All I Want for Christmas (2 page)

Is every older female in my
life a matchmaker now?
Nedra suppressed a
groan, recovered herself, and faced Mr. Invitation to Get in Big
Trouble. She stiffened her spine against Carlos’ obvious appeal and
squelched her tendency to fantasize about Happily Ever After. In
the past she had been knocked back to reality too many
times.

“So, Carlos...” Nedra stumbled on the first
down.

The man grabbed the ball
and was back in charge. “I’ve heard a little about Holiday
Hospitality, but to be honest I haven’t done volunteer work since
college at Tulane.”

Good looking and college
educated. Nedra ticked off two boxes on the ‘must have’ list inside
her head. She let a little starch out of her spine. “Let’s go to my
temporary office, aka the broom closet.”

His rich laughter caused
more heads to turn their way. “A great executive can lead from
anywhere and still get results.”

Nedra walked beside him,
feeling a glow from that liquid gold voice. “Are you bucking for a
new employee bonus?”

Carlos laughed again. “I’m
willing to earn one, for sure.”

“Oh, my,” Nedra whispered,
taking a deep breath at the sensual reference in his words. Somehow
she managed not to melt into a puddle, but kept walking until they
reached her temporary command center. Carlos’ powerful smile made
his full lips even more delectable up close and Nedra felt a power
surge of attraction. She swung her office door wide open and
pointed to a chair beside the small table that served as her
desk.

Carlos glanced at his
wristwatch. “We could do this another time if you’re pressed. I
won’t need the full history to be a waiter.”

Nedra tried not to drop to
her knees and beg him to stick around. “Everything seems under
control; besides it won’t take long. Here’s a brochure you can read
later, in case you want to volunteer again.”

“Sounds good, so tell me
more,” replied Carlos, folding the paper and sticking it into the
inside pocket of his vest. Sitting down in the chair, he leaned
back.

“It’s not complicated
really,” said Nedra. “Holiday Hospitality was started twenty years
ago by my boss’ predecessor, Constable Theo Grady. He was a sweet,
giving man who is greatly missed. Anyway, Mr. T. organized the
first dinner.”

Carlos grinned. “They
actually called him that?”

“Yeah, Constable Grady got
a kick out of the nickname. He’d even do his own imitation of the
famous Mr. T.” Nedra laughed.
Who could
have guessed that I’d be enjoying my volunteer efforts this
much?

“Wish I’d met him. He
sounds like a fun guy,” Carlos said.

“He was. Mr. T. wanted to
serve folks who couldn’t afford the traditional, fancy Christmas
dinner, but he didn’t require that people be poor or homeless. A
lot of lonely folks with no family spend the holidays alone,
especially the elderly, so we don’t have any income requirements or
question who shows up. This is a true community outreach for
everyone.”

“Holiday hospitality in its
truest form,” said Carlos with a nod. “Poor people don’t feel
singled out either, for once.”

“You get the concept. Even
better, people with money who would otherwise be lonely get to
share a warm, welcoming dinner. The idea was so popular that the
following year, Mr. T. added Thanksgiving. I volunteered to be
operations chief for the 2012 Thanksgiving dinner. At Christmas
I’ll just be a server, like you.”

“What, no cooking?” Carlos’s rich voice
teased her.

“Oh, I can whip up some good food. I mean...”
Nedra backed away from what could be interpreted as a come on.

“I enjoy cooking a bit
myself, not that I’m an expert by any means. But I’m willing to
learn.” Carlos leaned forward.

Now Nedra had no doubts at
all. Carlos had deftly and gracefully indicated his interest. He
wasn’t pushy or conceited like Dwayne, who assumed most women would
leap at the chance to bask in his glory. Instead, Carlos had a
classy way of extending an invitation to take things to the next
level.

“An eager student is half the battle,” Nedra
said.

“I’m aways open to new
things,” Carlos replied, and leaned back again. “Like volunteer
work.”

Nedra regained control of
her breathing in order to speak. “I’ll make a note of that. Ahem,
anyway, back to the history lesson. Both dinners are so large that
there are two separate committees. And that’s it. Short and
sweet.”

“I appreciate the
perspective; makes my participation more meaningful.” Carlos
flashed that glorious smile once more.

“Well, um, we try to make
Holiday Hospitality rewarding for everyone, and that includes the
volunteers,” Nedra replied, standing. She teetered for a second on
her three-inch heel pumps.

Carlos stood and placed a
large hand under her elbow. His touch sent cold chills and a flush
of warmth all over her body.
This man
could be contributing to global warming with the heat he can turn
up.
While Nedra worked on recovering from
the flash fire of lust, he worked against her by stepping
closer.

“Careful. We need capable
leadership,” Carlos said, as he steadied her. His face came
closer.

“I should change into the
ballet flats I brought with me. So much for looking cute,” replied
Nedra. She gazed into his hot chocolate-brown eyes and
sighed.
Is it magic or did I intentionally
tilt my head in preparation to taste those delicious-looking
lips?

“Is this your office number
written on the brochure?” Carlos asked.

“That’s my cell number,
just in case the volunteers have an emergency during a dinner. I
usually only give it to the section leaders,” Nedra murmured,
captured by the full curve of his lips.

“May I keep it, even though
I’m not a section leader?”

“Sure, since you’re so new
at this,” Nedra answered promptly, and then cleared her
throat.

“Hey, Nedra, Rod is asking about...”

Dwayne seemed to
materialize out of nowhere. He stopped talking, stared at Nedra and
then glanced down to where Carlos was still holding her arm. “They
need all volunteer servers out front,” he added.

Nedra straightened. “We were discussing the
dinner. Carlos stepped in at the last minute to help out.”

“Carlos Jacobs. Nice to
meet you, Dwayne,” said Carlos, offering his hand.

“We’ve met?” Dwayne gave
him a distant, chilly glance as he shook his hand
briefly.

Carlos smoothly ignored
Dwayne’s pointed looks at Nedra for an explanation, and replied,
“My mother arranged for the mayor to be the luncheon speaker at the
last Martinet Society public issues forum.”

Dwayne shifted his focus
back to Carlos. “Your mother is...?”

“Judge Yvonne Jacobs,
Division C of the Nineteenth Judicial Court. I attended the forum
and you were introduced. Plus I’ve seen you on the news a couple of
times. The mayor gets high marks for his efficient team.” Carlos
nodded.

“Umm, thanks.” Dwayne
seemed torn between warming to the ego stroke and bristling with
male competition. His ego won as a smile turned his mouth up.
“Well, we do get it done. Not just me, of course. We certainly
appreciate Judge Jacobs’ support.”

“I’ll let her know,” Carlos
replied. “You’re right. I should report to my battle station. I’ll
see you later, Nedra.” He touched her elbow lightly with the tips
of his tapered fingers and moved on.

“Sure.” Nedra enjoyed the
view as Carlos walked away, unaware that she’d brushed past Dwayne
to watch him stride down the hall.

“Damn, I leave you alone
for a minute and you’re all up on the help,” Dwayne quipped with an
edge to his tone.

“I wasn’t ‘up on him’, as
you put it, and why did you come looking for me again?” she clipped
back.

“Rod wanted someone to
check on the progress back here, and I said I would.”

Dwayne guided Nedra back
into her office and closed the door.

“Whoa! What do you think
you’re doing?” she asked, putting up a palm just in time to keep
the door from closing completely.

“Look, my situation is
complicated, but you know I have feelings for you, girl.” Dwayne
tried to take a step forward, but stopped when Nedra pointed a
forefinger at him.

“Complicated
as in married with two kids, so let’s clear this
up
–
I’m not
interested in being your secret fling.” Nedra picked up her tablet
computer and crossed her arms, pressing it against her
chest.

“I told you, we’re
separated. I mean, Gwynne and I have already talked about it.
She’ll be moving out after New Year’s. C’mon baby...”

“You’re married. End of
discussion,” replied Nedra in a level, but firm voice.

“So that’s it? You’ve
already moved on to him?” he asked, jerking a thumb in the
direction that Carlos had taken.

“I didn’t have to ‘move on’
to anywhere. There was nothing between us, and I don’t have to
discuss my personal life with you.” Nedra squinted at him. Dwayne
definitely inspired a temperature spike, but it was anger instead
of attraction.

“Fine, just don’t pretend
you weren’t into to me for a minute before mama’s boy showed up.”
He moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue. “Remember the
fundraiser last month at the Shaw Center for the Arts?”

Nedra thought back to the
first of October when she attended a swanky party to raise funds
for the local community arts organization. After about an hour, she
had a nice buzz from downing glasses of fine wine. Dwayne’s
flattery had chased away her ‘forty and still single’ blues and at
some point they ended up alone on the balcony. She let him kiss her
once, but luckily another couple stumbled out there. Frantically
pawing each other, the couple tried to claim the same dark corner.
All four had stammered embarrassed apologies, avoided looking at
each other directly, and gone back inside.

“I made a wrong decision
after too much wine,” said Nedra. “That’s all it was, a momentary
lapse. It won’t happen again. Now I need to get back to
work.”

She glared as Dwayne
smirked to show his skepticism. He stepped aside and opened the
door wider, answering, “Whatever you want to tell yourself,
Nedra.”

She started to walk out,
but paused in front of him. “Oh, and by the way,
Dwayne…”

He glanced down at her
breasts and back up again. “Yes?”

“A real gentleman wouldn’t
have brought up that incident,” she replied, walking off from
him.

“I didn’t say... Nedra,
wait a minute!” Dwayne called after her, but gave up when she
didn’t slow down.

****

“Everything is smooth, boss
lady,” said Alice Faye as Nedra re-entered the kitchen. She wiped
her brow with a napkin and huffed.

“Sounds great. The carts
are lined up, all the food arrived?” Nedra tapped the screen of her
tablet. “Turkey, dressing, green peas, rolls?”

“Check on all that, plus
the pecan pies and pans of bread pudding for dessert are all laid
out.” Alice Faye was about to say more, but stopped as she glanced
over Nedra’s shoulder. “Dwayne looks like he wants to talk; to you,
not me, definitely not me.”

“No, he doesn’t,” she
replied without looking up.

“He’s gone. I think he’ll get the message
soon.” Alice Faye gave Nedra’s shoulder a pat.

“I think he already has,” Nedra shot back.
“Jerk.”

She was about to call
Dwayne a few other choice names when Carlos appeared from around a
corner. The judge’s son moved heavy pots and pans as if he was used
to serving others, yet Nedra knew he came from a privileged
upbringing. Unlike Dwayne, Carlos didn’t radiate conceit and
entitlement.

Alice Faye followed Nedra’s gaze. “He fits
right in.”

“Yes, a nice fit for sure,”
she mumbled, more to herself than in response to Alice
Faye.

Chapter 2

Carlos finished working by
six-thirty that evening and headed over to his parents’ home.
Thanks to precision timing, the Holiday Hospitality dinner had
begun serving a little before noon. By three o’clock, they had
finished handing out the plates, except for a few late stragglers.
‘To-go’ plates took care of any leftovers and the clean-up went
like clockwork. Overall, a very efficient operation.

Carlos had tried to keep
close to Nedra Wallace as much as possible, without making it too
obvious. The woman wasn’t just window dressing; she got her hands
dirty and worked alongside the other volunteers. She had changed
into slim, denim pants and a big, comfortable LSU T-shirt towards
the end. Not only was she cute, but Nedra had leadership skills.
Her fine curves were obvious, even beneath that oversized T-shirt
covering her hips. Carlos smiled at the way Ms. Wallace managed to
be no-nonsense, all business and sexy at the same time.

He arrived at his parents’
home after a twenty-minute drive from downtown. He turned off his
CD player and parked in the circular driveway. His younger
brother’s BMW 335i and his sister’s Buick Enclave showed they were
still there. Carlos cut the engine to his steel-blue Acura MDX and
sighed. He hoped there would be less drama than usual, but no
fireworks at a Jacobs family dinner was always a long shot. He
strode to the side entrance of the house and used his key. The
security system chimed as a signal that the door had been
opened.