Christmas Riches (Riches to Rags book 4) Read online

  “You shouldn’t have to eat my cooking,” Melinda replied. “Or wait on yourself, or—”

  I ran my hand down Melinda’s arm and slipped my hand into hers. “Kate, would you mind filling up another basket with decorations?”

  “Be happy to,” she replied, and walked off down the aisle.

  Once she was out of earshot, I continued the conversation. “Norma, we were thinking of giving the staff Christmas week off, and we were worried about you.”

  “That’s a lovely idea, dear, but you shouldn’t worry about me. I can fend for myself. I’ve been alone on Christmas more years than I can count.”

  Norma said it cheerfully, but it left me melancholy. Before I could assure her that we would help her, Melinda spoke up in her usual funny way.

  “Don’t worry, Norma. I’m happy to help in any way I can short of emptying the cat litter. I have my reputation to think of, you know.”

  I Don’t Have a Tradition – Melinda (Blackie) Blackstone-Livingston and Christine (Chris) Blackstone-Livingston

  People born with a silver spoon in their mouth rarely develop traditions that they care enough about to repeat every year. That’s why this concept of Chris’s is as intriguing to me as it is annoying. The annoying part is that I have a problem thinking about others first, other than Chris, of course. I love her, so it almost comes naturally to me. I wish I were half the woman she is, then all this stuff would be easier for me. Chris doesn’t think of our small staff as employees; she thinks of them as family. I can see how attached she is to them, and they to her. I want to be a part of that. To feel that bond.

  As it is, we’re standing in the middle of a store, listening to the sound of sickeningly sweet Christmas music overhead, and talking about letting the staff have an entire week off. That meant we would be fending for ourselves. I can wait on myself, I’ve done it a few times before, but why should I have to? Okay, maybe that’s too selfish, even for me.

  “Wait, what about this?” I said excitedly. “We could hire a replacement staff for that week, and—” Chris shook her head and I held up my index finger to quiet her. “Now wait, hear me out first. By hiring a butler and maid to fill in that week, we’re not only giving our staff a break, but helping out someone who needs a job, uh, for a few days.”

  I watched Chris’s face contort in consternation and then finally, thankfully, she smiled.

  “Okay, that sounds like a good compromise. I am going to need help with the Christmas party.”

  Chris invited our parents and our friends Meg, her wife Frankie, and George to our house the Sunday after Christmas because they were too busy on Christmas Day, and now I think she finally has realized that she will need help. But I could sense that something was bothering her, and I was insecure enough to believe that I had done something to upset her. I will always be insecure when it comes to loving Chris, because love is the one thing I know the least about.

  “Chris, is something bothering you? Did I do something wrong that I don’t know about?”

  “What? No, honey. You’ve been wonderful,” she replied, taking my hand in hers.

  “Well, something’s bothering you. Tell me, maybe I can help.” Please let me help.

  “No, you’ll think I’m just being overly emotional, which I am.”

  “I promise, I won’t tell you if I think you’re being too emotional,” I teased.

  She chuckled and took a breath. “Do you promise not to say or do anything that would make people change their plans?”

  “Huh? I mean, sure, I promise.”

  “All right. It’s just that I’m feeling kind of lonely.”

  I didn’t understand. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her soft hair. “Baby, I’m right here beside you, loving you.”

  Chris shivered and I held her closer.

  “I know, Melinda, thank you for that. But it’s not that kind of loneliness. I was just hoping to have everyone together on Christmas Day. I know they’ll be there two days after, but it’s just not the same. Now it looks like no one will be there except you and me. Not that it won’t be wonderful having you all to myself, of course.”

  “Of course.” I held her at arm’s length and winked. “But I think there’s more to it than it just being the two of us for Christmas. You know, I was rarely sober on Christmas because I couldn’t face the holiday alone. I think that I understand what you need, and I can make it happen, if you’d just let me out of my promise.”

  “No, Melinda. I love you for wanting to help, but that’s not necessary. As long as you are with me, I don’t need anyone else.”

  She hugged me tight, and I felt the warmth of her love, but I knew she was wrong. She needed to feel safe again. She needed her parents’ assurances, needed to have them with her, and with a little finesse on my part, they would be.

  No, You Are Not Being Replaced – Chris Blackstone-Livingston, and Melinda Blackstone-Livingston, Norma Shelby, Charlotte Riggins, Konani Kalani, Baylee-Ann Reynolds, Kate Stana

  Melinda gathered everyone into the living room and insisted that I tell them the good news, even though it was her idea.

  “Melinda and I know how hard you’ve worked these past few months, so as a way of thanking you for your dedication, we are giving you the week of Christmas off, with full pay. Go be with your families and enjoy the holiday.”

  At first they seemed excited by the news. Well, except for Charlotte, whose expression never changed, but then it rarely did. They looked at each other with a question in their eyes, and it left me confused.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked.

  “It’s a very gracious offer,” Charlotte assured me in her stiff butler way. “However, I would prefer to stay and see to Ms. Norma’s needs.”

  “And who will fix your Christmas meals?” Konani questioned.

  “Who will clean up after the party?” Baylee-Ann asked in her Southern twang.

  I smiled, tears welling up in the corner of my eyes. I lifted my hands to quiet the questions. “Konani, you don’t usually work on Sundays, remember? But don’t worry. We will hire temporary staff for that week.”

  “You’re replacing us?” Konani questioned sharply.

  “Hell, no!” Melinda barked. “You’re irreplaceable.”

  I was relieved to see their concern turn to glee. I never liked being the boss as it was, and seeing the uncertainties in their eyes really bothered me. Jobs were hard to come by, I know. I experienced that problem last year when I lived on my own. That’s why it’s important to me that my employees know that they have a job with us for as long as they want one.

  “I agree with Melinda. You all are very special to us, and you will have employment here for as long as you want.”

  Charlotte stood up and smoothed her jacket down. “I think I speak for all of us when I say, thank you, Madame. That is very kind of you both.”

  I had tried for months to get Charlotte to call me Chris, but she always politely declined. “You’re very welcome, Charlotte.”

  Everyone was smiling, except for Konani, whose head was tilted down. Melinda caught on quicker than I did.

  “Wait, we’re not finished,” Melinda interrupted. “Part of your Christmas bonus is the use of my private jet to fly you home for the holidays.”

  Konani clapped her hands to her mouth, tears in her eyes. I looked at Melinda with my own teary eyes. She never ceases to surprise me with her loving heart. If I could only get her brain to understand what her heart already knows.

  “Mahalo nui loa,” Konani said, and then translated, “Thank you very much.”

  “Mele Kalikimaka, Konani,” I said. “Merry Christmas to you all.”

  But it’s Not the Same Thing – Melinda Blackstone-Livingston and George Kirk

  “You’re coming for Christmas, right?” I asked. There was a hesitation and for a second I thought the cell phone had dropped the call.

  “Blackie, I don’t mean to be a snob, but—”

  “Since when?” I teased.

/>   “I’ve gotten used to a certain lifestyle,” he continued without missing a beat. “Where I don’t have to fix my own meals or clean up after myself. I like that way of living, and if your household staff won’t be there, well then, I think I’m busy someplace else that week.”

  George Kirk, my biographer and best friend, is a social climber. For years, he’s lived off the generosity of his clients, my parents included. He has made good money writing their biographies, enough to afford a luxurious lifestyle of his own. Here lately, he’s been living with us, writing mine and Norma’s biographies and availing himself of our hospitality. Right now though, he’s back at his place in California, attending some big event that my parents were holding.

  “Believe me, I’m the exact same way. And you don’t have to worry, I’ve got a plan to bring everyone to Memphis for Christmas. Including our employees.”

  “Why do I not like the sound of your latest manipulative ideas?”

  “I don’t know, since you haven’t even heard the plan yet. Now stop jumping to conclusions and hear me out first.”

  “You’re right,” he replied. “Tell me the plan, but first tell me why you want to do this.”

  “I want to do it for Chris. She’s had a very tough year, and I think having her family and friends together on Christmas would mean a lot to her.”

  “I don’t understand. We’re getting together the Sunday after Christmas, so what’s the problem?”

  “It’s just not the same thing to Chris. Personally, I was usually drunk on Christmas Day and never had a problem with it. Chris told me once that no matter how bad it got, she made sure she was sober for Christmas with her parents. Each year, her mother insisted that they set aside their problems and come together as a family for that one day. It’s one of those traditions that Chris wants to continue.”

  “I think that’s a great tradition,” George said. “I wish my mom had such a rule when I was a kid.”

  “Yeah, mine, too,” I said disdainfully. “My Christmases were all about business and how to make more of it. Even before I finished opening presents, father would go to his office and worked on financials and mother went to her office and worked on her social calendar. They were so busy that sometimes I ended up eating the big Christmas dinner with only Charles standing beside me at the table.” I shook my head, realizing that compared to Chris’s Christmases, mine were like any other day.

  “No offense, but that was crappy. So what’s your big plan that’s sure to gather everyone together on Christmas Day?” George asked.

  “I’m going to become deathly ill, so ill in fact that everyone will come see me just to say goodbye,” I stated proudly. “It’s like having a wake when you’re not really dead, so you can see who loves you the most.”

  “Blackie, with all sincerity, that is the cruelest, meanest, dumbest idea you’ve ever had.”

  “Listen, don’t let the fact that I’m your employer keep you from telling me how you really feel, George,” I snarled.

  “Seriously, don’t do that. It will only come back to bite you in the butt.”

  “What else can I do, George? Chris made me promise not to tell them how upset she is that no one will be there on Christmas Day. If I had known how she felt before she gave everybody the week off, I never would have agreed to it.”

  “All I’m saying is think it through. From what I know of Chris’s parents, they would drop everything to be there if she needed them.”

  “Oh, I get it. Tell them that Chris is very ill, and—”

  “Good, God, no!”

  “Then what? I can’t tell them because I promised Chris, and I can’t play dead because you think it’s wrong. So what do I do?”

  “Well, for keeping the staff there, that’s easy. Just fly in their families, put them up in at the Peabody, and invite them to dinner on Christmas Day.”

  “George, that’s a great idea! Except I’d have to use my father’s hotel or face the lectures. Still, it’s a great idea.”

  “Thanks. I’m not sure how to get both sets of parents there though.”

  “Like I said, pretend that I’m dying.”

  George laughed. “I thought you wanted everyone to get along on Christmas Day? Let me spell it out for you. First of all, they won’t bring you any good presents when you’re sick, and secondly, they will be really pissed when they walk in and see you standing there. But most importantly, do you really think Chris will ever make love to you again when she finds out how devious you can be?”

  “Oh, shit! I didn’t think of that,” I gasped. He could have just said that last one in the first place and spared me the sermon. “I don’t know what to do then, because short of death, there’s no other way to get my parents to change their plans. They never have before when I’d asked them.”

  “Blackie, how long have we known each other? Don’t answer that. I’ll tell you. Since you were born, that’s how long. And how long have I been getting you out of scrapes? Well, I’ll tell you,” he said, without letting me answer. “For as long as you’ve been born, that’s how long.”

  “Is there a point in there somewhere?” I asked hurriedly before he kept talking. It’s true he had known me for a long time, but I only recently realized how valuable his friendship was. He’s the one, besides Norma, who helped me win Chris’s heart.

  “Yes, there is. You promised Chris that you wouldn’t interfere, I, however, did not.”

  “Okay… sounds interesting. What have you got in mind?”

  “I can’t tell you that or you’ll be an accomplice. Better that you know nothing. All I ask is that you bail me out of jail, should things get dicey.”

  “Absolutely. I know a judge who would—”

  “Blackie, I was kidding,” George said.

  “Sure, I knew that.”

  I’m going to Meddle – Chris Blackstone-Livingston and Norma Shelby

  Norma and I were still adding decorations to the Christmas tree in the ballroom long after the others had finished with their trees and moved on to decorating the rest of the mansion. Melinda conveniently remembered she had to run some errands. I knew better. Can’t say that I blame her either, ducking out like that. I really wished I had chosen a smaller tree that wouldn’t take as long to decorate. My arms were starting to hurt.

  I’ve been thinking about Christmas and how lonely it can feel without the people I love around me. I know Melinda isn’t as attached to her parents as I am to mine, but still, I know she wishes she were. Where my parents are encouraging and giving, hers are disapproving and takers. Melinda butted heads with her father a lot, and I think that’s because they’re so much alike. I wouldn’t complain if they did go to Switzerland, but for Melinda’s sake, I wished they weren’t. Even if it meant another fight between her and her father. I don’t think she would ever admit to it, but it would have meant a lot if they stayed and came to our dinner.

  “Norma, let’s take a break and have some tea.”

  “Oh, that’s a lovely idea, dear,” she replied.

  We went into the kitchen and I got some glasses down from the cabinet. Konani always kept the tea brewing and the coffee percolating. I popped some ice in the glasses and poured the tea.

  “Let’s sit here in the breakfast nook for a minute and talk,” I suggested and carried our glasses to the table. We’d been talking all morning as we decorated the tree. But now I was ready to get Norma’s opinion on an idea I had.

  “Are you ready to tell me what’s bothering you, dear?” Norma asked.

  Shocked, I set my glassed down and looked at her. “Am I that obvious?”

  “No, not at all. But you’ve been talking about Melinda as if she had lost something and you desperately wanted to find it for her. Something that you yourself can’t have.”

  Again, I was shocked. That’s just spooky.

  “Yes, I know, it’s uncanny, and I don’t mean to meddle, it’s just a sixth sense that I’ve developed over the years. So tell me, what is it that you think Melinda
has lost?”

  “Norma, your intuitiveness is amazing.”

  “Thank you,” she replied. “Now back to you.”

  I looked at her and smiled. She was never one to linger on a compliment for very long. Maybe it was because in Hollywood, compliments are fleeting and usually phony. “I worry about Melinda. She says it doesn’t matter that her parents won’t be around for the holidays. They rarely are. I can’t help but compare our parents and feel sorry for Melinda. Like, I know that I can go to my mother at any time and talk to her about anything, but Melinda’s mother is um…”

  “Emotionally unavailable? I’ve thought that, too,” Norma said.

  “And her father is an asshole,” I quipped. “But he can also be very generous at times, even telling Melinda how proud he is of her. Granted it took a rare occasion for him to admit it, but still, I can tell that it means a lot to her.”

  “I’ve no doubt. Would you like some advice from an old lady who has never encountered a problem like this?”

  I laughed. “Absolutely.”

  “Invite the Blackstones in person. Go to them and tell them how important it is to Melinda that they spend Christmas with her. I think that if you ask them in person, they won’t say no.”

  “That’s a wonderful idea, Norma,” I replied excitedly. “Except that I made Melinda promise that she wouldn’t change anyone’s plans.”

  “And did she make you promise the same thing?” Norma asked.

  “As a matter of fact, no, she did not. Oh, but I can’t. It’s over nine hours to California. It would take me two days at least. What would I tell Melinda?” My mind raced with possibilities, all of which meant that I would have to lie to Melinda. I didn’t want to do that, even for a good cause.

  “Oh, that is unfortunate. Perhaps you could Skype with them instead? Like you taught me how to do with my grandson in Texas? My great-grandchildren think I’m quite the cool granny.”

  “I agree with them. And Skyping is a great idea, thanks, Norma. Now all I have to do is schedule a time with them when Melinda is out of the house.”