Page 1 of Under The Christmas Lights 5

ChapterOne

“Wendy, please?” Birgit had begged.

“I don’t know,” Wendy had replied, shaking her head into the phone. “If you’re going to be offering this as a service, then this won’t be a one-time thing, and I just don’t know if I can be okay with that right now.”

Birgit had assured Wendy that the services wouldn’t be made a permanent thing, so she had agreed. But now, as she watched the two members ofThe Mystic Refugemaintenance team, Jerry and Steve, set up the makeshift “wellness” tent in the ballroom, she wondered what it was exactly that she’d gotten herself into. Since the hotel’s hot spring pools were now out of service for the foreseeable future, Birgit and her sisters Frieda and Heidi had decided to offer spa services for the next Leavenworth Christmas competition. These services included massages, pedicures, manicures, and a free checkup. Nothing too detailed. Just the checking of the heartbeat, blood pressure, and a couple of other little things. Wendy had expected a space big enough to set up a portable patient bed, chair, and maybe a stand, but as she walked into the tent, she quickly saw that she had been given more than that.

“Good morning!” Cynthia called cheerfully from behind Wendy. “So, what do you think?”

Wendy turned on her feet to face the woman she’d just met and helped last week and was surprised. She’d only seen Cynthia in pain and weary from a medical emergency, but now the older woman looked well put-together and very much “with it.”

“Good morning, Cynthia,” Wendy greeted, “how are you feeling?”

Cynthia’s beautiful smile widened, and she nodded her head as she took another step toward Wendy.

“Much better, thanks to you,” Cynthia replied, patting her legs through her long, black

skirt. She turned her head of long, gray hair this way and that as if to make sure no one was around, then leaned toward Wendy and whispered, “Between you and me, it was a little scary. But please don’t let the others know that. I need my new bosses to think that I’m not afraid of anything.”

Wendy chuckled as she smiled at Cynthia, and reached for her hand.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered, “your secret is safe with me.”

Cynthia’s accident had indeed been a strange one, but when Birgit had called Wendy for help, she was quick to come. Cynthia, her friend Lorrie, and their bosses, the Strauss sisters, had been in one of the hot spring pools last Sunday when someone had tampered with the pools’ pipes and flushing systems. The chlorine-like chemicals had begun to eat away at Cynthia’s legs fast, but Lorrie and Frieda had been able to pull her out of the pool before any severe damage had been done.

Cynthia’s friend Tucker, Lorrie’s friend Pierce, Birgit’s friend Chris, and Heidi’s friend Davis had all gone after the person who’d come dashing out of the pool shed but had failed to catch him. Unfortunately, damage to Cynthia’s legs hadn’t been the only harm done, and whatever the person did to the pools’ systems had forced the Strauss sisters to have to shut them down for cleaning and repairs for the next few months.

“So, you never answered my question,” Cynthia went on presently, “what do you think? Will it suit you for the weekend’s walk-ins?”

“Oh, I’m sure it will all work just fine,” Wendy assured her, looking around her tent. “In fact, it’s a little more than I expected. The girls know I can only perform certain basic exams, right? The hospital doesn’t permit me to actually treat anyone here.”

Cynthia let out a laugh as she shook her head and waved a hand in the air. “Oh, of course!” she assured her, patting Wendy’s hand warmly. “I think they just wanted you to have all of this gauze and bandage stuff in case of an emergency. I don’t have to remind you of all of the stressful things happening around here. I think Birgit, Heidi, and Frieda just want to be on their toes in case anythingdoeshappen.”

“That’s fair,” Wendy agreed, feeling soothed by Cynthia’s answer.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Wendy?” Cynthia asked, taking a step closer to her. “You look a little uneasy. Can I get you something to drink or eat?”

“Gosh,” Wendy laughed, “you really are good at reading people, aren’t you? No wonder Birgit wanted to hire you. I bet you’re amazing at predicting what guests need.”

“Well, I have a little trick,” Cynthia replied with a grin. “More often than not a person will tell me what they need by their body language. So what’s going on? We have another forty-five minutes before we let guests in. Do you want me to grab some coffee and then we can have a chat? We’ve got Erik running the breakfast bar, and I’m sure he can whip us up something early.”

Wendy felt a warm energy of friendship envelop her as Cynthia patiently waited for her to answer. There was something about the slightly older woman that made her feel safe, almost childlike again, and she realized that, yes, she really did want to talk about what was on her mind. Normally, she wouldn’t do such things with a stranger, but this was no stranger. Or at least, very soon, she was about to be a friend.

“You know what? I would really like that, actually,” Wendy agreed.

“Miss Cynthia?” One of the visiting masseurs suddenly yelled out. “Might I have your help for a moment?”

“You go take care of that,” Wendy urged, “I’ll go get us the coffee and snacks.”

Cynthia gave her a look of relief.

“Thanks. I’ll be right back, I promise.”

Quickly, Cynthia walked off toward the sound of the masseur’s voice, and Wendy turned toward the snack booth set up on the other end of the ballroom. As she approached, she saw that it was manned by a rather handsome, middle-aged man with dark hair and eyes. He had a style that reminded her of a 1940s gangster, the kind that wore three-piece suits, gold pocket watches, and bowler hats. However, instead of wearing such a getup, he was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a dark blue cardigan sweater. She didn’t know why, but seeing him in such clothes seemed wrong, even in their modern-day setting. When he looked up at her, his dark eyes stared directly into hers, and her steps stumbled for a moment.

“Good morning,” he greeted, a side smile slowly reaching across his teeth, showing off a set of startling white teeth. He pushed his sleeves up to his elbows and leaned down until his forearms touched the counter.

“What can I do for you?”

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