Once Upon a Christmas (14 page)

“W
hat does it matter which fork I eat with?” Theo asked, his pulse quickening with anger at having to endure this, and excitement at having Elise so close.

She was showing him how to eat at a formal table. He was ignoring the placement of the silverware, and instead watching the way her hair fell across her neck and face as she leaned over to put the dessert spoon over the Spode Christmas china.

“It’s just the way things are,” Elise said, her smile warm. “It’s silly, but necessary, I suppose.”

“Well, why is it so necessary. One mouth, one fork. That works just fine for me.”

She gave him an indulgent smile. “But we’ll have several different courses for our formal Christmas dinner. If you want to impress Maggie, just remember not to use your dessert spoon for your soup or gumbo.”

Theo heard her intent loud and clear. This was all about Maggie. Yesterday, he’d endured a haircut at Ginger’s,
then a fitting at some fancy men’s store on Canal Street in New Orleans. He’d endured and enjoyed being with Elise the whole time. She was smart and funny and sensitive and…beautiful. On the way home, they’d laughed and talked about everything from art to baseball. Thankfully, Theo knew a bit about both. He thought Elise had been pleasantly surprised that he did. This was supposed to be all about Maggie, but Theo wanted badly to impress Elise Melancon, too.

“It’s awfully kind of you to help me like this, Elise. But what if Maggie doesn’t even notice?”

“Then you will at least be able to manage your way through your first formal dinner at
Belle Terre,
” she replied with a smug satisfaction. “And I will be the proud teacher. Manners will help you through the worst of situations, Theo.”

Well, at least she was in a better mood today. Yesterday, she’d been downright hard to talk to at times. Not that it was easy for Theo to talk to her on any given day. But he wasn’t ready to give up completely. He’d finally had her laughing and chatting by the end of their time together yesterday. And he liked her that way.

But he didn’t like having to learn this ridiculous dining ritual. “Why do I have to have a dinner plate and a salad plate. At home, we mostly just eat everything off the same plate.”

“That’s fine for everyday,” Elise said, her tone patient and low-key. “But for a formal dinner party, it’s important to have a plate or bowl for each course. And we haven’t even gotten to the finger bowl yet.”

Theo lifted his head. “There’s a bowl for my fingers?”

“To wash up,” she replied, then indicated with her own fingers dancing in the air. “In case you’ve eaten shellfish or something sticky or messy.”

“Oh, you mean like a mudbug,” he said, referring to one of the mainstays of his income, the crawfish. “We just go down to the swamp and wash up there. Sometimes I just let the ’gators lick that spicy mess right off my hands.”

“You are such a tease,” she said, shaking her head.

“Me, I’m thinking you’ve never been messy a day in your life,” he replied, his nose following the sweet floral scent of her hair.

“I’ve been known to play in the dirt,” she said with a little grin.

“Oh, and when was the last time you played in the dirt, or mud, or got caught in the rain?” Theo said as he watched her toying with a salad fork.

She had long, slender fingers and pretty pink fingernails. She wore only one ring, a dainty thing with a tiny little diamond in the center. Not exactly what he would have expected a wealthy socialite to wear. “Where’d you get the ring?”

Elise followed his eyes to her left hand, then smiled. “It was
Grand-mère
’s. She gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday. It’s got a lot of sentimental value. My grandfather Jacques gave it to her when they were first in love.”

Theo saw the love and appreciation in her eyes. For all her airs, Elise really was a down-to-earth kind of woman.

“Okay, now answer my original question. When was the last time you got caught in the rain?”

She lifted her eyebrows, frowning. “I got caught in the rain about three weeks ago, leaving work.”

“Leaving Melancon Oil and Gas in lovely downtown Shreveport?”

“Yes. How did you know I work there?”

“Your
grand-mère
likes to brag about how smart you are.”

That statement brought that worried, cloudy look to her pretty eyes.

“You do like your job with the company, right?”

She nodded, than sat down on the Chippendale chair next to him, her pretty black pleated skirt falling softly around her legs. “Yes, I do. But
Mamere
has other ideas. Has she mentioned anything to you about starting a new department at Melancon, here closer to home?”

Theo turned his head sideways and gave her a quizzical look. “Now why would your
grand-mère
mention things about her business to the likes of
moi?
”

“I know she tells you things,” Elise said, her tone almost defensive. “She has this notion of starting an environmental and ecological department, with both of us working there from what I can gather.”

Theo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Betty Jean had mentioned this very idea to him many, many times. She’d also promised him a position in her company, in that very department, but she’d never mentioned that her granddaughter might be a part of it. Said she’d take him on without his degree, as long as he finished up school in the meantime. But he didn’t dare tell Elise that. She’d go into a tizzy, for sure. Plus he’d
never actually taken Betty Jean seriously. Maybe he should now.

“Your grandmother is always talking about dis and dat, I mean, this and that,” he said, acutely aware of his enunciation. And acutely aware of the woman next to him.

“Oh, never mind,” Elise said, getting up to spin around like a ballerina. “I think we’re done for today. At least, you should be able to get through dinner by just remembering to start at the outside and work your way in, with the silverware. Watching
Grand-mère
and me will take care of the rest.”

“Now that part I can enjoy,” he said, grinning. “Watching you, I mean.”

She frowned again, then blushed. “Well, the main thing you need to watch is all that charm, Theo.”

Suddenly, Theo had had enough of all this fancy stuff, but he had more than enough charm to last the rest of the day. “Okay, then, if we’re done with the
formal
part of our work, how ’bout I take over?”

“And do what?” she asked, her voice going all soft and unsure.

Theo took that as a good sign. “It’s a surprise,
chère.
”

“I don’t like surprises.”

“You’ll like this one. I just want to thank you, for helping me out.” To emphasize that this was strictly gratitude, even though he hoped it would change into something else, he added, “Maggie won’t know what hit her when I walk in all gussied up and knowing which fork to use.”

That seemed to bring a steely determination back into Elise’s eyes. “Okay, I guess we’ve worked hard today. And tomorrow we go into New Orleans to pick up your suit. My grandfather’s personal tailor promised he’d have it altered just right.”

“You sure are pretty when you’re all business,” Theo said, loving the way her creamy skin changed to peachy when she got flustered.

“Stop staring at me, please.”

“I like to look at you. You’re like this little
catin,
like fine porcelain.”

“I’m not a doll,” she said, her guard up again. “And we have to keep this strictly professional.”

“It’s not like I’m paying you or anything—it’s just an agreement between friends,
oui?
Can’t we at least pretend to like each other.”

“I do like you,” she said, then she brought a hand to her throat to touch on those infernal pearls she always wore. “I mean, you seem like a nice man, Theo.”

“But a gentleman doesn’t stare, right?”

She pushed at her hair. “Exactly. It’s rather rude.”

“I’m a rather rude person at times.”

“If you keep this up, I won’t be able to enjoy this surprise you’ve planned.”

“Okay, then, I won’t stare anymore. Will you come with me and trust me in this?”

“Can I trust you?”

“I’m learning to behave. I’m trying real hard to be a gentleman for you.”

She looked up at him, shock registering on her face
in a delicate sheen. “You’re doing this for Maggie, remember?”

“Maggie who?” he said, grinning.

Elise wasn’t sure what to expect next. Theo was that kind of man. Full of surprises. Yesterday, he’d surprised her in New Orleans by talking all about the history of that interesting city. Theo knew things about the history of New Orleans that Elise had never taken the time to learn. And he knew about art. They’d strolled by the gallery with the famous Blue Dog paintings hanging for all to see. Theo knew all about the dog in the paintings—a Catahoula hound. And he knew everything about the artist, too. He could identify antiques as well as plants and animals, all with that wicked grin on his face. He had a quick wit that showed his intelligence, when he wanted to show it, that is.

Then today, he’d surprised her yet again by insisting he had to work extra hard to make sure everything her grandmother had hired him to do got done. Only after that had he agreed to sit down in the dining room and go over proper table etiquette.

And now he had her in a pirogue and they were moving through the still waters of the bayou. He’d told her to bundle up, they might be late getting back to the big house.

And she had no idea where he was taking her.

“It’s beautiful,” Elise said as Theo guided the small canoelike boat through the green waters.

Cypress trees draped with Spanish moss hung over a swamp that was covered with palmetto bushes, briars,
vines and saplings. The air was crisp and chilly, but every now and then a ray of soft sunlight would hit her on the face, bringing a bit of warm to the nippy afternoon.

“We’ll get warmed up when we get there,” Theo said, noting the way she huddled in her wool wrap. “My
maman
should be there already. She’ll have some hot cocoa, for sure.”

“I’m okay,” she said, glad to hear his mother would be their chaperone. “I’ve just never been this far into the swamp.” And she wondered why she was doing so now, with this mysterious man. Then she watched him on the seat in front of her. His hair was clipped and layered, but it was still long enough to lift around his ears and forehead as the wind played through it. It shimmered to a rich coffee brown in the scant sunlight. His powerful arms pushed with a kind of elegant strength and grace against the current, as he lifted the oars in and out of the water in a timeless, symmetric way. He wore a long-sleeved cotton sweater and faded jeans.

Elise had to admit he looked pretty good, even without the tailored suit. She could only imagine how nice he’d look when the suit was finished.

Maggie Aguillard had sure been a lucky girl. Why had she broken up with Theo?

Stop that, Elise told herself. You are fulfilling an obligation to your grandmother. It would have been petty and disrespectful to do anything else.

“Did your
maman
question where we were headed?” Theo asked, bringing Elise out of her silent admonishments.

“Mother, oh, she was off to an afternoon tea at one of her sorority sister’s homes just down the river. She’ll be gone for hours. Daddy’s golfing at the country club with his lawyer friends. And then tonight some of the others start arriving. No one will even miss me.”

“Did you tell your
mamere
you were spending the afternoon with me?”

“Of course,” Elise replied, wondering why he was so concerned. “
Mamere
said to have a good time.”

Come to think of it, Betty Jean had been beaming, her smile full of serenity and confidence. But then, her grandmother had been beaming the whole time Elise had been home. Her grandmother was so happy that her entire family would be here for Christmas.

Elise thought about the busy pace of the holidays, then listened to the sounds of the swamp. The soft sway of the water, the gentle pull of a crisp December wind, the sounds of animals scurrying away through the duckweeds and water reeds. In spite of wondering where Theo was taking her, she had to admit it was nice and peaceful here, giving one pause to reflect.

Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to have a good life. Thank You for my dear grandmother, and
Grand-père
up in heaven now. Thank You for dying for my sins.

The silent prayer felt good, felt right. Elise glanced up at Theo. He was watching the way ahead of them, which made her feel completely safe for some strange reason.

“You okay back there,
chère?
”

“I’m fine.”

“What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Should she tell him she’d just said a prayer. Why not? Theo was a Christian. She knew that. “I was giving thanks to the Lord, for such a good family and for my dear grandparents.”

Theo halted the pirogue for a minute, then turned to look at her, a gentle stirring in his dark eyes. “That’s very sweet, you know.”

Elise felt tears pricking at her eyes. “Christmas is such a special time.”

“No time is more special.”

“You feel it, too, then?”

“The presence of Christ, here in this water?”

“Yes.”

“
Oui,
I always feel closer to God out here in this bayou. He made the heavens and the earth. It’s up to us to protect it, and to show Him we can take care of it.”

Elise thought of her grandmother’s wishes for her to start a new life here on the bayou.

To help protect this good, green earth.

I don’t understand, Lord,
she silently said.
Why me, why now?

Then she looked up at Theo and she saw the flare of that something there in his dark eyes, something good and positive and pure and gentle.

And she wondered if God had a plan for them, here, together at
Belle Terre.

“W
hat is this place?” Elise asked as Theo banked the pirogue near a small wooden dock. She stared up at the small cabin that sat like a square brown pelican on stilts high above the flowing waters of the dark bayou.

“Dis is where my papa was born,” Theo replied, his tone quiet and full of reverence. “And his daddy before him. Dis is the first cabin ever built by a Galliano. It’s been here for over a century.”

“But it looks so clean and tidy,” Elise said as he helped her out of the boat. “I mean, it looks brand-new.”

“That’s because I’ve been fixing it up, for my daddy. He’s been so down lately, what with not being able to work and all. I wanted to give him a special Christmas present.”

“You did this?” Elise asked, her gaze moving from the tiny cabin in front of them to the man beside her.

“I did indeed. Been working on it off and on since summer. It’s finished now, except for one thing.”

“What’s that?” she asked, gaining a new respect for this man.

From the cabin door, they heard his mother calling. Elise glanced up to find a plump, dark-headed woman grinning down at them. “Tee-do, hurry you up and bring that pretty
catin
in here outta the cold, you hear?”

Theo waved to his mother. “Coming,
Maman.
” Then he turned back to Elise. “I want to decorate the Christmas tree, for my papa. And I want you to help me.”

Touched that he wanted her to be a part of this, Elise looked up at him. “Theo, that is so sweet. But shouldn’t Maggie be the one—”

He looked to where his robust mother stood waiting. “I don’t want to talk about Maggie right now.”

“Don’t you want to wait for her to come home in case you two work things out?”

She watched as he looked away, his expression turning sheepish and unsure. “She won’t be home until Christmas Eve and I want it to be ready before then. But if you feel uncomfortable—”

“No, no. I’ll be glad to help you,” Elise replied, feeling the duel battle of guilt and impropriety taking over her soul. But was it so inappropriate for a friend to help another friend? She’d already helped Theo with improving himself. How could she turn down this latest request? And besides, his mother was here to keep them both in check.

“Let’s get started,” she told him.

He nodded, seemingly relieved. “Okay, then. Let’s get inside out of this afternoon chill.”

But Elise wondered if she
was
doing the right thing, being here with Theo.
I’m very confused, Lord. Help me to sort through these feelings I’m beginning to have for this man.

She had to stay focused and objective. And she had to keep reminding herself that Theo might once again belong with another woman.

Theo wondered why he’d thought it such a grand idea to hang around Elise Melancon. He should just tell her the truth, that he didn’t miss Maggie so very much. He shouldn’t have agreed to this idea, but he’d only done it to please her dear grandmother, whom he respected and cherished like his own family.

I’ve made a big mess, Lord,
he prayed.
And I need You to help me straighten things out.

But how, Theo wondered. How could he tell Elise the truth without hurting her? His feelings for her had changed somewhere between the forced haircut and the reality of getting to know her better. Or maybe, truth be told, his feelings had
begun
the minute he’d seen her standing there with her grandmother. Only now, he could never tell her that. She would leave
Belle Terre
thinking his heart belonged to another.

“What’s wrong?” Elise asked him now as she gazed up at him. They were standing on the porch of the cabin and she was obviously waiting for him to introduce her to his mother.

“Dat boy got his head in de clouds,” Theo’s mother said, laughing. “I’m Deidre. I gave birth to this big oaf.”

Theo watched to see if Elise was put off by his formidable mother’s chuckling and clucking. But he should have known Elise Melancon would never show disdain—that would be impolite.

“Hello,” Elise said, taking the hand the other woman extended. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Galliano.”

“Call me Deidre, honey,” she said, grasping Elise’s hand in hers with a sturdy shake. Theo knew her hands must feel work-worn and rough, but the warmth of her touch couldn’t be denied. He hoped Elise would like his mother.

Echoing Elise’s earlier words to him, Deidre held on to Elise as she gave him a quizzical motherly look. “What’s the matter with you, boy?”

“Nothing,” he said. “Just thinking.”

Deidre chuckled again. “You know what I say—thinking too much can only lead a man to trouble.”

Elise laughed, too. “Your mother sounds like a smart woman.”

That made Theo grin. “She is. She’d have to be to put with her brood of children.”

“Ain’t dat the truth, for sure,” Deidre said as she tugged Elise to the door. “C’mon in here and see what my oldest son’s been up to.”

“I’d like to meet the rest of your family sometime,” Elise said to Theo, then she glanced away, as if embarrassed.

“Someday,” Theo replied, wondering if she’d ever get that chance. And wondering if he’d ever get a chance to explain his actions to Elise. It didn’t help that his mother
was giving him intense and questioning stares. “Right now, we need to get this cabin decorated for Papa.”

He opened the screened door, then the thick cypress door of the tiny two room cabin. “I’ll light the lamp,” he said as the women followed him inside. “There isn’t any electricity in here.”

Theo went to a kerosene lamp sitting on the small kitchen table that his grandfather had built by hand. After putting a lighter to the thick charred wick, he turned at Elise’s gasp.

“Oh, my,” she said, spinning around, her arms held out wide. “Theo, this is just lovely.”

“My
bébé
boy’s done a very good job,” Deidre said, beaming.

Theo grinned with pride. He’d refurbished the cabin with as many authentic pieces as he could find. “I shopped the antique stores in New Orleans and up in Lafayette,” he said, shrugging. “And I even found some of this stuff at estate sales, some tossed out on the road.”

Deidre’s dark eyes went from her son’s face to Elise’s. “Me, I’m thinking I need to go to the truck and find that basket of snacks I packed. I made cocoa.”

Theo waved her away. She’d insisted on coming to help, but he knew she had just wanted to get a glimpse of rich, pretty Elise Melancon, too. At least his endearing mother had the good sense to give them some privacy.

“Oh, it’s a shame to think people would just toss out their heritage,” Elise said as she moved her hand over the shining veneer of a primitive pie safe. “I think it’s very noble of you to want to preserve an important part of your past.”

Theo nodded. “I guess that’s what your
grand-mère
is trying to do, with
Belle Terre.
”

He watched as Elise’s expression turned thoughtful. “Yes, I suppose so. Maybe that’s why she’s so bent on creating this new division at Melancon Oil and Gas.”

“It would be a good thing,” Theo said. “The oil companies have put a big dent in these old wetlands. Oil and gas are necessary, I realize. But we still need to leave the land as we find it and hurt not the earth nor the sea, as the Bible tells us.”

Elise turned to face him, her eyes glowing in the muted light from the lamp. “A lot of damage has been done, what with draining and dredging and building the oil and gas canals. I wouldn’t know where to begin to make things right.”

“Well, your
grand-mère
has the right idea, that’s for sure. Trying to clean up some of the damage would be a good start. I hope I can be a part of that someday.”

She came to stand beside him as he opened a shuttered window. When he turned to face her, the waning sunlight hit on her flaxen hair, making it shimmer like gold dust. “Do you think I should consider
Grand-mère’s
request for me to head up this new department?”

Theo didn’t know how to answer that. If Elise agreed to this, it would mean she’d be back here at
Belle Terre,
a lot. It would mean he’d get to see her. A lot. It would also mean he needed to level with her right now, no matter what the future held. “I think that is something you have to decide within your own heart,” he replied, hoping that weak answer would be enough for now.

Elise gave him a quizzical look, then nodded. “Well, we’d better get that tree decorated before it gets dark out there. I don’t think I’m ready to spend the night in the swamp.”

“No worries there,” Theo replied, glad to change the subject. “Your
maman
will have my hide if I keep you out too long. It wouldn’t look right, even if my
maman
is here to keep me in line.”

He saw the speculative look Elise cast toward him. Was she thinking that they didn’t look right together, in the swamp or out in the real world, either way?

Just another reminder that he was way in over his head, Theo decided.

The little tree was tiny. It hadn’t taken them long to string the strands of popcorn Theo had brought along. After that, they put some handmade decorations on the small cedar tree. The gleaming white Chrismon symbols only reinforced the closeness Elise was finding to the Lord, being back here in Bayou Branche. The white dove, the chalice, the crown, the star of David, and all the other symbols reminded her of what being a true Christian was really all about.

When they finished, she stood back to sip the hot cocoa Theo’s mother had brought in a big Thermos. “It’s lovely,” she stated, happy with their handiwork. Deidre had gone outside again, to piddle with the porch decorations.

“Beautiful,” Theo said, but when Elise glanced over at him, he wasn’t looking at the tree. Instead, his dark eyes were moving over her face with a tender intensity that left
Elise feeling all warm and cozy inside. Maybe it was just the rich hot cocoa his mother had insisted they drink.

“You’re staring again,” she said to break the silence.

“I know.”

“You can’t stare at Maggie like that. You might scare her away again.”

“Do I scare
you?
”

Elise had to think about that. She couldn’t answer him with her honest feelings. Yes, he scared her. But it was in a nice, exciting kind of way. “You intrigue me,” she finally said. “I wish I had time to really know you and understand you, Theo.”

“Nothing much to me,
chère,
” he replied, his eyes still on her as he leaned back against the table. “I’m a very simple man. I just want a good, decent life, a faith-filled life here in this place where I was born and raised. I just want to belong, and in belonging, I want to contribute, to give back something, anything.”

“You do belong,” Elise said, her heart doing strange tap-dancing things. “You belong here.”

“Maybe you do, too.”

It sounded like an invitation, or maybe a challenge.

She put down her cup and turned away. “Lately, I’m not so sure where I belong. I thought I had everything life could offer me. A good job with my daddy’s company, a nice home, good friends to laugh and have fun with.”

“Do you have a special friend? A man you’re interested in?”

She looked at the twinkling decorations on the tiny little tree. “No. I’ve dated various men on and off, but
there’s no one special. I envy what you have with Maggie. I mean, the way you’ve gone to such trouble to try to impress and get her back. It shows you care about her feelings.”

“I care,” he said. Then he looked away, too. “I’ve always cared. But I’ve also learned that two people don’t always make it on feelings alone. It takes more. It takes a commitment. They have to both want the same things.”

“Does Maggie want the simple life you mentioned?” Elise asked. She had to know. She didn’t want to see Theo get hurt if Maggie rejected him.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Reckon we’ll find out if she takes me back,
oui?
” Then he took their empty cups and packed them back inside the insulated picnic bag his mother had brought. “We’d better get back. It’s getting cold out there.”

Elise waited as he bundled her wool wrap around her shoulders. Why wouldn’t he look at her again?

“Theo?” she asked, afraid he was mad at her for asking him such personal questions.

He finally looked up at her, his big hands still on her arms over the warmth of her gray shawl. “Don’t ask me any more questions, Elise. Not now.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I didn’t mean to pry.”

He backed up, his hands falling at his side. “I don’t mind so much. It’s just—”

He didn’t finish. Instead, he turned and headed for the door. “Let’s get back.”

Outside Elise said goodbye to his mother. Deidre gave
her a hug, patting her on the back. “It was good to meet you,
bebelle.
”

The ride through the dusk-hued swamp was subdued. Elise studied the giant cypress trees along the bank, watching the way their pretty branches swayed in the soft, cold wind. Underneath, clusters of palmetto branches stood stark and scattered, like knife blades twisted between the dark mud and clumps of briars. This place was timeless, a true gift from the Lord.

She looked from the trees to the man guiding the boat.

He was as much a part of this bayou as those old trees.

And suddenly, Elise wanted to belong somewhere, too, just as Theo did. She wanted to belong here, right here, with this man. Because she had fallen in love with Theo Galliano.