Blue Christmas (The Moody Blue Trilogy | Book One) (16 page)

Sergio’s smile
struggled.

“Nice tan there, Serg,”
Jackson said.

“Nice tan, Serg,”
Alli added.

Sergio barked a
nervous cough. “So when does the big ‘par-tay’ begin? And what was with all the
phone calls, Jason? You knew I’d make it.”

“
We’d
make
it,” Liza corrected, moving in front of Sergio.

Jason busied
himself pouring Sergio and Liza mugs of coffee. “Have a seat, okay?” he
motioned toward the big kitchen table. “Oh, nothing special’s been going on
around here . . . except that Gevin and Rissa announced their
engagement.”

“What?”
Sergio
cried. “I mean, that’s great, but—what a shock! When did this happen? Are they
here in town? This is amazing!”

“You
must
be
kidding.” Liza planted her fist on her hip. “Gevin and Marissa? You’re not
serious. Why on earth would he want to marry
her?”

“Geez, Liza!” Sergio’s
snapped. “What’s
that
supposed to mean? Marissa is terrific, and Gevin’s
a lucky man to have her. I can’t believe you even said that.” He looked around
the table. “Hey, I’m sorry. Sometimes she speaks before she thinks.”

She playfully
slapped Sergio on the shoulder and looked around the table as well, though
clearly not getting it. “That’s not true. I know exactly what I’m saying,
Sergi! It’s a terrible match and Gevin must be out of his mind to even consider
it. Oh, I know she’s nice and all, but she’s . . . well, for
starters, she’s
black
. Duh? As if no one noticed?” Liza smirked.

“Your point?” Alli
shot back.

“My point being,
it’s the biggest mistake he could ever make. A white
Blue
member
marrying a black girl? What was he thinking? I don’t care if it is a new
millennium, the
Blue
fans will never stand for it. Take my word, if he
goes through with this, then
Blue
is toast. You might as well—”

“Liza, shut up.
Just SHUT UP!” Sergio grabbed her arm and started to pull her up from her chair.

She kicked her
chair back. “Don’t you
ever
talk to me that way, Sergio Cruz!” She
wrenched her arm free then jabbed him in the chest with her finger. “How dare
you?! You ever lay a hand on me like that, and you’ll regret it the rest of
your life. You got that?” She stuck her face in his, then blew out a huff. “Oh,
I don’t have to put up with this. Where’s my room?”

Frank cleared his
throat. “I’ll show you.” He moved toward the door to the living area.

“The rooms in the guest
house are ready, Frank,” Laura said quietly. “Any room will do.”

Once they were
gone, Sergio immediately stood up, clearing his throat. He walked to the
counter to pour himself more coffee. “Look, guys, I’m really sorry. I don’t
know what gets into her sometimes.” His hands trembled as he carried the mug
back to the table. He exhaled deeply. “Really, I’m so sorry. I’ll talk to her
when she calms down.”

If he was hoping
someone would fill in the gap, no one did. Eventually, Jackson changed the
subject. “The thing is, Sergio, we’ve got a bigger problem than Gevin’s engagement.”

“What do you
mean?”

Jason hoisted
himself onto the kitchen counter. “Meaning, Gevin wants to call it quits. He’s
done.”

Sergio looked
around the room for signs of a joke. “You’re kidding, right?

“Unfortunately,
we’re not,” Jackson answered. “JT and Tracey were here just after Christmas.
When JT found out, he blew up—”

“Can’t say I blame
him!”

“We haven’t heard
from him since, but we’re hoping he and Trace show up for the party tonight,”
Alli added. “Geez, won’t
this
be a party to remember.”

“You can’t be
serious! Isn’t this kinda sudden? I mean, did you know about this? You didn’t
agree to it, did you?” He continued looking at them, face by face. “Right?
Guys, tell me you didn’t go along with this!”

“No, Serg, we
didn’t,” Jackson answered. “Nothing definite has been decided. But whatever we
do, we can’t give up. I think we just need to give it some time. We keep
talking to Gevin about it, but we refuse to give up.”

“Jackson’s right,”
Jason added. “We can’t give up. I’m thinking once it all settles down, Gevin
might rethink this. I think he’s just tired and all caught up in the happiness
of his engagement and—”

“And you cut him
some slack,” Laura said. Standing at the sink, she turned off the faucet with
extra force, then turned to face them. She looked from Jason to Jackson to Sergio
and back again, wiping her hands on a towel. “I’ve heard all the ranting and
raving for days now, and it seems to me you all need to back off and give him
some space. Fighting about it day in and day out isn’t going to solve a thing.
Am I right?”

Jason let out a
loud moan. “Of course, you’re right, Mom, but—”

“No buts. Stop
fighting and start talking. You’re grown men now. Start acting like it. And
that’s all I have to say about it.” She draped the dish towel on its rack then
left the room.

“Yep,” Alli
started, “this will be one unforgettable New Year’s party.”

“Excuse me?”

Alli stopped dead
in her tracks. Opening the door to her room, she found Liza unpacking her
suitcase. Alli’s things were in a pile on the floor. “What do you think you’re
doing?”

Liza continued her
task. “I’m unpacking. Why should I stay in the guest house when everyone else
is up here? The housekeeper told me this was actually Sergio’s room, so this is
where I’m staying.”

Alli pressed her
lips together, unwilling to engage the little tramp. Instead, she stared her
down then turned, slamming the door on her way out.

Jackson turned the
corner at the top of the stairs. “Alli, what’s wrong?”

“She made herself
at home in my room! Even though Frank gave her a room in the guest house, she decided
to stay in ‘Sergio’s’ room, so she just threw all my stuff on the floor like it
was trash! Jackson, I cannot
stand
that girl. Make her leave! I don’t
care what Sergio says, she has got to go!”

Jackson grabbed
her by the hands and dragged her down the hall to his room. “Shhhh! Alli, listen
to me. I can’t stand her either, you know that. But right now—with all this
other stuff going on, can we just blow her off? I’ll get your stuff out of
there as soon as she leaves the room. How about I put you in with Hannah? It’s
just not worth a big fight right now. Everybody’s already upset as it is.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Just do me this
favor, okay? Let it go, babe. Please? You and I both know Liza is a
short-timer. You can see it in Sergio’s face. I doubt seriously he’ll keep her around
much longer. So just be cool and let this go. For me, Alli. Please?”

“But you’re just
letting her win!”

“No, I’m not. I’m
just trying to keep us all from killing each other right now. If we’re going to
survive—if the band is going to survive this—we have to let go of the little
stuff and focus on what’s important. Do you understand what I’m saying?” He
pulled her into his arms. “Will you do this for me?”

As usual, he
diffused her and she melted in his arms. Resting her head on his shoulder, she
nodded in agreement. “Okay, but only because you asked me to. But that doesn’t
mean I have to like it.”

“I know, babe. I
know.”

Chapter 12

D
espite the underlying tension coursing
throughout the McKenzie home, Hannah and Alli tried to make the best of the
situation. They focused instead on helping Laura with last-minute preparations,
then took their time getting dressed for the big New Year’s party. The day
before, they’d slipped out for a few hours to shop for the perfect party
dresses. Alli said these parties were always dressy affairs, so they both tried
on several long formal gowns until they found what they liked.

With her hair
swept up on her head, Alli was stunning in a floor-length black sequined dress
with spaghetti straps and a slit to just above her knee. The dress looked as if
it had been made for her.

Hannah wore a
slim-fitting satin dress in a deep sapphire blue, its bodice scattered with a splash
of tiny rhinestones. Even her hair looked surprisingly good for a change, she
thought, catching her reflection in the full mirror. She ran her hand through
her long, thick curls cascading over her shoulders and smiled at her image.
Butterflies flitted once again through her stomach, but she dismissed their
presence, hoping the evening would be magical despite all the drama.

Any traces of
gloom lingering in the air at the McKenzie’s completely dissipated once the
party started. Dressed to the nines and feeling on top of the world, Hannah and
Alli descended the staircase. They were pleased to find both Jason and Jackson waiting
for them at the foot of the stairs. They turned simultaneously to look up just
as the girls started down the stairs.

It was worth every
penny Hannah had spent. Jason’s lips parted, a smile slowly spreading as he
drank in every inch of her. She peeked to see Jackson’s eyes grow wide with the
sight of Alli adorned like a goddess.

“Whoa,” Jason and
Jackson uttered in unison.

Hannah’s heart skipped
a beat as Alli squeezed her hand. “I’d say they like what they see, wouldn’t
you?” Alli laughed before rushing down the remaining stairs and into Jackson’s
arms.

“You can say that
again,” Jason whispered. He took Hannah by both hands, lifting them to wrap around
his neck. “You look
amazing,”
he said, suspending a kiss on her cheek.

“I could say the
same for you,” she whispered, not trusting her voice. “A man in a tux is a
dangerous thing to behold, Jason McKenzie.” His starched white shirt against the
black tux accented his smile and sent a wave of goose bumps across her flesh. He
was positively beaming—and his eyes were glued to her.

I can’t believe
I’m here.

With him.

Like this.

She closed her
eyes, praying the moment would never end. When she opened them, she was
surprised to find his eyes glistening with emotion. He hugged her again.

This time, he
breathed the words against her ear. “I love you, Hannah.”

She held her
breath, afraid she must still be dreaming—this, the final scene before she
would awaken to reality. But no, there was no mistake. She’d heard his words
and felt them in her heart.
It’s too soon . . . much too soon . . .
The warning raced through her veins faster than her pulse.

Then, she realized
something. Not once in the week she’d spent with Jason had he ever been
anything but truthful. And not just to her, but to everyone. It wasn’t in him
to lie. She knew it without question.

And she knew
something else. Deep in her heart, against every ounce of practicality and
logic and reason, she knew what she felt was real. Jason pulled back, looking
into her eyes, searching for a response. Her chin trembled as she answered, “I
love you too, Jason.” She laughed even as a single tear escaped her lashes.

“Yessss!” He
twirled her around in a circle. “Hannah, let’s dance! You wanna dance? I feel
like dancing!” He led her through clusters of people she’d never met until they
were dancing on the impromptu dance floor in the McKenzie’s great room. The
music pounded as they moved to the rhythms surrounding them, lost in a love
just discovered.

Jackson and Alli
hadn’t made it to the dance floor, however. Still standing at the base of the
stairs, Jackson continued staring at Alli. He hadn’t said a word but the love
she found in his blue eyes said all she wanted to hear. Alli, normally not the
least bit shy, felt light-headed. The depth of her feelings for this tall,
handsome man she had loved as far back as she could remember was overpowering.