she’s developed a fairly robust defense against it all that can come off as pretty . . .”
“False?” he asked, still without turning toward Patrick.
“Harsh,” he corrected. “But that’s all it is . . . a defense. And what you overheard was a bit of bravado for the sake of her business partner who, I might add, was speaking to her from some idyllic location with his own family gathered around him.”
Marla leaned forward and looked at Patrick across the forward
stare of her husband. “Are you two talking about Joss? She doesn’t have any family?”
Patrick shook his head and casually sliced off a chunk of cheese-
cake and poked it into his mouth. “Family non grata.”
“That’s so sad.”
“Yes,” Rodney remarked. “But it does make her the logical choice
then to . . . how did she put it? . . . take one for the team .”
“As I said,” Patrick reiterated, “just a hard outer shell. I’ve found Joss’s inner workings to be surprisingly quite tender.” He took a moment to wonder which side of Joss might face off with him over
the interference. “I think she and her business partner have spent a good bit of time preparing to meet with you after the holidays. It would be a shame to miss out on what they can offer your company
simply because you overheard a misstep about something so personal to her as spending Christmas alone.”
“What’s she doing on a Christmas-centric cruise then?” Jenkins
asked him coolly, and then he turned toward Patrick to await his
reply.
“That’s a funny story, really,” he said, leaning in to include Marla.
“She normally spends Christmas with a friend, and they make it a
point to avoid the holiday altogether. She’d actually signed them up for a sort of anti-Christmas cruise called a Bah Humbug journey.”
“I’ve heard of that,” Marla told him, and she squeezed her hus-
band’s arm.
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 99
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100
Merry
Humbug Christmas
“They apparently didn’t get enough interest, and Murphy’s Law
came into play. She was booked on this ship instead.”
“And where’s her friend?” he asked.
“Turns out the girl recently became engaged to be married. She’s
spending the holidays with her future in-laws.”
“Oh. Poor Joss,” Marla cringed.
“Anyway, it’s none of my affair. I just thought you should know
that she feels awful about the way things went.”
“What things?” Marla asked, and she angled toward her husband.
“Rod? Did something happen between you and Joss?”
“I think I’ll let you two have your date night,” Patrick said, and he drained the last of his coffee. Placing a hand on Rodney’s shoulder, he added, “Thanks for the company. G’night then.”
“Good night.”
DESPITE THE FACT THAT their guide had been meticulous in
instructing them how to use torso rotation and upper body stance for purposes of navigation, Joss’s shoulders burned when she and Patrick finally stopped for a rest. The blue-green Pacific waters seemed far less choppy as they steered their bright yellow kayak toward the exquisite coastline rock formations.
“Mazatlan was founded in 1531,” their nearby guide called out,
and the seven other two-person kayaks in their tour paddled into a semicircle around him. “Settlers were Spaniards and Indians, and the seaport mostly dealt in equipment for mining silver and gold.”
Joss loosened the strap of her life vest and stretched out the muscles of her neck as several ospreys squawked overhead. Despite the gorgeous scenery and the great company on the tour, she struggled to stay focused on the experience. Instead, the butterflies swarming in her stomach continually called her attention back to the look on Rodney Jenkins’s face when she’d turned around to find him standing there.
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 100
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Once Upon a Jingle Bell
101
“C’mon,” Patrick had persuaded. “Let’s just go with the tour
into Mazatlan
“False?” he asked, still without turning toward Patrick.
“Harsh,” he corrected. “But that’s all it is . . . a defense. And what you overheard was a bit of bravado for the sake of her business partner who, I might add, was speaking to her from some idyllic location with his own family gathered around him.”
Marla leaned forward and looked at Patrick across the forward
stare of her husband. “Are you two talking about Joss? She doesn’t have any family?”
Patrick shook his head and casually sliced off a chunk of cheese-
cake and poked it into his mouth. “Family non grata.”
“That’s so sad.”
“Yes,” Rodney remarked. “But it does make her the logical choice
then to . . . how did she put it? . . . take one for the team .”
“As I said,” Patrick reiterated, “just a hard outer shell. I’ve found Joss’s inner workings to be surprisingly quite tender.” He took a moment to wonder which side of Joss might face off with him over
the interference. “I think she and her business partner have spent a good bit of time preparing to meet with you after the holidays. It would be a shame to miss out on what they can offer your company
simply because you overheard a misstep about something so personal to her as spending Christmas alone.”
“What’s she doing on a Christmas-centric cruise then?” Jenkins
asked him coolly, and then he turned toward Patrick to await his
reply.
“That’s a funny story, really,” he said, leaning in to include Marla.
“She normally spends Christmas with a friend, and they make it a
point to avoid the holiday altogether. She’d actually signed them up for a sort of anti-Christmas cruise called a Bah Humbug journey.”
“I’ve heard of that,” Marla told him, and she squeezed her hus-
band’s arm.
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 99
7/23/13 1:07 PM
100
Merry
Humbug Christmas
“They apparently didn’t get enough interest, and Murphy’s Law
came into play. She was booked on this ship instead.”
“And where’s her friend?” he asked.
“Turns out the girl recently became engaged to be married. She’s
spending the holidays with her future in-laws.”
“Oh. Poor Joss,” Marla cringed.
“Anyway, it’s none of my affair. I just thought you should know
that she feels awful about the way things went.”
“What things?” Marla asked, and she angled toward her husband.
“Rod? Did something happen between you and Joss?”
“I think I’ll let you two have your date night,” Patrick said, and he drained the last of his coffee. Placing a hand on Rodney’s shoulder, he added, “Thanks for the company. G’night then.”
“Good night.”
DESPITE THE FACT THAT their guide had been meticulous in
instructing them how to use torso rotation and upper body stance for purposes of navigation, Joss’s shoulders burned when she and Patrick finally stopped for a rest. The blue-green Pacific waters seemed far less choppy as they steered their bright yellow kayak toward the exquisite coastline rock formations.
“Mazatlan was founded in 1531,” their nearby guide called out,
and the seven other two-person kayaks in their tour paddled into a semicircle around him. “Settlers were Spaniards and Indians, and the seaport mostly dealt in equipment for mining silver and gold.”
Joss loosened the strap of her life vest and stretched out the muscles of her neck as several ospreys squawked overhead. Despite the gorgeous scenery and the great company on the tour, she struggled to stay focused on the experience. Instead, the butterflies swarming in her stomach continually called her attention back to the look on Rodney Jenkins’s face when she’d turned around to find him standing there.
Merry Humbug Christmas.indd 100
7/23/13 1:07 PM
Once Upon a Jingle Bell
101
“C’mon,” Patrick had persuaded. “Let’s just go with the tour
into Mazatlan
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