Her Christmas Hero (Home To Dover 6) (5 page)

She raised her chin and planted a hand on her hip. “Actually, it doesn’t work. Business has fallen sharply over the past three years. When Southways closed it got worse. The Chamber has hired me to turn things around by making Christmas in Dover more appealing to people who will spend money in the stores and restaurants.”

Linc crossed his arms and looked down his nose. “Surely you can come up with a compromise that will preserve our traditions and still attract tourists.”

“Like a parade?”

“Yes. My mother was in charge of that for years and everyone loved it.”

“Are you aware that there are six holiday parades around the area? Several in Jackson and the suburbs that are much larger and draw the bulk of the crowds. You have to give people more reason to come to Dover than just a puny parade.”

“What if we don’t want more people in Dover?”

“You’re a businessman—is that what you really want?”

“What I want is to keep our cherished traditions intact.”

“Traditions are habits with no meaning. Most people don’t even know why or how they got started.”

“You’re wrong. They are important rituals that remind us of our past, of our roots and our history.”

Gemma crossed her arms over her chest. “Really? Then, why does the courthouse put up a red star on the dome every year?” She almost laughed at the stunned look on Linc’s face. He clearly had no answer for her. “It was donated to the city in 1972 to honor longtime mayor Louis Carswell. Is that part of the history you cherish?”

She scooped up her satchel and headed for the door, eager to make her escape while Linc was still stunned. He quickly caught up with her.

“You’re deliberately twisting things.”

She stopped and faced him. “No. I’m pointing out the flaw in your reasoning. Tradition is useless sentiment. Comfort food for the brain. I’m here to create events that will bring joy and happiness to people, to let them have fun and experience Christmas to the fullest.”

“Are you talking about the commercial Christmas or the real one?

“Both.”

“Not possible.”

“Of course it is. If your heart is in the right place. Good night, Linc.”

Gemma walked to her car with a smile on her face. She was actually coming to enjoy these little skirmishes with Linc. It might be fun toppling some of that arrogance. What he didn’t realize was that every time he challenged her it only made her more determined to make the Dover Christmas celebrations the biggest and flashiest she possibly could.

Take that, Mr. Linc.

Chapter Four

S
aturday morning was chilly and overcast with a brisk breeze that demanded a warm jacket and a scarf to protect against the cold. Gemma hardly noticed. Her attention was focused on the happy boy on the field. Never had she felt so proud and so grateful. Watching Evan play flag football had lightened her mood and confirmed her decision to take the Chamber job. He was having the time of his life. He’d taken the field hesitantly at first, but quickly found his footing and had played the game with enthusiasm. It had helped that his new school friend and neighbor, Cody, was on the team.

And she had Linc to thank. She watched as he paced up and down the sidelines cheering on the boys, calling out directions and letting loose with a whoop and a fist in the air when they scored. He’d surprised her. She’d expected him to be demanding and harsh if the boys failed to perform well. When he strolled past her this time, he smiled and gestured toward the field.

“Evan is a natural. Was his dad an athlete?”

Gemma’s good mood plummeted the way it always did when the subject of Evan’s father came up. She stared straight ahead, focusing on the red number two on her son’s back. “I have no idea.” She sensed his surprise, but after a moment he moved on down the sideline calling out to one of the boys.

The game ended in a tie, but none of the players seemed to care. Evan raced toward her with a huge smile on his face, revealing his crooked teeth. There were braces in his future. But she’d do anything, spend any amount to make sure he had a happy life.

Linc dismissed the boys from a short postgame meeting, and Gemma opened her arms for a hug as soon as Evan ran back toward her. “You were great, honey. Did you have fun?”

“It was awesome. I can’t wait for next week.”

Linc joined them, ruffling Evan’s hair. “Good job, buddy. You’re a real asset to the team.” He looked at her and smiled. “You ready to head to the storage area?”

They had ridden to the game with Linc this morning so he could show her the way. The fields were tucked away on the edge of Dover in what used to be a cotton field. She would have had trouble finding it alone. He also offered to drive her to the storage facility after the game.

“Yes. I just need to check with the Fenellis. They invited Evan to go with them to get pizza.”

As soon as she climbed into Linc’s truck she regretted agreeing to this arrangement. Evan had been with them this morning, and he and Coach, as Evan now called him, had discussed game strategy. Being alone with the man had her nerves firing and her palms sweaty—and had her questioning her lack of foresight. She stole a glance at her companion. No nerves there. He looked as cool as a cucumber, with his wrist resting on the steering wheel, eased back in the driver’s seat and head cocked to one side as if he didn’t have a worry in the world.

She suspected he did have things he was concerned about. It wasn’t hard to see that he grieved his father deeply. And her assistant, Leatha, had mentioned that with his brother Gil out of town, the entire company rested on Linc’s shoulders. It was one of the largest electrical contracting firms in the area, with jobs stretching from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Orange Beach, Alabama. She knew firsthand the stress of running a company, but Fine Day Events hadn’t been nearly as large as Montgomery Electrical.

“So where is this storage facility located?”

“Across town. It used to be a drugstore before the owners sold it to the city. It got too hard to keep track of all the stuff needed for the events. Things kept getting lost, so Mom decided it would be easier to keep everything in one place.”

“How long has your mom been doing the holiday events?”

“As long as I can remember. She used to help with all the fund-raisers, but that was before she opened up her real estate office.”

He slowed and pulled into the lot of an old single-story building. He stopped near the door, jumped out and came around to her side before she could grasp the handle. Francie had obviously taught her son good manners. Unfortunately, personality wasn’t something a parent could control. She slid out of the high truck, grateful for the narrow running board to help her down.

Linc opened the lock and stepped inside, switching on the overhead lights.

Gemma stared at the mess. Items were piled and tossed everywhere as if blindly thrown inside without regard to placement. “Oh, my.”

Linc set his hands on his hips. “Looks as if we’ve stepped into a scavenger hunt. Which way do you want to start?”

“I don’t know. I have no idea what I’m looking for.”

“Then, follow me. We’ll start at the back and work our way forward.”

Linc led the way, picking his steps through the narrow path on the floor. Gemma spotted the Christmas items first. “Linc, over there. Isn’t that a red star?”

“Good eye.” He shoved aside a large counter that resembled a lemonade stand with a sign above it reading Sidewalk Sale—Chamber Information. He lifted the six-foot-wide metal decoration and gave it a once-over. “I never realized how worn it was. It always looks shiny on the courthouse dome.”

She sighed. If all the Christmas decorations were in the same poor shape, she’d spend a lot of time and money making them presentable.

Once the Christmas items were located she made a quick inventory. It looked as if a sizable part of her budget would go to buying lights and new decorations.

“Linc! Are you in here?”

“In the back.”

Gemma glanced up as Tori made her way toward them, the frown on her face revealing her displeasure. “I saw your truck outside. Oh, hello, Gemma. What are y’all doing in here?”

“Looking for the Christmas decorations.”

“I doubt if you’ll find anything back here.” Tori brushed dust off her jeans. “Mom was complaining last year that most of the stuff was falling apart and the city wouldn’t cough up money for new ones.”

Gemma stared at the odd assortment of rusty metal forms in the shape of trees and a set of faded and cracked oversize tree ornaments that she guessed were set on the courthouse lawn.

“I was hoping to find something that could be hung over the streets.” She demonstrated with her hands. “You know—those drapes of lights that are hung overhead?”

Tori smiled and started rummaging through the junk. “I remember there used to be some with wreaths in the middle. It was really pretty, but I don’t think Mom used them last year. Here’s one.” She pulled it up. “Ugh. It’s a mess.”

“I remember these.” Linc set it out in the open space holding it upright with one hand while Gemma took a closer look.

It was a darling design. Exactly what she’d been looking for. But it needed a complete reworking. “How many are there?”

Linc and Tori did a quick count. “Looks like sixteen.”

“Four for each street bordering the square. If we can repurpose these it would save a lot of money that could be spent on more lights for the storefronts.” Gemma looked at Linc. “Do you know anyone who could fix these up and attach new lights?”

“I do.” Tori smiled and nodded, sending her chin-length dark hair swaying. “Brother Seth. This is right up his alley. You should talk to him. I mean, we
do
own an electrical company. And I’ll bet he’d do it for free, don’t you think so, Linc?”

“Yeah. I guess. What are you doing here, exactly?”

“Oh. I need a ride to the airport Sunday afternoon. Mom said she’d be home this evening. I need to leave around five on Sunday.”

Linc set the form aside, the scowl on his face deepening. “You need to stay here. Especially if Mom’s coming home.”

Tori mirrored the icy glare of her bother. Apparently it was a family trait. Gemma braced herself for the shouting match, a tightness forming in her chest. No matter how often her parents had fought and yelled, she’d never got used to it.

“Mom knows I’m going and she doesn’t have a problem with it, so why do you?”

“Mom’s not thinking clearly right now. Which means we all need to be here for her, not leaving her alone to deal with her grief.”

“You don’t get it. I doubt you ever will. Maybe if you’d ever been in love you’d understand.”

“Tori, I could order you to stay.”

“Are you serious? I’m twenty-six years old.” She looked at Gemma. “It was nice seeing you again. Good luck with the events. I know they’ll be great.”

Linc stared after his sister a long while before shaking his head and looking at Gemma. “She’s making a mistake. She’s not thinking clearly.”

“She seemed rational enough to me.”

“So you’re on her side?”

“I’m a stranger. I don’t have a side, but yes, I understand what she’s saying.”

“Am I the only one who sees the need to band together now? To support Mom and help her get through Dad’s passing. Family meant everything to him. Family
is
everything.”

Gemma pressed her lips together. Maybe in his world. “Family is an accident of birth. We’re handed a set parents and we have no say in the matter. Then we’re expected to like it. Sometimes the only way to survive is to get out from under your family.”

She dared a glance at Linc and, as she’d expected, the look of shock on his face said it all. Now he would start asking questions. Ones she wasn’t about to answer. “I think I’ve seen all I need to here. We’d better go. I want to be home when the Fenellis bring Evan back.” She moved quickly to the door and pushed it open, sucking in several deep breaths as she climbed into Linc’s truck.

She’d been prepared for a shouting match to erupt between him and his sister, but they’d merely expressed differing opinions. Thankfully, because she’d had enough screaming and shouting to last her two lifetimes.

Linc slid into the driver’s seat, handing her the key to the storage building. “Don’t come over here alone. Bring someone with you.”

It wasn’t exactly an order, more of a stern warning, but Gemma bristled anyway. “You really like being in control of things. That’s why you’re so upset about my Christmas events isn’t it? Because you have no say in anything I do.”

He frowned. “No. That’s not it at all. I just don’t agree with your ideas.”

Gemma smiled inwardly. She’d poked a hole in his “I know best” attitude and he didn’t like it. She glanced at him. His formerly relaxed posture had become rigid and his irritation was evident in the way he rubbed his thumb against his forefinger as he clutched the steering wheel.

Her conscience reared its head. She shouldn’t be so hard on him. Losing his father had been a shock, the most devastating loss of control a person could experience. “I’m glad you brought me here.”

He looked over at her and nodded. “No problem.”

Something in his tone triggered a realization. “You promised your mother you’d come with me, didn’t you?”

He stopped the truck and looked at her in surprise. “How did you know?”

She stifled a grin and gave him a superior look. “I’m a mom. We know everything.”

The scowl on Linc’s face brought his dark brows together. She waited for him to respond, but he only huffed out a breath and drove out of the parking lot. He might be a big macho man on the outside, but inside he wasn’t much different from Evan.

The realization pleased her a great deal.

* * *

The Montgomery dining room table held enough food to feed far more than the six people seated around the table Sunday afternoon. His mom had arrived home last night, and had spent the morning preparing all the family favorites. She’d ordered Linc to invite their new tenants to dinner. Gemma had been reluctant, but he’d finally convinced her that his mother would be very disappointed if she refused. But for some reason, she sat stiff and tense on the other side of Evan, who was equally braced as if waiting for something to happen. Linc passed the mashed potatoes to the boy, holding the heavy dish while he scooped out a helping then offering the dish to his mother.

Tori leaned forward and smiled at Gemma. “Have you told Seth about those old wreaths you found in storage?”

Gemma shook her head. “No, I haven’t had a chance.”

“Are you talking about the ones that used to hang over the street?” Francie passed the rolls to her daughter. “They’re in terrible shape. That’s why I haven’t used them.”

“What wreaths?” Seth glanced between the two women. Tori made a quick explanation.

“I’ll bring them back to the shop and see what I can do. Should be fun. I’m looking forward to seeing more lights and decorations around town for the holidays.”

Linc stabbed his roast to keep from expressing a contrary opinion. Apparently he was the only one in town who wanted things to stay the same. No one understood. The familiar events were comforting; the simplicity of the Dover celebrations kept the real meaning of Christmas in people’s minds.

Gemma smiled at Seth. “Great, but you know we don’t have much time.”

Seth nodded. “I’ll get right on it. As soon as I have them at the shop we’ll get our heads together and see what we can do. What do you have in mind?”

Linc listened with growing irritation as Seth and Gemma bandied ideas back and forth across the table. His younger brother was a likable guy. Maybe too likable. He’d never been jealous of him, but suddenly he didn’t like the idea of Gemma and Seth getting their heads together.

Seth suddenly pushed back from the table. “I hate to run, but I have to meet with a home owner this afternoon. She’s not happy about where we put her breaker box.” He winked and moved to kiss his mom goodbye.

“Aren’t you staying for dessert?”

“I’ll come back later. Save me a piece.” He waved goodbye and hurried off.

Linc was about to ask about his mother’s trip when he heard Evan inhale sharply. Milk from his overturned glass was soaking his mom’s best tablecloth. Linc pushed back his chair. Evan winced and shrank away from him.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Tears streamed down the boy’s face.

Gemma pulled him close. “It’s okay, sweetie. I’ll clean it up.”

Stunned, Linc exchanged a puzzled look with his mother. Why would a spilled glass of milk upset him so?

His mother reached out her hand to the boy and smiled. “Evan, come here, sweetheart.” He glanced at her cautiously. “Come on. It’s okay. I want to tell you a story.”