Christmas Hero Page 4

  “I can’t place what it is, but it sure smells heavenly.”

  “Homemade marshmallows.”

  “Yummy. I don’t think I’ve ever had homemade ones before.” She reached for the cup but he held it just out of range.

  “No, hold on a minute. There’s a choice. I have regular marshmallows in one drink and chocolate marshmallows in the other. You get to choose which one you want.”

  Lowering her head down towards the cup, she took another smell and the smooth aroma piqued her nostrils, quickly traveling to her brain. Within half a second, her stomach grumbled and her mouth watered. This was a smell she’d always associate with Andy, even though The Daily Grind’s hot chocolate had been part of her childhood. She leaned against the counter, pushing the book she was dealing with out of the way. Good manners prevailed, although she already knew which one she wanted. “No, you pick your favorite,” she said politely. “You did the running after all.”

  He let out a deep, theatrical sigh then set both down in front of her on the counter. “In the military, I learned the fine art of patience. If I have to, I will wait all day for you to decide, Elizabeth. I know you have trouble with being assertive, but you can do it.” He tapped the top of each of them in turn. “Which one do you want? Regular? Or chocolate?”

  The aroma was now stronger, and as she took a breath, she acknowledged that he was right. She had terrible problems asking for what she wanted, a characteristic that had always hindered her. This was a test, and a small issue, yet she froze with indecision. This was so unfair…why didn’t he tell her which one he wanted? “I have no idea, Andy. I don’t know what—”

  His voice was patient, but assertive. “You can’t get this wrong. You need to understand that I’m happy either way.” He grinned and his brown eyes crinkled at the corners, making her want to kiss him, and distracting her for a few seconds from the decision he was forcing her to make. “I’m happy just spending the day with you.”

  Boy, did he make her feel good. He knew exactly what to say and all of a sudden the marshmallow decision didn’t seem so hard after all. She tilted her head and smiled playfully then reached out for the left hand cup. “I’ve never had chocolate marshmallows before. Thank you, Andy.” As her hand encircled the cup she wondered if he would have preferred that one, but before she could ask, he spoke.

  “See. That was simple, wasn’t it? And you know what? The more decisive you get, the easier decisions will come. And the less Mona and people like her can push you around.” He lifted his cup and pretended to clink with hers. “To the new Elizabeth. Betty the pushover is gone. Time to own your life. Got it?”

  This time her smile started way down in the base of her chest, and she felt its energy flooding her body with light. By the time the smile reached her lips, she knew what she felt for Andy could only be described by one word.

  How on the earth could she fall for someone so fast? More important, did he feel the same way as she did?

  Ten

  Andy

  Andy had always been an achiever. From the time he was a young boy wearing short pants, getting things done had been important to him. He grew up in a household where success mattered and was rewarded. His parents had taught him that self-esteem and belief in himself were important characteristics that would serve him well, and these values had carried him through life, particularly in his tour of duty.

  While he tried to be humble, he was no stranger to the concepts of self-love and pride, but what surprised him was how proud he was of Elizabeth. In a short space of time she’d become a huge part of his world, and despite what she saw as her insecurities and limitations he could see the vast potential in her. Andy knew changing behaviors and thoughts was hard, but achievable, and that as attitudes changed a person’s own pride and self-esteem would lift. He wanted Elizabeth to achieve her potential, to be sure of herself and happy, which was why he encouraged her to let go of her indecisiveness and become bold. As she did, he felt a growing sense of excitement to witness her newfound confidence. She was one hell of a sexy woman, who was growing in her appeal daily.

  It might have been a small decision for anyone else, but she was brimming with happiness and achievement after she’d chosen the hot chocolate with the lush chocolate marshmallow. Andy loved them himself, and he’d been tempted to buy them for both hot chocolates in The Daily Grind, but this had been a test for Elizabeth, part of his plan to help her build her esteem and assertiveness. She deserved to be totally in charge of her own destiny and he cared enough about her to help her get there. When he saw the pleasure on her face as she took that tiny step, his skin tingled with pleasure as if it was his own achievement. Was this what love felt like, when a man had an enormous sense of satisfaction from seeing someone else do well? Whatever it was, she looked so happy, confident and hot as she drank her beverage that he was glad he hadn’t bought them both with chocolate marshmallows.

  Betty—the prickly girl who’d picked him up at the airport—had all but disappeared and now was a distant memory. Elizabeth was beginning to blossom into the beautiful woman whose aura of confidence matched her stunning looks. That was the unusual thing about her. Most women that good looking would be big headed, if not slightly overconfident. He wondered what had happened to her to curtail her belief in herself.

  The morning sped by, with the bell over the door ringing at frequent intervals.

  “Your display seems to be pulling people in,” Elizabeth told him mid-morning. She touched his arm, her hand lingering for only a second, but it was long enough for him to feel a frisson at the easy familiarity they now shared.

  “Everything I do is designed to please.” He lifted his eyebrows suggestively, deliberately flirting with her, and was happy to see she didn’t look away. She smiled at him as if she understood the double entendre, and it pleased her. He wanted to grab hold of her and kiss her, but there were patrons in the store.

  “How about I buy you lunch to thank you for your good work?”

  “That sounds great. What do you want to eat?” The question was deliberate, and he expected her to defer to him, but she didn’t.

  “Pizza.” She detailed what she wanted without hesitation, passed him some cash and he went out for the order. Fifteen minutes later he brought back a pizza made to her specifications: a super supreme with nearly every topping imaginable, and so much extra cheese it would have fulfilled both their calcium requirements for the day.

  “Let’s get a tree after work,” he suggested as they sat at a table munching on their lunch.

  “You’re not going to believe this, but I haven’t had a tree at my place ever.”

  “You’re truly sad.” He leaned over and wiped a stray piece of mozzarella from the corner of her mouth. “Do you have any decorations?’

  “Somewhere. My mom bought them for me when I was little. And when she passed away, I got all her stuff. That’s part of the reason I haven’t had a tree. She died five years ago, and you know I haven’t really celebrated Christmas properly since.”

  “Do you spend Christmas with Bill and Mona?” He could feel himself flushing. Damn, why did I remind her that Mona and Bill had flown off on their own vacation, leaving her alone entertaining him? “Sorry, that was unthinking of me.”

  “I think it’s Bill and Mona that are inconsiderate.” She folded her arms across her chest: he could see the look of hurt in her eyes and even if he couldn’t have, it was plain from her body language.

  “Let’s not give them another thought. Once we’ve finished here for the afternoon we’ll head out to get that tree. We’ll look for your decorations when we get home with it, then tomorrow we’ll go to the Christmas festival after work and get some more decorations there. It will be more fun than you’ve had for ages.” He was looking forward to the fun too. He was happier about this than he had been about any Christmas in a long time, maybe as far back as when he was a boy.

  They were getting ready to close up for the afternoon when he heard the bell o
ver the shop door ring. Elizabeth was in the back stockroom, getting ready to leave, so he walked to the door to meet their customer.

  A petite, pretty woman with shoulder length auburn hair bustled to the front counter. “Where is she? Where’s Betty?” she asked Andy sharply, without even the courtesy of a smile.

  “She’s in the back,” he told her. “I’ll just get—”

  Before he could finish his sentence the woman pushed past him.

  Elizabeth chose that same moment to come out. “Hi, Trisha. What’s up?” she asked the woman.

  “I need you to volunteer at the concert. It’s going to be so exciting this year and I thought of you immediately.” She smiled a big, ingratiating smile. “So, be there at the town hall at seven sharp on Friday for a planning meeting.”

  Elizabeth hadn’t mentioned to him that she was involved in the Christmas concert, so Andy looked from Trisha to Elizabeth in surprise. Her head hung for a minute and he could tell from the set of her jaw that she didn’t want to do it. Would she be able to say no to this woman? She didn’t respond, and the silence hung between the two women.

  “I’m counting on you, Betty.” Trisha’s tone was assertive, showing she wasn’t used to being argued with.

  He was about to step in and rescue Elizabeth by saying something, but she shook her head, her hair obscuring her face. Then she raised her head and met Trisha’s gaze. “No, I’m sorry, Trisha, I’m not doing it this year. I have plans that night.”

  The other woman raised her eyebrows. “Well, change them. It’s going to be a big year, and you’ve got the experience we need.”

  Andy’s usual calm demeanor left him as heat prickled at the base of his neck. He moved a step closer to his girl and threw an arm around her shoulder. “Sorry. I need her more. Some other time, maybe.”

  “This happens once a year.” Trisha’s face was red now.

  Wow, this little lady was a little bit of a bully, but she didn’t know who she was dealing with. He grinned at her lazily. “Perfect. Check back next year, Trisha. We’re closing the store now and we’ve got somewhere to be.” He moved to stand between her and Elizabeth then herded Trisha towards the door.

  She swiveled around, trying to catch Elizabeth’s eye. “Betty, listen to me. You’ll want to be involved, because you’ll never guess who’s going—”

  Andy closed the door in her face, and then wiped his hands together as if he’d completed a particularly nasty task.

  Elizabeth came up behind him. “I did it. I said ‘no’ and stuck to it.” When he turned around she threw her arms around him. “With a little help from you, of course.”

  He hugged her back. This was only the beginning for Elizabeth, and he couldn’t wait to see more.

  Eleven

  Elizabeth

  When they left the store five minutes later Elizabeth’s spirits were high with a mix of excitement and pride that she’d said ‘no’ to Trisha’s request. She’d volunteered to help at the concert every year since she could remember…or perhaps she’d been roped into helping—and while she enjoyed her duties once all the fun started up, every year she resented being there more and more.

  Trisha had bullied her back at high school, and while she was generous enough to put things behind her, every time she saw her childhood aggressor, she prickled with dislike. Andy’s aid in helping her to be more assertive felt good, and anyway, she’d rather spend time with him than doing things for Trisha. The concert might only be once a year, but it was every year, while Andy was only planning to be in Lewiston for a short time, and she was going to enjoy every last second of his visit. Thank goodness Mona went away and left me to look after him. Otherwise I might never have met him…because Mona probably wouldn’t have gone to the trouble to introduce us.

  The drive out to the tree lot took them twenty minutes, and when they got there they were surprised to see cars queuing to get in.

  “Wow, who would have expected this?”

  “Just because you don’t have a tree doesn’t mean the rest of Lewiston doesn’t,” Andy told her.

  “So it seems. You know I’ve heard that choosing a tree results in fights among many couples. Can you believe people would argue over Christmas trees?”

  “It does sound silly but people have such opposing visions for their decor anyway, and this holiday is so important.”

  “Well, I want nothing to do with arguing about small details for one day. So we’re lucky we’re not a couple, aren’t we?” She watched Andy’s face to see his reaction, but he didn’t bite.

  “I’m sure we won’t argue about the tree,” he said confidently, and he was right.

  They found the perfect tree within ten minutes of strolling down the rows looking at the myriad of snow-laden firs, and she thought the only issue might be fighting off other couples, as the air crackled with competitiveness. While husbands and wives argued close to the tree Andy favored, he swooped in, picking up the tree as easily as if it was a Christmas cookie. He was able to move fast because while a man and woman debated if it was too tall for their living room, Andy had already measured the height of her ceiling. He also had a plan for getting it into the house, something she hadn’t given a moment’s thought to.

  “How much for this one?” Andy asked the harried tree man after he’d finished with a customer.

  “Fifty bucks. She’s a beauty, isn’t she?”

  Elizabeth shuffled from foot to foot. That was a lot of cash for a tree, especially one that would die and be thrown out in two weeks. “That’s too expensive. Let’s get a smaller tree.” She tugged on his hand, trying to lead him back to look at others. But he didn’t budge. “Andy, come on.” I’m doing it now, arguing about a Christmas tree. And we’re not even a couple.

  “We’ll take it,” Andy said, peeling a few crisp notes from a roll he took from his jacket. “I’ll take one of those stands as well.” The vendor passed him some change and Andy passed Elizabeth the stand while in one easy motion he threw the massive fir over his shoulder. A fragrant cloud of pine scent engulfed them both and she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, thinking of the large tree they’d had at home every year when she and Bill were kids. Happy times, uncomplicated, with no responsibilities. Maybe this year with Andy here Christmas will feel like it used to. That would be a miracle worthy of Christmas.

  “Come on, slowpoke,” he called and she shook herself out of her reverie, seeing that he was already standing by the car. By the time she caught up, he’d put the tree on the top of it.

  She clapped her hands in excitement. “We’re doing this. We’re really doing it.”

  “Of course we are. I told you we would. I don’t lie and I don’t make promises I can’t keep. Get in. I can see you’re cold.”

  She got in and he gunned the engine then turned on the heater, putting it straight onto high. She used the break in the conversation to study him. His word and his honor meant everything to him. He was clearly a man she could trust, but what was the point of letting herself trust too much? It might lead to strong feelings and she knew he was only going to be here for a short while. Then she’d be alone again, struggling to earn a living doing something she didn’t even like for the sake of being able to pay for a place she didn’t enjoy living in. There was something wrong with the way she was living her life. She’d known it for awhile. What she could also feel without a shadow of a doubt was that Andy was the kind of man she could happily have a relationship with.

  “What are you staring at me like that for?” he asked, turning slightly in her direction.

  She blushed, as she’d been unaware of how long she’d been staring at him.

  “I was just thinking how much fun I’m having with you.”

  “Ditto. And there’s more to come.” He took his hand from the steering wheel, reached over and squeezed hers.

  Even though she had leather gloves on, her skin seemed to burn where his fingers had been. “Good, because I’m really enjoying all this. Do you wan
t to stop quickly at the grocery store? I don’t know what I have at home for dinner.”

  “You have eggs, and I make the meanest scrambled eggs. Will that do you?”

  She nodded happily. She was getting used to Andy helping with everything and loved the idea of him cooking a simple supper for them.

  Once they got back home, Andy brought the tree onto her porch, carefully wiping down the branches with a towel so the fir wouldn’t shed snow all over the living room. He carried the tree into the house, and they chose a position where they could see it from the kitchen and combined living room. Andy set the tree up in the stand and then took a spot behind the kitchen counter.

  “How about you see if you can find the Christmas decorations? I’ll chop an onion and get the eggs underway.”

  “I think they’re in the garage.” She knew it would be cold out there but suddenly the idea of seeing the decorations that had been her mother’s had her excited. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She gathered together her coat and gloves, and pulled both on hurriedly, keen to start her mission. After trudging around the corner of the house, she put the key into the rusty lock and pushed open the side door of the garage. It was black inside and she felt for the light switch, and flicked it on. Carefully she made her way to the back of the gloomy space, marveling at the piles of boxes she’d forgotten about. The place could do with a clean out, but that would have to wait for another time.

  Peering at the exterior of the boxes, memories came flooding back but she pushed them aside, focusing on what she needed. There it was—the large box with her mother’s handwriting on the side—right down at the bottom of a large stack of cartons. Carefully pulling and restocking the other boxes, she finally had the one she wanted.

  Back in the house, the smell of frying onions assailed her nostrils, and her stomach grumbled. “I found it,” she called out and walked into the kitchen to see Andy decked out in her favorite apron. “You look charming.”