Sealed With a Kiss (25 page)

The bridesmaid twisted left and right in
front of a full-length mirror. “Are you sure?”

Rachel walked across to the dresses in their
Cinderella Collection. “Sometimes less is more. Why don’t you try
this dress on? It’s still got a full skirt with little bows at the
back, but it’s a softer shade of pink. And there aren’t too many
sparkles to overshadow you.”

The bridesmaid didn’t look convinced that the
dress Rachel had chosen was a good choice. “I’ll try it on, but we
only have half an hour before we need to leave for the beauty
salon.”

“Come and see us after you’ve put it on.”

Tess stood beside Rachel and watched the
bridesmaid disappear into the changing room. “The hot pink dress
would look better on her sister.”

Another bridesmaid came out of the changing
room and Tess sighed. “That looks perfect.” The pale yellow dress
hugged the bridesmaid’s upper body and fell to the floor in soft
pleats. It wasn’t frilly or flouncy, and it didn’t have a sparkly
bead in sight.

The young woman smiled shyly at Tess. “I
think so, too. Everyone else liked it, so I guess this is it.”

“What did your original bridesmaids’ dresses
look like?” Rachel asked. Each of the bridesmaids had totally
different ideas about what looked good on them and what didn’t.
Finding three dresses that not only looked good, but could be made
in time for the wedding, must have been difficult.

“The other dresses were almost the same as
this one, except they had lace overskirts and sweetheart necklines.
They were made by a designer in Milan.”

“Are you disappointed that they haven’t
arrived in time?”

The bridesmaid shook her head. “This is the
best thing that could have happened. My sister has been acting like
bridezilla all week. At least it’s given her something genuine to
worry about.” She looked over her shoulder at the changing room
door. “I’ll go and see what everyone’s doing.”

As soon as the door opened, Rachel heard the
chatter of the sisters as they discussed the merits of each dress.
While they were deciding what they’d do, she sat in one of the
sofas and slipped her shoes off her feet.

“I can’t believe you’re still wearing
high-heels,” Tess said with s dramatic sigh. “It’s the middle of
winter and Jimmy Choo was not made to be worn in the cold.”

“I can’t help myself. I bought them at a
thrift store last year. We’re not all six-feet tall.” Rachel
wiggled her toes against the thick rug under her feet. “I have to
admit that I do have a slight fascination with heels that are
higher than four inches. But these shoes may be too high, even for
me.”

“Hold that thought,” Rachel whispered as the
three bridesmaids and their bridezilla sister emerged from the
changing room.

The bridesmaid who’d originally worn the hot
pink dress stepped forward. “You were right. The soft pink dress
looks better on me. Carly’s got her dress organized. Do you like
Lottie’s dress?”

A woman with short black hair stepped
forward. She was wearing a simple, pale blue satin dress. The only
problem with the dress was the width of the skirt over her hips. It
was way too wide and would need to be taken in at least three
inches.

Lottie bunched the fabric in her hand. “I’m
an awkward shape. I have no idea how I’m going to find a dress in
time.”

Rosalind Smith, the bride-to-be, pulled out
her cell phone. “Don’t worry. The dress looks almost perfect on
you. I’ve got a dressmaker on standby to do any last minute
alterations.” She pushed speed dial and moved away from her
sisters.

Rachel looked at all three bridesmaids. “You
couldn’t have chosen better dresses. You all look beautiful.”

Carly smiled. “We’ll look even better after
our hair and makeup are done. Let’s go and get changed before
Rosalind finishes her call.”

All three bridesmaids lifted the skirts of
their dresses and hot-footed it back into the changing room.

“It looks as though bridezilla has got them
organized,” Tess whispered.

Rachel laughed at the twinkle in Tess’ eyes.
“Sshh. She might hear you.”

“It’s Christmas Eve. I’m allowed to be a bit
naughty.”

By the time Rosalind had finished speaking on
the phone, all three bridesmaids had their dresses hanging in white
plastic bags, ready to take to the dressmaker.

“Thank you so much,” Rosalind said to Tess as
she gave her a hug. “We really appreciate both of you going out of
your way to help us.”

“I hope your wedding is amazing,” Tess said
with a smile. “We were happy to help.”

All four women headed toward the back door.
Rachel handed them their coats. “It was nice meeting you. Be
careful of the ice on your way out.”

After they’d gone, Tess put the kettle on.
“I’m going to have a hot chocolate before I start tidying up the
mess in here. Do you want one?”

Rachel looked at the gowns lying over the
backs of chairs and the spare shoes abandoned by the clothing
racks. “That’s the second best idea anyone’s had all day.”

“What was the first?”

Rachel grinned at her friend. “Pancakes for
breakfast.”

“I’m glad I could be of service,” Tess said
with a cheeky smile. “Do you think Tanner wants a hot
chocolate?”

“I wouldn’t say no, ma’am.”

Tess jumped a foot in the air. “You did it
again. For such a big man you don’t make much noise.”

“Comes with the job. I’ve been admiring your
husband’s cars in the garage.”

Rachel handed Tanner a bridesmaid’s dress.
“He’s car crazy. While Tess is making the hot chocolate, you can
help me hang up our bridesmaids’ dresses. We’ve got about a dozen
gowns that need to be put away.”

“Why did I know you’d find something for me
to do?”

“Because you’re wise,” Rachel said as she
handed Tanner a hanger. “Just think how dull and boring your life
will be when you don’t have to look after me.”

Tanner lips almost made it into a smile. “I’m
looking forward to it already.”

Rachel sighed. So was she.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

John’s eyes snapped open. He lay perfectly still,
trying to work out what had woken him out of a deep sleep. He
glanced at the clock beside his bed and squinted at the neon green
numbers. It was five-thirty. He had two guards on duty outside and
another one inside. His hand reached out for the panic alarm.

“Dad?” Bella’s voice whispered across his
room. “Are you awake?”

John relaxed as Bella tiptoed toward him.

“Dad?’ She shook his shoulder and he
pretended to snore. “Dad, it’s Christmas morning. It’s time to get
up.”

John opened one eye and peered at his
daughter. Her curly brown hair was standing out at odd angles
around her face. She still had her pajamas on, the ones with blue
cats that reminded her of Miss. Snuggles.

“Do you know what the time is?”

Bella shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.
We’re both awake so we could go and see what Santa left for
us.”

John looked closely at his daughter. “Have
you already been downstairs?”

Bella ran her hands over the edge of his
duvet. “I was only there for a little while. Mr. Daniels told me I
had to go back to bed.”

“What were you doing?”

“I thought I’d make it easier for us to find
our presents. I sorted them into little piles.”

John rubbed his eyes. “Uncle Grant wanted to
be here when we opened our presents. He won’t be awake yet.”

“We could call him and wake him up? Uncle
Grant won’t mind.”

John had a pretty good idea that his brother
would mind. “What if we choose one present each and then make
breakfast? We’ll call Uncle Grant at seven o’clock.” His brother
would still be sound asleep, but if John had to get up, it was only
fair that his brother had to suffer the same fate.

“Can we call Rachel, too?”

John swung his legs over the side of his bed.
“Rachel is probably spending time with her family today.”

“But can I call her? Mrs. Daniels knows her
number.”

“Why do you want to speak to Rachel?”

Bella sat on John’s bed while he looked for a
sweatshirt. “I like Rachel. She’s fun to be around and she teaches
me really good things. I miss her.”

“Rachel was never going to stay here forever,
Bella.”

“I know, but she’s pretty and smart. She
knows lots of amazing things.”

John glanced at Bella.

“It’s true. She told me that otters sleep
holding hands with their friends, and that a baby spider is called
a spiderling.”

He smiled at the earnest expression on his
daughter’s face. “Rachel is smart, but she also has her own life.
She came here to teach you, Bella, not spend Christmas with
us.”

Bella’s mouth set in a stubborn line. “She’s
my friend.”

“We’ll talk about it later. Let’s go and open
a present.”

Bella bounced off the bed and followed him
down the stairs. “Santa ate his cookies.”

“Did Rudolph eat his carrot?”

Bella jumped off the last three stairs. “He
ate most of his carrot. You can see his teeth marks in it.”

John held Bella’s hand as they walked through
to the living room. The entire entrance was still smothered in
glittery tinsel. It felt like they were walking through Santa’s
magic cave, especially with the Christmas music he could hear
coming from the kitchen.

“Mr. Daniels thought you might want to hear
my music CD when you came downstairs. It’s the same carols that we
sung in our Christmas play.”

John stopped inside the living room and
stared at the Christmas tree. “Did Mr. Daniels turn the Christmas
tree lights on, too?”

Bella shook her head. “That was me. Doesn’t
the angel look pretty?”

“She does.” John gazed at the tree. It
reminded him of when he’d been a boy. Everything had been sparkly
and bright. He’d thought that Christmas would always be a happy,
family time. It wasn’t until his mom and dad died, and then
Jacinta, that he realized that Christmas could be one of the
hardest times of the year.

This Christmas, for the first time in many
years, it almost felt like it used to.

Bella sat on the edge of the rug under the
tree. “This is for you.”

John took the carefully wrapped present out
of her hands. “Thank you. I’ll find one of your presents.”

Bella shook her head. “Open yours first. I
made it myself.”

He carefully undid the tape and peeled back
the paper. Bella didn’t say anything as he pulled an album out of
the paper. He felt her gaze on him as he opened the cover.

“I called it,
Christmas Memories
,”
Bella said as she crawled across to where he was sitting. She
kneeled beside his legs and pointed at the first photo. “Grant
looked at the photos he had at home and found some of your old
family ones. I looked through our photo albums and Rachel helped me
copy them for the album.”

The first photo was a picture of John’s first
Christmas. He would have been six months old. Grant was sitting on
the ground holding him in his arms. His mom and dad were sitting
either side of them. Everyone was smiling at the camera, frozen in
that one moment in time.

“Keep going,” Bella urged. “It gets
better.”

John turned to the next page. Another
Christmas photo appeared, but instead of a Christmas tree, Grant
and John were sitting on Santa’s knee, enjoying Christmas at the
mall. The page was adorned with paper hearts and small Christmas
pictures.

“Did you have enough scrapbooking
supplies?”

“I had to make some of my own. Rachel
couldn’t come here yesterday, so Mrs. Daniels helped me.”

He turned the page to the next photo and
looked at Bella. “Have you got photos in here of every
Christmas?”

Bella nodded. “That’s why it’s called,
Christmas Memories
. Do you like it?”

He put the album on the coffee table and
pulled Bella close. “I love it. Thank you.”

Bella buried her head in his shoulder. “I
wanted to make something special for you. Rachel took my photo at
the mall with the Christmas elves. It was so much fun. That’s when
I knew what I wanted to do. I found two photos of mom and me at
Christmas, but we haven’t got any with all of us.”

John swallowed the lump in his throat. He
picked up the album and turned to the two photos Bella was talking
about. Jacinta looked back at him, laughing at the camera with the
same carefree spirit that he’d loved. “I wasn’t home when you were
a baby, Bella. I was working overseas.”

“I know. That’s why I added your military
photo.” She pointed at the photograph she’d stuck to the page. “I
put little flags around the edges.”

John kissed the top of her head, then turned
to the back page. “Is this empty space for this Christmas?”

Bella smiled. “How did you guess?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It could be because we’ve
got the most amazing tree this year. And Uncle Grant hasn’t stopped
bragging about a new camera he bought last week.” John leaned
forward and whispered in Bella’s ear, “He might be expecting to
take the photo.”

Bella threw her arms around his neck. “He
is
going to take our photo. He’s got a tripod and a timer
and everything. Do you think Rachel could be in the photo, too? It
was almost her idea.”

John’s heart sank. “Bella, Rachel’s busy and
can’t be part of our family photo.”

Bella’s arms dropped from around his
shoulders. “I know.”

John watched her bent head and tried to think
of something that would distract her. “You haven’t opened your
present from me, yet.”

Bella’s head shot up. She slipped off his
knee and watched him walk across to the tree. “It must be here
somewhere,” he muttered, as he pretended to search through all of
the gifts.

“I could help you look?”

“Here it is.” John found what he was looking
for and passed it to Bella. “Happy Christmas.”