A Christmas Temptation

by Karen Booth

  Sophie nodded slowly, not sure if that made her feel any better at all. “I know. You’re right.”

  “But let me tell you this. First off, I have a lot of friends who do what I do. People don’t know it, but the world of window dressing is incredibly tight-knit.” He gently rested his hand on Sophie’s forearm. “None of my friends works in a store as special as Eden’s. Your grandmother knew what she was doing. Her spirit is in every square inch of this place.”

  Sophie had to wonder if Reginald had any idea how unencouraging his pep talk was. This all seemed like more confirmation that Sophie would never live up to the specter of her grandmother.

  “But I can also tell you that I’ve seen a big change in this store over the last three years. A big change. Lizzie, I’m sure you noticed it, too.”

  Lizzie nodded and looked at Sophie, seeming resigned. “I have.”

  Sophie’s heart felt heavy. Would she ever be able to overcome the challenges facing the store? Especially now that she was going to have to work with Mindy, who would be digging in her heels the whole way? And what about Emma? Sophie hardly knew her. Now they were supposed to save the family business together? “I know. It’s the downturn in retail. I don’t know how we’re going to get through it. It’s not just the store. It’s a market condition. I suppose we just have to ride it out.”

  Reginald pursed his lips. “Please. Downturn in retail. There have been a million of those. In the end, people will always love to shop. It’s the hunter-gatherer in all of us. I wasn’t talking about that. I was talking about you.”

  “Me?”

  He nodded, and for an instant Sophie thought she saw his eyes mist up. “Your grandmother was a new woman when you came to work here. She was energized. It was like she was twenty years younger.”

  “I never noticed any difference in her,” Sophie said.

  “That’s because you weren’t here to see her at work in the years before that. She believed in you. She believed that there was a future for this store when you came to work here. You had ideas. You had enthusiasm. She loved every second of it.”

  Sophie remembered so clearly the day her grandmother finally asked her to come to work for the store. It had always been the plan for Sophie to start right after business school, but it hadn’t played out that way. Gram had other employees in the role that Sophie would eventually play, so she had to wait until they moved on. Sophie spent three years aimlessly shuffling from corporate job to corporate job, waiting for her chance. When she got it, she leaped at it.

  Unfortunately, having a job she’d been predestined for had made Sophie discount the times when her grandmother said she was lucky to have Sophie there. She’d assumed that was her grandmother speaking, not her boss. Now she knew that Gram had meant it.

  “Why do you think she didn’t tell me? About Emma or the stipulation about keeping the store open for two years?”

  “My guess is she thought she had time. Everybody thinks they have time. And honestly, she had no reason to believe otherwise. She was so full of life. That’s part of what made it such a shock.”

  Sophie nodded. She would have cried if she had the energy. She’d shed everything she had for Jake over the past few days. Still, it all made perfect sense. Gram would have eventually told her. But she thought she had time. Just then, Sophie’s cell phone rang. She fished it out of the pocket of her dress. Look who finally decided to call me back. “I need to take this. It’s my sister.”

  “Which one?” Reginald quipped.

  Sophie started back to her office. “Funny. That’s funny.” She answered the call and shut her office door behind her. “Did you lose your phone? Or were you merely torturing me?”

  “I needed time to think.”

  Skipping her desk, Sophie stretched out on her couch and put her feet up. “You could have called me and told me that, you know.”

  “I was angry. I didn’t want to say something ugly.”

  “Gram’s will is not my fault.”

  “I know that. But I was pretty sure you’d hidden those stipulations from me. You and Gram talked about everything.”

  Sophie kneaded her forehead. “Not everything.”

  “Really, Soph? Because I really want to believe you, but I still need to hear it from you.”

  “I did not know about any of it. I’ll take a lie detector test if you want me to. I swear I didn’t know.”

  Mindy blew out a breath. “Okay. I believe you. Thank you.”

  “I’m glad that’s cleared up.” It was then that Sophie realized just how much it might not have been ridiculous for Jake to arrive at the same conclusion as Mindy. Sophie and her sister had known each other for their entire lives, and Mindy still thought Sophie had pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes. “Are you still coming up to Eden House tomorrow?”

  Mindy sighed. “I’m not. I need a break from family, and I made plans to spend it with a friend.”

  Sophie’s heart sank to her stomach. “What am I supposed to do with your gifts?”

  “Give them to me for my birthday? I haven’t even had time to shop for you, so I don’t have the same problem. I’m sorry. I think we just need to pretend like Christmas doesn’t even exist this year.”

  Christmas doesn’t exist. Sophie couldn’t have thought up a more depressing concept if she tried. “Fine. I’ll celebrate by myself.”

  “What about Jake? Did you not patch things up?”

  “No, we didn’t patch things up. You would have known that if you’d called me back. We’re done.”

  “Oh. Wow. I’m sorry. I just assumed you guys would get back together. You seemed so...happy.”

  A headache the size of the women’s shoe department was now brewing in Sophie’s head. “Funny, but he’s holding the same grudge you were. Maybe you two should spend some time together.”

  “I’m so sorry. I, uh, well, I might not have made plans if I’d known. Please don’t be mad.”

  “Don’t be mad? I feel like I’m the only one trying to hold everything together. Our family. The store.” Sophie could feel herself unraveling. Between her lack of sleep and everything that had gone wrong, she wasn’t far from coming apart at the seams.

  “I’ll make it up to you next year. I’m sorry, but that’s my decision. And I have to go. I’m meeting my friend. I’m going to be late.”

  Sophie didn’t have the strength to argue. “Fine. Merry Christmas.” It wasn’t like her at all, but she hung up on Mindy and dropped her phone on the floor.

  She rolled to her side and held her hand to her chest, her breaths coming out of her in fits. From across the room, the lights on her office Christmas tree were twinkling like everything in the world was okay. But it wasn’t. The tears were coming now, and she couldn’t do anything to stop them. Everything that was wrong in her life and gone from her life was too much. Gram. Jake. Now Christmas.

  Twelve

  Jake was typically alone in his office on Christmas Eve, and this year was no different. His employees were either traveling or already at home with their families. Jake used the day to catch up on projects he’d put off. He took some time to finish up his projections for the new year. Basically, anything that could keep his mind off Christmas.

  He’d told himself that he wouldn’t work a full day, but now that it was noon, he didn’t really see any reason to go home. What was waiting for him there? Nothing. No Sophie, that was for sure. But he did need lunch, and for that he’d need to run down the block to the deli.

  Outside, it was bitter cold. Yesterday’s snow had been mostly swept from the sidewalks, but it remained along the curbs, piled up and waiting to melt. Across the street in the park, the holiday market was bustling as always, but it would be closed in an hour or two. Another reminder of this season he had to withstand every year would be gone. It would be worse next year because now Christmas would just remind him
of Sophie. She had not only put her mark on him, but she would forever be inextricably linked to December 25.

  He grabbed a turkey sandwich and was trekking back to the office when his phone rang. He had to wrestle his glove from his hand in order to dig his cell out of his pocket and answer.

  “Hello?” His breath was a puff of white in the cold air as he continued to walk.

  “Jake. It’s Mindy Eden.”

  He came to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. This was not a call he’d expected. “Mindy. Hi.”

  “Do you have a minute?”

  Jake nearly laughed. Today, he had nothing but time. “Of course.”

  “Good. Because I talked to Sophie yesterday and I can’t stop thinking about you two.”

  “What about us? Your sister and I are no longer involved.”

  “I know. And that’s the problem.”

  “She told me she never wanted to see me again. I don’t really know how I’m supposed to come back from that. She ran away in heels down a snowy New York street to prove her point.”

  “Sophie runs in heels all the time. That should not be the measure of whether or not she actually meant what she said.”

  The cold was getting to Jake, so he put his glove back on and resumed the walk back to his office. “I wasn’t very kind to her that day, either. I accused her of lying, and I wish I could take it back. I was upset and I said some stupid things.”

  “Do you still think she lied?”

  Jake strolled back into his building and wandered off to the side of the lobby. “Honestly? I don’t believe that your sister has an insincere or dishonest bone in her body. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”

  “I’m glad to know it’s not just me who’s feeling like a jerk for not believing her. I apologized yesterday, though. I’m wondering if you shouldn’t do the same.”

  He shook his head. “Do you think she would actually listen to me?”

  “Sounds to me like you’re asking whether or not she’ll take you back. That I can’t answer. But I do think she would at least let you apologize, which could be just what she needs. It might make her Christmas less miserable.”

  Jake laughed. A miserable Christmas? For Sophie? That seemed as unlikely a scenario as a repeat of yesterday’s snowstorm in July.

  “I’m serious, Jake. She’s going to be all alone unless she can convince Barry to come and hang out with her. She’s going to Eden House by herself.”

  “Where are you going to be? What about your mom?”

  Mindy explained that her mom had taken off for the Caribbean and Mindy was opting for Miami with a friend. In fact, they’d both already left the city. Neither of them was feeling either the Christmas spirit or the joy of being a member of the Eden family.

  This was not adding up for Jake. The Edens were solid as a rock, or so he had thought. Sophie had painted visions of a Christmas filled with love and laughter, of a house where everyone was happy and safe. And she wouldn’t have that this year. Her Christmas was going to be just as terrible as Jake’s, except it meant so much more to her.

  “Where’s Sophie now? Has she left for Eden House already?”

  “I think the store is open until two today. Knowing her, she’ll stay until closing and then she’ll leave.”

  Jake was certain of very little right now, but the mere thought of Sophie suffering and being unhappy made his chest ache, and that could mean only one thing. He wasn’t merely falling for Sophie. He loved her. And the only way to prove it was to save the thing he’d once despised. He was going to have to save Christmas.

  “Mindy. I have to go. I hope you have fun in Miami with Sam Blackwell. Just be careful. He’s not my favorite person. You can tell him I said that, too.”

  “How do you know I’m with Sam?”

  “I pay attention. That’s how.” Jake marched over to the security desk. “We’ll have to talk about this later. If I’m going to catch your sister at the store, I need to go now.”

  “Thanks, Jake.”

  “For what?”

  “For being a good enough guy to want to make my sister happy.”

  He laughed again, much more readily this time. If he was being honest, he’d always been that guy. He’d always wanted to make Sophie happy. He’d just been doing an exceptionally poor job of it. “No problem.” Jake hung up the phone and offered his deli bag to the female security guard working today. “Turkey on rye? Kosher dill on the side?”

  She eyed him with suspicion. “What’s the catch?”

  “No catch. Just spreading a little holiday cheer.” He was surprised to learn it didn’t sound nearly as corny as he’d feared.

  The guard dropped her steely stare and she smiled. “Thank you so much. I hope you have a merry Christmas.”

  “Thanks. I’m hoping so, too.”

  With no time to waste, Jake rushed back outside and down Fifth Avenue to Fortieth Street and the south side of the park. He was nearly to the Sixth Avenue corner when he spied the shop where Sophie had bought her ornament. The star. There was no telling if Barry had ever tracked down Sophie’s grandmother’s tree topper. Even if Sophie might not accept his apology, she might accept one final gift from him. It couldn’t be met with any worse a reaction than a fruit basket.

  He sprinted to the corner and back along the walkway, squeezing past people doing their last-minute shopping. When he got to the kiosk, a man was locking up the door.

  “Please don’t close the store. I need something,” Jake blurted.

  The man rolled his eyes. “We’re basically sold out of everything. Sorry. Come see us next year.”

  Jake stepped right in front of him and looked him square in the eye. “You don’t understand. I have to save Christmas for a very special woman. And if I don’t, well, I might end up living my entire life alone.”

  “I’m sure that whatever you want is gone.”

  Jake could see it through the window. “It’s not gone. It’s right there. The gold star on top of that tree.”

  “We don’t sell those. It’s just for display.”

  “I’ll give you a hundred bucks for it.”

  “Sir...”

  “Two hundred. Cash.”

  “I wouldn’t even know how to ring it up.”

  “Three hundred. I don’t need a receipt. Trust me, I’m not going to bring it back.”

  The man closed his eyes and shook his head, just long enough to make Jake sick to his stomach. “All right. Fine.” He turned the key and opened the door. “I’ll be right back.”

  Jake watched as the man got out a stepladder, climbed to the top and removed the star from the top of the tree. He returned with Jake’s purchase.

  “Do you have a bag or a gift box?”

  “No. Sorry.”

  Jake fished the cash out of his wallet and handed it over. “No worries. Thanks for your help.”

  With the gold star tucked under his arm, he broke free of the holiday market crowd and started to jog down Fortieth. When he got to the corner of Seventh Avenue, he spotted people with arms loaded down with Eden’s shopping bags. The store was only three blocks down the avenue. Jake hurried to get there, his breath coming out in lofty puffs of white while the brisk wind whipped at his cheeks. The massive stone structure with the signature black-and-white Eden’s sign hanging from the corner of the building loomed larger. It looked exactly as it had weeks ago, except Jake realized that he no longer saw it the same way. It was no longer a deal to be had. This was Sophie’s whole life. He had to wonder if she would make room in that life for him or if he’d used up all of his chances. She’d told him a week ago that she intended to tell him that she loved him. Did she still feel that way? Or had he ruined everything?

  He tried to imagine that day from Sophie’s side of things. If it had gone as Jake had presumed it would, that would have been
a difficult day for her. Mindy had given her ultimatum, which meant Sophie would have been scrambling for $2 billion. Granted, Jake could have bought Mindy out, but that wasn’t a solution, either. That wasn’t what Sophie wanted. It wasn’t what her grandmother had envisioned. She’d wanted the granddaughters to run the store together. As a team. Now that team had one more person, someone she didn’t know or trust. He’d been much too hard on Sophie. He knew that now.

  He was steps from the revolving door when he came to a stop. He hadn’t looked at the window displays the other times he’d been to the store. Not once. But here were crowds of people admiring them, pointing, taking pictures and raving. Children rushed from one window to another. They jumped up and down. There was so much joy and happiness around him. You could feel it in the air. For a moment, he allowed himself to simply soak it up. To drink it in. He’d been missing out on this because he’d decided as a young boy that it wasn’t meant for him. Money and prestige were the things he’d been dead set on acquiring, just to prove to himself that he was stronger than his lot in life. In the meantime, he’d forgotten the part about being happy.

  But it had found him with Sophie. She was his ray of sunshine. She was the reason that those two years of business school had been some of the best in his entire life. She made him look forward to things, even if it was merely looking forward to the chance to see her. He couldn’t postpone happiness anymore. He had to grab it now.

  He burst through the revolving doors and ran back to the elevators that went up to the offices. When he reached the top floor, there was nobody there. It was eerily quiet. For a split second, he thought he was too late. But then he turned and saw the light filtering from her office. Taking long strides, he arrived at her door, but she wasn’t at her desk. She was asleep on her couch.

  He crept into the room and set the star on her desk, taking a second to admire how beautiful she was when she was peacefully sleeping. He couldn’t believe the way his heart swelled in his chest just to see her. So this really was love. He’d done more than fall for her. He was head-to-toe in love.