[Madrona Island 05.0] Christmas on Madrona Island

by Andrea Hurst

  “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m draped over a chair with hundreds of other people tossing, turning, and snoring around me. They’re on the floors, benches, chairs…”

  “I’m so sorry. I do have some good news. Kyla had a healthy baby girl named Hope.”

  The excitement in his voice raised her spirits. “I’m so happy for them! Let’s hold onto some of that hope for us stuck here and that we’ll be home on the island tomorrow.”

  “We need a Christmas miracle,” Lily joked.

  “That we do. And I’m sure we’ll get one. Aren’t you the one who said new babies bring luck?”

  “That’s what I’ve heard,” Lily said. She could hear faint Christmas music playing at the airport. Her heart ached for all the people and their families stuck there.

  Ian yawned again. “I’ll see you tomorrow with everyone in tow. It’s a darn good thing I parked our van at the airport in Seattle. I’ve heard there are no rental cars or shuttles to be had.”

  Lily realized that without Ian being in New York for the art show, Kyla and Luke’s family would probably have never made it to the island by Christmas. Perhaps everything always did work out for the best and there was a bigger plan than anybody knew. With a deep breath, she let go of her last worries and said, “See you tomorrow, my love.”

  ⌘

  Even though she was yet to be released from the hospital, Christmas Eve morning had never looked brighter for Kyla. Nestled in her arms was the best present she could have ever hoped for…a healthy, beautiful baby girl.

  Luke gazed at the baby, joy emanating from him in waves. “She looks like you,” he said. “Right down to the red hair.”

  Kyla beamed. “Babies’ hair often changes colors, as well as their eyes, as they get older.”

  She looked up to see her obstetrician entering the room. He stopped at her bedside. “Everything looks stable on your chart, and the baby’s,” he said. “How would you all like to spend Christmas Eve at home?”

  Kyla thanked the doctor as Luke packed up their belongings. “Let’s get this family home.”

  The doctor started for the door, then turned back to them. “I’ll send a nurse with a wheelchair to take you down to the front entrance,” he said. “It’s just procedure.”

  After Luke left to get the car, Kyla bundled Hope up in several blankets to prepare her for the blustery weather outside. A nurse arrived to wheel her down to the passenger loading area.

  “Ready,” Kyla said. She looked around the room for the last time to make sure she’d left nothing behind, and was grateful to be going home so soon.

  ⌘

  Luke waited at the front door of the hospital, an umbrella in his hand. Kyla had no idea he even owned one. Luke placed the baby in the car seat that was well fastened in the back, then helped Kyla into the front seat.

  “Home,” Kyla said.

  Luke pulled carefully out of the parking lot. Rain mixed with snow splatted across the windshield. She thought back to her last frantic message to her mother, trapped in the airport in New York, and asked Luke if he had heard any more from their families.

  He frowned, but kept his eyes on the road. “They got a hotel last night, and finally this morning they all caught a flight with Ian. The bad news is there’s a stopover in Colorado, and it’s covered in snow too.”

  Kyla looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was almost noon on the island. She tried to calculate when they might land in Colorado and visualized a clear runway. More than anything, she wanted to see the happy faces of their parents rushing into their home to spend Christmas Eve with their new granddaughter.

  “A real family Christmas,” she whispered. Just like she’d always dreamed of.

  ⌘

  Jude enjoyed cooking supper with Ryan in the upstairs kitchen of their own home. Much of their time was spent in the café. But now, the turkey was roasting in the oven, filled with Ryan’s chestnut and mushroom stuffing, and herby aromas permeated the entire house.

  In the living room, Lindsey sat on the living room floor, playing with her little brother Christopher in front of the sparkling Christmas tree. They had allowed him to open a couple gifts early, to help ease some of his excitement before Christmas morning. Christopher was revving up the engine on his shiny new fire truck, pushing it in circles around his sister and making a siren noise. Ryan had just added fresh oak into the wood burner, and the stockings were hung by the mantelpiece, ready for Santa to fill them.

  “I’m going to chop up the cranberry relish now,” Ryan said as he whisked around the kitchen.

  “What would you like me to do?” Jude asked. “Happy to be your sous chef.”

  Ryan swooped down and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ve got this.” He glanced over at Christopher and Lindsey. “Why don’t you go play with the kids?”

  Jude took his hand and shared the special moment. A tear formed in her eye and ran down her cheek. Ryan wiped it away with his finger. “Something wrong?”

  “Absolutely nothing,” Jude said, flashing him a bright smile. “Just so happy.”

  He nodded his head towards the living room. “Go get off your feet for a while. It’s a holiday.”

  Jude sat down on the chair beside the tree and watched her children play.

  “Christopher,” Lindsey said, “do you know what we’re going to do tonight?”

  Christopher furrowed his brow until his eyes lit up. “Santa’s coming!”

  “Right.” Lindsey winked at Jude. “So we have to get ready. Santa likes cookies and milk.”

  “So tonight,” Jude said, “we’re all going to bake some chocolate chip cookies and leave them for Santa.”

  “Can I have one too?” Christopher asked.

  “Of course,” Lindsey said. “But we have to save some for Santa.”

  He thought a minute. “What will Santa bring me?”

  Jude smiled. “We’ll have to wait and see until tomorrow morning.”

  Christopher shrugged and then eyed some of the presents still under the tree. “Can I open another one now?”

  “Let’s go ask Daddy.” She took her son’s hand and walked into the kitchen.

  “Daddy?”

  “Yes, son?” Ryan said.

  “Can I open another present now?”

  Ryan knelt to his son’s level and ruffled his hair. “I think we can arrange that. And I know just the present to keep you busy until tomorrow.”

  Ryan walked over, pulled a large box out from under the tree, and placed it on the floor next to his son.

  Jude watched her little one rip through the wrapping paper, with a little help from Lindsey, until he’d unveiled a big tub of multi-colored Mega Blocks. He clapped his hands with delight.

  ⌘

  Lily served Betty and John some fresh-brewed coffee while they held off dinner in hopes that Ian and the others would make it home for Christmas Eve supper. They were all gathered at the inn by a warm fire and a light supper awaited them in the kitchen.

  “Can I have a snack?” Gwyn asked her Grandma Catherine.

  “Not yet, sweetheart. We’ll be eating soon.”

  Lily watched Gwyn walk over, looking picture perfect in her new red velvet dress with white satin trim. A gift from Grandma opened this morning. A red ribbon held her blonde curls back as she presented her most charming smile to her mother.

  “Mommy, is Daddy going to be here soon?”

  Lily’s heart melted. It was starting to get late and she still had not heard from Ian. The snow had to clear sometime.

  “We are all hoping he’ll be here very soon.”

  “Yippee!” Gwyn said.

  Lily walked into the kitchen for some tea and found Jason was snacking on a cookie. “I’m hungry,” he said. “When are we eating?”

  Catherine had made them all a huge late breakfast of eggs, bacon, and blueberry pancakes, and they’d spent the day snacking. First Shirley had shown up with peppermint bark, then Mary with apple dumplings. Betty had brought over big candy c
anes, and everyone was getting sugared out. Even the dogs had a platter of cookies that Lily had made this morning for the doggy table and tomorrow’s brunch, and of course for their paw stockings. A few early gifts had been opened, but Gwyn kept looking at the door.

  Lily, cup of tea in hand, went back to the parlor and took a seat next to John and Betty.

  “You look worried, dear,” Betty said.

  “No word from Ian yet,” Lily said.

  “It’s understandable,” Grandpa John said. “New York is having its worst snow storm since 2010.”

  Betty gave him a little swat on the arm. “That’s not helpful.” She turned to Lily. “Why don’t you go lie down for a few minutes and we’ll watch Gwyn.”

  Relief flooded Lily. She hadn’t slept the night before; between Kyla delivering her baby and worrying herself into exhaustion, her mind would not settle down. She walked upstairs to the Lavender Suite where her mom was staying, closed the door, and kicked off her shoes before lying down on top of the quilt. She wrapped herself in the hand-knitted chenille throw from the bottom of the bed. Probably it had been knitted by her grandmother.

  Grandma Maggie, she thought. How she wished she were here and Gwyn could meet her great-grandmother.

  Sadness washed upon the shores of her heart. She wanted to be safe and warm in her grandmother’s arms, rocking back and forth on the old porch swing out front on a lazy summer afternoon.

  Lily sat up in bed and propped a few pillows behind her. In each of the guest rooms she had left an old copy of the original guestbook from when her grandmother had owned the inn. She opened the bottom drawer of the antique nightstand. The rich smell of mahogany brought back memories as she lifted one of the leather guestbooks out of the drawer and propped it open on her lap. These guestbooks were some of her most treasured possessions and had been a source of comfort for her as well.

  The book fell open to a page where a dried rose had been pressed. It still held a faint aroma. She read the first entry.

  Maggie, my dear, a wise woman taught me to never give up hope. That woman was you. Now I’m passing along that invaluable advice to you.

  ~All my love, Barb V.

  The entry hit her in the gut. The date on the entry was December 24th, six years ago. This was no coincidence. It had been her grandmother’s last Christmas. Had she been worried about her health? Having to close the inn? Lily had opened right to a page where the words seemed to be speaking right to her. It was as if her grandmother were at her side, holding her hand, and in that moment, Lily knew everything would work out the way it was supposed to. It was in hands greater than hers.

  She laid the book down and fell into a peaceful nap.

  ⌘

  After her nap, Lily walked downstairs to see how everyone was doing. In the dining room, the table was set for six. Gretel was sleeping by the fire. Betty had gone home and Mary, the innkeeper, was spending the evening with the family.

  Catherine looked up and smiled. “Feel better?”

  “Much better.” Lily noticed that the candles in the window had been lit.

  Grandpa John stood. “Good news,” he said.

  Lily caught her breath.

  “Ian called the landline. They made it to Seattle and were just getting in his van.” John looked at his watch. “Even in the heavy rain and holiday traffic, they should be here in less than an hour.”

  Lily glanced at her cell phone. She’d slept through two texts from Ian.

  Catherine chimed in. “Ian’s dropping Luke and Kyla’s family over at the winery to see the baby. They’ll have supper there and then Luke will run them back to the inn later.”

  “All this happened while I slept?” Lily asked.

  John winked at her. “You were out for almost two hours.”

  Letting go really did work, Lily thought to herself. And some sleep had helped as well.

  Gwyn rushed up and hugged her legs. “Daddy’s almost home!”

  Jason looked up from his video games and rolled his eyes.

  “I saw your face, young man, when your dad called earlier,” Grandpa John said. “You were pretty happy.”

  Jason shrugged, but the beaming smile lighting up his face told a different story.

  Lily took a seat at the window and watched the flakes of snow drift down under the porch light. Next door, across the field, their home was illuminated with their lit-up Christmas display of Santa and his reindeer. Catherine was in the kitchen mashing potatoes and probably making some of her famous gravy. With any luck, they would be eating very soon.

  At that moment, a familiar van pulled into the driveway and stopped. Out jumped Ian. From the back, he retrieved his suitcase and a large bag of wrapped presents and rushed through the mud into the house. And now, their Christmas was complete.

  ⌘

  Lily pulled out all the ingredients for the Christmas Day brunch and placed them on the new granite countertops in the country kitchen at the inn. The inn guests, Kyla and Luke’s family, had breakfast trays in their rooms and were probably recovering from jet lag and sleeping in. She sang a few lines of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” as she worked.

  Little Gwyn helped Ian set the tables with red and green candles in mason jars, white china with gold trim, and poinsettia centerpieces. Grandpa John and Jason had just brought in logs to build a fire.

  Lily yawned. She’d been woken just before dawn by a very excited Gywn wanting to see what Santa had brought her for Christmas. She loved the bike so much, she’d wanted to ride it immediately. Because of the icy rain, Ian suggested she bring it to the inn to ride around on the porch. After a light breakfast, and dressing in matching Mommy-and-Me holiday sweaters, they’d brought down the gifts for Hope and Christopher and placed them under the tree in the parlor for later.

  She cracked farm-fresh eggs into a bowl and mixed them with gruyère cheese, cream, and seasonings. In a frying pan on the stove she sautéed spinach, mushrooms, and onions. The frittata would be served with Jude’s butter biscuits, Ryan’s potato latkes, and honey-smoked bacon. There would be Grandma Maggie’s stuffed French toast and an assortment of sides that the others were bringing. Luke was bringing some of his best wines, and Shirley had dropped off a few extra things last night. There would certainly be enough food. Lily glanced at her list. At 10:00 she would grind fresh island coffee beans and mix up the batch of green waffle mix for the kids. The dog treats were ready, along with their turkey doggie stew made from last night’s leftovers.

  Ian popped his head into the kitchen. “Everything’s ready,” he said. “How else can I help?”

  “Most everything’s under control in here,” she said.

  “Another perfect Christmas with you.” Ian walked over and took Lily in his arms. “Merry Christmas, darling.”

  His kiss still swept her off her feet the way it had when they’d first started dating. The love had grown over the years. Gratitude for all she had in her life brought tears to her eyes.

  “Mommy,” a little voice said. “Jason is bothering me.”

  Ian shrugged and winked at Lily. “Let’s go talk to that brother of yours.”

  ⌘

  A little while later, Catherine joined her daughter in the kitchen, followed by Kyla’s grandma, Mona, and mother, Alana. Alana took the foil off a plate of Irish shortbread and laid it on the counter. In a large pot, Mona was preparing her traditional Christmas wassail with apple, cranberry, and orange juice. She added sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and a squeeze of lemon. For a few hours, they all worked quickly to prepare the dishes and clean up after. Lily could hear Christmas music and laughter filtering in from the living room. Before they knew it, it was time for the guests to arrive. Lily turned on the coffeemaker, slipped off her apron, and joined her family around the tree.

  Luke’s parents were sitting by the window sipping coffee. His mother looked as elegant as ever in a cashmere dress and soft leather boots. Lily was glad his father had joined them for the holiday; he was always so busy and they hard
ly saw him.

  Betty arrived with her dog, Zinger, wearing one her handmade fleece sweaters. She’d walked over in her down coat and boots. “Here you go,” she said as she handed Lily a bowl of ambrosia salad. “Shirley and Ron drove over with the pies. They didn’t trust their step in the weather. They’re right behind me.”

  “Come in, get warm,” Lily said. She held the door open for Shirley and Ron as well. Shirley had outdone herself in a red velvet pantsuit and her classic pearl necklace. Ron wore a matching red bowtie.

  She took their coats and hung them on a rack by the door.

  “Zinger,” she said. “Come with me, I have a special cookie just for you.” The dog’s tail wagged frantically as he followed her into the kitchen with a very perky Gretel at his heels.

  A few minutes later, Jude, Ryan, and Lindsey arrived with little Christopher, who was dressed in a gray sweatshirt with a reindeer head, antlers, and big fuzzy red nose. He held a big fire truck in his hands.

  “He wouldn’t leave it behind,” Ryan said.

  Jude hugged her hello, while Ryan carried the platters of baked goods into the kitchen.

  “How are you doing?” Jude asked.

  Lily scanned the room. “A bit hectic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Jude’s smile was contagious. “Are Kyla and the baby here yet?”

  “I imagine they might be a little late. Babies aren't always on schedule.”

  Marco and Becca arrived next with their golden doxie, Gatsby. The pup didn’t take long to find the dog table in the kitchen.

  Marco handed Lily two bags of Arabian coffee beans and a bowl of fresh cinnamon whipped cream. “Smells amazing,” she said. “I’m so glad you could make it before you head back east to meet Becca’s parents for New Year’s.”

  The house was filled with the sounds of people chatting, kids playing, and dogs scampering about. Lily looked up to see Kyla, holding her new infant, and Luke stepping up on the porch. She jumped up to greet them at the door. Kyla looked tired, but happier than Lily had ever seen her.

  “Let me see her,” Lily said.