The Christmas Elf, A Secret-Santa Story

Chapter 26 - Lisa from Boston

Friday 23 December

"Be safe," she said and he felt the warmth of her concern in the heart

'You too!' he said, wishing he could come up with the words that would have her feeling the way he did right now.

"Oh boy," Jonathan said, "you look like me when I first met Abby."

Michael shot him a look that was meant to be quelling, but which had Jonathan snickering even more. "Weren't you supposed to have breakfast ready by now?"

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the truth finally comes out," Jonathan flourished the knife he had been using to slice strawberries at an imaginary audience. "The naïve amongst you may have thought that my dear cousin offered a place to stay out of the goodness of his heart, or because he loves us – but no! It was for the free labor! Here we are – making his breakfast! While he moons over his new lady love, no less."

Abigail walked in, freshly showered and smiling indulgently, "This is the clown I married." She hugged him from behind, careful to stay away from the knife.

"That's what I want," Michael said.

Jonathan looked around, "What? Strawberries?"

Abigail was more insightful, "Love?"

"Yes, but not just love - someone who appreciates me for who I am – and is indulgent of my ...err...quirks... someone it feels easy to be with," he said.

"I wouldn't say 'easy'," Abigail murmured, "no relationships are 'easy'..."

"I know. But sometimes it seems like it's harder than it needs to be. I would like to finally be with someone who is not always of the drama and has to make everything a competition or a fight. There can be passion and affection and all the good stuff without the drama, can't there?"

"Why do I get the feeling this is about an ex?" Abigail asked.

"It is!" Jonathan stabbed the knife point-first into the chopping board, "This is about Lisa, isn't it?"

"Shhhhhh! don't say her name!" Michael laughed but was half serious. "You know what they say...."

"This woman had Michael wrapped around her finger. He was jumping through every hoop she placed his way," Jonathan informed Abigail.

"What happened to her?" she asked, helping with the pancake batter.

"It's more what happened to him."

"Guys, I'm right here!"

Jonathan continued as though he couldn't hear Michael. "Mike and I grew up pretty close because our dads knew how important family was. When Mike's parents died in the car accident I told you about, he stayed with us and even when he became a hotshot lawyer he'd come down and spend weekends or holidays.

The Thanksgiving before I met you, he brings his new girlfriend to introduce her to us. She turned her nose up at everything – guess we weren't what she expected. She got him to cut that trip short to take her skiing with her friends. For me the amazing thing was that he let her.

They stayed together far longer than I would have expected, but she never came back with him. When he decided he wanted to quit being a lawyer to run a pub she told him she'd break up with him."

"Oh wow! Did she really? What did you do?" Abigail looked sympathetically at Michael.

"I'm here, aren't I?" Michael said.

"She broke up with you because you wanted something different?" Abigail asked.

"I guess I didn't realize how much my being a lawyer meant to her...." Michael said.