by R A Wallace
Claire grabbed the handle of the larger suitcase and rolled it behind her as she followed her mother to the front door of the house. She opened the hall closet and took out her mother’s coat. As she helped her into the coat, she couldn’t help but notice how much smaller her mother seemed. Suddenly, the idea of dropping her mom off at a strange place to live with strangers seemed so wrong. How was she going to cope without the familiar surroundings of her home?
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Claire asked, not for the first time.
Hattie nodded. “We’ve talked about this. They have different levels of care there. I’ll be fine for a while longer, but it’s nice to know that I’ll have help when I need it.”
Claire couldn’t argue with that. She certainly wanted her mother to be comfortable. She just wished that she didn’t feel so guilty about it all.
Chapter Four
The drive to the Teaberry Tree Farm Wednesday put Caitlyn in a good mood. Although she found beauty in her work throughout the year, she enjoyed the holiday season when she could add pine and holly to her arrangements. She was nearly out of her current stock and needed to order more. As she drove down the long driveway that led to the storefront at the tree farm, she saw that many others from Teaberry were already out shopping for their own greenery. With Thanksgiving only a day away, many were hoping to beat the rush and get their Christmas trees now.
Caitlyn parked her florist van and began walking to the small building they used as a main office to ring up their sales. As she passed by other cars already parked in the lot, she spotted her brother’s landscaping truck and remembered that Jax said he wanted to get a live Christmas tree for Trina and her two year old daughter Jasmine. He planned to plant the tree afterward.
Although there were other options near Teaberry for trees, most residents preferred to take the drive to the Teaberry Tree farm. It had been in business for two generations and was a family tradition in the area. The current owners, Mack and Toni Berman, had owned the tree farm for nearly two decades. They had inherited it from Toni’s dad when he’d passed away.
Caitlyn entered the office and waited while Toni finished ringing up a customer, then stepped up to the counter when it was her turn.
“Business looks good,” Caitlyn said.
“I’m not complaining,” Toni said with a smile as she pulled out Caitlyn’s paperwork and passed it to her.
She was around fifty and looked comfortably dressed for work. Caitlyn knew the woman could handle any of the work at the farm from the cash register to a chainsaw. Over the years, she’d seen her do it all.
Caitlyn read through the order. “Will you be able to deliver some of this next week?”
Toni nodded confidently. “I already have the delivery scheduled. That will give us time to make it through the rush here this weekend. As you requested, I have some of your order ready to go with you today. Do you want help loading it up?”
“If you don’t mind.”
Caitlyn thanked her as they loaded the last of it into her van. Toni returned to the office, but Caitlyn remained in the parking lot rather than drive away because she saw a familiar van pulling in.
Justin greeted her as he exited his van. Caitlyn bent down and gave hugs to his children, Mia and Noah.
“Lauren and Grace stayed home?” Caitlyn asked as she looked up at Justin.
Justin nodded. Lauren had recently given birth to their third child, Grace.
“The baby is sleeping,” five year old Noah said. “She does that a lot.”
“It’s because she’s growing,” seven year old Mia added. “Babies need their sleep.”
“So do their moms,” Justin added.
“Are you here to pick out your tree?” Caitlyn asked as she straightened.
“We’re getting a giant tree,” Noah said as he spread out his arms.
“I like to beat the rush. This place will be a madhouse once Thanksgiving is over.” Justin watched as Noah and Mia began walking toward the rows of trees.
Caitlyn smiled at their excitement. “I’ll let you go. You guys have fun and tell Lauren I said hi.”
Justin quickly caught up with his children. “Okay you two. No running off without me. And remember the rule. Daddy gets the final vote on the tree.” He knew it wouldn’t stop all of the arguing, but it was worth a try.
“Dad, I like this one!” Noah shouted as they passed the first tree.
“No, this one!” Mia shouted as she pointed to the first tree on the other side of the row.
Justin kept walking. They were at the very beginning of the first row. There were at least a million more trees to look at. The tree farm covered acres and acres of land. He wondered again at his tactic for tree shopping. The kids had just gotten out of school for the day. If he was lucky, they’ll be wanting their dinner soon and will agree to any tree he chooses just so they could go home. It wasn’t a good plan, but it was a plan. As he continued walking down the row, he spotted Jax in the next row over and waved. There was an empty spot where a tree had recently been harvested.
Jax waved back then leaned down and picked up Jasmine. She’d wanted to walk around the trees on her own, but he could tell that she was now tiring.
Trina reached over and wiped at Jasmine’s nose with a tissue then pointed at a tree. “What do you think about that one?”
Jasmine’s face lit up. Jax stopped walking and examined the tree. He had to admit, Trina had a good eye. He didn’t know if she’d learned about trees after working at the feed store with Dan Parker for so long, or if she’d had the skills going into the job and that’s why Dan had hired her in the first place. Jax just knew that he now often relied on her suggestions for a lot of things.
“That is a nice one.” He walked around it as much as possible. It didn’t seem to have any bad spots and it was the right height for where they’d planned to put it. He looked at Trina and nodded his agreement.
“I think you managed to find the nicest tree at the farm,” Matthias said behind them.
Jax turned and smiled at the small group that included the mayor of Teaberry. “There are still plenty more to choose from.”
Barbara stopped walking and pointed to Kaylee. “This is my granddaughter, Kaylee. She’s Thomas’s daughter. She’s staying with us now.”
Barbara introduced the others to Kaylee before the group continued on their search for a tree. As they reached the end of the row nearest the main office and began turning the corner to walk down the next row, Barbara saw a man that she recognized walking toward the office.
Although she hadn’t seen him for a while and he was walking away from her, she knew immediately that it was Clay Freemont. There was a woman walking next to him that Barbara assumed was his current wife. Of course, when it came to Clay Freemont, she knew that might not be a safe assumption. She hoped he wasn’t here to cause his sister, Toni, any trouble. Perhaps he was just in town for the class reunion.
***
Clay strode quickly to the office and let the door slam behind him. Yolanda shook her head and opened the door herself before entering. She saw Toni taking money from a customer. The parking lot was so full of cars, she assumed the place was crawling with customers. That had to be a good sign. It wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet.
Toni finished with her customers then moved to the other side of the counter to hug her brother.
“You made it.” Toni reached for Yolanda next. Their hug was brief, and both women quickly moved away from each other.
“Business looks good,” Clay commented.
Toni returned to the other side of the counter. “If only people wanted Christmas trees year round.”
Yolanda shot Clay a look. He ignored her.
“Which room did you put us in?” Clay asked his sister.
“Your old bedroom, the same one you usually use when you visit.” Toni smiled as another customer came into the office.
Clay turned to Yolanda while Toni was busy. “Why don’t you get
the luggage from the car and take it to our room.” It wasn’t a suggestion.
Yolanda rolled her eyes at Clay and left quickly. Clay waited impatiently until Toni was free again.
Toni turned back to her brother. “So, how long are you two planning to stay?”
Clay looked around the office. “Why? Does it matter? Aren’t we welcome here anymore?”
Toni took a deep breath. “Of course, you’re welcome here. This was your home when we were kids.”
“Good of you to remember that,” Clay said as he zeroed his focus in on Toni. “Does that mean you’re ready to sign over part of the tree farm to me? As you just said, I grew up here too. Shouldn’t I own part of it?”
Toni sighed. “Clay, we’ve been over this before. Dad left the farm to me. At the time, I seem to recall you had little interest in working here.” Her brother had never enjoyed working at the farm when they were younger. Although he was four years older than Toni, she’d been the one to put in long hours working side by side with their father. Clay had left Teaberry as soon as he’d been old enough.
Clay shrugged. “People change.” He turned away from Toni. “I’ve been thinking about moving back here.”
Toni closed her eyes for a moment as she took another deep breath. When she opened them Clay was facing her again. “That’s nice. What are you planning on doing?”
Clay shrugged again and smiled. “Something will turn up.”
Toni was about to respond when two more customers entered the office.
“Mack is loading the tree up on our van,” Drew Bennet said as he pointed behind him.
Toni moved back to the cash register to ring up the sale. By the time she said goodbye to the Bennets, Clay had left the office. Mack was waving to the Bennets as they pulled out of the lot. Toni watched through the front door as Clay walked over to Mack and the two men shook hands.
***
“I hope she likes the tree,” Veronica said. She didn’t expect an answer from her husband. She knew that she was repeating herself and that it was due to nervousness. They’d only just recently tried to make amends for all of the years they’d ignored their daughter and shown their preference for her brother. But Josh was gone now, and Erica and her husband, Brad, had just given them twin grandchildren. Veronica and Drew were making a serious effort to be the best grandparents they could possibly be. They now understood that they had failed miserably as parents.
Drew pulled into Brad and Erica’s driveway and parked the van. The two of them shared a look then exited the van and approached the door. Drew rang the bell and reached for Veronica’s hand as the two of them waited on the front porch.
Brad opened the door holding one of the twins. The little bundle was wearing pink, so Veronica assumed it was Maddie. Whichever twin it was, the baby was crying. They could hear more wails from inside the house. Veronica wanted to hold her arms out to take the baby, but she was afraid Brad wouldn’t allow her to take the child from him.
Brad looked past his in-laws at the tree on top of the van. “You got your tree early this year.”
Drew and Veronica shared another look then turned to Brad.
“Actually, we got it for you. We thought you wouldn’t have the time,” Drew explained. He could feel Veronica clasping his hand tightly.
Brad looked at the tree and smiled. He was beginning to understand. “That was very thoughtful of you. Veronica, do you want to hold Maddie while I help Drew get the tree down.”
The relief on Veronica’s face was evident as Brad passed over the wailing bundle. Veronica entered the house holding her grandchild and left the men to deal with the tree. She found Erica in the living room pacing with Mason.
His cries had lessened to hiccups, but Erica knew from experience that he was just catching his second wind. Erica looked at her mother with surprise. She had expected Brad to return. Seeing the pensive look on her mother’s face, Erica reminded herself that her parents were making an effort.
Erica motioned to Maddie with her chin over the top of Mason’s head. “She likes it when you rub her back.”
Veronica began rubbing Maddie’s back gently. The motion was awkward at first until she began swaying a little as she rubbed. That felt right. Veronica smiled at the memory. Maddie stopped crying almost immediately and emitted a loud shuddering sigh as she settled against Veronica.
“This is what worked for you too,” Veronica said, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears of joy.
Brad and Drew walked into the living room just as she spoke.
“I wish we knew what worked for Mason,” Brad said as he reached for his son. Mason’s cries were beginning to get louder again. “We haven’t found the trick yet.”
“Oh, Josh liked…” Veronica froze when she realized what she’d just said. They had made it clear to Erica her whole life that they’d preferred Josh over her. How could she have been so stupid to mention him now.
Erica faced her mother. “Mom, it’s okay. We don’t have to pretend that Josh never existed.”
Veronica looked at her husband with concern etched on her face. She didn’t want to ruin what they were trying to fix. They both wanted to be part of their daughter’s life.
Drew cleared his throat. “Josh liked when you patted him on the bottom.”
Brad was willing to try anything. Gently, he began patting. The crying stopped immediately. Brad and Erica shared a surprised look as Mason snuggled into his father’s shoulder. Soon, Mason was yawning. Brad looked across and saw the Maddie was already asleep.
“We won’t stay,” Veronica whispered.
Brad motioned to the nursery and Veronica followed him. They placed the babies in their cribs and Veronica and Drew left.
Erica turned to Brad when they were alone. “Well, that was nice.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually enjoyed spending time with her parents.
“Wait till you see the tree.”
Erica frowned. “What tree?”
“Your parents brought us a Christmas tree. We put it in the garage for now.” Brad reached for Erica and pulled her toward him.
“Really? We’re having a real tree for our first Christmas with the babies. We used to have real trees when I was little.” Erica smiled into Brad’s chest. Maybe things really were going to work out with her parents.
Chapter Five
Claire wrapped a towel around herself then stepped from the shower. She was using the guest bathroom next to her old bedroom. She realized that her mother probably wasn’t coming back and that it made sense to move into the master bedroom complete with private bath that her parents had shared, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it yet.
She’d spent the day cleaning the house and getting her paperwork in order. In addition to opening a bank account, she’d also gotten a safety deposit box for her important papers including her newly signed power of attorney to handle her mother’s affairs. Jennifer Parker had been great at explaining everything to her. Still, it had been another milestone reached. One where she now was responsible for her mother instead of the other way around. It was a scary proposition.
After dressing and drying her hair, she headed for the kitchen. It was only then that she remembered she hadn’t made it to the grocery store. Although there were some things in the refrigerator that her mother had left, nothing really appealed to her. She opened the door and peered inside again. Nothing had magically produced itself since the last time she’d looked. Not that it really mattered. She hadn’t had much of an appetite lately.
Closing the door, she turned and looked around the kitchen. Tomorrow would be her first holiday without her husband. Although not yet divorced, the chances of them reuniting were nil. He had made it quite clear that he’d found someone else and was eager to move on from Claire. Shaking her head, she realized that it was time to stop moping. She was starting a new chapter in her life. It was up to her to decide if it would be a lonely one. She could keep herself shut up in the house like a hermit, or she cou
ld get out and meet new people or catch up with old acquaintances. Her mind made up, she went to grab her purse and gear up for the cold.
***
Linda arrived at the Station Pub & Grill shortly after leaving work. She entered the restaurant just as Cy Douglass was leaving and he held the door for her. Apparently, everyone in town had the same idea about barbeque before Thanksgiving. She waited at least twenty minutes before being led to a table. As near as she could tell, it was the only one left in the restaurant. The line behind her had continued to grow as she’d waited. She’d spoken to several people that she knew before being shown to her table and had enjoyed the conversations. Hilary was right. It was nice to do something different and get out of a rut.
She ordered two glasses of wine as soon as she was seated. Her phone buzzed a moment later. She pulled it out and read the text from her sister. Hilary said she’d been asked to cover some extra hours at the hospital and wouldn’t make it to dinner. Linda responded that she would bring something home for her and returned her phone to her purse. She was frowning when the waitress returned with the wine.
“It looks like I’ve been stood up.”
The young server glanced over at the long line near the entrance. Linda followed her gaze.
“Will you still be ordering a meal?” the young brunette asked.
Linda hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She was doing something different. That was a good thing.
“Yes, and I’ll want some takeout also. But I’ll share my table if you get another single customer.” Linda opened her menu and began looking through the options.
Relieved that the situation could work to her advantage, the young server quickly moved away to check on her other tables. It wasn’t long before the server returned.
“I have someone else to share your table.”
Linda looked up from her menu to smile at the other person and froze.
