Christmas Trio B. Debbie Macomber

she whispered.

      Jake patted her hand reassuringly. “My father and I usually show up toward the end of the party, say a few words and then leave. No one expected me this early.”

      He’d mentioned that before. Still, she hadn’t realized his arrival would cause such a stir. Jake immediately began to walk through the room, shaking hands and introducing Holly. At first she tried to keep track of the names, but soon gave up. She was deeply impressed by Jake’s familiarity with the staff.

      “How do you remember all their names?” she asked when she had a chance.

      “I’ve worked with them in each department,” he explained. “My father felt I needed to know the retail business from the mail room up.”

      “You started in the mail room?”

      “I did, but don’t for a minute consider the mail room unimportant. I made that mistake and quickly learned how vital it is.”

      “Your father is a wise man.”

      “He is,” Jake said. “And a generous one, too. But he’d describe himself as fair. He’s always recognized the value of hiring good people and keeping them happy. I believe it’s why we’ve managed to hold on to the company despite several attempts to buy us out.”

      It went without saying that Jake intended to follow his father’s tradition of treating employees with respect and compensating them generously.

      Ninety minutes later Holly’s head buzzed with names and faces. They sipped champagne and got supper from the buffet; the food was delicious. Numerous people commented happily on seeing Jake at the party.

      His father appeared at about midnight and immediately sought out his son and Holly.

      “So this is the young lady you’ve talked about,” J. R. Finley said, slapping Jake jovially on the back.

      “Dad, meet Holly Larson.”

      J.R. shook her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, young lady. You’ve made a big impression on my son.”

      Holly glanced at Jake and smiled. “He’s made a big impression on me.”

      J. R. Finley turned to his son. “When did you get here?”

      “Before ten,” Jake said.

      His father frowned, then moved toward the microphone. As was apparently his practice, he gave a short talk, handed out dozens of awards and bonuses and promptly left.

      The party wound down after J.R.’s speech. People started to leave, but almost every employee, singly and in groups, approached Jake to thank him for attending the party. Holly couldn’t tell how their gratitude affected Jake, but it had a strong impact on her.

      “They love you,” she said when they went to collect their coats.

      “They’re family,” Jake said simply.

      She noticed that he didn’t say Finley’s employees were like family but that they were family. The difference was subtle but significant. J.R. had lost his wife and daughter and had turned to his friends and employees to fill the huge hole left by the loss of his loved ones. Jake had, too.

      As they stepped outside, Holly was thrilled by the falling snow. “Jake, look!” She held out her hand to catch the soft flakes that floated down from the night sky. “It’s just so beautiful!”

      Jake wrapped his scarf more securely around his neck. “I can’t believe you’re so excited about a little snow.”

      “I love it…. It’s so Christmassy.”

      He grinned and clasped her hand. “Do you want to go for a short walk?”

      “I’d love to.” It was cold, but even without boots or gloves or a hat, Holly felt warm, and more than that, happy.

      “Where would you like to go?” Jake asked.

      “Wherever you’d like to take me.” Late though it was, she didn’t want the night to end. Lindy Lee had never thrown a Christmas party for her staff. Maybe she’d talk to Lindy about planning one for next December; she could discuss the benefits—employee satisfaction and loyalty, which would lead to higher productivity. Those were the terms Lindy would respond to. Not appreciation or enjoyment or fun. Having worked with Lindy as long as she had, Holly suspected her employer wasn’t a happy person. And she wasn’t someone who cared about the pleasure of others.

      “I thought this would be a miserable Christmas,” Holly confessed, leaning close to Jake as they moved down the busy sidewalk. They weren’t the only couple reveling in the falling snow.

      “Why?” Jake asked. “Because of your brother?”

      “Well, yes. It’s also the first Christmas without my parents, and then Mickey got called up for Afghanistan so there’s just Gabe and me.”

      “What changed?”

      “A number of things, actually,” she said. “Meeting you, of course.”

      “Thank you.” He bent down and touched his lips to hers in the briefest of kisses.

      “My attitude,” she said. “I was worried that Gabe would resent living with me. For months we didn’t really bond.”

      “You have now, though, haven’t you?”

      “Oh, yes. I didn’t realize how much I loved him until he went missing the other day. I … I don’t normally panic, but I did then.”

      Holly was still surprised by how accommodating her employer had been during and after that crisis. First Lindy Lee had allowed Gabe to come to the office and then she’d actually chatted with him. Holly didn’t know what the two of them had talked about, but her employer had seemed almost pleasant afterward.

      “Remember the other night when you and Gabe decorated your Christmas tree?” Jake asked.

      “Of course.”

      “Gabe asked me about mine.”

      “Right.” It’d been an awkward moment. Gabe had been full of questions. He couldn’t understand why some people chose not to make Christmas part of their lives. No tree. No presents. No family dinner. The closest Jake and his father got to celebrating the holidays was their yearly sojourn to the Virgin Islands.

      Holly knew this was his father’s way of ignoring the holiday. Jake and J.R. left on Christmas Eve and didn’t return until after New Year’s.

      She was sure they’d depart sooner if they could. The only reason they stayed in New York as long as they did was because of the business. The holiday season made their year financially. Without the last-quarter sales, many retailers would struggle to survive. Finley’s Department Store was no different.

      “You told Gabe you didn’t put up a tree,” Holly reminded him.

      “I might’ve misled him.”

      “You have a tree?” After everything he’d said, that shocked her.

      “You’ll see.” His stride was purposeful as they continued walking. She soon figured out where they were headed.

      “I can’t wait,” she said with a laugh.

      When they reached Rockefeller Center, they stood gazing up at the huge Christmas tree, bright with thousands of lights and gleaming decorations. Jake gestured toward it. “That’s my Christmas tree,” he said.

      “Gabe’s going to be jealous that I got to see it again—with you.”

      Music swirled all around them as Jake slipped his arm about her waist. “When I was young, I found it hard to give up the kind of Christmas I’d known when my mother and sister were alive. Dad refused to have anything to do with the holidays but I still wanted the tree and the gifts.”

      Holly hadn’t fully grasped