Christmas in Icicle Falls

by Sheila Roberts

  “Oh, well. I’ve had plenty of good ones. And, you know, in some ways finally splitting was a relief. It seemed like all we were doing was fighting. She was going through this second adolescence, wanting to go out with her girlfriends all the time. And then, after a while, even that wasn’t enough.”

  “What was that all about?”

  He shrugged. “Who knows? She lost a bunch of weight, got fit, got some new clothes. Not that I minded the clothes,” he hurried to add. “It was just the new attitude that bugged me. Anyway, it seemed she wanted to try out the new chassis, because she went from new clothes to new men. I guess I wasn’t giving her enough attention.”

  Really? His wife had cheated on him and he was blaming himself? “Or maybe she was shallow.”

  “Whatever. Anyway, I got past the anger and we’re okay now. I almost wish she’d marry this clown she’s with now so he could be her handyman and not me. But, oh, well. At least I get to see the girls a lot.”

  “I wish my ex wanted to see Leo,” Sienna said.

  Tim covered her hand with his. “Hey, his loss.”

  The small gesture of support warmed her. “You’re a good man, Tim Richmond.”

  He shrugged off the praise. “I’m trying to be.”

  The kids burst into the kitchen, announcing the end of the movie. “What are we going to do now?” Amelia asked.

  “We’re going home,” Tim said. “It’s getting late.”

  “No,” both girls groaned. “Do we have to?” Amelia whined.

  “Yeah, it’s time. So, we’ll see you tomorrow?” he said to Sienna as everyone moved into the front hall.

  “We’ll be there.”

  He nodded. “Richmond Orchard. It’s right off the main drag. You’ll see the sign for it.”

  “Goodbye, Leo,” Amy said. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Leo,” Amelia said and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush and take a sudden interest in his stocking feet.

  “Thanks for joining us,” Tim said as the girls trooped off the porch. He leaned down and gave Sienna a quick kiss, leaving her as flushed as her son and hungry for more kisses.

  “What are we going to do now?” Leo asked as she shut the door, bringing her back to the moment at hand.

  “We are going to start getting you ready for bed.”

  “I don’t want to go to bed,” he protested.

  “I know. Let’s get your bath and get you in your jammies and then we can read a story. How does that sound?”

  Anything sounded better than being banished to bed. “All right!”

  Leo was in no hurry to settle down, and Sienna understood why. They had enjoyed a Hallmark-movie kind of day, a veritable ice-cream sundae of fun, their two families blending perfectly. The cherry on top had been seeing Leo’s archenemy get a dose of the humiliation he’d been doling out. Ah, yes, a very satisfying day.

  Rita called after Leo was in bed. “So, did you guys hang out after the tree lighting?”

  “We did.”

  “Good. It looks like maybe this relationship is going somewhere.”

  “Maybe. It’s too soon to know for sure.” Although that kiss...

  “Are you kidding? Anyone with eyes can see you two are crazy about each other.”

  But they were in that early phase of a relationship where everything about the other person looked perfect, where flaws played hide-and-seek.

  Still, when she pulled up in front of Tim’s house, she couldn’t help feeling that she’d somehow come home, that her house, which she’d considered her forever home, had been only a warm-up act for this.

  It was a Craftsman-style farmhouse, painted red. It had a big porch with an old-fashioned porch swing that begged visitors to come sit for a while and enjoy themselves. His truck sat in the driveway along with an older compact car. There was the big tree in the yard, with a snow-covered wooden picnic table under it. This was a house that had been meant for a family.

  The girls had been watching, and they came racing down the porch steps to greet Leo as he and Sienna came up the walk. Tim stood in the doorway, a large, welcoming figure. Yes, I come with the place.

  “Want to see my doll collection?” Amelia asked, grabbing Leo’s hand and towing him inside.

  “Hi, Sienna,” Amy said shyly.

  “Thanks for having us,” Sienna said to her as Tim took her coat.

  “We made blackberry syrup for the pancakes,” she said.

  “I’ve never made syrup. Maybe someday you can show me how.”

  Amy gave her a quick smile and a nod, then raced off down the hall after the other two.

  “They’re sweet kids,” Sienna said to Tim.

  “Yeah, they are. They like you.”

  “I’m not...a threat? Or an intruder? I mean, they already have a mom.”

  “Sort of. She’s not bad,” he amended. “She’s there for the big stuff, but I think a lot of times the girls come in second after the boyfriend. Anyway, the girls and I already had a talk,” he added with a grin. “They gave their old man permission to date. They figure if Mom can have a boyfriend, I should be able to have a girlfriend.”

  “That’s generous of them.” Not to mention mature.

  “I thought so. Know anyone who might want to apply?”

  “I might.”

  He chuckled. “That will be a relief to Amy. She’s my little worrier. She doesn’t want me to be alone in my old age. She’s already volunteered to take care of me if I can’t get it together and find someone.”

  “Very noble,” Sienna said with a smile. As if Tim Richmond would have trouble finding anyone.

  “I told her not to worry. I could handle it.” He reached out and drew Sienna to him. “How am I doing so far?”

  “So far, so good,” she told him, and he kissed her. Every time he touched her, she felt the jolt. The electricity between them was addicting.

  Oh, yes, so far, very good.

  Sharing a meal with Tim and his girls felt natural, as if they’d all been together for years. “Your syrup is really good,” she said to Amy, and the child flushed with pleasure.

  “We picked those berries last summer, didn’t we, girls?” Tim said.

  Amelia nodded. “Daddy freezes them so we can make syrup when we come over.”

  Whatever Tim Richmond’s hidden flaws were, they weren’t in the parenting department.

  After they’d finished, the girls took Leo outside to make a snowman and Tim and Sienna strolled to the orchard for a closer look. The trees were nothing more than twisted skeletons edged in white, reaching toward a weak winter sun.

  “If you saw it in spring when this is all in bloom, you’d fall in love with it,” Tim said.

  She was already well on her way, even with the trees taking their bleak winter slumber. “I can imagine.” She could also imagine being here permanently, watching the orchard go through the seasons. “You know, in California a lot of people have orange or lemon trees right in their yards. I always thought that was so cool, picking your fruit right off the tree instead of out of a bin in the store.”

  “I don’t have any orange trees but you can pick an apple off one of my trees anytime. In fact, I hope you will,” he added and put an arm around her.

  “Thanks,” she said and smiled up at him. She loved the feel of that big arm hugging her. It felt so right. He felt so right. “Tim Richmond, do you have any faults at all? I can’t seem to find a single one.”

  “Oh, I’ve got ’em,” he said. “I love to tinker on cars and get all greasy. I lose track of time and tend to run late. I’m a wimp when it comes to disciplining my girls—I hate to say no to them. I snore.”

  “Terrible flaws,” she said, shaking her head.

  “I can find more if you need me to,” he jo
ked.

  “These will do for starters,” she joked back.

  They had just gotten back to the front yard when a car roared up the drive. It was a new model and made quite the contrast to its older cousin parked next to Tim’s truck. The driver was a woman, somewhere in her late thirties with long blond, perfectly highlighted hair. It wasn’t hard to figure out who it was.

  “Shit,” Tim muttered and made his way over to the car.

  Sienna hung back as the woman let down her window, but she could still hear the conversation from where she stood. “You weren’t answering your cell,” the woman complained. She shot a speculative look in Sienna’s direction. “I thought you were going to have the girls back by two.”

  “You said three, Erica.”

  “Mom’s party starts at three. Now we’re going to be late,” she said irritably.

  “Hey, don’t blame me because you got your wires crossed. The party will still be going when you get there. Girls,” he called. “Your mom’s here.”

  “Come on, girls, hurry!” she added.

  The girls made their way toward the car slowly. Leo followed them. “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “We have to go to our grandma’s,” Amelia said.

  “You get to go to your grandma’s,” her mother corrected. “Oh, Tim, look at them. They’re all sweaty,” she said in disgust. “Now we’ll have to go back to the house and clean up.”

  “Kids play. They get sweaty.”

  “They wouldn’t have if you’d brought them back when you were supposed to.”

  “Hey, lighten up,” he growled. “Or next time you need a midweek babysitter so you and the moron can run off to Vegas for a so-called convention, I may be too busy to help out.”

  “You’re an asshole,” she informed him. “Get in the car, girls,” she ordered.

  “Bye, Leo,” Amelia said, her disappointment at having to leave behind her new friend evident.

  “Bye,” Leo said, equally despondent.

  Then Erica, the ex, turned the car around and roared off.

  Amy leaned her head out the back window and called, “Bye, Daddy! See you at Christmas!”

  Tim waved, smiling for his daughter. As soon as the car had reached the end of the drive, he dropped both his hand and his smile. He turned to Sienna. “Well, now you’ve met the ex.”

  “You have my condolences,” she said, trying to lighten the moment.

  He shrugged. “She’s not that bad, really. She is kind of a drama queen, though,” he added.

  “A little bit,” Sienna agreed. She’d seen the way the queen had looked at her. She may have divorced Tim but she still expected to reign supreme in his life.

  Sienna was wondering if she could live with that when he asked, “So, what are you doing Christmas Day? Want company? I’ve only got the girls Christmas Eve.”

  He wasn’t married to the queen anymore. She’d had her chance with Tim. The old queen was gone. Long live the new queen.

  “You don’t want to be alone on Christmas Day,” she said. Neither did she.

  “I sure don’t. Normally I go over to Uncle Bob’s, but it looks like he’s been invited out to Christmas dinner.”

  “Don’t tell me—let me guess. Mrs. Zuckerman?”

  “Her kids are coming up and she wants him to meet the family.”

  “Wow, that’s moving right along.”

  “He tells me he’s not getting any younger and he doesn’t have any time to waste,” Tim said with a smile. “I know how he feels. I don’t want to waste time, either.”

  That made two of them. It looked like this Christmas was going to be one of the best ever.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Friendship is one of the best gifts you’ll ever receive. Every friend we have brings something special into our lives.

  —Muriel Sterling, A Guide to Happy Holidays

  Dot and Arnie returned from their trip on Saturday. Muriel had expected to hear from him, had been sure he’d come over Sunday after church or at least call. Instead, it was Dot who called.

  “Hey, I’m back.”

  “Welcome home,” Muriel said dutifully.

  “Come on over this evening,” Dot said. “I’ve got prezzies for all you girls.”

  There was only one present Muriel wanted, and that was to go back in time and put herself on the cruise with Arnie, but she promised to show up for Dot’s postcruise party. Maybe Arnie would be there.

  He wasn’t. It was only the girls, the members of the original LAMs—Life After Men. A lot had changed since the four women first formed their widows’ support group. Both Pat and Olivia had gotten remarried. And now it was looking like even Dot would no longer be a LAM. Everyone was now a LWM. Except Muriel. She had to force herself to smile as she sat down in Dot’s living room.

  It was a cozy room, with a vintage floral couch, a matching chair and a rocking chair. Pictures of Dot’s daughter, Tilda, were everywhere, hung on the walls and in silver frames on end tables, marking the milestones of her life, from her school athlete days to her graduation from the police academy.

  Dot had lived vicariously through her daughter for years. Now she was finally living for herself. Muriel knew she needed to be happy about that. Okay, happiness elves, get busy and mix up some happiness for me.

  The elves were obviously on strike for more candy canes, because Muriel was finding it hard to find the requisite happiness. And that made her even more miserable. What a rotten friend she was.

  Especially in light of how generous Dot was being. In addition to making them all rouladen, she’d brought back presents for everyone—Christmas decorations she’d purchased at the various Christmas markets. Pat received a nutcracker to add to her collection. For Olivia, Dot had found a miniature cuckoo clock tree ornament to hang on the tree in the lobby of the lodge. She’d brought Muriel a set of three small glass votive candleholders painted with holiday scenes.

  “They’re really pretty when you have the candle lit in them,” she said. “I thought they’d look nice on your mantel.”

  “Thank you,” Muriel murmured and felt like even more of a heel for her bad attitude. The gift was truly beautiful.

  “I think Ed and I are going to have to take this cruise next year,” Pat said. “Sounds like you two had a great time.”

  “We had the time of our lives,” Dot said. “The food, the people, the scenery—all those gorgeous old towns.”

  “Which one was your favorite?” Pat asked.

  “Rothenburg, hands down. It’s a walled town on the Neckar—cobbled streets, gorgeous old buildings. It looks like something out of a storybook. And, of course, it was all lit up for the holidays, and they had snow. Well, you saw the pictures.”

  “They were all gorgeous,” Olivia said. “So, how did all those towns compare to Icicle Falls?”

  “Well, the fact that they really are German towns gives them all a head start,” Dot said with a chuckle. “But we’re not doing so bad. Still, there’s nothing like the real thing. I loved Germany—loved the Christmas markets, loved the food, loved the scenery and the people. I’d go back in a heartbeat. And let me tell you, I’m hooked on cruising. Especially with Arnie. He’s the best.”

  Yes, he was. And up until now he’d been Muriel’s. She’d seen the potential in that stupid tree she’d bought. Why hadn’t she been able to see the potential in a closer relationship with Arnie?

  “What’s wrong, Muriel?” Dot asked.

  Muriel pulled herself out of her unpleasant reverie. “Hmm? Oh, nothing. I’m great.”

  “Are you sure? You’re not your normal sweet, syrupy self.”

  “I am not syrupy,” Muriel snapped.

  Dot’s eyes widened. “Sorry. I was only teasing. But you don’t look happy.”


  “Well, I am,” Muriel said with a scowl. “And I’m glad you had such a nice time.” So there.

  “All right, spill,” Olivia said later as she and Muriel drove away. “What’s the matter? Dot was right. You’re not yourself.”

  “I don’t know,” Muriel said. “I’m happy Arnie and Dot had a chance to get away.” At least, she was trying to be.

  “But?”

  Muriel sighed. “But, if I have to be honest, I’m jealous. Dot and Arnie...” She sighed again. “I shouldn’t be. They’re both my friends. And poor Arnie. I’ve never given him any reason to hope. Do you think there’s something going on between them?”

  “I don’t know. They obviously had a good time.”

  “Of course, it would be impossible not to have a good time when you’re on a cruise. With a friend.”

  “True.”

  Muriel gnawed on her lip. “Dot texted me that she thought she was in love. Do you think it could be with Arnie?”

  “Well, she did disappear into the kitchen when he called.” Olivia gave Muriel a sympathetic look. “There’s only one reason you disappear to take a call. Love talk.”

  Love talk. Now Muriel was even more unhappy.

  Arnie was in love, but not with her. She could have had him so many times, if only she hadn’t been such a man snob.

  Man snob—that brought back memories. Suddenly, it was the fall of her sophomore year in high school again. A new boy had moved to town and every girl had been eyeing him.

  Bill Bernard was a junior, an older man. He was a football player and he had the husky build to prove it. He was rugged and sexy, and with his blue eyes and blond hair, Muriel and her best friend, Pat, had dubbed him the Viking. Half the girls in school had crushes on him, including Muriel.

  “So he plays football,” Arnie said as he walked home with her and Pat and Olivia. “Big deal.”

  “It is around here,” Pat said. “We need good players. Our team stinks.”

  “I don’t get why everybody likes football,” Arnie said in response. “It’s just a bunch of fat guys knocking each other over. Neanderthals. And you know what happened to the Neanderthals? They died out. It was the smart guys who survived.”