Unexpected Gifts

Jeanette forced back her tears. "I'd like that."

x-x-x-x

Dec 23

"Listen, you're sure you don't mind?" Gloria asked as she gathered some last-minute necessities. "I'm sorry to go like this, but my mom's alone and really needs the help." Gloria's brother had called half an hour ago to let her know that their mother had slipped down the steps the day before and injured—but, thankfully, not broken—her leg. A neighbor was with her now, and her brother was working on getting there, but Gloria was the closest and so she was packing in a hurry. Joel had been able to turn the business over to his second-in-command, Sandra, since the schedule was so light.

"Of course not," Jeanette assured her. She reached over and handed Gloria the toiletries bag that sat in plain view on the counter, but which Gloria had looked right over in her haste. "I just...are you sure you don't mind me being here? I could try to find a hotel."

"Don't be silly." Gloria took the bag with a grateful nod and began filling it. "Where are you going to find a room today? Your flight isn't until tomorrow, right?"

"Right." Jeanette had managed to secure a flight out on Christmas Eve. She'd cringed at adding the charges to her card but there was no other option. She'd decided to go home instead of to Isabella's; once she'd had a chance to absorb everything that had happened, she could only go home. She'd be missing Don, she knew it, and didn't want to cast a pall over Christmas.

"Are you okay?" Gloria stopped in her packing to look at Jeanette. "You seem upset about something. I don't mean to pry, but you can tell me." She came over and squeezed Jeanette's hand. "Really, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm just..." She sighed. "You'll think I'm crazy. I think I might be a little crazy."

"Go ahead, tell me," Gloria said. "I'm so frazzled I'll forget anyway."

"Okay." Jeanette took a deep breath. "I think I'm in love with Don." She tried to see if she felt any different after saying it out loud. No. She was as confused as she had been since she'd realized it when she went to bed the night before.

"Oh." Gloria was startled, then smiled. "Well, I can understand that. He's wonderful, he really is." She winked. "I tell Joel he's lucky I met him first."

Jeanette tried to smile back. "I guess I am, too, then."

Moving back to her suitcase, Gloria asked, "So, what's the problem, then?"

Jeanette sighed and flopped on the bed. It wasn't just Don, she realized. She'd come to care about them all. She felt like a teenager exchanging secrets with her best friend. "What's not the problem? I don't know where he lives, and I live on the East Coast. I don't know anything about him except he's in the 'delivery' business, whatever the hell that is. He doesn't know anything about me."

"Sounds romantic." Gloria fluttered her eyelashes and dramatically put one hand to her heart, the other to her forehead. "The lovely lady, stranded days before Christmas in a strange town. The handsome stranger who comes to her aid and steals her heart." Jeanette was helpless with laughter by the time she finished.

"It's my life, not a Hallmark movie," she managed through her giggles. She settled down and sighed. "It's true, though; you nailed it. What am I going to do?"

Gloria sighed herself and sat down next to her. "I don't know. I'm not really much of a romantic. I think you should tell him, because what if you don't?" She popped up again to check her suitcase. "What are you going to do today?"

"Don said he's taking me to a hockey game." Jeanette shook her head. "It ought to be fun, really. I haven't been to a game in a while. Then I don't know. Hockey hardly seems like the proper lead-in to a profession of love."

Gloria made a face. "'Profession of love?' Good God, Jeanette, who says that anymore?" She went over and patted Jeanette's shoulder. "Just tell him. No professing anything. And, hey, it's Christmas after all."

Jeanette rolled her eyes. "So now I have to trust in the magic of the season?"

"No, just in Don." Gloria zipped the suitcase. "He's a bit more in touch with the season than most people."

x-x-x-x

Dec 23

"So, you'll be here on time, right?" Halley said over the phone. Don had snuck down to the family room to call her. He had to tell someone.

"I will, I will," he promised. "I just...oh, man, Halley, Val was right."

She gave a short laugh. "Val? About what?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Val said you meet someone when you least expect it. He was right." Halley was silent for a moment.

"Tell me."

He did. He told her everything about meeting Jeanette, helping her, and the rest. "Halley, I can't help it, but—I'm I love with her."

"Well, of course you are." Halley rolled her eyes. Men.

"But what do I do?" He got up and started pacing. "Where do I find her after I go back? How could this possibly work?"

"One thing at a time," Halley said. "First, how does she feel?"

"I don't know." He took a deep breath. "I'm going to tell her tonight. I can't not tell her. But then she's leaving tomorrow, too. She'll be gone."

"Are you dumb?" Halley asked. "You found her purse, right? Did you look at her license, find an address?"

"I did. Well, I got her name from a credit card that was loose inside. I felt funny going through her purse."

"Don," she said, "come on, snap out of it. Remember who you work for."

Don was silent and Halley rolled her eyes once more. Even over the phone she could hear the wheels spinning, pieces falling into place.

"But," he said, "we're not really supposed to do that, are we? I mean, that's personal."

"Not addresses," Halley said. "Those are public record. Give me her name and I'll see what I can find out."

"Hey, you're right. Her name is Jeanette MacDonald." She could hear the immediate change in his mood, from anxiety to happiness. "Halley, you're a genius."

"I know. Now, get on with things and get back here. If Val comes on to me one more time, I may have to break his leg, and that won't be good for any of us." Don laughed, said good-bye and disconnected.

Halley was chuckling to herself as she put her phone away, then stopped with a gasp when she felt hands on her arms. She looked up, narrowed her eyes. "Valentine, damn it. Don't do that." When he didn't respond, she tried again. "Val?" She thought perhaps she'd irritated him by using his full name.

"Do you really dislike me that much?" His dark eyes were more serious than she'd ever seen them.

"What?" She was startled. How much had he heard? "No, of course not. I just...look, you want to be the playboy, that's fine. I just don't want to be part of that, okay? Friends is fine, but..." She trailed off. Why was he making her nervous? Val never made her nervous. Annoyed, maybe, but not nervous. Then again, he'd never looked at her like that before, either.

Val stared at her a moment and she braced, irrationally, for a kiss. Then he dropped his hands and she let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

"Come to the loft later, Halley. I want to show you something."

"The loft? Like the loft in the barn?" It was Val's turn to roll his eyes.

"No, like the one in the kitchen. Of course in the barn, Halley. Seven o'clock, okay?" He strode off, leaving a very confused Halley behind him.

x-x-x-x

Dec 23

Despite Jeanette's wishes, the day seemed to pass by in a whirlwind. They went out for some last-minute shopping when she insisted she needed to pick gifts up for Gloria and Joel. Don helped her shop and even wrap when they got back to the house. Sometimes she thought she caught him looking at her with his deep green eyes, but he'd look away when she turned and so she wasn't quite sure.

There was no good time to tell him. Later, later, she kept reassuring herself. Later turned into after lunch, then after shopping, then after dinner, then after the hockey game—which was a lot of fun, she had to admit.

Now, she told herself. You have to tell him now.

They were back at the house and where Jeanette had come to feel at home in a ridiculously short time. Don went over to the fire and asked her to pour some wine into the glasses he'd placed on a table earlier. There was no light aside from the fire and the Christmas tree. Jeanette thought it was the most romantic Christmas setting she'd ever seen.

She poured the wine, all the while marveling at the contented feeling of doing something so domestic. He really is a handsome stranger, she thought as she stole covert glances at him while pouring the wine. I just wish he was my handsome stranger. When he looked up and the fire danced in his eyes, her heart pounded.

"Come here," he said. He moved to the couch and patted the seat beside him. She nodded and picked up the glasses, handing both to him so she could sit without worry about spilling. When she took hers back, they tapped the glasses together in a silent toast and sipped. Don took the glasses and set them on an end table, then wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against him.

"I'm sorry I have to go tomorrow," he said, unable to resist kissing her neck. "I'd give anything to stay with you a while longer."

"I'm sorry, too." Jeanette closed her eyes and drifted as his lips left heated trails on her skin. "I understand, though. I just..." She took a deep breath. "Do you think I can see you again? After Christmas?"

"I'd like that." He tightened his arms around her and felt a little of the weight on his shoulders lift. She wants to see me, he thought. It wouldn't be quite that easy, but he didn't care; the rest was details.

"I've been wanting to tell you something," she said. Even though she was facing away from him, she closed her eyes.

"What's that? Then I have something to tell you, too." He nuzzled her neck.

"I love you." He stopped but didn't move, wondering if he'd heard those words or if his mind was playing tricks on him. All day long he'd thought about how to say them to her. Hearing her say them had been a dream, a wish. He wanted her to say the words again.

When he didn't react, Jeanette got nervous. Was he shocked? she wondered. Upset? Trying to figure out how to say thanks, but I don't feel that way? The longer he was silent, the more she wished he'd say something, anything, instead of leaving her in limbo. "Don?"

"I love you, Jeanette." He shifted on the couch, making both of them laugh as they got tangled up and he finally gave up and moved to the floor, pulling her with him. "I love you," he repeated as they lay on the rug in front of the fire.

The heat from the flames was nothing compared to the heat of his body pressed against hers, Jeanette thought. She didn't have much time to ponder it, though, as Don lowered his lips to hers. Her hands combed through his soft, dark hair and she sighed appreciatively as he rubbed her back.

"You know," he said between kisses, "the other night I wanted to go to bed with you."

"I wanted that, too." She moved her lips to his neck, pleased when he tightened his grip around her. "I didn't care if we were actually in a bed, though." She undid the first two buttons on his shirt and rested her cheek against his chest. His heart was pounding.

"I don't care about that anymore, either." Don rolled them over so that she was on her back and he could cover her body with his. "But I'll move if you want to."

"No." She reached to undo the rest of the buttons. "I like it here, in front of the fire." She paused and raised a hand to his face; he leaned into her palm. She smiled. "I'm glad you found me at the train station."

"Me, too." He didn't want to talk much more, but he could wait another minute or two. "Say it again, please."

"I love you."

"I needed to hear that." He trapped her in a long, luxurious kiss. "You look gorgeous, you know," he said, giving in to his own needs and sliding his hands under her sweater. Her skin was warm and soft and he wanted to see and feel it all. "Feel nice, too."

Jeanette couldn't reply, too caught up in the feel of his hands on her. This was the best Christmas present she could ask for, she thought. She was in love, the love was returned and anything else could be dealt with after Christmas.

Don undressed her slowly, wanting to enjoy her for as long as he could before he had to leave. He'd never been in love before, never wanted someone so much that he was willing to rearrange everything else in his life for them. Thoughts of the future were pushed out when Jeanette slid the rest of his clothes off and pulled him back down to her. She wanted only the present, where they were surrounded by soft lights and the comforting sound of a crackling fire.

"You're the best present I ever got," he told her. Removing her clothes had been the unwrapping and it was time to thoroughly explore his present. His mouth followed his hands as he taught himself all about her body: the sensitive line of her neck, the soft curves of her breasts, the intoxicating smell of her skin. His fingers stroked and played, and he smiled at her gasps. He hissed in pleasure when she arched against him and the heat of her desire met the hardness of his. Trying to make it last a little longer, he let his hand drift further down and they both groaned when he touched her.

He looked down at her, saw the Christmas lights reflected, sparkling, in her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and she bit her lip. "I've been wanting to do this," he murmured, and with his other hand cupping her face, coaxed the lovely red lipr into his mouth, sucking and nibbling gently.

Jeanette rocked her hips against him instinctively, enjoying all of the kisses and caresses but wanting more. She got her wish and sighed happily as he slid inside her. Don stilled and squeezed her hip in a silent request that she do the same. Reluctantly, she did. She forced herself to relax, to savor all the feelings, and then he pulsed and she couldn't be still.

Don braced himself on his elbows and responded to her movements, thrusting as slowly as he could and driving himself crazy. Jeanette whispered to him, he wasn't sure what, but it burned through him and he moved faster. So did she.

He kissed her hard, then nipped at her lips, her chin, her jaw, trying to distract himself. She clutched at his shoulders, whispering his name. He remembered one place he hadn't tasted, and withdrew so quickly that her eyes widened in surprise. Before she could breathe out a question, he'd lowered his head between her legs and slipped his tongue out, flicking over her slick skin and tracing her sensitive center. She jumped against him, but he put his hands firmly on her hips and continued his new explorations.

He kept it up just long enough to feel her shake with her orgasm, and then he moved back up her body and was inside again. He hadn't known he was cold, but her warmth shocked him as he settled himself over and in her again. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, telling him once more than she loved him as her body tensed around him. He thought he'd never had such a wonderful present, and then couldn't think at all as he gave himself, physically and mentally, to her.

x-x-x-x

Dec 24

"Hey, Don, you made it."

"Hi, Blix." Don looked at his friend, blinked and tried to clear his head. It seemed like he'd been away from Jeanette for weeks, but it had been less than twelve hours.

They'd made love again and again in front of the fireplace. His favorite, he thought, was when she'd been looking down at him and he could watch the patterns from the firelight dance over her skin. Neither had wanted to go to sleep, because for all the times they'd promised their love, both of them harbored doubts about what would happen after they parted.

Don was afraid she'd have regrets, that even a little time apart would make her realize she'd made a mistake. He had none, none at all. No regrets, just a burning need to get back to Jeanette.

"Everything okay?" Don brought himself back, saw Blix with his untamable black hair staring at him with concern.

"I'm fine," he assured Blix. "Just...thinking about things."

"Female things?" Halley came up and squeezed his arm. Blix went back to his seat at the table, far more at home with computers than anything female.

He nodded with a wry smile. "Something like that."

"Did you tell her?"

"I did."

Halley smiled and gave him a one-armed hug. "It'll be fine, you'll see. Here." She slipped a piece of paper into his hand. "You'll need that later."

"Where's everybody else?" When Don had arrived, he'd dropped everything in his room and run to the pre-launch meeting. Blix had been waiting, idly playing a video game, and Vicki—who had a cute, foxy face with bright eyes—had been reviewing the schedule with Rudy, who looked much better than when Don had left. Halley had come in and something was different about her, although Don couldn't quite put his finger on it. Val was late, but then that was nothing new.

"Let's see, Dash is probably bemoaning the cold weather, you know how he is." Halley held up one finger as she began to list the absentees.

"Oh, yeah. He went to Fiji or something, right?" Don smiled. Dash loved his work and did it well, but he wasn't crazy over the local weather and the second he had the chance, he was off to some tropical island.

"Right. Martha and Toni are probably off working up a new dance routine to wow the clubs." Don nodded. "They won a contest," Halley told him. "We'll have to make sure they don't change careers."

"Val going to show up?" Val's one drawback, besides his constant flirting, was habitual tardiness. Much to his surprise, instead of joining in a little ribbing, Halley defended Val.

"He'll be here," she said. "He's a little late but he won't hold us up. You know that." They looked up and waved as Dash, Martha and Toni walked in and took their seats.

"Right. Sorry." Don eyed her critically, glad to have something to occupy his mind. Had something happened between the Halley and Val? She'd sworn up and down that she'd wouldn't be one of his conquests, but she was gorgeous and Val was charming...it wasn't impossible.

Val came in just ahead of the boss, nodded to everyone and took a seat next to Halley. The smile she gave him erased any doubt in Don's mind about what was going on. He decided he'd have to have a word with Val, but since Halley looked happy, it would be a careful, discreet word.

The boss came in and the room fell silent except for one last beep from whatever computer device Blix had in his hand. Guiltily, he stowed it away.

"Glad to see everyone here," said the boss. He was a relaxed, jovial kind of guy, but he got the job done. His dedication to his work and his respect for the entire staff meant everyone wanted to help get the work done. Don thought no one could be a better employer.

"I hope you enjoyed your time off," he continued, "because we have probably the tightest schedule we've had in years. However, I know that you all are a good, tight team and I'm not worried." He beamed a smile at them all, and they immediately felt better, more confident. "Rudy, you're up."

Rudy stood and all eyes fell to him, making him squirm a little. He was an excellent organizer, but not much of a public speaker.

"Okay, we'll do a quick weigh-in and figure out our best configuration. Anyone needs a bathroom, now's the time." Small chuckles went around the room. "Let's go people, time's a-wasting." Rudy hurried out the door. "Remember to keep your shoes on when you step on the scale!" He called behind him.

"Darn," said Halley. "He figured out my trick."

"You don't need any tricks," Val assured her as they walked out. "You look perfect." She looked up and blushed happily. Don shook his head.

The weigh-in was done in record time, and places assigned. Rudy would lead, and the first pair behind him would be Dash and Martha, with their light, lithe builds. Toni and Vicki were next. Halley and Val went in front of Don, who was paired with Blix, as he had been last year.