Santa, Bring My Baby Back

by Cheryl Harper

  Everyone in the restaurant started to chatter. Willodean clapped her hands. “Oh, I do love a surprise.” She glared at Charlie. “Mainly when they happen to other people.”

  And KT towed a sputtering Laura up on the stage. “Ambush seems to be the best way to get this done, Lola.” He held his hand over Laura’s mouth. “Where are my maid of honor and best man?” His grandmother stepped up on the stage to stand next to him, and Laura’s daughter, Holly, bounced up the steps to grab her mother’s hand. “And Charlie? Better get up here. I won’t be able to keep her still for long.”

  Charlie squeezed Grace’s hand before he joined them on the stage.

  KT knelt down. “Laura, will you marry me tonight?”

  Laura clasped her hands over her mouth but nodded wildly. “Yes. Let’s. A Christmas wedding. Let’s do it.”

  KT whooped. “A real Christmas miracle!”

  Grace looked to Willodean for a clue and noticed that she was beaming from ear to ear. And behind her Travis Luttrell hadn’t taken his eyes off of her.

  Maybe Noah’s going to be paired off too.

  As Charlie led the ceremony, she listened to him talk about sickness and health and as long as they both shall live and felt… peace. Maybe this was exactly the place she’d always been looking for. When KT slid his ring on Laura’s finger, she launched herself at him, her happy laughter contagious. The whole wedding party erupted in cheers and Lucky hit play on “Teddy Bear.” KT spun Laura around in a circle and everyone toasted to their happiness.

  Charlie managed to elbow his way back to her. “Sorry I almost missed your song, but you got your snowflakes. But why are you here? You should be home, right?”

  “I didn’t want to miss this party.” Grace leaned against him. “And you’re here. I am home. Everything I wanted for Christmas in one package. I can go tomorrow. Maybe you could take me?”

  Charlie grinned. “I’d love to!” He frowned. “But the weather’s pretty rough. We may be stuck here.”

  Grace shrugged. “Well, I was going to save this for later, but would you like your Christmas present?”

  Charlie looked around at the crowd and frowned. “Uh, I guess?”

  She wrapped her hands around his neck. “Here’s my grand gesture for you. Let’s spend New Year’s in your house in Newport. I can visit with my family, show you off, but we can escape too. Tromp around in the woods if we have to.”

  Charlie kissed her sweetly, a smile on his lips. “That sounds like an excellent vacation. And then it’s back to work. Here in Memphis.” Grace nodded. This was where she belonged. She studied Charlie’s face and could not see one bit of worry over giving Memphis another try. And he didn’t have to say a word to convince her that he was happy to take it one day at a time. Charlie had changed. Or he was trying to. For her.

  That made her own change that much easier. Staying in once place would be easy. Charlie would draw her. Their connection made it impossible to consider leaving him. The last question she had about Memphis was gone. The job she’d been searching for was here. Charlie was here. And the family she’d waited for was right here, chattering, laughing loudly, celebrating, and probably driving Charlie just a little bit crazy already.

  After everyone had congratulated the bride and groom, Lucky cleared his throat. “And now, we’ve got one more bit of business to take care of.” The tiny stage spotlight clicked on to highlight Tony and Randa who were refilling drinks behind the bar. It took Randa a minute to realize everyone was watching them. She slowly set the last glass of punch down and smiled awkwardly.

  “What now?”

  Tony, looking a little bit uncomfortable but absolutely determined, pulled a black box out of his pocket. Randa’s eyebrows shot up and every bit of color drained from her face. Tony must have noticed because he wrapped a hand around one arm as he cleared his throat. “Randa Whitmore, would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

  When he flipped the box open, Grace managed to contain her gasp but Randa didn’t. “Good grief, Tony, why is it so big?”

  The shine on the diamond was fairly blinding.

  KT opened his mouth to say something, but Laura clapped her hand over it.

  Tony sighed. “You deserve the best, Randa, but I want you to marry me anyway.”

  Randa laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, I’ll marry you, Tony Ortega, but let’s get a ring I can carry on my own, okay?” Grace thought she could see a smile on Tony’s face before he kissed Randa but it was hard to tell. And then the kiss got so passionate it was awkward to watch them. The uneasy partiers in the restaurant all turned to look at Lucky.

  When Charlie started winding his way up to the front of the room, Grace had to force herself to stand very still. Willodean walked over to stand next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Nervous, Grace said, “Do you know what he’s doing?”

  Willodean shook her head. “No, but the boy does like to go big. Better brace yourself.”

  When Charlie took the mic and Lucky stepped up to his sound system, Willodean squeezed her tighter. “Well, good Lord, I think he’s gonna sing.” The wonder in her voice told Grace this was as unusual as she thought it was.

  Charlie said, “A very special lady made two Christmas requests. The first one, snow . . . well, I’ll try to figure out a way to take credit for that.” The crowd laughed. “But the second one she probably thought was even less likely. But for Grace Andersen, I’m willing to do just about anything, even stand up here on this stage and sing Elvis.”

  The music played, and Charlie, dressed and coiffed as a very handsome young Elvis, ignored everyone in the room and sang to her. No one moved. No one spoke. And no one would have believed he had it in him. Grace knew how hard it was for Charlie to do it and that was all she needed.

  He was rigid. He wanted what he wanted when he wanted it. But he was standing on a stage singing an Elvis song. For her. Because he understood the power of the grand gesture. When the last quiet notes ended, Charlie handed Lucky the mic and made a direct path for Grace.

  Everyone in the restaurant pivoted to watch him. And when he put his hand in his pocket, Grace nearly expired on the spot. Whatever he wanted, it was yes, but if that was an engagement ring, she was going to need a brown paper bag to breathe into.

  “Grace, you look scared to death.” She could see the amusement on his face. “But I’m not asking you to marry me. Not again. I understand what you meant now. And even if I know I love you and I know that you love me, that doesn’t mean we have to get married. Or move. Or anything else except be here now and enjoy that.” He held out his hand and showed her a key ring. He glanced over at his mother. “Mom, I like tearing down and building, so I’m going to… do that. With our first house. Grace will work here. We’ll date and I’ll figure out how to focus on just one day. I can help here more, spend more time with you. I want to be a part of the Rock’n’Rolla family, even if I don’t call the hotel home.”

  Charlie smiled down at her as his mother kissed his cheek. Willodean stepped back and said, “I ought to murder you, but I do gotta say, you have a bit of your mother’s showmanship, son.”

  Then she and Charlie turned to look at the staff gathered in Viva Las Vegas and Willodean said, “I thought this was a party!”

  Everyone clapped and the noise was crazy as they all turned to look at Lucky. He raised both hands. “That’s all I’ve got. Unless anybody else wants to propose. Make a baby announcement? Come back from the dead?” Everyone laughed. “No? Then let’s dance!” He hit play, leaped off the stage, and spun his schoolteacher around in a circle.

  Grace and Travis followed Charlie and Willodean out into the quiet lobby. Misty padded along behind them and slid down to sprawl on the floor with a satisfied grunt.

  “So instead of letting me find you a wife,” Willodean shot a glance at Grace, which she did her very best to ignore, “you decided to give me an ex-husband for Christmas. I think an electric blanket might have been an easier thing to re
turn, Charlie.” Willodean crossed her arms over her chest.

  Charlie shook his head. “No, I did that for me. I’ve felt awful for so long, let it stand between us way too many years, and nothing was going to make that better but to try and repair it. Howard taught us both that, Mom. Besides, I owed Travis an apology too.”

  She nodded reluctantly and glanced over her shoulder at Travis. “Can’t hurt to show him around, but you know it ain’t going to be a match made in heaven. That split we had? You weren’t here to see it but it was awesome. Powerful.”

  Grace thought Travis looked like a man with his own plan and she wondered if maybe Charlie had gotten a touch of his mother’s matchmaking skills.

  Charlie smiled. “Travis tells me you’re both different people now. Maybe that’s the only way to look at it.”

  Willodean patted his cheek. “When did you get so smart?”

  “I think it’s in the genes.”

  Willodean harrumphed but she didn’t disagree.

  “What do you think, Mom?” He held out the key ring and jingled the keys. “Will you come and visit once I get the old place fixed up?”

  Willodean frowned. “That place was tiny and the neighborhood ain’t so good, Charlie.” She waved at the lobby. “Why would you go to all that work when you could live like a king here? Or even buy a nice new mansion outside of town. You aren’t thinking of moving Grace into that place, are you?”

  “It’s for me. I need the project. I need the connection. I’ve just… I don’t know, I love the place in Newport. I love that it has history. I love that I worked hard to restore it and it’s everything I chose. And I want to do it all over again, but here. In Memphis. I might even volunteer, maybe with an organization that rehabs old places. I could spend some time with Habitat for Humanity or even the Red Cross. Maybe I got a touch of your desire to help people too. It just looks different on me.”

  Willodean looked from him to Grace and back. “If it gets you back here, I’ll be happy to visit y’all in the new, fully restored, pest-free house.” She patted Grace’s arm. “Y’all don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Come on, Misty, let’s get back to the party.” She wrapped her hand around Travis’s arm. “Come with me, Mr. Luttrell.” She shook her head. “Doesn’t look like you’ve aged one day.”

  Travis leaned down. “I’d say exactly the same to you. I think you might have gotten prettier.”

  Willodean tsked. “Still a silver tongue, I see.”

  Travis’s laugh was low. “Never doubt it, but I’ll be happy to give you a demonstration.”

  Before they disappeared back inside Viva Las Vegas, Grace heard Willodean’s wicked chuckle.

  When she glanced up at Charlie, he looked a little uncomfortable but determined to get over it. Their eyes met and she couldn’t look away. “Merry Christmas, Grace.”

  She wrapped her hands around his and squeezed. “I was afraid you were going to do something crazy like propose.”

  He shook his head. “No, ma’am. I’m much too cautious for that. And I was listening.”

  Grace smiled up at him. “Good.”

  He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you for helping me understand my problems with my mother. I need to be here. And I want as much time with you as I can get. Forget marriage. I can learn to be patient. Just… spend your time with me.”

  Grace nodded. “Done.”

  He pulled her close and kissed her.

  “When I meet your parents, should I throw around boring rich guy words like ‘derivatives’ or ‘annuities’ or ‘tax breaks’ just to impress them?”

  The mental picture she had of Charlie wowing her parents was beautiful. He would charm them by being himself. Maybe some of that shine would land on her too. She smiled at him. “Definitely. My mother will think she’s in heaven.”

  He laughed. “Done.”

  “I’m so glad you’ll be with me, Charlie.” She tangled her fingers in his and leaned against him. “If you’re there, I won’t feel so alone.”

  Charlie wrapped one arm around her. “No matter what, Grace, you’ll still have Memphis. We both do.”

  Grace shook her head. “It’s the craziest thing. I thought I was going after what I wanted. I thought performing in front of thousands would satisfy me, but I think, even if I’d made it big, I would always be searching for this place. I know I would always be searching for you.”

  Charlie closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I never thought I’d say this, but thank God for this hotel.” He shook his head. “Don’t tell my mother I said that.”

  Grace laughed and blinked away a tear. “Never. It’s you and me against the world, Charlie McMinn.”

  They were quiet and he asked, “Should we go back to the party?” They could hear a rousing round of “Jingle Bell Rock” and the clinks of happy partiers.

  “Maybe instead you could show me your gift. Let’s go watch it snow. That is what you got for me, right?”

  Charlie wrapped an arm around her, and they walked down the hall to the door to the staff apartments. “Here you are without a coat again. But I do love this dress.”

  Grace coughed and reached into the meeting room being renovated as the new gift shop to pick up her coat. “Maybe I’m learning a little too, Charlie. I was hoping you would show me the stars tonight. Snow’s even better.”

  He held her coat for her and then pulled her close after she had it on. “Let’s see if I can’t do both. Snow first, stars later.”

  Want more fun, flirty romance from Cheryl Harper’s Rock’n’Rolla Hotel?

  Read on for excerpts from

  STUCK ON YOU

  and

  CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE

  now available from Avon Impulse.

  An Excerpt from

  STUCK ON YOU

  LOVE’S IN THE limelight when big-shot producer KT Masters accidentally picks a fight with Laura Charles, a single mother working as a showgirl waitress in a hotel bar. When he offers her the fling of a lifetime, Laura’s willing to play along… just so long as her heart stays out of it. If she can help it, that is!

  Laura said, “Excuse me, Mr. Masters.” When he held up an impatient hand, she narrowed her eyes and turned back to the two women. “Maybe you can tell him the drinks are here? I’ve got other customers to take care of.”

  The pink-haired woman held out a hand. “Sure thing. I’m Mandy, the makeup artist. This is Shane. She’ll do hair. We’ll both help with costumes and props as needed.”

  As Laura shook their hands, she privately thought that might be the best arrangement. Shane’s hair was perfect, not one strand out of place. Mandy’s pink shag sort of made it look like she’d been caught in a windstorm. In a convertible. But her makeup and clothes were very cute.

  KT said, “Hold on just a sec, Bob. Let me go ahead and tweet this. Gotta keep the fans interested, you know.”

  Laura glanced over her bare shoulder to see KT bound down the stairs, pause, snap a picture, and then type something on his phone before shouting about taking down the electronic display in the corner. Lucky would not be happy about that. As KT waved his arms dramatically and the director nodded, Laura smiled at the two girls. “Guess I’m dismissed.”

  They laughed, and Laura turned to skirt their table as she reached for the drink tray. Being unable to move, like her feathers had attached themselves to the floor, was her first clue that something had gone horribly wrong. And when KT Masters bumped into her, sending the tray skidding into the sodas she’d just delivered, she knew exactly who was responsible. She tried to whirl around to give him a piece of her mind but spun in place and then heard a loud rip just before she bumped into the table and sent two glasses crashing to the floor. She might have followed them, but KT wrapped a hand around her arm to steady her. His warm skin was a brand against her chilly flesh.

  The only sound in Viva Las Vegas was the tinny plink of electricity through one million bright white bulbs. Every eye was focused on the drama ta
king place at the foot of the stage. Before she could really get a firm grip on the embarrassment, irritation, shock, and downright anger boiling over, Laura shouted, “You ripped off my feather!”

  Even the light bulbs seemed to hold their breath at that point.

  KT’s hand slid down her arm, raising goose bumps as it went, before he slammed both hands on his hips, and Laura shivered. The heat from that one hand made her wonder what it would be like to be pressed up against him. Instead of the flannel robe, she should put a KT Masters on her birthday list. She wouldn’t have to worry about being cold ever again.

  “Yeah, I did you a favor. This costume has real potential”—he motioned with one hand as he looked her over from collarbone to knee—“but the feathers get in the way, so . . . you’re welcome!” The frown looked all wrong on his face, like he didn’t have a lot of experience with anger or irritation, but the look in his eyes was as warm as his hand had been. When he rubbed his palms together, she thought maybe she wasn’t the only one to be surprised by the heat.

  They both looked down at the bedraggled pink feather, now swimming in ice cubes and spilled soda under his left shoe. No matter how much she hated the feathers or how valid his point about their ridiculousness was, she wasn’t going to let him get away with this. He should apologize. Any decent person would.

  “What are you going to do about it?” She plopped her hands on her own hips, thrust her chin out, and met his angry stare.

  He straightened and flashed a grim smile before leaning down to scrape the feather up off the floor. He pinched the driest edge and held it out from his body. “Never heard ‘the customer’s always right,’ have you?”

  Laura snatched the feather away. “In what way are you a customer? I only see a too-important big shot who can’t apologize.”

  He opened his mouth to say… something, then changed his mind and pointed a finger in her face instead. “Oh, really? I bet if I went to have a little talk with the manager or Miss Willodean, they’d have a completely different take on what just happened here and who needs to apologize.”