Holiday Magic

by Fern Michaels

  “I’m okay with it, Mom,” Ashley replied.

  “Then spill the beans because I don’t think I can wait another minute. I’ve been beside myself with worry the past hour,” Stephanie said, in hopes that this would hurry along what was becoming quite a lengthy process.

  “We were waiting for Melanie at the sign, but then me and Amanda heard this really loud crying sound. It was by that building where they keep those giant machines that smooth out the snow.” Ashley smiled. “Then we just followed the crying. It was inside the building, so we weren’t really cold, but Amanda had to use the potty in the corner.”

  “And there wasn’t anyplace to wash my hands either, so I just…didn’t,” Amanda offered.

  Laughter pealed from the employees as they listened.

  “Go on,” Stephanie encouraged.

  “We heard where the crying noise came from.” Ashley looked at Patrick. “She’s gonna be okay, right?”

  “Thanks to you and your sister she is,” Patrick said. “Now don’t keep your mom waiting any longer.”

  “Once we were inside the building, we just followed the cries. And that’s when we found the mommy dog. She was so sad, her eyes had that look you know? So we just waited for her to stop crying, but then I saw a little baby puppy, and there was another one that was trying to…get out of the mommy’s belly. That’s why she was crying ’cause it was hurting her so bad. Amanda covered the baby pup up with her ski jacket.”

  “And I rubbed her head, too,” Amanda informed them.

  Ashley laughed at her little sister. “And the puppy was fine. But the mommy was still crying, and that’s when I helped her out, sort of.”

  Stephanie wasn’t sure what was coming next, but something told her it was about to make her day.

  “I watched those little tiger cubs on Animal Planet. That man helped take the cubs out with his hands, so I just did what he did, and another puppy came out, and the mommy stopped crying. She licked the puppy, and we gave her our granola bars. Amanda and me melted some snow and gave it to her to drink. So once the mommy had both of her pups, she just licked ’em, then she fed ’em. We put our jackets on them, so they wouldn’t freeze. I wanted to leave to find Melanie so she could help us with the dogs, but when I peeked out of the shed, I didn’t see her anywhere. The snow was really pouring out of the sky by then. And I remembered what I learned in my survival class. They taught us to stay where there was shelter, and, well, that’s what we did.” Ashley told the story as if it were something a ten and seven-year-old did every day.

  The employees applauded loudly, some calling out to Ashley “Way to go!” “You’re a hero!” “You can ski with me anytime!”

  Ashley appeared surprised by all the attention, so she just smiled as some of the employees stopped to give her a hug before they left. Stephanie watched in amazement as her daughter accepted their thanks in stride as though this were a normal, everyday event. Stephanie wasn’t sure exactly what to think right then. How was it possible that her ten-year-old daughter had delivered a puppy? And not only that, she remembered what to do in an emergency situation while in a snowstorm. Tears pooled once again. She was extremely proud of both girls for using their heads in this situation when most children their age wouldn’t have had a clue as to what to do. And where and how did Patrick fit into the picture?

  “I can’t tell you how proud I am of you both. I’m sure the dog was grateful you two showed up when you did, but that still doesn’t get either of you off the hook for not waiting for Melanie. She was worried about you, and so was I. You both know how I feel about knowing where you are at all times, right?”

  The girls nodded in unison.

  “But what about helping others? Didn’t you tell us that’s what good, decent people do?” Ashley asked, a puzzled look on her face.

  Oh boy. Stephanie didn’t think now was the time to get into the moral of this lesson. She would wait until they were home, where they could discuss this in private. For the moment, she was simply relieved that they were alive and didn’t seem to be fazed in the least by their experience.

  Stephanie needed to know Patrick’s role in finding her daughters. Since it didn’t appear as though he wanted to tell his side of the story, she turned to face him. For a second, she was flustered. He was so sexy, with his windblown raven black hair just a shade too long. And those blue eyes. Well she knew she could drown in them if given the opportunity, but it wasn’t the time. “How did you find the girls? And before you say anything, let me say thank you.”

  Patrick chuckled. “It was by sheer luck, trust me. When Candy Lee called me and told me they were missing, and with the storm worsening by the minute, I didn’t want to take a chance on using the snow-mobiles. I took the lift up to the garage, where we store the Snow Cats. I found them there caring for the dogs. I loaded the pups and the girls into the cab, and brought them here before dropping the dogs off with a friend of mine who’s a veterinarian. I stopped back by to make sure you’d found them. End of story.”

  “I can’t thank you enough. I was beside myself with worry,” Stephanie said, then stopped. “I know you don’t have children, so you probably haven’t a clue what it feels like knowing you might not see them again, so thanks, Patrick. You can’t imagine how much this means to me.”

  “As long as you don’t get any funny ideas about the future,” he said.

  Shock at his remark yielded quickly to anger. Not caring that he was her boss, and not caring that he was the man who’d just saved her daughters from being stuck out in a blizzard, Stephanie found she was practically breathless with rage. How dare he? And in front of her daughters, Candy Lee, and Melanie! She swallowed the vile words she wanted to sling at him before she made a fool of herself. Taking a breath, as much as she was able to, Stephanie spoke, letting her eyes convey the outrage and fury she felt. “Mr. O’Brien, trust me, any ‘funny ideas’ I may have had about you have been completely erased from my memory. If you don’t mind, I’m going to take my girls home so they can change their clothes, then we’re going to the Christmas tree lighting.” She walked to the front of the store, where she flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED.

  “You can’t do that! We’ve got two more hours before it’s time to close up shop. In spite of what you may think, there are people still out there who might want to visit the shop before they call it a day. You can’t just leave. There is money to be made, and I expect you to stay here and do your job. Or else,” he added.

  Knowing Patrick had about as much tact as a rattlesnake didn’t excuse his smart-ass comments, and for once in her life, Stephanie refused to allow a man to browbeat her into submitting to his demands. Without giving it another thought, she shot back, “Or else what?”

  She knew her remark caught him off guard just by looking at him. His nostrils flared like those of an angry stallion. She was familiar with Patrick’s reputation as a tough and demanding boss, but that didn’t prepare her for the words that spewed from his mouth.

  He rubbed the dark stubble on his chin and lowered his voice. Standing as close to her as possible, he said, “Or else this. How about you take the next four weeks off work. Spend some quality time with your children.”

  Stephanie felt the blood rush to her head, settling in her temples only to pound like a jackhammer.

  Before she even had a chance to respond, Patrick leaned next to her, and whispered in her ear, “Without pay.”

  Chapter 7

  As though she were on autopilot, Stephanie hastily took her daughters’ hands and practically pulled them off the stools they were sitting on as she raced to her office. Rage consumed her, then the feeling left as quickly as it came, humiliation coming in its stead. She’d lost all her wind, all of her spark, in less than a few seconds. Like a deflating hot air balloon, every emotion, every word, every thought drifted out with each exhalation.

  She removed her purse from a bottom drawer and grabbed her car keys from a hook on the wall. She quickly scanned the small space, sear
ching for anything of value she might be leaving behind. Fortunately, her pride was visible only to her.

  “What just happened out there?” Melanie whispered.

  Stephanie shook her head. “Not now. I have to get out of here.”

  “You want me to take the girls?” Melanie asked. Realizing the enormity behind the innocent comment, Melanie swallowed. “I mean I can take them to the Christmas tree lighting with you, help out.”

  “Thanks, but I’d like to spend the evening with just the girls. I’m sorry, it’s not you, it’s…” She looked down the hall at the front of the store, where Patrick could be seen bossing Candy Lee around.

  Melanie followed her gaze. “I see. Then I’ll just go on. You call if you need me for anything, no matter what, okay?”

  Melanie’s words jolted her back to reality, the reality that she really did need a friend right now. “No, don’t, I mean don’t go off by yourself. Come with us to the Christmas tree lighting. I think I might need a friend tonight.” There, she’d said it. She’d actually taken Grace’s advice. When you need help, a friend, a hug, ask for it.

  Melanie instantly brightened. “I was hoping you’d say that. I don’t want you and the girls to be all alone tonight.”

  Stephanie nodded, then walked to the employee exit, Amanda and Ashley trailing behind. “You want to ride with us?” Stephanie asked as she stepped out into the frigid evening air. Snowflakes swirled in the bluish glow beneath the lights in the parking lot. Icy wind whipped the ends of her hair as she walked across the almost empty lot to her car, a car in such pitiful condition, it almost made her smile. She’d scrimped and saved for three long months so that she could have a car of her own. She and the girls used the public bus system, but the buses didn’t take them through the drive-thru at McDonald’s, nor would a bus be there when they had the sudden urge to go out for ice cream. She’d been so proud of herself when she bought the car, her first major purchase with money she’d earned on her own. But as she fumbled through her pockets for the keys she’d placed there minutes ago, she saw the vehicle for what it really was. An almost-twenty-year-old hunk of junk just barely making it. Sort of like me, she thought as she unlocked the back door for the girls.

  Surprisingly, neither girl had uttered a word since they’d witnessed Patrick whisper those harsh words to her. Then it hit her! They weren’t talking because they were afraid! Even though they hadn’t actually heard his words, they knew their import from the way in which she was behaving. How could she be so blind? They’d spent so many years living on pins and needles with their father that it was second nature for them to behave this way when they saw a man and a woman together who didn’t appear to be on the best of terms!

  For this, she was mad. Madder than she’d been in a very, very long time. Anger pulsed through her veins, throbbing with each thought that raced through her head. Thankful no one could read her mind, she took another deep breath before getting behind the wheel. It wouldn’t do for her to be distracted in this weather, especially with the girls in the car. She looked in her rearview mirror. “Are your seat belts fastened?”

  They nodded.

  Melanie slid into the passenger seat, and Stephanie was glad she’d invited her, or rather that she’d accepted Melanie’s offer to come along. The younger woman reached across the seat and clasped Stephanie’s cold hand with her gloved hand. “We can talk later,” Melanie said.

  Stephanie gave a slight nod.

  “Let’s get these future veterinarians home so they can change clothes. Then I think we should all go out for pizza after the Christmas tree lighting.” Stephanie glanced in the rearview mirror again. Both girls were smiling, and in that very second all was right in her world.

  As she pulled out of the parking lot, Stephanie’s thoughts drifted to the enormity of what had just taken place at Snow Zone. This was the worst time in the world for it to happen, but she’d try and put it out of her mind for the rest of the evening. She owed it to the girls to at least try to act as though everything were normal. It wouldn’t be hard, as she was an expert at that type of behavior.

  Amanda was the one who broke the silence. “Mommy, can we go to Burger King instead of having pizza?”

  Kids, Stephanie thought as she carefully guided her old Ford down the narrow road that led off the mountain. “I think you should ask your sister.”

  “So do ya?” Amanda asked Ashley.

  “Mommy, tell her she needs to speak in complete sentences. When you’re in fourth grade, Mrs. Yost won’t allow you to speak that way if you’re in her class. Right, Mom?”

  “I suppose that’s true. But you didn’t answer Amanda’s question,” Stephanie said in a teasing tone, amazed that she could still banter back and forth with her girls given the dire situation Patrick O’Brien had just put her in.

  “Burger King is fine, but the only reason Amanda wants to go there is so she can get that Dora the Explorer toy they’re putting in the kids’ meals,” Ashley explained. “She’s too big for that stuff.”

  “And you’re too big to sleep with that crummy old rabbit that you’ve had forever. Right, Mommy?” Amanda asked. She was at the age where she needed her mother’s approval for almost everything she said. Most of the time, it was funny, but at that moment, Stephanie was trying to drive carefully in near-blizzard conditions, and it wasn’t funny.

  Melanie leaned over the front seat. “Let’s allow your mom to concentrate on her driving. Okay, girls? The roads are very slippery right now.”

  “Is that right, Mommy?” Amanda asked.

  Stephanie couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, Melanie is right. How about we play the quiet game until we get home. Whoever wins gets a double-dipped chocolate-covered ice-cream cone.”

  She was met with silence. She smiled at Melanie. “Both of them always win this game,” Stephanie explained.

  She knew the girls wanted to talk, but they were also very competitive. They’d bite their tongues if they had to.

  The rest of the drive to the garage apartment was made in silence. Stephanie wanted to enjoy her night with the girls because, from the look of things, it might be a while before she had a free night. Since she was out of a job, she would have to hustle to find something so late in the season. While she had her savings for her down payment on the house, she didn’t want to dip into them unless she absolutely had to. She still had high hopes of giving the girls a home of their own for Christmas. She might have to sacrifice the white canopied bed, but that would be okay, as long as they had a home of their own.

  Stephanie parked the Ford Taurus next to the outside stairs that led up to their apartment. The girls knew the rules of the quiet game. Once they were inside the house, they could talk all they wanted. Both shot up the stairs like bolts of lightning.

  “I think the quiet game is about to officially end,” Melanie said as she waited for Stephanie to unlock the door. Both girls barreled through the door.

  “I am not too big to sleep with my bunny rabbit. Mommy said she slept with a stuffed Tasmanian Devil until she was fourteen, so there!” Ashley said in a huff.

  “Well, then, it’s okay if I want the Dora Explorer prize in the kids’ meal.”

  In response, Ashley rubbed Amanda’s shoulder. “I guess it’s okay. I was just teasin’ with you anyway. I like Dora, too, just don’t tell anyone at school. Pinkie promise?” Ashley asked.

  Both girls locked their pinkies together, then shook their hands. “Okay, so let’s go change. I want to see the tree, but first I want something to eat. We never had lunch today,” Ashley explained to her mother.

  “I’m sorry. We’ll make up for it at dinner, now both of you change into something warm and brush your teeth and comb your hair before we leave. You’ve got ten minutes, or we’ll miss the Christmas tree lighting.”

  They ran inside their bedroom, slamming the door behind them.

  Out in the galley kitchen Stephanie poured glasses of Coke for her and Melanie.

  “Want to tell me
what sent you racing out of Snow Zone today? I know that conceited idiot said something to anger you,” Melanie said before taking a sip of her Coke.

  Stephanie debated not telling her, but she needed a friend. Even though the girls had managed to get away from her today, she trusted Melanie to the nth degree. “He told me to take the next four weeks off. Said I needed to spend the time with my kids. Then he added that my extended leave of absence would be without pay.”

  Melanie’s mouth opened and closed several times before she was actually able to form words. “That sneaky, low-life creep! How could he?”

  “He’s the boss, something he seems to like to remind me of all the time, that’s how.” Stephanie took a long pull from her glass of Coke. “I used to think he was a really nice guy, just a little rough around the edges. Now I think he’s a mean, hateful SOB who needs to get a life.”

  “I can’t believe he would do that to you, especially this time of year. Not only is the Snow Zone going to be swamped, but you have two children to buy Christmas gifts for.”

  “Yes, your thoughts mirror my own. But you know what angered me more than anything?”

  “You’re gonna tell me,” Melanie stated.

  “The girls were afraid. They knew that I was upset after speaking to that self-important jackass. It was like old times. When their father started ranting and raving, they would always clam up, hoping not to anger him. That’s the exact way they acted today when Mr. Patrick O’Brien got up on his high horse and gave me the boot. He can fire me, give me a leave of absence, whatever he wants. He’s the boss. But what he can’t do is frighten my girls! I won’t allow it, and I don’t care if he fires me for leaving early today. They’ve seen enough already.”

  “Do you think you should bring Max in on this? After all, he is your real boss, and Patrick’s, too. He owns Maximum Glide, and I bet Grace would have a thing or two to say about Patrick’s pissy managerial skills, not to mention his treatment of you.”