Celeste O. Norfleet - This Holiday Magic

“ Despised is a strong word,” Ben corrected as he slipped his suit jacket on and turned to her. “I felt Tyson was distracting you from your goal. I didn’t want that to happen. You always wanted to be a doctor. It was your dream. I didn’t want you to one day look back and have regrets. When you told me you were considering quitting your residency, I knew you were confused.”

“Dad, I don’t have any regrets and, for the record, back then I considered quitting my residency every other day. Medical school was hard.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. You know your mother quit her dreams for me. She wanted to be a doctor, too. This was way before you were born.”

Janelle frowned. “I never knew that. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ben nodded. “I guess maybe I always felt guilty for standing in the way of her dream. She never said it, but I always felt she regretted giving it up to be my wife.”

“Dad, no. Mom would never even think something like that. She loved us fiercely. I’m sure she never regretted her life.”

Ben nodded solemnly. “No, you’re right. She didn’t. But when she died I promised myself I’d never stand in the way of your dreams. I’m very proud of you, Dr. Truman.” He hugged her, then grabbed his keys and started toward the front door. She followed. As he walked, he unfastened one key from the loop. “Here’s the key to the other car. It’s got a full tank. Go out. Enjoy your day.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she said, taking the key and kissing his cheek.

“Hey, how about I take my favorite girl out to dinner tonight?” Ben said as he opened the front door.

She nodded. “Yeah, that sounds perfect.” He turned to walk away. She called out to him. “Dad, wait. What aren’t you telling me? You’re hiding something. I can tell.”

He sighed, turned back to her and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “There’s nothing. I’ve told you absolutely everything about the business. Now, give my best to Nya and Meg. I have to go.”

She nodded slowly, knowing in her heart there was more to his story and his hasty retreat. She was to meet Nya at twelve, which gave her just enough time to catch up with Tyson to find out what was really going on.

She went back inside and quickly grabbed her phone and dialed Tyson’s number from her call log. He answered on the second ring, and his deep voice instantly sent a warm tremor through her body. “Tyson.”

“Good morning, Janelle. How are you feeling today?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“Jet lag?” he asked.

“No.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Can we talk?”

“Of course. Where are you now?” he asked.

“I’m at my dad’s. I know you must have a busy work schedule, but do you think we can meet sometime today? This morning if possible?” she asked.

“How about right now?” he offered.

“Yes, perfect. I’m on my way out the door this minute. I can meet you wherever you’d like.”

She opened the front door and stopped and gasped.

Chapter 6

Tyson stood in the doorway with a smile that instantly sent her senses into emotional overdrive. As usual, gorgeous didn’t do him justice. He wore a charcoal-colored business suit with a white shirt and a dark tie. “Tyson,” she muttered breathlessly.

“Good morning again, Janelle,” he said, ending the call and smiling warmly. “I’m guessing this is soon enough.”

She stared at him with her cell phone still up to her ear. It was as if thinking about him all morning had, by magic, conjured him up. She didn’t know how, but ever since the very beginning of their relationship, he always had a way of knowing exactly when she needed him. “How did you...? What are you doing here?” she asked.

“You called me. I came. I thought that was obvious.”

“I’m sorry. You just took me by surprise again. I didn’t expect to see you immediately.”

“Actually, I wanted to catch up with Ben before he left for work this morning.”

“You just missed him, but I’m glad you’re here.”

“May I come in?” he asked, still standing on the top step.

“Yes, please, come in.” He stepped inside, paused and then turned to her. They stood there a moment until she spoke again. “Um, can I get you something to eat or drink?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine. Are you okay? You seem uneasy.”

“How is it you always know when I’m troubled?”

He smiled. “I don’t know. I guess I just do. What can I do to help?”

“It’s about my father. He’s...”

Tyson’s expression instantly changed. “What happened? Is he okay?” he interrupted, obviously concerned.

“Yes, he’s fine,” she said, noting his abrupt reaction and seeing his strained expression. “Apparently he’s better than fine. All of a sudden he’s eating right, exercising and taking care of himself. I couldn’t be happier.”

Tyson nodded with relief. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

“Come, we can talk in the living room,” she said, walking past him. He followed, looking around at all the decorations.

“Wow. I see you’re all ready for Christmas. This is incredible. I forgot how much your father loves the holiday season.”

“Yeah, he does,” she said. “He always tried to make it extra special for me because of my mother’s death. He never wanted me to feel sad.” She watched as he walked over to the Christmas tree and then to the fireplace mantel, where he fingered the stocking for his daughter. “He put up Christmas stockings for you and your daughter.”

“Yes, I know,” Tyson said, then turned to her. “He told me. He also invited us over for Christmas dinner, but that was before you came home. I’m sure he’ll want to spend the holiday with you.”

“There’s no reason for plans to change on my account. There’s always room for one or two more.”

“Thank you. So, tell me, what’s troubling you?”

“I need you to tell me the whole truth about what’s going on with my father. Is his business in real danger?”

“Yes, it is. Ben has made some questionable business decisions, and unfortunately, it’s put his company in serious jeopardy.”

“If it’s about money, I have a trust fund from my mother and her family. It’s worth quite a bit of money. I want to use that to help him.”

Tyson shook his head. “Ben has taken that off the table.”

“I’m putting it back on. I have a stake in the company, too.”

“We’ve talked about opening the company to public shares or taking on an investment partner.”

She shook her head. “I can’t see him doing that. He’s a very private man. I don’t think he’d be happy to have others involved in running it. But isn’t the real-estate climate improving?”

“Yes, it is, but at this point he’s in too deep and time has already run out on him. Maybe you can talk to him. He’s stubborn. And unfortunately, he may have no choice. Whether or not he is reluctant, private investors may be his only alternative.”

She nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Good. Thank you. I guess I’d better go.” He walked away.

“Earlier, when I asked about my father, you seemed worried.” Tyson stopped and turned to her. “You know something else about him, don’t you?” she prompted. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“What do you mean?” he asked innocently.

She shook her head, knowing his expressions too well. Just like her father, he was hiding something. “Please don’t play games with me, Tyson. This is too serious. I know you just as well as you think you know me. You’re hiding something, just like Dad. What is it? What’s going on?”

“You need to talk to your father about this.”

“He’ll give me the same double-talk I get from you. Tyson, please, if you know something about my father, tell me. I have to know.”