A Bayberry Christmas: A Bayberry Island Holiday e-Novella Book 5

  She had no idea how much time had passed, but at some point, Leo’s gentle voice cut through her sobs.

  “Let it go, Tess.”

  She realized his arms encircled her, that she was tucked into his body, that her open-mouthed cries were muffled by his coat. Only Leo’s strength had held her upright.

  “What’s going on?”

  She shook her head, the corduroy of Leo’s coat scraping her cheeks. “I can’t…”

  Tess felt him rest his chin on top of her hat. “I’ve got you, Tess.”

  Maybe it was the comfort in those words, but she started to talk, and once she started, she couldn’t stop.

  “I never felt hot enough for him, you know? He enjoyed beautiful things, like his Ferrari. I’m more of a Ford.”

  Leo chucked softly. “I always say — buy American.”

  “Well, I’m an idiot. A fool. He lied to me! He lied to me for a very long time, and I didn’t see it — or I talked myself out of seeing it.”

  Leo held her tighter.

  “I think he was just a product of my imagination, you know? I so wanted him to be a good man. I so wanted him to love me. I wanted it so bad I couldn’t see the truth.”

  “What’s the truth, Tess?”

  She pulled away from Leo’s embrace. She knew she was a mess, and since she’d left her giant box of Kleenex back in the room, she’d have to find another way to clean up.

  Tess unzipped her coat and yanked the hem of her cotton T-shirt out from under her sweater. She used it to wipe off her eyes, nose, and face.

  Finally, she looked up at Leo. “Sorry. I’m an ugly crier. I’ll take your coat to the cleaners.”

  A strange look came over his face, a mix of wonder and confusion. He shook his head. He had snowflakes on his thick black eyelashes. “Tess Curry, there’s not a single ugly thing about you.”

  She stepped away, putting a few inches between them. Tess shoved her hands into the pocket of her coat.

  “I’m incredibly angry with myself. Leo.”

  “I hear you.”

  “I’m weak.”

  “A woman who opens herself up to love is anything but weak. Love takes strength.”

  Tess laughed. “Yeah, but I was wrong. I gave my love to the wrong man.”

  “So?”

  “He broke my heart.”

  “Yep. He lied to you, used you, and broke your heart, but there’s an upside to all this.”

  “Ha!” Tess looked around the square. The sun had cleared the horizon. She heard a car door open and close. The world was waking up to Christmas Eve on Bayberry Island.

  She turned back to Leo. “An Upside? I can’t wait to hear this.”

  Leo lowered his chin. He took a step toward her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “You’re still here, Tess. You’re still you, and you’re still alive, and you can appreciate all the beauty that surrounds you, right here and right now in this moment.”

  She nodded. “You’re right. I know you’re right.”

  “But I wonder…” Leo removed his hands from her shoulders, and she suddenly felt empty. “Why are you angry with yourself? Why are you mad that you misread the situation? What’s so bad about that?”

  Tess leaned back. She felt her eyes go wide. “Because I don’t trust myself. I can’t trust my eyes or my heart or my instincts. I don’t have faith in myself anymore.”

  A little smile curled at Leo’s lips.

  “So that’s it? That’s what I have to get over?”

  He nodded.

  “Oh, my God! You’re absolutely right! I …I can’t let Jake take that from me. It’s who I am.”

  “So don’t give it to him. He’s gone. It’s done. You don’t owe that man another second of your time or your energy. Let it go.”

  She shook her head and started laughing. “Is this what you do with your clients? You coach them out of beating themselves up?”

  Leo shrugged. “Sometimes. Though some are much faster on the uptake than others.”

  The air had already begun to warm. A water drop formed at the tip of an icicle, then plopped to the snow.

  “Life is precious, Tess. There’s no time to doubt yourself.”

  She looked into his dark eyes, smiling again, sparkling with sunrise. He was the most extraordinary man she’d ever met. Period. Who knew what would have been possible for them if they’d met a few years in the past — or a few years in the future?

  “Now,” Leo sighed in satisfaction. “It’s my turn to tell you one true thing about myself, if that’s all right.” “Of course!”

  “I’m starving.”

  Tess laughed, reached for his arm, and tucked him tight against her side. “Where to?”

  Leo looked down at her and grinned. “I know a great little place. Right up the hill.”

  * * *

  “Good mornin’, gorgeous.”

  Mellie’s mouth unhinged. She stopped what she was doing to stare at Leo and Tess, who were still peeling off their coats as they entered the kitchen.

  “Something smells delicious,” Tess said.

  “What’s on the menu?” Leo asked.

  Mellie seemed unable to speak. She looked from Leo to Tess and back again.

  “How do you take your coffee, Tess?” Leo headed toward the coffee maker.

  “Cream only, thanks.”

  “You got it.”

  “Oh, meu Deus!”

  Duncan had long-ago warned Leo to be careful if Imelda Silva ever started cursing in her native Portuguese. So on the way to the coffee pot, he stopped to kiss her cheek. That seemed cut through her daze

  Mellie studied Leo’s clothing. “No pool this morning?”

  “It’s Christmas Eve! I thought I’d take the day off.”

  She squinted. “You did?”

  “Would you like a cup, Mel?”

  She shook her head. “Where were you two?”

  Tess sat down at the kitchen island. “We took a walk to watch the sunrise. It was beautiful.”

  Mellie’s eyes widened.

  “Hey Mel, can we have a couple of these?” Leo pointed to the just-out-of-the-oven Danish.

  “Of course. They’re raspberry. Not too sweet —”

  “—just the way I like them. Thank you, Mel.”

  After coffee and pastries and a nice chat with Mellie, the two of them walked into the foyer and up the grand staircase, side by side.

  “What’s on your schedule the rest of the day?” Leo asked.

  “Sleep. You?”

  “Same.”

  They reached the top of the stairs and faced each other. Leo had no idea what would happen next with Tess. She might regret opening up to him the way she had. She might pull back.

  He tried not to show his surprise when she reached out for his hand and held it in her own. “Thank you, Leo. For everything.” She squeezed once before she let his hand drop.

  “Thank you, Tess.” He suddenly felt like a giddy junior high kid — should I hug her again? Try to kiss her? Leo couldn’t remember the last time a woman had made him feel like that.

  She turned away and headed toward her room at the end of the hall. Leo called after her. “Will I see you at the party tonight?”

  Tess turned back. “I’m not sure. I don’t really have anything to wear. Are you going?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it. I’m a big fan of new beginnings.”

  She rewarded him with a smile he’d probably remember the rest of his life. Leo had a feeling that as an old man, he’d reminisce about the girl with the sexy librarian glasses, the messy curls, and a smile that made him forget his own name.

  Chapter Six

  Four P.M., Christmas Eve

  Rowan’s private family apartment took up an entire corner of the B and B’s second floor. Tess located the door marked PRIVATE and stood for a whole minute, raising her hand to knock, then pulling it back again. Finally, she got the nerve.

  Rowan answered. “Tess! Come on in!”

  Annie waved fro
m the living room. “We were just talking about you.”

  “Oh?”

  “We think you should come back this summer, stay for a couple weeks.”

  The idea had definitely occurred her, though getting someone to cover at the clinic could be a challenge. But she had come here to ask a specific question, and she needed to get it over with.

  “Um, Rowan, I have a favor to ask. I need to borrow a dress for tonight. Would you mind?”

  Annie jumped from the chair and practically dragged Tess inside the apartment. “Mind? Are you kidding? Get in here! We live for this shit!”

  Rowan was already turning from the door. “I know the perfect dress. Do you like vintage styling?”

  Tess looked to Annie, who nodded enthusiastically.

  Tess answered. “Yes, I like vintage styling.”

  Rowan gestured for them to follow. They entered a lovely master bedroom and Tess stopped, assuming she should wait outside the walk-in closet. Annie shook her head to the contrary.

  “Trust me. You’re gonna want to see this.”

  The set of double doors opened to a closet the size of a large bedroom, lined from floor to ceiling with custom shelves, cabinetry, and hanging rods. In the center was an island of small cubbies and drawers topped with a single slab of quartz.

  “Wow.” Tess stopped to take it all in.

  Annie leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Told you.”

  “Here it is.” When Rowan turned, a blur of green followed in her wake. “It should fit you. We’re about the same size, though I might be taller. I hope it’s not too short.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Tess was stunned.

  Annie whistled. “Day-um. I remember that dress — you wore it for your wedding reception, didn’t you?”

  “That’s the one.”

  Tess held out her hands, palms out. “I can’t. It’s too special. I’ll rip it or spill eggnog on it or something.”

  Rowan shrugged. “It’s already worked its magic for me, Tess. I’d really love it if you could get some use out of it.”

  Tess accepted the hanger, but couldn’t move. She just stared.

  Rowan touched her shoulder. “Take your time. Try it on. If you don’t like it, we’ll keep looking. If you do like it, give us a shout so we can see.”

  “Okay.”

  It took some doing. Tess had to shimmy to pull the nipped-in waist over her hips. But eventually, everything squeezed into its designated place and she stood before the huge mirror, not believing what she was seeing.

  The velvet was a rich, a soft evergreen shade, with just a bit of stretch to it. The neckline was quite dramatic, wide and square as it cut straight across her chest. The little cap sleeves were just an accent, really, not actual sleeves. And the waist was shirred, gathered off the side in an asymmetrical fan of fabric.

  And the skirt? The skirt was tight. And shorter than her comfort zone.

  Tess must have been stood there for a while, staring at herself. She heard a knock on the door.

  “Everything okay?” Annie asked.

  “Oh! Yes — come on in.”

  After the gasping had run its course and Annie and Rowan assured her that “too tight” and “too short” were not concerns, they began pulling out the extras. High heels, earrings, bracelets… kinds of things Tess never wore. Ever.

  Rowan offered her a pair of long, dangly earrings shining with emeralds. In her head, all Tess saw was a jewelry store receipt with lots of zeros. She told Rowan she couldn’t possibly wear them.

  “Oh, they’re not real!” Rowan sounded as if she were proud of that fact. “And even if they were, I would still insist. So let’s see what they look like.”

  Tess slipped the pierced earrings into place.

  “Holey moly,” Rowan said.

  “You are suh-mo-kin’,” Annie said. “Too bad you’re Nat’s cousin.”

  They all laughed.

  Next, Rowan and Annie played with Tess’s hair, finally deciding to gather it loosely at the nape of her neck, leaving tendrils around her face.

  “Stunning.” Rowan stepped back to admire her work. “I know a man who’s going to need CPR this evening.”

  Tess made eye contact the women looking at her in the mirror. They couldn’t contain their grins. Annie even started to giggle.

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “L-Mo,” Rowan said.

  “Elmo?”

  They laughed hysterically. “No. L-Mo — that’s what Duncan calls him. You know, short for Leo Molinaro. It’s kind of sexy, don’t you think?”

  Of course the nickname was sexy. The man was sexy. But Tess decided to keep that to herself.

  She shook her head. “Leo’s wonderful, but come on. Seriously. I broke up with Jake just days ago. Another man is the last thing on my to-do list.”

  “We know that.” Annie touched her bare shoulder. “But it’s awfully good to see you smile.”

  * * *

  Leo worked very hard to appear relaxed. The open house was already crowded, and he was forced to dodge people carrying plates loaded with food. Christmas music was wired into every corner of the downstairs. Little kids ran around. Laughter rang in his ears.

  But where was Tess? Was she not coming?

  He tugged at the tie around his neck.

  “Looking sharp, L-Mo.” Duncan appeared behind him.

  “Hey!” He ran his hands down the suit jacket. “Thanks again for the loaner.”

  “No problem. Looks good on you. So…” Duncan glanced over the sea of partygoers and swiveled his head around. “Has she come down yet?”

  “Who?”

  Duncan laughed. “You just keep telling yourself that, my man.” He wandered off into the throng.

  Leo talked with a few people, including a dude in coveralls and a woman who looked a lot like Dolly Parton. Suddenly, he caught a flash of green out of the corner of his eye, which wouldn’t be unusual, since the mansion was wall-to-wall pine boughs, wreaths, and Christmas trees. But he turned toward the flash, and all the oxygen in the room was gone.

  Nothing to wear? Leo’s heart skipped. His mouth went dry. He had to blink.

  If Tess Curry had been lovely in snowman pajama pants and scone crumbs, there were no words for what he was seeing now, this vision, this unbroken line creamy skin and velvet curves.

  Her hair was up. She had a graceful neck. Her glasses were gone! (Her glasses were gone?) And her hazel eyes reflected the green of her dress.

  Leo felt his smile widen. He watched her left palm slide along the polished banister as she made careful high-heeled progress down the central staircase. Tess had gorgeous legs. Tess had gorgeous … everything.

  She turned just then, locking her gaze on his. She smiled, and Leo’s pulse hammered beneath his skin.

  Tess.

  He moved trough the crowd to get to her, offering his arm as she prevailed over the last step. She slid against him, all silky and sweet-smelling.

  Damn.

  And for some reason, she looked as impressed with him as he was with her. She rose on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, her breath warm against his cheek.

  “Nice suit, L-Mo.”

  He pulled away, laughing. “You’ve been talking to people.”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  He wanted to say something. He wanted to tell her she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life, that she was so beautiful that his heart hurt just looking at her — but instead he stood there, awkward as hell, staring. Finally he found his voice.

  “Tess, you —”

  She tilted her head, waiting, those dangly earrings dancing in the light.

  “You look amazing.” That was lame. “Amazingly healthy, is what I meant to say.”

  She tilted her head back and laughed, eyes closed, and that’s when it hit him — he would do everything in his power to make sure this wasn’t their last Christmas together.

  In less than two days, this woman was scheduled to get on a ferry an
d disappear from his life. He couldn’t let that happen.

  * * *

  Leo was the perfect gentleman, escorting Tess to the buffet, finding them a table, making sure she had a full glass of champagne. It had been a long time since Tess had been taken care of like this, as if she were a treasure. It had been a long time since she’d felt this happy.

  The mansion was decked out like a magazine spread. Thick and fragrant evergreen boughs draped every railing and every mantel. The largest Christmas tree was tucked into the corner of the foyer, strung with cranberries and popcorn and fitted with tiny electric candles. Large red velvet bows were affixed to the bar, to the disc jockey table, to the windowsills.

  Tess took in the crowd. Rowan looked stunning in a simple black cocktail dress and Annie sophisticated in gray satin ankle pants and a white lace blouse. Little Christina looked adorable in a red velvet dress with white tights and Mary Janes. Rowan’s toddler, Serena, was soaking up the attention in her red tartan plaid dress and matching bow. But it was baby Lorelei who had snagged evening’s best-dressed title: she wore a Christmas-themed mermaid onesie, her kicking feet tucked into a sequined fantail.

  The air was fragrant with delicious food, hearth fires, and freshly cut pine. The disc jockey seemed determined to spin Christmas tunes from every genre imaginable, from slow jazz and R&B to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It sounded and smelled like storybook Christmas.

  In the midst of it all, Fraser and Mona Flynn held court, happily accepting congratulations from a steady influx of neighbors and friends. Watching them now, it was difficult for Tess to believe they had spent so many years in a stubborn standoff.

  Perhaps Tess had missed something. Maybe these people — all the husbands and wives of Bayberry — weren’t happy because they had a secret. Maybe they just believed love was worth fighting for.

  Leo leaned forward on the table. “You’re quiet.”

  Tess had been purposefully looking at anything but Leo. She knew he’d catch her staring again. In fact, she had real concerns that he might catch her drooling.

  He was that unbearably good looking tonight. Leo was so hot she worried he might set the tablecloth on fire.