Lacey nodded. Her fingers were busily moving across the keys on her cell phone screen, texting someone else. “Yep. Mr. Zeus had it sent yesterday. He’s cool. He and Mr. Marc and setting up our makerspace finally. I’m geeking, for real now. It’s finally happening. Are you and Mr. Zeus dating yet?”
Her tone was matter of fact. Freddie hid her surprise. Word got around fast in a tiny town. Should she pretend she didn’t hear the question?
The tree lot was half a block away. Swags of white lights lit the perimeter. It was bigger than she thought. Her first move would be to find Big Red and give him a huge thank-you hug. Then she’d double back to Ciro’s apartment to let Zeus know she’d taken the kids to the tree lot and she hoped an adequate apology would somehow come from her mouth.
“Hold up, Miss Freddie,” Lacey said. She opened her camera app and positioned her phone for a selfie. “Wanna take a picture with me?”
“Sure thing.”
They put their heads together and smiled. Lacey snapped the photo.
“Thanks. Gotta jet. I’ll text you the photo later.”
“Thank you, Lacey,” she said but the girl was already jogging forward to meet a friend among the evergreens.
The lot was teaming with people. She saw many cars with evergreens strapped to their rooves.
A good sign. Freddie couldn’t help but smile. All these strangers extending good will to her unknowingly. Could her family do the same? Her mother’s text was a good sign that things were on the upswing.
Freddie inhaled deeply as she approached the first line of trees. The woodsy smell of pines and firs was heavenly in the night air. Aromas of chocolate, funnel cakes, and roasting peanuts mingled in. She saw food trucks parked a short distance away. Suddenly her sandwich dinner seemed meager. A decadent snack was calling her name.
She navigated among the rows of evergreens and saw someone in a Martinez Construction ball cap. She pulled up short. Her stomach dropped. Why now?
When he saw her, he stopped too. “Frederica?”
She lowered her chin and greeted her brother. “Danny, what are you doing here?”
“I was wondering the same thing about you. You came all the way to Wake City to buy a tree?”
“Apparently you did.”
“I’m here …” He swallowed and took a breath. He seemed to be struggling to find the right words to say. “I’m here to buy … to support a good cause. I heard some of the proceeds go to support a new tiny home business in town.”
Zeus.
This was too much.
Freddie’s shoulders sagged. “No.”
“Yes.” Her brother chuckled and walked closer. “I was a jerk to you on Saturday. I shouldn’t have said what I said. Shouldn’t have done what I did.”
“Oh, my goodness, Danny.” She wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks. “How did you…?”
He pulled her into a hug. “I got this call from this guy named Jesús de Sousa. You know him, right?”
She nodded against the flannel of his jacket. Her affirmative reply came out muffled.
“I kinda remember him from that engineering camp thing you went to before we moved to North Carolina. Anyway, he told me about your business ideas. And I realized that I’ve been standing in your way, Freddie. Last year, I tossed the idea out to dad about doing a few tiny homes, but he never really said he’d give me the money. That’s why I lashed out when you brought it up. In my mind, if he wasn’t going to give me the money then he wasn’t going to give it to anyone in the family. Especially not to you, his favorite princess.”
“Princess?”
“Don’t deny it,” he said, holding her at arm’s length. “You’re smarter. You’re braver. You’re … you’re everything I’m not. That doesn’t excuse my actions though.”
“Maybe, we can do this tiny home thing together.”
“Maybe. You’ll have to show me the ropes.”
“And be your boss.”
“Don’t make me change my mind, Freddie.” He pulled her into his big arms again. “I love you, little sister.”
“I love you too, Danny.”
“Stop it now. You’re gonna make me cry.”
She kissed him on the cheek and then knocked his cap off when she stepped back.
“Always the joker,” he said as he picked up his hat. “You’re gonna pay for that.”
Freddie braced herself for his playful retaliation. These were the times she missed sharing with her brothers. This was family. She said a quick prayer that this would be their new normal. Broken but healing.
His attention was drawn away suddenly to something behind Freddie. “What’s up, dude? You need something?”
Freddie followed her brother’s perturbed glare. It was Zeus. She froze.
“Hello,” Zeus said, his eyes on her alone.
Her mouth went dry. Words she’d planned to say flew away on the chilly night air.
“You know this dude?” Danny asked her.
“This is Jesús de Sousa.”
Danny reached over and gave Zeus a fist bump. “Yo, dude. Thanks for phoning me. Good to see you in person. You lost a lot of weight but you’re still short.”
“Danny!” Freddie hit him in the arm.
“I’m just saying,” Danny defended himself. “But you look good. Real good. I like the ‘stache.”
“Please just go buy a tree, Danny,” she begged.
Danny pushed her and she stumbled to one side before finding her balance again. “Little sisters can be a pain.”
He and Zeus laughed.
Freddie protested. “Not funny.”
“Thanks for calling me, Jesús. For doing this for my sister.”
“Well, the tree lot isn’t mine.”
“I know but look at all these people, spending money left and right. Things are going to end well for the guy who owns this lot and for my sister. Thanks, man.”
They fist bumped again. “You’re welcome.”
“Sorry about your arm,” Danny said. “What happened?”
“I tried …” Zeus started then glanced at Freddie. “I tried to catch a Christmas angel. It’s a long story.”
Danny nodded like he knew what Zeus was talking about. “One of those expensive ones for the top of the tree? Yeah, I feel you, dude. Good job trying to save it. My wife’s crazy about ornaments too. Carmen calls me a Scrooge. Why do they have to cost so much? And they break so easy. Just saying. Listen, I’d better get going. Nice seeing you again, man. Hey, wait a minute, didn’t you go by Jay back in Texas.”
“Yeah. Folks call me Zeus now. It’s another long story. Take care.”
Zeus waited until Danny ambled off before he spoke. “So… I see you brought the kids to the lot.”
“Yes, I did. There’s only one thing left on your list.”
He moved closer to her. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I got your note from your office at the business incubator.”
“I shouldn’t have been so pushy. This is your business.”
“I shouldn’t have been so thin-skinned.”
He stepped closer and took her hand. His fingers were warm. She gained strength from his touch.
“Christmas angel?” she asked.
“Yeah, that was kinda cool, right? Charming? You like the charmer type? Admit it. Charmer is on your list of admirable traits in a man. I’m not over six feet tall but at least I have charisma.”
“It was corny.”
“Is that like corny good? Or corny bad?”
Freddie rolled her eyes. “How did you do all this?”
“Well, you see, they have this invention called the telephone.”
“Very funny.”
He looked at her and smiled. “You’re amazing.” His gaze dropped to her lips.
“So are you,” she said. Was he thinking what she hoped he was thinking?
“I have a confession to make,” he said in a l
ow voice. “I wore boots tonight for a reason.”
What kind of foolishness? She looked down at his snakeskin boots. Had she heard him right. “Your boots?”
“I hoped you’d be wearing flats, so I wore my Elf Zeus boots tonight. The ones I wore at the bookstore.”
“Where is this going?”
“They give me two inches. You won’t have to bend down when you kiss me.”
“You’re a crazy man.”
“Crazy for you. I love you, Frederica Martinez.” He leaned close and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ve always loved your mind.” He caressed the dimple in her chin. “I’ve always loved that little divot in your chin.” He kissed it softly. “And I’ve always loved you.” He kissed her lips. She closed her eyes and savored the tender moment. Her fingers found their way into his luscious locks.
Lord, help me.
When they broke the kiss, she wrapped her arms around him, taking care to avoid his cast. “I love you too. Your humility. Your kindness. Even your faith. You’re genuine and you get me. All of me. This is like a dream.” She squeezed her eyes tight, surprised that she was being this vulnerable with anyone. “What you did for me tonight. And probably with your brother. You are so not a toad.”
He chuckled softly. The sound of applause startled her eyes open.
They were surrounded by people. Standing next to Chelsea and Marc were her parents.
“Mami? Papi?”
“Hello, mija,” her mother said.
“What are you all doing here?” Freddie asked.
“Buying trees,” replied her father. “This Zeus de Sousa guy called us.”
A camera flashed. She blinked at the flare of light. “You’re still pretty,” someone said in Spanish.
“Abbi?”
Laughing, Freddie’s grandmother shuffled forward with her cell phone held out. “Smile Zeus de Sousa.”
Everyone laughed.
“Abbi, you’re embarrassing me.”
“And he’s good looking,” she said. “Not too tall. Not too short. Just right.”
Freddie groaned. “I can’t believe this.”
Chelsea and Monica came forward. Marc and Ciro followed. All smiles.
“We’re just so happy for you, Freddie,” Chelsea whispered. “Now, we’ll leave you alone, but I think your abuela has been waiting for this moment for almost 15 years. So, smile, sister.”
Freddie moaned through a fake smile and endured another flash.
After a few minutes of chatting and hugging, the crowd dispersed. Her parents stayed close. Felix Martinez draped his arm around his wife as he stood before the man who had just kissed his only daughter.
“So, you have a job, son?” he asked Zeus.
“Yes, sir.”
“A good job. She can be a little bit of a princess.”
“Yes, sir. I know. She’s priceless.”
Felix nodded. “Drop by the house on Saturday, mija. We’ll talk business.” He glanced at his wife. Maria Martinez nodded her approval. “You can come too, young man.”
Her mother snickered and gave Freddie a kiss on the check. “He’s a keeper,” she whispered. “I’ll call you tomorrow, mija.”
“Okay, Mami. Papi. I love you both.”
“We love you, too.”
She bid her parents farewell. Zeus took her hand again. They wandered through the aisle of greenery, greeting people as they went.
“We’re all broken people,” he told her as they ended their stroll.
“You’re a regular philosopher, Zeus. Who knew?”
“Yeah, sometimes.” He grinned. “We’re all in search of wholeness, healing and happiness because we live in a broken world, you know. Some find what they seek in things. Gaming. Drugs. Money. Fame. I realized along the way that I couldn’t find it in things. It had to come from a Person: Jesus.”
She beamed and squeezed his hand. “You’re everything I could ever wish for.”
“Same here,” he said and kissed her again.
As Freddie’s eyes slid closed, she caught a glimpse of a flash. Her abuela had taken yet another photo.
Before You Go …
Are you familiar with all my books? Please visit my book page at http://thefaithtowrite.com/books. Here’s a list below. Your reader reviews on Amazon and Goodreads help other readers find my books. Please consider leaving a review.
Isaac Hunt Novel Series
The Making of Isaac Hunt
Loving Cee Cee Johnson
Saving Tate Michaels
Newland Road Novella Series
History Lessons
Walking Music
Cooking School
Southern Christmas Lights Novella Series
Santa’s Secret
Letters from Santa
The Wish List
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I would love to hear from you. Find me on Facebook (Author Linda Leigh Hargrove) or Instagram (@thefaithtowrite). You can also send a message through TheFaithToWrite.com.
Recipe for Cookie in a Cup
There are only six required ingredients in this recipe: butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, egg, and all-purpose flour. Vanilla extract and decorative sprinkles are extras. You’ll also need a microwave and a microwave-safe mug or coffee cup.
Here’s the order:
Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a clean, dry cup and microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Next stir 2 tablespoons of sugar into the melted butter.
Then stir in ⅛ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt into the butter-sugar combo.
Next stir in 1 egg (or only the egg yolk for extra decadence).
Mix 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour into the mixture in the cup.
Lastly, shake decorative sprinkles on top and place the cup (with the cookie dough, of course) in the microwave and nuke for 30-45 seconds (700 Watt oven).
Let cool at least 60 seconds before eating with a spoon straight out of the cup.
Serving suggestion: eat while cooling your heels on the front porch of a tiny house.
The Wish List Backstory
I started this series in 2017 with Chelsea Parker and Marc Waterman’s story in Santa’s Secret. Frederica “Freddie” Martinez is Chelsea’s best friend. Freddie is a funny, headstrong, and talented Puerto Rican woman of God. Some readers enjoyed Freddie’s character so much they wanted me to write her story.
Writing a romance for Freddie meant digging deeper into Latino culture. I didn’t just want to slap a few Spanish words into a romance and be done with it. So off to the library (and YouTube) I went. I even hit up a Latino food truck rally. Talk about exciting and fun! And the music. I really have fun with the music, especially Volver Volver.
Some of you may wonder, why did I create a Puerto Rican best friend in the first place. As a child of the South, I grew up working in the cucumber fields alongside “Mexican” and Haitian migrant workers. My very first best friend was the child of a Latino migrant worker. Having her as my friend changed the way I view migrant workers and refugees today. It made me who I am, in a sense. That experience created a capacity for empathy and grace in me way before I heard my first message on racial reconciliation. That’s what living in proximity to people and cultures different from our culture of origin. It changes us for the better.
My prayer, my wish, is that we as Christ followers seek justice and grace as we address issues like immigration and reconciliation. God bless us all.
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The Wish List Page 9
