Christmas Kismet

Christmas
Kismet

By: Jemma Grey

..oo      Chapter
One     oo..

Kate
Murray’s happily ever after began with the worst day of her life.

It was a crisp
October morning as she walked briskly down the Seattle sidewalk that led from
her downtown apartment to the
Cupcakerie
.  Kate’s cheeks were flushed
pink and her breath emerged in small puffs of white.  She was running late and
fitted her key into the front door of the business that she owned with her twin
sister Emma in a hurry.

Kate un-wrapped
the grey and white chevron scarf from around her neck and hung it on the peg
inside the door, exchanging it for her pink apron.  The smell of cakes baking
in the oven wafted through the air of the small shop, mingling with the aroma
of freshly brewed coffee.

Kate said a mental
thank-you for the fact that Emma was a morning person.  Emma came in before the
crack of dawn each morning, working the early shift so that Kate could come in
at a more reasonable hour.  Kate filled up her favorite mug with some of Emma’s
stout coffee and took a hearty sip in an effort to wake up.

She pushed through
the saloon style doors that led to the kitchen and her world promptly fell
apart.

There on the
counter, amidst a stack of freshly washed dishes sat her sister Emma, lost in a
passionate kiss with a man that she most certainly should not be kissing.

The coffee mug
slipped from Kate’s grasp and clattered to the cement floor. It shattered into
a hundred pieces and alerted the kissing couple to Kate’s untimely presence.

The man kissing
Emma was Kate’s fiancé Shane.

Kate was stunned. 
Her mouth hung open in blatant shock and she made a visible effort to close it.

Reaching for the
first ammunition that she could find, Kate grabbed the ceramic baby Jesus from
the manger scene in the pass through window.  She hurled baby Jesus through the
air and zinged Shane right in the back of the head.

“Christ!” Shane
exclaimed as he broke away from Emma and looked towards his assailant.

“Ohmigod!” Emma
shouted as she pushed Shane away.

Baby Jesus
clattered to the floor and in some sort of divine miracle, he did not break

Kate sent a quick
prayer of apology heavenward.

Thank God that the
baby Jesus was alright.

Emma stared
blankly at her sister and brought her hand up to her mouth.  She made an effort
to wipe Shane’s kiss from her lips, but was unable to find words.  Shane
glanced at Emma and then back towards Kate.

“Kate!” Shane
stammered as he rubbed at the back of his head, which was still stinging from
baby Jesus’ assault.

“Don’t,” Kate said
hollowly as she took a step backwards towards the door.  Rage boiled within
her.  Never in her life had she felt more betrayed.  “How could you?” she
asked, pain evident in her tone as she looked past Shane towards her sister.

Emma slid down
from the counter and readjusted her pink apron.  Her eyes were now downcast
towards the floor, which was stained from the spilt coffee and covered with
shards of the broken mug.

“I’m sorry, Kate,”
Emma whispered as she forced her eyes to meet her sister’s.  “Sometimes you
can’t choose when love finds you!” she added defensively as she latched on to
Shane’s arm.

Kate stormed
briskly out of the kitchen.  The double doors squeaked on their hinges.  She
fought the urge to run out of the shop as tears stung at the back of her eyes. 
It took the last shred of her tattered pride not to let those tears fall until
she was out of the
Cupcakerie
.

They came now in
torrents as she walked down the sidewalk.  She wiped at her tears harshly,
knowing that to the people she passed on the sidewalk she must look like a
madwoman.  Kate untied her pink apron and used it to wipe the last of her tears
from her face. 

Kate was hollow
inside.

She would have
married Shane in less than a month.

And Emma was
supposed to be her maid of honor.

Kate sniffled
loudly and wiped away the last of her tears.

Emma and Shane
deserved each other.

But even that
knowledge didn’t lessen the pain of Kate’s broken heart.

..ooOoo..

Christmas was a
busy time of year at the
Cupcakerie
.  Since the Murray girls had opened
the shop two years ago, customers had repeatedly requested for the shop to stay
open on Christmas Eve, but the answer had always been the same.

No.  Christmas Eve
should be spent with family.

It was the day
before Christmas Eve and Kate was seriously considering keeping the bakery open
for the holiday this year.  As Christmas Eve approached, the gigantic knot that
had settled in the pit of Kate’s stomach cinched tighter. 

She didn’t want to
spend the holidays with her family this year.  In fact, she couldn’t bear the
idea!  Emma and Shane were the last people on Earth that she wanted to see
right now.

Keeping the
Cupcakerie
open would be an excuse to stay home for the holidays and avoid the
uncomfortable mess of making nice with Emma and Shane in front of their entire
extended family.

Kate’s bags were
packed and her parents were expecting her to arrive at their house in Portland by seven o’clock this evening.  The house would be bustling with friends and
extended family as the Murrays were known near and far for the fuss that they
made over Christmas.  Kate’s mother had spent the entire month of December
decorating for the annual Christmas Eve party.

Emma and Shane
would have already arrived at the Murray family home.  Emma and Kate always
arrived the night before the party to help their mother with the final
preparations for the huge Christmas Eve party.  The family was holding dinner
for Kate, knowing that she would leave Seattle after the bakery closed for the
holidays.

Kate couldn’t go
through with it. 

The wounds of her betrayal
were too fresh.  There was simply no way that she could sit across the table
from Emma and Shane and not kill them both.  The questions and hushed
conversations about the downfall of Kate and Shane and the new, scandalous
uprising of Emma and Shane would be insufferable.

The bustling of
last minute bakery sales took Kate’s mind temporarily off her dilemma.  She
sold sugar cookies, Santa cakes and baklava with a pleasant smile, camouflaging
the hurt that she felt on the inside.  It would be worth keeping the bakery
open tomorrow for Christmas Eve, as today was looking to be the most profitable
day of the entire year.  A steady stream of customers bustled in and out of the
small shop, each exchanging Christmas greetings that Kate simply had no heart
for this year.

Kate was beginning
to reconcile that this might be the first Christmas that she spent alone.  She
had certainly gone through the motions.  The
Cupcakerie
was decorated
with twinkling white lights and boughs of blue spruce.  Red velvet stockings
hung behind the cash register, embroidered with “Kate” and “Emma.”

It was Bing Crosby
crooning “I’ll be home for Christmas,” that finally pushed Kate over the edge. 
Her anxiety piqued and she stalked over to the stereo, pushing the off button
abruptly.  She reached down and unplugged the twinkling Christmas lights.

Not this year.

She reversed the
Open
sign in the window so that it now stated
Closed.

Kate untied her
pink apron and whisked it off over her head.  She hung it on the peg by the
front door as she dimmed the lights.  She picked up her cell phone and texted
her mom.

Change of
plans.

 Not ready to
see Emma and Shane.

 Don’t worry. 
Love you.

 XOXO

As soon as the
text was sent, Kate promptly turned her phone off, knowing that her mom would
call as soon as she received the text.

She locked the
front door of the
Cupcakerie
and walked down the busy sidewalk towards
her apartment, feeling refreshingly free.  New fallen snow crunched under
Kate’s boots.  A chilly wind whistled by and stung at her cheeks, flushing them
a rosy pink.  Her eyes were drawn upwards past the tops of the tall buildings. 
The grey clouds that loomed overhead looked ready to burst with the promise of
the next round of heavy snowflakes.

It would be a white
Christmas in Seattle this year.

The scattered
sunlight was fading already and Kate focused her gaze on the tips of her
leather boots as she trudged through the snow.  The crisp winter air was
brittle as it filled her lungs and then reemerged as a cloud of white mist. 
The beauty of the freshly fallen snow blanketed the streets, bringing a sort of
hushed quiet to the usually bustling city. 

Kate had always
loved this time of year.  And she was about to spend it alone.

She walked up the
stairs to her apartment and fitted the key into the lock. Turning it, she
stepped into the quiet room.  Her apartment seemed suddenly lonely and perhaps
a bit sad. Her eyes scanned the blank, dreary walls of the small living room.

 Kate admitted to
herself that her apartment was downright depressing.

She hadn’t had the
motivation to decorate this year.  Not one single Christmas ornament had been
removed from the boxes that were carefully tucked away in her attic.  She
hadn’t even opened the stack of Christmas cards from friends and loved ones
that had arrived like clockwork in her mailbox.  Seeing their happy, smiling
faces was simply more than she could deal with this year.

Kate thought of
her family again.  She envisioned them preparing food for the big family dinner
and wrapping last minute gifts before placing them under the tree.  She quickly
quashed down the sudden yearning that overtook her and started making a plan.

Her heart
needed time to mend.  She needed time alone.

Kate pulled on a
long linen colored sweater, pairing it with snug black leggings.  Then she
ripped out her hair tie and loosely re-braided her long auburn hair, letting
the braid rest on her shoulder.  When she was finally comfortable, she sat
cross-legged in the middle of the floor and opened up her laptop.

The computer
screen glared brightly at her and she typed
Vacation Rental, Seattle
into the Google search bar.  Her eyes flitted over the results.

A sudden
unexpected rush of excitement flooded over her.

Cozy
Snoqualmie Pass
Hideaway.

Her pulse thrummed
as she clicked on the advertisement.

The perfect,
secluded get away from the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Remote location
with no telephone access.

Kate twisted the
end of her braid between her fingers.

Only one hour
away from Seattle at the summit of scenic Snoqualmie Pass.

She bit her lower
lip.  This was a bit reckless but it would provide a much needed change of
scenery.  She could be at this cozy cabin in less than two hours, depending on
the weather.

Gourmet
kitchen.

Kate began to
smile, imagining herself cooking up a storm in the cozy kitchen.

Deep cast iron
soaking tub.

“Lovely,” Kate
said out loud.

Crisp white
linens and a king sized four poster bed, perfect for lazy mornings.  Cozy real
wood fireplace.

A full smile had
spread to Kate’s face.  She clicked “make reservation,” typed in her credit
card information and printed out a map.  She hopped up excitedly and made a few
changes to the items that she had packed when she had planned to go to Portland.  After adding some warmer clothes to her suitcase, her hiking boots, and a
couple bottles of wine, she stopped for a moment to make sure she wasn’t forgetting
anything. 

Grabbing her
favorite cookbook off the shelf as an afterthought she lifted the cooler that
was packed with yummy holiday foods and headed out the door.

Perhaps this
holiday wouldn’t be so dismal after all, Kate thought to herself as she loaded
the trunk of her Jeep and hit the road.  She was still smiling as the drifts of
snow skittered across the roadway and her wipers sent big, fluffy snowflakes
trailing behind her car as she sped towards the mountain.

..oo     Chapter Two     oo..

Henri Archer loved
Christmas.  Truly, he did.

It was just that
this
year was so different.  The part that bothered him the most was the nagging
fact that this would be the first Christmas that he had ever spent alone.

Christmas had
always been a time filled with love, family and merriment.  Henri fondly
remembered holiday dinners gathered around his parent’s large oak table.  But
now that they were gone, Henri found himself in the predicament of having no
where to go for the holiday.

He had the sudden
fleeting image of himself getting Chinese take-out and eating it on the couch
while watching Miracle on 34
^th
Street.  Had his life actually come
to this?

Henri buried his
face in his hands.

This was
depressing.

He was a
successful man.  Henri had built his business empire from the ground up,
pouring his blood, sweat and tears into his architect firm.  He was young,
healthy and rich beyond his wildest dreams and yet he still yearned for
something more.  He was content with all aspects of his life except for one.

He wanted a
partner.  Someone that he could share his life with. 

Nicole’s death had
left a gaping hole in his heart.  He had loved his wife more than life itself. 
She had passed only six weeks after her diagnosis.  And Henri’s life had never
been the same since.

He missed the
little things, like cuddling on the couch and cooking quiet dinners at home. 
He missed having someone to share his dreams with.  Henri missed being able to
completely drop his guard, shedding his public persona and just being a husband
to Nicole.

God he missed her.

And the holidays
only made it harder.

This would be the
first Christmas that Henri spent completely alone.  There had been two
Christmases since Nicole’s death.  Their girls had been the only thing that had
helped him get through those Christmases.  Abby was six this year and Olive was
three.  They reminded Henri so much of their mother.  It was as if he could see
a glimmer of Nicole in each of their girls.

Spending Christmas
away from Abby and Olive this year would be nearly unbearable.  Nicole’s
parents had sued Henri for partial custody of the girls after her death.  The
lawyer had sided with Nicole’s parents, awarding them every other weekend with
the girls as well as every other Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What hurt the
worst was that Nicole’s parents actually blamed Henri for their daughter’s
death.

And the judge had
sided with them.

Henri had loved Nicole
more than his own life.  When her insurance had refused to pay for her
treatment, Henri had used money from his business to pay for the experimental
treatment of her cancer.  The doctors said that Nicole’s cancer was
untreatable, but Henri had refused to believe them.  The experimental treatment
had been risky.  Nicole was one of the first humans to try it, but together,
Henri and Nicole had decided to take advantage of the only chance that she
might have.  Nicole had been willing to try anything.  She was not ready to
die.

Henri had begged
his wife to do the treatment.

And he had been
wrong.

Nicole had died
only six weeks after her initial diagnosis, and for that fact, Henri would
never forgive himself.

And because of the
risky treatment that Henri had coerced Nicole into taking, her parents had been
awarded partial custody of their girls.

The judge had
called Henri “negligent.”  The word chewed at him, gnawing at the tattered
pieces of his broken heart.

If only the judge
would have understood that Henri would have gladly given his own life for
Nicole’s.  In fact, there were many times that Henri had
wished
that he
had been the one who had died.

Henri knew that he
could have his choice of a myriad of women.  He was a handsome man, and at
thirty-two he was holding up quite well.  The women who worked at Archer
Associates were always flirting with him.  Some were more shameless than others
in their desire to get the CEO into bed.  Shirts were unbuttoned, pens were
dropped.  He’d seen every manner of shameless flirting. 

But none of these
women had given him
that
special feeling.

None of them had
made his heart speed up as it had done when he had first seen Nicole.

What these women
didn’t realize was that he wanted more.  Henri wanted more than just a
one-night stand in his penthouse.  He wanted more than any of the hell-bent business
women intent on sleeping their way to the top of his corporation could ever
offer.

He was actively
searching for a soul mate.  Not another Nicole, for the hole that she had left
would always be there.  He wanted to fall in love again.  He wanted someone to
share his life with.  Was that too much to ask?

Henri took off his
jacket and tossed it on his desk.  The likelihood of accomplishing anything
today was next to hopeless.  His high-rise office was nearly vacant.  Everyone
had left to spend the holidays with their family.  Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. 
Henri looked out at the blanket of heavy clouds that loomed over downtown Seattle.  It looked like more snow was imminent.

He’d always loved
white Christmases.  When was the last time that Seattle had actually had snow
on Christmas?

Loosening his tie,
Henri leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk.

“Penny?” he asked,
pushing the intercom button on his desk phone.

“Yes, Mr. Archer?”
the receptionist answered, her voice sounding surprised.

“I thought you
might have gone home.”

“No, Sir,” she
said with an audible smile.  “I thought that you might need my help today.”

“What would I do
without you?” Henri asked with a smile.  He loved Penny.  The grandmotherly secretary
had followed him on his rise to success.  Many had urged him to get a more
modern, computer savvy secretary, but Henri had refused outright, promoting
Penny and ballooning her outrageous salary in an effort to get her to stay.

 To him, the
matronly angel was irreplaceable.

“Did you need
something, Mr. Archer?   Or were you just checking to see if I’d deserted you?”

Henri’s laugh rang
through the intercom, making Penny smile.  She was worried about him this year,
knowing that he would be spending the holidays all alone.  She had invited him
to her already overcrowded family Christmas, but Henri had politely refused,
just as she had known he would.

“Will you call
Andre and see if he rented out my cabin over Christmas?” Henri asked, ruing the
day that he had allowed Andre to talk him into using the vacation home as an
occasional holiday rental.  Andre hated to see anything that could be earning
money sit idle.  Having been Henri’s realtor and close friend for years, Andre
had promised to manage the property himself, only renting it on special
occasions to the most discerning guests. 

“Yes, Mr. Archer. 
I’ll buzz you as soon as I find out.”

“Thanks, Penny.”

Henri leaned back
and closed his eyes.  He really should be taking advantage of this gift of
quiet time in his usually chaotic life.  He just needed to escape reality for a
little while, and his cabin was the absolutely perfect place to do that.  Henri
had the sudden urge to get there quickly.  Being alone with nature, surrounded
by the snow covered boughs of the fir trees would do his soul some good.  The
time to be alone and sort things out in his head couldn’t hurt either.

“Mr. Henri?”
Penny’s voice crackled through the intercom.

“Yes?”

“Andre said your
cabin is ready and available.  The housekeeper just refreshed the linens so you
won’t need to bring anything extra.  I had him block out today through the
twenty-seventh.”

“Perfect,” Henri
said with a smile.  “Go home, Penny.”

“I’ll go when you
go, Mr. Henri.  You can walk me out to my car.  It might be icy.”

“Five minutes,”
Henri said as he rolled his eyes.  Penny was nothing but persistent.  He knew
that she just wanted to make sure that he was actually leaving for the
holidays.  She nagged him like a grandmother about working too hard. 

And he loved her
for it.

Henri shrugged
into his coat and turned off his computer.  He flipped off the lights in his
office and took one last glance out the window.  Snowflakes whistled by his
floor to ceiling windows, blanketing the city with a covering of fresh,
glittering snow.

Despite the
sadness that had rooted deep within him, Henri remembered that he had much to
be thankful for this Christmas.  Time alone might be a blessing in disguise. 

Henri had so many
things to sort out in his heart.