Christmas Trio B. Debbie Macomber

care enough to be offended.

      “I can do that,” he said.

      “Fine.”

      “Fine,” he echoed.

      “What time should I expect you?”

      “Seven-thirty, I guess.”

      “I’ll be here.”

      She was about to disconnect when Bill’s soft chuckle caught her off guard. “So Gabe’s your nephew, huh?”

      “I already told you that.”

      “You did. His last name’s Larson?”

      “Yes, Gabe Larson.” She didn’t see the humor in this. “I apologize for calling so late, but I thought it would be best if you and I talked when Gabe was in bed.”

      “Did you think I’d refuse to let the two boys be friends?”

      “I wasn’t sure. Our last conversation wasn’t very pleasant and, well, it seemed better to ask.”

      “I’m glad you did.”

      She was glad to hear that because he sure hadn’t acted like it.

      Holly met Jake for lunch on Thursday. He’d called her at the office that morning and suggested a nearby restaurant; thankfully he’d insisted on buying. She might’ve sounded a bit too eager to accept, because she was sick of making do with leftovers. By cutting back, packing lunches and not spending a penny more than necessary Holly had managed to save seventy-five dollars toward the robot. According to her calculations, she’d have the funds to make the purchase but it would be close. Every cent counted.

      Jake had arrived at the restaurant before her and secured a booth. “Hi,” he said with a smile when she slid in across from him.

      “Hi. This is nice. Thanks so much.” She reached for the menu and quickly scanned the day’s specials. She was so hungry, Jake would be fortunate if she could limit her selection to one entrée. As it was, she ordered a cup of wild-mushroom soup, half a turkey sandwich with salad and a slice of apple pie à la mode for dessert.

      Jake didn’t seem to mind.

      “That was delicious,” she said as she sat back half an hour later and pressed her hands over her stomach. “I probably ate twice as much as any other woman you’ve ever gone out with.”

      “It’s a relief to be with someone who isn’t constantly worried about her weight.”

      “I do watch my calories but I’ve been doing without breakfast, and lunches have been pretty skimpy and—”

      “No breakfast?”

      “That’s not entirely accurate. I have breakfast, sort of. Just not much.”

      “And the reason is?”

      Holly wished she’d kept her mouth shut. She pretended not to hear his question and glanced at her watch instead. “Oh, it’s almost one. I should get back to work.”

      “Holly.” Jake wasn’t easily distracted. “Answer the question.”

      Her shoulders sagged. “I really do need to go.”

      “You’re going without breakfast to save money for the robot, aren’t you?”

      “Sorry, I have to run.” She slid out of the booth and grabbed her coat and purse. “Oh, before I forget. Gabe wanted me to invite you to come and watch us decorate our Christmas tree tomorrow night, if you can. He’ll be at a friend’s place and won’t get home until seven-thirty.”

      He hesitated, and Holly knew why. “I won’t be able to leave the store until at least nine,” he said.

      “I let Gabe stay up until ten on Friday and Saturday nights.”

      He hesitated again. Holly hadn’t forgotten his reaction when Gabe had first mentioned decorating for Christmas. She knew that, like his father, he ignored the holiday—apart from being surrounded by all that bright and shiny yuletide evidence at the store. Perhaps it was selfish of her, but she wanted to show him the joy of Christmas, prove that not all his Christmas memories were bad. She was convinced there must be happy remembrances, too, and she hoped to revive those so he could let go of the past. Holly held her breath as she waited for his response.

      Jake stared into the distance for what seemed like a long time before he said, “Okay, I’ll come.”

      Her breath whooshed out in relief and she gave him her brightest, happiest smile. “Thank you, Jake.” She finished putting on her coat, hoping he understood how much she appreciated his decision.

      “Can we do this again?” he asked. “It’s been crazy in the toy department. Mrs. Miracle insisted I take my lunch break early—and she said I should invite you. I need to get back to work, but I wanted to see you.”

      “I wanted to see you, too.”

      They left the restaurant together and went their separate ways. Holly’s spirits were high. She’d cleared the air with Bill as much as possible, and Gabe had been excited to learn he’d be able to go to his friend’s house on Friday.

      When she returned to work, she found her boss on the phone, talking in her usual emphatic manner. Despite the fact that Holly wouldn’t be receiving a Christmas bonus, she’d tried not to let that influence her job performance.

      As soon as Lindy Lee saw her, she waved one arm to get her attention.

      Holly stepped into her employer’s office. “You’re back late from lunch,” Lindy said as she slammed down the phone.

      “I have an hour lunch,” Holly reminded her. She rarely took that long and often ate at her desk. Taking the full time allotted her was the exception rather than the rule.

      “It’s one-fifteen,” Lindy Lee said pointedly, tapping her index finger against her wristwatch.

      “And I left the office at twelve-thirty. Technically I still have fifteen minutes.” Holly could see that she might have said more than necessary and decided it would be best to stop while she was ahead. “Is there something you need me to do?” she asked.

      Frowning, Lindy handed her a thick file folder. “I need you to get these sketches over to Design.”

      “Right away.” She took the folder and hurried out of the office, catching the elevator to the sixth floor. As she entered the design department she caught sight of one of the models regularly hired by the company. Tiffani White was tall, slim and elegant and she possessed about as perfect a body as one could hope to have. She was a favorite of Lindy Lee’s and no wonder. The model showed Lindy’s creations to their peak potential.

      Tiffani saw Holly and blinked, as if she had trouble placing her, which was odd. They’d spent a fair amount of time together, since Holly had been backstage at several runway events with her.

      “Lindy Lee asked me to deliver these sketches,” she said to the head of the technical department. She turned to Tiffani.

      “Hi, Tiff,” she said casually.

      “Hi.” The model smiled—a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

      Holly smiled back, but there was something strange going on. Tiffani had always been friendly. They’d even had coffee together now and then. Once, nearly a year ago when she’d been dating Bill, they’d run into Tiffani and—

      Just a minute!

      Thoughts and memories collided inside Holly’s head. The conversation with Bill the night before played back in her mind. He’d made an unusual comment when they’d first spoken, mentioning the name Tiffany—or rather, Tiffani, with an i. The pieces were falling into place….

      “Tiffani,” Holly said. “I talked to Bill the other night.”

      “You did?”

      “Yes,