The Ghost of Christmas Never

By

Uncial Press       Aloha, Oregon
2012

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events described herein are
products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any
resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental.

ISBN 13: 978-1-60174-150-9
ISBN 10: 1-60174-150-2

The Ghost of Christmas Never
Copyright © 2012 by Linda V. Palmer

Cover design
Copyright © 2012 by Judith B. Glad

All rights reserved. Except for use in review, the reproduction or utilization of this work
in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or
hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is
illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is
investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to five (5) years in federal prison and a fine of
$250,000.

Published by Uncial Press,
an imprint of GCT, Inc.

Visit us at http://www.uncialpress.com

Blah. Blah. "...kiss the bride." Blah.

All my hopes for Mia's future settled into a final, fatal nosedive when she kissed her new
husband. But I pasted a smile on my face and clapped along with the other three witnesses in the
rent-a-chapel, hoping everyone would think my tears resulted from joy.

"I now present Mr. and Mrs. Robert Brody." The justice of the peace, his piano-playing
wife, and Rob's brother-slash-best man beamed at the bride and groom.

I couldn't bear to look at them until Mia turned to me and held out her arms. Of course I
gave her the hug and the words she obviously expected. After all, her welfare had been my
responsibility for the past ten years, and even though she'd turned her life in a direction exactly
opposite to what I wanted, she was still my baby sis. "You make a beautiful bride."

"Thank you." She released me and moved to Rob's older brother Jake. Grinning like a
goof, he lowered his video camera and scooped her up in a one-armed bear hug that made her
laugh.

"Congrats." Jake set Mia on her feet and turned to offer the groom a handshake. "You,
too, bro."

"Thanks."

"There's some paperwork," said the JP, "and then you lovebirds had better hit the road. I
don't know where you're planning to honeymoon, but the streets are already treacherous, and this
snowstorm is just going to make things that much worse."

"I've never seen anything like it." The JP's wife handed Rob some papers. "Talk about
your white Christmases... This one's going to be a white
out
Christmas, instead, and it has
happened so fast."

Rob put an arm around his bride, who wore a brown off-the-shoulder sweater dress,
tights and knee boots. He wore dark pants and a leather jacket, as did his brother. I'd gone with
black everything, to match my mood. "We'll be fine. Jake's reserved three rooms at the Starlight Inn,
which isn't that far from here."

The silver-haired JP and his wife exchanged amused glances before she spoke. "I've
never stayed at the Starlight, but I hear it's as lovely on the inside as out. It's Eureka Springs' oldest
hotel, you know, and supposedly haunted."

Rob burst out laughing and slapped his brother on the back. "So that's why you picked
it. Should've known."

I must've looked confused because Mia quickly filled me in. "Don't you remember me
saying Jake has his very own television show on cable? It's called "Ghost Chasers"
.
The pilot
aired just a month ago, and he's already been offered a multiyear contract."

"Is that so?" I flicked a glance at Jake, surprised that someone who lived in Little Rock
could have a cable series. I suddenly understood why he hadn't cooperated when I called begging
him to help me talk our siblings out of marrying in haste. He was obviously killing two birds with
one stone and getting an episode out this. Since my sister was one of the targeted birds, I didn't
appreciate the tactic one bit and opened my mouth to say so...until caught sight of Mia's worried
eyes. I immediately switched gears. I'd get him later.

After Rob and his bride did the legal stuff, everyone who had a coat put it on. We
exchanged cheery merry Christmases with the JP and his friendly wife, who waved their
goodbyes.

"Don't forget the bubbles," Mia said as we started up the carpeted aisle lined with bright
red poinsettias.

"Oh yeah." I dug into the pocket of my puff jacket for one of the tiny bottles she'd given
me before the ceremony. Glancing at Jake, I made myself ask, "Got bubbles?"

"Excuse me?"

I plucked out another bottle and tossed it to him. "We're supposed to blow bubbles on
the bride and groom as they leave the chapel."

"For chrissakes."

His response surprised me since it didn't exactly match his supportive stance. Turning
my back on him, I opened my bottle and obediently blew through the built-in loop in the lid. A
shower of bubbles floated through the air, reminding me of the days when Mia and I had done the
same thing in our two-room apartment. Though we'd both been too old for that kind of fun, bubbles
were cheap as far as entertainment went. And I was big on cheap at the time.

Mia laughed and ran through them, pulling Rob behind her. Seeing the adoration in his
eyes, I honestly felt sick to my stomach. Yeah. Just call me Scrooge.

I did not have my sibling's romantic heart, which meant all I could think of was her
nursing degree—once a year away but now in the toilet—and his preposterous dreams of being
Nashville's next big name. I'd so hoped she'd fall for a wealthy doctor, live in an elite suburb, and
have beautiful babies.

Well, maybe I'd still get the babies.

"Would you look at this?" Rob's comment yanked me back to the moment. Following
him and Mia through the double front doors, I walked onto the porch, now covered in snow that a
freezing winter wind had blown there. Just ahead, blizzard conditions compromised my view of the
sidewalk and our cars. "Take care, Mrs. Brody." He took Mia's hand and carefully descended the
steps with her.

Jake offered me his elbow. I ignored it and moved on, still irritated that he'd not only
ignored my pleas for help, but had actually encouraged the wedding by paying the exorbitant costs
of a last-minute Christmas Eve ceremony in the Ozark Mountains. To find out he was actually on the
job was the last straw for me. How self-serving could he be?

Rob and Mia got into their car. Jake headed to his SUV. I took my time, walking carefully
so I wouldn't slip. When I paused to brush snow from the windshield of my sensible sedan, it
cleared easily, which meant no defrosting or scraping would be necessary. I slid behind the wheel
and pulled down the visor. A quick glance in the mirror revealed snowflakes already melting in my
long brown hair, which I'd tamed into a prim knot at the nape of my neck. I waited until Rob pulled
onto the snow-covered street before easing forward. I hated driving in these conditions. Not that I
did it that much. Little Rock had more icy days than snowy ones, and four or five of those were the
limit even during our worst winters.

With only my thoughts for company, it was hard not to wallow in disappointment. I'd so
hoped Mia would make something of herself. She was, after all, a ten-year project on which I'd
pinned my highest hopes. Her successes in life meant I'd done my job as caretaker, a long-term task
thrust on me at the tender age of twenty, when our parents died in an automobile accident. Mia had
been twelve at the time. Thinking back, I didn't know how we'd made it.

Rob's brake lights drew my attention to the road. I saw their black Toyota fishtail, which
made me grip my steering wheel a little tighter. But my car did fine, and I could just make out the
festive lights of the Starlight Inn ahead. Rob turned to the right and entered the parking lot.

I followed, careful to keep ample sliding distance between us. I was nothing if not
cautious and not only with my driving. Based on years of practice, I never did anything in a rush,
which was one of the reasons Mia's decision to marry a guy she'd known six short months really
rankled. Had I taught her nothing?

Since snow covered the white lines that delineated parking spots, I guessed where one
might be and pulled into it, carefully braking. Jake parked next to me. All of us got out of our
vehicles and hurried toward the hotel, ducking against the blinding snow. After stomping our feet
on the outside mat, we went into the lobby. Rob pointed to the restaurant entrance, just ahead and
to our left. A hostess showed us to the table reserved earlier, where a wedding cake now
waited.

Mia squealed her surprise at the sight of it and spun to face me, her golden-brown eyes
brimming. "Oh, Libby. It's incredible. You're so talented. Isn't she talented, Rob? Isn't she?"

"Absolutely." Grinning, Rob gave me a hug, and I was glad I'd gone to the trouble of
sneaking the confection into the restaurant earlier. My heart had not been in it.

As owner and sole baker of The Sweet Stop, I had skills, and wedding cakes were my
specialty. How could I not bake one for Mia? I'd decorated it with her favorite flowers, daisies. The
fondant blossoms wound their way around the layers to the top, forming a bouquet on which I'd set
a tiny brunette bride and her redheaded groom.

"Thanks so much." Mia hugged me for the longest time. "I know you think I'm making a
mistake, but you'll see. Everything is going to be perfect, and now you'll have some time to find your
own Rob." She kept her voice low.

I nodded, touched by what she'd said and not trusting myself to answer without
bawling.

We took off our coats and sat. I blinked to clear my vision and noted with approval the
crisp white tablecloth, spotless crystal and cleverly folded napkins. I picked up a fork. It felt heavy
in my hand as only good silver could. The tasteful décor simply added to the atmosphere of
elegance past its prime, and under other conditions, I'd have appreciated it. Hopelessly mired in my
pity party, I couldn't muster much enthusiasm about anything.

A waiter brought a bottle of champagne that he opened with a
pop!
We toasted
the bride and groom. Salads arrived, followed by steak dinners. Finally Mia and Rob cut the cake
while Jake happily filmed.

He'd been nothing but enthusiastic about the wedding except for that nanosecond when
I'd handed him the bubbles. Was that slipup an indication that he had doubts, too? If so, he hid them
better than I did. And since he was currently too busy to notice me, I stole a minute to study
him.

Tall and lean, he had a roguish air that I blamed on his whiskery face and messy auburn
hair. Or maybe it was that mischievous twinkle in his eye. Whichever, if I'd still had a so-called
"type," Jake's brand of guy would definitely be it. And that, no doubt, explained why I'd felt oddly
drawn to him from the moment we met, in spite of our being on opposing teams.

Rob and Mia shared their cake with other diners, most of whom had been watching our
reception with smiles on their faces. Finally it was time to go to our rooms. Relieved, I let Mia and
Rob lead the way into the hotel lobby where a man, woman, and three children stood. The oldest
child, a little boy who couldn't have been more than four, clung to his young father's leg. The other
kids were twins, girls who looked around two or so. Their parents appeared harried and
distressed.

"The guy at the Hilton called you. He said there was a room." The woman, who had one
of the twins propped on her hip, sounded near tears.

"No one called here, ma'am. There is simply no vacancy at the Inn tonight."

"But we've tried five other hotels," said the guy. He held the other twin. "You're our last
resort. Surely you have something. We can't go one bit farther on these roads and definitely can't
sleep in the car."

As a man, probably the manager, explained the he really had nothing to offer them, my
heart went out to the family. What would Mia and I have done if a neighbor hadn't been kind to us
all those years ago when our house went back to the bank? The offer of his garage apartment had
saved us for sure.

Jake's warm breath suddenly fanned my ear. "Shall we flip for the bed? Or do you prefer
rock, paper, scissors?"

I looked up at him. "Maybe the girls could take one room and the guys could take
another."

Mia's chinned dropped. "We're on our honeymoon!"

"Well, it's not like you two haven't—" I stopped before I put my foot all the way inside
my mouth, probably because she looked so outraged. When had I turned into such a grouch?
Shifting gears, I caught Jake's eyes. "Which room are we giving up?"