Mistletoe and Magic (7 page)

Her thoughts stopped abruptly when she pulled into a parking space behind the shop and saw AJ leaning against the building, waiting for her. Pangs of anxiety punched her stomach. This was getting harder by the minute.

~~~

AJ watched as she exited the car, and he thought his heart would burst if he didn’t hold this woman in his arms soon. She was totally irresistible. He knew he was coming on strong, but if he let up, it might ruin any ground he’d gained. Thinking back over their conversations, he knew he was making headway from the way she was reacting to the things he said and did.

“You’re like a little ray of sunshine on this cloudy day,” he said. He could tell she was trying hard not to react, but watching the corners of her mouth curl slightly, he knew she enjoyed the compliment. “Smells like snow is in the air, doesn’t it?” he said.

“It does. I can’t wait for winter to be over.”

“That means you can’t wait for Christmas to be over too?”

“Yeah, I guess it does. We haven’t had much holiday spirit for the last two years.” She unlocked the door, and he followed in behind her.

“I’m assuming it’s okay for me to come inside through the back door with you.”

“Yes. I hardly think you’re going to steal from me.”

“One never knows who can be trusted,” he teased. “Oh wow,” he said seeing the boxes, “it looks like you do have a lot of supplies to put out. Why don’t I go get us coffee and then I can play stock boy.”

“No, don’t be silly. My sister and I will take care of it. Besides, you should be out looking for a job.” Her hand went to her mouth. “My goodness, did I just say that?”

“I believe it was your alter-ego. Actually, I’ll be starting up a new business after the holidays.”

“What kind of business?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet.”

“You just fibbed to me, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I guess I did. But I promise to tell you about it some day.”

“It’s really none of my business.”

Mallory walked to the panel on the wall and turned on the lights in the showroom.

“I’m curious. Are you busy in the summer?”

“Obviously not as busy, but we can always count on the tourists to stop in and select an ornament as a reminder of their vacation.”

“Do you take vacations during the summer?”

“We haven’t, but to get away even for a few days would be wonderful. I’m sure the girls would love to go somewhere. But it depends on whether business picks up.”

“Is business slow?”

“Well, the economy is so bad, it’s hard to say if people are just cutting back or they’re really broke.”

“Yeah, I guess I hadn’t thought of that. So many people overextend during the holidays so maybe they are trying to be thrifty.” Okay,” he said, his hand intentionally brushing against hers. “What’s your flavor this morning?”

“Black coffee will do. Here,” she said, reaching inside her purse, “let me treat this time.”

“Nope. It’s my treat.”

She threw her hands up in acceptance. “Okay…I surrender. Thank you very much, but understand when things slow down, I will be taking you for a long lunch date.”

“Hey, that’s music to my ears.” He walked to the front door. “Can you unlock this for me, or should I go out the back around to the front?”

“I’ll let you out, then lock the door again. I have a few hours before I open, and if I leave this door unlocked, customers will be in here and I’ll never get anything done. I want to get this stock out before the onslaught, so I’ll be hustling. Here,” she said, handing him the keys, “better yet, you take these so you can let yourself in. I’ll be in the back and probably won’t hear you anyway.”

His eyes took in the length of her. He loved the way she dressed. She was tall and slender and wore clothing extremely well. Today, she wore black slacks and a hot pink sweater that accented her curvaceous figure. The hot pink-and-black-designed silk scarf that hung from around her neck was the perfect finishing touch. Her toffee-colored hair, usually curled and resting on her shoulders was in an upsweep hairstyle. Curly tendrils fell down and framed her face making her appear as though she was ready to slide under the water for a relaxing soak in the bathtub.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No. I was just daydreaming. He turned, a half smile encroaching his face, unlocked the door and exited. Breathing in the cool damp air, he marched down the path toward the coffee shop when her daughters came to mind. He wondered what the appointment with the doctor was for, but knew better than to ask. That would be too pushy. Judging form Jenny’s attitude, he speculated it was probably with a family counselor. What little he knew about Mallory, he was certain she’d know when it was the right time. He remembered Jenny’s curt responses and a flashback to his sisters being the devils in disguise came to mind. Maybe it was a girl thing. He raised his shoulders briefly and slowly retracted them. Would she ever confide in him? When she was ready, he decided. He wasn’t willing to ruin a good thing when things were going so well.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Waiting in Dr. Bean’s office, Mallory looked around the room filled with empty fabric- covered chairs lined up against each wall. Magazines were haphazardly tossed on a round table in the center. Jenny hadn’t said much since she’d picked them up from school. Lacey, however, was never at a loss for words. Glancing over to Jenny, she noticed the tense expression on her face. In an attempt to help, she began asking her about school.

“What did you learn today?” she asked her, but the effervescent Lacey was the first to speak up. “In Home and Careers class today, we learned how to make anisette loaf cookies that were filled with raspberry jam. Ooh.” She rubbed her stomach. “They were so good.” The child stood and jiggled excitedly in place. “Can I make them at home for Christmas this year, and can we have a party like we used to instead of having just Aunt Dina and Uncle Sammy?”

“Is that what you want to do?”

“Yes, Mom. I think it’s time.”

Mallory smiled. She was so grown up for her ten years. “How about you, Jen? Do you think it’s time?”

“I don’t care,” she gave a disinterested cross of her arms and rested them against her chest.

“Jenny,” Lacey cut in, “want to bake the cookies with me?” Before Jenny could answer, Lacey’s eyes suddenly opened wide with surprise. “Mommy.” She patted her shoulder to get her attention. “Why don’t we have a bake off? That’s what Lisa’s family does every Christmas.”

Mallory noticed Dr. Bean standing by the opened door, smiling. Mallory hadn’t seen her in a while, but not much had changed about the way she looked. She was dressed in a gray tailored suit with a white blouse. Her silver hair pulled back tightly into a bun, and her wire-rimmed glasses gave her the appearance of a librarian.

“Girls, Dr. Bean is ready for us. How about we talk about baking later? Okay, Lacey?”

“Okay,” she said, skipping toward the office door. Lacey waved to the doctor and entered into the office. Mallory stopped and waited for Jenny who continued to stare into space.

“Jenny, please join us,” the doctor said.

Jenny dragged out a few more seconds before standing. Mallory was convinced it was Jenny’s way of getting even with her mother for bringing them here in the first place. The familiar ache squeezed her heart. She wanted this to work out so their lives could get back to normal. Jenny finally stood and walked inside the doctor’s office.

“Please,” Dr. Bean gestured, “have a seat so I can explain what I’ve found works best for my patients.” She looked to the girls. “Your mom has provided a little background information when she scheduled the appointment. The next step is for her to sit with me and elaborate with a bit more detail before I speak to each one of you—in private.” Jenny expression of scorn didn’t go unnoticed. She scoffed. “What’s wrong, Jenny?” the doctor asked.

“Sure, Mom gets to tell her side of the story and because she’s the adult, you’ll believe her before you’ll believe our side.”

“Jenny, I think you have the wrong idea about how family counseling works. There is no side taking on my part and there’s no right or wrong way to feel. My only job is to help you learn how to deal with how it affects you.” Dr. Bean looked into Jenny’s eyes. “Is that clearer? Do you understand the process better?”

Jenny’s slightly twisted mouth and reluctant nod lacked conviction, but Dr. Bean looked to Mallory instead.

Lacey patted her sister’s back but she jerked away. “Leave me alone.”

“Girls, please…” Dr. Bean interrupted Mallory with a shake of her head to discourage anymore talk.

“Shall we get started?”

“Where should we go?” Lacey asked.

The doctor stood and guided the two girls toward the glass-enclosed room. “There’s a television in there, lots of books, and even some puzzles if you like them.”

“I do,” Lacey said. “C’mon, Jen,” she reached out for her hand. “Play with me.” Jenny pushed Lacey’s hand aside and walked behind in silence. When the door locked into place, Dr. Bean faced Mallory who had tears running down her cheeks.

Dr. Bean handed her the box of tissues. “Talk to me, Mallory.”

“I’m here because I just don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t reach Jenny. We have these sporadic shouting matches, and I’ve lost control of the situation.”

“Okay, take me back to when this all started.”

“My husband, Mitch, died two years ago. We married when I was eighteen, Mitch was twenty-six. As with most couples, we had a romantic beginning spending our time doing what most newlyweds do.”

“How did your parents feel about you marrying someone so much older than you?” Dr. Bean asked.

“They weren’t thrilled, but they saw how much in love we were and adjusted to it.” Mallory pursed her lips together in a tight line. “When I became pregnant with Jenny, he wasn’t happy. He blamed me for not taking care of the birth control issues. He became depressed and distanced himself from me, and our bedroom. It was as if having a child was a huge burden. For the first two years of her life, he wasn’t around much at all. But when he was, Jenny idolized the man and was right there next to him. Eventually, they formed a strong bond.

After he lost his job, he watched her during the day so I could go to the shop to work. I was fortunate that my parents had left the shop to my sister and me when they died because it was our only source of income.

Mitch pretty much treated Jenny like she was a son, teaching her everything from fixing car engines to riding on his motorcycle. I’m sure she didn’t learn much about cars—she was too young to even understand, but the motorcycle riding didn’t sit too well with me. I didn’t like the idea of him having a motorcycle to begin with. I’d already lost one boyfriend to a motorcycle accident; I certainly didn’t want to lose the father of our child to one. Things were fine for a while when he started taking on the daddy role and Jenny was in her glory. Every time he’d walk into the room her face would light up like a Christmas tree, and I no longer existed, but I was thrilled he was taking his responsibilities as a parent seriously.”

Mallory took a sip of water from the glass Dr. Bean handed her.

“Had he looked for another job?” she asked.

“He said he did, but nothing ever happened. And then he got involved with a younger crowd who were off-road dirt bikers. I was against him bringing Jenny with him, but he said he was hanging out with them because one of the guys wanted to go into a partnership with him selling bikes. He convinced me being around them was in our best interest. He felt if he didn’t show up, the guy would choose someone else. So I allowed it. I really didn’t believe he’d do anything to hurt Jenny. He was her father.” Mallory shrugged.

“Things were fine for a while. Nothing seemed to be happening with a partnership, and every time I’d ask, he’d assure me these things take time. I was very young and naive. I didn’t know what else to do about it. He’d get furious if I asked too many questions and I already felt like I was the cause of his problems.”

Mallory stopped talking when the doctor jotted down something in her notebook. She nodded for her to continue.

“Then when Jenny was four years old, I became pregnant with Lacey and things went downhill from there. ” Mallory blew air from her lungs.

“It’s okay, Mallory, take your time. We’re in no hurry here, and it’s important for me to understand everything you’re dealing with.

Mallory nodded. “Thank you.” Seeing a loose thread on the edge of her jacket, she played with it, wrapping it around her finger, straightening it out, and then pulling on it. “It wasn’t long after that he convinced me to spend money on getting him a dirt bike. Oh, he had all the right arguments about why it was necessary for him to have one. We didn’t really have the money to buy one, but we took out a loan because he said the guy would pick up on him not having the money to go into a partnership if it looked like he couldn’t afford a bike; and of course, he had to have the biggest and fastest bike they made. That’s when he insisted having Jenny with him wasn’t good for developing a business relationship. So I enrolled her in pre-school. By now, he was spending the entire weekend with this new group of buddies in the Pennsylvania Alleghany Mountains. I was told they were attending conferences, networking and learning the latest and greatest techniques for selling bikes.”

“Was he having an affair?”

“I suspected as much, but I wasn’t sure until after he died. It was more certain than not because after I became pregnant with Lacey, he went back to no contact again. And that was okay. I was so disgusted by him I didn’t want him touching me anyway. He was gone every weekend and eventually began to stay away longer. I tolerated his need to feel important. He wanted the partnership so bad, it seemed like he was jumping through hoops to make it happen.”

“But you’d already stopped loving him. Is that right?”

“I think I loved him,” she gave a dismissive shrug of one shoulder, “but I wasn’t ‘in love’ with him. And I guess I thought if I was patient, I could change him. Unfortunately, the only thing that changed was me.” She glanced toward the glass window in the playroom and stared at the top of Lacey’s head. “I eventually became bitter, and whenever we were together, we fought. I thought I’d shielded the girls from it, but obviously with Jenny’s resentful attitude and anger pointed at me, I guess I didn’t do as good job as I thought.” Mallory took a large gulp of water to saturate her parched throat. “The last time Mitch and I were together, we’d had a huge argument about his riding. I told him how worried I was about him being involved in a dangerous sport…I was afraid he’d hurt himself, you know?” She swallowed hard.