That voice sounded so familiar. Impossibly familiar.
Unable to stop herself, Lucy began to turn around, wondering if her earsâand all her other sensesâwere deceiving her. After all, six years was a long time. What were the odds that sheâd bump into him here?
Ross Marshall.
âOh, my God,â he whispered, shocked, frozen, staring as thoroughly as she was. âLucy?â
She nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off him, wondering why the years had made him even more attractive.
The man was gorgeous. Truly, without-a-doubt, mouth-wateringly handsome, every bit as hot as the first time sheâd laid eyes on him.
Heâd been her first lover. Theyâd shared an amazing holiday season. But after that one Christmas, they had never seen each other again.
Until now.
Dear Reader,
Iâm a big kid when it comes to Christmas. I love the music and the decorations and the wrappingâ¦the whole holiday feeling in the air.
But many years ago, I realized how difficult Christmas can be when itâs associated too closely with a loss. Christmas of 1989 was incredibly painful for me. Only because I had a one-year-old baby and a wonderful husband was I able to dig myself out of my sadness and try to enjoy the holidays, for their sake.
Remembering those feelings, and drawing on that, I started thinking about a storyâ¦about a woman who tries to avoid any kind of âtraditionalâ Christmas because itâs just too hard for her to celebrate a holiday when she has lost the parents who made it so very special for her throughout her life. I loved creating Lucy, the heroine of It Happened One Christmas, who learns to find joy and happiness in the season again, because of a very special man.
I hope you enjoy Lucy and Rossâs story and that you feel just a hint of that Christmas magic in the pages that follow.
Merry Christmas to all!
Leslie Kelly
Now
Chicago, December 23, 2011
WHEN LUCY FLEMING HAD been asked to photograph a corporate Christmas event, sheâd envisioned tipsy assistants perched on the knees of grabby executives. Too much eggnog, naked backsides hitting the glass-topped copier, somebody throwing up in a desk drawer, hanky-panky in the janitorâs closetâin short, a typical high-end work party where people forgot they were professionals and played teenager-at-the-frat-party, building memories and reputations that would take an entire year to live down.
Sheâd been wrong. Completely wrong.
Elite Construction, whoâd hired her a few days ago when their previous photographer had bailed on them, had chosen to go a different, and much more wholesome, route. They were hosting an afternoon event, a family party for all of their employees as well as important clients, and whoever they cared to bring alongâincluding small children. Catered food, from caviar to corn dogs, appealed to every palate. There were presents beneath a huge tree, pretty decorations, music filled with jingling bells and lots of smiles. It was almost enough to give a non-Christmas person like herself a little holiday tingle.
Oh. Except for the fact that she was working with a very cranky Kris Kringle.
âIf they think Iâm staying late, they can bite me. I got paid for three hours, not a minute more.â
âWeâre almost done,â she told the costumed man, whose bowl-full-of-jelly middle appeared homemade.
If only his nature were as true-to-character as his appearance. Though, she had to admit, right at this particular moment, his foul mood was understandable. Heâd had to go dry his pants under a hand-dryer in the menâs room after one boy had gotten so excited heâd peed himself. And Santa.
To be fair, Santa wasnât the only fraud around here this afternoon. Her own costume didnât exactly suit her personality, either. She felt like an idiot in the old elf getup, a leftover from her college days. But the kids loved it. And a happy, relaxed kid made for an easy-to-shoot kidâ¦and great pictures.
All in all, sheâd have to say this event had been a great success. Both for Elite Constructionâwhose employees had to be among the happiest in the city todayâand for herself. Since moving back to Chicago from New York ten months ago, sheâd been trying to build her business up to the level of success sheâd had back east. Things were getting betterâmuchâbut a quick infusion of cash for an easy afternoonâs work definitely helped.