A Perfect Christmas

A PERFECT CHRISTMAS

This is for the

Winter Holidays Story Contest 2023

.

This is a bit of slow burn, and I hope you enjoy it.

As always, your votes and comments are much appreciated.

Happy Holidays!

©2023 Smuttyandfun All Rights Reserved

I managed to fish my phone out of my purse, hoping I could answer before whoever it was hung up. While also juggling dinner, groceries and my Gran's medication, while trying to catch the elevator door with my foot, before it slammed shut in my face. I'd barely stepped inside and I couldn't believe it when I tripped on the gap. Thankfully, a kindly older gentleman behind me, grabbed my arm and kept the door open so I wouldn't fall face forward or be crushed.

"Hey, Mom," I said, seeing it was her, as I tried to catch my breath, once I managed to get the thing to my ear, without dropping everything on the floor.

"Oh, hello, sweetheart. So, are you at Gran's yet?"

I looked up at the floor numbers flashing by, and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just heading up to see her now."

"Well, I hope you got her dinner and her medications."

"Yeah, I've got her dinner, and her pills." Ugh, except I forgot about her dry cleaning. I just hoped she wouldn't ask about that, too.

"And did you get her clothes from the cleaners? You know how she likes to look nice. Though it is becoming more of a chore to keep her clean, since she's been spilling more lately."

I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't have time. I can pick it up tomorrow after work."

"That's okay, sweetheart, whenever you can, there's no rush. I really just called to tell you how much I appreciate you helping out with your gran while we're away."

She didn't have to thank me. She was my grandmother, so of course I'd help out any way I could.

"So, how's Mikonos, Mom? Everything you'd hoped it would be?"

"Oh, darling, it's even more beautiful than we imagined. It's absolutely breathtaking. Right now, we're out enjoying a nice cold drink on our little terrace overlooking the sea. Everywhere you look here, is a like postcard."

I was so happy for my mom that she was enjoying her honeymoon with the first man who had managed to win her heart since she'd lost my dad, fifteen years ago, when I'd just turned ten.

Since I'd always been close to my gran, with my mother being way, I really didn't mind stepping in to help out, especially since there really wasn't anyone else to do it.

After I promised to let my mother know how she was, once I'd seen her, I told her, "Love you, Mom. I'll talk to you soon."

Just as I stashed my phone, the elevator door opened and I stepped off on the fourth floor of her stately old building, wrinkling my nose as I always did, wondering how it was that someone always seemed to be cooking cabbage.

Letting myself in with my key, I was surprised to find my grandmother sitting on the edge of her bed, all on her own. I knew my mother had arranged for a young woman to keep her company till I got off work, once her daytime caregiver left for the day, before her overnight helper arrived. But when I looked around, I couldn't see anyone.

"Hey, Gran," I said, bending to kiss her softly lined cheek, as she teetered on the edge of her bed, looking a little confused. She grasped my shoulders as I helped her to sit back, and asked her, "So, where's your helper, did she leave early today?"

Gran gave her head a firm shake, and muttered, "No. I fired her when I caught her trying to go through my things. And I know what she was after, too." Then with a sly smile, I watched her dig into the neck of her flowered dress and pull out a wad of sparkly beads, that I realized still had the price tags attached.

I got the most horrible feeling when I asked, "Gran, where did you get those necklaces?"

She seemed be thinking for a minute before she explained. "I got them this afternoon. I went out for a little walk, and found them in Burton's Department Store." She smiled, thinking back. "You know I always loved shopping there. It's such a nice store. I couldn't make up my mind which ones I liked best, so I just took the whole bunch."

Gran had been acting kind of strange for the last few months, which was why we'd gotten her round-the-clock care. I could feel my stomach tensing, when I held my breath and asked her, "You did pay for them though, right? You didn't just walk out of the store with them, did you?"

Looking puzzled, her gaze seemed to focus beyond me, while she seemed to be struggling to think back. "You know, now that you ask, I can't really say for sure. I remember there was quite a line up at the cashier. And I was getting a little tired. I waited for a while, but I thought I'd come back home and have a little rest and go back again later."

Almost afraid to look, I held out my hand and gestured at her bag. "Can I see your purse, Gran?"

She nodded and handed me the big black leather handbag she always had clutched to her side whenever she went out. Lately, with her mounting paranoia, she usually carried it around in her apartment, too. Which was why I imaged she had it beside her on the bed.

When I opened it, and took a look inside, I felt sick. It was packed to the brim with sparkly baubles -- earrings, broaches, necklaces, rings, all still with the tags attached. Mentally crossing my fingers, I dug around, but I couldn't find a receipt.

Finally, I gave up, and looked into her watery blue eyes. "Gran, I think you forgot to pay for these things."

She shook her head and frowned. "Don't be silly, I would never walk out and forget to pay. That would be stealing. And I've never stolen a thing in my life."

Great.

At eighty, my gran had become a petty thief. Or maybe not so petty, depending on how much her haul was worth.

All I knew was that it had to go back. They probably had cameras trained on every inch of the store. And if anyone saw her taking the stuff, she could be arrested, especially if she ever showed up there again.

I got down on my knees in front of her, held open her bag and did my best to explain what happened. "Gran, this all has to go back to the store. I think you might have forgotten to pay when you came home for your nap."

"I don't think I'd do that, would I?"

"I think you might have."

Wrinkling her brow, she fingered the beads she had hanging from her neck. She looked confused as she lifted her pale blue gaze to meet mine. "Well, I'm much too old to go to jail. But don't you think they'd understand that I just got tired and came home for a rest?"

Unfortunately, I knew darn well that they wouldn't. So, I dumped everything out on her bed, and set aside the few things, like her wallet, comb and lipstick, that weren't part of her haul. Then I gingerly removed the ones from around her neck and put it all back in her purse.

"It's okay, Gran. I'll take these back for you tomorrow on my lunch hour. But you have to promise that you'll never do anything like this again. I know you didn't mean to, but by taking these without paying, you broke the law. Do you understand?"

Though she looked a little bewildered, she nodded her head. "But you know it never occurred to me that I was doing anything wrong. Maybe when you bring them back, I'll come with you and explain what happened and tell them that I'm sorry."

In her current state, I couldn't imagine her having any hope of explaining what happened, without getting herself in trouble. "No, I think it might be better if I go on my own. I'll try and put everything back where it belongs. And hopefully no one will notice what I'm doing." When I got to my feet, I ran my hand over her wispy gray hair. "Anyway, I hope you're hungry, because I brought you some dinner."

She smiled, looking relieved. "Oh, good. Because I was hoping there was something to eat."

Her night nurse arrived just as gran was finishing her dinner. I talked to her about the other care giver leaving, and she offered to come earlier so my gran wouldn't be alone.

Deciding not to bring up her mini-crime spree with her again, I carefully slipped my gran's big black purse, along with her stash into one of the cloth bags I'd used to bring her groceries. I decided I'd carry the whole thing into the store, and try and put everything back, hopefully without anyone catching me.

The next day on my lunch hour, as I made my way up the street, I was nearly shaking in my shoes as I walked through one of the festively decorated doorways of the grand old department store. Glancing around as I stepped inside; with everything lit up with gold and silver ornaments on lush green boughs adorning nearly every inch of the place, it really was beautiful.

I took a deep steadying breath, to try and calm my nerves. As I carefully wandered through the crowd of shoppers toward the costume jewelry department, I just hoped that no one would notice how anxious I looked, though I could feel my heart pounding like crazy.

After taking a quick look around, to make sure no one was watching, I began to slip things out of the bag whenever I saw a display where they might have come from. I had only put back three necklaces, and I jumped when I felt a big, strong hand clamp down on my wrist.

When I turned and saw the stern look on the big burly man's face, I almost passed out from the shock of getting caught.

"I think you'd better come with me," the guy in the nondescript dark suit quietly muttered close to my ear.

Obviously, a store detective, I figured he must have been watching me from the moment I walked in. "I can explain," I said, as we waited side by side for the elevator to take us upstairs.

He held up a hand and shook his head. "Save it. You can tell it to the cops when they get here."

"The cops? You're actually calling the police?" I knew my eyes had to be the size of dinner plates, since I was absolutely terrified at the thought of being arrested. I'd never broken a single law in my life, never even swiped a candy bar as a kid, and now I was going to be arrested for trying to do the right thing?

Once the elevator came, the doors slid open and we got inside, he gestured at the back wall. "Miss, would you mind facing the wall with your hands behind your back?"

"Wait. What?" The way my stomach was churning, and threatening to heave, I was so consumed with the thought that I was about to lose the tuna sandwich I'd scarfed down at the library before I ran over to put Gran's haul back, that I could barely comprehend what he was asking me to do.

Then without another word, he roughly took hold of me by the shoulders, spun me around, grabbed both my hands and slapped a pair of real live handcuffs on my wrists -- like I was some kind of criminal. I thought I'd drop to the floor in a dead faint when he uttered the words that I thought I'd never live to hear, "You're under arrest. And you can call your lawyer when we get to the security office."

"My lawyer? But I wasn't stealing." I looked at him over my shoulder, pleading for him to understand. "I was just trying to put everything back!"

When I turned around and faced him, I could tell he was trying to keep a straight face when he rolled his eyes and kind of chuckled, nodding at Gran's bag hanging from his hand. "Well, that's a new one. So, you just happened to have this bag full of the store's jewelry. And you thought twice about keeping it, and decided to return it, is that what you're saying?"

"Actually, yes. That's exactly what I was doing, I was bringing it back."

Once the elevator pinged, to announce that we'd reached the top floor of the building, suddenly seeming annoyed, he dug one of his big, meaty hands into my upper arm and nearly dragged me out by heels, before he began to march me down the hallway. Afraid I'd trip in my stilettos, I told him, "Would you mind slowing down before I fall and break my neck?"

Giving me a narrow-eyed glare, he muttered, "Maybe you should have thought twice before you decided to steal all this stuff."

Annoyed now, I didn't care that I was almost shrieking when I yelled at him, "But I'm trying to tell you, that I didn't steal anything! All I was doing, was trying to give it back. Why won't you listen?"

Just then, obviously hearing the commotion, a man came out of an open doorway, crossed his arms over his chest, and calmly asked, "Problem, Dan?"

The store detective nodded his head at me. "Caught her pilfering in the jewelry department. She's got a load of stuff in her bag. Probably doing a little

free

Christmas shopping. She's been trying to tell me that she was just putting it back."

Looking up into the sandy-haired man's striking green eyes, I said as convincingly as I could, "I swear, it's true. I never took anything; I was just trying to do the right thing."

"Then who took it?" he asked me, tipping his head and slowly giving me the once over.

Biting down on my lip, as an image of Gran in an orange prison jumpsuit popped into my head, I dropped my gaze to the floor. "I'd rather not say."

The security guard chuckled. "Real piece of work, huh?" He dug his hand into my upper arm again, and assured the man in the doorway, "Don't worry, we'll take care of her."

He turned and was about to start dragging me off down the hallway again, when the sandy-haired man held up his hand and said, "Wait, Dan, bring her in here. And I'll speak with her in my office."

The guy shot him a skeptical look. "Are you saying you want to handle the interrogation yourself, Mr. Burton?"

He gave him a slight eye roll, and explained, "What I would like to do, is talk to her and try to figure out what's going on." Looking a little annoyed, he pointed at my arms twisted behind my back. "And I don't understand why you've got her handcuffed. Un-cuff her." Once he'd looked me over, and obviously took note of my tailored navy-blue suit, white silk blouse, and shiny black high heels, he told the big bruiser beside me, "I doubt very much she'll try to escape."

"Suit yourself," Dan muttered, with a shrug of his shoulders as he handed the other man the bag, took out the key and unlocked the cuffs to free my hands. Then just so I could hear, he quietly breathed against my ear, "You're damn lucky you're pretty, or you'd be heading to the nearest precinct in the back of a cop car, instead of trying to bend the bosses' ear with that bullshit story."

With a nod of his head, the handsome man with the striking green eyes dismissed the guard. And while I watched him walk away, I wondered why he had to be so nasty. Though I felt a sudden rush of relief when green-eyes held his hand out and gestured for me to lead the way into his office, calmly telling me, "Why don't you come in and explain what happened?"

Heaving an anxious sigh, I sank into the seat across from his desk that he'd indicated. Once he'd shut the door, and took the seat across from me, I leaned in, and just hoped he'd believe me. "Honestly, I swear I didn't take a thing. I know it looks bad, but I was just trying to put everything back where it belonged when he grabbed me."

"Then you're saying someone else stole all these things?" He gestured at the bulging purse he had sitting on his desk.

I nodded, clutching my hands in my lap. "Yes. But I don't want to get her in trouble. Can't you just accept that I was trying to do the right thing, and let it go?"

Leaning back in his chair, he folded his hands over his washboard abs, and he eyed me for a moment before he nodded. "As a rule, I don't get involved in this type of thing. It's the reason we have security. And also, why we call the police and normally prosecute shop lifters. But I have a feeling you're telling the truth. And I'm also guessing that you're trying to protect someone that you care about."

I nodded again, because that wasn't giving anything away. Then I cleared my throat and said, "Yes."

"You said

her

. So, going out on a limb, I'm assuming you have a female friend or relative who likes to take things from our store without paying for them?"

I managed a little smile. "She told me she really likes your store, and said it's a very nice place to shop."

I could see the amusement in his eyes, as he tried not to laugh. "I'm glad to hear that. But unfortunately, I'd like you to explain to whoever this lady is, that she's no longer welcome to come back."

I nodded, relieved that he believed me and that he wasn't pushing me to turn in my own grandmother. "I understand. It's just that..." Watching me, he waited for me to finish, but I just shook my head, afraid to say too much. Because I didn't think he needed to know that she was starting to lose her memory and this was totally out of character.

I was so deep in my thoughts, I nearly jumped when he said, "Can I ask your name?"

"It's Dani, Danielle actually. Danielle Cole." Wincing, I looked into his eyes. So, am I still in trouble?"

His expression softened, and he finally managed a surprisingly warm smile. "No, you're not in any trouble. Although it might have been better if you had just handed over the bag at the jewelry counter and explained what happened, rather than trying to put it all back on your own."

"But then I still would have had to explain how I got everything, wouldn't I?"

I could actually feel his gaze slowly sliding over me as he nodded. "I guess you would." Then he gave his head a quick shake, stood, and gestured at the door. "Let's just hope it never happens again. And uh, I guess I should be thanking you for bringing back whatever was taken."

As I got to my feet, I so glad it was over, I even managed a smile. "And I want to thank you for not only listening, but for believing me." I rubbed my sore wrists, still shocked by how rough that big, mean brute had been. "Because that Dan character sure wasn't very nice about it."

He came around his desk, reached for my hands and took a close look at the red marks on my wrists. When he lifted his gaze and looked into my eyes, my stomach did a little somersault as he said, "I hope he didn't hurt you." I could feel my pulse rate kick up a notch when he gently smoothed his thumbs over the marks the cuffs had left.

"No, not really, he was just kind of rough." I shrugged. "But I imagine he's meant to be intimidating to discourage people from taking things."

Still holding my gaze as well as my hands, he actually sounded contrite. "Still, he had no reason to hurt you. I'll have a word with him."

Letting out a shaky breath, I nodded. "Well, I guess I should be getting back to work."

He gave me a smile that lit up his eyes. "Me, too."

"It was nice meeting you," I said, as I was about to leave, realizing it had to be the stupidest thing I could have said, considering the circumstances.

He flashed me the sexiest grin and said, "Likewise, Dani."

With one final awkward nod, I backed out the door and left his office, deciding I'd had enough humiliation for one day. Though I was glad it was all over and everything had been returned.

**

I really didn't mind when I had to work the odd Saturday, especially when it was for story hour. I just loved the kids, even the fidgety ones, who always challenged me to try and keep their interest. After digging into my bag of tricks, I settled into the chair at the back of the children's section of the library and waited for the little ones to arrive.

Glancing up from the book that I'd chosen to end with, the classic, '

The Night Before Christmas

,' I smiled as I spied pretty dark-haired Amelia, who had to be the brightest and most exuberant, and definitely the most precocious of the Saturday morning bunch, approaching. Her face lit up and she smiled from ear to ear when she saw me. And I noticed she was tugging along a man, who wasn't the one that usually came with her. This man had sandy hair and incredible green eyes, and he was studying me just as curiously as I was studying him.