First Kiss at Christmas by Lee Tobin McClain

CHAPTER EIGHT

TODAYWASTHEDAY. Christmas wasn’t for almost two weeks, but this was the last day of preschool. That meant it was time for the preschool Christmas party...and for the debut of Kayla in her new, properly sized sweater over a properly fitting bra.

Even alone in the classroom, she barely wanted to take off her coat. But she forced herself to do it. Then she stood on tiptoes before the small mirror on the wall, trying to see how it looked.

Of course, she’d studied herself in the full-length mirror at home, and had decided she looked just fine. The sweater wasn’t formfitting, not exactly. It was no different from what most women her age wore, even women older than she was. Even her mother.

“What are you doing, honey?” It was her mother, at the doorway of the classroom.

Kayla’s cheeks heated as she spun to face her. “Nothing! Just checking to see if...if I got toothpaste on my sweater.”

Mom came into the room. “You didn’t. That’s pretty.” She looked around. “Everything ready for the party in here?”

Kayla breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe her change of style wasn’t going to be as noticeable as she’d feared. “Ready as I can be. There are two moms coming, and Tony should be here any minute, so we’ll be fine.”

“Good. I have to admit, I’m glad we have an extra-long break instead of going right up until Christmas like the public schools do. I’ve got the movie and the popcorn machine ready to go downstairs, at eleven.”

“Perfect. We’ll all be ready.” Two hours of party was a lot for little kids, so they’d decided to gather them all in the common room for the last hour of the school day. “I’m going to try to keep the actual party short. We’re doing circle time and story time first.”

“Good luck with that.” Mom turned her head, called “coming,” and hurried down the hall. All the teachers were rushing to finish preparations for their classroom parties, and from the noise downstairs, it sounded like excited kids were starting to come in.

Kayla was buzzing almost as high as they would be, because today was the day she planned to ask Tony to Crabby Christmas.

She’d gone back and forth about it. Should she make a move?

She liked him a lot. He was a rare man who was masculine, but could take feedback and try to improve, rather than getting defensive or thinking he already knew it all. He was good with Jax, and increasingly, with all the kids. He was handsome, really handsome. And a little haunted, which, okay, had its appeal.

So she’d gotten coaching from Amber and had figured out what she was going to say. If she didn’t do it today, no telling when she’d see him again.

Yes, today was definitely the day, and the only question was, when? If he got here early, maybe she’d do it right away, get it over with. If he said no, they’d have a lot of distractions that would get them comfortable with each other again, and then he’d go off with Jax for Christmas break.

The thought of that pierced a tiny, painful hole in her heart.

She was checking her basket of small gifts for the kids when there was a sound behind her. “We’re here!” Jax called. He ran toward her and then stopped, staring at her. “You look pretty, Miss Kayla.”

So maybe her change of style was visible. She couldn’t help glancing at Tony, who was unfastening his jacket.

He’d definitely seen her, but he didn’t say a word.

Which was fine. Good, really.

She hugged Jax and helped him take off his jacket. “Could you put one of these gifts from the basket on every kid’s seat?” she asked him, and his face lit up, just as she’d known it would. He loved being given little jobs. And keeping Jax occupied would give her time to pop the question to Tony.

When she reached him, her courage failed. “You ready for today?” she asked, her voice hearty, not warm and romantic as she’d planned.

“I don’t know.” He hung his coat and Jax’s backpack and smiled at her. “I’ve never been to a party at a preschool before.”

“There’s nothing like it,” she said honestly. “Be ready for excitement and lots of running around. Maybe some tears, too.”

“Vomiting?” he asked with a mock cringe.

She laughed. “Let’s hope not, but no guarantees.”

“I’ll do my best. Just tell me what you need me to do, and if I’m making any mistakes, give me a nudge. Or kick me.”

“Okay, I will,” she joked.

“You do look nice,” he said. “Jax was right. Pretty sweater.”

Her face flooded with heat. “Thanks.”

She should ask him now. Ask him.

“Would you want to—” she started.

“Hi, everybody!” It was Norleen and her daughter, and if Kayla had wondered about the tightness of her sweater, seeing Norleen’s left her in no doubt that her own was fine. “We’re excited!” Norleen gushed. “So glad I could come in and help!”

“Me, too,” Kayla said with zero enthusiasm. She hadn’t seen much of Norleen since the trip to the bay and the brief encounter at the Christmas decoration swap. And she hadn’t missed her one little bit.

“What were you saying, Kayla?” Tony asked.

“Nothing. Tell you later.”

Norleen raised an eyebrow. “Secrets?” She studied Kayla. “You look different,” she said. “Did you lose weight?”

Kayla hoped her cheeks weren’t as red as her sweater. “Are you kidding? It’s the holidays. If anything, I’ve gained.”

Tony went to negotiate a truce between Jax and Rhianna.

Norleen stayed, studying Kayla. “I’m serious. You look different. You didn’t get enhancement, did you?”

Kayla frowned at the woman. “Enhancement?”

“A boob job.” Norleen gestured at her chest. “I never noticed you were quite so...busty.”

Kayla hunched her shoulders, her face flaming. “No way!”

“Oh, sorry!” Norleen laughed merrily. “My mistake. And lucky you! I’ve always been so skinny. I was jealous of you in school.”

Indeed, Norleen’s snug sweater clung to a narrow chest and flat abs. Her figure was as different from Kayla’s as could be imagined.

“Merry Christmas!” Pixie and her mom called from the doorway as they came in, and more kids followed.

Glad to end the one-on-one with Norleen, Kayla greeted them and helped them hang coats, keeping her shoulders caved in so as not to show off her so-called enhanced chest. If she’d brought another bra and sweater, she would have rushed off and changed. What had she been thinking, wearing something that looked so different to school? Were all the kids noticing? Was Tony?

“Here, Miss Kayla, my mommy made you a present,” little Noah said, handing her a glittery gift bag.

“We made bark,” another girl said, rattling a clear quart jar of pink and white candy. Then the rest of the kids swarmed around Kayla, either giving her gifts or looking to see what the others gave.

She was touched by all the kids who’d brought her small gifts: homemade Christmas ornaments, cookies, a gift card. She thanked them quietly, not wanting to make a big deal of it to the kids who hadn’t brought anything.

The presence of the kids, their simple joy, calmed and uplifted her, as always. She straightened her shoulders and forgot about what she was wearing and how she looked.

The kids were what was important. No matter what else happened, no matter what kind of games adults wanted to play, little kids were always sincere and open.

She gathered the children into a circle and got them to listen to a story and practice some of the letters in Christmas and holiday and Kwanzaa. They sang two of the carols they’d learned. Tony had finally brought in his ukulele, and he strummed along to “O Christmas Tree.”

It wasn’t easy keeping their attention, though, especially when parent helpers started setting up for games and refreshments. Pixie’s mom dumped out individual bags of chips, while Norleen unveiled a tray of cupcakes, personalized with a letter for each kid’s name. “All peanut free, soy free, gluten free,” Kayla heard her telling Tony.

Rather than finding out whether or not he was impressed, Kayla released the children to the parent-helpers’ charge.

“First party game,” Pixie’s mom said. “Look around, and you’ll see bows through the classroom. Your job is to run around, and don’t touch the bows!”

Kayla blinked. Oh, well. She’d given the moms free rein with the party and welcomed the break. It would be interesting to see what they did with it.

“Yay!” The kids started running, randomly and speedily, around the room, where Pixie’s mom had placed all kinds of bows, from package size to the huge type people used when they were gifting someone a car.

The kids were all full of energy, and this was definitely a way for them to use some of it. They ran, bumping into each other and laughing.

Pretty soon, though, the kids started crashing harder into each other. Some fell, and others accused one another of touching the bows.

Dealing with her second teary child, who’d thwacked his head on a bookshelf while dodging a bow, Kayla looked up to find Tony kneeling next to them. “Any way I can help?”

She cuddled little Caden next to her, wiping his face with a tissue. “I think I’ve got it covered. Until the next casualty.”

“This is some party.” He surveyed the wild, running kids. Norleen was fussing with the cupcakes, and Pixie’s mom was red-faced and sweating, trying to get the kids to run more carefully and slow down, to no avail.

Go to Crabby Christmas with me.

Kayla looked over at Tony. This was her moment. She could ask him. They were in a little pocket of isolation, possibly the only one they’d have today.

But she couldn’t make herself blurt it out, and a minute later, the noise level rose to deafening anyway, and not in a happy way. At least three kids were screaming at each other. “Could you...try to help me fix this?” she asked Tony instead, waving a hand toward the children.

“It’s a bad game,” he said frankly. “There’s no way to win.”

“Well, games that you win aren’t the best for preschoolers, games with one winner, anyway.” Another child came toward them, crying, and Kayla shifted Caden out of her lap to make room. She looked up at Tony. “Do you have any suggestions before they kill each other?”

Tony looked blank. “Umm, not really.”

Pixie’s mom rushed over. “I’m sorry,” she said, sounding out of breath. “I’m terrible with games. I should never have volunteered for them.”

“Could you get them started on the next one?” Kayla asked. Maybe it would be something calming.

“This is the only one I have planned,” Pixie’s mom said, looking ready to cry herself.

The shouting accelerated.

Tony put his fingers to his lips and made a piercing whistle that brought all the kids to an immediate halt. “Okay, kids, that game’s over. Now let’s play stick the bow on Miss Kayla! Everyone grab a bow!”

That was a huge hit, although it left Kayla feeling bruised. At least they were all running into her now, rather than each other. “How about a game of Santa, Santa, Reindeer?” she suggested. “It’s like Duck, Duck, Goose.”

“Yeah!” several kids yelled. The familiar game was more successful, and then Norleen broke out the cupcakes. Tony got everyone small cups of water, and Kayla took charge of hand washing while Pixie’s mom talked on her cell phone.

Mom came through the door to check on them. “Fifteen more minutes until we gather for the movie,” she said. “How’s it going in here?” She looked across the classroom. “My goodness, is that Norleen Jenkins?”

“Uh-huh.”

Mom shook her head. “She’s certainly grown up since the two of you played dolls together as preschoolers.”

“You registered her, didn’t you?”

“Over the phone,” Mom explained. “I always wondered how things would turn out for her. She never had a lot of opportunities.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Kayla stared at her mother. “She seemed on top of the world in middle school.”

“She got pretty good with fashion and makeup,” Mom admitted. “But she didn’t have the smarts—either that or she didn’t apply herself. No help from her family, and no thought of college. I always thought she was jealous of you.”

“Norleen, jealous, of me?” That was rich. But of course Kayla had never told her mother about the bullying; even when Mom had guessed, Kayla had refused to name names.

“From what she said on the phone, she’s still struggling. I’ll try to talk with her sometime.”

Mom’s compassionate attitude was far from anything Kayla could manage. “You do that,” she said. “I’ll bring the kids down in a few.”

After Mom left, Kayla turned back toward the classroom. It was almost time for the class to end. Asking Tony to Crabby Christmas would be now or never.

They got all the kids seated, eating cupcakes and drinking water. Some soothing Christmas music helped.

Tony stood, surveying the kids, and Kayla walked over to his side. “So,” she began, her heart racing, “have you heard about Crabby Christmas?”

He frowned. “I think there was a sign up at Goody’s,” he said. “What is it?”

“It’s a fun event,” she said, and launched into an explanation. “See, there’s a cocktail hour for adults, childcare provided, and then everyone goes over to Goody’s for a visit from Santa.”

“Sounds fun.”

Kayla opened her mouth, hoping her question wouldn’t come out all breathless.

“It sounds really fun,” Norleen said as she approached from Tony’s other side. She must have been eavesdropping.

Kayla felt like strangling the woman.

“Hey, I have an idea,” Norleen said. “We should go together, with our kids!”

“Jax and I are game,” Tony said. “We basically never have any plans.” He looked over at Kayla. “What about you? Can you come? It would make Jax really happy.”

Kayla pushed up the corners of her mouth into a fake smile while she debated what to do. On the one hand, she really, really didn’t want to spend an evening in Miss Did-You-Have-A-Boob-Job’s company. On the other hand, the thought of Norleen and Tony and their kids going together...no. Just no. Even if that was exactly what Norleen was angling for.

“Sure,” she said. “I’d love to go.”

THEAFTERNOONAFTERthe preschool Christmas party day, Tony opened the door of Victory Cottage at 1:30 p.m. to greet Evan Stone, the local police officer who’d come to his defense at the toy store when he’d first arrived in town.

Jax and Norleen’s daughter, Rhianna, were running around. Tony had been trying to hustle Norleen out the door to no avail; she’d insisted on staying to help him clean up.

He’d only meant to invite her daughter over. He hadn’t asked Norleen to stay for a late lunch. But she’d lingered, finally ending up at the table, cooing over the peanut butter and banana sandwiches. She’d kept a continual conversational patter going. It was so great they could get together with their kids. It was so hard to be new in town, and single. She couldn’t wait until Crabby Christmas.

All of it had added to the headache that had begun during the hours helping to supervise excited kids.

“Come on in,” he said to Evan.

Rhianna and Jax stopped in their tracks, staring at the big, uniformed police officer.

Norleen came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. “Well, hello!” she said to Evan, her voice husky. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Norleen,” Tony said, “this is Officer Evan Stone. Evan, Norleen Michaelson and her daughter, Rhianna. And I’m sure you remember my nephew, Jax.”

“He gave me a badge!” Jax said. Apparently, he’d forgotten the events leading up to the gift. Probably just as well.

“Pleased to meet you all.” Evan knelt to their level and gave the kids a friendly smile. “Hi, there,” he said to Rhianna. “I’m Officer Stone.”

“I’m Rhianna.” The little girl stared at him. “Did you come over to arrest Jax and his dad?”

“Rhianna!” Norleen scolded.

“Police officers chase bad guys,” Rhianna said.

“Nobody did anything bad. I’m just here for a visit.” Evan turned toward Jax. “Glad to see you, too.”

Jax nodded, but his lower lip trembled as he took a step back. Police officers brought bad things to mind for him, and now that Rhianna had reminded him about the bad guy connection, the impact of an officer in uniform seemed to hit him.

Tony stepped closer to his nephew, and Jax reached out for his leg and clung on. He’d been a little out of sorts, a little more clingy, since Sunday, when he’d remembered more about the day his mother was shot. His therapist had told Tony that might happen, but it still wrung at his heart. No child should have to experience what Jax had experienced, see what he’d seen. And Tony was bound and determined to make it up to him.

“Officer Stone’s here to have coffee with me,” he reminded Jax. “That’s why you have a friend over now, too.”

Jax nodded, still clinging on.

“You said you wanted to show Rhianna your room, right?” Tony stroked Jax’s hair.

Jax’s grip on Tony’s leg loosened slightly. “Uh-huh.”

“What toys do you have?” Rhianna asked. “I brought some, in my backpack.” She picked it up.

Jax frowned. “I have trucks.”

“I like trucks,” Rhianna said. “At home my dolls ride in trucks.”

Jax looked doubtful. “My trucks crash. A lot.”

“That sounds fun!” Rhianna tugged at Jax’s hand. “Let’s go!”

And the two children thundered up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Norleen wasn’t making any move toward leaving. Tony turned toward her, wondering if he was going to have to push her out the door. “I can bring Rhianna home in a couple of hours, or you can pick her up.” He hoped his hint wasn’t too broad or downright rude, but subtlety didn’t seem to work with Norleen.

“Oh, sure. I guess I should be going.”

Do you think? “Thanks for letting Rhianna come play with Jax.”

“Sure thing.” She seemed to take forever finding her coat and purse. “It was nice to meet you,” she said to Evan. Then she looked at Tony. “Thanks so much for having us over.”

“Sure.” Tony felt like he was herding her to the door. She kept staring at him, and alternately at Evan.

Finally, though, she left, and he closed the door behind her with the sense of having escaped a piranha.

“Pretty lady,” Evan commented.

“Uh-huh. Come on into the kitchen. Sorry about the mess.” Tony wondered briefly what Norleen had been doing in here; she’d said she’d clean up while Tony supervised the kids, but the remains of their lunch still littered the table. He led Evan over and shoved the dishes to one side. “Coffee?”

“Sure. Thanks.” Evan sat down. “Looks like some bad weather coming in.”

“Get much snow here?” Tony stuck the cup beneath the brewer and pushed the button, watched the coffee stream out.

“Can. We had a beast of a storm last winter, which was my first here. Apparently that’s the pattern, one or two big snows. Where are you from?”

“Filmore, Pennsylvania. We got a fair amount of snow.”

“Ah, Filmore. I know it by reputation.”

Tony set another cup brewing and brought Evan’s to the table. “Reputation isn’t great,” he said.

“Right. Lots of drug issues?”

He nodded. “That’s part of what I need to talk to you about.”

“Okay.” Evan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Tony brought his own cup to the table, sat down. “I don’t know how much time we’ll have before the kids come back in, so let me jump right into it,” he said. He quickly explained the situation: the shooting, Jax’s nonmemory of the day’s events, and his mysterious appearance on Tony’s doorstep. “So our therapist thought it would be good to talk to you,” he explained. “She suggested, and I agree, that it’s smart for someone local to know the situation, due to the dangers involved.”

“So you think he was there on the scene?” Evan asked.

“I wasn’t sure, but then on Sunday, he said...” To his horror, Tony’s throat tightened. He took a gulp of hot coffee and nearly choked on it, and by the time he’d stopped coughing, he’d gotten himself together. “Sorry. He said he heard a big bang and saw his mom fall down.”

“Ahhhh.” Evan shook his head. “It’s bad what kids go through.” He frowned. “Is there any way word could get back to Filmore that his memories are returning? Did other people hear what he said on Sunday?”

“Paul and Amber heard, and Kayla, and Davey, but...no. No one there has connections to Filmore.” Tony thought about it. “My sister, and maybe my brother, might visit during the holidays. But they’re on the good side, trying to make things better in Filmore. And they love Jax.”

“What’s the status of the case?”

Tony blew out a disgusted noise. “No progress. I talk to the Filmore police pretty often, and my sister who lives there puts a lot of pressure on them. But they’re overwhelmed.”

“Yeah. Everybody’s understaffed.” Evan sipped coffee. “Have you told the Filmore cops that Jax is remembering?”

“No, I didn’t.” Tony wasn’t sure how to explain. “I just have a feeling there are a few bad seeds on the force there. I could be wrong, but... Jax’s safety is my priority, even if he doesn’t share information that could help with the case.”

“Smart.” Evan frowned. “I’ve heard a few things about Filmore. The police aren’t in control. At best. At worst...”

“They’re being paid off by some gang or cartel.” Tony sighed. “It’s possible.”

The children raced into the room. Jax hurled himself into Tony, and Tony hugged him. “Hey, buddy,” he said, “are you having fun? Sharing your toys?”

“He shared,” Rhianna said.

“Uncle Tony! She says she has video games at her house. Can we go over?”

“Not right now, buddy. Maybe another day, if Rhianna’s mom says it’s okay.”

“I already asked her, before we came,” Rhianna said. “She wants you to come. She says if you come over, she’ll make a cake!”

Tony wondered why Norleen was so nice. Overly so, to the point of it being uncomfortable. “We’ll see,” he said. “Jax, run back and play a little longer while I finish talking to Officer Stone.”

“Okay,” Jax said glumly. “But she only wants to play dolls.”

“Then you be kind to your guest and play what she wants to play,” Tony said.

“Okay.” Jax sighed and trudged toward the stairs.

“Come on, we can do more truck crashes with the dolls,” Rhianna suggested, showing that she had some of her mother’s persuasive abilities.

Jax brightened. “Okay,” he said, and they climbed the stairs.

Evan and Tony watched them go. “Cute kids,” Evan said. “Does the therapist think he’ll remember more?”

“She says it’s fifty-fifty. I’m to keep lines of discussion open if he does, because we don’t want him keeping it inside or thinking he’s not allowed to talk about it.”

“Right. Poor little guy.” Evan shook his head. “I’m glad you contacted us, just in case anything comes up. I’ll let the department know.” He held up a hand, forestalling Tony’s question. “I can vouch for the honesty and morals of every person on the force.”

“Every person?” Tony asked, skeptical.

Evan’s face broke into a little smile. “All four of us.”

Oh, right. The good thing about a small town. “That’s fine, then.”

Evan stood. “Stay in touch, and let us know if anything worrisome happens.”

As they walked out, Evan spoke, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “We have a big celebration coming up in town this Saturday. Crabby Christmas. You planning to come?”

“I am,” Tony said slowly. “How about you?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. It’s the place to be in Pleasant Shores, our biggest event of the season.”

And Tony was slated to go with Kayla, which sounded pretty good...and Norleen, which didn’t. Tony stopped at the door. “Is it a date kind of thing?”

“It can be,” Evan said.

Tony thought about it. “Then...it might be, you could help me out with a problem.” He was seeing Amber and Paul tomorrow, and he’d try to get them to help him evade Norleen and spend time with Kayla. But the way Norleen was, it would be better to have all hands on deck.