July's Jubilant Christmas Jumble Page 4

  “Here,” he said handing her a small business card.

  A half an hour later with all of the paperwork stowed in the office, Jamie sat down with her grandmother and the three people that were going to help them whip the summer season into shape.

  Chapter 7

  Carlos looked around the table at his brother and sister as they chatted with Mrs. Walton and her granddaughter.

  The old woman was having a wonderful time asking the two teens questions about school and modern lingo while making sure that everyone had plenty to eat.

  It felt odd to sit at a table with a family. It had been just the three of them for so long, and all too often he wasn’t even home at meal times. Painters were supposed to be able to set their own schedules and have time to spend with their families, but that wasn’t true for Carlos.

  He’d been the soul breadwinner in his family for nearly ten years already, and though he loved his sister and brother more than anything, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have someone else to help ease the load.

  Both Pablo and Anita had been working as soon as they were old enough, with Anita babysitting, and Pablo cutting grass or doing odd jobs. They were good kids; no, they were great kids, who had lost their parents too soon. He looked over at Jamie and that strange warm feeling filled him again. She was clever, ambitious, and had great ideas for how to really bring this holiday resort back to new glory days.

  “I forgot to tell you,” Carlos said leaning closer to Jamie. “I sent off a few scrapings from the inn to a friend of mine, and hopefully, we’ll have an idea about the original colors of the house in a week or two.”

  “Really!” Jamie’s eyes glowed with excitement. “Could you tell anything from what you did?”

  “No,” Carlos said sadly shaking his head. “It doesn’t work that way. They use a spectrometer to sort out the dyes and ratios so that you can get an exact match. It is rather technical and time consuming.”

  “Are you thinking of painting the house as well?” Anita asked her eyes wide. “I love to see these old places restored. It’s like stepping back in time and seeing it when it was brand new.”

  Lavinia patted the young girl’s hand. “It’s been white for so long I can’t even remember what color it was,” she admitted. “Though I’m not sure it was the original color even back when I was a child. My mother may have had it painted.”

  “I hope it doesn’t turn out to be some of those horrible mustard yellow and mud green colors,” Pablo muses. “Sometimes I’m not sure what people were thinking back in the day.”

  “Pablo,” Carlos scolded gently.

  “That’s alright,” Lavinia said with a cackle. “The boy’s right. I’m afraid if it turns out this house was mustard yellow originally, I’m not sure we’ll go that route, at least not while I’m still living,” she added with a grin.

  “Gram,” Jamie chided.

  “Well it’s true. I’ve seen some pretty terrible restorations on old Victorian homes. I might not live to be one hundred, but if I do, I want this house to be pretty, not the color of mud.”

  Together everyone laughed at the woman’s statement and again Carlos thought about how nice it was to sit around a table and chat. Still it was getting late, and he had better get the family moving soon.

  “I’m afraid we’ve stayed past our welcome,” he started only to be shut down by a glare from Mrs. Walton.

  “Oh no you don’t,” she said. “We have pie.” Rising from her chair she collected the steaming dish from the oven and carried it to the table. “And ice-cream,” she added waving a pie server in her hand. “You’ll all have pie, and then if you have to go, I’ll let you.”

  Chapter 8

  “Gram tomorrow you can help me start putting some things into the Fourth of July Cabin. It turned out better than I could have imagined,” Jamie enthused that evening as she and her grandmother sat down to watch a favorite T.V. Show. They were both crazy about science fiction shows, and this one was an old favorite with actors and realistic puppet like characters blended together.

  “That’ll be fun,” Lavinia said. “Do you have special soaps and lotions for there as well? I’ve put the others all out in the guest rooms here in the main house. We have our first guests arriving next week you know. You’ll have to make sure that Mr. Wissen keeps his mess to a minimum,” she added thoughtfully.

  “I’ve got another order in for more of the specialty soaps and lotions,” Jamie agreed. “I’m so glad that Audrey put me on to her aunt’s products. She used to share samples of them in college you know.”

  Lavinia nodded. Jamie hadn’t had many friends while she was studying. She was far too busy hurrying through her courses for that, but she had met a few others who were studying hospitality, and they had shared ideas.

  “What about towels?” the old woman finally asked. “Did they come in with the other box?”

  “No, but I’m sure they’ll arrive soon. I know it is all silly Gram, but this has been so much fun figuring out how everything would come together.”

  Lavinia yawned and switched off the T.V. “It’s going to be a long day tomorrow,” she said with a grin. “I’m heading to bed.”

  “Night Gram,” Jamie said brushing her long hair off her shoulders. “I’ll be off to bed soon as well.”

  Flipping her computer open Jamie scanned through the receipts of the last few weeks. So far she had everything up to date and with bookings starting next week they were already looking like they would have a busy summer.

  Gram said she was looking for a cook, but for now, they would just do their usual fare while guest numbers were low. If bookings continued, and they didn’t have too many cancelations, they should come out a little ahead at the end of the season. Jamie had even more plans for developing the property for all season use as well, but for now, she would have to see where the numbers fell and then go from there.

  Closing her laptop, Jamie walked to the wide bank of windows that faced out over the lake. In the distance she could see a big ship, its lights twinkling like a floating Christmas tree, far out on the water. The thought of Christmas made her smile thinking of Carlos and his ideas for the Christmas Cottage. Could she truly capture the spirit of Christmas in the tiny house? Her thoughts went to the paintbrush ornament she’d received just two days ago as she flicked off the light heading to her room.

  Earlier, Jamie had hung the hand crafted ornament on a hook on her old bureau and even with the lights off the brush seemed to glow softly in the dim light. It certainly was a pretty thing.

  Jamie lifted the ornament feeling the weight of it in her hand. It was smooth, and felt somehow warm to the touch as if it had some magical property generating heat.

  “I think you’ll look beautiful in the Christmas Cottage,” Jamie said hanging the ornament up once more. The warmth that had settled in her hand made her think of Carlos, and she smiled admitting she rather liked the man. Still it was never good to get involved with someone working for you. Or was it?

  Getting ready for bed Jamie snuggled down into her warm blankets while the events of the day whirled through her head like snow swirled in a snow globe.

  So many things had happened so fast that she could barely sort out the thoughts, feelings, and hopes that fluttered inside her.

  She had the quilts, the ornaments, the freshly painted cottage, and two young people to help her get things moving. Then there was Carlos. He was beyond attractive, with his hazel green eyes, amber skin, and raven wing hair. He was even cute in his painter overalls that seemed to wrap his posterior ever so nicely.

  Shaking her head to clear it, Jamie burrowed deeper into her blankets and tried to switch her brain off. It had been a good day, she would just have to wait and see what tomorrow would bring.

  ***

  The next morning Jamie woke to the crisp clean glow of a new day, but before the sun’s pink light had touched her cheeks they glowed red from the memories of her dreams that night.

&nbs
p; She should have known better than to let her mind wonder to Carlos before she slept, but the memories of his dream kisses still felt so real, and she shivered with the thrill that even dream kisses had wrought.

  Hopping out of bed, Jamie hurried to the shower to try to wash the dreams from her head, but even after she’d dressed and headed to the kitchen for breakfast, she didn’t know how she would face the man if she saw him that day. Which deep down she truly hoped she would.

  Jamie had enjoyed her time talking with Carlos and sharing thoughts, ideas, and plans with him. After meeting his brother and sister, she was developing a newfound respect for the man who was giving a new lease to her tired little cottages.

  Chapter 9

  Carlos grabbed his lunch bag from the seat of his truck and hurried toward the Christmas Cottage dragging his supplies with him on a wheeled cart.

  Looking both ways before stepping up onto the little board walk he scanned the area for Miss Walton then scurried toward the building he would be working on that day.

  He knew he was a coward, but after the dreams he’d had about the young woman the night before, he wasn’t sure he could face her without wanting to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless.

  Turning a jaded eye toward the lake Carlos wondered if a dip in the frigid waters would clear his head and his befuddled heart. Last night, sitting around the table with Jamie and her grandmother, accompanied by his younger brother and sister had done something strange to the painter’s heart.

  Something in him had turned, and he couldn’t help but long for more than the long days and endless hours of work. He felt like he was missing out on the last few years that he and his siblings would be a real family, and he wondered at the possibility of lonely years ahead.

  Carlos had never had time for dating, or girlfriends after his parents had died. The car accident that had taken them had left him the only adult in the family, and even then at only nine-teen, he had barely been able to keep them together.

  Stopping in front of the Christmas Cottage, he looked up at the wooden icicle trim that Mr. Wissen had added only yesterday. It was exactly what he had envisioned, and he smiled at it appreciatively. A good coat of primer and then some bright white paint would really make them pop.

  Looking both directions to assure that he was alone, and that Miss Walton hadn’t magically appeared out of thin air, he stepped into the cottage, shook out his drop clothes and got to work.

  ***

  Jamie gazed out the window along the neat row of holiday cabins that ringed the edge of the lake as she sipped her coffee.

  She had just seen Carlos hurry to the Christmas Cottage and a warmth that had nothing to do with the dark brew she sipped filled her. When he bent over to pick up paint cans from his little cart though she couldn’t help stretch to get a better view.

  “What you lookin’ at?” Grandma Lavinia said stepping into the kitchen and making Jamie jump with a squeak.

  “Nothing!” Jamie snapped dabbing at the coffee that she had just dribbled down her clean shirt.

  Lavinia looked at her granddaughter and grinned. She’d seen the handsome painter hurrying off to get started on the day’s work and knew exactly what Jamie had been ogling out the window.

  “Best take that off and get a clean one,” she said repressing a giggle. “You want to look presentable for any guests don’t you?”

  Jamie flushed wondering if her grandmother suspected that she’d been checking out the hot painter’s backside. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Take your time,” Lavinia said hiding her grin. “I’ll get breakfast started.”

  ***

  “Oh my goodness, Anita. I’m going to lose my mind,” Rose, Anita’s best friend said as they headed to homeroom for registration that day at school. “Mom and Dad do nothing but fight all the time.”

  Together the two girls, as different as night and day in appearance, entered the room and took their seats at the back of the class.

  “Why? What’s going on?” Anita asked seeing the worry on Rose’s face.

  “I don’t know but ever since my baby brother was born,” the girl said. “All they do is fight. They argue over everything. The other day dad left his coffee cup in the office and mom had a fit. She was crying and shouting, then Benny woke up squawking and she ran to their room slamming the door.”

  Anita shook her head feeling for her friend. She hadn’t been over to the Rose’s home since the new baby had been born nearly four months earlier, but she could only imagine how hard it was to adjust.

  “What did your dad do?” she asked knowing that her friend needed to vent.

  “He threw the mug in the trash, completely smashed it,” the girl said her blue eyes going wide. “It’s like I’m living with two complete strangers,” she continued. “Maybe if Rob came back from college things would be more normal, you know, but he’s taking an internship this year.”

  Anita tapped her temple thinking. “How’s Benny doing now, is he sleeping through the night finally?”

  “Yeah, at least most nights, but I think mom still has to get up and feed him and maybe change him. I help during the day, but she’s got him at night since I have school.”

  “Maybe your parents just need a little break,” Anita mused. “What if we agreed to watch Benny for a weekend, and they could get away?”

  Rose tilted her head thinking about it. “I know I could use a break from all of the shouting, and Benny takes a bottle so that’s not a problem, but where could they go that they could afford? I know having the baby was rather unexpected and expensive.”

  “I have an idea,” Anita said as the teacher began to take attendance. “I’ll talk to you at lunch.”

  By lunch time Anita had the whole thing worked out if only she could pull it off. She would need to get over to the Old Inn as soon as school was out though and talk to Miss Walton. Surely between the two of them they could work something out. She and Rose both had their baby-sitting certificates and first aid training, so if they could convince the so-called grownups, she was sure everything would work out.

  Chapter 10

  Jamie had managed to avoid Carlos all day, carefully skirting around the backs of buildings, or running errands in town.

  She had hoped to avoid going out to the cabins all day, but when Mr. Wissen called her and said he needed her to look at something, she couldn’t avoid it any longer.

  Grabbing her bag and notebook Jamie headed toward the cottage that Mr. Wissen had indicated, but instead of going straight down the boardwalk, she turned around the back of the tiny huts and behind the cottages.

  She had just made the turn around the Christmas Cottage heading for Big Bear when Carlos stepped out the side door colliding with her mid stride.

  Jamie felt her head connect with the painter’s chin and she reeled back, staggering but strong arms grasped her before she could fall pulling her into a warm, intimate embrace.

  “I’m sorry,” Carlos’s voice rolled over her and Jamie looked up into bright eyes, her aching head all but forgotten as she was drawn into him.

  “It’s not your fault,” Jamie said her voice a breathy whisper. “I seem to have a knack for bumping into you.”

  “Hm?” Carlos asked lost in her gaze. She seemed to fit in his arms perfectly, warm and close and kissable. He felt himself swallow as the last thought zipped through his brain.

  “Are you alright?” Jamie asked. “I didn’t hurt you did I?”

  A slow smile spread across the painter’s face and he wiggled his jaw to see if anything were amiss. “Everything seems to work,” he said.

  Jamie turned her dark eyes to the man’s jaw line. “Where?” she asked dumbly.

  “Here,” he touched a spot just to the right of his chin.

  Jamie leaned in kissing the spot he indicating then pulled back at the realization of what she had done. “All better,” she said too loudly as she slipped from his arms. “Isn’t that how you fix a bump?” she added feeling her
face flame red.

  “Seem’s to have worked,” Carlos agreed taking a half step back, to keep himself from pulling her in and kissing her lips. The dream kisses from the night before were so perfect that he wondered if her lips would taste like maple syrup and coffee like he had imagined.

  “Uhm, I’m meeting with Mr. Wissen,” Jamie finally said awkwardly. “I’d better move,” she continued, but she stayed right where she was.

  “I think he’s over at Big Bear,” Carlos said doing nothing to hurry her on her way.

  “Right,” Jamie finally seemed to shake herself out of her daze. “I’ll see you later I guess.”

  “Bye,” Carlos said watching her hurry on down the cabins.

  Jamie wanted to plant her face in her palm. Of all the stupid things to do. To walk right into Carlos like that then kiss him like some sort of injured child. She groaned inwardly, as her face seemed to renew its efforts to glow brighter than the sun.

  Licking her lips she ducked around the corner of the next cabin and pressed her back against the wall. Her lips still tasted like Carlos; like warm sunshine, and fresh spring soap.

  “Pull yourself together,” Jamie growled trying to make her heart listen to her brain as she peeled herself from the cottage wall and headed toward Mr. Wissen.

  “What happened to you?” the older contractor asked as Jamie came to stand before him.

  “What?” Jamie flushed, “Nothing.”

  “Then why do you have white primer all down your back?” the man asked with a chuckle.

  Jamie twisted trying to look over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of the new shade of her jacket. Well at least it would be an excuse to buy something new.