The Christmas Wish (19 page)

“You know, bug, we talked about how I don’t think Santa can fit your mom on his sleigh.”

“Oh, Daddy.” Charlotte sighed and shook her head as though she were educating a small child. “You keep forgetting about Christmas magic. Santa can do anything.”

“Right.” Tyler set Charlotte on the couch and his mom slipped a thermometer between her lips.

“Maybe I should cancel the plans for tonight.” Tyler crossed his arms over his chest.

“No way. I’ve raised four sons and I can take care of a child with”—she pulled the thermometer from Charlotte’s mouth—“not even a real fever yet. It’s ninety-nine point one. I can take care of her and she can even go to the unveiling. We’ll bring her straight home after.”

“I’m not sick?”

“Not yet, but we’re going to come home right after and bundle you up and put you in bed, okay?”

“Okay, Grandma.” Charlotte got up from the couch and raced toward the stairs. “I’m going to put on my Christmas dress.” She bounded up the steps as though not a thing was wrong with her.

“I’m not sure I should leave her tonight.”

“I want you and Brinn to have a night alone. It’s the the Grande Christmas party. Go. Have fun. I’ll call you if there’s a problem. And there won’t be a problem.”

Tyler’s gaze lingered on the stairs where Charlotte had disappeared. She was his everything, but Brinn was becoming a part of his everything too.

“You’ll call if there’s a problem, no matter the time?

“No matter the time.” Carol glanced at the clock on the mantel. “Oh, I better get moving too. The unveiling is at five. I have to dress and we have to hit the road. All of Powder Springs will be heading to the Grande to see the Christmas castle today.”

His mother scurried off and Tyler stood in the living room beside the tree. Yes, the entire town would be there to see Brinn and her castle. He was proud to call her his. He could call her his, couldn’t he? She’d scared him when she’d disappeared the night before. She’d run from him, from Charlotte, from his entire family. That fear had felt familiar. Would he always carry it, an extra weight? Fear he was going to disappoint Brinn and she was going to take off? His phone beeped and he pulled his gaze from the fireplace.

“Hello?”

“Tyler, it’s Annalise.”

His heart beat faster.

“Annalise, good to hear from you!”

“I’m calling about the Grande expansion. We’ve made a decision.”

“Great. I can’t wait to hear.”

The red dress that Brinn chose to wear to the Christmas castle ribbon cutting would work for the Christmas party too. She walked into the back of the kitchen at the Grande with her coat wrapped around her. She was careful how she walked, as while the area was clean, high heels really didn’t fit in an industrial kitchen.

“You have arrived.” Hans pulled away from chatting with Chef Edgar. They both wore their kitchen whites since they were on duty for the private Christmas party that the Morgan family was hosting tonight. The party would have nearly five hundred people and was one of the biggest Powder Springs Christmas parties. Brinn and her family had always gotten one of the coveted invitations. Even as a child when her father was building the Christmas castle, she attended the Grande Christmas party. Ma received an invitation each year even after Dad died, but this was the first invitation Brinn had scored on her own.

“The castle is looking superb.” Hans rolled forward and back on his feet. “The foundation is holding very well.”

Her eyes flitted from Edgar to Hans. “There’s something else. You two look worried. What is it?”

“We are concerned about the turret.”

“The turret? The turret is cracking now?” How was this happening? They had strictly followed her father’s recipe, down to the most specific detail. Why was his gingerbread recipe failing? She’d used it for the past eight years to build castle after castle.

“This is not a flaw due to the gingerbread.” Hans read the look of horror on Brinn’s face. “This is a flaw due to stupidity.” He bit out the words.

Pieter, who stood behind Hans and close to the giant industrial mixer, hung his head. Hans didn’t often get angry in his kitchen. He was direct and demanding, but he didn’t let anger lace his voice.

“What happened?” Brinn’s heart pitter-pattered faster in her chest. The unveiling was in less than an hour. The crowd would already be gathering in the lobby. Any repairs that needed to be done would be witnessed by the everyone.

“Come.” Hans turned toward the doorway. “We will show you.”

*

“Do you see?” Hans called from the marble floor ten feet below Brinn.

She’d taken off her high heels and resigned herself to giving everyone at the Grande a superb view of her underwear. She now stood on top of the ladder with a safety harness around her waist. She squeezed her legs closed and leaned forward to inspect the crack that Hans and Pieter claimed was circling the turret.

A direct result of one of the Grande’s workmen hanging a Christmas wreath. He’d been standing on the second floor and reaching through the slats of the balcony when the giant wreath had taken a big swing and bumped the turret. But it bumped the turret near the top, in one of the narrowest places. Pieter had been the one standing guard while the crew worked around the castle, building the stage, installing the microphones, adding wreaths and poinsettias and holly to the surrounding area. It had been Pieter’s only job all day to guard the Christmas castle. To make certain that no workmen or any equipment came too close to the gargantuan gingerbread creation. And according to Hans, Pieter had failed. Although to Pieter’s credit, he’d been conferring with the site foreman when the other workman was installing the wreath on the second floor.

Brinn leaned out farther from the lift. “I see it.”

The Powder Springs orchestra that had been invited to play at the unveiling struck up “Frosty the Snowman.”

“It’s hairline at this point.”

“Ah, yes, but look around the back.” Hans lifted an eyebrow and looked at Pieter who again hung his head.

In back, there was a chunk of gingerbread missing, a hole where the crack began. Damn. That would take some major repair. She’d need a piece that fit. The crane would have to be moved to the back or she’d have to go to the second floor and lie down and reach out between the slats of the balcony. The unveiling was in forty minutes. There was no way to get that fixed right now, but she could do it immediately after.

“Take me down, please.” The operator slowly lowered her to the ground. “That hole is a monster and we’ve got to fix it.”

“Agreed.”

“But we can’t fix it now.” Brinn pressed her fingers down the front of her red dress and looked around the room. “There isn’t time.”

Hans looked at the filling lobby. His face didn’t move, but in his eyes Brinn recognized determination.” Agreed.”

“What we can do now is that I can add icing to the hairline crack and make it look like snow. That won’t take long and it will secure the spot until we can work on the hole.”

“Or it could add too much weight to the weakened turret.”

“Maybe.” Brinn grimaced. “I don’t think the hole is foundational. It’s close to the roof but not wide. I think we add the icing and then after the unveiling, we’ll get some extra gingerbread and patch the hole.”

Hans did not agree. Brinn could see it on his face. He stood and clasped his hands over his chest. He said not a word for a long while. “Pieter, go and get the stiff icing in the pastry bag. Please get an apron for Brinn.”

She let out a long breath. Damn, she hoped she was right, that a line of icing along the crack would secure the hairline fracture and not create too much weight on the weakened turret. Otherwise, the whole thing could come crumbling down.

*

“Oh, Daddy, look at the castle!”

Tyler held Charlotte as they walked into the Grande. He dusted his hand over her stocking cap. The snow had started just as they walked out of his parents’ house. By the time they reached the Grande, you could barely see in front of the vehicle, even with headlights. The snow was coming down fast, and according to the radio, the fresh powder was meant to come down all night. There would be happy skiers this weekend on Thunder Ridge. Tomorrow, Friday, marked the beginning of one of the busiest two weeks in Powder Springs, Colorado, and especially Thunder Ridge. Christmas and New Year’s week were their busiest times. For Brinn and Bea & Barbara’s Bakery, tomorrow would begin the busiest time of the year for the shop, while his business would nearly shut down for the next two weeks. No one was commissioning new buildings until after the first of the year. Brinn and her mother and Dom and Alison would go full tilt, all out, until six p.m. on Christmas Eve day. There would be hundreds of orders and last-minute walk-ins and they would fill them all. He’d never heard of any person in Powder Springs saying that they’d walked out of Bea & Barbara’s Bakery empty-handed. If Brinn and Barbara had to work twenty-four hours a day for the next seven days, they would. He’d miss her. He doubted he’d see much of Brinn over the next week.

He’d been to the Grande every Christmas season of his life, and yet the lobby was always beautiful. Red and green bows, garland, the orchestra playing Christmas music. The Morgan family had laid out a spread of the Christmas castle cookies and hot chocolate and coffee for everyone attending the unveiling. His mom and dad each held one of Charlotte’s hands. He waved to Chuck and Katherine and the girls across the lobby. Mom and Dad with Charlotte wove through the crowd toward his brother Chuck and his family. Brinn stood on the stage beside Annalise Morgan, who oohed and ahhed over the castle. Annalise gave Brinn a big hug. This was Brinn’s night. She’d completely succeeded. The Christmas castle looked magnificent and ready for its big moment, and then the big moment after the unveiling that every child in the lobby waited for.

Annalise moved toward the microphone. The final chord of “Winter Wonderland” faced out, and orchestra rested their instruments. Every person in the lobby looked toward Annalise. Beside Annalise stood her father and on the other side was Brinn. Beautiful Brinn in her bright red dress, which gracefully clung to those luscious curves. Her curls were up on her head. Her swan’s neck, her breasts, those lips, everything he longed to kiss this moment. Her eyes met his and his cock stirred. She smiled across the crowd at him and he returned a smile to her. He could hardly wait to peel her out of that dress.

“Hello, everyone!” Annalise held the microphone close and her bright voice boomed through the lobby. “Welcome to Christmas at the Grande!”

There was applause throughout the giant crowd in the lobby. “Before our very special guest arrives, I want to take the opportunity to offer a tremendous thanks to Chef Edgar and to Hans Gratz, our head baker, and to Brinn Bartoli! Brinn took over as our Christmas castle builder this year. As you know, Brinn’s father built the Christmas castle for twenty years at the Grande, and we are absolutely thrilled—I mean beyond thrilled—that Brinn has returned to Powder Springs and that Bea & Barbara’s Bakery has once again agreed to build the castle. We hope, Brinn please tell me yes, we hope that she’ll agree to be our builder next year and the next year and the next year.”

Brinn blushed and Tyler smiled.

“Thank you, Brinn. Thank you for building the most fabulous Christmas castle yet!” Annalise turned to Brinn and the entire lobby burst into applause.

“Okay, so it’s time to cut the red ribbon for the Christmas castle and invite our very special guest to take his traditional spot. Brinn, I was wondering if this year, you’d do the honors?”

Brinn pressed her fingertips to her mouth. “Oh my, of course. Thank you.” She took the giant gold scissors from Chef Edgar’s hand and pressed them to the ribbon. The crowd started their countdown:

Five

Four

Three

Two

One

The band struck up “Here Comes Santa Claus” and Brinn cut the ribbon. Christmas confetti exploded through the lobby with red and green balloons. Then… in came Saint Nick.

Tyler’s family stopped beside him.

“Daddy! He’s here! Santa Claus is here!”

Santa rode on a sleigh and threw candy as he made a circle through the lobby. Every kid screamed and lunged for chocolate and candy canes as the sleigh wound its way through the lobby to Santa’s giant chair where Santa Claus would remain until next Wednesday night.

“Daddy! Oh Daddy, I need to see Santa Claus.”

“Okay, bug, let’s get in line.”

“We’ll take her. All three girls want to see him. Go congratulate Brinn and meet us at the line.”

“Thanks, Ma.” He kissed her on the cheek, then turned to his dad, who held Charlotte. “I’ll meet you in line to see Santa, okay? I just want to go tell Brinn congratulations.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

The unveiling and the arrival of Santa at the Grande was a big night for all of Powder Springs, a tradition that Tyler and his brothers were raised on.

Tyler wove his way through the crowd, a salmon going upstream. Everyone was headed to the other end of the lobby to get in line to speak to Santa. He made it to the stairs of the stage and looked up to where Brinn stood with Annalise Morgan. They smiled and laughed. Even Hans smiled at something Brinn said. She really had a gift for making people feel warm and welcome. How could she undervalue that gift? Maybe because people tended to undervalue the things that came easily to them, the things that were second nature. Tyler climbed the stairs. He grasped Chef Edgar’s hand and turned to Hans.

“Congratulations, it’s amazing.” Tyler looked at the Christmas castle that stood behind the stage.

“She is an excellent baker, builder, and friend.” Hans leaned toward Tyler. “You are one lucky man.” He lowered his voice. “Do not, as they say, fuck this up, no?”

Tyler smiled and crinkled his brows. “Yes, sir, I’ll try not to.” He understood why Hans was protective of Brinn. She was amazing and special and all the things any man could ever want in a woman. He turned to Brinn just as Annalise released her from another hug. His eyes met Annalise’s, but she said nothing; she simply smiled at Tyler and he returned her smile. Tonight was about Brinn, and he’d be certain that tonight remained about Brinn all night long.