Christmas In Watch Hill : A Small Town Holiday Duet

by Sara Celi

  “I’m sure he will make time. He was strict about us not bothering him while he’s back in Eugene, though. Said he wanted some uninterrupted time with his kids.”

  Isabelle sipped her champagne, her attention already darting around the room as if she expected to find someone or something of more importance in the crowd behind me. This was one of the things I’d grown to hate about life in the District, a place that so often lived up to its derisive persona as “Hollywood for Ugly People”. Everyone who lived and worked here always seemed to be on a constant search for something better than whatever they were experiencing in the moment.

  “Our bill aligns with his interests,” I added. “His platform is centered on lowering carbon impact on the environment, and we are convinced we can help do this by making a few key changes on how our country consumes food grown in the heartland.”

  “Great. Can’t wait to hear more about it.” Isabelle’s tone told me she was anything but. “I’m sure he will want hear all about your proposal for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.”

  “The bill is about food waste.” I blinked at her, stunned. “Not fossil fuels.”

  She moved her attention back to me. “Of course. Just make sure to talk with Janet. She’s the gatekeeper for the senator.”

  “I will,” I promised, revulsion and frustration building inside of me. What was I doing in this city? What was I doing in this job? What am I doing with my life? Before me stretched an endless loop of nights just like this one, scrambling to make this connection or that one, always in pursuit of a goalpost that would never stop moving no matter what I did or how close I got to it. I could do this for twenty-five years, and what would I have to show for it?

  Nothing. I would have nothing.

  And no one.

  “Excuse me,” I said to Isabelle, although I was sure she’d barely notice when I walked away. “I need to make a phone call.”

  I walked away as soon as I finished my sentence, making my way across the room and through the party. No amount of glittering expense could hide it—this event was just like every other one I’d attended in the city, and the many that would cross my path if I stayed on this course.

  For the first time in years, my life had an obvious different path. One in Ohio. One with Jessica. And one with the baby she said was on the way.

  I took a glass of wine from a passing tray and knocked back a large gulp. Interesting idea. It certainly took me out on a limb. After all, I didn’t know Jessica well, and I didn’t consider Watch Hill home. Not many people would trade life in a global city for life in a small suburb in southwestern Ohio.

  But maybe there was merit to it. At least there was something real there, something meaningful. Jessica was a shrewd businesswoman and driven to succeed. From what I’d heard, she had already done a lot with the coffee shop in the short time she’d owned it. She didn’t need rescuing, but she could sure use some allies. And of course, I had more than one reason to be by her side. I weaved through the party, talking with this senator and that representative, those thoughts never far from my mind.

  By the time I finished my second glass of wine, I knew what I had to do.

  TWELVE

  JESSICA

  I was being cowardly and stubborn.

  I didn’t know how to be any other way. Discovering I was pregnant had shocked me and knocked me off my axis in a way I could hardly describe. I’d always wanted a family and expected to be a mother, but doing it this way, with a man I hardly knew—no way. No way did that make sense. And while I needed to talk to Ian, the idea of doing so after our disastrous dinner turned my stomach in a way no hormones ever would.

  Avoidance was a better idea.

  “So glad you’re back at work,” Steve said to me as we made two spicy cappuccino orders. My employee smiled. “And we’re going to crush the next few days. Finish strong.”

  “I hope.” I placed the lid on the first cappuccino, then took the one Steve finished working on. “We can use a few good days.” I can use a few good days.

  Steve moved a little closer to me. “You’ve had a lot on your mind lately. The holidays are hard, and I know you dread them. Plus, you haven’t been feeling well.” He paused. “I just want you to know I am here for you no matter what happens next.”

  “Thank you.” I walked the warm drinks over to the cash register and gave them to the customer. When I walked back to Steve, I made sure to smile at him. Maybe if I acted brave and assured, I would feel that way, too. “There are a lot of exciting things happening for the new year, and with you working here, I’m sure we are going to have an even better year than this last one.”

  “That’s great—” Steve looked past me and his expression brightened. “Oh, hey there, Molly.”

  My stomach twisted as I turned in the direction of my longtime friend. She carried a bag from The Pink Box, and wore her puffy coat pulled tight. “Hi.” I tried to sound upbeat. “Did you have a great Christmas?”

  “I did.” She stopped in front of the deli case and addressed Steve. “I’ll have the usual, if you don’t mind.”

  “Great. One small Mexi-Cocoa coming right up.”

  Molly nodded. “I’ve been craving that all day.”

  “It’s by far our best-selling drink,” I replied. “We should look into trademarking the recipe. Maybe that can be something we are regionally known for.”

  “That would be awesome.” Then her face fell. “But that’s not exactly why I came here.” She paused, still studying me. “I talked to Ian this morning.”

  My stomach lurched again. “You did?” Did he tell her?

  “He said your date ended abruptly.”

  “Oh, that.” I exhaled a little. “You know how things like that go. We had chemistry when we met, but . . . I mean, it would be long distance.” I gave a semi-convincing chuckle. “In the end, that’s probably not fair to either of us.”

  Steven arrived with her drink, which he handed to in her exchange for her credit card. We didn’t speak again until the transaction was over.

  “He really liked you.” She sipped her drink. “No, not liked. Likes.”

  “I like him, too.” I braced myself against the bakery display case that showed off an array of iced cookies and chocolate croissants. “But I don’t see how it could work.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  “Just think about it,” she said. “There’s more to this than you think.”

  THIRTEEN

  IAN

  It was crazy.

  Most people wouldn’t take this kind of risk. They’d take the safe route, and keep doing what was working, even if they didn’t love it. Staying in DC would mean a career that made plenty of money and kept me moving in the social circles of people who had the power to potentially make history. But would it really make me happy?

  No. It won’t.

  I knew that in my heart.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for choosing North American Airlines for all your travel needs,” the flight attendant at the front of the plane said over the loudspeaker. “We are so happy to have you on board with us today. Now that we are above ten thousand feet, our Wi-Fi is available, along with a selection of in-flight movies and entertainment on the NAA mobile app. Soon, we will be around to offer a choice of complimentary nonalcoholic beverages and snacks. Alcohol is available for purchase and we accept only major credit cards. Thank you for flying with us.”

  A ding reverberated through the cabin, and I stood up right after it ended. Now was the chance to fire up my laptop and implement stage two of my plan. I took my briefcase from the overhead compartment and pulled out the computer. Then I crammed myself back in my seat, fired up the mainframe, and paid for the Wi-Fi.

  Over the next hour, I crafted a four-paragraph email, one that was arguably the most consequential one I’d ever written. I hit send just before the flight attendant said we needed to stow our belongings for final approach.

  Decision made.

  When the plane la
nded, I hurried from the terminal to the passenger pickup area. I ordered a car on my phone and jumped inside when it arrived. I couldn’t explain the rush—but I wanted to get there quickly. Now that I’d put my plans in motion, I didn’t want to stop moving until I’d achieved my final goal.

  “Already Perked,” I told the driver. “Do you know that place? It’s in Watch Hill.”

  “I’ve heard of it. Isn’t it on the main square in that little shopping center?”

  “That’s the one.” I settled into the black leather seat, my laptop bag on the seat next to me and my carry-on resting on the floorboards behind the driver seat. “It should still be open when we get there.”

  “We’ll be there soon.”

  As the driver guided the car from the airport to the highway, I took advantage of a chance to close my eyes. I was exhausted and overwhelmed but committed. Maybe it was the craziness of the holiday season that had put me over the top, I wasn’t sure.

  “You okay?” the driver asked just before we crossed the I-71/75 bridge into the downtown Cincinnati area.

  “I will be,” I said. “I will be.”

  FOURTEEN

  JESSICA

  “I’m going to get a head start on our dry goods inventory,” I told Steve during a midafternoon break between customers. I’d been in a distracted fog ever since Molly stopped by the café. I needed time to myself and working on something repetitive and mundane sounded perfect. “You okay out here by yourself?”

  Steve surveyed the half empty shop. “Yep.”

  I took a legal pad from the drawer underneath the cash register and shuffled into the dry goods pantry. I usually placed orders for coffee, sugar, creamer, milk, and spices on the fifteenth of the month, but I also saw January as the perfect time to try new roasts and flavors. Customers said they liked the way a new menu corresponded with the start of the year. I did, too. Kept the place feeling fresh.

  For the next half hour or so, I made a running list of the contents in the room. Fourteen bags of ground coffee, ten bags of coffee beans, two large jars of raw sugar, one pound of brown sugar . . . the measured banality of it all allowed me to get lost in my thoughts.

  And there was a lot to consider.

  I wanted to keep the baby. I’d made that clear to Ian, and I hadn’t wavered from that decision. And I could do it. I had some money saved, and Already Perked was a successful business. I had friends who would step in to help me. Watch Hill Community Church also ran a daycare center and preschool that I often heard parents rave about, so I wouldn’t have to go far to find quality childcare. Plus, this baby—I looked down at my stomach, still in awe of the idea of a baby in there—this baby will grow up in a safe, happy community. I couldn’t think of a better start for a child. Things might not be easy or simple, but this was the kind of twist I could conquer, with or without Ian’s help.

  Yes, I could do this. I will do this.

  I moved from inventorying dry goods to counting napkins, paper plates, paper towels, and plastic flatware. With every passing count, I felt a little better.

  And then a rap came at the door. I whirled around.

  “What’s up?”

  “There’s someone here to see you,” Steve said.

  “Can it wait? Or can they come back? I’m busy right now.”

  He shook his head. “No, it can’t. They said it’s urgent.”

  “Did they say what it was about?”

  “Nope.”

  When I got back to the main dining room, I stopped short, my breath catching in my throat. Ian stood next to the bakery case, his thick hair a little disheveled, his suit jacket wrinkled. A smiled crossed his face when he saw me.

  “What are you doing here?” I managed, then closed the space between us.

  “I know you don’t want to talk to me.” He lifted a hand. “I’ve tried to reach out. I just decided I needed to say all this in person.”

  “There’s not much to say. We live in two different worlds. You have your life in DC”—I looked around the shop— “and I have this place I’ve put my heart into. Despite what’s going on between us, I don’t think it’s fair for either of us to have to give up our dreams.”

  He shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong, Jessica. DC isn’t my dream anymore. That lifestyle isn’t what I want.”

  “But you’re so good at it.”

  “So what?” Ian shrugged and walked around the edge of the display case. He was so close to me now, and I smelled his woodsy cologne. “I want a new path, a new meaning in my life. And believe it or not, it took spending Christmas here for me to see that.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” I said. “You don’t have to change your life’s path for me.”

  “I want to, Jessica. I’m ready.” He glanced at my stomach. “And whatever happens next, I want you to know that we are going to do this together. This, right here, this is my new dream. And it’s with you.”

  The he leaned in and caught my mouth with his, the first time we’d kissed since our night together in DC. His lips were probing and honest, and I opened to him, confident and happy. Who knew what the future would bring? No one could guess, but as he pulled me closer, we’d somehow figure it out together.

  “It’s funny,” I said when we broke the kiss. “I used to love Christmas as a kid, but this year, I almost missed it, and the magic that comes with it.” I leaned into him, savoring the feel of Ian’s strong arms around me. “And then I was so worried. I was scared.”

  “You don’t have to be scared,” he replied against my hairline. “We’re going to figure it out. We will.” He stepped back and locked his gaze with mine. “Merry Christmas, Jessica.”

  “Merry Christmas, Ian.”

  And it was. It was one of the best ones I’d ever had.

  EPILOGUE

  THREE WEEKS LATER

  JESSICA

  “Jessica, can you come in here?” Ian called from the office in the back of the coffee shop. He’d been there most of the day, working on the annual reports from the previous year.

  I placed the bucket of dirty coffee mugs and plates in the large sink across from the espresso machine and followed the sound of his voice. The shop wasn’t busy, so I didn’t mind leaving the main dining floor. “What’s up?”

  Ian looked up from the ancient computer on the rickety desk in the corner, both holdovers from my days in bookkeeping. I made a metal note to start a savings fund to get a new computer by the end of the year. “I think you’re going to love this.”

  “Love what?”

  He grinned and pointed at the screen. “The other week you mentioned you were concerned about getting some of the supplies you need from Central America.”

  “Yes, I did,” I said as I moved toward the desk, recalling the conversation from about two weeks before. “But I haven’t had much time to really put much thought into fixing it.”

  He swiveled around. “I’m happy to say that the other morning, I had a brainstorm about how to fix it, and I sent a quick email to the supplier.” He clapped his hands together. “And they just sent a message back saying they think my idea will work.”

  My mouth dropped open. “No way.”

  He nodded and pushed away from the desk so I could read the reply. Two simple paragraphs that took less than thirty seconds to read. And just as Ian promised, it was a solution that sounded like it would work.

  “This is amazing,” I breathed. “Absolutely amazing.”

  Ian nodded a few times, satisfaction brightening his eyes and enhancing his features. “I’m glad you like it.”

  “I do.” I marveled at him. “You know, the last three weeks have been an absolute whirlwind.”

  “I know, and it isn’t even February yet.” He threw up a hand. “But I’m glad I moved here last week, and that my aunt is letting me stay in their extra room until we get your house ready for all the changes that are coming.”

  “She’s really been great about all this.”

  I breathed a si
gh of happiness. Sometimes in life, you just need to embrace all the changes, and trust that things would work out in the end. So far, they were. Ian had left his job in DC, moved to Watch Hill to be closer to me, and was committed to figuring out how we’d be parents to the baby growing inside me. Things weren’t perfect, and life had thrown us both some major twists, but isn’t that what made life worth living? I’d never wanted a boring, ordinary life.

  And I certainly am not getting one.

  Ian got up from the chair. “You know, I love this. We make a great team, Jessica.”

  “I think so, too.” I paused. “No regrets about leaving DC?”

  “None at all. Not for one second.” He wrapped me in a hug. “We’re a really good team with an amazing future,” he whispered in my ear. “I can’t wait for what the spring will bring.”

  Then he pulled me closer for a kiss. And I tasted the future on his lips.

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Amazon Top 100 and Barnes & Noble Bestselling Author Sara Celi has lived all over the United States. She calls the Midwest home, and lives in a tiny town just outside Cincinnati's city limits.

  Before writing books, Sara worked as a TV anchor and reporter at television stations in Louisiana, Ohio, and Oklahoma. She also wrote articles for publications, magazines, and digital media across the country. While working as an evening anchor in Oklahoma City, she wrote what became her first published novel. The Undesirable came out in 2013. In 2014, Natural Love became an Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Book, and was on the Barnes and Noble e-book bestseller list. Prince Charming followed as an Amazon Top 100 Bestseller in 2015. Since then, several of her other books have topped Amazon lists around the globe.

  In her spare time, Sara likes to travel, hunt for good wine, add to her expansive handbag collection, hike into the woods, volunteer in her community, and push herself to be uncomfortable. Once an avowed pessimist, she's now an optimist who wishes she hadn't wasted so much time comparing herself to others. She married the love of her life in 2009 and became a mother in 2019.