Christmas Eve Love Story

Seven

Braden sat across from Annie at the Blue Dot Diner, very glad she’d accepted his invitation for coffee. He’d gotten them both paper cups of coffee with coffee sleeves and lids, and a couple of donuts from the counter. This place was informal. Self-serve, and you took a seat wherever you wanted. They picked the only empty booth available, one in back with peeling leather benches and a faded Formica tabletop covered with turquoise pebble-like spots.

She accepted her coffee. “Thanks for this. You didn’t have to buy.”

“My pleasure. You’ve had quite a day.”

He held out the donut bag, but she declined. He’d gotten powdered jelly filled. His favorite. He worked out to be able to eat the way he did. Coming from a big Italian family, group occasions were heavily focused on food.

He took a bite of donut. “These are delicious.”

She giggled. “Big on sweets, huh?”

He couldn’t lie. “You don’t want to see me around my mom’s cannoli. That is heaven .”

She smiled, not seeming to mind his appetite. “You have family in town?”

“Just my mom.” He chewed the tasty morsel, all powdery sugar and sticky raspberry goodness, and wiped his mouth. “My sisters are still in Philly. That’s where they grew up.”

“They, but not you?” She wore a fun snowman-patterned top under a black vest, and the red-and-green holly wreath pin he noticed earlier. All ready for Christmas and those major plans of hers.

He shook his head. “My sisters are all a lot older. Ten, twelve, thirteen years. I was the caboose.”

“Ahh. The baby brother.”

He enjoyed the shimmer in her pretty brown eyes. “Yeah.”

She spun her cup around in her narrow fingers. They were tapered and delicate seeming, a lot like she was. Though he detected an inner strength. It radiated from a quiet place within her, as if she were a resilient person. Braden recognized that in others, having been through a few things himself.

“So, if not in Philly, where did you grow up?” she asked him.

“For the most part, in Brooklyn.” Braden pushed back in the booth, the heels of his hands against the lip of the table. “My stepdad moved us here for work when I was eight.” He took a sip of coffee. “What about you? Brothers? Sisters?”

“Nope. Just me,” she said. “And Leo.”

He smiled at the name. “Let me guess. Your cat?”

She laughed. “Yeah. He’s a sweetie. Big boy too, nearly twenty pounds.”

“Whoa, that’s bobcat size.”

“He likes to eat.”

Braden chuckled. “A feline after my own heart.” He peeked in the donut bag but decided he’d better not overdo it in front of Annie. So he folded the paper bag flap. “Where’d you grow up?” he asked her.

She took a small sip of coffee. “Red Bank, New Jersey.”

“Nice place.” It was also close to Belford and Atlantic Highlands, two towns Braden had been eying for his big move someday. When he was a bit farther along and thinking about having a family.

Her smile looked a little sad. “It can be.” Braden intuited she didn’t want to say much about her family, and he understood. Certain family dynamics were complicated, and maybe hers were too. He glanced around the packed café as more folks took cover inside and out of the building storm.

“Well, I’m glad we got it fixed,” he said, changing the subject. “Your window display.”

“Thanks for all your help with that.”

He shrugged. “Didn’t mind it. Glad to help.”

She set her coffee cup aside. “So. How long have you been at Lawson’s?” He guessed she hadn’t been paying as much attention to him as he had to her, but that was all right.

“Going on my second year.”

She blinked in surprise. “Really? I’ve been there three. And before Lawson’s?”

“U.S. Army,” he said.

She sat up a little straighter. “Thanks for your service.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Did you like being in the army?”

“There were good parts to it,” he said, “and bad.” He frowned, not particularly interested in thinking about those. Not when he had a pretty woman’s company. “My good buddy Harper’s still in Germany. We’re like brothers.” Seeing as how he hadn’t had any, Harper was as close as he’d come. “You know how it is with good friends,” he continued. “They’re like family.”

Her expression changed, and he wondered what he’d said.

“Harper sounds nice. Where did you meet him?”

“Baghdad. We were in the same platoon.”

She read something in his eyes. “Rough tour?”

He shifted in his seat. “A little.”

“Sorry,” she said, looking like she was. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that.”

He shut his mind off to the shellfire and the bomb blast in his head. He wasn’t perfect at blocking things out, but he was getting better at it. One day at a time.

“You got a bestie like Harper?” he asked her. “I mean, someone close?” Her eyes glistened and, for the second time in two minutes, he felt like he’d stepped on a land mine.

“There’s Tina. But she and I—” She stopped and caught her breath. “It’s just been a minute since I’ve seen her, that’s all.”

“So hey, reach out.” He shared an encouraging grin. “It’s Christmas.”

“You know what?” she said. “You’re right.” She squared her shoulders. “I think I will reach out tomorrow. First thing.” She smiled. “Just to say merry Christmas.”

“There you go!” He toasted her with his coffee cup. “Here’s to Tina and to you—spreading your Christmas cheer.”

She tapped her paper cup against his. “Here’s to Tina wanting to accept it.”

“Aww, come on,” he said. “Who wouldn’t like hearing from you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Do you want the whole list?”

“Is that a nice list, or a naughty one?”

Annie gasped playfully. “All my friends are nice.”

“You’ve got bunches of ’em, huh?”

She bit her lip. “Er. Some.”

“Maybe you’d have more if you weren’t so choosy,” he teased.

“Choosy? What?”

He leaned toward her. “Why not let some of the naughty ones in?”

“Depends on your definition of naughty.”

“That could get subjective,” he said, rubbing his chin.

Her whole face went red. “Are we talking about you now?”

He laid a hand on his chest. “What? Nooo. I’m as good as gold, Annie—almost all the time. Although, even when I’m not”—his mouth twitched—“the ladies seem to like that.”

She shook her head. “Stop.”

“Stop what?”

“Congratulating yourself on your appeal.”

His ears perked up. “I’ve got appeal now, do I?”

She toyed with her hat and mittens on the table. “You’ve got—something, all right,” she smirked lightly. “It’s called an ego.”

“Ha!” He sat back against the booth and drank from his cup. “I’m actually pretty modest, if you must know.” Which was the truth. He’d only been trying to elicit her pretty smile. She’d seemed so down about her estranged friend Tina.

She laughed, and a new sense of ease settled between them. “I’m sure you are.” After a moment, she picked up her coffee and said, “I can’t wait for some time off. How about you?”

“I’ve always liked the holidays. Yourself?”

She shrugged. “I’ve always liked having a vacation.”

She had a sly way of turning a phrase, and he liked her sense of humor.

She checked her phone for the time. “This has been a really different day.”

“Oh yeah?”

“I guess I’ve been working too hard.” She sighed. “That’s what Tina would say.”

“Your Tina might have a point.” He sipped from his coffee, recalling the long hours she’d pulled. The front window display got changed out every six to eight weeks, except for the fancy Christmas one. That went up in October and lasted through New Year’s. He’d seen the team working on salesfloor displays too, in different areas of the store.

“For a moment, I—” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

“Go on,” he asked, intrigued. “What is it?”

She slid a little lower in her seat. “I almost felt like today was a do-over of sorts.”

He nodded. “I’ve had those rat-on-a-wheel days too. Everything keeps cycling around and around. No matter how hard you work, it’s never done. You can’t seem to get ahead.”

“It’s not really that.” She hesitated a beat. “It’s more like the feeling that I’ve been here and done this before.”

“Déjà vu? Yeah, I get that too. It’s kind of eerie when you have those sensations.”

“Yeah, but normally it’s just about one thing, right? A certain thing you say, maybe a conversation you’ve had?” She grimaced. “Not like a whole day .”

“You’ve felt like that all day today?”

She fidgeted with her holly wreath pin. “I know it sounds a little out there.”

“Not to me, it doesn’t.” He set his hands on the table. “Hey, seriously. It sounds like you need a break. Tomorrow’s Christmas. The R&R will do you good. Today was not the most calming Christmas Eve at Lawson’s. It was a zoo in there. That’s probably where those feelings came from. You were reliving the stress of other days like it. Not the actual events, but the emotions attached to them. That kind of thing has happened to me too.”

She smiled softly. “I’m sure you’re right. Thanks, Braden. You’re very easy to talk to.”

He raised his cup. “You too.”

She glanced at her phone again. “Oh gosh. I’m sorry.” She buttoned up her heavy wool coat. It was navy blue with red piping and big brass buttons that had anchor emblems on them. “I really need to get going.” She frowned and added, “I don’t want to be late.”

Disappointment seeped through him. She was meeting someone, of course she was. She hadn’t told him the details about her Christmas plans. It was possible she was meeting friends or might even have a date. Just because she said she didn’t have a boyfriend, that didn’t mean she wasn’t seeing someone casually. And if she was, that was her business and not his.

“Which way you going?” Braden asked as they stepped outdoors. Snow blew across the sidewalk and into the busy street, where vehicles crawled along bumper to bumper, their windshield wipers beating back the snow. It seemed all of New York City was out and about trying to tie up their seasonal shopping. Festive decorations hung from lampposts, and holiday lights brightened the dusky sky.

She named a subway stop, saying she had grocery shopping to do before heading home.

“I’m going in that direction too.” His station was the next one up. “Okay if I walk with you?”

Annie nodded and tugged down her red hat. The big pom-pom on it bounced, making her look the cutest. “Thanks for the coffee. It was a great idea.”

“You’re welcome. I enjoyed it.” He snagged a quick glimpse of Annie, painting such a pretty picture against the mob of unseen faces hustling by. Her snow boots looked old, like she’d had them a while, but they obviously did their job. The thick layer of snow on the sidewalk made it slick, and more kept pouring down by the minute.

They trudged past decorated storefronts, brisk winds circling around them. One place had cell phones wearing Santa hats in its front window. Another displayed mechanical gingerbread people with waving arms. She viewed these appreciatively, maybe getting ideas for future designs of her own. Her cheeks reddened in the cold, the bridge of her nose turning bright pink. His face was chilled too, but he didn’t mind the nip in the air or the icy swirl of snowflakes.

“I love this time of year,” he said. “Everything just seems—merrier and brighter, hopeful. You know?”

“I like Christmas too,” she quipped. “It’s when I do my best windows.” Her smile seemed a little flirty. Or maybe he was just wishing. He laughed at her self-congratulatory statement, not minding it at all. It was good that she took pride in what she did. He admired that in her.

“That’s true. You do.” It was too bad Veronica Lawson couldn’t appreciate Annie’s talent, because he sure did.

She shook her head in wonder. “I still can’t believe you remember my polar bears.”

“I remember all your window displays, Annie.”

She peered at him. “All of them?”

He nodded. “‘Autumn in New York’? That was amazing. ‘Fun in the Summer Sun’ was cool too. Mannequins with surfboards and wearing sunglasses! You trucked in real sand.”

“You have been paying attention.” She playfully shoved his arm, and his face heated.

“It’s my job to notice things.”

She studied his uniform and grinned. “Yeah. Guess so.”

He looked up and down the street at the festive decorations. This time of year always took him back, and the memories were happy ones. “We lived in Brooklyn but came into the city a lot, especially at Christmas, to see all the gorgeous windows. My folks weren’t rich by any means, so it was more like window shopping than buying. But it was always so fun. You know what I mean? Like looking into these cool and magical worlds.”

Her eyes danced, and he knew he’d struck a chord. A happy one. “I really do. That’s why I like designing them so much. Each window is like its own little universe. Special.”

“Yeah,” he replied. She was awfully special too, and talented. “So, you live where in Brooklyn?” They’d reached the entrance to her subway line.

“Crown Heights.”

“Oh yeah. It’s nice over there. I know it. My mom lives over that way, not too far from the library.”

“Oh yeah? I’m near the museum.”

He nodded.

“What about you?” she asked.

He shook the snow from his jacket’s sleeves. “Sunset Park.”

“That’s not too far away.” They stood at the top of the concrete steps that led underground.

“No.” He smiled. “But a bit of a walk on foot.”

“Well, anyway!” She checked her phone. “I’d better go.”

“Sure.” Snow pounded them harder, coating her long eyelashes, and she brushed them off with her mittens. Man, she was a beautiful woman. He was so tempted to ask her. What? If she’d like to see him again? Sometime after Christmas? But they worked together so, no. She might not like that. Feel like they were crossing a line, although neither of them worked directly with or for the other. So that part was okay. But then, he lost his nerve. “Take care, Annie.”

She grinned sweetly. “Hope you have a merry Christmas.”

“Yeah, Annie. You too.”

She scooted down the stairs, getting swallowed up by throngs of fellow commuters, and his soul gave a funny lurch. Which makes zero sense. He’d scarcely gotten to know her.

He heard sleigh bells and squinted up at the sky. Braden shielded his eyes with his hand. Jingle. Jangle. Jingle. Wait. That was closer. He scanned the area, spying the bell ringer dressed as Santa on the corner, collecting donations for charity. He blew out a breath. Of course.

What had he been thinking? Not about real Christmas magic and Santa.

About Annie though? Yeah, maybe somewhat.

Liar.

Fine. Maybe a lot.