“Are you staying at Zac’s house?”
“I am. If you send me your address, I can take you and Nora to school in my truck.”
Megan moved out of the way of a customer. “I’ll send it to you later today. I’m sorry, but I—”
“Need to take your cakes out of the oven. I understand. It was good seeing you again.”
Megan hadn’t realized how much she’d missed William until now. “It was good seeing you, too. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And without thinking about what she was doing, she ran into the kitchen.
“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Brooke said around a mouthful of toasted sandwich. “What did he say?”
Megan sat beside her new friend. “He wants to take Nora to school with me tomorrow.”
“That’s sweet. Does Nora know he’ll be there?”
“She asked William about it on Christmas Day, but she doesn’t know he’s coming.”
“How do you feel about it?”
Megan pushed her sandwich around her plate. “I don’t know. He’s a great guy. More than great.”
“Are we talking man-of-your-dreams kind of perfect or a great person for someone else?”
Just thinking about William dating another woman gave Megan heartburn. “He’s more in the man-of-your-dreams category.”
Brooke’s eyebrows rose. “So why are you living in Sapphire Bay while he’s in Bozeman?”
“This is the best place for us. I can build my business into something special and Nora can have a normal childhood.”
“And William didn’t understand why you wanted to stay?”
This was the part that had been giving Megan sleepless nights. “He did. He was going to ask the FBI if he could transfer to their Polson office when there was a vacancy.”
“Why didn’t he?”
“I didn’t want him to move to a small town. It would have destroyed his career.”
Brooke took another bite of her sandwich. “Isn’t that William’s decision to make?”
Megan sat silently on the kitchen stool.
“Is this about William or the fiancé who dumped you?”
“He didn’t dump me. He decided he didn’t want a ready-made family.”
“That’s not exactly Prince Charming material, especially when your parents and sister had just died.”
Megan didn’t want to defend her ex-fiancé’s decision. He had his reasons for leaving and, in hindsight, it had been a blessing in disguise. With Nora at her side, they’d muddled through their grief and found a new way of living. Megan doubted she would have done so much if her fiancé had been there to support them.
“I’m not looking for Prince Charming. I wasn’t looking for anyone before I met William.”
Brooke pushed Megan’s plate closer. “Eat. Now that you’ve found William, what are you going to do?”
“I’ve already done more than enough.” Megan sighed. “I’m surprised he came to see me.”
“Anyone with half a brain could see how much he cares about you. Why don’t you invite him to dinner? Nora would enjoy seeing him again.”
Megan bit her bottom lip. “I can’t. He doesn’t want to be more than friends.”
“That’s because you pushed him away.” Brooke finished the last piece of her sandwich. “I’m not the best person to give advice, but it seems to me that you still care about him. A man like William doesn’t come along often. You might want to pull him close and see what happens.”
Megan had a reasonably good idea of what would happen, but she didn’t know if she was ready for it.
Brooke shook her head. “I get it. You’re not a risk taker. But, just once, try something different. It might work.” She slid off the stool and hugged Megan. “I need to take over from Kathleen so she can have lunch. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Megan leaned her elbows on the counter and thought about what Brooke had said. She might not have a lot of experience with men, but Megan knew one thing. Whatever she decided to do, she had to make sure it was what she really wanted.
Because, this time, there were more than two hearts on the line.
William turned into Megan’s driveway. For the most of the night, he’d been tossing and turning, worrying about this morning. He was looking forward to seeing Nora again, to sharing one of the major milestones of her life. But he had no idea what was going on between him and Megan.
When she’d called him yesterday with her new address, they chatted easily, as though he’d never been away. He still couldn’t understand why Megan didn’t want to live in the same town. It wasn’t as if he was the type of person who would stop her from achieving her dreams. He would have given her the shirt off his back if it made her life easier. By now, she must know who he was and what was important to him. But maybe that wasn’t enough.
He turned off the ignition and stared through the windshield. Perhaps coming back wasn’t such a great idea.
The front door of Megan’s house flew open and Nora rushed down the stairs.
“William! You’re here.”
Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of the truck and opened his arms wide. “Happy first school day.”
Nora launched herself into the air, landing hard against him. “I knew you would come. I’ve got everything ready. We made cookies last night and Megan made my favorite sandwiches.”
He kissed the top of her head before placing her gently on the ground. “Let me guess…peanut butter and jelly?”
Nora’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”
She was looking at him as if he were a magician who’d just pulled a white rabbit out of his hat. “Let me see…you had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches whenever you could. And when we had dessert, you chose raspberry jelly over everything else.”
“I love peanut butter and jelly. Come inside. Aunty Megan is nearly ready.”
William smiled as he stepped into the entranceway. Dolly sat beside Nora’s backpack, waiting for their big adventure.
Nora’s gaze followed his eyes. “Aunty Megan said I could take Dolly to school. Do you think the other kids will laugh at me?”
“I don’t know. They won’t if they’ve brought special things from home.”
“What if they haven’t? Dolly goes everywhere with me, but Krista said school is for big girls.” Nora’s bottom lip trembled. Dolly had always been her safety blanket, the one thing she could count on when her world was falling apart. The thought of leaving her at home must be terrifying.
William frowned. “Who’s Krista?”
“She lives next door. She’s eight.”
As hard as it was, William kept his mouth closed. Nora was close to tears. He hated to admit it, but Krista could be right. Children could be ruthless. Taking a rag doll to school could be asking for trouble, especially on your first day.
“I’ve got an idea. It’s probably crazy, but I think Dolly will approve. Where are your crayons and paper?”
Nora took him into the kitchen. “Here they are.” She opened a cupboard and showed him her art supplies. “But we need to go soon. I don’t want to be late.”
William checked his watch. “We’ve got ten minutes before we need to leave.” He pulled out a sheet of paper and some crayons. “We can do this.”
“What are we doing?”
“We’re making something special.” William waited for Nora to sit at the table before he told her his idea. With any luck, it would stop the other children from making fun of her.
Nora would be happy and Megan wouldn’t be stressing about her niece’s first day at school. And he could go back to Zac’s house without planting listening devices in Nora’s classroom.
Half an hour later, William stood in the corridor outside Nora’s classroom. “Do you think she’ll be all right?”
Megan peeked around the edge of the doorframe. “I hope so. She looks happy.”
He took a step forward and quickly scanned the front of the room. Nora and her teacher were smiling, so everything must be
okay.
He was so proud of the way Nora had walked into the classroom. No one looking at her would have known she was nervous.
Her buddy for the day was a girl called Annabelle. She’d shown Nora her desk and raced out of the classroom to show her the bathrooms. When Nora came back, she’d given Megan and William a quick hug before telling them they could go home.
William moved out of the doorway. “I think we should go now. Otherwise, someone will arrest us for being emotional stalkers.”
Megan wiped her eyes. “I’m not crying. I’ve got an allergy.”
“Of course you have. Would a cup of coffee help?”
“I hope so.”
“Come on. I know somewhere that serves the best coffee in Sapphire Bay.”
As they walked toward his truck, he kept a careful eye on Megan. On the way here, she’d worn her happy face, chatting with Nora as if nothing momentous was about to happen. She’d shaken Nora’s teacher’s hand confidently, introducing William and making sure Nora was comfortable with her buddy.
It wasn’t until they’d left the classroom that Megan began to fall apart.
“Drawing a picture of Dolly was a wonderful idea.”
He opened the passenger door and waved her inside. “Nora was worried someone would make fun of her. This way, she can carry Dolly’s picture with her all day and no one will know.”
“I wish I’d thought of it,” Megan said sadly.
“You had a lot of other things on your mind.”
Megan took a tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose.
William turned on the ignition. “Do you want to tell me about your allergy?”
“It’s not an allergy. I’ve been thinking about Mom and Dad and Christine for most of the night.” She took a deep, shuddering breath before wiping her eyes again. “I wish they could have been here to see Nora start school.”
William glanced across the cab. “What makes you think they aren’t here?”
“What do you mean?”
He slowly drove out of the parking lot. “There’s more to life than what we know. I’d like to think there’s more to death, too. Perhaps, when we take our last breath, we’re at the beginning of a new adventure. From what you’ve said, your sister and parents would have moved heaven and earth to see Nora today. Maybe they did.”
Megan sighed. “You have an interesting way of looking at the world considering the career you chose.”
“It wasn’t my career that’s shaped me. I’ve seen things that are so bad I could easily crawl into a hole and never come out. But there’s a lot of good in the world, too. You just have to look for it.”
“Sometimes it isn’t easy.”
William turned right and continued driving. “When Lacey died, I questioned everything I’d ever done. But that only made things worse. I was looking for answers. I needed to know there was more to life than what I’d seen.”
“Did you find your answers?”
“I did, but it took a long time. Finding what I was searching for meant letting go of everything I believed, and that wasn’t easy.”
Megan turned toward him. “What did you find?”
“Hope.” He slowed and pulled into another parking space. “We’re here.”
Megan looked through the window and frowned. “It’s a church.”
“The coffee’s pretty good, too.”
“I can’t go inside. I haven’t been to church in years.”
William smiled. “It’s not like joining a gym. You don’t have to worry about your membership expiring.”
“It’s not even my kind of church. I’m Catholic.”
“God is God. I don’t think he’ll get too hung up on the details of what you believe.”
Megan undid her seatbelt and frowned. “This isn’t where most people would go for coffee.”
“I stayed with Zac for a few months after Lacey died. One day I was walking along the street and a man asked if I wanted a cup of coffee.”
Megan looked as though she didn’t believe him.
“It’s true. The man turned out to be the pastor. And the rest, as they say, is history.”
“Do they really make the best coffee in Sapphire Bay?”
William smiled. “Would I lie to you?”
“No,” she grumbled. “But you might stretch the truth.”
He leaned across the cab and wiped a tear off her cheek. “I guess you’ll have to come inside and see for yourself.”
Megan’s blue eyes connected with his. A pulse of raw energy surged between them.
He cupped her jaw and wondered why they hadn’t worked out a way to be together. Nothing about their relationship made sense—and perhaps it never would.
Megan tilted her head and looked at the exposed beams in the ceiling. From the street, the building looked like a standard church. With its steep gable roof and large foyer, it was the type of space that could be used for lots of different activities.
It wasn’t until you were inside that you appreciated the light falling across the wooden floors, the way each room opened from the foyer into more intimate spaces, and the vibrant colors that welcomed you through the doors.
William pointed to a room opposite them. “The cafeteria is through there.”
A burst of laughter spilled into the foyer. “It sounds as though someone’s happy.”
“A great coffee tends to do that to people.”
Usually, Megan would have agreed. But not today. After saying goodbye to Nora, she’d felt like a balloon that had suddenly popped.
As they walked into the cafeteria, her eyes widened in surprise. On one side of the room, a dozen people sat behind paint easels. In front of them was an enormous flower arrangement. On the other side of the room, people were enjoying coffee and cake.
“Have we interrupted an art class?”
William shook his head. “This is normal. Pastor John organizes different activities for each day of the week. Most of the people who come here aren’t working. If they see something they like, they can join the class. And what’s better is that all the classes are free.”
Megan listened to the tutor talking about light and shadow. She was about the same age as Megan. With shoulder-length dark hair and a quick smile for her students, it would be easy to enjoy being part of her class.
“That’s Natalie Armstrong. She’s exhibited her paintings at art galleries around the world.”
“And she’s giving free lessons in the church?”
William shrugged. “What can I say? Pastor John can be persuasive when he wants to be. If the class finishes before we leave, I’ll introduce you. She lives in Sapphire Bay.”
Megan followed William to the counter on the other side of the room.
“What would you like?” he asked.
She studied the blackboard menu. “A cappuccino would be great.”
“Cake?”
Megan shook her head. “It’s too early. I only had breakfast an hour ago.”
A teenager walked out of the kitchen and smiled. “Hello. Are you ready to order?”
“We’ll have two cappuccinos and a slice of hummingbird cake.” William smiled at Megan. “It’s never too early for me.”
“That’s because you’ve got a sweet tooth.” Megan pulled out her wallet. “I’ll pay.”
William handed the teenager his credit card. “Don’t be silly. It was my idea, so I’ll pay. Besides, the café doesn’t charge for its coffee.”
Megan sighed. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He took two forks out of the cutlery container. “I know you don’t feel like eating a whole slice of cake, but you have to taste it. It’s almost as good as yours.”
“Coming from a connoisseur of cake, that’s high praise.”
“And fully deserved for you and Pastor John. Before he became the pastor, he was a cook in the Army. His hospitality classes have waiting lists.”
Megan studied William’s face. “You know a lot about the church.”
>
“I should. I was one of Pastor John’s students for six weeks. When I wasn’t learning how to make lasagna, I was doing odd jobs around the church. It helped put my life into perspective.”
After they were seated, Megan looked behind the counter. A glass wall separated the dining area from the kitchen. Two men and a woman were busy making sandwiches and another teenager had an icing bag in her hands.
William followed her gaze. “The man wearing the black apron is Pastor John. He’s one of the kindest people I’ve met.”
Megan watched him laugh at something the person beside him had said. He looked as though he was enjoying what he was doing.
“How are you feeling now?” William asked.
“Better. When Nora graduates from high school, I’ll probably remember today and wonder where all the years have gone.”
“Life goes by so quickly.” William sent her a sad smile. “The first seven years of Lacey’s life went by in a blur.”
“Do you want more children?” Her question didn’t seem to surprise William.
“I’ve always wanted a big family. Being an only child has a lot of disadvantages.”
Megan smiled. “I can imagine you playing in the backyard with half a dozen children. Lacey was a lucky girl.”
“Her mom had a lot to do with that. I was away so often with work that I didn’t spend much time with her. I don’t want to do that again.”
“Is that why you wanted us to live in the same town?”
William nodded but, before he could say anything, Pastor John placed their order in front of them.
“Two cappuccinos and a slice of hummingbird cake. It’s good to see you again, William.”
William stood and hugged his friend. “It’s been too long. John, this is Megan, a friend of mine. She’s working with Brooke in Sweet Treats.”
Pastor John shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Megan. Do you make candy, too?”
“No. I bake and decorate cakes. Brooke and I are sharing the kitchen.”
“She makes amazing cakes,” William added.
“Well, I hope you enjoy this one. It’s a café favorite.”
A Christmas Wish Page 17
