A Christmas Worth Billions (Countdown to Christmas Book 4) (7 page)

“Found it.” David came back in the room and knelt next to the tree. “It was buried.”

“Oh, good. We would have been in trouble without it.” Lily knelt next to him and helped secure the tree in the stand, then they stood it up.

David stood back to inspect it. “I like it right here in the center of the room. Makes it easy to notice, right?”

“It looks good.” Lily sat down to rest. “What’s next?”

“I’m thinking you’re going to take a nap on the couch while Mary and Patrick help me with dinner.” He glanced over at them. “How does that sound?”

“Yeah!” Patrick shouted.

Mary nodded, and they both followed him into the kitchen. Lily took one of the pillows from the couch and lay down on it, then slipped off her shoes and curled up in a ball. She used the coat she’d borrowed as a blanket and closed her eyes.

The room was quiet, but she could hear laughter and the banging of pots and pans coming from the kitchen, and it helped lull her to sleep.

Chapter 5

David finished up the pasta and turned around to find Mary and Patrick watching him from the counter.

“All done with the salad?” He set the pot on the table.

Mary nodded. “Yep.”

“Oh, good. Why don’t you go wake your mom, and I’ll finish setting the table.” He smiled as they ran out of the room. They had been fun to teach. It had been so long since he’d cooked for anyone but himself, he had wanted to make something special. Sarah had loved his food, but he’d become so caught up in making his agency succeed that he’d stopped cooking for her.

A couple of minutes later, Mary and Patrick came back in the room with Lily following behind. She yawned as she sat at the table. Her eyes lit up when she saw the pasta.

“Wow, this looks and smells amazing.” She smiled up at him. “Thanks again. I’m sorry I wasn’t much help.”

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, I had two great helpers.” David sat and served the food while Mary handed the plates to each person, then he said the blessing before they began eating.

The taste was almost perfect, but he was missing a little rosemary. He’d have to remember to use more of it next time. He set down his fork to butter a piece of bread, then realized the others were staring at him.

“What?” he asked.

“You were lost in thought.” Lily laughed. “I was saying, this is fantastic. Where did you learn to cook?”

David wiped his mouth a napkin. “My mom was a gourmet chef, and she taught me when I was young. It’s what I would have done if I hadn’t followed my dad’s footsteps into advertising.”

“Well, she should be proud.” Lily took another bite and nodded toward Mary. “She’s eaten more tonight than I’ve seen her eat in months.”

Mary blushed.

“I’m glad you like it.” David finished what was on his plate and dished up seconds for the kids before standing to take the pot to the sink.

Lily joined him and put her hand on his arm. “Let me do it. You made dinner.”

David wanted to argue, but he recognized the stubbornness in her eyes. He nodded. “Okay. I’ll get the decorations, and we can start when you’re done. Sound good?”

“Perfect.” She turned to the dishes, and David climbed up into the attic.

He brushed past the old trunks that held Sarah’s clothes and moved a few boxes to find the decorations. The tree stand had been easy to find, but he’d hidden everything else when he moved. He hadn’t planned on celebrating this year.

Sarah had several boxes of decorations, so it would take a few trips, but it gave David time to think. What in the world was he doing? She’d only been gone for a few months, and now he had another woman here with her two beautiful children. Even more than that, it had been him planning the whole thing, and Lily had just kind of gone along with it.

A picture of Sarah caught his eye as he walked past, and he wondered if that smile was approving or if she was angry. David shook his head. It was just a picture.

“Oh, there you are. We thought you got lost.” Patrick scratched his head and looked up at the box in David’s hands. “What is that?”

“Ornaments. There are a few more boxes. Want to help?” David set down the box and wiped his hands.

“Where are they?” Patrick asked hesitantly.

David gestured for him to follow and Patrick came, followed by Mary. “They’re in the attic.”

“Are there ghosts up there? Or spiders?” Mary whispered.

“Nope, just boxes.” He pulled down the steps again. “They’re all the way to the back, so I’ll grab them and then hand them down.”

Patrick nodded, eyeing the ladder suspiciously. “It’s safe?”

“Of course.” David climbed up and grabbed a few boxes to give Mary and Patrick. He found others while they dropped them off and came back for more.

David picked up the last box, hesitant to let anyone else touch it. Inside was a nativity that had been passed down through his family. He’d talked of getting a new one several times, but that one nativity was always the center of attention.

He climbed down the stairs and folded them back up. “I’ll take this one. Let’s go see if your mom is ready to decorate.”

Patrick turned and ran down the hallway, calling for his mom. David and Mary entered the room to find Lily sitting on the floor, sorting through the decorations. David wanted to brush the loose strand of hair from her face. She looked up from what she was doing.

“Sorry, I was just looking through to find decorations my kids could help with. I should have asked.” She put the star she was holding back in the box.

“It’s fine.” He set the nativity down on the table and pulled out a box. “Let’s start with the garland and go from there.” He handed Mary the end.

Once the garland and the lights were strung on the tree, they started on the ornaments. It was good that they had bought more because David’s only made it through part of one side of the tree. They filled out the rest and stood back to admire their work.

“We forgot the star.” Mary picked it up and handed it to David.

“Right.” He picked Patrick up and held him as high as he could. Patrick set the star on top and plugged it into the rest of the lights. “Okay, let’s see how it works.”

Lily turned off the lights in the room, and David plugged in the tree. The lights glowed brightly in the darkness and reflected off the ornaments surrounding them. David moved to put his arm around Lily, but felt her stiffen, so he dropped his arm to his side, cursing himself.  A moment later, Lily took his hand and squeezed it before turning the lights back on.

David felt the touch of her hand long after as they moved around the house, decorating it with more garland, lights, stockings, and finally, the nativity. He had a nook near the entryway that was lit, and he knew it was the perfect place for it. The room was quiet as he arranged the pieces as he had so many times before.

“This is beautiful,” Lily said quietly.

“Thank you. I have about five others, but this is my favorite.” David stood back and admired it, visions from past Christmases when he’d put this together as a child. “Okay, who’s up for some eggnog?”

The kids cheered and ran for the kitchen, and David turned to Lily. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have pulled this stuff out without you.”

Lily smiled. “It’s hard to move on, isn’t it?”

David cleared his throat, blinking back the sudden tears. “Harder than anything I’ve ever done.”

“When did it happen? If you don’t mind me asking.” Lily folded her arms, almost hugging herself.

“March. Coming home from a work party. I didn’t see the … ice. Excuse me.” David walked into his bathroom and locked the door, overcome with emotion. Talking about it with Reverend Smith was one thing. Talking about Sarah with this beautiful woman felt like he was betraying the love of his life.

He stared at himself in the mirror, then washed his face with cold water. He needed to collect himself and get back out there. Lily hadn’t meant anything by asking, and he’d caught the look of regret as he’d turned away.

Lily was in the kitchen when he came back out, making the eggnog. She silently handed him a cup and took a drink of hers.

“Sorry about that. It’s still sensitive.” He took a drink and stopped, surprised at the taste. “Is that ice cream in there?”

“Family secret.” She smiled over her mug.

Patrick held out his cup. “Can I have more?”

* * *

The night was freezing when they left the warmth of the mansion and ran for the truck. Lily stopped suddenly.

“We forgot the other tree.” She laughed and began unstrapping it.

David put his hand on hers. “This one isn’t for here.”

She looked up at him with raised eyebrows. “What does that mean?”

“Climb in.” David walked around to the other side of the truck. “I couldn’t really have two trees, right?”

Lily looked over at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

David grinned. "You'll see.”

They pulled out onto the snowy street and slowly made their way back to Lily’s house. David watched the road closely, looking for any possible ice. As they passed by the church, he looked up at the bell tower. He was amazed at the changes that had taken place since he’d started ringing it just days before.

Lily’s driveway was covered in snow when they pulled in. David climbed out and untied the tree before following them inside. He stomped his feet to clear off the snow, then headed for their living room.

“Okay, where do you want it?” David set the tree down and waited for Lily to choose.

Lily’s eyes filled with tears as she pointed to a corner. “You shouldn’t have done this. We have no way to pay you for it.”

David studied her for a moment before moving the tree where she wanted it. He spent a few minutes attaching the stand he’d bought at the store earlier, and then stood it up.

“I didn’t have to, but I could see how much Mary liked it, and I knew it needed to be here.” He smiled and went back outside to get the ornaments they’d picked out for this tree. They hung up the decorations, and David sat on the couch while the kids sat on the floor in front of the tree. The smile on Mary’s face was priceless as she stared up at the lights.

Lily sat next to David, but stayed silent. David could tell she was angry by the set of her shoulders, but she didn’t say anything. When it stayed silent for a few more minutes, he stood and ruffled the children’s hair before leaving the house. He knew he’d probably gone overboard, but he couldn’t help it.

He drove home, consumed with sadness. He’d tried to make Lily happy, but had overstepped his bounds. Again. He stopped in front of the church and stared at the stained glass for several minutes, wondering what he’d been thinking when he let someone else in his life. It had been a mistake.

As he pulled into his garage and went inside, he decided that maybe it was time to back off. He still hadn’t asked her to the party, and there was still time to find a different date by that weekend. Except that as he closed his eyes that night, it wasn’t Sarah who greeted him. It was Lily. Her smile was enough to make him relax, and he drifted off.

Chapter 6

Lily thumped the coffee pot down on the counter and grumbled under her breath. The diner had one patron, and they’d only ordered coffee. She set the pot on the coffee maker and went back to the kitchen to compose herself.

“Bad date last night?” Ann asked, eyebrow raised.

Lily shook her head. “It was perfect until I ruined it. The guy bought me a Christmas tree.”

“The nerve of him. I’m not sure you can handle it.” Ann rolled her eyes. “Lily, he’s David Fleschmann, for crying out loud. Every woman in the country would die to go on a date with him.”

Lily sighed and grabbed a rag to wash what few dishes there were in the sink. “I know. I just hate having him give me everything. I was doing just fine without him.”

Ann took Lily by the arm and turned her around. She held on to both shoulders and stared into Lily’s eyes. “You weren’t okay. You’re not okay right now. He literally saved your life. Don’t you think he deserves more of a chance?”

Lily bit her lip before finally nodding. “I just don’t want to mess it up.”

“I think you already did. Now, when he comes in for his next cup of hot chocolate and toast—because you know he will—you will tell him thank you, and you will let him into your life. Got it?” Ann’s eyes searched hers.

“Got it.” Lily turned away and scrubbed a pan. “So, what are your plans for the night?”

“Martin’s coming to pick me up, and we’re going ice skating with his family. You?” Ann dried the pan and set it on the shelf.

“I’ll probably hang out with the kids. They were going to make each other gifts this year, so I need to help out.”

Ann nodded toward the front door. “Maybe you should make better plans.”

Lily followed her gaze to see that David had just come in. He wiped the snow out of his hair and stomped on the rug before taking his place at the bar. She turned to Ann. “You go serve him.”