Operation Christmas (10 page)

“Oh, boy. I’m dealing with a guy who’s never been in love. Real love.”

“I’ve had relationships.”

“You ever itch to marry one of ’em?”

“Don’t you think we should date before you marry us off?”

Tamara laughed. “Uh-huh. But it’s not so far out there is it, Honey Bear?”

“At the moment...yeah, it is. Mama T.” He tossed back one her nicknames and Tamara laughed again. “All I want is to date. Dinner. The movies. Someone to talk about...dammit, I don’t know...things. See if we’re more than two kids who went to the same high school. Which brings us back to the fact you’ve not answered me.”

“She’s busy. Sorry I couldn’t come through for you, Honey Bear. What? What’s so funny?”

“She shot us both down.”

“Maddie’s confused. She still wears her wedding ring, in case you didn’t notice.”

“I noticed.”

“So you goin’ with me and Jamal tomorrow night?”

“Only if I can bring Crystal.”

“Of course. We love that girl. See you at seven—Dante’s?”

“We’ll be there.”

Jess stared out over the frozen parking lot outside his window. Ice crystals were making headway from its corners. Muted sounds drifted into the office from the warehouse as stragglers left from the front office and called out their good-byes. Alone, but not really alone, he’d accomplish more in an hour after closing than the entire day.

Damn
, the fingers he didn’t have hovered between a tingle, an itch or hurting like hell. He removed the prosthesis to see if something pressed on a nerve in his stump, anything that might relieve the unpleasant sensations. He set the arm on his desk, when his cell jingled. Crystal had already checked in, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t call again.

His heart about stopped when he saw Madeleine’s number. The last person he expected to hear from after today.

Chapter Eight

“Jess, I don’t know what to do. Mom had a fender bender and—”

“Is she okay?”

“Yes. Dad’s there. She hardly made it out of our driveway. But I thought...well, since you work so close and all it...it just seemed, uh, sensible—”

“Madeleine. Do you need a ride?”

“If you don’t mind. I mean—” Her voice broke into a quiver.

“Sit tight. I’ll be right there.”

Brushing away a tear, she hung up the phone. Wait until Jess got a load of the box of trinkets from her desk. No way could she avoid telling him she’d been given her walking papers for Christmas. It seemed the lousy day began the moment her mom made her late for work and she’d been mean to her. And now her mom had an accident.

Jess’s truck idled outside her office building in what seemed an impossibly short time. She waved to let him know she’d be right out before he came inside and saw her puffy red eyes. Kurt and Derek had been hiding out in their offices ever since the news was delivered at quitting time. Too many late days and too many sick days was the reason.

Last winter’s flu that turned into walking pneumonia did make her miss too many days earlier in the year. The more recent troubles with the Mini’s reliability also made her late too often. Although it was tempting to dispute the four sick days and eight late days against the many after-hours she’d put in, she kept her mouth shut. The decision to job hunt had been made that morning, so what did it matter?

That didn’t mean the layoff, as Kurt called it, didn’t chip away a good chunk out of her pride. It did.

Juggling the box cradled in her arms, Madeleine bumped her hip against the door. She suspected Derek’s smiling accounting girlfriend would replace her. Hey, big surprise there. Fine, let her muddle through the time-consuming year-end close next month.

She jumped at Jess’s sudden presence. “Let me give you a hand?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“You don’t always have to go it alone, Madeleine.” He shook his head at her and took hold of the box.

Through watery vision she noticed he wasn’t wearing his prosthesis. It jarred her. With the artificial arm, Jess physically appeared one complete man. Two arms. Two legs. Great body. Personality. Caring heart went without question. He portrayed all those things in her eyes except a man missing a good bit of his arm. She rubbed her glove across her nose and worked her way in front of him to open her own truck door. She settled into the warm passenger seat and took the box from him. “Thanks.”

Madeleine watched his swift movements around the front of the truck. It broke her heart to see the limp sleeve that drove home how much Jess had suffered. He eased in beside her with a blast of frigid air and nodded at the box. “You quit.”

“Let go. Merry Christmas.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“No.”

“The plant looks sad.” He ran a finger along the stem and leaf sticking from the box.

“Not so. The plant’s contemplated leaving most of the day.”

“I see. Any word on your mom?”

“Cops. Reports. No one hurt. The car’s banged up but drivable.” She sniffled. “Which is good, since it’s their only car with the Mini out of commission.”

“See. There’s plenty of good news. Care if I stop by the house and check on Crystal before I take you home? I need to drop off a pizza I ordered before you called.”

“It’s the least I can do for your picking me up on short notice. I have this best friend, Tiffany, who would have come, but she has a baby and it’s so cold out and I knew you were near...” She heaved a sigh.

“Had we been carpooling, I’d be picking you up anyway.”

“True. Then I wouldn’t have been late. Wouldn’t have grouched at mom. Oh no.” If only she had a free hand or two she would bury her embarrassment in them. “And you wouldn’t have caught the brunt of my frustration.”

“You want me to turn around and pop that boss of yours in the nose?”

“Yes. Yes!” He put on his blinker. “No.
No, Jess
.” She giggled.

“You sure? I will, you know.”

“Yes, I do know which is why I’m absolutely sure.”

“Okay, then. We’ll give him a break.”

She groaned. “I’ve been awful to you.”

“I got over it.”

“You just made getting fired fun. Thanks.”

“Laid off.”

“A fancy word for fired.” She tilted her head his way it time to address the elephant in the room. “Where’s your arm?”

He laughed with a deep throaty rumble that made her smile, relieved she didn’t offend him. It had been a blunt question but not a sorrowful one. He cocked an eyebrow her way. “He,” Jess wiggled the limp sleeve, “has been asking that very question today.”

“Really.”

He nodded. “Some days I get all these strange sensations. Everything from an itch you can’t scratch to tingling to pain. Damned aggravating. If I take off the prosthesis, it seems to help. Aspirin too, but usually I can gut it out.”

“Will time heal that?”

“Maybe. How about you?”

Madeleine knew the hypothetical question didn’t require an answer, but she heard his meaning and that he understood her dilemma. They parked in front of the pizza shop.

“Hang tight. I’ll only be a minute.”

“Sure.”

Jess hurried inside the take-out entrance. Arm or no arm, his movements were agile and fluid. She might not have recognized him when they first met in the bakery door but time helped her place him as the star quarterback in high school and good at basketball. The cool upper-classman jock girls two years younger fantasized about, knowing he was the unobtainable hot guy.

Back then, she only had eyes for Danny, but noticing Jess? Who didn’t? Damage to his perfect body had to have caused him a severe blow to his ego.

Now she sat in his truck—he minus an arm, and she minus a husband.

Could life get any stranger?

When he returned, he seemed conflicted as to where to set the pizzas. One large and one small box sat on top. Madeleine bit back a smile. She must be sitting in the pizza’s seat. “I’ll hold them. Smells good.” Her mouth watered at the delicious aroma wafting up from the boxes.

“Hungry?”

“Kinda.” His warm hand brushed hers in the exchange, his gaze falling to her lips. Her eyes made a quick study of the Leaning Tower of Pisa on top the box.

“You sure you can handle that?” He eyed her balancing the pizza boxes on top of her office spoils. “I can put them in the back.”

“They’ll get cold back there. I’m fine.”

“Good.” He gave her the sexiest grin ever. “I’m sure the pizzas are very happy.”

Seeing as she was producing heat equal to the heater, she had to agree. Things got quiet for the rest of trip. Madeleine’s heart thudded in her chest, her senses hyper alert as she breathed in the comfort of Jess’s close proximity. Calm assurance she’d not felt in a long time like at the VFW hall. They turned into Jess’s driveway and her jaw about hit the pizza boxes.

Jess’s house turned out to be a rambling brick ranch with a three-car garage. What seemed like a million white lights twinkled from every bush. “Wow.”

“The place is too big for Crystal and me, but we were raised here.” He seemed to have misread her
wow
comment. Too mesmerized by the light show she didn’t correct him. “Crystal, she needs stability right now. How about I park in the garage so we don’t have to get out in the cold?”

The garage door rolled up and inside sat the Lexus Jess had driven when they went out Saturday night. There was also a black Jaguar. “Aren’t you afraid Crystal will take that car out joy riding?”

“The Jag’s mine and off limits. She takes the Lexus to school every day.”

“I’ll bet she has a car full of girlfriends.”

“Better than boyfriends.” He gave her a lopsided grin and turned off the ignition. “Come inside and say hello.”

Well, what would she do? Sit in the dark garage while Jess got things settled with Crystal. “Don’t think I have a choice.”

Jess laughed out loud and relieved her of the two pizza boxes, balancing the boxes with his good hand and steadying them with the other. “This will only take a minute.”

Madeleine doubted that or Jess wouldn’t have parked in the garage. He would have idled in the driveway and run the pizzas inside.

“You could stay. Eat and then I’ll take you home,” he suggested.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to get home.”

The house door into the garage flew open. “At last. I’m starving...oh. The bakery delivery girl.”

“Hi, Crystal. I think I’m the reason your pizza is late. My car broke down, and Jess here is giving me a lift home.”

Crystal’s brow crinkled. “The bakery truck broke down.”

“Crystal, Madeleine doesn’t usually drive the bakery truck. Her parents own the bakery and she was helping out.”

“Really?” Crystal’s eyes widened.

Jess handed off the pizza boxes. “Really. She works near me in an office. This is Madeleine. The girl I took to the Christmas party. You get started on the pizza, and I’ll drive Madeleine home.”

“No! She has to stay.” Crystal grabbed her arm. “There’s more than we ever eat. Right, Jess? “

“That’s right.” Jess’s face told her it was her call.

Crystal did little jumps up and down. “Please please please. It will be such fun having company. Oh, my gosh. You must get tons of free bakery.” Madeleine laughed. “Oh, please stay.”

Impossible to say no to Crystal, she relented. Plates were soon pulled from the cabinets. Ice chinked into glasses from the refrigerator door, and Jess poured cola for everyone. Madeleine made a quick call to her folks. She learned the driver’s rear fender panel took the brunt of the hit while Crystal and Jess set the food on the kitchen table.

They sat together in a large alcove surrounded by a bay of windows, looking out over a large snow-covered backyard. A large pine glowed with blue lights. In the family room, a Christmas tree with white lights sat alongside a brick fireplace that Jess had flicked on with a handheld remote before turning off the TV to play a Michael Bublé Christmas CD. The soft music played in the background, making for a perfect and beautiful atmosphere filled with warmth.

Crystal talked non-stop about her day and the teenaged soap operas being played out with her friends and enemies. One thing Madeleine didn’t miss about high school. She and Tiffany had certainly created more than their share of drama. And to think, soon Tiffany would be a mother of two.

She glanced between Jess and Crystal as they talked. Jess’s blue eyes were bright and alert, like the tree outside, he tuned in to Crystal’s day as he ate gooey pepperoni pizza with a fork. One hand meant you did things differently.

When he asked Crystal about her pre-holiday finals, she realized what a good, caring father he’d make. He certainly stood in well for both his parents. The thought made her lower her eyes in hopes he wouldn’t see the emotion twisting in her chest. How silly of her. He did notice because Jess seemed to be that kind of guy. He smiled at her.

Crystal took a breath long enough to drink down some cola when she seemed to come alive with an idea. “You should come to dinner with us tomorrow night. We’re meeting Tamara and Jamal. One more would be so much fun.”