“Morning, Rose,” she replied, setting her coffee cup down and typing in her password. “Maria will be bringing your breakfast in a few minutes.” She clicked on her mail file and quickly scanned the unread ones.


“Is something wrong?”


“Wrong? What could possibly be wrong? My mother and sister have decided the family Christmas party is going to be held at my house, tonight.”


“Oh.” A momentary pause, then “What are you going to do?”


“What can I do? I guess I’m going to get this place ready for them.” She began tapping the pencil in her left hand on the desk. “At least a third of them smoke. I put those carpets in three years ago and they’re still perfect. You think they’ll stay that way? Ha. I bet you there are gonna be at least a half dozen burn holes in it before the night is over.” Ronnie stopped ranting long enough to take a swallow of coffee. “I have to rearrange all the furniture, have Maria clean the game room and set up the bar in there, have the liquor store make a delivery…” The tapping increased.

“And on top of all that, I have to go get both of us something to wear.”


“U-us?” Rose swallowed hard at the implication.


“Well, yes of course.” Ronnie looked at her quizzically. “You don’t want to greet everyone wearing my Dartmouth shirt, do you?”


“What? Uh…” The shock had not worn off yet and the blonde woman was at a loss for words.

“I…well…”


“Rose, I’m not trying to punish you by making you meet my family, but I’m not going to lock you up in a room all alone for the evening while there’s a party going on.” The pencil found its way to her perfect white teeth, and they began gnawing at the eraser. “Actually,” she mumbled around the yellow writing implement while looking around the room. “Think we can both hide in here all night?”


They chuckled for a few seconds before the seriousness of the situation took over. Ronnie set the pencil on the desk and moved her chair closer to the bed. “As much as I’d like to let you stay hidden away, everyone knows there’s a bathroom in here.” The women found their conversation interrupted by Maria, as she entered the room with the tray of food and a decanter of coffee.


“Where are you going to want the tree?” the housekeeper asked.


“In someone else’s house,” Ronnie wisecracked, drawing a snort from her companion. “I don’t care. Rose and I are going to hide out in here all night.”


“Don’t even think about it, Veronica Louise.” Maria set the tray over Rose’s lap and began pouring coffee into the ceramic mug. Ronnie held her own cup out expectantly. “There isn’t enough time to get the carpets cleaned.”


“Vacuuming will be fine. Thanks.” She pulled the cup to her lips and took a grateful sip. “Do you want me to call somewhere and get extra help to get the place ready?”


A look akin to hurt flashed through the brown eyes of the housekeeper. “Just because you don’t run around like your mother checking for dust doesn’t mean that I’ve let this house go unattended. I polish the silver regularly even if you don’t use it. Except for a quick run of the vacuum and moving the furniture, we’re all set for company. Of course, I can’t put that coffee table back the way it should be.”


“I’m sorry, Maria, I didn’t mean to suggest that you did anything less than a perfect job. I’ll take care of the coffee table and everything else.” She drained her cup. “Right now I need to run out and get a few things.” Ronnie stood up and gave Rose a smile. “Your nurse should be here in a little while and I’ll be back in a couple of hours. What’s your favorite color?”


“Really, I don’t…”


“Color?” Ronnie repeated, making it clear she was not taking no for an answer.


Rose looked into deep azure depths and the answer came without thought. “Blue.”


“Easy to find something nice in that color. What shade? Do you prefer light tones like turquoise or dark ones like cobalt?” Ronnie did not fail to notice that the green orbs continued to stare into her own.


“Um…a bright blue, I guess. Something deep and rich.” Rose shifted nervously and looked down at her toast. “I guess any shade is fine.”


“I’ll make sure to pick out something nice.” Ronnie smiled inwardly at the thought of being able to pick a dress for her to wear.


“If it’s too much trouble I can go in another room. I could take a book into the laundry room. No one will go in there,” Rose offered, feeling very much in the way.


“No.” Ronnie answered quickly. “I’m not going to hide you. You’re a guest in my home and they’re just going to have to accept it.” She flashed a look to Maria, who nodded in agreement.

“I’ll be back before lunch.”



It was easy enough for Ronnie to walk into the exclusive boutique and pick out a dress for herself. It was quite another thing to pick out something for Rose to wear. For the better part of an hour she sat there watching the model try on different combinations of blouses and skirts, pantsuits, and dresses. Nothing seemed right.


“Perhaps if you told me exactly what you were looking for, Miss Cartwright?” The manager asked.


“I’m not really certain how to explain it, but none of these will work.” Ronnie waved a hand at the rack of clothes. The matronly woman looked at her particular customer and frowned.


“What is wrong with them? Perhaps we can figure out what you’re looking for that way.”


“There’s nothingwith them so much as they’re just not right.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Maybe I should just look around and see if there’s something I like.”


“By all means.” The boutique manager waved her arm. “Monica will be happy to model anything you wish.”


Ronnie walked through the racks of expensive garments, barely giving any of them more than a passing glance. Then she saw it. Tucked into the corner, she almost missed it and in fact wasn’t even sure what made her look in that direction. She reached over and pulled the dress out to look at it. Just a shade below a bright blue, the silk shimmered with beauty and softness. The material gathered at the elastic waistband before flaring out again. Ronnie guessed that it would reach down to Rose’s ankles, easily covering the casts. “This one,” she announced, drawing the manager’s attention.


“Would you like Monica to model it?”


“That won’t be necessary. This is the one I want.” She glanced at the size tag. “Yes, this will be perfect.”



* * *

The Jeep worked its way through the holiday traffic. A glance at the clock on the radio told the executive it was almost eleven. So far she had been to the boutique and the jeweler’s. Now it was off to the mall to fight with other shoppers for the little things that were needed…like gifts. She was within a mile of the mall when a corner lot full of trees caught her eye. She pulled the Cherokee over and walked through the aisles of pine and balsam propped up against wooden rails. Sensing a sale, the stocky merchant dashed over to her side.


“What can I help you with today?”


“I need a tree with nice full boughs and a sturdy top.” Ronnie gave disapproving looks at the group in front of her.


“We have very nice ones toward the back,” he said, gesturing toward the taller pines leaned against the chain link fence that ran along the back of the lot. “How tall are you looking for?”


Ronnie’s brow furrowed as she tried to imagine just how tall the trees in her home usually were.

“Tall. Over eight feet.”


“Oh, well then.” His eyes lit up even more and the pace quickened. “We have some beautiful nine and ten footers.”


Ronnie settled on a ten-foot tree that seemed to want to burst forth from the ropes holding it. The man called his son over to help but it still took some help from the strong woman to get it on the top of the Jeep. It hung over the front, the white rope running from the tree to the front bumper. A pair of ropes did the same to the back. Once fully secured, Ronnie resumed her journey to the mall. She pressed the scan button on her radio and settled on a station playing holiday music. When the Carpenter’s songcame on, Ronnie lost herself in the haunting sounds and harmony. Without thinking about it, she began singing along, her rich contralto voice blending in with the unique tones of the late Karen. She ignored the strange looks being thrown at her by the other drivers, preferring instead to lose herself in the song. Even after pulling into the parking space, she left the car running until the song was over.



* * *

Holiday ditties were piped through the speakers, adding to the general din of the crowd. Everyone had bags in their hands and was in a hurry to finish up their shopping. Ronnie gripped her purse closer to her body and headed for Macy’s. A few gift certificates and her shopping would be done. As she moved through the bustling crowd, she saw the Christmas shop, a generic store opened just for the holidays to sell everything from tinsel to lights to ornaments of every possible design. The clerks alternated between ringing up sales and watching for shoplifters. Ronnie picked up a shopping basket and began filling it with the usual decorations. Soon the basket was full but she was not finished. After nailing down a clerk to help her, Ronnie spent the better part of an hour picking both tasteful and fun things to convert her dour residence into a festive home. Just as she handed the clerk her credit card, she noticed one item had been overlooked. “Oh, wait. I’ll need that too.” She pointed an elegant finger at the item in question. As the sprig of mistletoe was added to her purchases, Ronnie’s mind entertained the possible benefit of catching Rose beneath it. “Add a few more, will you please?”



* * *

“Let’s try again,” Karen said gently, putting her hands in position.


“No, wait, please?” Rose cried. “Can’t we do this later?”


“Miss Grayson, you have to stretch at least twice a day.”


“I know,” she said, wiping a tear off her cheek. The door opened and Ronnie entered with several shopping bags in her hands.


“What’s going on?”


“I-it’s okay,” Rose croaked, embarrassed at the drops that continued to run down her cheeks. She looked up and saw Ronnie’s concerned face. “I have to stretch and it hurts.”


“Let me try,” Ronnie said, replacing Karen’s hands with her own. The young woman watched as the nurse explained how to properly stretch. Satisfied she knew what she was doing, the executive looked back at Rose. “You think you’re ready?”


She nodded, her eyes conveying her fear of the pain. “Be gentle?” She was still hesitant but there was something reassuring about the warmth of Ronnie’s hands on her foot.


“I swear.” The softly spoken words bathed her with a sense of reassurance. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feeling of the strong fingers on her skin. Slowly she raised her leg to the point where she felt the pull up the back of her thighs. “Come on, Rose…that’s it, just a little more now.” She felt her limb being raised higher and fought the urge to fight against it. “That’s good, you’re doing great, Rose. You think we can go a little higher? Just a little bit?”


Ever so slowly she lifted her leg until she couldn’t take the pain anymore. Dimly she realized that it was higher than she had been able to go before, but that was immaterial at the moment.

“Please…”


“Okay, relax now. We’re going to go back down now.” Rose’s eyes were closed tightly and she clung fervently to Ronnie’s words and soothing tone. “There you go, almost done now.” Soon the sheet greeted her heel and she let out a deep breath. “How do you feel?”


Rose opened her eyes with surprise at the proximity of the voice and found herself staring into the endless blue depths. “It hurts.”


“Shh, it’s over now.” Ronnie looked up at Karen. “I think we’re done for the day. I have a party here tonight we have to get ready for. Is there anything else that has to be done?”