The Christmas Gift

The blonde seemed to relax. “Alex and I knew each other in high school but we didn’t date until a couple of years after graduation. I was crazy about him, but some woman did a number on him. I think she moved to Paris or someplace like that.”

Krista inhaled sharply. It would be easy to confuse Prague with Paris after so many years had passed.

“Funny how these things work. I married the very next guy I dated. Our divorce was final last month,” the woman continued. “Oh, look! Derrick’s next!”

The woman dug her camera from her stylish black leather purse and hurried past Krista. Derrick hung back, his feet frozen in place. Alex patted his knee.

“You’re a pretty big boy,” Alex called to him. “Just promise not to squash me. Okay?”

“Okay,” Derrick parroted, a giggle in his voice. He ventured forward and climbed on Alex’s lap.

A flash went off and then another as the blonde snapped photos. Tracy spotted Krista and they exchanged pleasantries before her baby started crying again. It wasn’t much quieter after Tracy left the store. Conversation hummed and carols played, making it difficult for Krista to puzzle through what the chatty blonde had told her.

Krista didn’t think she’d “done a number” on Alex. But who else could the blonde have meant?

The timing was right, but everything else about the blonde’s theory seemed wrong. Krista and Alex had only dated for two weeks. If he’d had strong feelings for her, wouldn’t he have asked her to reconsider moving to Europe?

“Excuse me, but could you tell me where to find Leona Novak?” The man asking the question was roughly her grandmother’s age. He’d lost most of his hair, but not his appeal. His chin was strong, his cheekbones high, his forehead wide.

This had to be Burton. His smile and the hint of mischief in his eyes made him immediately likeable. Grandma, it seemed, had made a good decision.

Krista shoved aside her questions about Alex and gave Burton her full attention. “She’s behind the cash register.”

“Oh, yes. I see her now,” he said. “She’s even lovely dressed as Mrs. Claus, isn’t she?”

Krista had been under the impression her grandmother and Burton had never met. “You already know my grandmother?”

“Your grandmother? Then you must be Krista.” He affected a bow. “I’m Charlie Crosby, your grandmother’s suitor. I stopped by to surprise her.”

Charlie? Not Burton?

“Nice to meet you, Charlie,” Krista said, the wheels in her brain turning. Burton could show at any time. “I’ve heard about you, too.”

“That’s a good sign.” Charlie winked at her. “Hopefully your grandmother is as smitten with me as I am with her.”

He tipped his nonexistent hat and sauntered away. The blonde was finally through snapping photos. She lifted her son from Alex’s lap, planting a lingering kiss on Alex’s cheek before she straightened.

It very much seemed like the blonde wanted Alex back. Krista couldn’t worry about that now, not even to puzzle through why she was concerned about it.

She needed to figure out how to keep her grandmother’s men from bumping into each other.

“IT’S LOVELY TO SEE YOU again, Alex.” Julia Merrifield lingered beside the Santa display when it was time to break for lunch. “I’m so glad I ran into your dad and he told me you’d be here. You were awesome with Derrick.”

Alex returned his attention to Julia from where Krista was talking to an elderly man in a trench coat. His white hair stuck up like the mad scientist in the Back to the Future movies.

“Derrick must have been ready to sit on Santa’s lap this year,” Alex said. “Look how eager he was to get to the ball crawl with that friend of his.”

“That could be true.” Julia leaned toward him. “But you are pretty great.”

“Thanks.” Alex wasn’t sure what else to say. Julia was warm, caring and indisputably gorgeous. He had no desire to get involved with her again, though. Eleanor Novak had been on the mark about his desire to settle down and raise a family. On some level, he’d always wanted that. As the years went by and he got older, the realization had grown stronger.

Considering Julia’s numerous positive qualities, she should have been the perfect woman for him. Alex still couldn’t explain why she wasn’t.

Neither was Krista, who’d be thousands of miles away in just a few days. That fact didn’t stop Alex from thinking about her proposition every time he looked at her. The elf dress didn’t help. Even wearing green stockings, she looked damned sexy.

“Will I see you at Timeout after Christmas?” Julia named a local sports bar popular for its happy hours and the variety of beers it served. “You’ve probably heard Malt Green is getting the old crowd together.”

“I didn’t know Malt was in town,” Alex said slowly. He and Malt had once been as close as brothers, sharing a love for mountain bike riding and landscape photography. “How is he?”

“You two didn’t keep in touch?” Julia sounded surprised. “He’s doing fantastic. His company’s really taken off so he says he can afford better than malt liquor.”

“Good for him.” Alex had to force out the words, although he wished Malt nothing but the best.

Julia wrinkled her nose. “Am I remembering wrong or didn’t you used to talk about going into business with him?”

Together Alex and Malt had dreamed up a company that sold calendars and date books depicting professional-quality landscape photographs. Malt now ran Greenscapes Ltd. alone out of Toronto.

“I joined my dad’s landscape business instead.” Alex reminded himself it was the right decision.

“I imagine you’re great at it.” Julia affixed a bright smile to her face. “I better get Derrick out of the ball crawl. Hope to see you at Timeout.”

Alex nodded but didn’t commit. “Catch you later.”

The moment Julia was gone, Alex zeroed in on Krista. She was still with the man in the trench coat, but it now seemed as though they were dancing. When the man stepped to his left, Krista countered by moving to her right. When the man went right, she stepped left.

Whatever was going on, it was too intriguing to resist.

“I keep telling you I don’t want an artificial tree!” the man exclaimed, loud enough that Alex could hear him as he approached.

“How can you be sure until you look at them? If you don’t care to buy now, pick one out for our after-Christmas sale.” Krista noticed Alex and grabbed him by the arm. “We have a fabulous selection. Don’t we, Santa?”

Alex felt like a conspirator who didn’t know what the end game was. “We sure do.”

“I’m not here to look at trees,” the man protested. “I’m here to see Leona Novak.”

“I’ve already told you,” Krista said, “I’m not sure where she is.”

As far as Alex knew, Grandma Novak hadn’t budged from the cashier’s station. “I think she’s—”

An elf shoe kicked Alex in the shins.

“Ow,” Alex said.

“Why don’t I try to find her for you? In the meantime, Santa, will you show Burton the trees?” Krista put emphasis on the man’s name.

“But he doesn’t want—” Alex began. Krista squeezed his arm hard, causing him to lose his train of thought.

“Excuse us a moment,” she told the man and pulled Alex aside. Her hair smelled great, as clean as a winter breeze. Alex was tempted to take her in his arms and breathe in the scent. He doubted she’d be amenable to that at the moment.