Everyone clapped except Cris. He stood and held up his hand. “Yes, Santa,” Eve recognized with a wink.
Cris cleared his throat. “Uh, I appreciate what you’re offering, but I know there are a few of the staff here who could use this money for their families. Maybe you could just put my bonus check toward toys or other things to offer them to anyone who needs a gift for a child?”
The room fell silent, which startled Cris. He hadn’t meant to figuratively throw the money in the faces of the Holiday family, but if Cris had learned anything from his life experiences, there was always someone who was more in need than him.
Cris and Hannah had a decent apartment, food on the table, warm clothes, and they loved each other. Cris knew for a fact that the food pantry in the neighborhood was asking for donations to help provide Christmas dinners for those who were unable to afford anything for their families.
He’d also seen a flyer on the bulletin board at the front of the store that St. Cecelia’s Shelter was looking for volunteers to serve Christmas Day dinner. He was prepared to ask Ridge if he wanted to go with Hannah and him that day, but regardless of the man’s answer, Cris was going to help. He hoped Ridge was in the giving spirit to go along.
Suddenly, Cookie… Nicole… stood up and smiled. “I’d like to donate my check, too. I’m flying home for Christmas because my Nana bought me a ticket. I’m very excited about getting to see my family, so give the money to someone who wants to make their child or grandchild’s wish come true. I’m getting my Christmas wish.”
Cocoa… Mandy… stood as well, and Cris saw her offer a watery smile. “My mommy worked two jobs when I was young, like a lot of those parents who work in the store. When she died a couple of years ago, she left me money to pay for college, and I have a good job working at a law firm in town after the New Year. In my mommy’s memory, I’m donating my check, too,” Mandy offered.
By then, Eve Holiday was crying, and Elliot Holiday, the Chief Operating Officer of Holiday Toys’ parent company, looked shell-shocked. Cris looked at Ridge and noticed he was looking everywhere else, but at his coworkers who were giving away Christmas bonuses to help those less fortunate. When Ridge didn’t stand and offer his own reward, Cris felt like he’d been tricked into thinking something that wasn’t true at all.
At lunchtime, Cris checked the white Impala to find the thermostat was out. “I’ll bring the part with me tomorrow evening and fix it after work. The part is cheap. Consider it my Christmas gift to you,” Cris remarked. After work, he hurried to the bus stop without saying goodbye to Ridge, because he wasn’t sure what to think.
Cris saw something in Ridge that day he didn’t like and couldn’t shake. He’d hoped the man would have had a change of heart, seeing how far a little bit of money could go for those less fortunate. Sadly, the look on Ridge’s face and the fact he didn’t offer his bonus check told Cris everything he needed to know.
Ridge Holiday was still the spoiled asshole he’d claimed the previous night when Cris went to see him. The man had never done without anything, and once he got over the hurdle his father had established in his quest to help his son see what was really important, Cris was sure Ridge would never do without anything again. Greed wasn’t anything Cris could accept in a mate, but it sure looked like it was Ridge’s driving force.
Monday morning, Cris had talked Hannah into sending Ridge a text to bring the Impala to the store before they began their shift, so he could fix the heater. Cris met Ridge there, and it was painful to force himself to talk to the man as he repaired the car.
After Santa’s Wonderland closed at nine o’clock on Monday evening, December 23, Ridge made an excuse that he couldn’t hang out, because he was going to help at the store with the last-minute crowds.
Cris couldn’t help but be relieved that he didn’t have to make excuses not to spend time with the selfish bastard. He needed to find a way to make a clean break from Ridge Holiday, but it seemed as if it was a better idea to wait until after the holidays.
The two men hadn’t made any definitive plans for Christmas Eve, so Cris sent Ridge a text at midnight on the twenty-third that he and Hannah wouldn’t be able to spend the holiday with Ridge’s family. He suggested they could catch up after the first of the year, and then he blocked Ridge’s number and went to sleep.
On Christmas Eve, Cristian and Hannah went to a candlelight Christmas service at a church in the neighborhood and then went out for Chinese. When they got home, they trimmed the tree together and went to bed after playing a few games of Scrabble.
On Christmas morning, the Gambles went to St. Cecelia’s Shelter to help prepare and serve food to those who had nowhere else to go. They’d actually enjoyed spending time with the people at the shelter, because seeing everyone reminded both of them that they had a good life.
After helping to clean up, Cris and Hannah went home to watch Christmas movies and enjoy the pumpkin pie that the director of the shelter had given them in thanks for spending their holiday there.
They walked home through the snow and talked about the people they’d met that afternoon, wondering how they ended up in their particular circumstances. Hannah didn’t mention Ridge Holiday, but sadly, Cris could tell both of them still missed him.
After the Gambles were comfortable in pajamas, Cris brought out a gift he’d bought for his sister, even though she’d told him she wanted nothing more than the fancy dress she’d worn to the dance. Cris actually had nothing to do with that gift, the gift Ridge Holiday had given to his sister without his input, so Cris went another route.
Cris bought Hannah a cell phone of her own, expanding their family plan. He was sure he could come up with enough money to ensure she had more time than the basic contract allowed, but if push came to shove, he’d give up his phone and allow Hannah to keep hers.
Cris laughed as his sister thanked him nonstop, before she gave him a wrapped box of salted-caramel truffles she’d made earlier in the week and hidden from him. Those truffles were the perfect way for Cris to eat his heartache away.
He felt like he was slowly breaking in half after everything that had happened with Ridge, but the writing was on the wall, plain as day. They weren’t meant to be together. They came from different backgrounds, and they wanted different things out of life. It was better for both of them if Cris walked away.
Chapter 15
“Ridge, dear, what’s wrong? You’re sulking,” his mother asked him on Christmas night. Ridge had planned to spend Christmas Eve with Cris and Hannah, but Cris had declined the invitation, and Ridge’s text messages to the man kept being returned as undeliverable.
Ridge glanced up from his spot on the couch in the solarium, having spent the day being surly around his family, so much that nobody wanted to spend time with him after he blew up at dinner, because Eve took the last dinner roll.
“I’m losing my mind.”
When Elaine Holiday sat down next to him, Ridge turned on the couch and allowed his mother to take his hand. “What happened? Oh, how did that formalwear store go? You worked with Evie and some of the people at Holiday for it, right? You should have asked me to help,” Elaine suggested as she took a sip of her wine.
Ridge heard a sound behind the two of them as they were sitting on the love seat facing the large tree Elaine had already ordered to be taken down the next day. She was making plans to get the house ready for the New Year’s Eve party the Holiday family always hosted. The Christmas decorations had to go to allow room for the New Year’s decorations.
Ridge turned to see his grandfather enter the glass-enclosed room with two glasses of rye whiskey, one for Leo and one for Ridge. The middle Holiday child had consumed enough wine at dinner to fill the swimming pool behind the manse. It seemed like a bad idea to drink any more alcohol.
Ridge thought for a moment about the consequences of consuming the rye, but decided he didn’t give a fuck. He’d rather pass out than stew about what had gone wrong so quickly between Cris and him. He secr
etly wished his grandfather had brought the whole damn bottle.
“Eldridge, son, you were quiet at dinner until the bread ran out,” Leo teased.
Ridge scooted to the edge of the couch to touch his glass with his grandfather’s. “I’m trying to figure out how I fucked something up.”
Leo looked at him and nodded, which was annoying as fuck, because Ridge didn’t know why the man did it. Before Ridge could ask, Elliot and Eve came into the room and sat down on the large pillows in front of the fireplace, both with cocktails of their own.
“I thought you were going to invite Hannah and Cris for the holiday,” Evie commented, disappointment on her face.
“Cris? The Santa at the West Philly store you fell in love with?” Leo offered, making everyone’s head swivel toward him before they looked at Ridge.
“Yes, Grandpa. I’m in love with him, and I told him, and now he broke up with me without actually saying the words,” Ridge complained.
“It’s because you’re selfish,” Elliot offered sarcastically.
“Oh, shit! That’s it! Cris thinks you’re selfish, because you didn’t join the conga line of Santa’s helpers who donated their bonus checks back to their colleagues. What did you do with that money, Ridge?” Eve asked.
Ridge barely caught his breath before he responded, unable to think about the implications of Eve’s statement. “I didn’t get a salary or a bonus for my time at Holiday Toys. I was so embarrassed about that shit, because I didn’t have anything to fucking give back right then.”
“I’m planning to do something for the people at the store when I have some money, but I didn’t have a penny on me when that came up,” Ridge lamented.
“Actually, I still have the checks from the staff, because I didn’t know what to do with the money. Nobody’s ever given money back before,” Elliot replied.
“Well, if they didn’t want the money…” Elaine began.
Ridge stood and turned to his mother. “Mom, they sacrificed the money… Jesus Christ, it’s no wonder I don’t have a modicum of compassion or selflessness in my body. You people have ruined me,” Ridge complained, and threw up his arms in disgust.
“Yes, she’s ruined all of us,” Gram Ginny announced, as she and JD joined the family in the solarium.
JD sighed, then led his mother over to the chair Ginny had bought for herself that sat next to the fireplace in the room. Ridge remembered his mother had purchased at least five different chairs for his grandmother to use when they visited, but she complained about every one of them and finally ordered her own. It became a game of wills between the two women years ago, but based on the battle of the chair, the rivalry wasn’t going away anytime soon.
Ridge glanced to his left to see Evie roll her eyes. “So not the point. You’ve all fucked us up, you know? I haven’t felt so good about anything as I did when I donated all of those dresses, and then helped Hannah Gamble find a dress for her party. I saw the pictures. She and her friend look adorable,” Eve remarked, taking a sip from the glass of wine she’d carried into the solarium.
“Yeah, well, I’m losing out on the chance for my soulmate, because I didn’t get paid for working at the store, so I couldn’t donate my bonus to the other employees like the rest of my coworkers. Cris thinks I’m a selfish asshole, and he never wants to see me again, I’m sure,” Ridge told his family, seeing his father’s face looking quite surprised.
“Wait, what? I put you on the payroll the day you started working at the store. You should have had the money you earned deposited into your account, and I’m sure there was a bonus check cut, right?” JD stated as he looked around at the group, obviously, seeking validation.
Ridge turned to his father. “Payroll? What?”
“Yes, son. I put a thousand into your account to start you off, but if you worked, you were getting paid, and we pay above minimum wage. I didn’t expect you to survive on that thousand dollars the whole time. You should have had two direct deposits for the time you worked,” JD replied.
Ridge stood and started for Elliot, who ducked behind Elaine. “Okay, wait. I thought it would really teach you humility if I didn’t pay you at all. I wanted to see how you operated on a budget. Families survive on less than that a month,” Elliot defended as Ridge ran around the couch, prepared to beat his brother to death.
“Eve spent my money on Hannah Gamble’s dress, and I was fine with it, but you… Why would you do that? I worked for that money?” Ridge snapped.
“I didn’t want you to take my car, okay? I thought you’d cave on this whole thing, and I’d get to keep my car, dammit!” Elliot blurted out. The arguing started about thirty seconds later.
The yelling continued until Leo Holiday whistled to stop all the noise. “Okay, let’s not forget we’re a family, though maybe we need to find a therapist. Nevertheless, we’re still a family, and we love each other.”
Ridge stood and started for the door, but he stopped at the exit of the solarium. “All of you butt out. It’s over. He’s done with me. Let it go.” He then turned and stormed out into the snow, feeling the need to nurse his broken heart without any interference from his family. He was coming to hate the holidays.
Upon arriving at his apartment later Christmas night, Ridge changed into his pajamas and settled into the futon. He was content to watch bad Christmas movies on a channel that specialized in horrible writing and D-list actors he’d never heard of, while he worked his way through an entire packet of chocolate cream cookies he’d had in a cabinet, but had forgotten about.
Ridge had initially been disappointed that Patsy hadn’t made him any Christmas cookies to bring home with him, but in the end, it didn’t matter. Hannah Gamble’s cookies had ruined him for anyone else’s cookies for the rest of his life.
Ridge had returned Patsy’s car to her, explaining he’d had the heater fixed and thanking her profusely for its loan. He’d driven his BMW to the apartment, too upset to care if it was still on the parking lot in the morning when he woke.
His life had gone to hell, and if his dead body was found in that single room with his face half-eaten by feral cats, so be it. His mood fit with the cloud of doom he was smothering under.
Ridge spent until the wee hours of the morning texting Cris, even though he kept receiving a notice that the messages were undeliverable. He’d poured out his heart regarding how much he loved Cris and what he wanted for their future, even though it became clear Cris would never read the messages. He’d been blocked.
The party on New Year’s Eve at the manse would include the employees from the West Philly store as Leo had suggested, and after Elaine finally came around, the Holiday family actually seemed to turn a page in their snobby history, or so Ridge hoped. The party wouldn’t only be a group of Philadelphia’s upper crust. People who were crucial to the success of the holiday season at Holiday Toys would be invited as well.
After Ridge drained the self-pity pool, he began making plans of his own. No, he didn’t want to work for Holiday Toys corporate, but there were many options on the horizon for the company to step forward and be a stabilizing force in the community, especially with the plans for the new warehouse and order processing center outside of Philadelphia and the fleet of trucks the company was acquiring. Those options were what Ridge was interested in exploring.
Ridge finally left his apartment on the twenty-seventh of December, finding his parking spot empty, much as he’d actually expected. He’d left his BMW parked there on Christmas night, so he wasn’t really surprised it was gone.
Ridge wasn’t exactly ready to share the news with anyone in his family, but the car was gone, and he’d never buy such an ostentatious vehicle again. The amount of money he’d wasted over his lifetime was staggering.
Unfortunately, his happiness was fleeting because he didn’t have a way to get around, nor the cash to use public transport. Much to his dismay, Ridge had only one option… he would have to call Craig Tuttle, the family driver.
He’d promis
ed the man he’d never ask him to pick him up again if Craig provided transportation for Bauer Mays and Hannah Gamble to and from the Winter Formal, but there he was, already going back on his promise. When Craig answered, Ridge could hear the contempt in the man’s voice.
“Mr. Holiday? I was led to believe I’d never have to hear from you again, sir,” Craig answered.
Ridge sighed. “Yes, well, I hoped I could live up to my word, but I have a problem. Someone stole my car. I don’t have any money to spend on a taxi or a hired car, but I need to get to Holiday Headquarters to speak with my father and brother, and I don’t know what else to do,” Ridge admitted, not hiding the vulnerability in his voice.
In reality, Ridge had never felt so defeated in his life. He was sure he could have gotten through the censure his father had imposed for his immature antics before Thanksgiving, but by Christmas… and after Cristian… his spirit was utterly broken. Of course, he had no one to blame but himself.
The idea his own brother had undermined him in such a way that Ridge looked like an absolute selfish asshole when he’d sat at the table with his coworkers at the store in West Philly, staying silent as they all gave back their bonus checks. That day, Ridge had never felt more like a failure. The fact he had lost Cristian Gamble, because of the way the impromptu meeting went down, was more than enough to crush his spirit.
“Please, Mr. Tuttle, sir, if you could just give me a ride downtown, I’d be forever grateful, and I’ll make it worth your time after the first of the year, I promise,” Ridge finally begged. He hadn't realized how much the man despised him, but Ridge was sure it was well-deserved.
Ridge heard the heavy sigh, and it didn’t sound good for him. “I have to drive Miss Eve to the office, so I’ll pick you up first. I’ll be there in twenty minutes, Mr. Ridge. Please be outside. I don’t want to keep her waiting.”
Ridge nodded, but realized Craig couldn’t hear his brain rattling around in his head, so he cleared his throat. “Thank you, Mr. Tuttle. I’ll meet you out front.”
The Holiday Gamble Page 13
