Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
After dinner, Clara insisted that she’d clean up while Jackson and Felicity relaxed by the fire. Jackson was ready to take her up on the offer, but Felicity dead refused.
“No way. I not a lady of leisure,” Felicity said. “I’ll help, then we can all go relax with the rest of this wine.”
Clara gave Jackson a look that said she’d tried and then went back to the dishes.
“Go on,” Felicity said to him. “We won’t be long. Find a movie or something on the television.”
“Something Christmasy,” Clara called. “We have the Hallmark channel.”
“No Hallmark!” Felicity said.
“Ah-ha!” Clara pointed at her. “You didn’t rule out Christmas entirely. Jackson, hurry and find some holiday movie on Netflix. It’s time for some Christmas cheer up in this joint.”
He laughed at them and then disappeared into the living room with his glass of wine. After settling on the couch, he picked up the remote, intending to look for one of the classics. But instead, as soon as the television came on, he found himself staring at his mother, Eva.
She was dressed in a red velvet dress, had her long blond hair piled up in an elaborate bun, and was wearing white furry gloves as she clutched a microphone and said, “Thanks for having me, Bert.”
Bert was the local television host who ran segments about what was happening in Christmas Grove every day during the holiday season. Marissa kept it on at Sleighed so that the patrons could learn about any happenings around town.
The event that night was a holiday art fair down at the square. There were booths set up behind his mother as patrons strolled from tent to tent, looking for the perfect holiday gifts.
“What are you going to sing for us tonight? Bert asked her.
“Sing?” she asked, her face flushing as if she were shy. “I didn’t plan anything. This was so last minute…” She trailed off and then said, “I guess I’ll do ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside.’”
“Wonderful! Wonderful!” Bert said. “Well folks, it looks like we’re in for a special treat as Eva Bell, the star from the fan favorite show Harmony Heights, just happens to be visiting Christmas Grove for the season. Without further ado, take it away, Eva!”
His mother shifter her glance down, and then when she started the first note, she looked up at the camera through her fake eyelashes as if she were flirting with the audience.
“Oh wow, is that your mother?” Felicity said, startling him out of his trance. “I didn’t know she was performing tonight.”
“Neither did I,” he said, still watching her belt out the song.
“That’s your mom?” Clara practically shouted as she climbed into a chair and crossed her legs. “She has a nice voice.”
“She was on that family singing show like twenty years ago,” Felicity said. “Do you remember it? She was the stage mom who was always trying to protect the kids from the industry.”
Jackson snorted.
“You didn’t like it?” Clara asked him.
“No.” How could he? His mom had left him and then spent half a decade playing an overprotective mom who always put her kids first. She deserved an Emmy for that role. “It just wasn’t my thing.”
The three of them watched in silence as Eva played up the song. When she finally ended the last note, she looked flushed and shy as if she wasn’t sure she should even be there, playing up the role of doing the host a favor.
Jackson stared at her clutching the microphone as she turned her profile to the camera, making sure she was giving a good angle, and he felt the cold calculation radiating from her as his empath gift kicked in full force.
It was unusual for him to feel emotions from someone on a television set, but it wasn’t unheard of.
His gift was random and extremely unpredictable.
It wasn’t as if he could just call up his gift and read someone’s emotions anytime he wanted to.
The best he could figure out over the years was that his gift kicked in when he was supposed to feel someone’s emotions for a specific reason.
Usually either so he could help them or so that he could be warned.
This was clearly a warning. It wasn’t an accident that his mother was at the holiday fair. That much was obvious from the way she’d dressed as if she were a snow queen. She’d gone down to the square hoping for this exact scenario.
But why? No one from Hollywood was going to be watching the news in Christmas Grove and remember that Eva Bell used to be a slightly famous actress who could hold a tune and then miraculously hire her as the star in some film.
“Oh, look!” Clara said, pointing at the screen as the cameraman panned the square. “Looks like they’re setting up to film another holiday movie.”
Jackson narrowed his eyes as he studied the television. Over the years, Christmas Grove had become a hot spot for filming Christmas movies during December when the town was in full season. This year was no exception.
With that realization, a vision of his mother in her red velvet dress literally running into the director flashed in his mind.
He saw his mother bat her fake eyelashes at him as she clutched his arm and apologized for not looking where she was going.
In the vision, he saw them walk off, their heads bent together as she grasped his arm.
He sucked in a long breath, finally understanding why his mother was in Christmas Grove.
She was trying to create a relationship with the director so that she could find some work.
His heart ached a little, and he silently berated himself for it.
He’d known all along that there must have been some sort of ulterior motive for Eva showing up on his doorstep. It just pained him to be proven right.
“How was your evening?” Eva asked from her spot on the couch in front of the television when Jackson finally walked back into his house just after midnight.
She was fresh-faced, no sign of makeup, and her hair had been plaited into a side braid.
Her feet were ensconced in fluffy slippers that matched her robe, and everything about her screamed that she’d spent a quiet night in watching Hallmark movies.
“It was good,” he said, trying for a cheerful tone. He wanted to see if she was going to tell him about her night out or if she’d just pretend she’d spent the night alone on the couch. “How was yours?”
“Quiet.” She smiled and then nodded at the television. “I spent it getting caught up on the latest Christmas movies. You know I’m always so busy down in LA that I barely have time to watch anything.” She picked up the remote and clicked the TV off. “But it’s late now, so I’d better get to bed.”
Jackson nodded, wondering why she felt the need to lie to him. What was she trying to get out of him that she couldn’t just tell the truth?
She rose gracefully from the couch, walked over to him, and pressed her hand to one cheek as she kissed the other. “I sure would like to spend some time with you tomorrow, baby. Do you think you could spare some time for your sweet old mom?”
His jaw twitched with the effort to keep from snapping at her.
She was a decent actress, but he saw right through her facade.
Her nervous energy combined with that coldness he’d felt earlier made him want to take a step back.
To tell her to pack her bags and leave. But something inside of him just wouldn’t let him kick her out.
He didn’t know why. She didn’t deserve anything from him.
Maybe it was that little boy who’d always wished his mother would come home.
Or maybe it was morbid curiosity.
He didn’t know. Either way, he shook his head and said, “Sorry. I have plans with Felicity tomorrow.”
“Can’t you reschedule?” she asked, trying for hopeful, but he felt the desperation underneath. “I just want to get brunch and—”
“No. It’s important. We can do brunch another day.”
Eva frowned, her lips barely curving down, and Jackson couldn’t help wondering just how much plastic surgery she’d had to make her face so taut and unmovable. “Fine,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll just have to go to brunch by myself.”
She was annoyed. He didn’t care.
“Goodnight, Eva,” he said.
“I wish you’d just call me mom like you used to as a little boy,” she said. This time there wasn’t anything calculating about her. She meant what she said. But the fact that there was zero guilt mixed in with the emotions radiating off her made Jackson’s blood boil.
“It’s too late for that, Eva,” he said. “Goodnight.” Then he took off up the stairs, leaving her standing there staring after him.