Whatever We Are Read online

  “There’s nothing in the rule book that says Mr. Claus has to pop the question at the ball,” Brody said through clenched teeth. “Besides I think Tucker will be a great Santa.”

  “Like I said, he fits the part.” Aunt Linda bit into a roll with a satisfied snort.

  “Have you seen him lately?” Liza fought to keep her butt in her chair. “Tucker has lost a lot of weight. He looks amazing. What do you have against him?”

  “It’s just, like I said, it’s best if Mr. Claus has a Mrs. Claus.” Diana laid her hand on Bret’s arm and gave him one of her Miss America smiles.

  “Tucker will represent Highland Springs well. He loves Christmas, knows just about everyone, and has done a lot for the community. Maybe this year we’ll just have Santa and no Mrs. Claus,” Brody said.

  “That can’t be. There has always been a missus for the mister. If he is going to do it he has to designate his Mrs. Claus by tomorrow night at the community center fundraiser,” Diana said.

  Liza wasn’t sure how much longer she could listen to Diana’s rant about the current Santa situation. She had to find a way to shut her up.

  “Tomorrow night I’m going to talk to the committee members and tell them Bret and I would be honored to represent the town by acting as Mr. and Mrs. Claus during this year’s Christmas season. We have to continue the tradition, especially since it’s the thirtieth anniversary.”

  All at once, everyone had an opinion, speaking over one another until Liza thought her head would explode. There was no way in Toyland she would let these two annoyingly perfect people take away Tucker’s turn at Santa. The committee had overwhelmingly nominated him and he was looking forward to it—he just didn’t know it yet. All this chatter had to stop. Liza rose from her chair and held her arms out to silence the angry mob.

  “Listen…shh…I wasn’t going to announce this here—it was going to be revealed tomorrow night.”

  Finally, the clamor settled and Liza had everyone’s full attention. Her stomach clenched as she glanced around the table, catching the eager expressions on their faces. This impulse of hers better work.

  “Tucker definitely plans to do it and he’s chosen his Mrs. Claus.”

  “He has? But who?” Disappointment drained the flush from Diana’s cheeks.

  “I promised I wouldn’t tell. He’ll announce it tomorrow night at the fundraiser.”

  Actually, Tucker would probably kill her tomorrow night, but Liza had to make sure Diana and Bret wouldn’t become Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

  TWO

  Tucker squatted behind the makeshift bar and lifted the keg into the cooler. Tonight was the annual Bag a Bachelor or Bachelorette fundraiser where single men and women volunteered to be auctioned off to the highest silent bidder for a date, all to raise money for the community center. Each year the event got bigger and had actually resulted in a few marriages, including Brody and Kate. Tucker had always been too self-conscious of his weight to participate, preferring to stay behind the bar, serving his beer to the locals. Besides, there was only one woman who he’d bid on and she wasn’t signed up for the auction.

  “Hey, bud, did you bring the new brew you were telling me about?” The tool belt around Travis’s waist clanged as he crossed the community center activity room. “I think I earned a pint after all the work I put in here today.”

  Tucker leaned his elbows on the counter and admired the decorations through the pass-through window. Travis had helped the fundraising committee transform the room into a winter’s love nest with white-lit Christmas trees and snowflake garland. Snowy doves and glittered hearts perched in white, spray-painted nests in the center of each table.

  “I’ll say you did. The place looks great.”

  Tucker slammed the cabinet door and within seconds had the tap connected and foam flowing from the spout. Spicy ale scented the kitchen as he worked to adjust the flow from froth to rich amber, letting his latest recipe fill a plastic cup. Once satisfied, he poured a fresh pint for Travis and handed it through the window.

  “On the house.”

  “Damn right it’s on the house. Do you know how many times I climbed that ladder today?”

  “Too many to count?”

  “You got it.” Travis tipped the plastic cup to his lips and took a healthy drink, leaving a foamy moustache above his lip. “Damned good. Just the right amount of hops.”

  “Thank you. I think I’ll call it Raging Reindeer. It’s too late to bottle it in time for the holidays, but I’ll definitely make sure to have it ready for next year.”

  Tucker was proud of the success of his micro-brew business, Misty Mountain Brewery, which he owned with Brody. Profits had tripled since their last expansion and it was time to pursue his next endeavor—an authentic British pub. The old castle at the end of Main Street was the perfect location. He wished he could show Travis the drawings of the renovations for the building. Travis was a jack of all trades who could build or fix anything, and had a keen eye for detail. But Tucker had decided from the get-go he would keep his plans to himself and wait to see the surprise on his friends’ faces when he announced his new solo venture.

  “Hey, you.” The back door opened with a creak and Liza came in, causing his heart to skip a beat. “What’s going on?”

  She draped her jacket on a hook inside the door, kicked the door closed, and flicked her long, blue hair over her shoulder. Her red T-shirt, emblazoned with Deck the What?, let the world know she didn’t like Christmas. She hated everything about it—the lights, the music, the movies—all because of a few mishaps and one big disaster she’d had this time of year. He, on the other hand, loved every last tradition—decorating the tree, singing Christmas carols, the mistletoe. As much as he relished the season, he’d made the right decision turning down the role of Santa.

  Liza came into the kitchen, drawing in a loud breath. “Tucker. Oh my God, look at you.”

  He shoved his slim-cut plaid shirt into his jeans and readjusted his rolled-up cuffs.

  “What happened to you?” Liza patted him on the belly and he reflexively tightened his abs. “You’re like a rock. Do you see this, Travis?”

  “He should be in one of those Sexiest Man Alive magazines.”

  “Wow, thanks, man.” He backhanded Travis’s shoulder for such a stupid suggestion, causing beer to slop on the floor.

  “Shit. Now I’ve got to find a mop.” Travis lumbered away, shaking his wet hand between sips from the plastic cup.

  “Travis is right. In fact, you could be on the cover. What’ve you been doing?”

  His cheeks grew warm and his heart swelled. He’d never had the kind of body worth admiring and it was a little embarrassing. For the past several months, he’d been cutting back on carbs—except for beer—and had given up deep fried food. His weight loss had been slow and steady until a few weeks ago when he started working out with Derek three mornings a week. Now that he’d ditched is his old, baggy clothes, she finalized noticed.

  “Just watching what I eat and working out a little. You knew I was losing weight.”

  “Yeah, but you’ve been working out more than a little. You look great. Turn around.” He chuckled and threw his arms out, spinning around so she could examine the change.

  “Well? You like what you see?” He rotated with a wry grin, proud his hard work had paid off. Maybe now she’d look at him differently and think of him as more than just a buddy.

  “You better believe it. You’re totally hot.” Liza stretched up on her toes and brushed the back of her hand across his clean-shaven cheek. “No beard. And your hair is styled. What’s going on, Tucker?”

  Liza stepped back, perched her fists on her hips, and cocked her head to the side, studying Tucker as if he were a bug under a microscope. Her blue hair glowed under the fluorescent lights. It took guts to dye her hair in every color of the rainbow, but her free spirit was something he’d always loved about her.

  “Start talking. Who is she?”

  “Nah, it’s nothin
g. Just needed to lose some weight, that’s all.”

  “Lose some weight? One day you’re a big, huggable teddy bear and the next,” Liza threw out an imaginary handful of confetti. “Poof, you’re a studly GQ model.”

  “I think that’s a little over the top.” Heat rose in his face. Damned if she wasn’t making him blush. “The teddy bear is still in here, minus the beer belly and shaggy beard, but still very huggable.”

  “Well, I don’t know what to say. I’m proud of you.”

  Liza reached up and he gathered her in his arms, lifting her off her feet. He’d known her his whole life and been in love with her almost as long. His last year of college, while home on break, he had been struck by Cupid’s arrow when he’d showed up at Liza’s sixteenth birthday party and discovered Brody’s little sister was no longer the annoying tomboy who had always followed them around. She had grown up into a curvy, sharp-tongued, edgy, and downright sexy young woman. He had bided his time until she finished college and they both had returned to Highland Springs, hoping one day to get his chance. Spending so much time with her in the last year had deepened his love for her. If only she felt the same for him.

  Liza wrapped her hands around his biceps once he lowered her to the floor. “Feel that. Your arms are like tree limbs. It’s too bad you’re letting this go to waste.” Liza dropped her hands and poked him in the chest.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You should be dating someone.”

  “I’m too busy hanging out with you.” He hoped she didn’t detect the nerves in his chuckle. She was the only woman he wanted to spend time with.

  “You might not want to after I tell you what I did.”

  “What?”

  “Tucker Callum!” Virginia McNamara pushed through the swinging doors and shuffled into the kitchen. For an eighty-year-old, Kate’s grandmother moved as fast as a woman half her age. “You just made my night.”

  “I did?”

  “I’m so glad you changed your mind, honey.”

  “Changed my mind about what?”

  “About being Mr. Claus, silly. Liza called me today to tell me. The whole committee is ecstatic.”

  A shooting pain swelled in his elbow where Liza’s fingers dug deeply into his flesh. What the hell had she done?

  “Yeah, I knew Tucker was busy today, but thought the committee should know he changed his mind. He’s really excited about it, aren’t you Tucker?”

  He pulled his elbow out of Liza’s tiger claw grip and rubbed some feeling back into his arm, giving her a you have some explaining to do glare. But her big, pleading blue eyes stirred a warm quiver in his belly.

  “Oh, right, yes, very excited.”

  “Who have you picked to be Mrs. Claus?”

  “It’s a surprise.” Liza smiled sweetly at Tucker. Her smile still melted his heart even though he could wring her neck.

  “You can’t keep us in suspense too long, honey. We have to announce it this evening.”

  “I have someone in mind. Don’t worry, Virginia.”

  “Wonderful.” Virginia laid her soft, wrinkled hand on Tucker’s arm and gave it a tender squeeze. “I’m just thrilled, honey. Thank you. You’ll make a wonderful Santa.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Virginia hummed “Jingle Bells” as she pushed through the swinging doors. Tucker turned around to face the little minx who had tricked him into being Mr. Claus.

  “Start talking.”

  He lumbered closer to Liza, feigning anger while suppressing a smile. He forced her against the countertop where he hovered over her, in his most menacing guise, fighting to keep a straight face. She had just given him the opening he’d been looking for.

  “I knew how much you really wanted to be Santa, so I called Virginia. You can’t let this opportunity slip away. You’ll make the best Mr. Claus the town has ever seen.”

  “Is that right?”

  “The absolute best. Now don’t be mad at me. You said you have someone in mind, right? Is she here tonight?”

  Tucker grabbed her shoulders and glared into her beautiful, wide-eyed face. Little did she know, she had just done him a favor. She would be Mrs. Claus and they would spend the next month together, and hopefully she would give him a second chance.

  “I’m not mad. Don’t look so scared.”

  “You’re not mad?”

  “Nope, in fact, I’m glad you called Virginia. I really did want to be Mr. Claus.”

  “Oh,” she sighed with relief and smiled up at him. “I’m so happy. I thought you would kill me.”

  “Not at all. But why’d you call her?”

  “Because you’ll make a really great Mr. Claus.”

  “I doubt that’s all there is to it. But, yeah, I’m glad. It’ll make this Christmas even more special.”

  “Christmas? Special? You mean the time of year when an asteroid is likely to strike my house?”

  Tucker tossed his head back with a laugh, giving her tiny shoulders a squeeze, hoping she wouldn’t slap him.

  “Christmas will be extra special this year because you will play Mrs. Claus.”

  “Me?” Liza snapped out of his hold as if she’d been punched. “No way. You couldn’t pay me to dress up in that goofy red dress and gray wig. Christmas is not my thing.”

  “You don’t have to wear the costume everywhere.”

  “I don’t want to wear it at all.”

  “Aw, come on. It’ll be fun. Besides, you were the one who got me into this.”

  “Nope, not doing it. If I do, something tragic will happen. Bad luck tends to follow me around this time of year.”

  “Well, then, I’ll just tell the committee I can’t. Let someone else do it.”

  Tucker walked toward the swinging doors that led into the activity room. He should have known Liza wouldn’t do it. Several willing women had approached him when they had heard he’d been nominated, but there was no one else he wanted by his side. Just as he pushed open the door, her firm hand cut off the circulation in his arm.

  “Wait. You can’t quit. You have to do it.” Her eyes bulged wildly like a cornered animal. “You have to be Santa. I’ll help you find someone.”

  “I don’t have to do anything.”

  “Yes, you do because I told everyone at Thanksgiving dinner yesterday that you were going to do it and already had a missus picked out.”

  “I thought there was more to your little scheme. Why’d you tell them that?”

  She released his arm and averted her gaze as she mumbled her excuse. “Because my snobby cousin Diana wants to do it and she’ll make an already annoying holiday even more unbearable.”

  “So you threw me under the bus?”

  Her head popped up and a mischievous smile spread across her face. “I’ll work my matchmaking magic and find someone for you tonight.”

  “Forget it.” He pushed past her, back into the kitchen, and picked up a lime and a long, sharp butcher knife. Liza followed close behind, but stopped short when he hacked the fruit in half.

  “Tucker, you have to help me. I can’t let Diana know I was making that stuff up last night. She’ll never let me live it down.”

  “It would serve you right.”

  Keeping his focus on the cutting board, he sliced the lime into thin, half-moons and tossed them into a bowl. He would never understand what it was about Diana that got under Liza’s skin. She wasn’t half the woman Liza was. Sure, she was pretty, in a glamorous, too-much-make-up sort of way, but Liza was beautiful. She was smart, witty, and with her ever-changing hair color, she was way cooler than Diana. Holding the knife like a saber, he turned toward Liza who was nervously ringing hers hands.

  “Hey, Tuck,” Derek shouted through the back door. “Help us with the ice and soda, will you?”

  Just when he was about to give Liza a well-deserved tongue lashing, Derek and Brody showed up. He dropped the knife on the cutting board, wiped his wet, sticky hands on a towel and brushed past her. By playing Mr. and Mrs. Claus,
he had hoped to show her what an amazing person she was, convince her Christmas wasn’t such a bad time of year, and ultimately win her heart. Instead, she wanted to fix him up with someone else. Maybe he should let her. Obviously, he was wasting his time on Liza.

  THREE

  While the men carried in supplies, Liza walked over to the bid table to see which women were signed up for the auction. Tucker could bid on one of the participants and make her Mrs. Claus, saving Liza from humiliation. Once he was finished helping Derek and Brody, she would convince him this was the best course of action. Making her Mrs. Claus would just be a recipe for disaster. A burning sensation coursed through her chest as she looked over the bid sheets.

  “Thinking of bidding on someone?” Riley, her best friend, had snuck up on her and caused her pained heart to go into arrhythmia.

  Liza placed a palm on her chest. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  “Well, are you?” Riley smirked, flipping her long, red hair over one shoulder.

  “Hardly. I’m checking to see who’s on the auction block that Tucker might be interested in.”

  “Why?”

  “He needs a Mrs. Claus.”

  “I thought he wasn’t doing it.” Riley furrowed her brows as she glanced over Liza’s shoulder at the list of available bachelorettes.

  “He will after I pick out someone for him. But look, there are only two women who are maybe bid-worthy.” Liza picked up the clipboard to scan the names again. “None of these others are Tucker’s type or would do as Mrs. Claus.” She set the list down, and shook her head.

  Riley rested her hip against the table and crossed her arms. “Why do you care? I thought you hated Christmas.”

  “Hate is a strong word.”

  “Okay, you dislike Christmas.”

  “Can you blame me? I’ve told you about the stuff that’s happened this time of year.”

  “I don’t think your Barbie Dream House getting crushed by a falling Christmas tree has anything to do with Christmas per se, do you?”