The Mistletoe Kiss

“Well, it’s going to be up to you to see that none of them get hurt.”

Matt let out a long sigh. “I can’t say that thrills me, but I’ll do my best to keep them out of harm’s way.” Especially Millicent—he knew John would be watching out for his wife.

“I know you will. Not sure when they’ll begin, but I’ll let you know soon as I know. Or, since you’re friends with them, you can let me know if you find out anything first.” The slap on the back Matt received did nothing to calm the frustration he felt over their boss actually agreeing to the crazy idea. No one needed inexperienced people on a building site like this.

But he didn’t have a say, so he just nodded. “Will do.”

“I know I can count on you, Sterling. See you tomorrow.” With that Johnson gave a wave and walked away.

Matt wondered if Millicent had heard the news yet. It truly was a golden opportunity for her and he could understand why she felt she must accept it. But it wouldn’t be easy on her. He shrugged. It wasn’t going to be easy on him, either.

He was attracted to Millicent—more than he was comfortable with and way more than he should be. And she’d looked so pretty the night before, dressed in a blue-and-white summery outfit that made her eyes appear even bluer and her blond hair lighter.

Even when they disagreed on something—and that was often—he felt more alive around Millie than any other woman he knew. Distancing himself seemed to be the only way to counteract it. And trying to do that was difficult enough living in the same place. How could he manage putting distance between them when it’d be his job to watch over her while she took those photographs?

Matt headed to his trolley stop while silently praying, Dear Lord, I don’t know what Your plan is, but if possible, I’d sure appreciate it if You’d nudge Millie to turn down this offer from the Tribune and give her another opportunity to make a name for herself. Please forgive me if I’m being selfish, but only You know what I’m dealing with here. If it’s Your will that she take the offer, I accept it, but oh, Lord, I sure hope it’s not.

Somehow he wasn’t surprised to see John standing at the trolley stop when he got there—they sometimes rode home together, on their way to their respective homes. His friend grinned from ear to ear, alerting Matt to the fact that John must have heard the news.

“We got the assignment,” he said.

He couldn’t help but be happy for John even as he dreaded the weeks to come. “I just heard. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Matt. This means a lot to me and Elizabeth.”

“I know it does. Has Millicent been told?”

John shook his head. “No. I telephoned Elizabeth, though, and she’s going to get in touch with her.”

Matt nodded.

“I thought we could meet tomorrow evening at the ice cream shop to do some planning on when would be best for your crew for us to come to Park Row.”

“Good idea. I’ll check with Millicent when I get to Heaton House. She might need more time to make a decision.”

“We do need an answer by tomorrow evening.”

“I’m sure she’ll have one for you by then.” She didn’t have any choice.

* * *

Millicent checked on the last photos she’d developed that morning. It wasn’t a paying job, wasn’t actually a job at all, but something personal. All the boarders, Mrs. Heaton’s family and the former boarder couples had gone on a picnic to Central Park a couple of weekends earlier, where she’d taken snapshot after snapshot.

She smiled now as she took them down from the drying line strung up in a storage closet on the third floor that Mrs. Heaton let her use for a darkroom. At one time, Mrs. Heaton’s son Michael had allowed her to use a storeroom in his office building. But being able to do her developing at Heaton House made things much easier—at least until she could afford to open her own shop one day. What a dream come true that would be—to have a studio where she could take photos and develop them all in one place. But was she willing to face her fears to make things happen faster?

She’d gone out earlier in the day to look at the Park Row Building John and Elizabeth wanted her to photograph. Her heart had begun to race as she’d looked up shielding her eyes against the sun to see how high the structure climbed into the sky. The actual floors only went a little over halfway up the steel frame, but still, the floored part stood taller than any of the surrounding buildings. When finished, the Park Row would be the tallest in the city. She’d shuddered and swallowed hard, willing her heart to slow down at the very thought of being up so high.

Thinking about it made her queasy now. “Dear Lord, please give me guidance in what to do if John and Elizabeth get the assignment,” she whispered. “I would so like to do this and I think I’d enjoy looking out on the city from that vantage point. Matt’s stories have always made me want to see what he does from up there. I’d really like to get past this fear I don’t understand. Maybe this offer is just what I need to get over it. Lord, I’d appreciate your help in letting me know what to do. In Jesus’s name, amen.”

Millicent turned out the light and closed the door before heading down to her room. While Christmas was still several months away, she’d decided to make Mrs. Heaton a photograph album of the group outings and the photos she’d taken of them at Heaton House.

Letting herself into her room, she laid the photos on the desk that looked out onto Mrs. Heaton’s small garden and then hurried to the bathroom to freshen up for dinner. She’d work on the album when she came back up later that night.

The aroma wafting up the staircase made her tummy rumble and she realized how hungry she was. The telephone rang just as she reached the bottom of the stairs and she hurried to answer it. “Heaton House.”

“Millicent?”

“Yes. You sound excited, Elizabeth, have you heard something?”

“We did. We have the assignment and we’re wondering if you’re going to take the photos for us. Have you decided if you’ll be our photographer?”

Millicent’s stomach did a dive while apprehension warred with excitement. “I wasn’t expecting to have to make up my mind quite this soon. I—”

“I understand. And I’m sorry, but we really need your answer by tomorrow, please.”

“All right, I’ll have one for you by then.”

“Thank you, dear friend. Have a good evening.”

Millicent hung up the receiver and prayed once again, Dear Lord, please help me to know what to do. Then she joined the others in the front parlor to wait for Mrs. Heaton to call them to dinner.

Julia and Joe, along with Stephen and Emily, were there, and just as she wondered if Matt was going to be late, he rushed in. His damp hair told her he’d probably just got home and she hoped there’d been no more accidents at his work.

“You running late again, Matt?” Joe asked.

“A little. But I made it before—”

“Dinner is ready,” Mrs. Heaton said from just outside the dining room, interrupting what he’d been about to say.

They all headed across the foyer and Matt seated their landlady and then held Millicent’s chair out for her before taking his seat beside her. Joe and Stephen performed the same courtesy for Julia and Emily.

Mrs. Heaton asked Matt to say the prayer, and then Gretchen and Maida began to serve the meal of roast beef, scalloped potatoes, green beans and rolls. Meals at Heaton House were always something to look forward to, along with the table conversation.

Their landlady always asked how each of their days went, which helped get conversation started and led to easy rapport among them all. Millicent remembered how welcomed she’d felt from the very first night at Heaton House. It’d meant so much to her that she’d tried to emulate Mrs. Heaton’s example when the new boarders came in. But tonight her attention wasn’t on the conversations going on around her. All she could think of was the decision she needed to make.

Once they’d finished their desert of coconut cake, they all headed toward the parlor once more, and Millicent and Matt both turned to one another.

“May I speak to you for a moment?” Matt asked.

“Of course. I wanted to tell you Elizabeth telephoned—”

“And she told you the news? My boss told me this afternoon and then I ran into John at the trolley stop. Have you made up your mind?”

“Not yet. I was hoping to have more time to make a decision. I told Elizabeth I’d let her know tomorrow. I’m sure they really want an answer now, but—”

“I understand. John wants to meet with us tomorrow evening to make plans.”

“I suppose I’d better do some serious thinking and praying.”