The Christmas Keeper

by Jenn McKinlay

  “Wait!” Maisy dashed into the kitchen and grabbed a chilled bottle of Riesling and two glasses. “Let’s celebrate while we work.”

  “Good idea,” Savy said. “I always think better with a beverage.”

  The two women disappeared and Ryder gestured for Quino to have a seat on the big couch Maisy had just vacated while he clicked on the TV so they could watch a basketball game. He kept the volume on low and retrieved their beers from the kitchen. He handed Quino his and joined him on the couch.

  “Destiny Swann is that big of a deal?” Ryder asked.

  “Apparently.” Quino shrugged. He’d known Destiny as a friend for so long it was hard to wrap his head around her being the key to the bookstore’s success. “Not only will the signing help the bookstore, but it will help Destiny, too. She’s been out of the public eye for a long time.”

  “Seems like it’s all fated, doesn’t it?” Ryder asked.

  “Maybe,” Quino said. He didn’t want to jinx it.

  “Well, I can’t thank you enough,” Ryder said. “The bookstore means everything to Maisy and if she’s this excited then I know this is a huge deal. So, thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Quino said. “I did have some ulterior motives in play.”

  Ryder followed his gaze through the doorway to where the two women sat. He grinned.

  “Understood,” Ryder said. They watched the game in silence for a bit but during the commercial, Ryder asked, “So, what’s the word from Desi? Perry’s been following her posts from Kenya. She’s put up some amazing stuff. I’m so proud of her. Will she be home for Christmas?”

  “I don’t know,” Quino said. “She’s so busy, our talks have been short, and with the time change, it’s been hard for us to catch each other. Lots of phone tag.”

  Ryder studied his friend’s face. “You’re not happy about her internship, are you?”

  “Happy?” Quino asked. “Hell no. I can’t believe she was so sneaky and underhanded and slipped out of the country without even discussing it. She could get crushed in a stampede, shot by a poacher—hell, have you seen some of those baby elephants? They could flatten her if they wanted to.”

  Ryder looked him over. “Yeah, I can’t imagine why she didn’t tell you she was leaving.”

  Quino shot him a hot glare. “It’s dangerous. And you know Desi, she has no sense when it comes to people. She could be taken advantage of so easily. How am I supposed to protect her from here?”

  “Quino, I know how much you love Desi, I do, but you can’t deny her dreams. If working in an elephant orphanage is how she wants to spend her life, you can’t keep her from that,” Ryder said.

  “We’ll see. She’s only been over there for a few weeks. By now, she’s got to be getting homesick. When she returns, I’m sure she’ll reconsider leaving Fairdale. I’ve already got my passport and visa and I’m going in for my shots. If I get even a hint that things are not going well, I’m going to get her.”

  Ryder studied him. “What did Reyva say?”

  “Phff,” Quino huffed out a breath. “She was impressed with Desi’s ability to manage all of this. She got all of her paperwork—she even managed to get a grant to pay for whatever the internship didn’t cover.”

  “That is impressive,” Ryder said. Quino frowned. “It is! You can’t deny that it was very resourceful of her to navigate this all by herself.”

  “But she didn’t,” Quino said. “Someone helped her. Reyva swears it wasn’t her but someone had to have helped her to apply for that grant.”

  “You don’t think she could have done it on her own?”

  “She could have, but I doubt she would have been successful without someone’s guidance,” Quino said. “She has trouble with writing. The letters get jumbled and she sometimes uses the wrong words in certain places. No, I know someone must have helped her, but who? Who would send a girl halfway around the world from everyone and everything she’s ever known?”

  “Someone who believed the young woman could do it,” Ryder said. “Quino, have you considered the possibility that it was time for Desi to go?”

  Quino looked at his friend as if he’d suggested Desi become a tightrope walker for the circus. “No.”

  “Listen, I think you can stand down. Desi can handle this.”

  Quino ignored him. He didn’t want to hear what his friend had to say about Desi. He didn’t understand. How could he? He and his brother, Sawyer, weren’t close like Desi and Quino. Quino had raised her since their parents had died and he had promised he would take care of her. How could he do that when she was on another continent? No, she needed to come home, and the sooner the better.

  “Okay, then,” Ryder said. He had clearly caught on that the subject of Desi was closed. “How about you and Savy?”

  “What about us?” Quino asked. He took a long swig of his beer.

  “Savy said you’re a couple. I have to hand it to you, I didn’t really think you’d be able to pull it off.”

  “Well, I’ve only gotten her to agree to the girlfriend-boyfriend thing, but I still have time before Christmas to put a lock on it,” Quino said.

  Ryder laughed and shook his head. “Your optimism is astounding.”

  Quino lifted his beer. “I know. I just have to believe that she’ll realize that what we have doesn’t come along every day. You know what I mean.”

  Ryder glanced at the door that led to the office, and Quino followed his glance. The two women were sitting side by side with a laptop open between them. There was a low murmur coming from the room and every now and then there was a laugh or a clap. They were in their element. The sight of them made him smile and he noted Ryder had the same goofy look on his face.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Ryder said. “I think I was half-dead before I met Maisy.”

  Quino nodded. He’d felt exactly the same. The only trouble was with Destiny coming to the bookstore, it was likely that Red would ride this success back to New York, leaving him here in Fairdale, a heartbroken lump of a man. He refused to accept that. No, he had time. He just had to romance the woman silly, until she couldn’t imagine her life without him.

  “Uh-oh,” Ryder said. He was watching Quino’s face. “You’re formulating a plan, aren’t you?”

  “Yup.”

  “Care to share?”

  “Nope.”

  “Should I be concerned?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Why am I not reassured?” Ryder asked. “Your plan doesn’t involve anything illegal, does it?”

  “What?” Quino was offended. “No. I am merely going to play to my strengths.”

  “Movie star good looks and a buttload of charisma?” Ryder asked. “No offense, but those qualities didn’t seem to get you too far with her over the past few months.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Quino said. “Red is one tough cookie but I can offer her something she’s never had before.”

  “Are we entering TMI territory? Because I really am not into hearing about your sex life.”

  Quino rolled his eyes. “No. Red is completely meh about Christmas, but I think it’s just because her family is lousy at it. I, however, am not. So, I’m going to use the holiday spirit to woo that woman until she can’t live without me.”

  Ryder looked at him with an expression that appeared impressed. “I think you might have a worthy plan there.”

  “Here’s hoping.” Quino held up his beer and they clinked bottles. As far as he was concerned, failure was not an option.

  Chapter Twenty

  SAVANNAH woke up with a weight across her middle and warmth along her back. The December nights had gotten cold, the temperatures dropping below freezing, and the top floor of the old house turned bookstore was the draftiest part. She snuggled into the heat at her back and then stilled when a soft snore sounded in her ear. A slow smile spread a
cross her lips.

  Joaquin. He had one arm draped over her, locking her in against his chest as his body curved around hers. It was a delicious feeling to be entwined with him.

  After they had left Maisy and Ryder’s last night, it had been late and they’d come back to her place. She’d made them hot cocoa while Quino assessed her zero-decoration apartment and found it wanting. Savy pointed out that his house had enough decorations for ten homes, so he wasn’t one to judge. He argued that was precisely why he could judge. Then he had carted her off to her bedroom, where they had made love until late in the night. She wondered if she’d ever get enough of this man. She couldn’t imagine it.

  Savy knew she should be exhausted but instead she felt fabulously energized. There was so much to do before Destiny’s signing. She couldn’t wait to get started even if it was the darker side of dawn. Coffee. She’d make coffee while her man slumbered. Her man.

  A smile tipped her lips as she glanced over her shoulder at her gentle giant. With his dark hair falling over his forehead, and his chiseled features slack with sleep, he looked more beautiful than any man should and, yet, he had a rough-hewn sensuality about him that gave him a certain knuckle-dragger appeal that she couldn’t resist. She wanted to kiss him awake, but he looked so utterly exhausted, so completely deep in his dreams, that she didn’t.

  Instead, she decided to go work on her to-do list while the coffee brewed. She’d just work for a little while and then sneak back in before he noticed she was gone. She slipped out from under his arm. He didn’t move. He really was done in. The cold air made her shiver and she missed his warmth immediately. She snatched up her pajamas and her robe and quietly slipped them on. Then she crept to the bedroom door and let herself out.

  She stopped in the doorway. Her jaw dropped. Her living room was positively aglow. In the corner was an enormous white Christmas tree with white lights, and it was covered in glittering pink and aqua ornaments all in an atomic ’50s style, mid-century modern, that she loved. Garlands of wide ribbons in aqua and pink looped the tree and sitting on the very top was a silver retro star with enormous pearls on its ends. It was the most beautiful Christmas tree Savy had ever seen. She put her hand over her mouth. How? When?

  She glanced back over her shoulder at the man who was still dead asleep. He must have left her last night, gone out, gotten all of this, and put it up while she slept. She stepped further into the main room and glanced around the rest of the apartment. She noted the pink and aqua garlands hanging over the window frames and the single white lights in the shape of candles perched on every sill. And there, hanging on the mantel of the small fireplace, beneath more candle lights and garlands, were two stockings. They were hand-knit and didn’t have names but one was pink and one was aqua and she knew they were meant for him and her.

  She’d never had a Christmas stocking. She crossed the room and gently ran her fingers over the pink one. It was soft to the touch and she wondered what it would be like to wake up on Christmas morning with this man in this place. Her heart felt the pull, the longing, to have this and to have him. This wonderful, generous, loving man.

  She glanced back at the bedroom and saw him, standing there, framed in the doorway, watching her. He looked at her from beneath his lashes as if afraid of what her response might be. She didn’t have the heart to tease him, not when she could barely breathe because her throat was so tight with emotion.

  “Oh, Quino,” she said. And then to her complete mortification, she burst into tears.

  “Oh, hey,” he whispered. “It’s all right, Red. If you really hate it, I can take it all down. Heck, I’ll just open a window and throw it all out on the lawn.” He crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. “Seriously, don’t cry.”

  “I can’t . . . it’s just . . . no one has ever . . .” She buried her face in his T-shirt and sobbed. “In all the time I’ve been on my own, I’ve never had a tree and it’s b . . . beau . . . beautiful.”

  She felt his shoulders relax. Had he really been worried that she wouldn’t like it? It was . . . how could she put it? Extraordinary? Amazing? Magical? This man, her boyfriend, truly was a keeper, just like the title of the book Destiny had given her on which he’d been the model. He was a keeper, a Christmas keeper, and she was so in love with him it made her breathless. The realization hit her right between the eyes. She was in love with Joaquin Solis. Oh, no, this was bad. So bad.

  She stepped away and wiped off her face with the backs of her hands. Then she blinked at him, trying to pretend that everything was okay. It wasn’t and it probably never would be again. He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her eyes.

  “What is it, Red? You look like you’re freaking out on me,” he said.

  “No, it’s just.” She paused. She could tell him the truth without telling him the truth. He deserved that. “This is the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me, and I am overcome.”

  His grin was brighter than the tree. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” she said. She turned and glanced back at her living room, which looked so festive and she felt the stirring of something. Could it be? She looked at him in mock alarm. “I have this sudden urge to bake cookies. What is wrong with me?”

  He laughed and hugged her tight. “Red, I’m afraid you’re coming down with something very serious.”

  She hugged him back and then looked at his face to see if he’d figured it out. That the feelings consuming her were her love and affection for him. “And what would that be?”

  “Well, let’s check your symptoms to be sure,” he said. “Do you feel like doing nice things for people just because?”

  She nodded.

  “Buying presents just to see people happy?”

  “Yup.”

  “Singing Christmas carols?”

  “Fa la la la.”

  “Watching Christmas movies while snuggled with your sweetie by the fire?”

  “Definitely.”

  He put his hand on her forehead and made a tsking sound. “Darlin’, I’m afraid you have an advanced case of Christmas spirit.”

  She laughed. Relieved that he hadn’t discovered her Christmas spirit was really the realization that she was ass over teakettle in love with him, but also a little disappointed that he didn’t know it was him, just him, that made her feel this way.

  “What should I do?” she asked.

  “There’s no known cure,” he said. “I think you’re just going to have to go all in with full immersion and hope you come out the other side. Maybe we could watch A Christmas Carol, the good one with Alastair Sim, tonight while we bake cookies and sing carols and make love beside the Christmas tree.”

  Her pupils dilated at that last suggestion and she was a bit dizzy when she answered, “Sounds like a date.”

  He kissed her then. It was a slow, lingering kiss that led them back to the bedroom, where all thoughts of making a to-do list fled from her mind as she wrapped herself around her man and loved on him until the sun came up.

  * * *

  * * *

  THE days leading up to Destiny’s signing passed in a blur of activity. On top of their original holiday events they now had this massive feature. Using every available room, the bookstore had a capacity of two hundred. The only fair way to accommodate guests was to sell tickets. The price of the ticket included listening to Destiny talk, a copy of her latest book, and a spot in line for her signing.

  Savy sent the press releases out a week before the event. She was nervous that they didn’t have enough lead time to promote the day properly, but what could she do? Hope for the best. That was it.

  Her phone began to ring shortly after the releases went out.

  “Savannah Wilson, Happily Ever After Bookstore. Can I help you?” she answered.

  “Hi, this is Simone Chester from Channel Twelve in Raleigh. Is this press release you sent . . . um .
. . accurate?”

  “Channel Twelve, did you say?” Savy grinned. She saw Maisy’s eyes go wide from her seat at her desk across from Savy’s.

  “Yes,” Simone answered. “Is Destiny Swann really coming out of seclusion to sign at your store?”

  “Why, yes, she is,” Savy said. “We’re very excited to host her first appearance in over ten years.”

  “I’ll bet you are,” Simone said. “Any chance we could get an interview with the owner of the bookstore?”

  “Let me see,” Savy said. “Ms. Kelly’s schedule is pretty packed with requests, but, oh, wait, I have an opening tomorrow. Say, ten o’clock?”

  “We’ll be there with a news van,” Simone said. “Of course, we’ll want to film Ms. Swann’s arrival for her signing, too.”

  “And we’ll be happy to discuss that with you tomorrow,” Savy said.

  “Thank you, Ms. Wilson.”

  “My pleasure,” Savy said. She ended the call. She glanced at Maisy. “Channel Twelve interview tomorrow morning. Ten o’clock.”

  “Oh, my God,” Maisy said. She looked panicked.

  “Don’t.” Savannah shook her head. “This is exactly what you need to get this bookstore on solid ground. We’ll go through your closet tonight and find the perfect outfit. You’ve got this. Do not panic.”

  “I’m not panicking,” Maisy said. Her voice was high and tight and she bit the side of her thumb. “Why do you think I’m panicking?”

  The door to the office burst open. It was Jeri. Her eyes were huge and her long black braids flew about her head, making a sweet jingling sound as she’d weaved some bells in for the holidays.

  “What is it?” Maisy asked.

  “We sold out,” Jeri said. She looked at them in disbelief. “In a half hour. We are out of tickets for Destiny Swann.”

  “All two hundred?” Maisy asked. Jeri nodded. “Holy wow!”

  “We need to open up the front lawn,” Savy said. “We won’t sell tickets, but we can rig up a large screen out there so people can watch Destiny, and if they want to get in line for the signing we’ll let them. I need to call Genevieve and see how many books Destiny is willing to sign in total.” She glanced at the two women both staring at her in awe. “I don’t want to alarm you, but this event is conceivably even bigger than we imagined.”