke off at the sight of his boss pushing his way through the crowd.

  Julia followed his gaze, made an eep sound in her throat, and wriggled out from under Aidan’s hands. Pretty sure he recognized the look that came into her eyes, he said, “Do not…” She took off. He made a grab for her, but couldn’t get a hold of her cape. It was slippery and so was she.

  The muscle in Aidan’s jaw flexed and his hands balled into fists when she threw herself into Benson’s arms. Aidan told himself it was because he knew what she was up to, not that she was being held by another man, a man old enough to be her father.

  “Oh, Paul, I was so scared. Sh-she threatened me and called me horrible names. She ruined everything. Mackenzie spent hours making special Nutcracker cookies and look, look what Mrs. Bradford did. She grabbed my arm and the cookies…” A sob broke in Julia’s voice as she gestured to the sidewalk. Unless she was a better actress than Aidan had given her credit for, she wasn’t faking.

  He speared the old woman being comforted by her friends with a hard stare.

  Mrs. Bradford gasped, calling to Aidan’s colleague, who’d been walking toward Benson, “Officer! He’s threatening me! He just threatened me again.”

  Benson glared at him, and Julia did the same before returning her full attention to his boss, wrapping her arms around Paul’s waist to no doubt stop him from confronting Aidan.

  “Don’t listen to a word she says, Paul. Aidan didn’t do anything wrong but try and…” She hesitated before saying, “protect me. He knows how close you and I are, and he wanted to make sure nothing happened to me. And no matter what Mrs. Bradford says, he didn’t so much as lay a finger on her. I heard him. He said in a very quiet and gentlemanly manner, ‘Ma’am, will you kindly unhand Miss Julia.’”

  Liam and his father joined Aidan on the sidewalk. Finn and Griffin had taken the women and younger kids home. George and Mia had stayed behind to keep Ella Rose company. They, along with Harper, were hanging out inside Books and Beans.

  “So, were you channeling Rhett Butler or is Julia channeling Scarlett O’Hara?” Liam asked.

  “What do you think?” he muttered.

  Until that moment, he’d been more concerned about Julia than himself. He hadn’t given much thought to how this looked to his ex and his daughter. He wondered if Harper would hold the incident against him and deny him access to Ella Rose or if he’d scared his little girl. If he lost his job, it might be a moot point. And, as he’d just realized, there was a good chance of that happening. The Bradford family were well known in town and held some influence.

  If the tense expression on his father’s face was any indication, Aidan was probably right, and his job actually was on the line. At least that’s what he thought until he noticed Maggie moving to Benson’s side. Looked like a small win for the Sugar Plum Fairy tonight. She’d succeeded in making his dad jealous or, at the very least, aware he wasn’t the only game in town.

  “It’s all right. I think I get it, darlin’. You go inside and get warm. You’re shivering. You too, Maggie. I won’t be long.”

  Aidan frowned at Julia. She wasn’t just shivering; her teeth were chattering. Her cheeks were flushed too. Probably because, in order to plead Aidan’s case, she’d worked herself into a state. And she looked like she planned to keep pleading it. Aidan caught her eye and jerked his thumb at the door, mouthing, Go. Now.

  She looked like she might object but then sighed and moved toward the door.

  “Chief. Chief Benson. If you value your job, you will fire this man.” Mrs. Bradford stabbed a finger in Aidan’s direction and then at Julia. “I want her charged with lewd behavior.”

  Julia turned, looking every inch the ticked-off fairy. “That sounds like you’re threatening the chief, Mrs. Bradford. Is that what you’re doing? Or is it a bribe in disguise? Because from—”

  Okay, if Benson wasn’t going to put a stop to this, he was. He cut off Julia. “Do me a favor and…” He didn’t think telling her to put a sock in it would help so he said, “Check on Ella Rose and Harper.”

  “They’re still here? In my store?”

  The thread of excitement in her voice caused a nervous twitch in his left eye. Which got progressively worse when he reluctantly nodded and she fast-walked to the door.

  He felt a little better when Liam said, “I’ll go check on the girls.”

  “If you don’t mind, keep an eye on Julia too.”

  His brother nodded and headed for the store.

  Their father, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Maggie, turned his attention to the chief when the door to Books and Beans closed behind her. “Paul, we’ve been friends a long time, and I’ve never interfered in you doing your job as you saw fit. But you should know, if I feel my son is being unfairly treated in any way, I will make a stink this town will never forget.”

  Whoa. Aidan wasn’t expecting that. His typically mild-mannered father had just shocked the hell out of him. Too bad he hadn’t videoed it. His brothers would never believe him. But while he appreciated his father standing up for him, Aidan preferred to fight his battles on his own. Besides, no matter that he wasn’t a fan of his boss, his dad and Benson had been f
riends for more than thirty-five years.

  “I’ll treat your son as I would any of my officers, Colin. If you have a problem with that, take it up with the mayor.”

  “Take up what with me?” Hazel Winters asked as she walked toward them wearing a full-length fur coat with a matching hat on her head. It was the same color as her hair. She looked like a bear.

  She was followed by her assistant, Delaney, a woman Aidan had gone out with for drinks a couple of times. Beautiful and ambitious, she was exactly the type of woman he was attracted to.

  “Hey, stranger. It’s been a while,” Delaney said, coming to stand beside him when Benson took the mayor aside. The sky-high heels on Delaney’s dominatrix boots put her almost eye level with Aidan.

  She was a strong woman who knew what she wanted, and right now the look in her eyes seemed to suggest she wanted him. A few months back, he would have been more than happy to oblige. Not now though. And he had an uncomfortable feeling he knew exactly where to lay the blame for his lack of interest—a cute fairy princess with big purple eyes.

  His father glanced from him to Delaney, and then, apparently assuming Aidan was distracted, sidled over to speak with Mrs. Bradford and her cronies.

  “Yeah, it has been. How are you doing?” he responded to Delaney while keeping an eye on his father.

  “Ready to ring in the New Year if I make it until then.”

  “Not a fan of Christmas, I take it?” Another point in her favor.

  “In moderation. You might not have noticed this, being a native, but no one does small in Harmony Harbor. They take ‘go big or go home’ literally. Christmas is no exception. Especially now that Julia has taken over.”

  Aidan stiffened at the faint curl of Delaney’s lip. “What’s your problem with Julia?”

  “Oh God, don’t tell me. Someone else in this town who thinks the woman walks on water. Forget I said anything.” She straightened when Hazel marched over to Mrs. Bradford with Benson following behind, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else but there. Delaney frowned. “What’s going on?”