Page 42 of Stuck With My Christmas Crush

Jason laughs and holds my hand up to his lips. He kisses it gently.

“I left him with Meredith. Don’t worry.”

“I thought he was all alone at the mansion. I couldn’t bear that.” I cover my mouth with my other hand. “Okay. Sorry. What were you saying?”

Everyone laughs. Then Calvin and Lou bring in plates piled high with a vegetarian Christmas feast. A nut roast with all the trimmings and onion gravy. We eat and chatabout other things. It feels wonderful to have Jason with me. I steal a sideways look his way.

He holds my gaze for a moment, then he says, “This really is wonderful food,” as he maneuvers another forkful of sweet potato toward his mouth. “I’ve never had a vege Christmas before.”

“Something tells me that you’d better get used to it,” Lou says with a cheeky wink.

Chapter 21

Jason

Iwas so surprised that I enjoyed a vegetarian Christmas dinner. And I feel so at home and welcome at Charlie’s place. Lou and Calvin are the friendliest people.

After dinner, Charlie and I take the plates to the kitchen, wash the dishes, and tidy up. We chat away as if we do this all the time. I mention this fact to Charlie, who blushes as she takes a plate from the dish rack, dries it with a tea towel, and puts it away on the shelf.

“We hardlyknow each other,” she says still blushing. She sweeps her fringe away from her eyes with the back of her hand.

“This is true,” I say washing another plate. “But like what you said at my place in the storm, I like what I know so far.” I smile at Charlie. “And I’d like to get to know you more. So, here’s the thing, unless you supply me with detailed documentation, I think the best way of getting to know someone is to share time with them. Or am I being hopelessly optimistic and old-fashioned?”

Charlie laughs and says, “No. I think sharing time with you would be fine. And…” She stops and bites her lip, then smiles back at me. “Jason.”

“Yep.” I scrub a handful of silverware and put it on the dish rack to drain, then pause to wait for Charlie to continue.

“I am so happy that you’re not selling the mansion.” She wipes the counter. “I was upset by the thought of that beautiful grand old place being torn down.” Charlie stops wiping the counter and turns to face me, holding the tea towel at her chest as if she’s praying. “I just felt the loss of something irreplaceable right here in my heart.” She frowns at me with sad eyes. “That’s why I didn’t call you back. I was just so sad.” She turns to wipe the counter again. “It’s noneof my business, of course. I mean, what you do with your inheritance is…”

“No. I understand. I felt that too.” I splosh clean water on another plate and place it on the dish rack. “I spent so long thinking about the sensible choices, the figures on the page, and what the money would mean to Meredith and Maddie. I didn’t see what was right in front of me.” I lift my soapy hands from the water in a useless comic gesture and shake my head. “Charlie. When you came to see me and we got the gramophone going and I showed you around the house, it dawned on me what a treasure it is.” I wash another plate. “And finding out about Great Aunt Alice and her story. She was quite a character by all accounts.” Charlie listens intently as I say all the things I’ve been wanting to tell her. “But I’m a practical man. And being me, I didn’t want to give in to my emotions.” I laugh as I think about what the mansion means to me now. “To hang on to the house makes no economic sense. It’s a massive financial gamble. And to not sell it would also mean a huge lifestyle change for me.” I pause to frame my thoughts. “Charlie. Remember when we were at the mansion, and you asked me about my best life. ‘What is that?’ you said.” I reach for the roasting tin and begin to scrub it with the brush. “I couldn’t answer because I didn’t know how. I thought I knew what my best life lookedlike. But that was before I moved into the mansion. And it was before I met you.” My eyes meet Charlie’s which are soft and searching. She doesn’t interrupt, so I go on. “I didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t know anymore because so much had changed. The life I had been living - from contract to contract, from place to place - just didn’t seem fulfilling anymore. It was a life I didn’t want to go back to. And, until you asked me, I hadn’t considered how irrelevant it was.” I smile at Charlie because I’m aware that I’ve been talking for a while, but I need her to hear me. “So, I had this internal battle going on between Jason, practical, sensible, makes decisions based on facts and figures, and this new Jason who… Gosh. I hardly know who he is, but this new Jason has taken over and is ready to take a massive risk with a falling-down hotel. And, Charlie. That’s all because of you.” I laugh. “Yes. I am blaming you. It’s all your fault.”

Charlie’s eyes crinkle at the edges and she puts her hand to her mouth to hide her shy smile. “Hearing you say this changes everything. Jason. You have no idea how much this changes everything.”

Charlie starts to giggle. She drops the tea towel on the counter. Her eyes are wide and shining with wonder. I desperately want to kiss her, but my hands are wet and soapy and still in the sink.

“I’m sorry,” I say with urgency. “I need to do something now that’s very important and I don’t want it to be here in the kitchen when we’re doing the dishes.” I grab the tea towel and dry my hands. “Come on.” I reach for Charlie and lead her out of the kitchen and through to the living room where Lou and Calvin are playing a game with a tiny pack of cards. I walk to the bag that I brought with me and find the juggling balls.

“I suggest you stand back,” I say with serious determination. “I’m just a beginner.”

Lou and Calvin pause their game and look up with mild interest. Charlie stands in the doorway. I assess that I’ll have adequate space to do what I’ve been practicing.

I take a deep inhalation and blow it out to focus my concentration, then I toss one of the balls into the air in front of me. The first ball is followed by another tossed with the other hand. As the first ball descends, I toss the third and catch the first one with the same hand. This simple rotating action seems easy enough in theory, but the hand-eye coordination, and remembering to not hold my breath, have taken a lot of practice. My basic display is, inevitably short-lived, as all the balls, one by one, drop to the floor.

“Bravo!” calls Calvin who stands up to applaud enthusiastically. Lou whistles loudly and Charlie has coveredher mouth with her hands but her shoulders quake with laughter. She finally shakes her head and comes over to hug me.

“Please. Charlie. I’d like to schedule some lessons,” I say ignoring the colorful juggling balls, lying where they fell, at my feet. “If you have the time and patience for me.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she says as I take her in my arms. It feels so good to hold her. I bury my face in her hair and breathe in her scent of cinnamon, pine needles, and strawberries.

“Do you want a job?” says Lou hugging Calvin. “We’re always on the lookout for new talent.”

“I know what the Christmas poem means now,” Charlie says, breaking away from me and looking into my eyes. “You don’t need to explain.” I hold her hands. “This is the best Christmas ever.”

“Do you know what would make it even better?” I say reaching for my jacket that is lying over the arm of the couch.

“Nothing could make it better, Jason.” Charlie is grinning from ear to ear. She sparkles with happiness.

“No?” I smile, holding up a sprig of mistletoe that’s a little bit squashed from being in the jacket pocket. “I wasn’t sure if you had any, so I brought some, just in case.” I hold up the misshapen stick of smooshed leaves andwhite berries, a little embarrassed about the state of it. But I’m in the moment and feel that this is my destiny. There’s no turning back. “Charlie. You’re so beautiful… You have changed my life in the most magical way, and I would very much like to kiss you now.” I pause to take a breath. “If that’s alright.”

---