Sara's Gift (Small-Town Christmas Wishes Book 4)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  “Oh goodness, don’t. I’m honored you felt comfortable talking to me. I used a poor choice of words. We should do this every Saturday.”

  “Really? You actually want to do this again after I talked non-stop?” April stood.

  “Absolutely. It’ll be my turn next week.” Sara pushed back and stood.

  They walked outside together. Christmas music played from a nearby outdoor speaker, and soft flakes fell from the sky.

  Sara stopped beside her Jeep to get Annabelle. “I probably should’ve left her at home since Saturday is my busiest day of the week.”

  “I’ll take her with me for a while,” April said. “The kids would love having her. They’ve been bugging me for a dog for a long time.”

  “Are you allowed to have pets in your apartment?”

  April frowned. “I have no idea. I didn’t think to ask.”

  “As much as I appreciate the offer, you probably shouldn’t take Annabelle until you know. But thanks.”

  “Sure.”

  Sara paused at the door to her shop and unlocked it. “You and your family are welcome to stop in anytime, even just to say hi.”

  “Thanks. We might do that.” April continued on to the next door and disappeared inside.

  Sara went into her shop, flipped on the lights, and took off Annabelle’s leash. She’d let her roam before the store opened. She’d learned a long time ago to keep breakables high so Annabelle’s tail didn’t knock them over. It reduced the chance of young children breaking things too, so it was a win-win.

  At nine o’clock her first customer walked in, and it was non-stop until noon when April and her family arrived. Emily guided her siblings to Annabelle’s crate. “Can we take her for a walk?”

  “She’d love it,” Sara said. “Thank you.”

  Emily ushered Annabelle and her siblings out in a matter of a minutes.

  Sara turned to April, who stood near a nativity display.

  April glanced up. “You got me to thinking about Christmas. It’s not fair to the kids to ignore Christmas or the reason we celebrate. I’ve been remiss this past year about church attendance or anything to do with God or Jesus. It’s time for that to change. Is this the correct price?”

  Sara glanced at the hundred dollar, hand-carved nativity and nodded, curious where this was going.

  “I thought to get us a Christmas tree today, but all our decorations are in storage in Denver. I only brought what I thought we’d need. When I saw this, it tugged at me.” April ran her hand along the carved olive wood. “I think it would be a wonderful way to put the emphasis back where it belongs.”

  “And you would have it for a lifetime rather than a few weeks like a tree.”

  April smiled. “I’ll take it.”

  Sara hesitated—April could not afford this splurge, but she was in the business of selling, not monitoring a person’s spending. She reached for the box hidden under the display table and carefully packed up the crèche.

  April pulled out a credit card and handed it over, her face glowing with happiness. “The kids are going to love this.”

  “Really?” Sara had her doubts. Seemed to her they’d prefer Christmas tree shopping and decorating.

  “For sure. Nolan loves to work with wood, and the little ones get mesmerized watching him. My husband whittled every evening and was teaching Nolan the craft.”

  “Wow. That’s really cool. Do the twins have their own tools too?”

  “No. They were too young to be working with sharp objects before Jeff died. I think he started working with Nolan when he turned seven.” She chuckled. “I must admit, I didn’t think he was old enough even at seven, but I’m glad I trusted my husband’s judgment, or Nolan never would’ve learned enough before his dad got too sick to teach him.”

  Sara finished ringing up the sale. “How old is Nolan? I guessed he was eight.”

  April shook her head. “Don’t let him hear you say that. He’s ten and small for his age.”

  Sara mimed zipping her lips then handed the box to April.

  “I’m going to run this up to our apartment real fast. I’ll be right back.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll let the kids know if they beat you back.” Although she sincerely doubted they would, considering they looked about as excited as kids at an amusement park to walk her dog. She couldn’t get over the marked difference in April. Maybe all this family needed was someone to care about them and show an interest in them.

  Sara took advantage of the lull and pulled a peanut butter and honey sandwich from her lunch bag. She’d run out of yogurt and lunchmeat so had to find an alternative in the pantry. Good thing she loved peanut butter and honey. She bit into the sandwich. An explosion of flavor filled her mouth, and happy memories from her childhood bombarded her. She ate quickly, washing it down with a bottle of water right as April popped back into the store.

  “Did I beat them?” April looked around the shop. “I took a few extra minutes to set it up.”

  “They’re not here.” She was thankful too. Annabelle and those kids needed this free time to play, plus she enjoyed April’s company. “Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?” She motioned to a small table beside the counter where she’d set up a hot beverage station. Her philosophy was if customers felt appreciated and pampered they were more likely to open their wallets—even so, she hadn’t expected April to buy anything.

  “Thanks. I’d love some coffee.” She pressed down the pump handle to extract hot coffee into a paper cup, added two creamers, a package of sugar, and stirred it. She breathed in the aroma and took a sip. “It’s good.”

  “Thanks. I buy the beans from Cozy Coffee Shop.”

  “They must love you there.”

  “Not as much as I love them. They feed my sugar and caffeine addiction with their delicious scones and specialty drinks.”

  “I’ve been meaning to thank you again for inviting Emily to join you at church last week. I’ll admit I was convicted for not getting my family there myself. It’s been on my mind ever since. We’ll be there tomorrow.”

  “I’m glad. The kids are going to love the children’s program.”

  “I hope so,” April said. “I’ve hinted about going for the past couple of days, and the twins are resistant.”

  “Are they shy?”

  “Sometimes. They’ve had a lot of changes in their lives, and I suspect the idea of being the new kids and stepping into the unfamiliar is intimidating.”

  “You’re probably right. I think it’s intimidating for most people.”

  “I suppose.” April took another sip from the cup. “You know what this needs?”

  “What?”

  “Christmas cookies.”

  “Sorry. I don’t usually bring them to the shop except for when I teach a workshop.”

  April waved a hand. “I wasn’t suggesting you provide them. I want to make Christmas cookies with my kids. If you’d like to join us, we could wait until your shop closes.”

  “Really?” She usually spent Saturday evenings with Gabe, but after last week, they hadn’t spoken. She’d had plenty of time to work on the stockings and scarves for April and her family, but she was becoming lonely. “Are you sure? I feel like I’d be intruding on family time.”

  “Not at all. We’ll be together all day. By the time you close, I’ll be in desperate need of another adult. Trust me.”

  “Okay. If anything changes, let me know. I won’t be bothered or offended.”

  “I will.”

  The door flung open, at that moment and the kids rambled inside with rosy cheeks and high spirits.

  Nolan ran to his mom’s side. “We walked all the way to the park and back. It was so much fun. Another dog came up to Annabelle and tried to sniff her, but she didn’t like it. It was pretty funny.”

  April smiled. “I’m glad you had fun. As soon as Annabelle is settled, I have a surprise at home.”

  “For real?” Wonder filled his eyes.

  Sara understood,
considering April, though physically present, appeared to be a somewhat absentee parent emotionally. Sara appreciated the sale from April, but she also knew their finances were tight and felt kind of bad about her adding to her debt load.

  All that would change soon, once Sara paid off the family’s medical bills. She’d contacted the doctor’s office earlier in the week and informed them she would like to anonymously pay off Jeff Smith’s bill. They wouldn’t confirm or deny any information, but they did give her their mailing address—which seemed confirmation enough.

  The kids gathered around their mom, clamoring for her attention.

  April wrapped an arm across the shoulders of the two closest children. “Let’s go home. I have something to share with you.”

  The young family left and a hush fell over the shop. Sara immediately missed the energy oozing from the kids. If only she had half of it, there’d be nothing she couldn’t accomplish. Including figuring out what to do about Gabe. She missed him so much. She’d really hoped he would call or stop by. Had he hoped the same of her?

  Chapter Nine

  Saturday evening, Sara knocked on the door to April’s apartment. Hopefully, she wasn’t too late to join in the cookie baking.

  Emily opened the door. “Hi! We thought something had happened to you.” She reached out and tugged Sara inside. “Come in. We already started. Mom couldn’t wait since the little kids go to bed at eight.”

  “I’m sorry. I had to run home first.” Sara spotted April helping Stephanie, one of the twins, move a star-shaped cookie to a baking sheet.

  “It’s fine,” April said. “You’re here in time for the most fun part—cutting out the cookies.”

  Sara pushed up her sleeves, washed her hands at the kitchen sink, then joined the young family gathered around the peninsula where various cookie cutters were scattered. Sara spotted one shaped as a Christmas tree and reached for it.

  A timer went off, and April pulled two sheets of perfectly golden cookies from the oven.

  Stephanie, clapped her hands. “Can we have one?”

  “Not yet,” Emily said. “They have to cool first so we can decorate them.”

  “I don’t want mine frosted.” She looked at her mom. “Please?” She dragged out the word.

  “Your sister is right. They need to cool at least a little bit. You don’t have to frost your cookie if you don’t want to.”

  Stephanie pouted for a moment then seemed to forget about having to wait for the cookie to cool and reached for a cookie cutter.

  Sara let out the breath she’d been holding. That went much better than she’d expected. She half-thought the child would have a tantrum. “Do you mind if I play Christmas music? I have a bunch on my phone.”

  “Sure. That sounds nice.” April moved the cookies from the baking pan to a cooling rack.

  Sara wiped her hands on a nearby rag and pulled up her playlist. A moment later, an instrumental version of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” added to the festive feel of the kitchen.

  An hour later, the three young ones were in bed, and Emily had retreated to her bedroom. Sara helped April with the cleanup. “This was fun. Thanks for inviting me.”

  “Sure. I can’t begin to repay you for the awakening you’ve given me, so I’m glad you enjoyed tonight.”

  Sara spotted the nativity on the credenza. “How did the kids take having the nativity set rather than a Christmas tree?”

  April’s cheeks pinked. “Not like I’d expected. I guess they were looking forward to tree shopping, but I can’t afford both.” She focused on a pan she was washing. “I couldn’t even afford what I did. I’ll be paying that off for a couple of months as it is.”

  “Do you want to return it?”

  “I didn’t think it was returnable.”

  “I’d make an exception for you.”

  April shook her head. “No. I don’t regret buying it. I only wish I’d realized how disappointed the kids would be. I never should’ve told them we were going to get a tree this year and then not followed through. Another parenting failure. It would seem I excel at that.”

  Sara sucked in her bottom lip. Her own tree would fit nicely in here. She spent most of her time at the shop surrounded by Christmas, so not having a tree for one year wasn’t a huge hardship. But there was no way April would accept her tree. She’d have Gabe help sneak it up here and leave it in the hall if they were talking, but apparently they weren’t—she missed him so much.

  April finished the last dish and turned to Sara. “Thanks for the help.” She frowned. “What’s the matter? You look like you lost your best friend.”

  “Actually, I think I might have.”

  “Oh no. I’m sorry. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”

  She shrugged. “He wants to be more than friends.”

  “A man?” Surprise filled her voice.

  “We’ve been inseparable since we were young teens. Not much younger than Emily actually.”

  “I see. And you don’t feel the same way so it’s caused a strain between you?”

  “It’s more than a strain. He hasn’t spoken to me since he told me how he felt.”

  “Have you tried to talk to him?” April asked.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Why not?” April walked to the couch and sat.

  Sara sat at the other end, tucking one leg under her so she could face April. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship with romance.”

  “Loving him won’t ruin your friendship. It will enhance it.”

  Sara shook her head. “I don’t see how. You have no idea how many times I’ve fallen in love with him over the years and kept my feelings to myself. I’ve gotten so good at squashing my feelings, I don’t even know if I’m capable of feeling love for him or anyone again.”

  “Oh, Sara. That’s so sad. Jeff was my best friend and the love of my life. I believe a relationship built on a strong friendship and then love creates an even better marriage.”

  “What if one of us falls out of love? Then our friendship would end.”

  “Think of it this way. From what I hear you saying right now, you haven’t spoken to your friend in awhile. I suspect, however long that is, it isn’t the norm and you’re feeling the loss.”

  Sara nodded.

  “So how does allowing yourself to own up to your true feelings make your situation any worse than it is right now?” April raised a brow.

  “Oh. You want me to answer that.” She breathed in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I suppose it’s not.”

  “Then why are you here with me and not with him?”

  “Because I hurt him.”

  “Then fix it.” April crossed her arms. “If I could’ve taken Jeff’s cancer away, I’d have done it in a heartbeat. But I couldn’t and neither could his doctors. The love of my life is dead, but yours is still alive and well. You’re wasting precious time. We have no guarantee for tomorrow.”

  Sara’s heart pounded and unshed tears burned her eyes. “I think it might be too late.”

  “There’s only one way to find out.” April stood and walked to the door. She pulled it open.

  Sara gathered her stuff and followed slowly. “You think I should go and see him right now? It’s after nine.”

  “That’s your choice. But I’m kicking you out.” She softened her words with a smile. “I’ll see you at church tomorrow.”

  Sara nodded, too stunned to speak, and walked out. April had a way with words—it must be the mom in her that allowed her to speak so bluntly.

  “Sara?” April said.

  She turned.

  “I know we don’t know one another well, but for some reason I feel a connection with you. I only talk like that to people I care about. I don’t have the energy to be passionate for people who don’t matter to me. I’ll be praying for you.”

  “Thanks.” Knowing April’s words came from a caring heart helped, but she still smarted at the bluntness. Talking to Gabe tonight whe
n her heart was raw would be a bad idea. She needed to do some thinking and praying. Hadn’t her mom said something similar?

  Gabe sat in his pickup in the church parking lot. He didn’t have to work today—his first Sunday off in weeks. He’d been tempted to skip the service. People were used to him missing anyway, so no one would miss him. But he wanted to be here.

  The problem was Sara. He hadn’t heard from her in a week, and he would not make the first move. He’d already put himself out there. Now it was up to her to decide what was next for them. Could he go on as if he’d never shown his heart to her and return to being her friend? Was that even possible?

  What he did know was that life without Sara wasn’t as much fun. This had been one of the worst weeks of his life. Forrest had been crabby, his clients had been difficult, and he’d lost money everyday thanks to the uncooperative weather. Several more weeks like this last one, and he’d have no choice but to sell his business. Finding a buyer wouldn’t be easy—unless Forrest bought him out. He’d always said he wanted a chopper in his fleet.

  A knock on his window made him start. He stifled a groan. He had hoped to avoid Sara before the service. He opened the door and got out. “Hey.”

  “Long time no see,” she said.

  “Yep.” He locked his pickup and headed for the building.

  Sara trotted alongside him. “Can’t we talk about this?”

  “Yes we can, but not now, Sara. I don’t get to come to church often.”

  “Okay.” She slowed, and he left her behind. Maybe he was being a jerk, but as much as he needed to talk with her and wanted her in his life, he couldn’t deal with her right now. He needed this time with the Lord without her distracting him.

  Gabe said hi to a few people then found an out-of-the-way spot to sit. He always sat with Sara. This seat didn’t feel right, but no way would he be able to concentrate with her shoulder brushed up against his. A mother with an infant slipped into the opposite end of his row. Hopefully, the baby would sleep through the service. The only thing more distracting than Sara was a screaming baby.

  The worship leader opened the service with “Joy to the World.” He sang along, keeping focused on the words on the screen, trying to feel joy in spite of being angry at himself. The song flowed into another and then another until the worship leader invited them to sit and their pastor took the microphone.