The Christmas Gift

“I think it was one dozen,” Alex murmured.

“No, two dozen.” Grandma Novak smiled so sweetly, it felt like she’d agreed with him. “Anyway, Alex was wheeling the poinsettias to his pickup when the cart overturned.”

“How does Krista enter into this?” Eleanor asked.

Krista’s eyes were still locked on Alex. “I was dropping by to say hey to Grandma when it happened.”

So she did remember.

Alex would never forget. Krista had been wearing black boots and a winter coat, much the same as the one she had on now, except the coat had been black instead of red. She’d flipped her long, brown wind-blown hair back from a face that was rosy from the cold. Then she’d spotted him and smiled.

That was when the wheels of Alex’s cart had bumped over a curb and the plants had slid off.

“That’s right, Krista,” Grandma Novak said. “You’d just gotten back from college for winter break. Dirt and poinsettia leaves went everywhere.”

Alex had insisted on cleaning up, and Krista had helped. By the time they were through sweeping up the debris, Alex had Krista’s phone number and a date for the next day.

“Why didn’t I hear about this before?” Eleanor asked.

Because Krista thought her mother was too involved in her life. Funny that Alex could remember the reason after all these years.

“You can’t know everything about everything, Ellie,” Grandma Novak said with a laugh.

“I like to be kept informed,” Eleanor muttered. “Alex, what were you about to tell us when you got here?”

The strange sight had completely slipped Alex’s mind. He snapped his fingers. “There’s a taxi driver outside singing Christmas carols.”

“Oh, I forgot!” Krista jumped up from her chair. Her hair was several inches shorter but otherwise the physical changes were negligible. Years ago Krista had told him she considered her looks average. She thought her nose was too long and her mouth too wide. Alex disagreed. Taken alone, none of her features were exceptional; together they were dazzling. “I better go pay him.”

Alex had to force himself not to turn and watch her hurry from the kitchen. He set down the bottles on the kitchen counter and shrugged out of his winter jacket while his father did the same.

“I’m surprised nobody mentioned Krista was coming home.” Alex’s father put into words what Alex was thinking.

“I didn’t know it myself until she walked in,” Joe said.

“So Krista surprised you?” Milo asked.

“Only because Ellie tricked her,” Grandma Novak said.

“For heaven’s sake! I didn’t trick Krista!” Eleanor cried. “My own daughter has a right to know I was in the hospital.”

“You shouldn’t have told her you were dying,” Joe said.

“I did nothing of the sort!” Eleanor denied. “You better watch what you say to me, Joe. If you stress me out, my ulcers will come back.”

“I talked to your doctor,” Joe retorted. “He said your ulcers were caused by bacteria.”

“Probably caused by bacteria,” Eleanor said. “Not definitely.”

“I’m gonna hang up my coat,” Alex announced before Joe came back with another zinger. It used to seem to Alex that the Novaks were on the brink of divorce until he realized they enjoyed arguing. They were actually the most devoted couple Alex knew. Eleanor acted as Joe’s nurse. Joe had cried when Eleanor had been admitted to the hospital. “Dad, can I take your coat?”

Alex’s father handed over his black overcoat, then slipped off his fake white beard and gave that to Alex, too. “Can’t risk getting food in my valuables.”

Alex smiled and headed for the coat closet in the foyer, one ear listening for Krista’s return. He admitted to himself he was angling for a moment alone with her. He stepped back to make room when she came in the front door.

In her high-heeled boots, she was only a few inches shorter than him. For a moment, they stared at each other and it seemed to Alex that electricity rather than blood flowed through his veins.

He finally found his voice. “How have you been?”

“Fine.” She cleared her throat, the sound a sexy purr. “Now that I’ve gotten over the shock of seeing you in my parents’ kitchen.”

“My dad and I are here a lot,” Alex said. “We couldn’t ask for better neighbors.”

She tilted her head quizzically. “You live with your dad? In this neighborhood?”

When she knew him, Alex had been renting a one-bedroom apartment in downtown Jarrell above a hardware store. Back then, his father had lived in an equally small condo he’d purchased after Alex’s mother died and he sold the house where Alex had grown up.

“I moved in when he bought the house next door,” Alex said.

“Recently?” Krista asked.

“Three years ago,” Alex said.

“Nobody told me,” Krista muttered.

Nobody should have to tell her. If she visited her parents even semiregularly, she’d know who their neighbors were.

She unbuttoned her coat and slipped it off to reveal a long blue sweater worn over skinny black jeans tucked into her boots. The clothes were wrinkled from traveling, but the jeans outlined the shape of her lovely legs and the sweater hugged her breasts. He took the coat from her and missed the rod on his first attempt at hanging it up.

“How long are you home for?” he asked.

“Now that I know Mom’s okay,” she said, “just until the day after Christmas.”

The news hit Alex like a snowball to the face. Holding back his reaction would have been impossible. “You’re kidding me! That’s only four days. You haven’t been home in eight years!”

Krista’s spine stiffened and her chin lifted. “I wasn’t going to come at all. I made other plans.”

“Are your plans more important than being with your family?” Alex had witnessed Eleanor’s tears when she talked about how much she missed her daughter. “Look at the lengths your mother went to get you here.”

“You’re out of line,” Krista said tightly.

“Why?” Alex shot back. “Because I’m telling you something you don’t want to hear?”

She glared at him.

“Alex! Krista!” Eleanor’s voice drowned out the Christmas carols drifting through the house. “Time for dinner.”

Alex swept a hand in front of him, calling himself a fool for maneuvering to be alone with her. “After you.”