by Ann, Natalie
Everyone that saw her today smiled. How could you not smile when you saw her bouncing down the hall dressed like that? He had to admit, she really did make people happy without even trying. She pulled people in.
Setting the card aside, he took a drink of the coffee and realized it was exactly how he took it, no sugar with a little bit of cream. She obviously remembered from that one time she talked to him in line at the coffee shop.
He picked up the M&M’s, breakfast, or her morning snack. Then the gummy bears, which had been her lunch of choice the last few days. And of course the Kit Kat bar, an afternoon snack. She liked her candy, no question about it.
Last Friday he had come out of his office and had seen her standing off to the corner. By now he knew she was sneaking candy without anyone trying to take it from her. As always, she smiled up at him.
For the life of him he didn’t know what possessed him, but he couldn’t help it. He reached down and took the remaining two Kit Kat sticks out of her hand, said thanks and kept walking.
“Hey,” she had called to him when he was a few feet away, foot tapping, and hands on her hips.
“It’s polite to share,” he had called back, a serious look on his face.
Moving her hands away from her hips and crossing them in front of her chest, she gave her best scowl, which didn’t really come off as angry at all. “It’s also polite to ask.”
“Guess I’m not polite then,” he said with a twitch of his lips and finished off the last bite of chocolate.
He knew he shouldn’t be encouraging her. But he couldn’t help it. She was slowly pulling him in without even trying.
Like this little surprise she left on his desk. He would bet anything there was nothing more than kindness behind her gift. It touched him more than he cared to admit. It had been a long time since anyone did anything nice like this for him. Or touched him emotionally.
***
There was one day guaranteed to make Cori jump out of bed prior to any alarm. Christmas.
Ever since she was a little kid, Christmas morning was her favorite time of the year. She didn’t even mind that she normally woke up after only a few hours of sleep, mainly due to being too excited to fall asleep the night before.
She would lie in bed and dream of all the exciting toys and gifts that would be waiting for her under the tree. Even after she had long outgrown Santa, she still couldn’t get over the sleepless nights or excited mornings.
Her parents had always made Christmas fun. Milk and Nana’s homemade sugar cookies shaped like little reindeer were always left out for hardworking Santa. Later on in life she realized those cookies were always left because they were her father’s favorite. And she couldn’t blame him, because they were hers, too. She could eat an entire plate of Nana’s sugar cookies and still go back for more.
Living on her own hadn’t dampened her excitement. At 6:00 a.m. Cori bounced out of bed and quickly discarded her new Christmas pajamas, a gift from her parents to wear on Christmas Eve, another long-standing tradition in the Summers household.
She ran into the bathroom, turned the water on hot to warm up the little room, ran back out, grabbed a pair of jeans and bright green sweater, and ran back to the shower.
Forty-five minutes later she was walking through the front door of her parents’ brightly decorated house. “Cori you’re later than I expected this morning,” her mom stated, leaning in for a big hug and kiss. “Merry Christmas, darling.”
Bouncing up and down in her mother’s short arms, she returned the hug and kiss. “Merry Christmas. Where’s Dad?” Cori asked, looking around the room.
“In the kitchen. Where else?” Barbara Summers answered with a smile.
“Dad, are you making cinnamon buns?” Cori yelled and dashed through the house into the kitchen. She didn’t need to run. She knew the answer by the smell in the air.
“Merry Christmas, sunshine,” Sam Summers said, returning Cori’s enthusiastic hug, then turned to take the first pan out of the oven. “You’re late. But just in time for the first batch. Too bad I licked the batter myself from the bowl. Next time maybe you will get here a little earlier.” He tapped a finger to her nose like he did when she was a child.
“Nana,” Cori asked her grandmother several hours later while she ate her second reindeer cookie. “Did you make me a plate to take home later?”
“You know I did, Cortland.”
Cori rolled her eyes and stuck out a bright red tongue that was covered with food coloring from Rudolf’s nose at her grandmother. “Guess what, Nana? I met a man.”
“Did you now?” Rose Summers asked with interest. “When do we get to meet him?”
“Soon. I hope. Maybe. I’m not sure,” she ended with a frown.
“Well, which is it?”
“Soon,” Cori replied definitively. “Better to stay positive, right, Nana?” She licked the rest of the frosting off her fingers.
“So tell me about your man,” Nana coaxed, finishing off her own cookie. “You know we aren’t going to have any room for dinner if we eat all of these now.”
“There is always room for dinner. Mom is baking a ham with pineapples on top. Yum, my favorite. I love it when it’s extra sweet like that. Anyway.” She waved her hand and bounced on the couch a bit. “About Jack. He’s the man. He’s a doctor. And talk about yummy. Nana, I gave him my M&M’s the other day. Willingly, well sort of.”
“You gave up candy to someone?” Rose said with a grin. “Must be someone special. But a doctor? Weren’t you the one who swore off dating any doctors? Said they were all too cocky and full of themselves.”
“Well, yeah,” she said sheepishly. “But Jack is different. He’s sad,” she said with a pout.
Rose frowned. “So you think you can save him? Is that what this is about?”
“Yes. No. Well, maybe.” Cori threw her hands up and dropped them back down into her lap. “I don’t know. He pulls at me. When I see him, my heart slams into my chest. I’ve never had that happen before. And he’s hot,” she said with a wink. “I mean really hot in this awkward-dorky-quiet-shy kind of way. But it’s more than that. I make him nervous. And that’s fun. You know how much I like to have fun, Nana,” she said with a laugh.
“So now you’re making sad men nervous? I’m not sure I want to know how. So tell me, why is this hot awkward nervous man so sad?”
“I think he’s lonely.” She leaned in close and clasped her grandmother’s hand. “Nana, his wife died a few years ago. Isn’t that sad? And he moved here and only knows a few people. He spends all his time alone. And he works all the time. I don’t think he even wants to make any friends. He thinks he’s happy being alone, but no one is happy being alone. Right?” She paused after her lengthy explanation. “But he told me he doesn’t want a relationship. He doesn’t know what he wants. I think he’s afraid, right? Don’t you think he’s afraid?”
Rose patted Cori’s hand reassuringly. “He may be afraid, dear. Or maybe he really likes to be alone. Don’t push too hard. I know you, and you have no patience. But for once in your life, take it slow. Let him come to you. It will be better in the end.”
When Cori frowned, Rose added, “Trust me on this. If he doesn’t, then it’s his loss.”
***
Jack let himself in his front door early Christmas morning. It had been a longer night than he had planned. Everyone rushing home or to their holiday parties resulted in several accidents. By time he was done reading X-rays, repairing broken bones and checking on his patients, it was hours past midnight.
Too exhausted to drive the short twenty minutes home, he found an empty bed in the doctor’s lounge and lay down to rest, never imagining he would sleep so long.
Ironically, all that candy that Cori had left for him had come in handy.
He hadn’t even had enough time to break for dinner or a snack. So in between patients and emergencies he found himself scarfing down one of the treats she had left him. He would never admit it to her, bu
t it actually kept him going.
That might also explain why he finally crashed into exhaustion when he normally would be able to drive home wide-awake—the aftereffect of too much sugar.
He sincerely hoped Roxy had behaved, as he was in no mood to start his day cleaning up whatever mischief she might have gotten into.
He had no worries that she would have needed to go to the bathroom. The main reason he bought this house was the dog door attached to the mudroom that led to a fenced-in backyard. He always left her food and water in case he got stuck at work later. Her biggest problem was she tended to grow bored and would occasionally find something to entertain herself. Entertainment to her was a disaster for him.
As luck would have it, she greeted him at the front door with her little tail wagging. “Hey girl,” he said, reaching down to give her neck and back a brisk rub. When she started to dance around his feet in excitement, bumping into his legs in her attempt to get him to move, he finally got the hint. “Want a biscuit, do you? Always hungry, aren’t you, girl?”
At the sound of the magic word, she took off running toward the kitchen and planted her butt next to the counter where the treats were kept in a glass jar. “It’s Christmas, so you can have two.” He handed one over, then the other. “And because you were such a good girl, you can have a third.” He tossed the last one in the air.
Giving her fresh water and refilling her bowl with food, Jack glanced at the clock and figured his parents would be awake by now.
Ten minutes later he disconnected the call. His parents were enjoying a big breakfast, their normal Christmas tradition, and then were going to spend the day watching old Christmas classics. Another Reynolds tradition.
Holidays were always quiet and somewhat boring in his house growing up. Having been an only child of parents of only children, there were never any loud exciting holidays in his family.
Tracy’s family had been different. She was the youngest of three children and there were plenty of cousins and aunts and uncles to go around. Holidays had been spent at her grandmother’s house, kids running everywhere, loud Christmas carols playing and lots of laughter.
There were plenty of times he’d wished they could have left early and relaxed at home by themselves. He wasn’t much of a social person, but she had loved being around people, loved being with her family and he’d always wanted to make her happy.
Now he looked around his big empty kitchen, in his big empty house and wished he had some of those loud Christmases again.
That’s It
When Brooke heard the sound of rapidly squeaking rubber soled shoes in the hallway outside of her office she paused her typing and glanced at the open doorway. Two seconds later Cori appeared and promptly flopped her butt into the chair opposite Brooke.
“I need your help,” Cori pleaded desperately. “I will even go down on one knee and beg Lucas for your time tonight. In case you were going to spend it with him, that is.”
Brooke grinned. “No, he has a late meeting. So you don’t have to do any begging tonight. At least not with Lucas,” she said with a teasing laugh at Cori. “It depends on what you need help with.”
Cori waved her hand. “No time for jokes. This is serious.”
Concerned now, Brooke’s grin vanished. “Oh, sorry. What do you need my help with?”
“I need you to go shopping with me tonight,” she stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
“That’s your serious problem?” Brooke asked, eyes wide open. “Not that I don’t take shopping seriously. But I’m not sure it’s in the way you mean. What’s so urgent that you have to go tonight?”
“I overhead some of the other nurses talking in the break room about the wedding on Saturday. It’s black tie. Did you know that meant you had to wear black?” she asked with a penetrating stare.
Brooke tried hard not to smile, but she felt her lips twitch anyway. “Yes. That’s generally what black tie means. What did you think it meant?”
“I thought it meant fancy,” Cori said solemnly. “Why does Cheryl want everyone to wear black?” she said with a wail.
Brooke rolled her eyes. “Really, Cori, it’s not a big deal. It’s supposed to be elegant. Don’t you have a black dress? No, don’t answer that.” Brooke didn’t think Cori owned one piece of black clothing and she could only imagine what color dress Cori had planned on wearing.
“I can’t pick out a black dress, not by myself. Are you kidding me? I run in the other direction when I see black clothing. I don’t think black even looks good on me. I have red hair you know,” Cori said as she picked up a strand and held it out.
Brooke thought the question was funny. Most redheads shied away from bright colors, but not Cori; she was worried about wearing black. “Fine. After the gym we can go to one of the boutiques. They’ll have more choices to better suit you.”
“Boutique? I thought we’d hit the mall. I’ve never been in a boutique before.”
No surprise there, Brooke thought. “You asked for my help. So if you want it, we’re going to a boutique. No arguments,” she ordered before Cori could say another word.
“Fine,” Cori said with a huff. “But don’t pick some little old lady dress. I’m not going to a funeral. Oh, and I want to make sure no one else has one on like it either. That might be the worst.” She shuddered dramatically.
***
“I don’t know, Brooke,” Cori hedged, pulling the lace that covered the black sheath dress up a little bit higher on her legs. “It’s too long for me. It’s supposed to hit mid-thigh and it’s past my knees. And besides, I asked you not to make me look like a little old lady. This is covered in lace.”
“Lace is classic and elegant. You look lovely,” Brooke said with a polite smile.
“I don’t want to look lovely. I want to look like me. I’m not lovely. I’ve never been lovely a day in my life. Pretty, yes. Cute, yes. Hot, oh yeah. Lovely, no way. Fix it. Get me something else,” she said, sulking.
A saleslady standing close by came to intervene. “I couldn’t help but overhear. May I ask you few questions first? Maybe I can help you find something in our petite’s section.”
Cori rolled her eyes. “Great, petite’s section. I went from lovely to frumpy in a heartbeat.”
The saleslady wouldn’t be deterred and came back a few minutes later with several black dresses draped over her arm. Cori immediately rejected one after another without trying them on. The very last one caught her eye.
“It’s not completely black. But it will be suitable for a black tie affair,” the saleslady explained.
Cori held the dress up in front of her. It didn’t seem like it had much shape to it, rather it appeared completely straight and boring. The only thing detracting from it being completely boring was the fact that the top half of the short sleeved dress was a mixture of black and bronze material, with enough shine that caused it to sparkle in the light.
“The bronze actually looks nice against my hair,” Cori mused, holding the dress a little closer and looking at herself in the mirror. “And it does sparkle a bit, so that’s something. But it seems pretty shapeless.”
“Actually, it’s the opposite,” the saleslady said. “The material shapes and hugs to your body perfectly. Try it on and you’ll see.” The saleslady held a hand out to guide Cori to the dressing room.
Minutes later, the dressing room door opened and a stunned Cori walked out, to an equally stunned Brooke. “Wow. It’s me, only better. I actually look mature.” She grinned and let her eyes roam in the mirror at her reflection.
“That’s it,” Brooke stated. “That’s the one.”
And boy was it, Cori thought. She was both sexy and elegant at the same time. The shimmery black and bronze patterned top of the dress was cinched at the waist, making her appear even tinier than ever. The material clung and lay perfectly over each and every curve of her body, stopping above her knees.
“I’m jealous. If they had that dress in my size, I would bu
y it in a heartbeat,” Brooke said in awe.
“Hands off,” Cori said. “It’s mine. Wow. I mean wow.” Running her hands down her waist and over the curves of her hips, she turned and looked at herself from behind in the three-way mirror. “Look at my butt. I didn’t know it was possible for it to lift in the air like that. I bet you could bounce a quarter off it,” she said with a giggle.
The saleslady chuckled. “What shoes did you have in mind?”
“Oh man, shoes. I was going to wear my plain black heels. What do you think, Brooke?” she asked, crossing her fingers.
“I think you need new shoes, too. Sorry, but your plain black heels aren’t going to cut it. You need something sexier than those.”
The saleslady returned with a pair of black stilettos that had a bronze bow across the toe. “What do you think of these? They’re kind of cute. So you could have sexy and cute going at once. The bronze in the dress and the bronze in the bow aren’t an exact match, but that’s fine. They don’t need to be. Plus they’re far enough apart to not be noticed.”
The saleslady paused, looked at Cori in the dress again. “These shoes with black stockings and I would say you’re set,” she added, looking excited over the possibility of such a big sale.
“Perfect,” Brooke said. “She’ll take them. And a pair of black silk thigh-high stockings. No panty hose for you. If you’re looking that sexy on the outside, then you’re looking that sexy underneath.” Brooke grabbed Cori’s hand and pulled her to the lingerie section. “Now for underwear.”
***
Jack had tried to get out of going to Dr. Smith’s wedding. But since Smith was the Head of the Orthopedic Department and Jack’s boss, he really didn’t have much choice in the matter. When your boss issued an invitation to his wedding, even if it was for the third time getting married to another one of his nurses, you attended.
