Rose and Helena Save Christmas: a novella (14 page)

A bucket hung in midair, floating toward the two officers, then tipped over Savoy’s head, covering him with green paint.
 

The audience jumped to their feet, wild with applause. “Bravo!”
 

When the officer finished reading Savoy his rights, he pushed him toward two uniformed policemen who waited at the top of the stairs. They each grabbed one of his arms and pushed him down the steps. The new detective watched him for several moments before turning his attention to Rose.
 

Rose held her breath, terrified of how much trouble she might be in. He took several slow steps, then stopped in front of her.
 

“Rose Gardner.”

Rose cringed. “Yes…?”

“Detective Broussard.” He held out his hand, and she gaped at it before taking hold. He gave her hand a shake. “On behalf of the New Orleans PD, thank you for helping us remove this boil on the butt of our city.”

Rose looked down at their still-clasped hands, then back at his face. “A law enforcement officer thanking me for my help? There really is a first time for everything.”
 

Chapter Seventeen

Helena set two eggnogs—heavily laced with whiskey—down on the coffee table as Taylor placed the topper on the tree and turned on the lights. She stepped back and they both stood for a moment in silence, smiling at the colorful lights and sparkling tinsel.

“A beautiful end to one of the weirdest weeks ever,” Helena said.
 

“Agreed. And that says a lot coming from the two of us.”

Helena laughed. “Yeah, given our unique abilities, neither of us can expect normal.”

“Probably not on a regular basis, but every now and then, it’s nice.” Taylor sat on the couch and lifted the eggnog. “Like now. This is normal.”

“You’re drinking with a ghost. Not normal.”

Taylor smiled. “Maybe not to regular people.”

Helena flopped into a chair and took a big gulp of her drink. “So how did your talk with Detective Broussard go this afternoon?”

“About how I expected. Arden James is singing like a bird. Savoy threatened to trump up parole violation charges if he didn’t cooperate.”

“Will he go back to prison?”

“Probably, but Broussard thinks the judge might go easy on him for cooperating, and given that he was coerced.”

“Did they pick up the purse snatcher?”

“Yeah. Once I identified him, it didn’t take them any time to round him up. They brought him in with that clerk, Gina, although that’s not her real name. Savoy got her a fake ID to get the job at Madame Serafine’s shop.”

“He must have paid them well.”

“Not at all. Both were petty criminals that Savoy had busted a couple times before. He pulled the same stunt on them that he did on Arden—threatened to arrest them. Given their history, they would have done serious time this round.”

Helena shook her head. “What a piece of crap.”

“Definitely. Savoy thought he was smart enough to get away with it all. But his ego got the best of him.”

“Thank God. Having him out of the New Orleans PD is the bonus given how he felt about you. Hopefully, you scored some points with Detective Broussard in case you need a little off-the-books help in the future.”

“I think I might have. Are you ready for all the upcoming celebrating?”

“I can’t wait,” Helena said, practically bouncing on the chair. “I’ll be at Hank’s on Christmas morning, watching my grandbaby’s first Christmas.”

“And Christmas Eve?”

“Maryse is picking me up to take me to Mudbug to see everyone.” Helena stared at the tree, a wistful look on her face. “I miss them. I know I’m better off here and they’re all better off with me here. But Mudbug will always be home.”

Taylor nodded. “And they’ll always be your family.”

“That’s a nice thought. Will you be at your parents’ for Christmas?”

“Christmas Day. I can hardly wait. Another day of hearing my mom tell me about how I’m wasting my life and should take up a real career like accounting. I’d rather pull my nails out with pliers.”

Helena gave her a sympathetic look. “You want to come with me to Mudbug on Christmas Eve? Maryse invited you, remember?”

It was a tempting offer. The thought of spending a pleasant evening with nice, interesting people who didn’t mock her life and career choice sounded great, especially after the past few days. “I may just take you up on that.”

“You don’t get to pick your family, but if you’re lucky, you can pick friends that become like family. Maybe that’s something you should look into. You spend too much time alone.”

“What are you talking about? You’re here.”

“Not exactly the kind of company I was thinking of.”

Taylor opened her mouth to reply, but the doorbell interrupted her.

“Are you expecting someone?” Helena asked.

“No.” She got up and headed to the front door. When she opened it, she found herself staring directly at a huge bouquet of bright red poinsettias with glittering sprigs of tinsel and satin ribbon weaving in between.
 

“Taylor Beaumont?” a voice behind the flowers asked.

“Yes.”

“Merry Christmas.”

Taylor took the bouquet from the delivery guy and placed it on the kitchen table.

“Wow!” Helena walked up to the table as she closed and locked the door. “That takes up half the table. Who’s it from?”

“I have no idea.” She scanned the flowers and finally spotted a small red envelope poking out from among the leaves. She pulled the card out.

Congratulations on getting your man. New Orleans is a better place because of you. Merry Christmas.
 

Jimmy
 

Helena leaned over and read the card. “Jimmy, huh?”

Taylor felt a blush creep up her neck.

“You’re blushing!” Helena cried.

“It’s the whiskey.”

Helena grinned. “Sure it is. Or maybe the new year could be a little less lonely than this one. If you’re willing to take a chance, that is. Take it from someone who regrets all the things she’ll never get to do—it’s worth it.”

Taylor looked at the gorgeous bouquet, which had to have cost a fortune, then looked at the grinning Helena. Maybe it was time to take another chance. She’d taken one with Helena, and that had worked out. Sorta. Okay, it was still a work in progress, but then her entire life was.

“Maybe I will,” Taylor said. “Merry Christmas, Helena.”

“And to all a good night.”

Chapter Eighteen

On Christmas morning, Rose stood at the edge of her living room staring at the Christmas tree she and Mason had decorated less than a week ago, the day before she left for New Orleans. It was covered with decorations they’d found in the basement of her recently inherited farmhouse. A small pile of presents was scattered underneath.
 

Mason stood behind her, his chest pressed to her back, his arms wrapped around her stomach. He pressed his cheek to the side of her head as they stared at the sparkling lights.

Rose sighed with contentment. “This is my best Christmas ever.”

Mason squeezed her tighter. “Me too.”

“This is my vision,” Rose murmured, sinking into him. “The vision you asked me to have last week to make sure I was gonna be okay.”

“I figured.” Mason’s breath blew her hair and it tickled her cheek. “Is it as good as you envisioned?’

“Better. Because this is real.”

The stayed there for several moments before he asked, “What time are Violet and the kids coming over?’

“Around eleven. Vi wanted to give them a chance to play with their toys. Your mom is showing up around eleven, too.”

He nuzzled her neck. “Then we have time for our own celebration.”

She laughed and spun around to face him, still in his arms. “Just how many celebrations are you planning on, anyway? I’m home safe and sound.”

“Remind me to never send you off alone again. You scared me to death when I realized what happened in New Orleans. I was under the deluded impression that you’d be safe with Neely Kate.”

“Hey! We worked everything out, thank you very much.”

“Thank goodness Ronnie is such a low-key man and took everything in stride.” He paused. “Do you think Neely Kate really saw a ghost?”

“At first, I would have said not a chance…but after some of the things I saw…” She let out a sigh. “The biggest question is if Madame Serafine really opened Neely Kate to seeing spirits or if seeing the ghost of Helena was a onetime experience. And if it was, Neely Kate is bound to be disappointed. I’m not sure how she’ll take that.”
 

“She’ll be fine. Not much can get Neely Kate down.”

Rose hoped so. She tried not to think about the predictions the psychic had made before she’d kicked them out. Was losing her supernatural gift the great sorrow Neely Kate was supposed to face?

She offered Mason a soft smile. “In any case, we were perfectly safe while we were gone. You don’t have to worry so much.”

“With you,
safe
is a relative term. I took it to mean staying away from criminal activity or law enforcement officers the entirety of your trip.”

Guilt washed over her. She suspected she was about to have more associations with criminals than he imagined. But she refused to think about the four black dresses she’d bought in New Orleans. Trouble would seek her out soon enough. Or Skeeter Malcolm, to be more precise. “You know I don’t go lookin’ for trouble, Mason.”

“And that’s what makes it even scarier. I’d almost wish you did. Then you could at least try to avoid it. Trouble seems to find you like a divining rod finds water.”

“Enough talk about trouble, unless you have another kind in mind.” She pressed her lips to his and gave him a slow, sensuous kiss. “What were you saying about a celebration?”

A mischievous grin lit up his face. “Why Rose Gardner, your mind is positively in the gutter.”

“Ha!” She laughed. “You’re the one who made me this way.”

His grin settled into smug smirk. “Well, I’ll have you know that this has nothing to do with the removal of any clothing.”

“Like that means anything,” she teased. “I happen to remember one time in the truck—”

He laughed, hugging her tighter. “This has to do with your Christmas present. But if you don’t want it…”

“You are a wicked man, Mason Deveraux.”

“And you love me that way.”

“Yes,” she said breathless.
 

“We can celebrate that way later. First, your present.” He led her to the sofa and had her sit on the cushions. He perched on the coffee table, looking nervous. “I was busy with work issues while I was in Little Rock, but I had time to pick something up.” He reached into his pajama pocket and pulled out a small red box. “But I’m worried you might not like it.”

Rose’s heart thumped against her chest, and she fought to catch her breath. He was holding a ring box.

“Rose Gardner, you are the most special woman I’ve ever known. I loved you before we even started dating, and I never thought I’d be lucky enough to be with you.”

She looked up at him with wide eyes, her mouth dry. Was he going to propose?

“You’re like my mother. A collector of lost souls.” He smiled, but it was tentative. “I’m saying this wrong.” He took a deep breath, and she realized he was nervous. “I know you’re not a jewelry person—you don’t wear much of it—but I had this made specially for you and I hope you like it.” He hesitated. “It’s…unusual, but it seemed to fit you.”

Rose held her breath as he opened the lid. When she saw the contents, she pushed it out with relief. The box contained an assortment of gemstones and a silver heart. She glanced up at him.

“They were out of boxes and had to put it in a ring box.”
 

She pulled it out and realized they were attached to a silver chain. The stones all hung separately, with the locket-sized heart in the center.

“The stones represent people in your life. The amethyst is your sister, Violet…for obvious reasons. The diamond is Neely Kate because other than you, I can’t think of anyone I know who shines brighter.” He smiled. “The rose quartz is for Muffy, which represents a gentle love. The jade piece,
 
is for Jonah, which is said to bring serenity, is for Jonah. He does that for you—with your therapy sessions. And the blue lapis is Bruce Wayne and stands for friendship.” He hesitated, then pointed to a red stone. “The garnet is me, which represents passionate devotion. That’s why it hangs closest to the heart.” He looked into her eyes. “Which is you.” He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. “Because you have the biggest heart of anyone I know, and I’m thankful to be included among the people you love.”

She kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Oh, Mason! It’s perfect.”

He kissed her back, then looked into her eyes. “Why do you look so relieved?” he asked.

She cringed. “I thought it was an engagement ring.”