Christmas in Cupid Falls

by Holly Jacobs

  Jenny was as sweet as the day was long, but looking at her expression, Kennedy felt as if Malcolm had better really watch his step, because burying the body might be something Jenny took care of on her own.

  Mal glanced at Kennedy as they drove into Erie again for the second night in a row.

  Mal thought that was the wonderful thing about Cupid Falls . . . the city was practically on their doorstep. Cupid Falls’ residents had access to Erie’s Millcreek Mall and the Great Lake, the bayfront, the Broadway theater series . . . and if Erie’s amenities being a half hour away weren’t enough, there were three major cities within a couple of hours’ drive—Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Cleveland.

  There was a huge baby store on upper Peach Street, a shopping mecca up from the mall. The entire shopping district was Christmased up to the hilt. Lights. Garlands. Santas. Peach Street and the mall had it all going on.

  Mal couldn’t help but notice that for someone who was making do with a cradle next to her bed, Kennedy definitely got into the fun of things.

  She oohed and aahed over the seasonal displays, and she explored the baby gadgets with a great deal of enthusiasm.

  Two hours later, they had a crib that later converted into a youth bed. They had a changing table that converted into a plain dresser. There was a car seat that mounted onto a base in the car and mounted on a stroller as well.

  “Can you think of anything else you need?” he asked, thinking he was glad he had an SUV. The furniture would be delivered, but the rest of the baby stuff they’d take now.

  “I think that’s it.”

  “What about a rocking chair?” he asked, pointing to a collection in the back corner of the store.

  “There’s one in the basement. It was my mom’s and before that, her mom’s. I was going to bring it up. I like the idea of the baby being rocked in the same chair that family had been. My mother will never know the baby, so it’s a nice connection.” She paused, then reached out and took his hand, whispering, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you.”

  Mal realized she was apologizing for reminding him that his mom would never know this baby, either. For a moment he was almost floored with the pain of that knowledge. His mom would have loved the baby. And the baby would have loved her.

  He’d mourned for her, but he realized since he’d come home he’d been so focused on the baby and Kennedy the pain had receded a little. Maybe it was simply having someone who understood his loss. “I have a small table that my grandmother gave Mom. She brought it with her to Pittsburgh, then brought it back when we moved home. If you’d like, I’ll bring it over and you can put it next to your rocker. That way, every time you rock the baby, they’ll both be a part of it.”

  Kennedy teared up. “Thank you.”

  “As for the rocker, you won’t bring it up. I will. When they deliver the furniture, I’ll help you move things around.”

  She sniffed and wiped at her eyes, then smiled. “You’re bossy. Is it an attorney thing?”

  “I think it’s a genetic thing. You’ve met Senior, right?” He clarified, “But I meant it as a genuine offer, not a command.”

  “Then I’ll accept your offer of the table and your offer of the assistance. Thank you.”

  “And I’d like to pay for the nursery items.”

  That moment of connection was gone as quickly as it arrived. She visibly bristled. “I don’t need you to pay.”

  “I didn’t think you did. But I’d like to. I’m going to be the baby’s father. You’re going to have to let me help.”

  She considered what he said for a moment. Mal wondered just what she was thinking. She didn’t vocalize her thought process. But finally she nodded. “Fifty-fifty?”

  He’d have preferred to simply pay for all of it, but it was a compromise. “Fine.”

  They carried the slips for the furniture and a cart of extras toward the register. Mal stopped at a rack of books before they got there. He scanned the titles and put three in the cart.

  “What did you get?” she asked.

  “Just some basics for me. A book on pregnancy, one on the baby’s first year, and one on breastfeeding.”

  He was surprised when Kennedy actually blushed. “Why on earth do you need a book on breastfeeding? I’ll be the one doing it.”

  “I don’t know anything about it, other than it exists. I want to understand the process and see if there’s any way I can help you.”

  “I don’t mean this rudely, but that is one area where I’m sure I won’t need your help.”

  He shrugged and didn’t remove the books.

  They split the bill, and after the car was packed, he said, “I don’t suppose you would let me treat you to dinner?”

  “No. I don’t suppose I will. But I could probably manage to eat,” she said.

  Malcolm thought tonight was progress. “Fine. Then dutch treat it is.”

  On the drive back to Cupid Falls, Kennedy broached the Jenny question.

  “Malcolm, I need to ask you a favor—”

  She didn’t get any further than that when he interrupted and said, “Anything.”

  She couldn’t help but smile. She’d told Jenny she was sure he’d help, and she had been, but his quick response without knowing what favor she was going to ask was more than she’d expected.

  “No, it’s not for me or the baby. It’s for Jenny Murray.” She filled him in on everything Jenny had said. “She can’t afford much. Heck, she can’t afford anything. Wade hasn’t paid her a penny since he left right after Ivy was born. She’s got her family’s house, but Wade took out a mortgage on it and the Cupid Falls rumor mill says he didn’t give Jenny a dime of it.”

  His eyes stayed forward, on the road, but he nodded. “Pro bono then.”

  Kennedy was not an expert, but she was sure that an offer of free legal services would be an insult to Jenny. “No, you can’t do that. She’d never agree. But maybe you could make some kind of reduced fee?”

  He nodded as he drove. “I’ll work it out with Jenny then.”

  “Thank you,” she said formally.

  “You’re welcome,” he said.

  They rode in silence for a while. Approaching Waterford was a sign they were almost home, and Kennedy knew there was one more thing she had to say. “Malcolm, I want to say that I was wrong. I should have told you sooner. You’ve been nothing but a gentleman about the entire situation. And I want to thank you. I look at what Jenny’s going through, and I know—what I should have known from the beginning—you would never walk away from your child like Wade did. You are in so many ways your mother’s son. And I know that things are crazy now, but we’ll work it all out together.”

  She paused a moment and made what she knew was a promise: “I swear, we’ll make it work.”

  “We could work it out right now if you’d marry me.”

  “What if you asked and I said yes? What then, Malcolm? So I say yes, we get married, and . . .”

  He glanced at her, then back at the snowy road. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Oh, come on. You’re an attorney. You’re smart. You’ve got to figure that the fact I live in Cupid Falls and you live in Pittsburgh would make some huge logistical issues.”

  “One of us would have to move. Maybe we could split the distance?”

  “You’d want me driving an hour down I-79 every day with a newborn?” They’d had snow off and on this year, but it was nothing to what they’d get later in the season.

  “Earlier I know I said I’d be the one to move back to Pittsburgh and you’d stay here with the baby. But you could always sell the flower shop and move to Pittsburgh,” Malcolm suggested.

  “I’m the mayor of Cupid Falls. I can’t do that and live in Pittsburgh. And I have some good ideas for the town . . . ideas that will help it maintain everything that’s wonderful about it but keep
it financially viable in the future. Things like our partnership with Linc and . . .” She thought about her dream for their child. Roots. She wanted to give her baby that sense of home—a sense of permanence. She shook her head. “I’m not moving.”

  “But—”

  She interrupted him. “If you’re honest, you’re not ready to walk away from your practice in Pittsburgh. You’re your father’s heir apparent. Your career is guaranteed if you stay there. There’s no way we can split the difference, and neither of us can move.”

  “Well, we could move, but we won’t. Neither of us is willing to give up our lives for the other.”

  “Maybe if things were different, one of us would, but . . .” Kennedy didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t say if they were in love, they’d figure it out. She was sure he had to know it.

  He didn’t say anything.

  Neither did she, because they both knew there was nothing left to say.

  They didn’t kiss good night, and Kennedy tried to tell herself that was a good thing.

  The next day at lunch, Jenny Murray came into the Center’s office. “Mal, I want you to know, I wouldn’t be here if Kennedy hadn’t convinced me that my kids were more important than my . . . well, if you’d asked me yesterday, I’d have said my dislike, but Kennedy stood up for you. She said you didn’t know about the baby. She said you’d been supportive since you found out. But I still don’t trust you. With most guys I’d say, it’s not you, it’s me. But I’ve already proven my judgment is skewed by marrying Wade, so I’m not sure if it’s you or me, but I plan to be wary.”

  “Well, when I became an attorney, I knew that being liked by everyone wasn’t in the cards. Doesn’t the saying go, ‘first, kill all the lawyers’? If I’d worried about popularity, I’d have been a firefighter.”

  “Firefighter?” Jenny asked with a smile playing behind her frown.

  “They rush into burning buildings and rescue people. What’s not to like?”

  Jenny couldn’t hide her smile any longer, though Mal watched her try.

  “I’m smiling on the outside,” she told him, “but still standoffish on the inside.”

  “Have a seat, Jenny, and tell me about Wade.”

  She did. Her words tumbled, one over another, in a rush to get the whole story out. He could see her fear. Here was a mother who’d do anything for her kids. She was willing to stay married to her jerk of an ex rather than risk losing the boys and Ivy. She was willing to let Wade walk away from his parental duties, as well as his financial responsibilities, in order to keep her kids with her.

  When she was done, Mal said, “You’ve made it clear that you don’t trust me, at least not with Kennedy. But do you trust me as a lawyer?”

  “Pap, your mom, and Kennedy are always going on about cases you’ve won, and what a great lawyer you are,” she said slowly.

  “Kennedy talks about me?”

  “Don’t get all conceited. She was your mom’s best friend. The two of them came in to lunch at The Cupboard a few days a week. Dinner sometimes, too. You should have seen them. They were always talking as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. And laughing. Mal, your mom loved Kennedy. Loved her like a daughter. And your mom was so proud of you. Of course she shared that with Kennedy, and maybe Kennedy mentioned your successes on occasion.”

  He felt lighter than he had in a long time. Kennedy had mentioned him, which meant even back then, back when his mom was alive, she had thought about him. They might be no closer to reaching any resolution, but he knew she’d thought about him from time to time. Maybe that meant something. If she’d thought about him in the past, maybe that would bode well for their future.

  “You can’t take it back,” he said, jokingly. “And you don’t have to like me in order to let me help you with Wade. I can see to it that he doesn’t take your kids and gives you your divorce.”

  “You’re sure? The kids are the most important thing. More important than me being free of him.”

  “Trust me at least about your divorce. You’re not going to lose custody of your kids.”

  She nodded. “About money. I can’t pay your whole fee at once, but I can make a payment on it.” She pulled out her checkbook.

  “How about this? Let me see how quickly I can wrap this up. I think it’s only fair if Wade pays you child support, and when that happens, we’ll work out some payment plan out of that.”

  He thought she was going to argue, but she tucked her checkbook back in her purse. “The money doesn’t matter as much as the kids . . . they’re my everything.”

  “Noted.”

  She got up to leave and said, “You know, there’s a chance Kennedy’s right and you’re not such a bad guy.”

  “Thanks . . . I think,” he said.

  “Do you want some unsolicited advice?” she asked.

  Mal smiled, sure that the advice had to do with Kennedy. “Could I stop you if I said no?”

  “Okay, here goes for you. Kennedy is a catch, Mal. Don’t let her slip through your fingers, because . . . well, I don’t carry tales, but I hear things at the restaurant, and if you let her slip through your fingers, someone else will be happy to catch her.”

  She was probably talking about Linc. No matter what the guy indicated, how could he not want Kennedy? Jenny was right. She was a catch.

  “Hey, wait, before you go. Kennedy is having some back pain. I know you’ve had three kids. I wondered if you had any suggestions.”

  Jenny turned back and studied him a moment, then asked, “Did she tell you that?”

  He shook his head. “I noticed. She’s always shoving a hand in the small of her back.”

  This time Jenny shot him a smile that he recognized. He’d seen it on opponents. Other lawyers who knew something he didn’t. The smile got even bigger as she answered, “I got these belly bands that were for back support. They’re miracle workers.”

  “Where?”

  “There’s a maternity store in the mall in Erie. Call them. I’d think they’d have them.”

  Jenny paused, studied him for longer than was comfortable, and finally chuckled at whatever she’d seen. “I take everything back. I do like you, Mal. And I believe you’ll get this all figured out.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Mal couldn’t help but think about Jenny’s warning that there might be someone waiting in the wings if he let Kennedy slip through his fingers.

  He could ask her to marry him again, but nothing had changed.

  And even if she had changed her mind, what would they do?

  Kennedy’s life was here in Cupid Falls. She owned a store. She might be able to find someone to manage that, but she was also the mayor of Cupid Falls. She couldn’t do that long-distance, and she couldn’t hire someone to handle that for her.

  And he couldn’t see her resigning her position as mayor. It was a small town, but she was passionate about her job. She was actively working to ensure the town’s future. Just look at her tentative plans with Lincoln Lighting. And her work to bring more tourism their way.

  So what would they do if she said yes, she’d marry him?

  He couldn’t ask her to leave Cupid Falls.

  And how on earth would they make a long-distance marriage work?

  A better question—how would he make long-distance fatherhood work?

  Mal stared out the window, his thoughts chasing one another. He wasn’t getting anywhere.

  He’d forgotten how much he loved it here. He’d grown up looking out of this very window at this very view. Not much had changed. The trees were more mature now. But otherwise, it was the same.

  It was a warm day for December. He’d only worn a light jacket on his walk over today. Well, warm was a relative term. Pittsburgh might only be a couple of hours south of Cupid Falls, but that hundred-plus miles made a huge difference in the winter weather
. Pittsburgh didn’t get nearly the snow that the towns near the lake did. Here in Cupid Falls along with neighboring Erie, Waterford, and other lake cities and towns, the term lake-effect snow was bandied about all winter as cold Canadian air swept over the open lake and deposited huge quantities of snow on the shores.

  But despite the early snow this year and the fact that it felt like winter, it was technically still autumn, and today was one of those rare December days when winter had backed off and warmer weather got to make a brief reappearance.

  It had to be at least fifty out, Malcolm mused as he looked out the office window. He had all the Center’s business under control. His mom and Kennedy had done a great job of streamlining their system.

  He’d made some calls for the upcoming Everything But a Dog benefit. He’d also made some calls on Jenny’s behalf. It turned out that Wade didn’t have a lawyer. He’d thought his threats would be enough to get his way with Jenny.

  Malcolm let him know in no uncertain terms that was not the case. Jenny had said she didn’t need child support, but he didn’t tell Wade that. He warned Wade that they would be suing for . . . he spouted a long list of charges, most of which bordered on the absurd, but Wade didn’t seem to realize that. As he sputtered, Mal threw out a figure that had Wade whining on the other end of the line.

  Then Mal laid out a simple alternative. Sign the divorce papers. Give Jenny sole custody of the kids. And start paying reasonable child support. Otherwise, he was taking Wade to court, and when he got done with him, Wade would have nothing left.

  Mal hung up the phone feeling pretty certain Wade was going to comply. He felt as if he’d made a difference. This was how he’d imagined having a law practice would be. Helping people—people who were at a low point in their lives. Making a difference.

  The only difference he felt he’d made at his father’s firm was lining the pockets of their corporate clients as well as lining the firm’s pockets. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt as if his law degree had made a positive impact on anyone in a personal way.