by Mary Carter
“Tell us more about his Christmas antics,” Hope said.
“What antics?” Brittany said.
“Skating, a light show, caroling, roasting marshmallows over the fire pit. You name it, he did it,” Yvette said. The more she spoke, the younger she appeared. A smile even slipped out before sneaking back in.
“Did you enjoy it?” Faith asked.
“I never thought I’d like strangers crawling all over the property,” Yvette said. “But Rupert loved it so much that, yes, I’d have to say eventually it brought me joy too.”
“Dad would have loved him,” Faith said.
“Oh, he did,” Yvette said.
Hope stared at Yvette, waiting to see if she understood what she just said. Was she starting to go senile?
Faith cleared her throat. “Dad never met Rupert,” she said softly.
Yvette frowned. “Is that right?” she said.
“He passed away long before you two ever met,” Faith said.
“I’m on a lot of medications,” Yvette said.
“It’s okay,” Hope said. “I bet you’ve imagined them meeting a thousand times. And Dad definitely would have loved anyone who was just as crazy about Christmas as he was.”
Yvette nodded, and her fork shook as she brought it up to her mouth. She’d probably be more coherent if she stopped drinking the whiskey, but if Hope were faced with dying by the new year she’d probably be doing the same.
Yvette was coming around to the idea of Christmas, and she even lit up when she mentioned the celebrations from when Rupert was alive. They should have one more Christmas like that. For Yvette. They should have at least three days that the property was open to the public again. They could come and skate, and sing, and roast chestnuts in the fire pit, and enjoy all the lights and decorations. Hope felt herself smiling as she imagined it. She looked up to find Austin staring at her, and soon he raised an eyebrow. He wanted to know what was making her smile. She gave a little nod and hoped he’d interpret it as I’ll tell you later.
“Why did you set a place for Roger when he said he wasn’t coming?” Joy asked, looking at Yvette.
“I’m the one who set his place at the table,” Hope said. “I was hoping he’d change his mind.”
“It’s not good to force him,” Yvette said.
Hope didn’t want an argument. “I wasn’t,” she said. “Just encouraging.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t set a place for Mr. Jingles,” Faith said.
“Poor guy,” Hope said. “I’ll have to bring him some scraps when I take Roger his plate.”
“Have you ever considered putting Roger in an assisted care facility?” Joy asked. Hope couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Joy didn’t regularly use phrases like assisted care facility. That meant she’d been talking to someone. Of course she had. She still wanted nothing more than to sell the property.
Yvette’s face immediately hardened. Joy might be scheming, but she wasn’t thinking ahead on this one.
“You won’t be inheriting any of this property,” Yvette said.
“Because I asked a question?” Joy’s mouth hung open.
“I made my wishes very clear,” Yvette said. “I’m not even in the ground and you’re trying to defy them.”
“It was a simple question. We’re not nurses. I only want to know if you’ve considered other places for Roger.”
“This is his home,” Yvette said. “It’s where he will stay.”
“Why don’t you just leave the entire place to him then?” Joy said.
“What are you doing?” Faith asked Joy.
“Order in the court,” Joy said to Harrison.
“Excuse me?” Faith said.
“You’re like a judge, always trying to direct us,” Joy said.
“No fighting,” Josh said.
“Josh is right,” Hope said. “Let’s just eat. Try to enjoy the meal. You know. Like normal people.”
“It was a mistake inviting you girls here,” Yvette said.
“What?” Hope said. That hurt. And here she’d almost started warming up to Yvette. Was starting to like her even.
Yvette continued. “If it weren’t for Roger you wouldn’t still be here.”
“Here we go with Roger again,” Joy said.
“I have an idea,” Hope said.
“I bet it’s good,” Brittany said. Her eyes lit up. Why couldn’t everyone be that sweet?
Hope threw Brittany an appreciative smile before continuing. “We’ve all been tense. Very Scrooge-like around here. Except for the kids.” She smiled at them again. Josh hadn’t exactly been cheery, but she didn’t want to single him out.
“What are you driving at?” Faith said. Faith didn’t like any idea that wasn’t hers.
“Christmas is about giving. It’s about love and sharing. Let’s pay tribute to Dad, and Rupert.”
“How?” Yvette said.
“Why?” Joy said under her breath.
“What did we talk about?” Harrison said to Joy. “No picking fights until after we finish dessert.”
“What is this brilliant idea?” Faith asked.
“I think we should open the property up to the public for Christmas again.”
“Yeah, right,” Joy said.
“I mean it,” Hope said. “Skating, Christmas lights, hot cocoa, Christmas carols. We could invite the whole town!” She looked around the table. Most mouths were open. “Like it used to be,” she added. “It’s a shame to have all those decorations on the lawn and use up all that electricity and not share the joy.” Besides, none of you appreciate it anyway. One by one those at the table glanced at Yvette to see her reaction.
“It wouldn’t be the same without Rupert,” Yvette said.
“You’re right,” Hope said. “It would be different. But we’d all be giving back. And since none of us seem capable of just enjoying each other’s company—why wouldn’t we do it?”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Austin said. “In fact a lot of my coworkers could use an evening skate. We’ve been trying to think of a place to celebrate. Downtown gets way too crowded.”
“That’s perfect!” Hope said. “We’ll invite your coworkers and the people who live here year-round and work at the shops. Give them a break from the tourists too.”
“We’re tourists,” Faith said.
“Skating, Christmas carolers, roasting chestnuts,” Hope said. “It could be so sweet. We can put up even more decorations and start a toy drive for children in need.”
“Can we, Mom?” Brittany said.
Faith pushed back her plate. Hope noticed that she’d left a bit of everything except for the vegetables. Those were all gone. She glanced at her own plate. She hadn’t touched the veggies. It was like all the food had fallen off a cliff, leaving the veggies stranded on a porcelain deserted island. She jabbed her fork into the greens. Coming to save you, she thought to herself as she started to force them in. She wasn’t sure if it was her, or Faith, but one of them was not normal. Totally not normal.
“Are we going to have the town over for Christmas, Mom?” Brittany piped up again.
“I don’t have any say in this,” Faith said.
Yvette leaned forward. “If we’re going to do this, then you all have to agree.”
Faith turned to her. “A few days ago you didn’t even want to celebrate Christmas. Are you really considering this?”
“I like the idea of my last Christmas being in tribute to Rupert,” Yvette said. “I think that would be a nice way to go out.”
Faith shrugged. Joy shrugged.
“It’s settled then,” Hope said.
“I can start spreading the word,” Austin said. “I know the right folks in town.”
“This is so exciting,” Hope said.
Josh got up from the table. “Where are you going?” Faith said.
“I’m calling Dad,” Josh said. “If the whole town is coming for Christmas, then he is too.”
“Pass the wine,” Fai
th said.
“It’s gone,” Joy said.
“Pass the whiskey,” Faith said.
“Granny has it,” Joy said. The girls all looked at their grandmother.
“Blood only goes so far,” Yvette said.
* * *
Hope and Austin headed for Roger’s cabin with a plate piled with food. “That was a great idea,” Austin said. “I think Yvette really liked it.”
“My sisters didn’t seem too keen,” Hope said.
“They’ll come around. I truly think that when you start doing for others, you can’t help but open up, become a happier person.”
“Now that would be a Christmas miracle,” Hope said.
“Do you think Josh’s father will come here for Christmas?”
“I don’t think so. They’re actually having some issues. Waiting until after the holiday to resolve them.”
“I thought as much.” Austin stopped. “Listen. I’m in a bit of a pickle here.”
“What is it?”
“I just think it might be a good idea if Josh’s father comes for Christmas. It might cheer him up.”
Hope frowned. “That’s your pickle?”
“Yes, it’s a pickle because it’s none of my business. But he seems troubled.”
“And you work with troubled people so you would know,” Hope said.
“Exactly,” Austin said. “I think he could use some support.”
“I’ll talk to Faith.”
“Thank you.” He seemed to hesitate.
“Is there more?”
“Would you mind not mentioning me when you have that conversation with Faith?”
Hope laughed. “Afraid of her, are you?”
Austin laughed and nodded. “Terrified.”
“Mum’s the word.”
“Thank you.”
He seemed genuinely relieved. In some ways he reminded Hope of a grown-up male version of Brittany. There didn’t seem to be a mean bone in his body. She couldn’t help thinking that if she had stayed with Michael and he were here with her that he wouldn’t have cared less about inviting the town for Christmas. In fact he probably would have been annoyed. If it wasn’t for him, or about him, he wasn’t interested. Hope would take Austin any day. “Are you always more concerned about other people than you are yourself?”
Austin smiled. “It gets boring thinking of yourself all the time.”
“Don’t I know it,” Hope said. They were a few feet from the cabin. The lights were on inside. Mr. Jingles was in the cabin curled up at Roger’s feet by the sofa. “So that’s where he’s been all the time,” Hope said. Roger bent down and patted Mr. Jingles on the head.
“Maybe that’s the reason for his improvement,” Austin said. “Canine therapy.”
“If I lived here, I’d have a dozen dogs running around,” Hope said. “Don’t repeat that to Faith.”
Austin laughed. Then stopped. “Are you seriously considering living here?” His voice was lower, huskier. He sounded like he loved the idea.
“I am,” Hope said. “But I don’t think my sisters are going to let that happen.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” Austin said. He held her gaze. Her stomach gave a flip. They were at the door of the cabin. Mr. Jingles barked and made a beeline for the door.
“He’s switched sides already,” Hope said. She knocked. Soon the door opened. Roger took the plate, gave her a nod, and then closed the door. Hope didn’t even have a chance to say anything. A few seconds later the curtain on the window closest to the door came down. Then the other window. They had been officially sealed out.
“At least he took the plate,” Austin said. They began to walk back to the house.
“How would you like to go into town with me tomorrow?”
“To start planning the Christmas extravaganza?”
“If that’s more agreeable than a date, absolutely.” He kept a smile on his face as he held eye contact. She felt her cheeks heat up.
“Are they mutually exclusive?” she asked.
“Not at all,” he said, linking arms with her as they walked. “I love to mix romance with planning extravaganzas.”
* * *
The next day passed quickly with a doctor’s appointment for Yvette in the morning, skating on the pond with Brittany in the afternoon, and starting a to-do list for Christmas. Before Hope knew it, evening was nearly upon them and it was time for her date with Austin. The best thing about it is she didn’t even have to get ready. He said to dress casual, and so all she did was slip on her coat and jump into his truck when he stopped to pick her up. She told him to hurry, hoping no one else would even catch on that she was with Austin. The first thing they did was to go on a horse and carriage ride through the snow. It was magical. The horse clopped through town at a reasonable pace, and from atop the carriage Hope could take in all the Christmas lights and decorations. Everything was aglow. Hope couldn’t stop smiling.
“Can I ask you something?” Austin said.
“Of course.”
“Do you regret breaking up with that guy?”
“Michael?” Austin nodded. “No, I’m relieved actually.”
“Good.” His hand slid across the red satin lining of the carriage and soon it was holding hers. “I just had to ask.”
“My turn,” Hope said.
“Uh-oh,” Austin said.
“When was your last relationship?”
“It’s been about three years.”
“Does she still live around here?”
“No, she moved to New York.”
“Is that why you broke up?”
“It is, actually. I don’t think I ever want to leave here. I don’t mean I won’t travel. But this is home.”
“And she didn’t feel the same way?”
“She did for a while. And then she didn’t. She wanted to go back to New York.”
“And you never regret not going with her?”
“No, there were other reasons too. Who knows. Maybe I would have gone if she had been the right girl. But I know I made the right decision.”
The carriage made a loop around to the starting place at the top of a small hill that overlooked the entire village. Hope gazed out at the shops and the mountains, and the backdrop of the trees. “I can see why you love it here,” Hope said.
“It’s magical, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“This is where we get off,” Austin said, doing just that and holding out his hand to help her off. “Would you like to go get some hot chocolate and a piece of pie?”
“That sounds fabulous.”
“Good.” He held out his arm and she linked hers, and soon they were walking to town.
“Do you think Joy has a point about Roger?” Hope asked.
“How do you mean?”
“What if he does need medical care in the future?”
“There would be options of course. The bigger question is—why in the world would she even ask this of you or anyone else?”
“I’m not really surprised. I think she’s come to think of Roger as a son.”
“But she shouldn’t expect you to treat him like family.”
“Are you still suspicious of Roger?” Hope asked. She found herself crossing her fingers, praying he would say no. For some reason she found herself growing extremely attached to Roger. Like her grandmother, she had an urge to make sure he had a place to live the rest of his life. Who in the world would want to throw an old man out of his modest cabin? Joy and Faith, for two, but that was another matter.
“Actually,” Austin said, “I’m not. Whatever his story is he seems to genuinely care about Yvette. And you girls.”
“I like him too. And it’s not really based on facts. Just a feeling.”
“You are a really special person, you know that.” Austin stopped and put his arms around her waist, then pulled her closer.
“I’m just average,” she said. “Just the girl next door.”
“Litera
lly,” Austin said, and threw his head back with laughter. Hope realized what she said and then joined in. “I’ve always wanted to fall for the girl next door,” Austin said. He leaned in and kissed her. They went to the Winter Biergarten for dessert. Austin excused himself to go to the restroom. Hope was still replaying the evening and smiling to herself, not caring at all that the waitress seemed to be ignoring her, when she felt her phone vibrating madly in her purse. By the time she retrieved it, she’d missed the call. She stared at the phone, dumbfounded. She had forty-two missed calls from her mother.
CHAPTER 27
Josh snuck around the back of the barn. He’d finally been able to snatch his mother’s cell phone when she was in the shower, and Brittany and Granny and Joy were downstairs watching Harrison make a pie. Josh didn’t see what was so exciting about that, but he was glad to be able to slip out unnoticed. Charlie. He now had his phone number. There was no picture next to his name. Josh scrolled through the most recent texts.
CHARLIE
I miss you
FAITH
Josh curled his fist. Disgusting! How could she do that to his dad? That’s it, he wasn’t celebrating Christmas. Not with her at least. His dad would fix it now. He had to. Josh didn’t want to read any more. He would give his father Charlie’s phone number. His hand shook as he called his father. Maybe he would sneak one of his mom’s pills, just to calm his nerves.
“Hey, buddy,” his dad said on the fourth ring. Relief washed through him.
“Dad,” Josh said. “You have to come now.”
“Too much estrogen over there?” his father joked.
“What?”
“Too many women?”
“I know about Charlie.” Josh could feel the silence on the other end. “Dad?”
“Is she there?”
“Mom? She’s in the shower.”
“Is Charlie there?”
His father wasn’t making sense. Why would Charlie be here? “Of course not.”
“So your mother told you she was seeing someone?”
“You knew?” Josh demanded. Why wasn’t he doing anything about it? Probably because he didn’t have Charlie’s phone number. Well, he would have it now.
