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She glanced at the clock. Seven on the dot. They were right on time. She turned into the drive and was floored to find the entire house decked out in multicolored, twinkling Christmas lights. Her mouth gaped open.
“Mommy, look at all those lights.”
“They’re beautiful.”
Tears threatened as she wondered if Jason’s Scrooge-like view on life had at last changed. She quickly tamped down her emotions. It wasn’t as if he’d done this for her. He must be planning to invite the investors to his house for a party or some such thing. He probably hated each and every one of the lights adorning his yard.
She glanced down at the gift she’d wrapped for him, wondering if perhaps she’d chosen the right thing to give him. Would he take offense? Still, she just couldn’t run out and buy him any of the traditional gifts, such as a tie, flannel pajamas or a cheese tray. Those things didn’t say “Jason” to her. But seeing the house all decked out with holiday fare reaffirmed her choice of gifts.
Her insides trembled as she pulled the car to a stop next to the porch. Before she had a chance to decide her next move, Santa stepped out onto the porch.
Santa?
“Mommy. Mommy, look.”
When Santa moved in front of her headlights, and stared back at her through wire-rimmed glasses, Kara gaped again. Why in the world was the man she’d commonly thought of as Scrooge all dressed up like the jolliest man at the North Pole?
She swallowed hard, trying to comprehend what was going on here.
“Mommy, doesn’t Jason look neat?” Samantha opened the door and scooted out of the backseat.
Too late to back out now.
He walked down the steps in his black boots and out the walk to greet them. Kara immediately noticed his lean waist had grown into a very plump tummy, with a thick black belt and a gold buckle holding everything in place.
“Ho-ho-ho.” His deep voice rumbled.
“You make a good Santa,” Samantha said, patting his rounded belly.
“And have you been naughty or nice?” he asked, in a Santa-like voice. “Ho-ho-ho.”
Kara couldn’t help but laugh. What in the world had gotten into him?
When she regained her composure, she asked, “Um...are we early?”
“You’re right on time. You and Samantha are my only guests.”
Her eyes opened wide. “You planned all this for us? What about the vendor report?”
“We’ll go over it Monday at the office. Afraid that was just a ruse to get you here.” He smiled sheepishly. “I know how much you enjoy the holidays and I thought you might appreciate the decorations. Do you like them?”
Samantha ran off to check out the various Christmassy figurines lining the porch, leaving the two adults with a little bit of privacy.
Kara gazed up into Jason’s blue eyes and her world tilted off center. Giving a little tug on his cottony beard, she said, “I like Santa best of all.”
“I’m so sorry, Kara. I was such a jerk the other night—”
“We’ve both done things we aren’t proud of. I should have been totally straight with you from the beginning about what occurred after you left town.”
His steady gaze held hers. “I wanted to show you just how much you both mean to me.”
She bestowed upon him her biggest and brightest smile. “Well, Santa, you’ve outdone yourself. Especially today with your father. Thank you for making the effort.”
“No, thank you. You finally talked some sense into me. It was way past time that my father and I patched things up. We’ll never be candidates for a Norman Rockwell painting, but we’ve made peace with each other, and you won’t have to worry about him so much anymore. I’ll be there for him.”
“I’m glad.” She squeezed his arm.
“Let’s go inside,” he said, climbing the steps and opening the door for them.
