Ashly Nazrene and Miss Jasmine popped into his head. What kind of Christmas would they have? And Milly? Their lives were hard enough without the holiday blues. He frowned at himself.
Hope and resolution flooded through him; he broke into laughter. He wasn’t Scrooge, he was the Grinch. Well, no more! He’d fix this. All of it. He’d make sure Christmas at the center was the best ever, and he’d make it up to Hailey.
Maybe if he straightened out, his dog would come home. Crazy mutt had taken Hailey’s side. Neither of them had come back to the expansion after his hissy fit. He’d finished the work, alone. Cleaned up, alone. Locked up and went home,alone, after trying vainly to convince Rover it was time to go.
He needed a plan. A way to prove himself.
Pulling open a vanity drawer, Jesse stared at his razor. It was past time to quit hiding behind his beard. Silver Creek accepted him despite his rugged appearance. He’d proven himself dependable. Over and over again. The time had long passed where people judged him for his father’s abandonment, and his mother’s failings. He was a respected member of the community. People hired him. Repeatedly. Until his business had exploded. He was Silver Creek’s number one renovator. He’d built homes on contract, and had two dozen employees who would do anything for him.
Hands trembling, he trimmed his facial hair with scissors and lathered up the stubble. He’d be lucky if he didn’t slit his throat, it had been years since he had done more than trim his beard. He could barely remember the last time he was clean shaven. Ten years. He hadn’t shaved in ten years, not since his sister left when he was eighteen.
A nick or two later, he was finished. A pale stranger stared out of the mirror at him. He looked younger, and much more respectable. His lips curled up into a smile. Not bad. Not bad at all. But he wasn’t done, not by a long shot.
He slipped into a clean, unstained T-shirt and plaid button-down shirt. Unused Christmas gifts from Amy Jo last year. He snapped his first ever selfie and sent it to her. She nagged him about his appearance every time they video chatted. This was going to knock her socks off. And, maybe Hailey’s, too.
His phone rang instantly. Laughing, he answered. Excited squeals exploded in his ear.
“Oh, my gosh, you finally did it. You nearly gave me a heart attack. I don’t even recognize you.” She paused. “Who is she?”
“Why does there have to be a she?” He might have known Amy Jo would pick up on his personal story right away. They only saw each other three times a year, for her kids’ birthdays, but she didn’t miss much.
“Come on, Jesse. You’re my baby brother. It’s high time you pulled yourself out of your self-imposed exile. I can’t wait to meet the woman who knocked you into the real world. She must be something else.”
“Yeah.” He laughed. “She is. I just hope I haven’t scared her away for good.” He explained their situation. He could almost see his sister’s eye rolls and visualize her stern Mom face.
“Get it together, bro. Fix this. See you in a few weeks. I’ve just decided to come home for Christmas.”
Home. Hearing that single word from Amy Jo buoyed his spirits further, even if it added cleaning and decorating the house to his ever-growing list of things to do. Gift shopping! He’d need gifts for the kids, his sister, mother and brother-in-law. And Hailey. And maybe her parents. And Linc. And Miss Jasmine…
He could find everything he’d ever wanted at the grand opening of the new Christmas store!
But first things first. He had a relationship to fix and Christmas to bring to the Silver Creek Crisis Center. He ended their call and immediately dialed Linc. “Linc buddy, I need a huge favor.”
The next call was to Miss Jasmine to check on her needs and then his office manager. Shaylene was the gatekeeper to his entire world. The same age as his mother, there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do. He gave her a list and asked her to meet him behind Two Angels Gifts in an hour.
* * *
Hailey trudged down the street,ignoring the cold and the bright sun streaming down on her. Rover trotted obediently at her side, Christmas hat firmly on his head. She was late. Two Angels Gifts opened at nine. It was pushing ten. She’d never been late for work. Not a single day in her life. She hated that Jesse Phillips had sucked her in and ruined her sleep.
Sleep. Ha. She’d gotten an hour, two at the most, because of him. She should have known better. You couldn’t trust a man.
Her steps faltered. What was she thinking? This wasn’t his fault. He told her he didn’t celebrate Christmas, she just refused to listen. Nope, this was all on her.
She walked right past Beth’s Beans, her need for coffee was enormous, nearing life threatening, but nothing would make her stop and reveal her pain to her best friend. It was still too raw.
She had stock to shelve and a store to decorate in seasonal garb. It would be a long busy day. Doubly so with so little sleep. Pushing aside the negative, she grasped for the positive. She was on the edge of her dream. Tomorrow, Christmas Central, the expansion of Two Angels Gifts became a reality. She’d have her dream of year-round Christmas.
Hope skittered in her heart. When life threw Hailey Masters snowballs, Hailey Masters made snowmen.
She pushed against the door, ready to begin her day. Serena had the holiday music on. A day early. They’d planned to start seasonal music when she opened the expansion.
“Morning boss. Fresh coffee’s on in the office. Grab a cup and warm up.”
Shedding her winter attire, as she crossed the store, she hurried to the office for a welcome jolt of energy and stumbled to a halt.
The mountain of boxes were gone. Her desk was spotless, the shelves had been dusted. A plate of Beth’s pumpkin muffins sat beside a brimming coffee pot. Christmas elves had come to visit. She filled her mug and headed for the cash desk.
“Serena, the office looks great. Where did all the boxes go?”
