Chapter 15

Christmas Day

Cameron

Bells rang out from the adjoining church just a mile or so down the road, waking me from my sleep. I laid in the bed staring out the window, watching the morning snow float slowly past, melting as it touched the warm glass of my room. It was Christmas morning, but for me, there was no excitement to open presents, no one waiting for me out in the living room, and no big feast prepared. It was no different than any other Christmas I had spent on the road, but for some reason, I felt cold on the inside. I turned over on my back and pulled my arms over my head, stretching long and hard. There was nothing better to do than go downstairs and start my Christmas morning off with a nice, stiff drink. It had become kind of a ritual for me on holidays, something to start my day on a better note than loneliness.

I got out of bed and got dressed in a pair of jeans, my tennis shoes that I barely ever wore, and a warm sweater. I brushed my teeth and tousled my hair, spraying on just a bit of cologne, just in case. When I got downstairs, there was a light humming of Christmas music over the speakers and just a few people in the restaurant drinking coffee and talking lightly. Those were usually the older folks, the ones that enjoyed Aspen during the holidays and had little to no family to go home for. I walked into the lounge and sat up at the bar, smiling at the bartender and ordering a beer.

“I’m sorry you have to work on Christmas,” I said, passing him a twenty for the beer. “Keep the change.”

“Thank you, sir,” he said with a smile. “I extend my apologies to you, as well.”

“Thank you,” I said, taking my beer and standing up.

I walked over to the window and watched as two or three people skirted down the mountain, taking advantage of the empty slopes on Christmas Day. The crowd would be back, bright and early the next day, ready to ski in their brand-new clothes and with their brand-new equipment. It was always crazy between Christmas and New Year’s, and today was one of the few days I got to relax. It was a shame I was feeling a bit melancholy. I didn’t have anyone to celebrate Christmas with, and though normally it was Glen and I going it alone, he had taken a last-minute flight back home for the holidays, missing his family and deciding it was important to spend more time with his mother and father since they were getting older. I couldn’t lie. I understood completely how he felt, but going home for me wasn’t something I really had any interest in doing. So, there I was, sitting at the bar in Aspen, spending Christmas with a cool bottle of beer and probably many more to come.

I drank some more of my drink and moved back over to the bar, pulling up a seat and looking at the muted television. A Christmas Story was on, and I smiled to myself, remembering how Bea looked when she first came to my beginners’ class for skiing. I didn’t even know it was her, she was bundled up so tightly, and then the laughter that came from her chest echoed through the whole mountain, making anyone in range smile at her light and love. I looked up at the bartender as I finished my beer.

“Will you have to work all day?” I asked.

“No, sir.”

“Please, call me Cameron,” I said, smiling.

“No, Cameron, I am the day shift,” he said. “It usually gets pretty busy in here when everyone is done with family and needs a drink. They have a night crew coming in for that. We all drew straws to see when we would work.”

“That stinks,” I said. “If you are going to work, you should at least be given a decent money shift.”

“Just part of the job.” He smiled. “What about you? What are your plans for the day?”

“Well, so far, I am planning on continuing to drink these beers and keep you company.” I laughed. “I travel, so I am usually never in my hometown for Christmas. I am used to it, but with my buddy being gone, I have decided that this is as good a day as any to drink my way through the jingling bells.”

“If I didn’t have to work, I would join you.” He laughed.

“I appreciate the sentiment.” I smiled. “I may take a slight break, halfway through the day, and take to the slopes for a couple hours, but that really depends on how many whiskeys I decide to have between beers.”

“Well, here is your first,” he said, pouring me a shot. “This one is on the house. A Christmas gift from us to you.”

“I feel terrible. I left yours at home.” I laughed.

I drank the shot and set down the glass, closing my eyes and feeling the warmth flow through me. I guessed it was a little pathetic to be getting drunk by myself on Christmas, but I had nothing better to do with my time, so I thought, why not? Besides, was it really considered getting drunk alone when the bartender was there with you? I smiled at the thought of Glen surrounded by his family this morning, unwrapping some terrible socks and some even worse sweaters. As the thoughts ran through my head, I opened my eyes, feeling a hand lay softly on my shoulder.

I looked down at the pretty, red fingernails and smiled, smelling Bea’s sweet scent. I turned in my seat and looked at her. She was standing there with her beautiful hair curled into ringlets and pulled back with a red bow. She was wearing a mid-length white dress with bells on the hem, and her lips were painted crimson in color. She looked absolutely breathtaking. I reached out and took her hand, pulling it to my lips.

“Merry Christmas,” I said, smiling.

“Merry Christmas,” she replied, her cheeks glowing bright red.

I couldn’t remember the last time I looked at a woman and felt completely blown away by how beautiful they really were. This time, I could barely speak. Bea was a vision, standing there, ready to sit down and spend at least a moment of her Christmas by my side. She was a more than welcomed vision, and I was excited to see her standing there.

“May I buy you a drink?”

“I would love that,” she said, pulling out the stool and sitting down.

“Anything that the lady desires,” I said, winking at the bartender.

“I’ll have an Irish coffee,” she replied, turning toward me. “It doesn’t count if it’s in coffee, right?”

“I never saw a thing,” I responded with a deep laugh. “So, what brings you down to the lounge this Christmas morning?”

“I figured I’d find you around here somewhere,” she said, laughing.

“You know me too well already,” I replied with a smile, glancing up at the TV and seeing the little boy all dressed up in his snow gear. “Look, it’s you, the first time I ever talked to you.”

“Very funny,” she said, slapping me on the arm. “Wasn’t that the first time you ever saw me, too?”

“No, actually,” I said, taking a deep breath. “I saw you for the first time when you arrived here. I immediately tried to find you, knowing I just couldn’t go another day without speaking to you, but then I lost you. I went out to the courtyard, seeing you down there, but by the time I got there, you were gone.”

“Wait, so I was who you were looking for?”

“What?”

“After the courtyard, I came inside and went upstairs,” she replied. “As the elevator doors closed, I saw you walk in front of them, standing there looking for someone.”

“Yes.” I laughed. “I was looking for you.”

“Well that is very serendipitous, don’t you think?”

“Very much so,” I said, looking her in the eye and wanting badly to kiss her.

“How about a shot?” she asked.

“I like how this lady thinks,” I said, pulling myself out of the trance. “Three shots of whiskey. One for me, one for the lady, and one for you, kind sir.”

“I thank you, but I am not permitted to drink.” He smiled.

“Well, I’ll have to come back when you are off and buy you one, then,” I said, smiling.

“I would love that,” he said, laughing.

He poured us both a shot, and I took mine, impressed at how easily Bea swung hers back. Usually, the women that came to resorts like this were more of a shooter kind of person than whiskey. I smiled at her and cleared my throat, already feeling a bit better than when I had arrived. She wiped her mouth and turned to me, taking a sip of her coffee.

“So, why are you here and not with family?” she asked.

“Well, my father and mother are good people, but not the most loving of parents,” I said. “My father is a big business man, and my mother owns her own business as well, and I didn’t quite live up to the standards with my chosen career path.”

“But you own your business,” she pointed out.

“Very true,” I replied. “That is exactly the argument I’ve had ten times over. But with my father being a conglomerate owner, he doesn’t really consider a business actually a business until you’ve made your first million. Something I will probably never see.”

“Well, money isn’t everything,” she said, smiling.

“How about you?” I asked, sipping my beer. “Besides the whole, ex-douche bag thing, why aren’t you with family?”

“Well, I had thought I was spending Christmas at his boss’s house, so my family went away to the islands,” she replied. “They figured if there wasn’t anyone to celebrate with, why not take in the sun and sand?”

“They sound like brilliant people.” I laughed. “But seriously, their loss, our gain.”

“Why, thank you,” she said, smiling. “However, I did come down here to see if you wanted to come spend Christmas with Hailey and me. We actually were just getting ready to open presents and send down for a yummy, room service lunch. I believe I saw that Santa may have left you something under the tree. Besides, there is enough whiskey for three Christmases in our room. And the bartender is more than welcome when his shift is over. I’m pretty sure he’s met Hailey.”

I looked over at the bartender, who smiled and looked down, nodding his head yes. I thought about it for a second, but looking at Bea’s big, beautiful eyes folded me immediately. How could I ever say no to that face?

“Yes, I would love to,” I said.

We finished our drinks, and I made Brian, the bartender, promise us to come up in a couple of hours when his shift ended. When I got upstairs, Hailey greeted me with some red confetti and a glass of whiskey on the rocks. We sat around, opening silly gifts, wearing Santa hats, and watching the worst Christmas movies we could possibly find. This had actually turned out to be one of the best Christmases that I had ever had. Even more than that, it was the first time I cared about the people and the holiday. As the sun went down behind the mountain, and Brian joined us from downstairs, I sat back, watching the girls singing Christmas carols, swaying back and forth with their drinks, and decided that maybe I was missing out on something, being all alone all the time. Maybe, just maybe, Bea was worth keeping around.