Merry's Christmas: A Love Story

by Susan Rohrer

  Merry smiled warmly, interpreting what Daniel spoke in light of his note. His words did nothing but confirm the unimaginable. He really is interested in me, she thought. “It actually meant a lot that you signed it like that. I guess we’re both kind of seeing how it goes, but...I’m starting to think... Let’s just say that I could get used to calling you Daniel.”

  “Good, then,” Daniel replied as he handed Merry the cash and the receipt book. He watched as she signed for both.

  “And I’ll do better today, on the job,” Merry promised.

  “You did well yesterday,” Daniel reassured. “I guess for some reason I just didn’t see it at first.”

  “Well, you know what they say,” Merry replied, remembering Kiki’s words. “That’s why God made women. To see stuff.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Merry noticed as Catherine emerged from the elevator and headed toward them. “Daniel. There you are,” Catherine called.

  “Boss’s daughter again. Time to get back to business,” Daniel whispered as Catherine neared. Quickly, he handed a folded piece of paper to Merry. “My Christmas list. Most of it. Can’t think what to get for Catherine. Or Mother for that matter. Let me know if she drops a hint.”

  Catherine glided to a graceful stop at the edge of Daniel’s desk. Both Daniel and Merry rose immediately. Catherine smiled ever so cordially. “Good morning. Merry, wasn’t it?”

  Merry steeled herself. “Yes. I was just—”

  Catherine went on, not waiting for Merry to finish her sentence. “Daniel...a moment?” Daniel acquiesced, allowing Catherine to lead him away. As Merry perused Daniel’s list, a puzzled expression grew on her face.

  By the time Merry walked out of the bank, she was already on her cell with Kiki. Checking behind herself to be sure she wasn’t being overheard, Merry confided. “So, the daughter of the president of the whole bank, she works there, and she’s suddenly on his Christmas list. He signed this really sweet note to me “Love, Daniel” and it sure sounds like he’s interested in me, so why is he asking me to buy her a gift?”

  “Maybe he’s a player.”

  Merry shook the thought off quickly. She’d fended off those types at the restaurant before and this felt completely different. “He just doesn’t seem that way. I guess it’s possible that I’m reading too much into what he said to me. Or maybe it’s just a business gift he wants for her. I don’t know.”

  “What kind of gift did he tell you to get?” Kiki asked. “That’d tip you.”

  “He didn’t say,” Merry responded. “I’m supposed to help him come up with ideas.”

  “So, how about you float out something romantic for her as a possibility. Fish around,” Kiki advised.

  “And if he bites—”

  “If he does, okay, you got your answer,” Kiki continued. “You bow out. But if he hesitates--well, then Girl, you might just have yourself one high-class nibble.”

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Upstairs in the privacy of her conspicuously emptied corner office, Catherine pulled Daniel inside. Though she’d convinced herself that Merry was far from Daniel’s type, something in her had still knotted up at the sight of Merry, visiting Daniel’s desk once again. Catherine had never liked defending her territory. She was more of the offensive ilk. So, she closed the door, drew Daniel close, and planted a decidedly unbusiness-like kiss on him.

  Daniel broke the kiss with a curious gaze around the vacant room. “Where’s all your stuff?”

  Catherine smiled coyly, wiping her lipstick off his lips. “Not to rush the season, but... I’m just working on an early Christmas present for you.”

  Daniel looked around, a stymied expression on his face. “You’re leaving the company?”

  “Not as long as you’ve got those ‘intentions’ on me,” Catherine reminded.

  Daniel nodded matter-of-factly. “There are those ‘intentions’ in the air.”

  “Wafting about.”

  “Yes,” Daniel echoed. “They’re all about the wafting.”

  Coyly, Catherine straightened Daniel’s lapel. “And let’s just say that Daddy got wind of those ‘intentions’ as they, ever so randomly, drifted by his soon to be retired presidential post. Let’s say he would approve if I were to move just a bit down the hall, opening the possibility of redecorating here in a much more manly motif, say to accommodate the advancement of a certain attractive, extraordinarily hard-working Senior V.P.”

  “One with honorable intentions, no doubt,” Daniel added, following her train of thought.

  Catherine smiled, obviously pleased with her plan. “Then, wouldn’t that make for a very Merry Christmas?”

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Merry spread her ornament-making supplies out on the Bell’s kitchen table. Though she’d never intended to work with fine china, she could see how pieces of the broken heirloom dinnerware definitely added to the quality of the mix. As Merry sifted through for nicely patterned pieces, Joan unpacked a box of every day plates, loading them directly into the dishwasher.

  “Did you buy those to replace this?” Merry asked. “I’ll pay for it.”

  Joan brushed it off pleasantly. “No. Don’t give it another thought. This is just from my apartment. I don’t do anything but sleep there. And I figure this way, as long as we have something to eat on, Daniel won’t run out and buy new, and it’ll give me a surprise to put under the tree.”

  “I’d be glad to shop for you, for your grandkids. No charge,” Merry offered.

  “Thanks, but I’ve been looking forward to doing it myself,” Joan replied. “Part of the fun of being a grandma, spoiling your grandkids. And this will be the first Christmas in three years I get to do that.”

  Merry thought about it. Joan was so easy to be with, an integral part of the Bell family. It was no wonder that she had remained such a welcomed and regular presence, long after Amanda’s passing. “I can’t even imagine having a mom, let alone a grandmom.”

  Joan stopped what she was doing. She wandered over to the kitchen table to gaze at Merry’s project. “No family at all?”

  Merry shook her head. “Just my boy, Rudy. My cat.”

  Joan picked up one of Merry’s completed broken china ornaments. She complimented Merry on the way she had chosen interesting pieces, filed the sharp edges away, then fashioned wire, beads, and ribbon to set them off in such a creative way. Joan held the ornament up to the light. “Not a bad use for that old platter. Looks much better this way, if you ask me.”

  “You think?” Merry asked.

  “I always hated that bodacious dish,” Joan snickered. “Not like we ever used it. Left me completely cold. Way too la-di-dah for my taste. Don’t tell Daniel.”

  Merry breathed a reassured sigh.

  “Form follows function,” Joan continued. “That’s what they say in the art world. Doesn’t matter how elegant it looks if it doesn’t suit your family, does it?”

  Merry listened intently, picking up a hint of subtext in Joan’s tone. Was Joan really saying what Merry thought she was? Merry played along, testing to be sure. “So, when you’re shopping. For him...for the dishes, I mean. You’re saying you might not get fancy china?”

  Though Joan’s words remained casually discreet, her undertone continued to speak volumes. “China is, well, it’s lovely to look at, to show off at society functions. Don’t get me wrong; it has its place. But it’s kind of fragile, high maintenance, not really built for actual family living.”

  Joan looked fully into Merry’s face. “I’m thinking Daniel might be surprised at how much he’d like something more comfortable, still very attractive in its own way—but less fussy, more festive—like if I turned a handmade set at my pottery shop.”

  Merry studied Joan quizzically, surprisingly at ease. “Are we still talking about dishes?”

  Joan smiled knowingly. “There’s more than one kind of dish.”

  Merry couldn’t help but press. “And you’re saying...?”

  Merry watched as Joan chose h
er words carefully. It seemed that Joan wanted to be as clear as was appropriate, without overstepping her maternal bounds.

  “I’m saying,” Joan confided, “What’s Christmas without a secret or two between the womenfolk?”

  Merry climbed the Bell’s front stairs. There had been a note on the refrigerator that Tara had stayed after school for a student council function. Hayden had come straight home and wordlessly disappeared into her room.

  Of all the Bell family, Merry related to Hayden the most. No matter where Merry had been as she’d bounced around the system for abandoned children, then into her adulthood—even when she’d been with other people—she’d always felt alone. Everyone else seemed to have found a sense of belonging that Merry had never had. Something in Merry longed to connect with Hayden. It was just that she had no idea how.

  Merry peeked into the twins’ bedroom. Hayden sat inside, clearly perplexed.

  “Knock, knock,” Merry started.

  Hayden barely looked up. “I don’t have a list for you, if that’s what you want.”

  “No, I just...” Merry took a step inside. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine.”

  “Because you look sort of—”

  “I said I’m fine,” Hayden snapped. She just sat there, sullenly staring into space.

  Merry flushed. She kicked herself, realizing she’d pressed too hard too soon. Clearly Hayden didn’t want her there for some reason or another. “Okay, then. I’ll just... Bye.” It was beyond awkward, but Merry backed out. She extracted herself the only way she could.

  By the time Daniel pulled up to the garage, the sun was going down, casting a golden glow on the backyard. Merry waved cheerfully, and then went back to pruning holly boughs off of an overgrown bush. Ollie waited nearby with a large, open basket, gathering the trimmings.

  Merry thought to herself how nice it was that Daniel got home at night before she had to leave. Bankers hours, she mused.

  Daniel ambled over. He tousled Ollie’s hair as he arrived, but he looked directly at Merry. He had kind eyes, she observed. He had loosened his tie.

  “You don’t have to do my yard work,” Daniel began. “I have a man I pay.”

  “Just getting some holly for the mantle—Ow!” Pricked by a holly briar, Merry recoiled.

  “There’s big stickers on that,” Ollie informed.

  “Yeah,” Merry agreed. “But it’ll be worth it. Sometimes good stuff is that way, you know.” Merry put a last sprig into Ollie’s basket. “Want to run this into the living room for me?”

  Ollie took the basket and went inside. Left alone with Daniel and suddenly unsure what exactly to say, Merry did what she usually did when at a loss for words. She looked for a way to busy herself. Loose holly clippings were scattered about, so she squatted to gather them. Daniel leaned down to help.

  “Go all right, today?” he asked.

  “Mostly. I haven’t quite cracked Hayden’s safe.”

  Daniel looked surprised. “Hayden has a safe?”

  Merry smiled. “No, I’m just trying to find a way in with her.”

  Daniel nodded, getting it. “Well, of all of us, she’s taken it the hardest. Or at least the longest.” Straightening up, Daniel gestured to the holly bush nostalgically. “Amanda planted this bush, you know. She nurtured it from a seedling.”

  “Did she?” Merry asked, suddenly a little concerned at having taken the cuttings from it.

  “She did, and just for this purpose.”

  Merry breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, then. That gives her a special part in this Christmas. We’ll hang out the holly for her.”

  Daniel studied Merry intently. “How is it that you seem to know these things?”

  Merry pondered it. “I don’t know. Just comes to me, like it can come to anybody, I guess. Okay, put that in here.” Merry extended a paper bag and Daniel deposited his clippings. “All right, you try.”

  “Try what?”

  “Try letting a thought come to you. Not something you’ve thought about before. Something new. An idea.”

  Daniel balked a little. “I’m not so good at this. Maybe I’m too Type A, but...okay.” He waited an uncomfortable moment or two. “Now, what am I supposed to do?”

  “Look around for a minute. Don’t stress about work or dinner or whatever. Just let something float into your head.”

  Clearly outside his comfort zone, Daniel still gave the notion a chance. He surveyed the yard thoughtfully, finally settling back on Merry’s face.

  “What do you see?” Merry asked. “Anything?”

  Daniel’s voice took on a softer, contemplative tone. “Light. I see light...all around you.”

  Merry took what he said to heart. From the way he was looking at her, she wasn’t sure if his words were meant to be taken literally, but she swiveled around to refer back to the yard just in case. “I always liked the little white twinkle lights. Like stars, you know?”

  Daniel nodded, turning his gaze to the yard. “Yeah. Lights would be good.”

  Over Daniel’s shoulder, Merry saw Tara peer out at them through the blinds at the study window. Ollie appeared at her side. Suddenly, the slats were shut tight.

  Stifling amusement, Merry mustered her courage. “Oh, I meant to tell you. I thought of a gift idea for Catherine. Depending on how it works with whatever your...relationship is.”

  Daniel mulled it over. “Yes, it’s... The woman has virtually everything, so... What were you thinking?”

  It was a fearsome plunge, but Merry took it, her desire to know overtaking the fright over what his answer would be. “There’s this formal Ball New Year’s Eve. It’s a big Children’s Hospital benefit.”

  Daniel shifted his weight and rubbed at his jaw. His expression was impossible to read. “Good thought, and I could make a donation in her name, she’d like that. But I don’t actually dance.”

  “You didn’t even dance at your wedding?” Merry probed.

  Daniel smiled faintly. “That was the first and last time. Amanda coaxed me into it and believe me, it wasn’t pretty.”

  “Dancing’s not so hard. I taught myself,” Merry said. “You’re good with numbers. You just count to three, that’s all.”

  Daniel quickly waved the idea off. “No, I—”

  “Really. If that’s all that’s standing in the way of you taking Catherine to that Ball, don’t worry, I’ll show you,” Merry encouraged. “You can practice on your own, then try it out with me later if you want.”

  “I really don’t think—”

  “Don’t think,” Merry said. “Just watch. And listen to the music in your head. One hand on your partner’s waist, the other takes her hand, just lightly. Then, it’s...” Merry closed her eyes, imagining music. She extended her arm as if being held, and three-stepped in time. “First with the left. One, two-three. Then back a little to the right, two-three. Left, two-three...”

  Daniel watched Merry as she turned, a look of fascination on his face.

  Suddenly self-conscious, Merry came to a stop. “So, something to consider. That is, if it suits your...situation.”

  Again, much to Merry’s chagrin, Daniel remained enigmatic. “Yes, well—given the situation with Catherine...I may go another way.”

  Merry accepted it, sensing it was as far as she should go. “Okay. Let me know if you change your mind.” She took her bag of discards toward the garage, quietly encouraged.

  Tara was already decorating the living room mantle with holly and pine when Merry came back inside. Merry purposely didn’t make anything of it, but she was quietly thrilled to see Tara taking an initiative. She watched, impressed, when Tara picked up a spool of red ribbon, pulled out a length of it, and looped it repeatedly to fashion an artful bow. If it had been a step in the right direction when Ollie had join in, Tara taking part seemed a quantum leap.

  As respectfully as she could, Merry placed family photos amongst the greenery they arranged on the mantle. She picked up a photo of Amanda with the twins as gr
ade-schoolers, dressed identically. “So, you two used to dress to match.”

  Tara shrugged pleasantly. “Kind of geeky, but I liked it. I guess I’m more into the whole twin thing than Hayden is.” Tara picked up a particularly striking photo of her father, and drew it to Merry’s attention. “Isn’t this great of Dad?”

  Just then, Hayden leaned in momentarily from the kitchen. “Dinner,” she called.

  Tara barked back, “Just a minute. Helping here.”

  Not wanting to get between the sisters, Merry took the photo of Daniel. “I’ll get this. You go, eat. Really. It’s fine.”

  Tara set the bow down, and then headed toward the kitchen.

  Merry carefully placed the photo of Daniel at the center of the mantle. She lingered over his image, nestling it into the pine and holly boughs. It really was good of Daniel, she thought. All of his photos were. His dark hair, bright smile, and shining eyes were undeniably appealing. But mostly, she realized, it was the man himself who was starting to make her heart flutter in ways it never had before. Merry checked to make sure she was unobserved, then stroked the photo affectionately.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  In his pajamas, Daniel turned off the bedside lamp. Moonlight spilled through the window as Daniel stood there, deep in thought. The Charity Ball had been a reasonable idea for Catherine, he supposed. She would enjoy the opportunity to dress up and mingle with the upper echelon. Catherine was a sensation in those settings. What’s more, she would be happy to write a generous check for the Children’s Hospital.

  Tentatively, Daniel began to practice the three-step Merry had taught him. One, two, three...one, two, three, he counted.

  Passing by in the hall, Hayden watched her father, wryly amused. “What are you doing?”

  Daniel stopped abruptly, suddenly embarrassed to realize his awkward attempt had been observed. “Nothing. Just something Merry suggested. Clearly not my skill set.”