Christmas Diamond, a Novella

Chapter 2

THE white lights twinkling on the Christmas tree reflected in the glass balcony doors, making the room look strangely festive despite the beach decor. Faith fanned her finger over the pine needles on the tree, admiring the decoration; seashells and sand dollars hung from pastel peach and cream colored ribbon woven through the branches of the tree. A strand of pearled beads served as tinsel and a large starfish adorned the top. Faith smiled at the creativity that went into the tree for the southern Florida hotel room.

She moved to look into the full length mirror next to the bathroom door. She ran her hands down the sides of her knee-length white dress. It was sleeveless with wide straps that came together with rhinestone clips at the shoulders. Just three days in Florida and she'd developed a healthy tan thanks to her Italian mother, and she liked the way the dress complimented her skin. She had a sheer shawl to drape over her arms, but she knew from standing on the balcony that with Florida's warm evening air she wouldn't need it for anything other than look.

She wore her black hair cropped to her chin and normally let the natural curls just go where they may. Tonight, though, she'd straightened her hair and clipped the sides back with a diamond encrusted hair clip her grandmother had given her. It gave her a daring, exotic look. She didn't often wear makeup, but for a dinner sponsored by the host of the air show, she applied powders and colors until her blue eyes shone and her lips had just the right amount of red.

Around her neck, she wore a simple diamond solitaire pendant that matched the teardrop earrings. She looked at her watch as she slipped on some strappy sandals and grabbed her wrap.

She rode the elevator down alone, and stepped out amidst the beautiful decorations adorning the ornate lobby. Giant golden ornaments hung suspended from the twenty-foot ceilings. In the center of the lobby, one of the biggest trees she'd ever seen indoors stood proud, gaily decorated in a theme similar to the one in her room, but with much larger decorations. A large ceramic nativity display, painted only in mother-of-pearl, sat under the tree. Joseph stood at least three feet tall, his paint shimmering under the lights.

Somehow, everything said Christmas festive despite the eighty degree weather outside. It lifted Faith's heart and made her not miss the busy London streets so much. With a smile, she approached the desk clerk.

"Do you mind if I leave my key with you? I'm afraid I didn't plan outfits well and ended up with no pockets for the evening," she said.

"Of course, Miss Green. We'll have it right here for you after the event," the clerk answered, smiling. How in the world had the desk clerk known her name? Clearly, the Viscolli Hotel Key West had earned all twenty five points of its solid five star rating.

Impressed, Faith slid her key over the mahogany counter. She crossed back through the lobby and followed the signs to the Grand Ballroom. Several sets of doors stood open, and Faith could see dozens of people milling about and could hear the sound of a stringed orchestra playing somewhere inside.

"Faith!"

She turned at the sound of her name and saw her boss, Elizabeth Gaines, waving at her from just inside the doors. Happy to see someone she knew right away, Faith smiled and walked to the woman. When she saw who stood next to her, she almost stopped in her tracks. Tony, his wife, and TJ were all right there. It had been three days since the time on the beach, and Faith had found herself thinking of them several times a day.

"Faith, I would love to introduce you to our sponsor and host for the air show, Mr. Tony Viscolli, his wife Robin, and this is their son TJ," Elizabeth introduced as she reached out and pulled Faith toward her.

Tony Viscolli.

In that moment, Faith Green suddenly realized that Tony Viscolli was the Tony Viscolli. This was his hotel, even. That made TJ the eldest and only son of the Tony Viscolli. She could feel her eyes widen at the realization as all the pieces clicked into place.