California Christmas Dreams

“I’m not wealthy,” she replied. “But my mother was a smart cookie. She negotiated a lower up-front salary for me and higher residuals, so the money kept coming when the shows went into reruns. Thank you, God, for Hulu and Netflix.”

“Your parents didn’t raid your trust fund?”

She laughed. “They didn’t need my money. My dad is an airline pilot and my mom is a successful artist.”

“How do you invest your money to keep up a stream of income?” he asked. It wasn’t any of his business, but he was curious. He so seldom worked with someone who understood the value of an investment portfolio.

She studied him as though trying to decide how much to tell him. “I have some real estate in Santa Ana, stocks and cash. My mother worked with someone like you to make sure I’d be secure the rest of my life as long as I don’t get stupid and spend it all.”

“So you really don’t have to work if you don’t want to?” And she was wise with her money. That made him feel better, knowing she wasn’t after his father’s money.

“I have a mortgage payment just like everyone else in the world. My residuals are nice to get, but not enough to pay it. Besides, I like working,” she said, an almost defensive tone in her voice. “I’d go crazy if I didn’t have something to do. I’m not the kind of person to sit around and twiddle my thumbs. What’s with the third degree? I’m not skimming money from your father.”

“Sorry. I really didn’t mean to imply you were stealing from my dad.”

“Yes, you did,” she said tartly.

“I know he wants to make people happy. He’s not in a business that’s out to get other people. But I still have to make sure the money goes where it’s supposed to go. That it’s not frittered away on stupid things.”

“I don’t fritter money away on stupid things,” she answered hotly. “My reputation is on the line. If any whisper of misappropriation of funds even gets started, I’ll never get another job in the entertainment field. I’m not going to risk that. I love what I do. Even as far back at being on Maddie’s Mad World, I used to rearrange the set to make it feel warmer, or more cozy, or just plain fun. Even then I knew if the acting didn’t pan out, I’d go into set design.”

“So you have no aspirations for a movie career?”

She shrugged. “If it was going to happen, it would have, but it didn’t. One of the things I learned very early was that your fifteen minutes of fame is over pretty quick. And there’s more to life than trying to relive that moment.”

Damn, he couldn’t find any chinks in her armor. In fact, knowing she was self-reliant and ethical gave him a small feeling of relief. But this was his father, and Jake still had to protect him. Since his mother’s death, John had faltered a time or two with women who’d wanted to suck him dry. Jake had stepped in each time and exposed them for what they were.

“If you’re worried about your legacy, you don’t need to be. I’m not going to touch it. I’m just here to help your dad get this place back on its feet. It’s a great place and has so much potential. It just needs a little more TLC.” She stepped into the stirrup of a horse and sat down on the saddle. “Stop being a stodgy old banker and let’s go for a ride.” She grinned at him infectiously.

His stared at her for a moment. “Sure, why not?” He stepped across the platform to the center of the carousel, started the motor and turned on the music. As the motor warmed up, he found himself grinning. “Ready?” he asked over his shoulder.

“You bet,” came her answer.

He put the motor in gear and the carousel began to turn, the music blasting out from the speakers. He grabbed a pole, pulled himself up and mounted the horse next to her. Her eyes were closed as she gripped the pole in front of her. Her horse went up and down, and she looked absolutely content.

Chapter 4

A knock sounded at the door to Merry’s office, and a second later it flew open to reveal her sister, Noelle. Noelle Alcott was an inch taller and a year younger than Merry with a willowy frame, pixie-cut black hair and laughing brown eyes.

“I brought you a present,” Noelle said, handing Merry a small glass bear wearing a Christmas hat.

“Is this your new line?” The little glass bear fit in the palm of Merry’s hand. Noelle was a glass blower.

“Isn’t it cute?” Noelle strolled around Merry’s office, stopping to study each drawing hanging on the wall. “It’s Santa Benny Bear.”

Merry laughed. “Named after the park mascot.”

“Listening to you talk about all this inspired me.”

“We can sell these here. They’ll walk out of the store.”

“I’d rather they ran out of the store,” Noelle said. She stopped in front of one drawing showcasing the old ghost-town buildings that housed local vendors and their products. Merry was giving it a facelift, and a construction crew was currently hammering away, making her plan into reality.

The buildings were currently in a long line, and Merry would have liked to move them around to create a more village-like feel, but that would be for another facelift.

“You want to see the park?” Merry asked, jumping down off her stool and turning off the gooseneck lamp that lit her worktable.

“That’s why I’m here,” Noelle said.

Merry handed her a large, floppy-brimmed sunhat and placed another one on her own head. September had turned into a scorcher, with bright cloudless skies and one-hundred-plus degrees and rising.

Merry had set up a three-part plan for the renovation of the park. Once it was open again, the second part would be to start planting trees for shade. Why the park had no shade trees, she didn’t understand.

“How’s the new boss?” Noelle asked as they stepped into the fierce sunshine.

“He is driving me insane,” Merry said, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice. “He counts every penny I want to spend and then tells me I have to bring the job in for ten percent less. He questions every move I make. And he watches me.”

Noelle’s eyebrows rose. “You make him sound like a stalker.”

“I think he follows me home.” She led her sister toward the old ghost-town buildings. “Overall, I’m seven percent underbudget and things are getting done, but I have to justify every moment of my time when I’m here. And let me tell you, it’s no fun.”

She could hear the banging and hammering as they approached the ghost town. A construction crew had begun extensive repairs on the roofs. “John is such a honey to work for, but Jacob is a tyrant.”

“Tyrants can be tamed,” Noelle said.

Merry’s eyebrows went up. “Why should I bother?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because you get a funny look on your face when you talk about him.” Noelle’s gaze was mischievous.

Merry opened the door to one of the buildings and led Noelle inside. The retail area was small and intimate. Ever since Noelle had asked about selling her glassware at the park, Merry had been thinking about which store would work for her. And she’d narrowed it down to two.

“What are you trying to say, sis?” Merry watched her sister study the room. She pulled a measuring tape out of her pocket and started to measure the room. She pulled a notebook out of her back pocket and marked down the length of each wall.

“Oh, nothing,” Noelle replied. “I was just being sisterly, chatty, friendly.”

“Why are you here again?”

Noelle laughed. “Because somebody needs to ruffle your little feathers.”

“Consider my feathers ruffled.”

“I’ve done my job. How much is this space going for? I like this one.”

Merry could see that her mind was already figuring out the possibilities for showcasing her glassware to the best possible advantage. “Why do you want your own store? I thought you were doing well in the galleries.” She took her phone out of her pocket and started snapping photos of the shop from every angle.

Noelle sighed. “Things have slowed down. So I’m doing smaller projects, knickknacks, jewelry....”

“Are things that bad?” Merry asked.