A Season to Celebrate

by Fern Michaels

  “Thought you’d never ask! I am bushed. No pun intended!” Brian finally took off his socks, which were sticky with sap, and plucked the last few needles out of them. “I don’t suppose you have a pair of these?” He held out the socks, indicating they were no longer fit to be worn.

  “Let me see what I have that isn’t too girly.” Kate went into the bedroom and appeared with a pair of white tube socks, a blanket, and a pillow. “Not glamorous, but neither are your feet! Thanks again, Brian. This would have been a nightmare if I had to do it on my own. Sweet dreams, my friend!”

  “Nighty night. By the way, I expect bacon and eggs in the morning. Rye toast, slightly buttered. Coffee. Black.”

  “No problem. Everything you need is in the fridge!” Kate gave him her biggest smile and waved good night.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kevin was sullen when he walked into the house. It was almost midnight. Wylie greeted him at the door and did his funny gesture of lying on his back and covering his eyes with his front paws. “Yeah. You got that right, buddy. What the heck was I thinking?” He felt so foolish, showing up with the date-nut bread; and then there was the cologne. He’d just had to try that new Giorgio Armani Acqua de Gio. And who was that wimpy guy?

  “Kevin?” his mom called out from the kitchen. “So?” She glided her words like an arpeggio.

  “So nothin’. I delivered a tree. Period.” Kevin tossed his hat onto the side table and threw himself on the sofa.

  “What about the date-nut bread? What did she say?”

  “She wasn’t there. Some dude—no, change that to ‘weakling, ’ answered the door. He couldn’t even catch the bread!”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She had to run an errand. Apparently Emma was sick. A guy—with no shoes on, by the way—answered the door. I figure he’s her boyfriend. End of story.”

  “What about the bread?”

  “I tossed it to him and he missed catching it and it got a little smashed up on the porch.” Kevin then smiled a wry grin, getting some small amount of satisfaction from that part of what had happened.

  “Oh my. Oh, Kevin. I’m so sorry. Maybe he’s just a friend.” Maggie Matthews was attempting consolation.

  “Yeah. Whatever. I don’t think she’d leave her kid with just a friend. And he reached into his wallet to try to tip me, but I refused.”

  “You know what I always say—unless there’s a ring on the finger, anyone is game!”

  “Mother! What have you been doing for the past six years?” Kevin was astonished at his mother’s newly acquired bravado.

  “Listen, I’ve been around long enough to know that relationships can come and go. You, of all people, should know that. I’m just sayin’ that maybe he isn’t her boyfriend. She doesn’t wear an engagement ring, does she?”

  “Not that I noticed.”

  “Well, okay then. Before you write her off, you might want to do a little more investigatin’.”

  “Ha. I’m done embarrassing myself.”

  “Oh, honey, you just got back. You’ll get into the swing of things. And I don’t think you embarrassed yourself.”

  “But I was wearing cologne!” He was an inch away from outright whining.

  “For heaven’s sake, Kevin. You sound like an adolescent. Lots of men wear cologne. Women happen to like it! In fact, we think it makes men sexy.”

  “Oh my God, Mother! This conversation has gone a little too far.” Kevin was beyond mortified at this point. Now his mother was using the word “sexy” as if it were part of her normal conversational language.

  “Son. You’re a grown man. I am a grown woman. We can have grown-up conversations.”

  “Yeah, but not about ‘sexy’ stuff,” Kevin said, using air quotes around the words.

  “You have been away too long! Here, try these cookies. They’re a spin-off from my gingerbread house. Actually, they were supposed to be shingles, but they didn’t quite make it!”

  “Is this another one of your promotional ideas? Maybe do a YouTube video of you bungling the baking?” Kevin was finally starting to lighten up as he chomped away.

  “I think you need some sleep. Go to bed. We have the bake sale in two days, then the tree lighting the following night. You’re going to need all your energy!”

  “Good idea. Sweet dreams, Mama. I think I’ll take Wylie to bed with me. We can commiserate about females.”

  * * *

  Two days later, there was a bustle of baked goods and gingerbread houses. With Kevin’s help, Maggie had managed to build twelve of the culinary constructions. Then there were the dozen carrot cakes, two dozen date-nut breads, twenty-four tins of cookies, and three of her bûche de noël, her finest works of art. The meringue mushrooms were the most tedious to prepare, and she would make them weeks in advance. Counting the various items, she calculated over a thousand dollars’ worth of baked goods for the sale. That would be her best yet. She had started purchasing the ingredients a few months ago. Spreading out the costs helped not to pinch her wallet too much. She wanted all the proceeds to go to the church fund that provided hot meals for the elderly at Christmas. It had been a very busy few weeks, and she was elated at the bounty she was able to produce. With her donation of goods, the handmade ornaments from Betty Palmer and Melissa, along with the other Christmas confections, the bake sale was sure to be a huge success.

  “Now be careful with those houses, boys. I don’t want any of them condemned because of poor structure!” She was almost giddy.

  “Not to worry, Mama. We’ll move them with kid gloves.” Kevin winked as he pulled away and headed toward the church. They had been up for several hours setting up the tables and the signs. Now it was time for the scrumptious part of the day!

  At four o’clock, the doors opened for business to the biggest cake and holiday sale Cedar Park had ever seen. The assembly room had been transformed into a smaller version of the winter wonderland at the tree farm.

  Yes, Maggie Matthews could not be outdone when it came to the holidays. Her only worry right now was Kevin’s state of mind. She was very much aware that being home was going to be a big adjustment for him, and she didn’t want him to be depressed because one new pretty face wasn’t available. If nothing else, she would find out if Dr. Kate was, in fact, involved. That wouldn’t take much detective work, and at least she would have some peace of mind that Kevin was not walking away from something just because his ego was a little bruised.

  The assembly room was buzzing with shoppers, and volunteers were handing out pieces of Maggie’s cakes to sample. They would all be gone in the first hour if last year was any indication as to their popularity.

  She spotted Kate, strolling around the tables with Emma, picking at a few freebees.

  She also witnessed Kevin talking to Melissa about her and Betty’s handcrafted decorations.

  It’s nice to see them getting along, Maggie thought to herself. That is until she witnessed Kate watching them, then move Emma to the other side of the room. It appeared that Kate was trying to avoid him, and there was also a look in Kate’s eyes that seemed to spell out the word “jealous.” Interesting. Very interesting.

  Maggie took a few steps in Kate’s direction but was immediately sidetracked by someone asking if she would reveal her recipe for the date-nut bread. By the time she finished explaining—purposely giving the woman some wrong measurements—she had lost sight of Kate and Emma.

  Dang. I guess that’s God punishing me for substituting a tablespoon for a teaspoon. But it’s for a good cause, Lord. It’s for the meals for the elderly. Maggie secretly prayed that she would be forgiven for being slightly dishonest.

  Kevin and Melissa were still almost head to head as Melissa showed him the various angels and French horns. Maggie was starting to get annoyed. Melissa had her chance with Kevin, and she had dumped him. She better not think about doing anything foolish. And neither should he.

  Maggie made a beeline toward them, hoping she could break
up their tête-à-tête in time for Kate to get another look. But it was too late. She couldn’t see Kate anywhere in the crowd. But now Maggie was really motivated. She had definitely seen that look in Kate’s eyes. There was definitely a flash of something.

  “Hey, Mom! Looks like you’re selling out already!” Kevin was almost animated. “Melissa has been showing me her latest hobby. She does some mighty fine work.”

  Maggie wasn’t liking Kevin’s tone. While she was happy that he was in a good mood, he was a tad too effusive for her taste. Too much gush came out of his mouth.

  “Melissa, you certainly outdid yourself this year! You and Betty! Kevin, can you help me with something in the back?” Maggie was desperately thinking about what exactly she needed him to do. Even if Kate had left, she did not want her son to be love-smacked by a woman who had broken his heart and happened to be married. Sometimes people do that. Go back to something familiar. Even if it isn’t the right thing. Consistency and fear were two great motivators, but they very often led people to make some very bad decisions.

  “What do you need, Mama?” Kevin was following Maggie, who was cutting a path through the crowd. She still wasn’t sure what task she could request and was fervently hoping that someone would interrupt her trip out back to ask for recipe instructions. She finally spotted someone from the garden club and spun off course in her direction.

  “Kevin, give me just a second. I need to talk to Mrs. Anderson for a minute.”

  Maggie continued to pursue the woman even though she really had nothing to say to her.

  “Mama? Is there something you need?” Kevin stood where he was and stared blankly at his mother, wondering what the heck was going on.

  “Oh, never mind, honey. It can wait.” Maggie was satisfied that she had accomplished her mission to break up the duo as she kept scanning the room for Kate and Emma. They were nowhere in sight. Maggie’s cheerful mood was starting to cloud over, but then she got a glimpse of them returning from the restroom. She quickly moved in their direction, hoping she could garner some information about Kate’s status.

  “Kate! Hi, I’m Maggie Matthews. We met briefly—actually it was more like a rush-by on Sunday.” Maggie had forgotten she really hadn’t been introduced to the new doctor and was trying to cover up her curiosity about the woman and her situation. “Kevin mentioned that you got a tree from our farm?”

  “Oh, yes. Hello, Mrs. Matthews.” The mere mention of his name gave Kate the willies. “The tree is beautiful and so big ! It needed a little trimming.” Making a futile attempt at being casual, she continued, “This is my daughter, Emma. Emma, this is Mrs. Matthews. They own the tree farm where we got our tree.”

  “Oh, it was so beautiful there! I loved all the angels!” Emma gushed her approval. “Are you ‘the famous tree man’s’ mother?”

  Kate thought she was going to faint. Her daughter couldn’t let that one go.

  Maggie squatted as far as she could to look Emma in the eyes. “I’m so glad you loved the angels. They’re my favorite! ‘Famous tree man’?”

  “Yes. K-E-V-I-N. Kevin!” Emma once again proudly spelled his name. “There was a sign at the church! And he was carrying a big tree!” She started giggling, which helped break some of the tension Kate was feeling.

  “And I think he delivered the tree to your house the other night.” Maggie was turning into a supersleuth.

  “He did? I got sick that day, so I didn’t see him.”

  “I hope you’re feeling better and had a chance to try my famous date-nut bread.” More prodding.

  “Mommy? Did I taste the nut bread?”

  “No, honey. I was waiting for your stomach to be all better.” Kate was hiding the fact that she had tossed the ball of bakery into the trash. Now she had to buy one out of guilt.

  “Well, I do hope you enjoy it. Will you be coming to the tree lighting tomorrow night?” Maggie was amused at her own audacity and knew Kevin would be horrified, yet she went on. “With your husband?”

  “Husband? No. I’m not married. I mean, I was married but . . .”

  “Mommy said we have to go Daddy shopping!” Emma interrupted with the best news Maggie had heard since she was told they had sold out of the gingerbread houses.

  “Daddy shopping? Now that sounds like quite a job!” Still fishing.

  “Yep! I don’t know when, but Mommy said ‘one of these days.’”

  Bingo! Maggie had gotten the info she had been longing for. Apparently, the guy who was at Kate’s house wasn’t daddy material, which meant he most likely wasn’t boyfriend material, either. She was ecstatic.

  “It was so nice to meet the two of you. We’ll see you tomorrow night. Remember, Santa will be there, so you may want to get in line early! Ta-ta!” Maggie was almost gliding across the room. Her next mission was to make sure Kevin didn’t decide to fawn over Melissa again.

  She purposely went to the table where Betty and Melissa were selling their decorations.

  “Have you seen Kevin?”

  “He was here a few minutes ago. It seemed like he recognized someone he knew, but then he dashed out the door.”

  Maggie headed to the hallway and pulled out her cell phone and punched in the speed dial number for Kevin. It went straight to voice mail. “Kevin. It’s your mom. Call me when you get a minute. I think I have some news for you.” She paced the hall for several minutes, then decided the conversation with Kevin could wait. Thinking about it a little more, she decided she wouldn’t tell him everything she had discovered. He would be mortified about her having obtained the info, so she had to come up with a different plan.

  By the end of the afternoon, every crumb had been purchased, and there were no more ornaments to sell. The sale had been a huge success, raising over three thousand dollars for the meals for the elderly. Kids from the local grade school lent a hand in folding the tables and cleaning up the space. All that remained were the decorations and the big seat for Santa for the next evening.

  “My work here is done,” Maggie proudly whispered under her breath. “On to the next project!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The following morning was another flurry of organizing the final details for the tree lighting. Maggie counted out fifty copies of the book of Christmas carols and placed them in boxes and added one small pack of cookies for the children to give to Santa. She liked the reversal of the trade. The parents did, too. Their kids were giving sugar to someone else for a change. Each child was handed a cookie just sitting on his lap. Volunteers would gently correct them if they showed any sign of biting into one. Occasionally, one of the kids would kick up a fuss, but the parents would intercede with “You don’t want to be on Santa’s list of naughty little boys and girls, do you?” That usually ended any kind of ruckus.

  The afternoon slipped away, and the Matthewses were having an early dinner before they left for the tree-lighting ceremony. Maggie was having a hard time trying to keep quiet about what she had learned from her conversation with Kate.

  “Kevin, what are you going to wear tonight?”

  He gave his mother an odd look. “What? What am I wearing? Since when did you join the fashion police?”

  “Just curious. I really like that cobalt-blue sweater you wore when we picked you up.”

  “It’s not very Christmassy.”

  “You have the Christmas spirit. That’s what matters.” Maggie was thinking that Kevin would stand out in the crowd, and the sweater made his eyes appear even a deeper blue.

  “Mom. Are you okay? You’ve always insisted on a holiday-themed sweater. I have several that I know will fit.”

  “I didn’t have a chance to get them dry cleaned, and they’ve been sitting in the closet for six years. Wear the blue one. It looks so nice on you.” Maggie tried to play down her out-of-the-ordinary stand on the holiday dress code.

  “Fine. Whatever makes you happy, Mama.”

  Maggie had been pondering the nitty-gritty of the ceremony for almost twenty-four hours. It
seemed obvious that Kate and Kevin were deliberately avoiding each other. At the very least, there was some kind of tension between them. Getting them to speak to each other was going to take a bit of strategy.

  “And I think that new cologne you were wearing the other night is very nice. Splash a little on. For me. I like it.” She knew she was close to being over the top, but she wanted this to be a special, magical holiday.

  “Mother, you’re starting to sound like you’ve been dipping into the eggnog a little heavily.” Kevin wasn’t sure if he was close to being right. She was acting a little odd. Or maybe it was just the holiday spirit. He reminded himself that this was his first time home at Christmas in six years.

  “Just a little sip.” Maggie decided she’d rather have her son think she was tipsy instead of meddling in his love life, and she wasn’t fibbing. She had tasted it with a tablespoon earlier.

  “Well, that would explain a lot. Otherwise, I’d think you were trying out a new career as a personal stylist!”

  “I read a lot of blogs.” It was rather matter-of-fact. That small taste gave her a welcome sense of bravado.

  “Holy smoke! Things really have changed around here. I wouldn’t have thought you even knew what a blog was!”

  “Never underestimate your mama! Now go get Wylie. Make sure he’s wearing his holiday duds! Get a move on. We want to make sure we get a good spot.” Maggie grabbed her purse and a shawl, chuckling to herself about the mischievous notions running through her mind.

  “We always get a good spot.” Kevin resigned himself to the fact that he would be carrying Wylie around, so he pulled out the doggie papoose. The first time his mother had insisted on this kind of holiday antic had met with a great deal of resistance. “The dog is the size of my head!” Kevin protested. “Oh, hush and make your mama happy,” would be the response, so he could not object.

  A few minutes later, they arrived in the parking lot of the church. Kevin glanced over to the area where he had helped the clumsy doctor the first day they met. At first he smiled, but then remembered Mr. Wimp-o in his stocking feet at Kate’s. He felt a little prickle at the back of his neck and wondered if his thought about giving the female gender a second chance at love was still a good idea. He shook his head no. Nope .