Here is the next installment, enjoy.
CHAPTER 20
Despite the holiday hustle and bustle, the days seemed to stand still for Karlie. She enjoyed getting reacquainted with Audrey and found she was growing more and more fond of Meg as the days past.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not keep her mind off Erik for very long. He had a way of mingling with her thoughts many times a day. She had admitted to Audrey, Meg, and Roland that she very much wanted to kiss Erik; and now, she could not keep the vision out of her head.
More than that, Karlie suspected that she was falling in love with Erik, despite the fact that he was everything she did not want in a man. He had all the same attributes that Mason had, only worse (or better, if you look at that way); he was very attractive and rich.
Of course, she knew that it was not fair to put the two men in the same category. Mason was egotistical, self-centered, a cad, mean-spirited, and conceited. Erik…was none of those things.
He had somehow wormed his way into her heart on the very night that she had held him in her arms and soothed his ravaged body. His wounded and bleeding soul had torn through her defenses and taken up residence in her soul; and now, the two were inseparable.
"Audrey, what am I going to do?" Karlie found herself asking, two days away from Christmas, she had hoped that time would serve to lessen her feelings toward Erik…but the opposite had happened.
Audrey looked a bit confused, but wanted to help in some way, "Whatever do you mean, child?" she asked.
They were sitting at the café eating lunch; Meg had decided to bow out, saying she did not feel well.
"All that you asked me to do was keep an eye on him and become his friend." Karlie was shaking her head and speaking into the air, not making eye contact. "I can't just be friends with Erik, Audrey…I want so much more."
Audrey smiled a knowing smile, quite familiar with the plethora of feelings that Karlie was experiencing. It was becoming a common occurrence.
"Karlie, nothing is dictating that you have to 'just be friends' with him." Audrey said. "But, I will tell you that Meg is interested also. She has had a crush on him ever since the night of Don Juan, over five months ago." Audrey gave a low laugh, and her eyes sparkled with mirth, "She is so jealous of you, she can hardly stand it…but she loves you as a person…so it makes it hard."
Karlie was not amused, "What is she going to do about it?"
"About what?" Audrey asked.
Karlie rolled her eyes and smiled, "About her attraction to Erik."
Audrey took on a serious look, "I told her to leave him alone; she was too young and immature for him…he needs a woman, not an obstinate, irresponsible, barely-out-of-her-teens girl."
Karlie laughed at Audrey's description of her own daughter, "Don't you want her to be happy?" she asked.
"Of course, but I also want Erik to be happy…and she would not make him happy." Audrey was giving Karlie one of those, "trust me, I know what I'm talking about" looks. She smiled and continued, "She would be too demanding and too self-centered for Erik…she is spoiled…" Audrey sighed, "…and there is no one to blame but me. She needs a man who will retain her and calm her down, restrict her in certain ways…Erik has too much tenderness is him that has never had a chance to surface…he would let her dominate him." Audrey allowed a twinkle in her eye, "And not the good kind of domination either!"
They had a good laugh about that and Karlie had one final concern, "Do you think that I am good for Erik?"
Audrey blushed slightly and pulled the young woman in for a hug, "Why do you think I recommended him to Roland in the first place?" She pulled back and gave a slight frown, "But you will have to be patient, Erik will not come easily to love…he has been hurt far too many times by love, in its many forms." She released the hug, "Let it come to him softly…that way, he won't have the chance to turn it away."
Karlie understood perfectly, and knew she could be the most patient woman in the world it meant she would get Erik in the end.
OOOOOOOOOOO
Christmas Eve came quietly for the small group of people who had begun thinking of each other as family. Demi had invited everyone over for Eggnog and Christmas caroling. She had made up her extra rooms and intended for everyone to spend the night so that they could spend all of Christmas Day together and hope that Erik came home.
"Come on, Karlie…I know that you play the piano…no one else does." Roland was begging her to accompany them for caroling, "Erik would do it if he were here, but he's not…so you have to."
Karlie was emphatically shaking her head "no", but knew that she was fighting a loosing battle. She sat down at the bench and they sang for an hour solid. The final song was "O Holy Night", Demi's personal favorite. Karlie could not do it justice, so they sang it a cappella, and not a dry eye was left in the room.
After carols, they played some cards and drank eggnog; and then, everyone drifted back to their bedrooms to dream sweet dreams.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Christmas morning came in bright and beautiful, Southern Louisiana was not really a cold region during December, but there was a nip in the air that made everyone feel that it was Christmas.
The house stirred to life slowly, Karlie and Demi rising first and heading into the kitchen to start breakfast for the crew. Everyone else drifted in about a half and hour later, and sat down to a table filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and homemade sausage gravy. Everything smelled marvelous and once grace was said, they began the morning meal.
Not long into the meal, there was a knock on the door. Unusual for Christmas morning, no one usually went traveling on this day. Demi looked out the window to see if she could see a carriage that looked familiar, but all she saw was a beautiful, black carriage with fringe and the most elegant white horses pulling it.
The knock came again, and this time Demi went to the door. She swung it open and dropped to her knees in shock. Everyone else in the room watched as she put her hands to her mouth and wept silent tears. Karlie rushed over to help her and saw what, or rather, who it was that had her reacting this way.
Demi pulled herself up as the wheelchair was moved up the ramp, that apparently been installed while they were sleeping.
The only word she could muster, wasn't even a word, but a name… "Michael."
A Christmas miracle has come to Demi.
To be continued…