After turning off his phone, he threw it onto the passenger seat and turned the car around, headed toward his office. He hadn’t planned to work for the rest of the day, but if it had to do with the Children’s Home, he couldn’t say no. He wanted her to win this case as much as she did. In fact, Cynthia had been concerned when she found out that he had spent most of his childhood in the Children’s Home. But after hearing his opinion on the subject, she hired him on the spot. 

On his way, Xavier noticed the snow dusted over the trees as if God himself had painted the picture, the white brush strokes accenting the trees that sprung from a blanket of sparkling pristine snow stretched across the ground.

Xavier drove through the town square, past the gigantic Christmas tree, the tree lot, and the gazebo—perpetually decorated for Christmas. Santa’s Workshop set in the corner, the best toy store in town, along with the Christmas Cove Jewelry Store; Santa’s Cafe, the local diner; and The Christmas Store, that sold everything Christmas from A-Z. 

He had lived in Christmas Cove his whole life and, although the town celebrated Christmas year-round, he never tired of it. When he had to go to Seattle or Los Angeles on business, he found that he missed the town, along with his family… and Kira. But then again, he had never stopped missing Kira. 

Years ago, at the Children’s Home, he had fallen in love with his best friend, Kira Williams. When he was adopted at eleven years of age, they were separated, and he never saw her again.

As he grew older, his parents and friends had told him that it had been just an infatuation, but it was so much more than that. When he became a teenager and started dating, he found that he compared every woman he dated to Kira. Kira was smarter. Kira was prettier. Kira listened more. Kira was kinder. Kira’s tawny eyes were prettier.

Kira had been his best friend. She had been everything.

After a while, he realized that she had ruined him for all other women, and the kicker was that he doubted he would ever see her again.

But Xavier blamed himself for that. After he was adopted, he could have gone back to the Children’s Home to play with her, or to the local school where they had both attended. But after his adoption, his parents admitted him into a private school, and sent him to college. After college, he wanted to give back to the community, so he went back to Christmas Cove. Now, he was one of the most prominent lawyers in town. He had a private practice with just himself, and that was exactly how he liked it.

Upon more than one occasion, he had thought of moving to the city—Los Angeles, maybe—but somehow, he just couldn’t leave his parents behind. And he couldn’t leave Christmas Cove and the memories of Kira.

Within minutes, he pulled his Mercedes into the office parking lot, bringing him from his reverie. Luckily, the snow had been cleared. He had called a friend with a snowplow and now, the parking lot was as good as new. Two days before, it had snowed so hard that the town was practically immobilized. Luckily, Christmas Cove was more than equipped to deal with snow.

Xavier got out of the car, taking his briefcase with him, hit the automatic lock button on his key chain and it beeped twice. Then he headed inside.

Francine’s lips were pursed when he walked in. “Well, it’s about time you got here.” Francine, his secretary, was an older, no nonsense African American woman, impeccably dressed with a great figure, perfect makeup and hair—cut into a straight, smooth graduated bob, short in the back and long on the sides. Her fingernails had been painted her signature red, and she was a woman who took nothing off no one… including him.

Xavier smirked. “Hey! I thought I was your boss.”

Francine raised an eyebrow, and then inclined her head toward the waiting room. “Ms. Chaisen is here, saying that she has an appointment. I was going to spend the day organizing the files, but now that’s been shot. Why didn’t you tell me you had an appointment?”

Xavier shrugged. “She just called me, and I told her to meet me here.”

Her eyebrows pulled together in concern, but she kept her voice low. “Now, why on Earth would you do a fool thing like that? You were supposed to take this afternoon off. You’ve been working too hard—”

“Careful. Your Louisiana accent is showing,” he teased.

Francine was always very professional but let her get angry and her Louisiana accent became prominent.

“Oh, now! You hush about that! I don’t care if you are my boss!”

Xavier laughed, knowing she was probably the only woman on the face of the planet who could get by with talking to him this way. Well, she and his mother. You didn’t mess with angry black women. He had learned that at a young age with Kira.

Xavier buttoned his suit coat, donning his business mode, his demeanor serious. “Hold all my calls, please.”

“Yes, Mr. Moore.” She glared at him as he passed, but she never stayed mad long.

He winked at her just before heading into his office, knowing if no one was around, she probably would have thrown something at him.

Cynthia Chaisen had been staring out the big picture window but turned her attention toward Xavier when he walked in. “Mr. Moore! Thank you so much for meeting with me on such short notice.” The panicked expression on her face was evidence that she believed the world was coming to an end.

“What seems to be the problem?” He set his briefcase beside his desk as the scent of fresh coffee filled the air. He poured himself a cup and then nodded toward the coffee pot. “Would you like a cup?”

“No, thank you.” Cynthia wrung her hands, resuming her pacing.

He tilted his head to the side, studying her. Perhaps her concern was genuine, and she wasn’t just overacting.

“Please. Sit down.” Xavier indicated the chair on the other side of his desk, but he remained standing, waiting for her to sit down first.

She shook her head and her perfectly coifed blonde hair swung from side to side.

If there was one thing that Xavier couldn’t stand, it was a desperate woman. Correction. One that tried hard to appear to be desperate. He let out a deep breath and crossed the room to her. “Ms. Chaisen, please. Sit down.”

She looked into his eyes for a moment and then nodded, relenting, doing as he asked. 

Xavier perched on the edge of his desk. “Now. What seems to be the problem? We’re going to court Monday and we’ve been over everything.” He smiled. “You’re ready.”

She nodded. “I guess I’m just ready for this to be over. I’m ready for the property to be back in family hands.”

Xavier’s eyebrows pulled together in concern. “Ms. Chaisen, if I may….”

She nodded, folding her arms across her chest. “Yes, of course.”

“Why are you suddenly in such a hurry to take possession of the property? I mean, your aunt and uncle died a year ago and you’re just now coming forward--”

She stood so quickly that her red four-inch spiked red heel scraped along the hardwood floor. “I told you! I’ve been away—”

“Yes, yes. You were away in California and you decided to come back home.” He reached for her hand and held it in his own, calmly looking into her eyes. “I’m sorry. I was just wondering... why now?” He shrugged, giving her a small smile. “But I guess I just answered my own question, now didn’t I?”

She nodded, letting out a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just eager to be done with this.” She smiled up at him. “I hate courtrooms.”

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and released it. Then he moved behind his desk, picked up his briefcase, and pulled out her file. Xavier kept his cases that were going to court with him at all times so he could study them at home. Before he went into a courtroom, he wanted to know the case he was representing, inside and out.

“Now. Let’s go over everything one more time.”

She nodded, letting out a deep breath, but remained standing, obviously too nervous to sit. At this rate, she would be a basket case by Monday morning.

As they went over the fine points of the case, he wondered if there was something more that Cynthia Chaisen hadn’t told him. But if there was, he’d find out soon enough. He would rather find out ahead of time, instead of in court. The courtroom was no place for surprises. Although he knew he was doing the right thing in representing her, he wondered why she was so eager to take possession of the property. But even if they won, she wouldn’t get the property right away. They would have to give Mrs. Davis and the others enough time to find homes for the children. Even though he was just as eager as Ms. Chaisen for the Children’s Home to be disbanded, there was no way that he would kick an orphan out into the street. Not now. Not ever.