Trading Christmas (3 page)

T
he bell rang, dismissing Faith Kerrigan's last junior-high literature class of the afternoon. Her students were out of the room so fast, anyone might think the building was in danger of exploding. She could understand their eagerness to leave. When classes were dismissed for winter break at the end of the week, she'd be ready—more than ready.

“Faith?” Sharon Carson stuck her head in the doorway. “You want to hit the mall this afternoon?”

Faith cringed. The crowds were going to be horrendous, and it would take a braver woman than she to venture into a mall this close to the holidays. One advantage of being single was that Faith didn't have a lot of Christmas shopping to do. That thought, however, depressed her.

She was an aunt three times over, thanks to her younger sister. Faith loved her nephews, but she'd always dreamed of being a mother herself one day. She'd said goodbye to that dream when she divorced. At the time she hadn't realized it; she'd blithely assumed she'd remarry, but to this point she hadn't met
anyone who even remotely interested her. She hadn't guessed it would be that difficult to meet a decent man, but apparently she'd been wrong. Now thirty, she'd begun to feel her chances were growing bleaker by the day.

“Not tonight, Sharon, but thanks.”

Her fellow teacher and friend leaned against the door of her classroom. “You're usually up for a trip to the mall. Is something bothering you?”

“Not really.” Other than the sorry state of her love life, the only thing on Faith's mind was getting through the next few days of classes.

“Are you sure?” Sharon pressed.

“I'm sure.” Faith glanced over at her and smiled. She was tall, the same height as Faith at five foot eight, and ten years older. Odd that her two best friends were forty. Both Emily and Sharon were slightly overweight, while Faith kept her figure trim and athletic. Emily was an undiscovered beauty. She was also the perfect kindergarten teacher, patient and gentle. She looked far younger than her years, with short curly brown hair and dark eyes. Unlike Faith, she wasn't interested in sports. Emily felt she got enough physical exercise racing after five-year-olds all day and had no interest in joining the gym or owning a treadmill. Come to think of it, Faith wasn't sure Leavenworth even had a gym.

Faith ran five miles three times a week and did a seven-mile-run each weekend. She left the races to those who enjoyed collecting T-shirts. She wasn't one of them. The running habit had started shortly after her separation, and she'd never stopped.

“You haven't mentioned Emily lately. What's up with her?” Sharon asked and came all the way into the room. The summer before, when Sharon and her family had taken a trip north to Washington State, Faith had suggested they visit
Leavenworth. As soon as Emily learned Faith's friend would be in the area, she'd insisted on showing them the town. Emily was the consummate host and a fabulous cook. Sharon had come back full of tales about Leavenworth and Emily.

“I talked to her on Sunday.” Faith began erasing the blackboard, but paused in the middle of a sweeping motion. “Funny you should mention her, because she's been on my mind ever since.”

“I thought you two emailed back and forth every day.”

“We do—well, almost every day.” Faith had sent Emily an email the day before and hadn't heard back, which told her Emily was especially busy. No doubt there'd be a message waiting for her once she got home.

She turned to face Sharon. “I think I might've offended her.” Now that she thought about it, Faith realized she probably had. “Emily phoned, which she rarely does, to tell me Heather won't be coming home for Christmas. I told Emily it was time Heather had her own life and to make the best of it.” Given the opportunity, she'd gladly take back those words. “I can't believe I wasn't more sympathetic,” Faith said, pulling out the desk chair to sit down. She felt dreadful. Her friend had phoned looking for understanding, and Faith had let her down.

“Don't be so hard on yourself,” Sharon said. She slipped into one of the student desks.

“Emily doesn't want to be alone over Christmas, and who can blame her?”

“No one wants to be alone at Christmas.”

Faith didn't; in fact she'd made plans to visit Penny and join in the festivities with her nephews. “I was completely and utterly insensitive. Poor Emily.” No wonder she hadn't answered Faith's email.

“What are you going to do?” Sharon asked.

“What makes you think I'm going to do anything?”

A smile crept over Sharon's face. “Because I know you. I can tell from the look in your eyes.”

“Well, you're right. I have an idea.”

“What?”

Faith was almost beside herself with glee. “I'm going to surprise Emily and visit her for Christmas.”

“I thought you were spending the holidays with your sister.”

“I was, but Penny will understand.” The truth, Faith realized, was that Penny might even be grateful.

“It's pretty hard to book a flight at this late date,” Sharon said, frowning.

“I know…. I haven't figured that out yet.” Booking a flight could be a problem, but Faith was convinced she'd find a way, even if it meant flying in the dead of night. There had to be a flight into the Seattle-Tacoma airport at some point between Friday night and Christmas Day.

“My sister-in-law works for a travel agent. Would you like her number?”

“Thanks, Sharon.”

They walked to the faculty lounge together and got their purses out of their lockers. Sharon pulled out her cell phone, then scrolled down until she found the number. Faith quickly made a note of it.

“If there's a flight to be had, Carrie will find it,” Sharon assured her.

“Thanks again.”

“Are you going to call Emily and let her know your plans?” Sharon asked as they left the school building, walking toward the parking lot.

“Not yet. I don't want to get her hopes up if this turns out to be impossible.”

“If worse comes to worst, I suppose you could always drive.”

“I don't think so.” Faith had done it often enough to realize she didn't want to take the Interstate in the middle of winter. The pass over the Siskiyous could be hellish this time of year. It wasn't a trip she wanted to make on her own, either.

“Don't worry—Carrie will get you a flight,” Sharon said confidently.

As soon as she was in her car, Faith pulled out her own cell phone and dialed the travel agency. Carrie was extremely helpful and promised to get back to her as soon as she could.

Now that she had a plan, Faith was starting to feel excited. She called her sister soon after she arrived home, and the instant Penny picked up the phone, Faith could hear her three nephews fighting in the background. It sounded as if they were close to killing one another by the time the conversation ended.

Penny had made a token display of disappointment, but Faith didn't think her sister was too distressed. And Faith had to admit she was looking forward to a different kind of holiday herself. One without bickering kids—much as she loved them—and the same old routines. Still, her family was important to her, and she'd promised to visit right after New Year's.

Because she had someplace to go and family to be with, Faith hadn't really listened to what Emily had tried to tell her, hadn't really understood. Emily adored her daughter, of course, but Heather's absence was only part of the problem. What bothered her just as much was the prospect of spending perhaps the most significant holiday of the year by herself. In retrospect, Faith was astonished she hadn't recognized that earlier. She was a better friend than this and she was about to prove it.

After Faith had finished talking to her sister, she
immediately sat down at her computer and logged into her email. To her surprise Emily hadn't left her a message. Undeterred, she sent another one off.

Half an hour later, the travel agent phoned. “I've got good news and bad news.”

“Did you get me a flight?”

“Yes, that worked out fine. I got you into Seattle, but all the flights into Wenatchee are full. That's the bad news.” Leavenworth was a few hours outside Seattle, but Faith could manage that easily enough with a rental car.

“I'll book a car,” she said.

“I thought of that, too,” Carrie went on to explain, “but this is a busy time of year for car rental agencies. The only vehicle available in all of Seattle is a seven-person van.”

“Oh.” Faith bit her lower lip.

“I reserved it because it was the last car left, but I can cancel the reservation if you don't want it.”

Faith didn't take more than a few seconds to decide. “No, I'll take it.”

On December twenty-fifth, she intended to be with Emily
in Leavenworth. Not only that, she intended to bring Christmas with her—lock, stock and decorations.

Have Yule, will travel.

I
n Emily's opinion, everything had worked out perfectly—other than the fact that she hadn't been able to reach Heather to let her know she was arriving. Not that it mattered. Heather would be as thrilled as she was. When Christmas came, the two of them would be together.

Early Sunday morning, Emily caught the short commuter flight out of Wenatchee and landed thirty minutes later at Sea-Tac Airport. Within an hour, Emily was on a nonstop flight from Seattle to Boston.

A mere seven days following her conversation with Heather, Emily was on her way across the entire United States to spend Christmas with her daughter. At the same time Charles Brewster, who sounded like a stereotypical absentminded history professor, was on his way to Leavenworth. Apparently their paths would cross somewhere over the middle of the country, her plane headed east and his headed west.

Emily would spend two glorious weeks with Heather, and Charles would have two weeks to explore Washington
State—or do whatever he wanted. They were due to trade back on January first.

Two glorious weeks in Boston. Emily realized Heather had to work on papers and study, but she didn't mind. At least they'd be able to enjoy Christmas Day together and that was what mattered most.

The one negative was that Emily didn't know her daughter's schedule. Emily had repeatedly attempted to contact her, but Heather hadn't returned her messages. Tracy, Heather's roommate, hadn't said anything outright, but Emily had the feeling Heather didn't spend much time in her dorm room. She was obviously working longer hours than she'd let on. Actually, surprising her would be a good thing, Emily thought as she called Heather from Charles Brewster's condo. It would force her to take some time off and—

Surprise her she did.

“Mother,” Heather cried into the receiver loudly enough to hurt Emily's eardrum. “You
can't
be in Boston.”

Emily realized her arrival was a shock, but Heather seemed more dismayed than pleased.

“I didn't know you had a cell phone,” Emily said. It would've saved them both a great deal of frustration had she been able to reach Heather earlier. She'd called the dorm room as soon as she'd landed and Tracy had given Emily a cell number.

“The phone isn't mine,” Heather protested. “It belongs to a…friend.”

“Ben?”

“No,” she said. “Ben is old news.”

Information she hadn't bothered to share with her mother, Emily mused. “Where are you?”

“That's not important.” Heather sounded almost angry. “Where are you?”

Emily rattled off the address, but it didn't seem as if Heather had written anything down. Charles Brewster's condo had proved to be something of a disappointment—not that she was complaining. She'd found it easily enough and settled into the guest room, but it was modern and sterile, devoid of personality or any sign of Christmas.

“I'm so eager to see you,” Emily told her daughter. She'd been in town for several hours and they still hadn't connected. “Why don't you come here, where I'm staying and—”

“I'd rather we met at the Starbucks across the street from my dormitory.”

“But…” Emily couldn't understand why her daughter wouldn't want to come to her. Her attitude was puzzling, to say the least.

“Mother.” Heather paused. “It would be better if we met at Starbucks.”

“All right.”

“Are you far from there?”

Emily didn't know her way around Boston, but the Harvard campus was within walking distance of the condo. Emily figured she'd find the coffee place without too much trouble, and she told Heather that.

“Meet me there in an hour,” Heather snapped.

“Of course, but—”

The line went dead and Emily stared at the receiver, shocked that her own daughter had hung up on her. Or maybe the phone had gone dead. Maybe the battery had run out….

With a little while before she had to leave, Emily walked around the condominium with all its modern conveniences. The kitchen was equipped with stainless steel appliances and from the look of it, Emily doubted anyone had so much as turned on a burner. The refrigerator still had the owner's man
ual in the bottom drawer and almost nothing else. As soon as she could manage it, Emily would find a grocery store.

Everything about the condo was spotless—and barren. Barren was a good word, she decided. Charles Brewster apparently didn't spend much time in his luxurious home. In her opinion his taste in furniture left something to be desired, too. All the pieces were modern, oddly shaped and in her opinion, uncomfortable. She suspected he'd given a designer free rein and then found the look so discordant that he left home whenever possible.

There wasn't a single Christmas decoration. Thank goodness Emily had brought a bit of Christmas cheer with her. The first thing she unpacked was their hand-knit Christmas stockings.

Emily's mother, who'd died a couple of years before Peter, had knit her stocking when Emily was five years old, and she'd knit Heather's, too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without their stockings. She hung them from the mantel, using a couple of paperweights she found in the study to secure them. The angel was carefully packaged in a carry-on. She unwrapped that and set it on the mantel, too. Then she arranged a few other favorite pieces—a tiny sled with a little girl atop, a Santa Heather had bought with her own money when she was ten, a miniature gift, gaily wrapped.

Her suitcases were empty now, but several Christmas decorations remained to be placed about the condo. Emily thought she'd save those until later, when Heather could take part. That way it'd be just like home.

Assuming it would take her no more than thirty minutes to walk to Starbucks, Emily put on her coat, then stepped out of the condo, took the elevator to the marble foyer and hurried onto the sidewalk. Although it was only midafternoon,
it resembled dusk. Dark ominous clouds hung overhead and the threat of snow was unmistakable.

Perhaps Heather would suggest a walk across the campus in the falling snow. They could pretend they were back home.

Emily arrived at Starbucks in fifteen minutes and bought a cup of coffee. While she waited for her daughter, she sat at the table next to the window and watched the young people stroll past. Although classes had officially been dismissed for winter break, plenty of students were still around.

A large motorcycle roared past, and Emily winced at the loud, discordant sound. She sipped her coffee, watching the Harley—she assumed it was a Harley because that was the only brand she'd ever heard of. The motorcycle made a U-turn in the middle of the street and pulled into an empty parking space outside the coffee shop. Actually, it wasn't a real space, more of a gap between two parked cars.

The rider turned off the engine, climbed off the bike and removed his black bubblelike helmet. He was an unpleasant-looking fellow, Emily thought. His hair was long and tied at the base of his neck in a ponytail, which he'd flipped over his shoulder. He was dressed completely in black leather, much of his face covered with a thick beard.

A second rider, also dressed in black leather, slipped off the bike and removed a helmet. Emily blinked, certain she must be seeing things. If she didn't know better, she'd think the second person was her own daughter. But that wasn't possible. Was it?

Heather's twin placed her hand on the man's forearm, said something Emily couldn't hear and then headed into Starbucks alone. The Harley man stayed outside, guarding his bike.

Once the door opened and the girl walked inside, it was all too obvious that she was indeed Heather.

Aghast, Emily stood, nearly tipping over her coffee. “Heather?”

“Why didn't you let me know you were coming?” her daughter demanded.

“It's good to see you, too,” Emily mumbled sarcastically.

Heather's eyes narrowed. “Frankly, Mother, it's
not
good to see you.”

Emily swallowed a gasp. In her wildest imaginings, she'd never dreamed her daughter would say such a thing to her. Without being aware of it, Emily sank back into her chair.

Heather pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

“Who's your…friend?” Emily asked, nodding toward the window.

“That's Elijah,” Heather responded, defiance in every word.

“He doesn't have a last name?”

“No, just Elijah.”

Emily sighed. “I see.”

“I don't think you do,” Heather said pointedly. “You should've told me you were coming to Boston.”

“I tried,” Emily burst out. “I talked to Tracy five times and left that many messages. Tracy said she'd let you know I'd phoned.”

“She did….”

“Then why didn't you return my calls?”

Heather dropped her gaze. “Because I was afraid you were going to send me on a guilt trip and I didn't want to deal with it.”

“Send you on a
guilt
trip?”

“You do that, you know? Make me feel guilty.”

Despite her irritation, Emily did her best to remain calm. Now she understood why her daughter had insisted they meet at the coffee shop. She didn't want Emily to make a scene, which she admitted she was close to doing.

“I left five messages,” Emily reminded her.

“I know—but I've been staying with friends and didn't realize you'd phoned until Tracy got in touch with me.”

Staying with friends? Yeah, right. Emily's gaze flew out the window. Her daughter and that…that Neanderthal?

“I love him,” Heather said boldly.

Emily managed to stay seated. “If that's the case, why don't you bring him inside so we can meet?”

“Because…” Heather hesitated and then squared her shoulders as if gathering her courage. “I didn't want him to hear what you're planning to say.”

“About what?” This made no sense whatsoever.

“None of that matters. I'm leaving town with Elijah. In other words, I won't be in Boston over the holidays.”

Emily shook her head slightly, wondering if she'd heard correctly. “I beg your pardon?”

“Elijah and I and a couple of other friends are riding down to Florida.”

“For Christmas?” Emily
knew
something was wrong with her hearing now. There simply had to be. “On motorcycles?”

“Yes, for Christmas. And yes, on motorcycles. We're sick of this weather and want to spend our holiday on the beach.”

Emily was completely speechless.

“You don't have anything to say?” Heather asked angrily. “I figured you'd have lots of opinions to share.”

Emily's mouth opened and closed twice while she gathered her thoughts. “I traded homes with a stranger, traveled across the country and now you're telling me you won't be here for Christmas?” Her voice rose on the last word.

Heather's eyes flashed. “That's exactly what I'm saying. I'm of age and I make my own decisions.”

Emily's jaw sagged in dismay. “You mean you're actually going to abandon me here—”

“You didn't bother to check your plans with me before you boarded that plane, did you, Mother? That's unfortunate because I've made other arrangements for Christmas. As far as I'm concerned, this problem is all yours.”

“You said you had to work.” That clearly had been a blatant lie.

“There you go,” Heather cried. “You're trying to make me feel guilty.”

“If you'd been honest—”

“You don't want me to be honest!” Heather challenged.

The truth of it was, she was right. Emily would rather not know that her daughter was associating with a member of some motorcycle gang.

“Go then,” Emily said, waving her hand toward the door. “Have a wonderful time.”

Heather leaped out of the chair as if she couldn't get away fast enough. “You can't blame me for this!”

“I'm not blaming you for anything,” she said tiredly. Heaven forbid her daughter should accuse her of throwing guilt.

“This is all your own doing.”

Emily stared silently into the distance.

“Nothing you say is going to make me change my mind,” Heather insisted, as if wanting her to argue.

Emily didn't imagine it would. She felt physically ill, but she held on to her dignity. Pride demanded that she not let her daughter know how badly she'd hurt her.

Rushing out the door, Heather grabbed the black helmet, placed it on her head and climbed onto the back of the motorcycle. Elijah with no last name was already on the bike and within seconds they disappeared down the street.

Emily's opinion of this coming Christmas did an about-face.

This was destined to be the worst one of her life. Not only was she alone, but she was in a strange town, without a single friend. And her daughter had just broken her heart.