Colorado Christmas Magic

by Caitlin McKenna

  “Okay,” Charley said, not entirely sure she understood. “I can certainly do that. I can tell my readers to visit St. Nicholas, I can—”

  “No.” Mary put up a hand. “What I mean is, you’ll meet a Scrooge soon, and you will need to do something for him or her that means a lot to you. Something that will affect you greatly.”

  Charley frowned in confusion. “Like what?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Charley let out a frustrated sigh. Mary was talking in circles like she had the night she arrived.

  “I’m not just saying that. I honestly don’t know.”

  “Can you at least give me an example?”

  “I really can’t.”

  Charley drew in a long breath, trying to understand. “If I’m supposed to do something for this Scrooge, something that means a lot to me, then shouldn’t it be easy?”

  “No. It might be difficult,” Mary said, and that unnerved Charley.

  “What happens if I don’t help this Scrooge?”

  “Things might turn out differently than expected, though I’m only guessing. I really don’t know because reformed Scrooges always step up to the challenge.”

  Charley sat there wondering why Mary had told her about the requirement. It was just going to make her anxious.

  “You’ll be fine.” Mary laid a hand on top of hers. “Trust your instincts. It will all make sense soon. I just wanted you to be aware.”

  Charley settled into a reluctant smile. “Thanks for the warning.” I think.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Charley didn’t want to worry about what Mary had said, but how could she not? Was she trying to tell her that her own happiness was at stake if she didn’t give this Scrooge what he or she needed? That didn’t make sense at all. According to other ex-Scrooges, they were all so happy and none of them had warned her about a last-minute requirement. Of course Mary knew about Charley’s trust issues. Did she inform her so she wouldn’t panic?

  Charley heard a knock at the door and opened it to find Jack. “Hey.” She let him in. “Did you get your pictures taken?”

  “We did. Turns out my parents will be using one of them as their Christmas card.”

  “For this year?” Charley grabbed her coat and hat. “Not much time to get them out.”

  “That’s exactly what I said.” Jack laughed as they headed downstairs. “My parents already left. They’re picking up my uncle at his place, so they’re going to meet us in town.”

  Charley grunted a response, her mind occupied with the bombshell that Mary had dropped on her. Maybe she should try to find one of the locals she’d interviewed and ask them about the Scrooge requirement.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, opening the front door. “You seem distracted.”

  “Mary just told me that as a Scrooge, I have one requirement to fulfill.”

  “I thought they told you there were no strings attached.”

  “They did.” She scowled as they got into his SUV.

  Jack gave her a sidelong glance. “What is it?”

  “She said now that I have the Christmas spirit, I need to pay it forward. I’ll be meeting a Scrooge soon, and I’ll need to do something for this Scrooge. She said whatever it is will affect me greatly.”

  “That sounds a little ominous.” He started the car and drove down the driveway, heading for town.

  “It does.” She glanced out the window, hoping this requirement wasn’t going to cast a cloud over her happiness.

  “You know, my captain thought something fishy was going on with the invitations. Maybe this requirement is the dark side of St. Nicholas.”

  She stared at Jack. “You think so?”

  “There’s good and bad to everything—maybe even St. Nicholas.”

  “I hope not.” She shuddered. “This place truly feels magical.”

  Jack cracked a smile. “You’ve definitely got your Christmas spirit back.”

  “Don’t you? With everything that’s happened?”

  “I guess I do,” he admitted, turning onto Main Street. “You, and then my uncle. How can I not be all in?”

  “You better be.” She playfully slapped him on the leg. “Hey, do you mind if we stop at that gourmet coffeehouse before we meet your family? I want to talk to a former Scrooge about this requirement.”

  “No problem.”

  A few minutes later, Charley was scanning the place for Piper. “Shoot. I don’t think she’s working.”

  “Can I help you?” a young man behind the counter called to Charley.

  “I was hoping to speak with the barista named Piper. Is she working today?”

  “I think you mean Piper, the owner. She’s right over there.” He pointed to a woman who had her back to them, restocking a display case with coffee-related merchandise.

  Charley looked over just as she turned around. “That’s her. Thank you.” Piper was the owner? It made the results of her Scrooge story even sweeter. “Excuse me, Piper? Do you remember me?”

  Piper took a moment to place Charley, then smiled. “Aren’t you the Scrooge I spoke to about the mailbox?”

  “Yes, although I was told this morning that I’ve graduated, so to speak.”

  “Congratulations.” Piper eyed Jack. “I can see that you have.”

  Charley blushed. “This is Jack...my boyfriend.” She loved how that sounded again.

  “Good to meet you,” Piper said. “What can I help you with?”

  “The Scrooge requirement.” She got right to the point. “Can you give me some clarification on it?”

  “Ah, the requirement.” Piper nodded. “Why don’t you sit down.” She gestured to the nearest table, then grabbed her half-finished coffee off a display shelf. “Would you care for something to drink?”

  “Oh, no, we’re fine.” She and Jack followed Piper over to the table and sat down.

  “The requirement.” Piper released a long breath. “It’s difficult to describe.”

  “So I’ve heard.” Charley frowned. “Can you tell me what yours was? Maybe it will help me to understand.”

  “Sure. When I lost my job, I had to move back home because I had a mountain of debt. A month later, my mom unexpectedly passed away.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Charley put a hand to her chest.

  “Thank you.” She took a sip of her coffee before continuing. “With my finances being as they were, I couldn’t pay my mom’s mortgage. The house had fallen into disrepair, which was so sad to me. I wanted to restore it to its full glory, but I had no financial means to do so. A callous real estate broker, who happened to be my Scrooge, wanted to buy her house before it went into foreclosure. He wanted it badly, and I didn’t want to give it to him because he refused to tell me what his plans were for the property. But letting the bank take it was no guarantee that they’d leave her home standing, either. It seemed like an impossible decision for me.”

  “That sounds horrible,” Charley said. “How did you decide?”

  “I thought about the people of St. Nicholas. They’d been like family to me. I couldn’t allow my mom’s property to fall into the hands of a corporate bank in Denver. What if they turned it into a huge apartment complex or a tacky commercial enterprise? I sold it to the Scrooge.”

  Charley looked mortified and grabbed Jack’s hand. “That must have been so difficult for you.”

  “It was.”

  “What happened to your Scrooge?” Jack asked.

  “He immediately began making all kinds of changes to the house, which I had feared—until I saw them. He restored the house to its original 1930s condition, and then sold it back to me for a dollar.”

  “What?” Charley stared at her in disbelief. “How could he afford to do that?”

  “He said he was investing in his future because he had fallen in love with m
e during the renovations. And, of course, I fell in love with him too.” She paused for a moment, thinking back on it with a smile. “You know, before I made my decision, I remember telling myself that I needed to have blind faith that it would all work out.”

  “Blind faith?” Charley echoed.

  “It was so scary at the time, but the outcome was far better than I imagined. Now my husband and I have two beautiful children who are growing up in their grandmother’s gorgeous home, and being debt-free allowed us to purchase this place—my home away from home.”

  Charley took a deep breath. Hearing Piper’s story made her wonder who could possibly be her Scrooge. She didn’t live in St. Nicholas, or have a home that could be threatened by a Scrooge. At least she now understood why Mary found it difficult to explain. “That’s a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it.”

  “My pleasure,” Piper said as they got up. “Good luck.”

  As they exited the coffeehouse, Charley was trying to wrap her head around Piper’s story. It amazed her how every Scrooge story she heard had so many twists and turns. It comforted her to know that they all ended on a happy note. “I’m not sure who my Scrooge will be, but I feel better after hearing Piper’s outcome.”

  “I don’t,” Jack said, looking concerned. “What if your boss is the Scrooge and he offers you a job halfway across the globe?”

  “Then I won’t take it.”

  “But what if you have to?”

  “Then you’ll come with me.”

  “And what if I can’t?” He turned to face her. “I don’t want to lose you again, Charley. We still need to work out our issue of living in different states, and I don’t want this requirement to complicate matters even more.”

  How could I have ever doubted his feelings for me? She couldn’t explain it, but she suddenly felt so grounded and sure of herself, and quite confident of their success as a couple.

  “Then we won’t let it. Like Piper, we’ll have blind faith that our relationship will not only survive, but thrive. And as far as our location issue is concerned, I’ve been thinking that a permanent change of scenery might be good for me.”

  Jack couldn’t hide his stunned reaction. He searched her face. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying, that you’re okay with moving out of LA?”

  “I think it’s time. I still need to talk to my boss to see if I can work remotely, and I also have to like Denver as much as I like it here, but yes, I want to give it a try.”

  Jack’s grin took over his entire face. “Oh, Charley, you’ve made me a happy man.” He planted a big kiss right on her mouth. She laughed, never thinking she’d see analytical Jack get so excited. “This is turning out to be the best day ever.” He let out a short little howl.

  “Come on, you goofball. Let’s go find your family.”

  They crossed the street to the town square, and as they approached the sixty-foot Christmas tree, the sun came out from behind the clouds causing the freshly fallen snow to glisten like silvery beads of glass. “This place is so gorgeous.”

  “Would you like me to take your picture?” a man called out.

  Charley and Jack turned to see Uncle Bill approaching with a spring in his step.

  “Hey, Uncle Bill.”

  “I sure do love the sound of that,” Bill said, patting his nephew on the back.

  Jack looked past him. “Where’s Mom and Dad?”

  “Oh.” He sighed with a wave of a hand. “I lost them in one of the stores, but they’re on the way. They were going crazy with all the Christmas sales.”

  Jack chuckled. “My dad has become more of a discount fanatic than my mom.”

  “Hey, now, I heard that,” Michael griped, approaching. “A good deal is a good deal.”

  “And he’ll be getting plenty of them before we leave town,” Allison added, right behind him. “I’ll wager the car will be so stuffed with packages there won’t be any room left for me.”

  Charley and Jack laughed as his parents took note of the massive tree.

  “It’s a beauty, isn’t it?” Bill stared up at the town’s centerpiece. “It’s brought in the day after Thanksgiving, and starting tomorrow, the Christmas lights will be synched to Christmas music, which will play day and night until New Year’s Eve.”

  “How lovely.” Allison took in all the beautiful ornaments.

  As Bill kept Allison and Michael captivated, explaining the detail that went into the tree’s trimming, Jack and Charley took a selfie in front of it. Our first selfie. Charley couldn’t stop smiling, even after the picture was taken.

  “And now I want to show you the famous Santa’s mailbox that has touched all of our lives.” Bill led the way like the town’s official tour guide.

  Jack’s parents eagerly followed Bill while Charley and Jack lingered behind. He put his arm around her, and she could easily picture all of them on vacation together in Italy or France. She’d barely be able to concentrate on the museum tours that they’d no doubt be taking because her mind would be filled with Jack—just like it was at that moment.

  As soon as the group came around the winding path, Allison spotted the mailbox. “Of course it’s red.” She went over to inspect it. “I love the intricate design on the legs and the candy cane flag.”

  “When the flag’s up, there’s mail inside,” Jack told his parents. “Charley and I were conducting stakeouts at night, attempting to catch the elusive mail carrier.”

  “Did you?”

  “Uh...” Jack scratched his head, casting an eye on Charley. “We tried,” he said, no doubt hoping to skate through the subject.

  “Oh, but you haven’t heard the best part,” Bill said. “We rigged the area with floodlights and motion sensors, making it impossible for the mail carrier to go unnoticed.”

  “So, who was it?” His dad bounced his gaze between Jack, Bill, and Charley.

  “I wasn’t there, but I heard it was an elf,” Bill said, causing Charley and Jack to groan simultaneously.

  Allison laughed. “An elf?”

  “The jury’s still out on that one.” Jack sounded annoyed. “Charley and I didn’t see the so-called elf, but apparently everyone else did.”

  “Probably some kid dressed as an elf,” Michael said. “But you know, I can think of a few Scrooges whose names I wouldn’t mind dropping in there.” He tapped the top of the mailbox.

  “Michael,” Allison scolded him.

  Charley stepped forward. “I’m starting to think it really is a magical mailbox. I put in Jack’s name, and he showed up within hours.”

  “Coincidence,” Jack brushed off.

  Charley squelched a smile. She could clearly see how Jack got his skepticism from his father.

  “Now, Jack. Don’t be a Scrooge,” his mother said.

  “Charley’s right,” Bill spoke up, glancing at the mailbox. “We’re together today because of this mailbox.”

  “How so?” asked Jack, putting his arm around Charley.

  “Do you know about the mailbox’s original purpose?” Bill asked.

  “Mary told us about it this morning.” Charley snuggled into Jack. “Is that what you did? You sent a letter?”

  “Not at first, but only because I didn’t believe it,” Bill said. “I thought it was nonsense. But when I was ready to leave town, Joe asked if I could stay and help him decorate the inn for Christmas. The thought of decorating someone else’s house suddenly sounded very appealing to me.”

  Jack chuckled. “I wonder why that was.”

  “Yeah.” Bill smiled. “When I began stringing the lights with Joe, I had my first memory recall in years. I saw flashes of your dad and me stringing Christmas lights all over the roof. I never saw enough to identify Michael as my brother, but the fact that I had seen something, well, that made me stay in St. Nicholas indefinitely. On Christmas Day, I heard more stori
es about the mailbox, and I started to wonder if they could be true. After Christmas, I couldn’t get the mailbox out of my head. Every time I walked by it, I’d wonder if I dropped in a letter without a name or an address, would it somehow get delivered?”

  “Did you finally do it?” Charley asked.

  “Nope. Too much disappointment over the years had hardened me against believing in any kind of miracle.” Bill stared at the mailbox with a pensive look on his face. “Then a couple of weeks ago, on Thanksgiving Day, I set aside my stubbornness and sent a message to the family I couldn’t remember. That’s how I even addressed my letter. ‘To the Family I Can’t Remember: I have amnesia and I don’t remember who you are or where you live. Please come find me. I’m in St. Nicholas, Colorado.’”

  “Oh, Bill.” Allison put a hand to her heart.

  “Did anything happen when you dropped in the letter?” asked Jack.

  “Nothing that I could tell, except that I finally felt relieved. I let go of having to wonder about it. In fact, I decided right here, at this mailbox, to let go of my twenty-year search and call St. Nicholas home. And then you showed up, Jack, and started asking questions.”

  “I remember how you kept looking at me,” Jack said. “But you also appeared spooked. Why?”

  “I was afraid to believe in a miracle, I guess. When you said you were able to find people who’d gone missing, I was overwhelmed. I thought it was too good to be true. I actually thought you were going to help me find my family. It never occurred to me that you were my family.” Bill got teary-eyed again as he placed his hand on the mailbox. “So you see, this mailbox truly is magical. It gave me a miracle. It brought you to me.”

  No one could speak because they were overcome with emotion. Everyone surrounded Bill and gave him a big hug.

  Several minutes later, Allison dabbed her eyes. “That is one magical mailbox. Where can I get one online?”

  Everyone burst with a much-needed laugh.

  Michael wiped his face with his handkerchief. “Okay, family, let’s go have some fun at the Christmas festival before we start blubbering again.”

  That afternoon, Charley and Jack’s mom watched the men try to outdo each other in the Christmas stocking races before Jack took her tobogganing—something she had never experienced. She and Jack flew down the hill on a tiny sled and she loved it. As the day progressed, Charley felt like she was already part of Jack’s family. Would her work situation go as smoothly? Maybe she needed to tip the scales in her favor by adding a new travel list to her blog. The more she worked remotely, the better her chances were to make a move out of LA.