Winter Star, page 5
“Yes,” the answered popped out. As she spoke the word, Julie knew it to be true. Earlier, before the accident, she’d wanted to tell Belle that she’d taken to heart the idea of leaving her job to start a new adventure, one inspired by Hector’s entrepreneurial steps. It would have required changes to their relationship, small ones, but maybe, deep down, this was the stop her train of thought was always heading toward. “This is Belle’s home. She’s happy here and wherever she is, I’m happy.” She passed him the strand of lights and started for the cluster of trees. “Belle thinks I should start my own bakery, like a food truck. I could manage that from here.”
“Will I be allowed to come visit?”
“Of course.” A bitter breeze swept over the landscape, causing Julie to shiver. “Come on, we’ve got to finish up. We’re losing daylight and it’s only a matter of time before Belle figures out what we’re doing.”
Hector gave a mock salute. “Yes, sir, right away, sir.”
When his back was turned, Julie picked up a handful of snow. It wasn’t exactly the right consistency for making a snowball, but she didn’t let that stop her, getting as close to Hector as she could then lobbing the handful of powdery white stuff at him.
“Hey.”
Julie grinned. Belle may have held doubts about their relationship, but Julie had a feeling tonight those would be silenced for good.
* * * *
The sky had grown dark and the clock was minutes away from hitting seven when they finally finished up. Julie surveyed their work, pleased with what she saw. Hopefully Belle would like it as well. She gave a few last-minute instructions to Hector, then started up the stairs. They’d come into the house an hour ago and still Belle remained out of sight. Every passing second made Julie feel worse. She’d let down the woman she loved.
Upstairs she found the bedroom door closed. She should have knocked, but entered without warning, startled at the scene she found. Belle lay on the bed curled up in the fetal position sound asleep. She appeared to be clutching something in one hand and her bag sat at the foot of the bed, packed. Julie’s heart broke.
What have I done?
She crossed the room and settled quietly on the bedside. Belle was beautiful in the peace of slumber, though she could have been covered from head to toe in mud and Julie still would see her as a goddess. When their paths had first crossed, she never once imagined she might be this lucky. She gently tucked a strand of hair behind Belle’s ear.
Her beloved stirred, eyes fluttering open. “Julie?”
“The one and only,” she replied. She let her hand fall into her lap. “Can we talk?”
Belle, now more awake, sat up, her back against the headboard. Whatever she held in her hand remained hidden. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “About?”
Alone with Hector, Julie had spent a good deal of time thinking about exactly what she wanted to say to Belle. Rarely did she find herself at a loss of words, but she still struggled, wanting to make sure everything came out right. She kept her gaze directed at the floor, wanting to focus on what she said as opposed to reading Belle’s expression for reaction.
“Growing up, I had no siblings so when I met Hector…” she started out. Julie paused, opting for a slightly different angle. “Hector is like the brother I never had, and our love for each other will always be solely platonic. I care about him, yes, but not the same way I do you, if that makes any sense.”
“Yes,” Belle whispered.
Julie finally looked at her. “I also want you to know that loving you, it’s shown me a whole new way of sharing my life with someone. I have a fresh understanding of what intimacy means and how to love a person for who they truly are.”
“Still, I understand if you want someone who, you know.” Belle had drawn her knees up, completely concealing her hands.
“Never.” Julie placed a hand on Belle’s knee. Their eyes met. “I want you. From this moment on, until the world ends, you are mine, should you choose to stay.”
“But what about…?”
Julie shrugged. “What about it? Sex is a small part of a relationship. I want to spend my life with you, Belle. I can’t imagine waking up and you not being there or at least being a text away.”
“What about the changes you mentioned?” Belle’s tone was quiet, almost a whisper. She let her gaze drop to whatever it was she held, fiddling with it out of sight.
“Oh, those.” Julie repositioned herself, turning to face Belle. She brought a leg up on the bed. “Do you think your parents would mind if we moved in?”
Belle blinked, her eyebrows shooting up. Then she frowned, her brow creasing. “What? Why?”
“Because you’re happier here than out in the city, and I’ve taken to heart what you’ve said about baking,” explained Julie. “I hate the corporate life, so to speak, and think I can get a little shop in the nearby town. What do you think?”
“I…I don’t know what to think, honestly.”
“At least give it time to sink in and a few days’ consideration. After all, we still have another week out here.” Julie stood, feeling the situation had improved, though it might take a wee bit longer for any wounds to fully heal. Belle had a tendency to get lost in her thoughts and often dwelled, trying to consider every angle in order to make an informed decision. “Now, come with me. There’s a surprise waiting downstairs.”
Belle bit her bottom lip, once again captivated by the object she held. “Is it too early for St. Nick gifts?”
“I hope not, why?”
Belle climbed off the bed, a resplendent vision in her candy cane pajamas, brown hair falling around her shoulders. She held out her fisted hand. “I bought this for you. It’s my special gift.”
As Belle unfurled her fingers, Julie was greeted with the shimmer of silver. There, resting in the palm of her hand, was a necklace. Carefully, Julie took hold of the chain, letting the pendant swing freely between them. It was, much like Belle, a vision of beauty. Roughly the size of a quarter, the cupcake shaped pendant was topped with a glittering ruby cherry. The wrapper boasted a small pink heart, the jewel unknown to Julie but she guessed a diamond.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, her eyes welling with tears of joy. “It’s absolutely perfect.”
“It’s a locket.”
“Oh?” Julie found the tiny clasp and pried the silver cupcake open. Nestled inside was a photo of her and Belle, an image taken in one of those little photo booths that spat out a strip of candid shots. They’d done it for giggles at the state fair earlier in the year. Across from the picture was a simple inscription: their initials and the date they met.
“Do you like it?”
“Like it? I love it.”
Julie kept the chained entwined with her fingers, reaching out with her free hand to pull Belle toward her. The kiss they shared started off sweet and innocent, the depth of their love a sizzling undercurrent. When it ended, Julie rested her forehead against Belle’s, lost in the closeness of the woman who’d stolen her heart.
“I love you,” Julie declared.
“And I love you,” Belle replied.
“Help me put this on?”
She turned so Belle could slip the locket around her neck and fix the clasp. When the deed was done Julie grabbed Belle by the hand and led her toward the bedroom door.
“Now for your early St. Nick gift.” Julie leaned out the bedroom door, hoping she blocked most of Belle’s line of sight. She yelled, “Hit the switch, Hector!”
Chapter 10
Belle stepped out of the bedroom into the hall to find it transformed. The space glowed with the touch of multicolored lights on the railing, the rest of the staircase decorated with the aged nutcrackers. As Belle made her way down, she marveled at what Julie and Hector had done while she slept. They’d dug all the boxes marked Christmas out of the attic and dressed up the house. Everything from the little village on the living room coffee table to the snow globes lining the fireplace mantel.
She turned to Julie, who stood with hands clasped under her chin, eyes sparkling, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “What do you think? I tried to remember where everything was placed when I came last year. Did we do okay?”
“Okay?” It was clearly Belle’s turn to cry happy tears. She looked around, amazed, no longer bummed about the broken traditions. Starting new traditions never hurt, and even better if she could build on old ones with someone she loved. “You did perfect.”
“Good, because this is actually Hector’s gift to you.”
“What?”
Julie nodded. “He wanted to do something special, and he saw how down in the dumps you were so…He did some of it while we were out riding, but mostly within the last few hours. And there’s more.”
“More?”
Julie again took her by the hand, leading her to the front door. Even with the windows covered by curtains, Belle could see the glow beyond. Out on the porch she spied the little creaky animatronic snowman that titled from side to side and waved greetings to visitors. The railings were lit up, as was the row of pine trees. With the fresh blanket of snow and the twinkling stars overhead, Belle saw the magic of the holidays rushing back into her life.
A pang of guilt took the opportunity to jab her. Here she was thinking the worst of Hector, despite their past interactions, and the good times they’d shared, especially playing video games. She had hated the idea of him hopping along on their vacation, and here he’d gone out of his way with such a nice gesture. How will I ever pay him back for this?
She spun on Julie. “Where is he?”
“Right this way, milady,” Julie replied with a flourished bow.
She hooked her arm through Belle’s and off they went. One of the duo in crime, Belle noted, had taken the time to do a little shoveling. They headed in the general direction of the barn but detoured before reaching the door. The hour was late and growing later. Belle cast a worried look at the barn, quickly reassured by Julie that everyone had dinner and was safely snug in their beds.
“I don’t deserve you.”
“Sure you do.”
“Over here,” Hector called from the edge of the pond, waving his arm over his head as though trying to draw their attention in a big crowd. He was standing in the glow of a crackling fire. Beyond him, Belle could see the shimmering icy surface of the pond as it reflected the moon. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she vaguely recalled seeing Hector there earlier when she went careening by on Davenport.
“What the…” Belle muttered.
“Trust me,” Julie said.
Hector had placed three chairs around the fire, each with a blanket, one with a box, and Belle spotted a picnic basket just to the side.
Julie squeezed her hand. “Surprise,” she said.
She shot a questioning look at Julie, wondering what this was all about.
“I tried for so long to find a proper gift and this was the best I could come up with: a moonlit winter picnic around a roaring campfire.” She toyed with her new pendant. “It pales in comparison to this—”
“It’s absolutely wonderful,” she said, engulfing Julie in a hug and giving her a quick peck on the lips. “I love it.” She turned her affections to Hector, throwing her arms around him. He got a kiss on the cheek. “And thank you for all you did. It’s awesome and I don’t know how to repay you.”
Hector flashed a big grin, shrugging. When they parted he settled in one of the chairs. “Think of it as my way of saying thanks for letting me crash your holidays and also for being my friend.” He poked at the fire. “Besides, the two of you need to just admit it. I’m the go-to man in this relationship.”
She and Julie laughed.
“Please say you’ll stay and join us,” Belle offered. Then quickly added, “If it’s okay with Julie, of course.” How could she have ever allowed herself to be such a fool?
“Definitely,” Julie went to the chair with the box. She held it gingerly, passing it over to Belle. “Now this is the real reason I invited Hector along. I needed him to sneak your gift here.”
Curious, Belle pried off the top and her heart skipped a beat. Nestled in the box on a rainbow blanket was a tiny black kitten sporting a pink collar. The kitten let out a pitiful meow and attempted to climb up the side of the box. Belle took her in one hand, letting the box fall to the snow. Belle cradled the precious soul, nuzzling her.
“She’s so cute!”
Julie smiled warmly. “I realized it might help if we had a little pet of our own, what with you growing up on a farm and all. I’ve already spoken to the landlord, and she says it’s okay, especially if we don’t make a big fuss and let the other tenants know. And if all works out, we shouldn’t be there too much longer anyway.”
“I feel like the luckiest girl,” Belle said. Her gaze traveled from Julie to Hector. “And like the biggest fool. Will you guys ever forgive me?”
“For?” they said in unison. This sparkled another round of laughs.
“Let’s eat,” Hector suggested. “I’m starving. Little Miss Slave Driver over here made me shovel and skip dinner.”
Hector popped open the basket and began to pass around the food within. There was a thermos of hot soup as well as one of hot chocolate and what appeared to be a loaf of freshly made bread. Kitten in hand, Belle settled in one of the chairs and wrapped the blanket around her legs, placing the kitten in her lap.
For a while they ate in silence.
Eventually, Julie brushed the crumbs from her hands. “How about we go ice skating?”
“As fun as that sounds you’re forgetting one minor detail. We don’t have any skates,” countered Belle, stroking the kitten.
Julie flashed a cat-that-ate-the-canary kind of grin. “Oh, you of little faith.” Julie got up, going over to the picnic basket, reaching behind it, and a second later held up two pairs of skates.
“Surprise!” she said. “I remembered how much fun you had last winter at the rink, and you told me about the pond here, so I figured…”
“You spoil me.”
“I try.”
Belle cast a glance at the little life in her lap. The idea of skating hand in hand with her lover under the starry sky sounded romantic and like one of those memories she would reflect on years from now. But what to do about the kitten? As though sensing her dilemma, Hector picked up the previously discarded box and held it out.
“Go on, I can watch the little munchkin. After all, I’ve done exactly that the last few days. You two go be all lovey-dovey. Me and the furball will enjoy the fire.”
Julie gave Hector a kiss on the cheek. Parting with the kitten, Belle followed Julie to the pond. Another one of those places she spent countless hours when she was younger. Maybe it’s time. Belle froze. The ice was glass-like under the steady watch of the moon. I think the thing to learn from all this is that it’s okay to grow up and move on with life. The traditions from my childhood never have to leave me, and maybe I should build on them, make new traditions. Peace settled on Belle’s shoulders and she relaxed, feeling happy for the first time since her parents relayed their holiday plans. And maybe we can put off moving until Mom and Dad are ready to leave. I love them, and I suppose I’ll always love Prue, even if she doesn’t come around or ever feel the same, but I have Julie. And Hector. Family doesn’t always have to be about blood.
“I should call my mom tomorrow, see how my sister is doing, wish them all a happy St. Nick’s Day.”
“Sounds like a brilliant idea. Now get your skates on and come join me.” Julie was already on the ice.
Belle sat on the bench her grandfather had built in his later years. Quickly, she slipped off her boots and replaced them with the skates. When she was ready to go, Belle made her way to the shore, taking Julie’s hand.
She wanted to spend the rest of her life taking Julie’s hand.
THE END
ABOUT KASSANDRA LEA
Kassandra Lea lives in WI where she enjoys the bitter winters with long hours of writing. She shares her living space with a cast of four-legged critters, her mom, and a friendly ghost.
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Kassandra Lea, Winter Star
