Holiday Sparks (14 page)

“Not my dad. He’s a little taller,” her voice pitched lower, “and even wider.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Hey, is Darcy around?” Ben interrupted before his chatty niece told Jaime all about John. No one would make the correlation to the guy that came into the store, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

“She’s covering a break.”

“On the… Is she on the register?”

“Yes. You should hear her trying to bite back a growl whenever her station is on the loop.”

“Loop?” Brittany asked.

One of the songs he’d programmed came on and the lights twirled around the single wall behind the register, the wreaths flashing in time to the music.

“That is so cool!”

Ben shrugged down at Jaime. “It’s her favorite word.”

“Well, I think it’s pretty cool too. But I like Christmas.”

“So which one’s your girlfriend?”

Jaime bit back a laugh.

“The blonde lady over there.”

“Wow, Uncle Ben, she’s a hottie.”

Jaime couldn’t muffle her laugh this time. “Oh Ben, you’re going to end up with a daughter just like her. I can see it.”

“Ha ha, Jaime. That’s very funny.”

She took the box and cooler from him. “Thanks for thinking of us. I’ll get Darcy off the registers so you can get some food into her. She hasn’t stopped since she got here.”

“Come on, squirt, let’s go surprise her.”

Darcy’s back ached something fierce and if she heard
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
one more time there was going to be blood. She smiled at the customer in front of her. “Do you need a box for this?”

“Do you have two?”

Darcy looked at her dwindling stack but grabbed two anyway. When they were gone, they were gone. “Sure.”

“Thanks.” The woman gave her a weary smile. “Happy Holidays.”

“Happy Holidays,” Darcy parroted back. It was safer to say that then Merry Christmas. Heaven forbid they didn’t celebrate the holiday.

Garlic and sauce wafted into her station. Man, if someone went to Lou’s and didn’t ask her if she wanted something there was definitely going to be more than blood.

“Excuse me, miss?”

She would know that voice anywhere. She heard it before dreams and when she woke up. Sometimes she even heard it in her dreams. “Yes sir, one moment.” She didn’t turn around. Instead, she changed the register tape and refilled the bags under the counter.

He cleared his throat.

“I’ll be right with you, sir.” Her laughter was too close to the surface.

Ben gave her ponytail a sharp tug. “You wouldn’t be ignoring a customer would you, miss?”

“Of course I wouldn’t.” The trill of a girl’s laughter had Darcy turning around mid-tease. “Oh, you have company.” She tilted her head to the side and gave Ben an I’m-going-to-strangle-you look. “You must be Brittany.”

The girl was young and had tomboy stamped all over her. She was an obvious relation thanks to her brown eyes. They were all Ben’s. Her sleeve was tucked into her jacket and she wore two crooked ponytails in the same shiny dark hair as her uncle’s.

“So, you’re my Uncle Ben’s girlfriend, huh?”

Darcy’s eyebrows shot up. Ben clamped his hand over Brittany’s mouth and dragged her back against him. “I’m sorry, Britzilla here meant to say pleased to meet you.”

Brittany tugged his hand away. “I was getting to it.”

Darcy’s chest ached for a reason she couldn’t name. She smiled up at him. “Did you bring me something to eat, you wonderful man?”

“I am the wonderful man, and yes, there is saucy food for my saucy—er, I mean yes, for you.”

Darcy laughed as Ben tried to censor his usual bawdy humor. Jaime waved from the customer service desk and Darcy logged off her register. “I could kiss you.”

“I knew there was going to be kissing.”

Darcy laughed and took the bag from Ben’s niece. “How about I carry that for you?”

“Thanks.” The little girl slid her hand into Ben’s and looked up. “Can we eat now? I’m starving! And hot. It’s a million degrees in here.”

“I agree with both of those statements.” Darcy shrugged out of her cardigan. Working near the door sometimes got cold, but as usual, the heat was way too high in the store. “Need help with your jacket?” she asked Brittany. She couldn’t help but notice the empty sleeve.

Ben hadn’t mentioned his niece was handicapped, but it wasn’t exactly a conversation starter either.

“I got it.” She pulled on a tab with an extra-fat marble on the end and shrugged out of her jacket. White straps held her arm securely across her chest.

“What happened?”

“I fell off my bike.”

“Ow,” Darcy said sympathetically.

“Definitely. Breaking your collarbone sucks.”

Darcy frowned. The story niggled at her memory and she wasn’t sure why. She swung the bag. “Well, a hoagie from Lou’s should make you feel a little better.”

“Anything by Lou makes everything better.”

Ben smiled but the crinkles didn’t fan around his eyes like they normally did. She frowned at him lightly. “Let’s go to the break room and you can tell me all of your Uncle Ben’s secrets.”

Ben coughed and Darcy looked at him sharply. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, it’s just dry in here.”

She shrugged and led them both to the back. She swiped her card for the back swinging doors and punched in a code at the break room door.

“Wow, it’s like a bank back here.” Brittany looked around. “Is there something important back here?”

Darcy laughed. “It’s just to keep curious customers out.”

“I’m a customer.”

Darcy clipped her badge to the girl’s collar. “You’re me today.”

“Cool.” She bustled into the break room. “Wow, you’ve got lockers just like I do at school!”

Ben looked down at her. “I thought we’d surprise you. I forget that she talks your ear off.”

Darcy smiled. “It’s okay, I like her.”

“Good. It’d be really handy if my two favorite girls liked each other.”

They broke out the food and Brittany told her all about Ben’s more colorful clients at the tattoo parlor. Ben blushed but seemed to get into the swing of things with his niece.

She wasn’t sure what was wrong with Ben, but he’d been off since that morning.

“The best was when Uncle Cesar put up this huge skull off the sign in the shop. It had red glowing eyes that he made with laser pointers. I love to give him ideas. Uncle Ben says I’m going to give him an ulcer someday.”

Ben shook his head. “Not someday, squirt. Already.”

She laughed as Ben stood and gathered their papers. “I need to use the men’s room.”

Darcy looked at Brittany. “Do you need to go?”

“I’m good.”

Ben paused at the door. “I’ll be right back.”

“I think she’ll be fine with me for a few minutes, Ben.”

“Right.”

Brittany turned to her. “You like my Uncle Ben, huh?”

Darcy crossed her arms over her stomach. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

“No, I think I like you. You’re much nicer than any of the other girls that Uncle Ben has dated. They’re usually nice to my face, but I hear them talk about me with my uncle when I’m out of the room. I mean really, don’t they think I have ears?”

Darcy laughed. She knew that kids overheard things all too well. The things she’d heard through the thin walls of the small apartment when she was a kid would make a prostitute blush. “Some women don’t like to share their time with kids.”

“I get that. They want to do adult stuff.”

And knowing Ben’s particular gifts, she imagined most women did not want to deal with a child taking time away from his…talents.

“My dad thinks Uncle Ben is a bimbo magnet. But he says they’re hot babes at least.”

Darcy laughed. “It must be interesting to have men around all the time.”

“They sometimes forget they shouldn’t say stuff in front of me. Then my dad gets all red in the face and tells me to go to my room. Like it’s my fault he said stuff he shouldn’t.”

Darcy couldn’t stop smiling at the girl. Precocious didn’t even cover it. “He was probably just embarrassed.”

“Yeah, probably. Wanna see a picture of him?”

“Sure.”

Brittany dug an iPhone out of her pocket. “I got Dad’s old phone when he got a new one. It’s pretty cool. Not as cool as the new phones, but better than the ones my friends have,” she explained as she swiped it on.

She handled the phone better than Darcy knew how to use hers.

“Here. This was at Christmas last year.” She swiped quickly. “And my birthday, and here was at Uncle Ben’s opening of Luna Hart.”

She went through the pictures so fast, Darcy barely got a chance to see, but she stopped and held the phone out with Ben and her father mugging for the camera with the sign behind them.

Darcy frowned. She’d never forget that face. “Brittany, what’s your dad’s name?”

“John. John Hartley.”

Chapter Eleven

Ben entered the code and opened the door. Brittany was sitting next to Darcy and they looked good together. Cozier than he’d expected them to be after just meeting. His smile faded as he saw the cell phone in Darcy’s hand. “Darcy, I can explain.”

“You knew?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about this morning.”

Brittany looked between them. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, squirt. Adult stuff.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I hate when you say adult stuff.”

Ben smiled tightly. “I know, but this time it really is.”

“All right.”

Darcy tucked a lock of Brit’s messy ponytail behind her ear. “Hey, why don’t we go out in the girl’s department and see if we can find you a nice Christmas shirt. Does your dad take you to Mass or anything?”

Brit’s eyes brightened. “Yeah, we go to Christmas Eve Mass. And I’m finally getting this stupid thing off tomorrow.”

“That’s great. We’ll find you something pretty, how’s that?”

Ben frowned. He was waiting for Darcy to rip into him, but she simply stood and ushered Brit out the door. She stopped. “We’ll be talking about this when I get home.”

Fuck.

He followed them out the door and grudgingly past the exit to the girl’s department. It exploded with red and greens for the holidays as well as the dark colors of fall. Brit shoved her coat into his hands. “Can I get a dress, Uncle Ben?”

“Oh, Uncle Ben will be getting you whatever you like,” Darcy chimed in.

Ben’s jaw clicked shut. “Sure, short stuff. Get two.”

Darcy folded her arms across her chest and followed Brit as she weaved in and out of the racks. The click of hangers as she searched for her size reverberated in his head.

She had four dresses, three skirts and two blouses hanging off Darcy’s arm by the time Darcy convinced her to try a few on. Ben rocked back on his heels and didn’t say a word. In fact, he was pretty sure Darcy was encouraging her to buy more than the two dresses.

“Do you need help in there?” Darcy called out.

“No. I’m just slow.”

Darcy leaned on the door and stared daggers at him. He was a dead man. But she hadn’t booted him out of the store, so there was still hope.

Please God, let there be hope.

Thirty minutes later, the girls were chattering at each other as though they’d been friends for years. And he had about one hundred dollars’ worth of girl’s clothing in his arms for the yes pile.

“You don’t work on commission do you?”

Darcy lifted an eyebrow. “It’d be much worse if I did,” she said sweetly.

He groaned but said nothing more. Twenty minutes later there was more on the pile and he was one hundred sixty-four dollars poorer. Two shopping bags weighed down each hand.

“Dad is going to flip!” Brittany slammed herself into his side. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

He smiled down at her. “Don’t say I didn’t get you anything cool for Christmas.”

“I still get a Christmas present too, right?”

Ben shook his head. “Brat.”

She threw him a cheeky grin full of dimples and raced ahead.

“Darcy—”

“Not here, Ben. We’ll talk tonight. I’m too mad right now, but we’ll talk it out.”

He frowned. He was waiting for the clothing rack to come for his head. He didn’t get her at all. “Okay, come by after your shift.”

She nodded, her arms crossed over her chest as she walked away.

The rest of the day dragged. He checked his phone every few minutes to see if there was a text from Darcy or from John. His stomach was a roiling mess by the time dinner rolled around. He’d stopped at the market for supplies.

He killed some time cutting vegetables for chicken stir-fry and popped three ibuprofen to combat the endless chatter from The Disney Channel that Brittany wouldn’t turn off. Finally his phone buzzed.

Be there in 10. Is B still there?

He tapped back the affirmative and mentioned that he made dinner. A few seconds later she typed back a simple
okay
.

He heated up his wok and set the chicken into the oil. He had no choice but to concentrate on the sizzle of the meat and the quick preparation time on the meal. “Set the table, Brit.”

She ran in and shuffled out the plates and silverware he’d set out for her. “I like Darcy. You should make sure that whatever she was mad at you about earlier, you fix.”

“You’re way too astute, kid.”

She shrugged. “I watched this show on Discovery about body language. It was pretty cool. And Darcy? She had all the signs of being really pissed at you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, the super nice words with that clipped tone? That’s a good one. My teachers use that a lot.”

Christ, the kid was too smart for her own good.

“And then there was the folded arms and tapping toe, and the way she wouldn’t look you in the eye.”

“Thanks, Brit.”

“What? I’m telling you this stuff to help you. I don’t want to see you sad like Daddy is all the time.”

Ben pulled their meal off the burner for the sauce to thicken and hauled her in for a hug. “You’re a good kid, you know that?”

“I know. Even if Daddy wants to box my ears in.”

The door opened and Darcy slid in and hung up her coat. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Well, at least she let herself in like she normally did. He was half expecting her to ring the damn doorbell. He went out into the living room. Her arms were across her midsection and something on the carpet was damn interesting.

Brit nudged him forward. “Uncle Ben made his awesome stir-fry.”

“Oh yeah?”

Brit nodded and took Darcy’s hand, dragging her into the kitchen. “Come sit down.”

She passed him and he tried to grab her hand, but Darcy twisted her fingers away. He sighed and followed them into the small kitchen. He scooped their dinner out into a huge bowl and stuck two serving spoons into it, placing it in the middle of the table.

Brit made sure that they were facing each other at the table. She smiled around the vegetables and lined the snap peas around her plate like a frame. “They’re my favorite, so I eat them last.”

“I’m partial to the mini corn.”

Brit stabbed one onto her fork and bit into it. “It’s good. Uncle Ben makes the best sauce. My dad tries to make it, but he’s better off with one of those meals in a bag.”

Brit kept up a steady stream of chattering as Darcy picked at her food.

She answered her and ignored any conversation starters that Ben tried to initiate. The door opened again and Ben groaned as John filled the entryway.

“I thought you were going to be late.”

John looked to Ben, then to Darcy, then back to Ben. Brittany cleared her plate and put it in the sink. “Thanks, Uncle Ben. I’m tired, so we’re going to go home now.”

John stammered out an okay and grabbed Brittany’s jacket from the closet. He cleared his throat. “We have an early appointment with the doctor.”

Brittany smiled and hopped in a circle to get her arm in the hole of her jacket. “I can’t wait to get this stupid thing off.”

Her dad smoothed a hand down her hair. “I know, kiddo. It’s still going to be sore though.”

“I know, but at least I can move and tie my shoes.”

John leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Let’s get moving. Thanks for taking care of her, Ben.”

“Bye, Uncle Ben. Remember what I said.”

He bent down for his hug. “I got it, squirt.”

She hooked her arm around his neck. “If you break up with her I’m gonna be mad.”

“You’re not the only one.”

“Good. Bye, Darcy! Nice meeting you. I can’t wait to hang out again.”

He stood to see Darcy in the doorway to the living room. “I had a great day with you too, Brittany.”

Darcy came farther into the room. “John?”

John stopped at the door. His shoulders straightened before he turned around. “Yes?”

“You have a beautiful daughter. Remember that the next time you lose your temper.”

John nodded and ushered Brittany out the door.

Ben turned around. “That’s it?”

“What am I supposed to say, Ben? It’s been weeks since he wrecked the Blackstone’s tree.”

“Yeah, weeks, not years. You can still press charges.”

“I could. But what good would that do?”

Ben sat down on the couch. “I don’t get it.”

Darcy sat next to him, hugging her clasped hands between her knees. “I like your niece. And seeing what she’s been able to do with that awful strap thing that holds her chest so tight, there’s no way I can be mad.”

There was three inches between them and he wasn’t sure how to bridge the gap. “I didn’t know, I swear. I wondered when you told me about it. And when Jaime gave me the details when I was doing the tree, but I didn’t know for sure.”

“Until?”

“Until I visited my brother a few weeks ago.”

She closed her eyes. “And you didn’t tell me.”

“We barely had time to say hello with our schedules and I didn’t want to ruin what was going on between us. I didn’t even know how to bring it up. Oh hey, Darcy—remember that asshole that wrecked your store. Oh yeah. He’s my big brother.”

Darcy tucked her hands under her arms. “And you wanted to protect him.”

“Yeah.” He sighed, itching to hold on to her, even if it was just her hand. “And if he got arrested, what would happen to Brit? I mean sure, I’d take her, but she’d be so embarrassed about what he did.”

Darcy leaned her shoulder into the couch and rested her head against the cushion, but still wouldn’t unfold herself. She might as well have a bubble around her that screamed keep out.

He turned to her. “I know this is hard to get past, but I swear he’s not normally like that. With the bills from the doctors and the extra hours to pay for them because he’s so proud, he’s been strung way too tight.”

“And now?”

Ben shrugged. “Ever since Brit’s mom left he’s been angry. Having his daughter break her collarbone and there was nothing he could do for her just drove him over the edge. I wish I’d known it was that bad, I’d have kept him under wraps.”

She searched his face, then laid her palm over his hand. “I’d have done the same. And if he hadn’t come in and wrecked the store maybe we’d never have this.”

He flipped his hand and caught hers before she could pull it back. “You’re not mad?”

She shook her head. “You’re probably the best man I know, Ben. I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me on purpose. I just need some time to think about this.” She slid her hand out from between his. “You lied.”

His gut churned with their dinner and the acid that had been boiling up like crazy all day. “I don’t want to lose you, Darcy.”

“I don’t want to lose you either.” She stood up. “Thanks for dinner.”

Ben couldn’t think of anything he could do but watch her leave.

* * * * *

Darcy dragged herself into the break room. It was Christmas Eve and she’d worked fourteen-hour days for the last three days. She wasn’t even sure what her name was anymore.

Two girls spoke quietly at the picnic table so she took the long table. She pressed her face into the cool metal and shut her eyes. She’d promised her mother she would sit down and talk to her that afternoon.

Her mom was feeling guilty that she and Jerry were out of town for two holidays in a row. She didn’t have the heart to tell her mother that she was so tired that she was grateful.

She pulled out her phone and set it on the table, bumping up the ringer to wake her up. Just five minutes and she’d refresh a little. Her phone buzzed and trilled a moment later.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Merry Christmas, baby! Did you hear Jerry too?”

She mustered up a smile, hoping it would show in her voice. “Yes, Mom, I heard him. Are you guys having fun?”

“I’ve never seen such blue oceans in the middle of December. It’s so beautiful, Darcy.”

“Make sure you take pictures.”

“I think you should come with us next year.”

“I think I’d get demoted if I asked for the week of Christmas off, Mom.”

Her light laughter was cut with the soft caw of a bird. “Where are you guys this time?”

“Hawaii. We’re on an excursion in the rainforest. It’s so beautiful.”

Darcy laid her cheek back on the table with the phone underneath. “I’m very jealous.” She listened as her mother babbled on about how warm it was and how it rained for ten minutes at a time and then the storms disappeared. All of it sounded like heaven. And sounded like she’d never be able to see it in her lifetime.

The store was what she wanted. She’d worked hard to get to the general manager position. And if she missed cruises to tropical destinations, it was a price she was willing to pay.