The Gift Of Christmas Love (A Christmas Family Reunion #1)

Chapter 1

One

“Steven, I don't have time for this. I have another kickboxing class starting in a few minutes, and I need to get this area sectioned off so I can relocate the class and get things rolling. If you're just going to stand around doing nothing, help me out, please?”

The eye roll Angela saw out of the corner of her eye didn’t surprise her. Her son, who had been around for many years, hated work almost as much as he hated school and anything just a little bit productive. “Fine.”

Moving quickly, Angela and Steven managed to get things arranged before all the members were glaring at her through the all-glass windows.

“Perfect, it's a good thing you’re here, actually. Candace, there you are! Your timing is perfect. I need you to run the class today since Amber called out sick. Steven, I need you to man the front desk until Tyler gets here.”

For effect, Angela gave her son the mother’s glare he loved so much. Leaving no room for negotiations, she knew that after so many years, it was the only way to handle him.

“Mom, come on, I have other stuff—”

Hand raised to silence him, Angela moved, expecting him to follow.

“Listen, my son, you need to help me out today. I know you’ve got video games, TV, and social media to play with all day, but these fitness studios don’t run themselves.

It’s always been me and my staff, but today I’m in a bind.

I have to go to 23rd Main Street for a quick interview.

I’m hiring a new wellness coach, and I don’t trust Matt to do it on his own. ”

She stopped at the juice bar, thankful that Luna was already in-house prepping the morning juice blends for members. “Morning, Luna. I’d like the usual, please.”

“Coming right up!”

The girl, not more than nineteen, smiled at Steven, an action Angela never missed. “Do you want one, too, Steven?”

“Heck no. If you get something stronger, I’ll take that.”

Angela was in no mood, as her phone had been ringing nonstop since 5:00 a.m. Flashing a perfect pearly smile at Luna, she again started walking.

“So Amber is out sick. Lucky for you it's Tuesday, not our busiest day. All you have to do is the usual—answer the phones, check people in, and make sure everything runs smoothly.”

The first sip was always the hardest. She’d never cared much for smoothies, especially the green ones, but she valued her health enough to force it down. She stopped at the front desk, adjusted a few things, and then took her first big sip.

“There, sit. And don’t flirt with Nova. She’s trouble and way too old for you. Get it out of your head,” Angela said, gesturing to the chair.

Steven rolled his eyes, which she chose to ignore as he sat down with a huff. “Mom, it's not like I’m thirteen. I’m twenty-one years old. How long are you going to treat me like a child?”

“I’ll stop treating you like a child when you start acting like a man and get and keep a job. As long as I’m supporting you, I can say whatever I want.”

Hard as nails most days, a requirement for handling everything she did, her heart softened just a little, reminded of days gone by when he was little. She smiled, running her fingers through his hair, unconcerned with his embarrassed glare.

“I love you, but don’t take me too seriously. We’ve been through this before—none of this gets accomplished with me being a delicate flower. Raising you wasn’t easy, and I just want the best for you.”

His eyes, directed beyond her to the left, must have caught sight of something enticing—well-tanned skin and a beautiful face. Slightly angling her head ever so slightly, she realized she had forgotten to mention the other person: Renee.

“Morning. Steven, Angela. It's such a great day today. I can’t wait to work up a sweat and then hop into the awesome sauna, followed by the hot tub, or maybe I’ll do the hot tub first and then—”

Her finger tapped her smooth chin just as Angela’s phone rang again. “Excuse me. Steven, you got this. Call me if anything comes up.”

Out the back door to her car, she connected to her car's system. “Hello.”

“Angela, oh gosh, I’m calling to…” Angela’s younger sister Emma’s tearful greeting did nothing to unsettle Angela as she turned onto the highway.

“What’s up, Emma? First of all, calm down. Whatever it is, you can relax, I’m sure it’s fixable.”

“Angela, Dad’s gone. I got the call half an hour ago, and I’ve been sitting here crying ever since. He’s gone, Angela.”

After a brief moment of confusion, she mentally shook herself and recovered. “Are you sure that’s true? Who called you? And most importantly, why didn’t they call me first?”

For a moment, there was silence on the other end of the phone, then more tears. “I don’t know the answer to that! And yes, it was legit. It was Carl, at the morgue. Remember I dated him in high school. He called to tell me since they didn’t have your phone number.”

A thousand thoughts ran through Angela’s mind in that instant: a funeral, and what she’d have to do in Chicago to ensure everything ran smoothly. Suddenly, an ache formed in her chest. “Okay, so what now?”

“We have to go home and plan the funeral. I'm going to leave as quickly as I can, but you know how that goes.”

“Yes, I do. All right, I need a day to get things in order here. Then I’ll be on my way. Are you going to be all right until then?”

“Yes, I just can’t believe it.”

“Me neither. However, we will address all this when we are together. Hold yourself together, and I’ll see you soon. I gotta run. I have an interview and now a bunch of other things to coordinate. Talk to you later, sis.”

“Bye.”

The ache never left Angela, not even hours later when she’d hired the wellness coach, calling them overqualified for the job.

“Okay, Mandy, you can start tomorrow. I’m leaving town for a few days, but the facility director at my main gym will be making his rounds.

Logan is hard-nosed, more so than I, so let’s see how you handle things. Call me or Logan if you need anything.”

Rubbing at the sore spot in her chest, she felt the sorrow she had been suppressing. Having to maintain a happy, professional facade was wearing her down, and it was only lunchtime.

After a quick stop at her favorite eatery, Salad Express, she was out the door within twenty minutes, satisfied and ready to take on the rest of her day. She called Steven. “Steven, how’s it going over there? I have another stop to make at the other gym before I get back, but then we have to talk.”

“It's fine, Mom, it’s always fine. No problems here besides your son dying of boredom, doing nothing but watching the babies come and go.”

“Well, that should take up most of your time. You know, you could use the strength training equipment. It might do you some good.”

His sigh annoyed her, and his lack of drive and hard work was more than she could handle at times. “Whatever. I’m not in the mood right now, Mom.”

“Neither am I. Grandpa just passed away, and I need to go home to Mistletoe Harbor for the funeral.”

“Mom, if you think I’m going to do any of this work around here while your—”

“No, Steven, you're coming with me. Emma and her family will be there, and I could use your help. There will be a lot to do, like cleaning up, and it's only right to attend your grandfather’s funeral.”

She knew it the moment those words left her lips, she knew what was coming next.

“What? Going to a funeral for a man I don’t know? Why would you want me to do that? I don’t even know why you're going. You haven’t spoken to him in, what, forever?”

Angela heard the anger in his voice, the annoyance flaring, directed at her.

“You are coming with me, and we are not discussing this again.

I currently pay all your bills, and you have no job except for what you're doing at the moment. I provide you with everything, including making the payment for the car you like so much. You are coming with me, and we are going to Mistletoe Harbor in the morning.”

He hung up, and the silence on the other end of the line offered her no relief from the pain building in her chest. It was so intense that she had to stop at a park halfway to her third fitness center.

Something snapped inside her, and the more she sat staring at the chilly landscape outside, the more the ache grew. “How am I going to do this? We never—there was no peace to be had.”

She had been estranged from her father for many years after discovering she was pregnant with Steven while her then-boyfriend, Evander, was away in the military. Tears welled up in her eyes before she could hold them back.

All the strength she had to raise a child as a single mother was now gone. Every ounce of forced will, determination, and drive crumbled. “Oh goodness, Dad, you're really gone. It's been so long since I’ve been home. How am I to go back now?”

No answers came from beyond the clear glass of her windshield, and all the rubbing on that spot in her chest did nothing to ease the pain buried so deep. She cried for a long time, grateful to be the only one in the parking lot at that moment.

When she could cry no more, she closed her eyes and let the sorrow settle in along with everything else, using that to find her strength.

“You can do this, Angela. It’s no different than anything else you’ve dealt with since.

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, let that sorrow settle in and get cozy with the rest, and keep moving. ”

The pep talk didn’t work as well as she’d hoped.

What it didn’t do, the reapplication of her flawless makeup in the visor mirror while listening to rock music did.

She’d been ignoring her phone up to this point, but when she found her strength, she started moving again, driving quickly to the other gym.

“I can’t slow down. That’s how people get buried alive.” The irony of that statement, connected to how she felt in that moment—filled with negative, sad emotions—made it hard to move forward.