Chapter Twenty

Nine days later, on a snowy Saturday night, Arianna was having a hard time keeping up her Grinch persona.

“Was that an ooh or an aah?” Connor asked as he tucked the white furry blanket around her and her puppy (now known as Comet, thanks to George and her cousins) in the back of the horse-drawn carriage. They were the grand marshals of Harmony Harbor’s holiday parade.

“You have to admit Julia’s window display is pretty spectacular,” Arianna said, waving to the crowd gathered along Main Street. The owner of Books and Beans had outdone herself this year. She’d re-created the ballroom scene from Beauty and the Beast. The loudspeaker piped “Tale as Old as Time” onto the street. Last year Julia had taken over the parade and added her own magical touch, ensuring the local businesses were more prominently featured than ever before. As the floats rolled up Main Street, each of the stores lit up with a wave of the grand marshal’s wand.

Connor laughed. “Yeah, Aidan makes a great Beast.” He made a give me gesture with his fingers. “It’s my turn to wave the wand.”

“You’ve had twice as many turns as me.”

“Fine. We’ll wave it together.” He wrapped his hand around hers and made an elaborate arc before pointing the wand at Holiday House. As if by magic, the shop lit up with pink, green, and yellow lights, and the crisp night air filled with the sounds of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” The front door opened, and children dressed as elves flooded onto the sidewalk to hand out candy canes. “How about two for your mayors?” he called to the elves.

They were immediately showered with candy canes. Arianna ducked, covering her head. “Maybe you should have pointed to one elf.”

“No way. This is awesome,” Connor said, sticking a candy cane in his mouth and stuffing the others in his pockets—before Comet could eat one, she assumed. “Aren’t you going to compliment me on saying ‘mayors’ instead of ‘mayor’?”

“Uh, no. It’s about time it sank in that you’re not the only one—” She sighed as they passed the burned-out buildings. “You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. “You were having fun. I didn’t want the memories of that night to spoil this one.”

“I appreciate the thought, but I’m honestly much better. I’m at Holiday House at least a couple times a week, working with Evie on our proposals for the community center. We’re presenting them to the council next week.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Surprised you, didn’t I? You’re not the only one who wants to make a difference in Harmony Harbor, you know.”

“That’s great. Tell me—”

“Wave the wand!” people yelled from either side of the street. Connor looked around. “We’re falling down on the job.” He stood up and moved the wand like a conductor leading his orchestra. All around them the darkened storefronts lit up, and the carols rang out in discordant notes on the street.

“You’re fired!” his brother Michael called from farther down the road.

Connor waved the wand like he was throwing a football in the pub’s direction at the same time the carriage hit a rut in the road, throwing him off-balance. He lurched forward, and Arianna lunged, grabbing the back of his coat. She jostled Comet, who’d been buried under the blankets half-asleep, and he started barking. Which must have spooked the horses, because they took off.

“Hang on!” the driver yelled, trying to get the horses under control.

“I wanted to hold on to you all night, but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” Connor said, his arms wrapped tightly around both her and Comet, who was squashed between them. Comet didn’t seem to mind; he’d stopped barking at least. “Thanks for saving me, by the way. I should probably kiss you in case we don’t survive this wild ride.”

“Connor, we haven’t been on a wild ride since about half a minute after it started.” She laughed at his genuine look of surprise.

“Seriously?” he said.

“Just kiss the girl,” Charlie Angel yelled. He stood outside the Salty Dog wearing a pirate’s costume.

Connor pointed the wand over his shoulder, and scenes from The Little Mermaid began playing across the front of the pub, with the song “Kiss the Girl” coming through the speakers.

“I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a sign,” Connor said.

Arianna angled her head to the side. “Is that Cherry dressed as Ariel?” Connor glanced over his shoulder. “In the canoe in front of the pub,” she told him.

“Yep, and if that big guy gets in with her, they’re going to end up on the sidewalk.” He leaned over to tap the driver on the shoulder. “Can you stop at the harbor front? Thanks,” he said when the older man nodded. “We’ll stand up and wave the wand together.”

The boats in the harbor were also decorated with Christmas lights. Once Connor and Arianna waved the wand, the boats would light up and fireworks would illuminate the night sky, signaling the end of the parade.

Connor looked down at Comet. “We should probably put the blanket over him so he doesn’t bark. We don’t want to end up in the harbor. Grams will never forgive us if we don’t get to the manor on time.”

“I wasn’t planning on going back to the manor, Connor. I have to work on the proposals tonight.”

“You have to come to the manor. We’re playing Mr. and Mrs. Claus.”

“You can’t be serious?”

*  *  *

Colleen sent a book sailing across Kitty’s suite in the manor’s tower, hitting her grandson on the behind.

“Bloody hell,” Daniel yelped from where he knelt on the floor with his head under his mother’s bed, searching for Colleen’s memoir. He pulled his head out to look around the room. “Nothing but dust bunnies under there,” he said, retrieving the book Colleen had thrown.

Rubbing his behind with his free hand, he stood and put the book on the bed and then walked to the desk he’d searched earlier to no avail. He didn’t realize that Jasper had recently moved her memoir from the locked drawer in the desk to a safe behind the landscape on the wall. Jasper had moved it after Colleen’s failed attempts to get in the drawer had resulted in her spilling a cup of tea on important papers.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Colleen murmured when her grandson reached for the painting hanging on the wall above the desk. She focused on the two books on the coffee table in the sitting area. Once they were hovering in midair, she sent a blast of mental energy at them. One after another, they smacked Daniel on the back of his head. He dropped to his knees, covering his head like he was under attack. He stayed that way for several minutes before slowly lowering his arms to look around, his face pale. Staggering to his feet, he hightailed it out of the room.

Following after him, Colleen chuckled when he closed the door behind him, muttering, “The room’s bloody haunted. The damn book isn’t worth getting myself killed for. There’s probably nothing of value in it anyway.” He walked off, casting a nervous glance back at the room while rubbing his head.

“My ghostercising paid off, Simon,” Colleen told her sidekick when he joined her on her walk to the great room. “Now that I’ve taken care of Daniel, we can enjoy a stress-free Christmas party.”

After the local Santa Claus parade, the doors to the manor would be opened wide to welcome the paradegoers with hot chocolate and cookies, a special appearance by the Widows Club carolers, and a visit with the jolly old elf himself.

“Do you realize, Simon, that this will be the first drama-free Christmas season we’ve had in two years? Last year was even worse than the year before, although it turned out well in the end. But it’ll be a real treat to get into the spirit of the holidays without a looming disaster hanging over our heads.”

Simon gave her the side-eye and a you’re tempting fate meow.

“Oh, go on with you. Daniel might sulk a bit, but he’s given up on the book and causing trouble for Arianna and Connor. And those two, from what I’ve heard, are one step closer to their happily-ever-after.”

That got her another tempting-fate meow.

“I admit, it doesn’t look good with them on opposing sides, but they’re working hard to bring the town together. And they might not know it yet, but it’s also bringing them closer together. It’s just a matter of time before Arianna brings Connor around to her vision for Main Street.”

Simon parked himself in front of Colleen and cocked his head to the side. If he were a person, she’d no doubt be getting a pursed-lip look. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

He responded with one of his you can’t be serious meows.

Colleen had no idea what he was going on about, but she was quite impressed with how well she’d come to read his… “Bejaysus, you’re right. I was so wrapped up in their romance, I forgot what was at stake. If Arianna brings Connor over to her side, Daniel has too much to lose to sit on the sidelines. And if Connor brings her over to his, Caine Elliot is one step closer to razing the manor. Except I’m as canny as the lad and outmaneuvered him. All we have left of my great-grandchildren to get on to Save Team Greystone are…Daniel’s daughters.”

She sighed. She didn’t need to overtax her brain to know which way they’d vote. They’d barely spent any time at the manor with Colleen and the family. Still, she’d added a codicil to her will that just might turn the tide in the manor’s favor. “Don’t bother with any more of your smarty-pants meows. I know very well the fix we might be in, but I refuse to let it ruin my day.”

She floated from the top of the second floor down the grand staircase with a smile forming on her lips. Boughs of cedar were draped on the banisters and decorated with trailing gold bows and fruit. Gold pots of poinsettias graced either side of the red runner. In the great room with its soaring ceilings, there was a roaring fire in the stone fireplace, beside which stood an elegant eighteen-foot tree decorated in white lights with red and gold balls and ribbons. In front of the tree sat a red velvet wingback chair waiting for Santa.

“Perfect. It all looks perfect,” she said, breathing in the scent of fresh cedar, hot chocolate, and sugar cookies. The doors to the manor opened, and children and adults poured inside, filling the great room with laughter and good cheer. Jasper, in his familiar black suit, and Kitty, wearing her caroling outfit of a red velvet dress, white fur shawl, and a brimmed red bonnet, greeted their guests, welcoming them to the manor.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a bigger crowd than this, Simon.” At the sound of a familiar ho ho ho, Colleen began to laugh. “I wonder how they roped Connor into playing Santa,” she said, searching for Arianna.

Colleen thought she may have been the one to convince him to take on the role until she remembered the conversation she’d overheard at Thanksgiving. George had been comically horrified to learn that Arianna had called her new pup Humbug, which seemed to indicate Arianna wasn’t a fan of the holidays.

After what she’d been through these past few months, Colleen didn’t blame her. Especially now that Beverly had spirited Helen away. Beverly wouldn’t be happy until she had her mother’s attention all to herself. She’d been an only child raised by a single mother. Helen had doted on her when she was young. It was no wonder Beverly grew up believing the world revolved around her.

The children swarmed Connor as he made his way to his chair in front of the Christmas tree. Sophie and Olivia rescued him, organizing the children into a long line.

“Hey, Santa, where’s your little helper?” Michael called out from where he stood by the bar with his cousins, having a good laugh at Connor’s expense.

“Ho, ho, ho. I didn’t bring an elf this year. I brought my beautiful wife.” Her great-grandson’s deep voice was even deeper than usual. “Have any of you seen Mrs. Claus? She seems to have disappeared,” he said to the children. “Maybe we should call her. What do you think?” They nodded, and Connor and the children called for Mrs. Claus.

Seconds later, Arianna appeared in the entryway wearing a Mrs. Claus costume with a put-upon expression on her face. As she came down the stairs into the great room, Colleen noticed the leash she held with a cream-colored dog attached to it. The pup wore a pair of reindeer antlers on his head.

“Comet!” George ran over to cuddle the pup and then convinced Arianna to let her take care of the dog while she performed her Mrs. Claus duties.

“There she is.” Connor smiled when Arianna came to stand beside him. “How about a kiss for your husband?” He puckered up, drawing ewws and grosses from the children and laughter from his brother and cousins.

“How about a picture for the Gazette?” Byron Harte said, crouching a few feet away with a camera in his hand.

“Ho ho ho, anything for our favorite reporter,” Connor said, patting his knee, a slash of white teeth showing through his beard. “Come here, wife.”

Colleen chuckled. Poor Arianna. It was clear the lad intended to torture her today.

Arianna released a gusty sigh as she plunked down on his knee.

He grinned, patting her behind. “Now I know where all my cookies went.”

Arianna leaned back, and whatever she whispered to Connor made him throw back his head and laugh, and then he faced her, pulled a sprig of mistletoe out of his pocket, and kissed her. At the same time, Byron took their picture.

“Admit it. It’s the perfect shot for the paper,” Connor whispered, trying to appease a clearly not pleased Arianna. “It’s exactly the message we’re trying to get out there.”

“No, it’s not. That picture says—” Arianna began before George cut her off.

“Santa, can you and Mrs. Claus stop fighting so we can tell you what we want for Christmas?”

Connor glared at Arianna, and she glared right back. Too bad Colleen couldn’t share with her great-grandson that the best-laid plans had a way of going wrong. She wandered away, stopping at groups of people she knew, listening in on their conversations, catching up on the gossip. It was her favorite pastime.

Over in a corner, she caught sight of Rosa DiRossi, Kitty’s childhood best friend. Rosa stood near the atrium, wearing her caroling outfit and eating Christmas cookies as she chatted to Daniel’s partner in crime, Theia. Colleen knew exactly what Rosa was up to. For the past year, she’d been trying to find her grandson Marco, a firefighter at HHFD, the perfect match. “You’d best walk away from that one, Rosa. She’s Trouble with a capital T.”

But instead of walking away, Rosa dragged the girl over to the stairs to join the Widows Club. Colleen could see why. They appeared to be shy a few members. Theia, wearing black pants and a red and black sweater, tried to demur, but she was no match for Rosa.

“Don’t be nervous, dear,” Kitty said. “None of us had ever sung professionally before.”

Colleen could see Theia trying to hide a smile, which seemed a kinder thing to do than laugh outright that Kitty thought this a professional event. “Thanks, but I’m used to singing for an audience. My mom began dragging me on to the stage at the age of four.” She said it in such a way that indicated she had fond memories of her time with her mother. Another mark in her favor, Colleen thought, wondering if she’d misjudged the girl based on the company she kept.

“And where was it you used to sing with your mother?” Kitty asked, her eyes narrowing on the girl for some reason.

“Mostly in pubs in Dublin and Cork,” she said, a little more of the Emerald Isles coming out in her voice.

“You’re from Ireland? I never would have guessed,” Kitty said, chewing on her lower lip while her gaze darted around the packed great room.

“What is going on with you?” Colleen murmured, frustrated that her daughter-in-law couldn’t see or hear her.

“No. I’m from Boston originally, but my mom had family in Dublin. And every summer she’d drag me to Ireland to find my father. They’d met in a pub, singing for their supper, she used to say.” She smiled at the older women hanging on to her every word. The Widows Club were a romantic bunch.

“You never found him, did you?” Kitty said.

“No, but I got a lot of practice singing in public. Should we start?” she asked, looking over the great room as though searching for someone.

“Yes, of course. Is there a song you and your mother liked to sing at Christmas?” Kitty asked.

Theia nodded with a wistful expression on her face. “‘Mary, Did You Know?’”

Yes, Colleen thought, she’d misjudged the girl. And she had no idea how much until Theia opened her mouth and out came the voice of an angel. A hush fell over the crowd gathered in the great room as they turned to stare at the girl on the stairs. Daniel used to make heads turn when he sang, just like this…one. And like Kitty had done only moments before, Colleen narrowed her eyes to study Theia’s features more closely. Holy Mother of God, she was one of theirs. Kitty had seen it too. She would have remembered the times Daniel had written home to tell them about his grand adventures, of singing in the pubs of Dublin and Cork.

She wondered if Daniel had noticed the resemblance and turned to survey the crowd. He was no longer where she’d last seen him on his phone. She spotted him scurrying up the stairs to the entryway, glancing over his shoulder in a furtive manner before veering sharply to his left and down the hall. And just as had happened at Halloween, Colleen found herself chasing after her grandson. She prayed whatever he was up to wasn’t as bad as that night.

She followed Daniel into the library, surprised when he removed several books from the middle of one shelf and pressed a button. A hidden door clicked open. He replaced the books on the shelf and then walked into the dark, confined space. Colleen followed him. Once inside, he pulled a lever on the wall. The hidden library door swung closed, leaving them in the dark. But not for long. Daniel used the light on his cell phone to locate another hidden door. This one leading down to the tunnels below. Within minutes, they were back to where he’d held his clandestine meeting with Caine Elliot. Only it wasn’t Caine who awaited him. It was Ryan Wilson.

Colleen hadn’t believed Daniel could sink any lower, but he’d exceeded even her wildest imaginings. Given the circumstances of his earlier perfidy, she might have eventually forgiven him for making a pact with the devil, for offering up the family estate to protect his own.

This was worse. This was unforgivable.

A former officer with the Harmony Harbor Police Department, Ryan Wilson had a vendetta against the Gallaghers. Daniel had seen the man at his worst this past summer and knew him to be a snake of the Garden of Eden variety. But what her grandson might not know was that Ryan Wilson was a mere speck of evidence away from solving the case his grandfather had been working on at the HHPD before Colleen had had him thrown off the force. It appeared Daniel wouldn’t be happy until he destroyed them all.

She held Caine Elliot to blame. He’d exploited her grandson’s weaknesses to get him on board with his plan.

“I’m curious to know what it is you want from me, Gallagher. Last time I was here, I wasn’t made very welcome. In fact, if there hadn’t been witnesses, I’m pretty sure your nephews would have beaten the hell out of me before trying to get me locked up.”

“That’s between you and them, not me. I want whatever dirt you can dig up on Arianna Bell, and I want it fast. No questions asked.”

She could tell by the expression on Daniel’s face that he didn’t like the prospect of dragging Arianna’s name through the mud, but he was desperate now. He’d pinned his hopes on Connor to win the election outright, and when that hadn’t transpired, his almost daily powwows with Sean and Maura must have convinced him he had nothing to worry about. Except, ever since Thanksgiving, word around the manor was that Arianna had thrown herself into the job and her chances of being the council’s pick had vastly improved.

Ryan Wilson cut off her thoughts with a low harrumph. If Colleen didn’t know better, she’d assume he didn’t want the job. She’d lay odds it was the exact opposite. He’d probably do it for free just to get back at Arianna. Not only did he bear a grudge toward the Gallaghers, he blamed the Bell sisters for ruining his life.

“You don’t want the job, then?” Daniel frowned. “But I haven’t even told you what the information is worth to me.”

Colleen scowled at her grandson. “How are you going to pay? Pawn the family’s silver?”

“No. I’m more than happy to get you dirt on Arianna, but it’s not money I’m after. I want my job back at HHPD.”

Daniel stuck out his hand. “You get me what I need before the town council and Hazel Winters cast their vote on Christmas Eve, and I’ll use my influence with my nephew to ensure you’re rehired.”