A Season to Celebrate

by Fern Michaels

  “And, of course, you will deliver it to her home?”

  “Of course, Mother. You didn’t raise no dummy!” Kevin gave her a peck on the cheek and turned to the chicken potpie again. “You don’t suppose it’s cool enough to eat now? I can’t tell you how many times I dreamed of this!” Picking up the fork, he jammed it into the middle of the potpie, pulling out a big hunk of chicken.

  “Kevin Matthews! What did I say about eating like a person?”

  “But I am a person! And this person is hungry!” He got a big serving spoon and took what seemed like half the pie and plopped it into a dish. “Happy now?”

  She threw her arms around her son. “I am so happy. You cannot imagine how much.”

  Chapter Four

  By the time Monday evening rolled around, Kate wasn’t sure if she should take the ride to the Christmas tree farm. Would she seem desperate? Don’t be ridiculous, she told herself. A Christmas tree farm was an appropriate place to visit this time of year.

  She could not wrap her head around her anxiety. She had graduated from medical school, did a year of grueling internship, then four years of residency. She had seen and worked on some of the worst accident victims one could imagine. Why was this so daunting? It was just a tree.

  But, she had to admit to herself, it was really more than that. For the first time since she had met Roger, she was actually attracted to a man. Why did he have to be so handsome? And charming? Why? Why? Why? Kate was beginning to think she was losing her cool. Maybe it was the move. That was a very big deal. All the hoopla with her mom and dad, begging her to stay until she could find a job in Houston. Stay with them? Uh, no. Kate had a great relationship with her folks, but that was due, in part, to the fact that she didn’t live under the same roof. She was able to afford the special housing provided for residents, but now that her residency was over, she needed to find another place to live. Might as well start over somewhere—anywhere. As long as she could provide a good environment for Emma, Kate was up for anything. Luckily, the position opened up at Cedar Park, so she wouldn’t be forced to move all the way across the country.

  Yes, that was it. She was just anxious over the big move and the new job. Okay, and the new guy. Then it dawned on her that she did not know his situation. Maybe he was married. Engaged. Involved. “Dang. What is wrong with me? It’s just a gosh-darn tree.” And the new guy. The anxiety of not knowing his situation and her eagerness to find out was making her edgy.

  “Mommy? Why are you walking around in a circle?” Emma broke her mother’s restless spell.

  “Oh, sweetie. Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts.”

  “Whaddaya thinking about, Mama?” Emma looked up at her mother with wide eyes.

  “I’m thinking about getting us a Christmas tree, that’s what!” Kate leaned over and scooped Emma into her arms.

  “But you look worried. Are you worried about ‘the famous tree man’? Do you want to see him again?” Emma was certainly more in tune than Kate had imagined.

  “He seemed very nice. And we might see him again, but I don’t know for sure.”

  “I liked him, Mommy. He’s famous!” Emma wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck. “Can we go today? I want to start dec’rating our own tree. The ones at the church are really big, and they only let us put orm-a-ments on the lower branches.”

  “It’s orn-a-ments,” Kate corrected her daughter’s consonant switching.

  “Orn-a-ments,” Emma repeated, and continued with “K-E-V-I-N. See, I remembered!”

  Kate laughed. “Yes, you did! Let’s have a little bite to eat, then we’ll take a ride, okay?”

  “Yay! We’re getting a Christmas tree.... We’re getting a Christmas tree . . .” Emma repeated to herself with delight.

  Kate took a deep breath and released it, hoping she would exhale some of her apprehension. “Grilled cheese?”

  Emma squealed. “Yes! Mommy! Yes!”

  “Go wash your hands, and I’ll whip up a couple of sandwiches, then we’re off to the tree farm!” Kate was feeling the beads of sweat form on her forehead. Get a grip! It’s just a dang tree. Kate thought that if she kept repeating that mantra, she might actually come to believe it.

  Kate fumbled around her desk, looking for the sheet of paper with the address. Where could she have put it? What if she couldn’t find it? Panic was starting to creep in again.

  It’s the Cedar Park Tree Farm, you ninny! Lifting the pile of mail that had arrived earlier, she revealed the slightly crumpled piece of paper. With a sigh of relief, she plugged the address into her phone so she could find it via her GPS. When the directions came up, she saw that it was almost eighteen miles away. “Just down the road.” Kate laughed to herself.

  The two of them piled into their SUV, Kate making sure Emma’s car seat was secure.

  “What kind of music shall we listen to on the way?”

  “Silly, Mommy! Christmas music!” Emma was elated they were going on a new adventure and began to sing along with “Rocking around the Christmas Tree” as Kate pumped up the volume on the radio.

  The earlier anxiety had turned to excitement. Kate was thrilled that Emma was in such a good frame of mind. She had been concerned that Emma would be homesick for Grandmama and Pop-Pop, but she was totally occupied by the new surroundings and the kids she had met at Sunday school.

  “Mommy. There’s a girl at the school who I liked. Her name is Victoria. I think her pop-pop might be the pastor.”

  “Would you like to invite her to come and decorate our tree?”

  “Yes! That would be So! Much! Fun!” Emma clapped her hands to each word.

  “I’m going to have to get her phone number from Mrs. Palmer. I’ll get in touch with her in the morning, okay?”

  “Yes! Fun! Fun! Fun!” Emma was keeping with the beat of the music.

  When they finally arrived at the tree farm, Kate wasn’t sure where she should go. It was much larger than she had expected. As she pulled into the main entrance, she recognized Jake from the day before.

  “Howdy, ma’am! Nice to see you and your little girl! Sorry we almost stampeded you yesterday!” Jake removed his hat and shook the pine needles off.

  “Yes, it was a bit hectic! I can’t wait to see all of them decorated. Exactly how many did you deliver?”

  “Eighteen total!”

  “Wow. That’s a lot of tinsel!” Kate was surreptitiously looking past Jake to see if she could spot Kevin.

  “Is ‘Mr. Famous Tree Man’ here?” Emma blurted out. “K-E-V-I-N?” she spelled inquisitively.

  “No. ’Fraid not. Something came up, and he asked me to hold down the fort for him. What can I help you with?” Jake’s disappointing news hit Kate like a brick.

  “Oh—Oh . . .” Kate was stammering.

  “A Christmas tree, Mommy!” Emma’s excitement wasn’t diluted by the absence of the tall, handsome, “famous tree man.” Her interest was only in a tree at the moment.

  “What size ya lookin’ for?” It seemed like Jake was having to pry information from Kate.

  “Gee. I’m not sure. We don’t have a very big house.” Kate was trying to mask her disappointment. “What do people normally get?”

  “Somethin’ a little over six feet. This way you can cut it down a bit if need be. Can’t add it on!” Jake was amused at his attempt at humor.

  Kate laughed nervously. “Well, I will leave it up to you.”

  “Come with me, and I’ll show you some of my favorites.” Jake was being very accommodating, but Kate felt as if the wind had been knocked right out of her. At that point, she was indifferent. It’s just a tree, for heaven’s sake, she reminded herself once again.

  In contrast, Emma was giggling and squealing with delight over the magical atmosphere of the tree farm. “Mommy! Look! Angels!” Then a minute later, “Mommy! Look! Reindeer!” She was running among the trees with a freedom Kate had never before witnessed her daughter exhibit.

  Kate took in another big inhale and reminded
herself, This is for Emma. You’ll get your turn . . . one of these days.

  Chapter Five

  Betty Palmer had been married to Theodore Palmer for thirty-five years. Their work in the church and community made them a very popular couple in Cedar Park. There probably wasn’t anyone who didn’t know them by name. Pastor Palmer had been the minister in Cedar Park for almost twenty years. Looking in the mirror, Betty thought, Not bad for pushing sixty! The big six-0 was looming in the New Year. Yes, her family had had its ups and downs however calm and reverent the townspeople thought their lives were, especially six years ago, when the you-know-what had hit the fan.

  It had come as a big shock to everyone when their daughter, Melissa, and Kevin Matthews had broken up six years earlier. It was also a huge embarrassment. Having their daughter run off with a musician!

  Kevin was well liked, and there was no reason for anyone to believe that he and Melissa weren’t the perfect couple. At first, Betty was excited when Melissa took the job at the bank, but the so-called travel and her emotional distance began to worry Betty. Her little girl had become aloof.

  She and Teddy had several nasty disagreements as to who was to blame for Melissa’s transgression. “We were too strict! We never let her find her own way!” Betty had thrown that in his face more than once.

  “My dear woman. I am the pastor of the church. How would it look if I let my daughter traipse around with some of those girls?”

  “Those girls came from fine families. Just because they experimented with a few tattoos and piercings didn’t make them the Devil’s children!”

  Pastor Teddy just grunted. “Well, you saw what happened when Melissa started going to those clubs in Austin. She met up with some gee-tar player and almost ruined her life!”

  “Stop exaggerating, Teddy. She was going through a stage—a stage we could have probably avoided if you had just given her a little room to grow.” Betty would insist Teddy had been overreacting, but Teddy had his reputation to maintain. “And what about Kevin? He got the worst of it. He didn’t hang around more than a couple of weeks before he left town.”

  Betty was very disappointed about her daughter’s behavior and losing Kevin as a son-in-law, but Melissa was, after all, her daughter and she had to stand up for her. Thankfully, it had truly been a stage, and Melissa started dating someone from work a few months later. A clean-cut banking associate named Greg Sullivan. By that time, Kevin Matthews had enlisted in the Air Force and was thousands of miles away. That was enough distance to prevent any interference in Melissa’s life.

  Almost a year later, Melissa and Greg were married, and the following year they had a child, Victoria. The marriage and the baby helped people to forget the earlier scandal, and the newly married couple fit right in with the community, which helped to quell Betty and Teddy’s embarrassment.

  This year, with the holidays upon them, and Victoria turning five, it would be a pleasant and joyful season. Victoria would certainly be more engaged in the decorating and cookie baking. She was also more active in Sunday school, and she and the new girl, Emma, seemed to have taken a liking to each other. Most of the other children were a year or two older than Victoria, so having someone her own age was a blessing. Kids could be mean sometimes. What was that all about? Betty would wonder. Surely they would learn lessons about being kind. She shrugged and continued powdering her nose, then ran the pink lipstick over her lips. Pulling back her hair in a chignon, she took another look and agreed with herself. “Not too bad.”

  Just as she was about to grab her coat, the home-office phone rang. “Good morning. This is Betty Palmer. How can I help you?”

  “Hello, Mrs. Palmer. This is Kate Stafford. We met the other day when I brought Emma to Sunday school.”

  “Well, hello, Kate. How can I help you?”

  “First, I wanted to say thank you for your warm welcome. Everyone has been so kind in making us feel at home.”

  “It’s always a pleasure to meet new folks. What can I do for you?” Betty urged. She was starting to run late to set up the tables for the bake sale.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but Emma mentioned how much she enjoyed meeting Victoria, and I was wondering if you had her mother’s phone number. I’d like to set up a playdate for them.”

  “I most certainly do have her number. Victoria is my granddaughter!” Betty responded with delight.

  Kate laughed slightly, realizing how small the town was. “If you think it would be all right for me to call, or if you wanted to call Victoria’s mom first, I would be most appreciative.”

  “Don’t be silly. I am sure Melissa would be happy to have a new friend for Vic. The number is 512-555-1533. That’s 512-555-1533. I have to run, but please get in touch if you need anything else. I know the holidays can be very stressful, especially when you’re new in town! Hope to see you for the tree lighting. Bye-bye, now.” Betty rested the phone back in the cradle and dashed out the door.

  Chapter Six

  After gorging himself by eating almost the entire chicken potpie—which was supposed to have served all three of them—Kevin flung himself on the sofa and fell into a deep sleep. The jet lag and the excitement had finally caught up with him. He was supposed to go to the tree farm after dinner, but when he didn’t spring up after his mom tried to rouse him, she let him sleep.

  Suddenly, he jerked up out of his deep sleep. “What time is it? What day is it?” He almost seemed panicked.

  “It’s Monday evening, around eight o’clock. You okay? You were sound asleep. Obviously, you needed your rest.” His mom was working on one of her dozen gingerbread houses.

  “Darn! I was supposed to work the farm tonight!”

  “It’s okay, honey. I called your dad and let him know, and Jake was on hand to help.” Then it dawned on her that the new doctor in town was supposed to stop by to get her tree. “Oh dear. I was so busy with my baking I forgot tonight was the night. You know, when Dr. Kate was coming by. I’m so sorry!”

  “Mom. It’s okay,” Kevin consoled his mother. He knew she meant well in everything she did, but the holidays were jam-packed with things that needed to be done, and it was easy to get sidetracked. “I’m sure I will run in to her again. I do have to make that appointment!” He thought his reassurance would mask his frustration.

  “And I was the one chiding you. I should have remembered!” Mrs. Matthews seemed genuinely distraught.

  “It’s really okay. I’ll probably see her at the tree lighting, or at the very least, at church. Now get back to icing those rooftops! The bake sale is in three days!” Kevin was making light of the oversight and grabbed a paintbrush to give his mom a hand.

  “Okay, but we still need to find out her situation.” Mrs. Matthews seemed relieved and gave her son a wink.

  “Mama, you are just too much sometimes!”

  After a few hours of painting the shutters for the gingerbread houses, Kevin yawned and stretched. “I think I need to get some more serious shut-eye, Mama. Sweet dreams.”

  “Same to you, son!” she said, as she blew him a kiss.

  The next morning the phone rang. It was Betty Palmer on the other line. “Hey, Maggie, it’s Betty. Is Kevin available?”

  “Good morning! I bet you are just up to your ears with activities! Hang on one second, let me go get him.” Maggie Matthews brought the phone into the kitchen and handed it to her son. “It’s Betty Palmer,” she whispered.

  “’Morning, Betty. What can I do for you? Need more trees?” Kevin was being playful. There wasn’t an extra square inch that could accommodate another tree at the church.

  “Hey, Kevin. Do you think you could stop by Melissa’s today? She needs some help getting her decorations from the attic, and Greg is out of town until Saturday.”

  Kevin knew he would eventually run into Melissa very soon, but not this soon. He had figured it would most likely be at the tree lighting—not going to her house to help her out.

  Hesitating, he responded, “Well. Sure. I g
uess. When?”

  “Could you stop by this morning? That’ll give her a chance to sort everything out before the weekend.”

  “Yeah. Okay. I’ll go over in an hour. What’s the address?” Kevin gave his mom a horrified look. Meeting up with Melissa after six years was going to be uncomfortable even though he knew he was over her. Just plain awkward was more like it.

  He looked around for a pen and paper and jotted the address down. “Got it. Will do. No. No problem, Betty. See you soon.”

  He hung up the phone and turned to his mother. “I have to help Melissa with some boxes. I didn’t want to say no, but I certainly didn’t want to say yes either.”

  “Well, I suppose it’s like pulling off a Band-Aid. The quicker you do it, the less pain you’ll feel.”

  “I know you’re right. I just wasn’t really prepared for it. Sure, I’d thought about it—our first encounter after six years—but now that it’s an hour away, I’m really not sure how I am going to feel. Or what to say, for that matter.”

  “Start with, ‘Hey, Mel. Good to see you. You look well.’ Then let her do the talking.” Kevin’s mom understood how difficult this could be for him. After the breakup, he had left town suddenly and never spoken to Melissa again. Today was going to be challenging, for sure.

  “Good idea. You’re right. I really don’t have to say too much, do I?” Kevin smiled and took in a deep breath. “I guess it’s like diving out of a plane. You’re pretty sure the chute is going to open, and you hope for the best!”

  “You’ll be fine, son. Six years is long enough to mend a broken heart, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, and yes. But as I said, I’ve had a number of scenarios in my head about this moment.” He tossed on his heavy denim shirt, his Air Force insignia baseball cap, and headed toward the door, stopping to give his mom a peck on the cheek. “Let’s hope the chute opens!”

  Chapter Seven

  “Emma honey! Time to get up! I have a surprise for you!” Kate nuzzled her little girl and pulled the covers off.