'Tis the Season: A Collection of Mimi's Christmas Books (53 page)

Sales were fated since Jesse’s reputation as a quality builder had been enhanced by the story written in New Homes, a magazine that featured the most beautiful houses in the Seattle area.

Publishing the story hadn’t been his decision. The new owner had signed up for the interview and mentioned him by name often throughout the post.

That had happened three years ago. Now he held a bit of a celebrity status that he put up with rather than promoted.

This land, that he’d brought the girls to see today, mattered to him. It had been on his radar for quite some time and he’d been pleased as punch when his real estate buddy had called to tell him he had first dibs.

Belle returned to his side. “It’s a fantastic view from up here, Jesse. One can see the ocean in the distance and the forest looks lush and healthy. Anyone lucky enough to have the chance to live here would be very fortunate.” Her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. Her cheeks had taken on a rosy glow from the winter weather and she looked different from the pale creature he’d met yesterday or the distraught young woman he’d held in his arms earlier.

She wandered over to where a small waterfall gurgled over colorful rocks then joined a meandering stream, one of nature’s surprising gifts. Happily, she pushed her scarf aside and knelt, cupped her hand and drank the water.

Jesse couldn’t take his eyes off her. Every time he let his thoughts wander back to the sight that had greeted him when he’d rushed to her apartment after Kim’s warning, he wanted to scream in fury.

Seeing Belle forcibly held down, covered by the writhing body of a wacked out sicko, the killer instinct he never knew he possessed woke up. If he hadn’t thrown the guy out the door, who knows what he would have done. Scared him just to think of all that rage he’d forced under control. How close he’d come to really hurting the dude.

Layla drew his attention as she danced around on the grassy slope, chasing an ecstatic Sam who didn’t know whether to sniff, taste or pee. It had been a good idea to bring the small fur-ball along. His antics had kept them all amused.

Belle walked up to him, laughing at the two babies who were so obviously delighted with their world. “Thank you for bringing us here with you, Jesse. I can see by the proprietorial look in your eyes that the verdict is already made. You’re buying it, aren’t you?”

“Put the offer in while you and Layla were playing with Sam. It’s a site I’ve been looking at for some time. I might even want to build a house for myself here one day.”
Now where did that come from?

“You should, Jesse. I can see you being happy here, surrounded by all this beauty and peace.”

Layla ran toward him, one arm full with a squirming puppy and the other raised so he’d pick her up. “Jesse, can Sam come to the restaurant with us when we go for supper?”

He lifted her and delight escalated when she wrapped her arm around his neck and dropped her tired head on his shoulder. Before he could say no to her question, Belle rescued Sam from her possessive daughter and answered.

“Pets aren’t allowed in restaurants, Yaya. It’s against health regulations to have animals where food is prepared.”

“No, Mama. That lady in the café aw-ways has her big dog with her.” The begging in Layla’s tone made Jesse grin and try to hide it.

“That’s true. But her pet is a seeing-eye dog and she needs him with her because she’s blind and he’s her guide.”

“I can close my eyes and Sam can be
my
seeming-eye doggy?”

“No, he can’t be your seeming-eye doggy. He’s a very tired puppy and will be happy to sleep in his bed in the car. I promise we won’t leave him for very long.”

Giving up the good fight, Layla sighed in disgust, snuggled her face into Jesse’s neck and fell instantly asleep.

Jesse chuckled. Who knew a child could drop off so quickly? He watched as Belle settled the sleepy puppy in almost the same position on her chest as he held Layla. “We can get take-out if you’d prefer.”

“I think that’s best. These sleepy babies would be better off at home. Anyway, I need to pack some stuff for tonight and move it over to your apartment.”

“Right! Once you’re settled in, remind me to tell you about the woman I met today. Kane’s mom, you know the younger fellow who I told you about that works with me. She filled me in on Celiac disease and sent along reams of information from a study she’s involved with. I think you might find it extremely informative.”

“I’m sure I will. Thank you for thinking of me and doing this.”

“No problem. Valerie, his mother, has also invited you to come and see her whenever you feel up to it. She has a lot of recipes she wants to share.” As he talked, they walked back toward his parked truck where he set the sleeping child on Belle’s knee and took the now passed-out puppy and tucked him into his cozy carrier.

Handling these domestic actions made Jesse feel lighthearted and happier than he’d felt in one hell of a long, long time.

Chapter Ten

Once he opened the door for Belle and Layla, Jesse watched both their faces. The overabundance of Christmas decorations had bugged him just one day before but now he experienced satisfaction for his sister’s fetish of all things Christmas.

Trying to see the room from their eyes made him look closely. The imitation tree itself was huge and glowed from the mass of twinkling lights and other ornaments.

The rest of the room had been similarly adorned. There were Santas and angels and Christmas flowers on every surface, including a wonderful nativity scene that drew Layla like a pond draws the rays of the sun.

“Don’t touch, Yaya. The figurines are very fragile and breakable.”

Not listening, Layla reached out with her fingers open and accidently knocked the statue of Mary onto the floor where it broke into a dozen pieces. Instantly, Layla began to wail.

“Oh Yaya! You shouldn’t have touched it, baby.” Belle rushed forward, but Jesse reached Layla first.

“Hey princess, don’t cry.” His arms gathered the heartbroken baby close.

“It’s was so pwetty, Jesse. I bwoke it. I didn’t mean to. I just wanted to see it better.” In-between each sentence a wail or a hiccup stressed her uninhibited emotions.

Jesse stood up cuddled the crying cherub. “We’ll phone Kim tomorrow and ask her if she can order a new Mary for the set. Don’t fret, sweetheart. It was an accident.”

Belle, clearly not quite as forgiving, stepped toward the two and reached for Layla. When Jesse passed her over, she made her daughter look her in the eye so what she had to say couldn’t be ignored. “I told you not to touch and you ignored mommy. That was very naughty.”

Layla nodded and hiccupped. “I’m a bad girl.”

“Because you didn’t listen, you broke Kim’s valuable decoration, didn’t you?”

“Yeth.” Layla nodded, her face drenched in remorse.

“Tomorrow when we phone Kim, you will apologize and promise her that you will not touch any of her other ornaments unless you ask permission and either Jesse or I will help you.”

“I pwomise, Mama.”

“Okay then, let’s get you in your pajamas and ready for bed.”

Brightening somewhat, Layla asked. “Can Jesse read me a bedtime stowy?”

By this time, Jesse’s mushy heart had taken quite a beating. Watching a smart mother reprimand her child wasn’t easy on a soft-hearted soul. Observing Belle’s body language, he knew it wasn’t easy on her either.

He was smart enough to understand that one had to use these moments to reinforce lessons for the sake of the child. No one wanted to let a precious little girl like Layla grow up to be a spoilt brat because her parent hadn’t utilized such opportunities.

Not wishing to step out of line, Jesse deferred to Belle by saying, “If your mama says it’s okay, I’ll read you a story. If not tonight, then tomorrow.” Thinking to give Belle an out in case she didn’t want to indulgence Layla just yet, he waited.

“One short story. And no begging for more. Okay?”

“Thank you, Mama. Layla hugged her mom, her tiny arms squeezing her mother’s neck hard, sensing she was out of the doghouse.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Let’s get you settled and we’ll call Jesse when we’re ready.

After finishing the story, Jesse tucked the little girl into Kim’s queen-sized bed and leaned into the arms she held up for his hugs. Holding him in place, Layla whispered, “I’m sow-wy for being a bad girl, Jesse. Will Kimmy be mad at me?” Worry had Layla’s eyes watching his closely.

Taking her concern seriously, he answered. “You know what? Kim was the clumsiest little girl I ever saw, when she was your age. She broke so many things that she was
always
saying sorry. I bet she’ll remember that when you tell her what happened.”

“She won’t hate me?”

Now where had such a youngster picked up that kind of word? Jesse sighed. “No one could hate a good little girl like you, Layla. Just tell her it was an accident. I guarantee you, she’ll understand. Look, I’ll make you a deal, if you work with me and help me feed Sam and those Persian beasts for the next few days, I’ll pay for the new Mary to replace the old one. Okay?”

Happily, Layla kissed his cheek and replied. “Yes, please.”

Jesse left a now happy Layla to her mother and made his way into the spare room he’d taken for himself. His eyes automatically went to the photo he kept on his bedside table and it drew him forward.

Lifting it, he gently rubbed his thumb over the one person he’d given his heart to as a young man. The blonde girl wrapped in his arms had a beautiful smile on her beloved face, a smile he saw first thing in the morning and was the last thing he looked at before he turned the lights off at night.

At the time the photo had been taken, he’d counted himself as the luckiest eighteen-year-old alive. That a girl like Marilyn Krude could want him for a boyfriend, fancy him and make love with him, went beyond his wildest hopes. Never had he dreamed that someone like her could want a reserved, unpopular guy like him.

Then the last week before she’d left for good, they had finally let their love take them past barriers he’d erected. Respecting her had forced him to keep his horniness under tight control but it had been her who’d driven them past the point of no return.

She’d practically begged, and he’d succumbed. For seven incredible days, he’d been in heaven. Every chance they got, they spent together in a sexual frenzy. Today, he still relived those moments as being the happiest time in his life.

Placing the eight by ten photograph back on the table, he sat on the bedside and clasped his thighs, rubbing his hands up and down. Something felt different today. The yearning he normally experienced when looking at Marilyn had faded somewhat. It scared him and he closed his eyes and made himself remember their last night together at the school dance.

She’d stayed in his arms the whole night, wrapped tight, their bodies glued together, tears making it impossible to smile. Memories of that painful parting still tore at his heart and made him catch his breath. Rubbing his chest at the unhealed, unseen scars, he left the room, heading to the one person who’d brought the sun back into his gloomy world.

Chapter Eleven

Belle lifted the two fluffy white Persians off the bed one by one and gently nudged them from the room. Not liking this treatment, both spoilt felines tried to get back through the door and were forcible barred.

“Sorry, Snowball, ain’t gonna happen. You’ll have to sleep somewhere else tonight.” Belle firmly pushed the pet’s backside.

A disgruntled meow followed as the cat slinked toward the door of the second bedroom and disappeared.

Belle decided to take a moment and fix her hair, maybe change into a nicer sweater. After all, Jesse looked classy even dressed in tight jeans with his expensive sweatshirts and moccasin footwear. It wouldn’t hurt for her to try and look her best.

After her shower, standing in front of the mirror, Belle surveyed the damage to her body from the last few months of poor eating habits. She’d lost so much weight that her slim normal had become almost skinny. Her breasts, that had the tendency to be a bit large, were now just a handful. Her stomach lay flat and the bulge from after Layla’s birth had completely disappeared.