Page 36 of Sugar Plum Serenade

CHAPTER 14

On Wednesday morning Olive thought about a walk on the beach, but the wind had picked up and it was a little chilly. She decided to stay in and work on her new project before it was time to head to the boutique.

She’d dropped the Walmart bags on the couch last night, before she’d gone to bed exhausted but happy. She was happier than she’d been in years, and why not? Tuck. Baby Nathaniel. A sister who hadn’t yet forgiven her for sleeping with the man who’d delivered her baby, but would. It was the way of sisters.

Still in her pajamas, she dumped the contents of one bag onto the couch. The shoe ornament had called to her immediately, as she’d browsed the Christmas display. She did love a pretty shoe. The penguin was cute, and so was the snowman. She hung them, spaced appropriately, on her little tree.

She saved the ballerina for last. Her career hadn’t gone the way she’d planned, but that time in her life had been important. Fun? No, not really. She’d been too focused on succeeding to enjoy it the way she should’ve. The dance was the thing. She should’ve simply enjoyed instead of being so determined to succeed, to be perfect, that she didn’t see anything else.

She loved music. She loved to dance. So why didn’t she?

“Stupid,” she said as she hung the ballerina ornament front and center.

She leaned a little to the side to look at Tuck’s truck through the window. The Ford was parked in his driveway, as it was every morning. He was home. He was right there, so close…

Should she call or text? Of course not. He worked late nights. He had to be sleeping, and it would be rude to wake him. Definitely rude. He hadn’t responded to any of her texts yesterday, so maybe there was a crisis at work. Maybe he’d been busy and worked late and…

She didn’t want to imagine that he might be blowing her off now that he’d slept with her. He wasn’t one of those guys. Couldn’t be. There was more than that between them, in a way she’d never expected.

It was windy outside, but there shouldn’t be any wind in her living room! A faint breeze hit her square in the face. She’d think there was a draft, but this wind was warm. Not hot, not unpleasant. Warm, like a touch from another person.

Or a ghost.

“Okay, Giles, I get it,” she said. “To be honest no one has ever used the word ‘brave’ to describe Olive Carson. I’m careful. I plan for every possibility. I’m analytical.” Usually.

If she analyzed her relationship with Tuck, she’d have to admit that it was a temporary, fun escape from the holidays, from her carefully planned life. He was a vacation fling, a way to pass the time…

But that wasn’t true, not entirely. There was more. She felt it, even if it didn’t exactly make sense.

Olive looked down at the bags on her couch. She had a little more time before she needed to head to the boutique. Might as well be productive. She reached down and snagged the pre-made wreath with the slightly wonky red bow.

By the timehe got out of bed, Olive was gone. Dawn’s Radiance would’ve been opened for a couple of hours by the time he woke. Her car wasn’t in the driveway. With today’s cooler than normal temps and that wind, it made sense that she’d drive.

He didn’t want to knock around the house with nothing to do, not when his mind was spinning. Might as well head to work. There was always something to do at The Magnolia.

Tuck headed for his pickup but was distracted by something on Olive’s front porch. He walked to the sidewalk to get a better look, stopped, and stared.

A wreath hung on her front door. Greenery, bells, a red ribbon at the bottom. Every time she opened her door, those bells would jingle. There was something in the window, too. He moved down the sidewalk to get a better look. Gnomes. A Christmas gnome in red and green had been placed in each of the front windows.

She’d come here hating Christmas, or at least merely tolerating it. Now she was taking the time to decorate a rental. Was it because of her family? Had her nieces given her more holiday gifts she felt obligated to put to use?

Was he having an effect on her holiday outlook? She’d sure as hell changed his.

He headed for his truck. Nah. Getting laid had put her in a good mood, that was all. Any man would’ve had the same effect. Woman were emotional; they always made more of sex than was necessary.

Did he like her? He did.

Would he change his life for her? No, he wasn’t changing for anyone.

Did he still want a dance for Christmas?

Hell no. At this point a dance with Olive would be much too dangerous.

It was an oddly slow Wednesday,so Olive didn’t mind closing the boutique for a quick lunch break. The wind had died down, so she walked. Man, she was going to miss walking everywhere when she went home! Traffic on 280 was a nightmare most days, and she couldn’t go anywhere without getting on that busy road.

As she walked away from the boutique, she noticed a vacant space. Like the boutique it was in one of the strip centers rather than in an old house. A For Lease sign hung in the window. Olive stopped to look. She held her hands up to the glass to mute the glare from the sun so she could see inside. Nothing had been left behind from the previous tenant. Beyond the window was a simple, empty, square space, which reminded her of her first dance studio. It would also make a nice office, if she decided to expand her event planning business. There probably weren’t enough local events to keep her busy, but if she could draw in folks from Biloxi…

She jerked away from the window. What was she thinking? She had no intention of moving to Seawolf Beach. This was just a visit. A vacation. A temporary…