“I don’t go out of my way to hurt anyone.”
Patrick leaned forward. “I know you don’t, but you need to look before you leap. You’re thirty-eight years old. What do you want out of life?”
Jack watched Emma lift her son into her arms and spin him in circles. He knew exactly what he wanted, but he was too scared to lay his heart on the line. “I don’t know.”
“One day you will. I just hope I’m still here to enjoy being part of it.”
Jack didn’t need to ask his granddad what he meant. Family meant everything to them, especially after Jack’s parents died. But given his track record, his grandfather would be better talking to Noah about happy endings.
At the rate Jack was going, he’d still be single when he turned fifty.
Half an hour later, Emma made sure Molly and Dylan had something to eat before taking them back to their table. Compared with the barbecue she was expecting, the buffet was amazing. Even Molly, the pickiest eater Emma had ever known, managed to find a lot of food she would enjoy.
“I brought everyone a drink,” Kylie said. “I hope you like orange juice.”
“That’s fine.” Emma pulled out two chairs for the twins, then sat beside Kylie. “Noah and Cassie’s wedding was so beautiful. Did you know your flower arrangements were for the wedding?”
Kylie picked up her cutlery. “Not at first. But when Cassie ordered a bouquet, it was pretty obvious. She made me promise on my grandmother’s grave not to say anything.”
“I wonder why.”
“You know Cassie and Noah. They didn’t want everyone to make a fuss. Did you see Noah’s brother?”
“I did.” Emma didn’t trust the gleam in her friend’s eyes.
“Megan said he’s visited Sapphire Bay four or five times. I wonder why I haven’t seen him before.”
Emma shrugged. “It’s the first time I’ve seen him, too. He might have spent most of his time with Noah and Cassie.”
Kylie sighed. “A mystery man.”
Emma didn’t think he would remain a mystery for long. Especially if Mabel got hold of him. She had a way of delving into someone’s life quicker than they could blink. “Megan said he usually brings his girlfriends with him, but I don’t think he’s come with anyone.”
A mischievous smile lit Kylie’s face. “Maybe he doesn’t have a girlfriend at the moment. He might be waiting to meet Ms. Right in the middle of rural Montana.”
“Or maybe he left his girlfriend in New York City.”
“Let me dream for a few more seconds.” Kylie gave a dramatic sigh. “Okay. I’m done dreaming. If he has a girlfriend, I’m happy for him. If not, he should spend more time in Sapphire Bay. He’s obviously not dating the right kind of women.”
“What’s dating?” Molly asked.
Emma glanced at Kylie, then back to her daughter. “It’s when two people spend time together.”
“Like a play date?”
“That’s right. A play date for adults.” Emma hoped that made sense.
Molly placed her knife and fork beside her plate. “Jessica’s mom has lots of dates. Why don’t you have lots of dates?”
Emma forced a smile. “Because I’m too busy. Did you like the chicken leg?”
With a blissfully happy grin, Molly nodded her head. “It was de-licious.”
“What about you, Dylan? Did you like the chicken legs?”
“I like the potatoes better.” And with a big, open mouth, he swallowed a forkful of his favorite vegetable.
“Oh, my goodness,” Mabel exclaimed from the other side of the table. “I can’t believe it.”
Emma had no idea what Mabel was talking about.
With a doubtful frown, Mabel showed her husband her cell phone. “Does that say what I think it does?”
Allan’s mouth dropped open. “Are you sure it’s accurate?”
“I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be.” Mabel looked at Emma and pushed back her chair. “You have to see this.” She rushed around the table and handed Emma the phone. “We only posted the Christmas video on Facebook yesterday. Look at the number of likes.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “Ten thousand? That’s incredible.”
“Read what people have written,” Mabel said excitedly. “Everyone is telling us what they want for Christmas.”
Scrolling through the post was like looking into the heart of each person who’d seen the ad. They’d not only told everyone what they wanted but why it was important.
Sprinkled amongst the comments asking for the latest gadgets, the overseas vacations people could only dream about, and the platform shoes that were an absolute must, were touching, heartfelt wishes from folk who had nowhere else to turn.
Kylie looked over Emma’s shoulder and frowned. “We only asked people to tell us what sort of Christmas events they wanted.”
“We got a whole lot more than that,” Emma murmured. She handed Kylie the phone. “What will we do with the comments?”
Mabel returned to her seat while Kylie read more messages. “There isn’t a lot you can do.”
Emma sighed. “Mabel might be right. We don’t have any money to help the people and, even if we did, a lot of the wishes are beyond anything we could provide.”
“You can say that again.” Kylie flicked through the comments. “Katherine D wants to visit her sister who’s in the intensive care unit at Vancouver General Hospital. Her sister was hit by a car and is in an induced coma. Ron P wants to spend Christmas with his son in Australia and Jeff S wants a new set of…”—she grinned—“…dentures.”
Allan, Mabel’s husband, leaned forward. “If you want to help some of the people, you need a plan. Great things don’t just happen. They need structure, time frames, people who are responsible for the outcomes.”
Mabel patted Allan’s arm. “This isn’t a corporate takeover. We’re talking about people’s lives.”
“That makes it even more important to do the best you can.”
Kylie handed Mabel her phone. “I agree with Allan. We should go through the comments, sort them into ideas for community Christmas events and individual wishes. Once we have the lists, we’ll be able to figure out some sort of plan.”
“Or even if we want to respond to the one-off wishes.” Emma looked around the table at her friends. She hated seeing the disappointment on their faces but someone had to be realistic. “I know it’s upsetting, but we can’t help everyone.”
Kylie leaned her elbows on the table. “We don’t need to help everyone, but we might be able to help a few people.”
“And we don’t need to do it alone,” Mabel added. She glanced across the room and smiled. “I know at least two people who might be able to help.”
Emma turned in her seat and frowned at the two brothers standing beside the bride. Noah was the chief executive of a large, online shopping network. He’d already helped with the tiny home village and lots of other community projects. She didn’t know much about Jack, apart from what Megan had said.
“Jack’s only here for a vacation,” Emma said quickly. “He won’t want to get involved in our Christmas program.”
Mabel stood and straightened the wrinkles on her skirt. “Jack is a Devlin. If he’s anything like his brother and grandfather, he’ll be only too happy to help.” And without missing a beat, she headed toward Noah and his brother.
“That’s my girl,” Allan said proudly. “If you want something done, ask Mabel.”
Emma glanced at Kylie. She just hoped Mabel didn’t put Jack and Noah off from helping them. Because, regardless of how it happened, they had to make a whole lot of Christmas wishes come true.
Chapter 3
Jack nodded at something Mabel said. For the last five minutes, she had been telling him and his brother about the Christmas events the local church was organizing.
“We’ll help with whatever the fundraising team decides to do,” Noah said. “But Jack will only be here for a couple of weeks.”
Mabel smiled. “
I’m sure Emma and Kylie will be thankful for any help they can get. Why don’t you come and meet them?”
Jack looked helplessly at his brother.
Noah sent him an amused glance. “I need to rescue Cassie from Granddad. Mabel will look after you.”
As if sensing he was ready to run, Mabel placed her hand under Jack’s elbow. “Of course, I will. What do you like doing when you’re not working, Jack?”
He had no idea why that was important, but maybe Mabel was just being friendly. “I don’t get a lot of time away from work, but I enjoy fishing and riding my mountain bike.”
“There can’t be many biking trails around New York City.”
“You’d be surprised.” Jack stopped to avoid a collision with another guest.
“Have you seen how far we’ve come with the tiny home village?”
“I saw the site when I was here for Noah and Cassie’s engagement party.”
“You won’t recognize it now. Our first tenants have moved in and are making the village their home. It’s wonderful to see what a difference it’s making in people’s lives.” Mabel stopped beside the table where she’d been sitting. “Jack, I’d like to introduce you to Kylie, the best florist in town. And sitting beside her is Emma. Emma owns her own social media business.”
Jack nodded at the two women. They were both blond and pretty but, from the first moment he’d seen her, it was Emma who drew his attention.
If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she was slightly embarrassed. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who was unsure of Mabel’s motives.
He held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you both.” When Emma’s hand touched his, a spark of awareness shot along his arm. He had no idea where that had come from. Dropping his arm to his side, he tried to act as though nothing had happened.
“And this is Molly and Dylan, Emma’s twins,” Mabel continued. “After the summer break, they’re starting first grade.”
Molly looked up at him with eyes that were the same color as her mom’s. “You’re the man who was standing under the tree.”
“That’s right.”
“We’re six. How old are you?”
Emma’s cheeks turned pink. “It’s not polite to ask someone their age.”
“It’s okay,” Jack assured her. “I’m thirty-eight.”
Molly looked as though she was trying to figure out how old that actually was. Dylan whispered something in his sister’s ear and she smiled. “That’s almost as old as Mommy.”
Jack’s eyebrows rose. Emma looked a lot younger than thirty-eight.
Emma placed her hand on her daughter’s curly red hair. “I’m thirty-two. That’s six years younger than Mr. Devlin.”
“That’s our age,” Molly said with a dimpled grin.
Emma cleared her throat and looked at Mabel’s husband. “Jack, have you met Allan?”
“We met a few months ago,” Allan said with a smile. He stood and shook Jack’s hand. “It’s good to see you again. Did you know your brother was getting married today?”
“No, he didn’t say anything.”
“It was a lovely surprise.” Mabel beamed at them. “Why don’t you join us, Jack. Emma and Kylie can tell you about the Christmas program.”
Emma started to say something but stopped when Kylie nudged her arm.
“Only if you’re not busy,” Emma murmured.
Jack couldn’t decide whether she wanted him to stay or if she was giving him a reason to leave.
Mabel pulled out a chair. “You can sit here. Would you like a glass of orange juice or wine?”
“Juice would be great.” He looked at Emma and Kylie, watching for any sign that they were uncomfortable with him being here. Emma’s earlier hesitation hadn’t returned, so he guessed it was okay. “Mabel told me about the Facebook post. You must be feeling a little overwhelmed with the response.”
Emma sat back in her seat, making it easier for him to see Kylie. “Something about the post caught people’s interest.”
“You’re being too modest.” Mabel handed Jack her phone. “The Christmas image Emma chose was wonderful. And the words she used made people think about the importance of family and community. It’s no wonder her social media business is booming.”
If Jack could have chosen a career for Emma, he wouldn’t have thought of the communications industry. She looked nothing like the people he worked with in Manhattan. “How long have you specialized in social media?”
“That’s only one part of what I do. I help people develop their brand and I design websites and find other platforms that can help their business grow.”
“And she’s good at what she does,” Kylie said. “Emma designed a logo for my flower shop and created my e-commerce website. She even showed me how to set up a newsletter and use Instagram and Pinterest. If it weren’t for Emma, I wouldn’t be selling nearly as many flowers.”
“I only showed you the basics,” Emma insisted. “It’s your hard work that’s made your business a success.”
Jack studied the Facebook post Emma had designed. The image was of a snow-covered Christmas scene, complete with lights and a small-town village feel. Above the image were the words, “Make Christmas special for the people you love. Tell us about your dream Christmas event.”
His eyes widened when he saw the number of likes and comments. A lot of people wanted to share their Christmas ideas. “More than four hundred people have left comments.”
“It’s incredible,” Kylie said. “Who would have thought a little town on the shore of Flathead Lake would attract so much attention?”
Jack knew how difficult it was to make any impression on Facebook. “Is there anything I can do to help while I’m here?”
Kylie looked thoughtfully at him. “The first thing we have to do is sort the comments into some kind of order. You could help us do that.”
Emma shook her head. “Jack didn’t come to Sapphire Bay to work. He came to spend time with Noah and Cassie.”
He wouldn’t be spending a lot of time with his brother and sister-in-law for the next few days. “Noah and Cassie aren’t going on their honeymoon until October, but I don’t want to intrude on the first few days of their marriage. I could help you for the rest of the week, then see what Noah and Cassie are doing after that.”
“That sounds awesome,” Kylie said. “You could meet Emma and me in my flower shop tomorrow morning. By that stage, we’ll probably have more Christmas ideas than we know what to do with.”
Given the response so far, Jack could only agree. “Tomorrow sounds great. Is nine o’clock too early?”
“It’s perfect.” Kylie held out her hand. “Welcome to the Christmas Fundraising Committee.”
Jack shook her hand. He wasn’t sure whether a few days’ work made him part of the committee, but he was happy to help.
By the time Emma arrived at the flower shop the next morning, Kylie and Jack had already started grouping the Facebook ideas together on a spreadsheet.
Half an hour later, they’d sorted a quarter of the comments into categories. From what Emma could see, most people wanted events the whole community could enjoy. And at the top of the list was a Santa Claus parade.
But it wasn’t the community events that were making her feel uneasy. It was the personal wishes that were breaking her heart. “I feel bad that we won’t be able to help everyone who asked for something special.”
“Hopefully, other people see the posts and step forward to help.” Kylie wrote down a wish for a new washing machine. “Maybe we could randomly select a few of the personal wishes and try and help those people?”
Jack looked up from scrolling through the comments on his phone. “My company can help with one or two wishes.”
Emma frowned. “By donating some appliances?”
“Something like that. We wouldn’t be the only business that wants to make a difference. What if you reached out to companies who have already helped the church?”
Emma placed her
pen on the table. “Kylie and I thought of that, but we don’t want to put the funding for the tiny home village in jeopardy. It doesn’t matter how big an organization is, there’s only so much money to go around.”
“Fair enough.” Jack added another three personal wishes to the spreadsheet. “How much time do you spend at the church?”
“Not as much as I’d like. I help in The Welcome Center two afternoons a week. The Christmas event committee is a little more flexible. I can do most of the work from home.”
Jack looked across at Molly and Dylan. For now, they were drawing pictures on a small table beside Kylie’s workbench. “It can’t be easy juggling two small children with your business and helping the church.”
Emma shrugged. “I’m not the only person who has a busy life. Kylie works long hours in her flower shop, but still manages to help at The Welcome Center. Cassie designs jewelry, Mabel and Allan work long hours in the general store, and Willow travels the country taking photographs—and that’s only a few of the people who volunteer at the church.”
“All of us want to give as much time as we can,” Kylie added. “Most of the people who stay at The Welcome Center have nothing. If it weren’t for the church and all the people who volunteer, I don’t know what would happen to them.”
Emma admired what the volunteers at The Welcome Center were doing. A few weeks after she’d arrived in Sapphire Bay, Pastor John had asked if Molly and Dylan wanted to join the Jumping Jellybeans toddler group. After her twins’ first gymnastics class, she’d stumbled across The Welcome Center.
Anyone who needed a warm, safe place to sleep could stay there. Hot meals, clean showers, and good company made what the volunteers were doing priceless. The church even provided wrap-around services. Whether you needed to find work, a good counselor, or budgeting advice—a volunteer was always available to help people through what could be a bureaucratic nightmare.
Emma loved every minute of her work at the center, even if it did make her life a little hectic.
Christmas On Main Street Page 3
