by Lorin Grace
The funny British voice got them to the glass warehouse, but Sean did wonder if it had guided them in a circle. “Remind me to look at your app. I think he is one tire short of a set.”
Tessa laughed and opened her door. Sean noticed an auto-parts store next door. “While you return this, I am going to run next door.”
Tessa picked up her crate of glass. “Would you mind getting the front door for me first?”
Nana would have banned him from her cookie jar for a week for his lack of manners. He should be carrying the crate, too. “Of course.”
As soon as Tessa was inside, he hurried to the auto-parts store. It only took a minute to find what he needed. The clerk looked at him funny when Sean insisted he needed a bag but gave him one anyway. Sean beat Tessa back to the car. He wasn’t sure how she would react to his impulse buy, but no way on earth would he let her leave Blue Pines without a new battery in that old car of hers.
The window company the reverend had hired knew their stuff. Tessa was relieved not to need to ask Sean to help place the window. How had she gotten herself into this mess again? She had to either part ways with Sean when things looked like they had a chance of being beautiful or try a long-distance relationship.
She decided to clean the window top to bottom on the inside as the workers from the window company wiped the exterior during the install process. And the new pieces were cleaner than the surrounding window. Standing on the ladder and using only water and her special cleaning cloths, Tessa reminded herself of all the reasons a long-distance relationship wouldn’t work.
She’d proven the theory. After her weeks in Europe, she’d thought she and Gavin were something special. Upon her return to the States, they’d continued to exchange text messages and phone calls. Gavin had invited her to come visit him on multiple occasions. Driving back to college from a trip to Grandma’s last August gave her the perfect opportunity to drop by.
She’d texted; he’d responded. She’d taken a detour.
The only person who seemed unsurprised when Gavin opened the door was Vanessa, her roommate for most of the Europe trip. In fact, clad in one of Gavin’s trademark button-down shirts, Vanessa seemed downright pleased, her smile growing as the inevitable nasty insults, truths, and, finally, tears followed.
Tessa had cried through most of Pennsylvania and thought of nasty insults she would have liked to have said in Ohio. By the time she reached Candace’s house in Indiana, she’d sworn off men and channeled her anger to turn the next four months’ worth of Friday nights into a stained-glass window they installed in the library and two prairie-style windows for Mandy’s new house.
Daniel liked them so much he offered her a business partnership if she ever wanted to open her own studio. She knew from watching Shark Tank that his terms were far too generous and turned him down. But he insisted the offer remained. Days like today tempted her to take him up on it. She loved glass, and having her own studio would be fantastic. If she started it near Grandma’s, she would only be about two hours from Blue Pines. A two-hour drive wasn’t exactly a long-distance relationship . . .
She shook her head. What was she thinking? She’d never once considered setting up shop in Connecticut.
Standing on ground level, she finished the last pane and surveyed her work.
She heard someone come up behind her.
“You do great work. I’ve looked at that window for twenty-seven years, and if I didn’t know where the repairs were made, I could never tell. Are you driving back to your grandmother’s tonight?” Sean gave her a side hug.
Tessa shook her head. “I need to clean up my mess in the catacombs and all my tools. It will take me at least an hour to pack up, and then I need to pack at the hotel.”
“Can you do clean up in the morning?”
The warmth spreading through her was all Sean’s presence. “Why?”
“Because it’s twenty minutes until the 5:15 train into the city leaves, and I think it would be a shame for you to be here at Christmastime and not see the Rock.”
“The rock?”
“Rockefeller Center. You know, the place with the tree and ice skating featured in every Christmas movie ever filmed in New York.”
“I’m a mess.”
“If we hurry, we can stop by the inn and you can change.”
“I’m in. Give me a minute to put this stuff away.” Tessa waved to the ladder and her tools.
“I’ll put the ladder away.”
They took Gertie to the inn and then the station and had all of thirty-five seconds to spare. Sean gave Tessa the window seat. They were both breathing hard from the run across the lot.
“I can’t believe Gertie started both times for us on the first try. It must be another one of your grandfather’s Christmas miracles.”
“It must be.”
Tessa turned from the window and studied Sean, her eyes narrowing. “What did you do to my car?”
Caught. She was more perceptive than he thought. “Who says I did anything with your car?”
She poked him in the chest. “Me. Now spill.”
“I may have given Gertie a new battery and cleaned a couple of connections.”
“Sean, you can’t spend that type of money on me.”
“I didn’t. I spent it on Gertie.”
“How much do I owe you?” She poked him again.
Sean grabbed her hand. “Nothing. I used my movie money.”
“I’ve priced batteries. Your movie money only covered half of it unless you found an amazing sale. Let me at least give you my movie money.”
“But you already spent it.” Too late, Sean realized his mistake. He saw the second Tessa knew it also.
“How do you know that?”
“I heard part of your conversation with Candace the other night. I didn’t want to embarrass you, so I pretended I didn’t hear you yelling.”
Tessa sat back in her seat, but Sean didn’t let go of her hand. They sat in silence while Tessa watched out the window.
He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. “For about an hour I wanted to drive to every antique store I could find and punch every single guy I could find working at one.”
The half-smile she gave him when she turned from the window made his heart do funny things it never did before, like grow three sizes and leave no room to breathe.
“I could be mad at you for listening, but you let me keep some shred of dignity the other night. And that is what I needed most. If I’d known you knew, I could have never gone and gotten cookies with you and your grandfather. Thanks.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, and they rode in silence the rest of the way.
— Rockefeller is so much better than in the movies!
Candace’s text came just seconds later. Did you go alone or with Sean?
— Not answering. But the tree was amazing!
Did you ice skate like they do in all the Homefire films?
— No, but we ate chestnuts and window-shopped. Tessa didn’t tell about finding the perfect gifts for her roommates.
So, was it a date? Did he kiss you good night?
— Maybe.
So, you mean yes. You are so out of the club.
— I’ll be leaving tomorrow.
Are you going to have regrets?
— Probably. I will always wonder what could have been.
Oh, girl. Hugs.
— Thx
What are you doing now?
— Cleaning up so I can go to Gran’s in the morning.
Okay. Night.
— TTFN
Tessa started to sort the leftover pieces of glass. Some were too small to be useful, but it was a shame to toss the scraps. Tessa squinted and started arranging them. They began to take on a shape. It wouldn’t take t
oo long, and they would make the perfect Christmas gifts for the reverend and Sean. Well, she would add Sean’s to the multi-tool she’d watched him play with in one of the stores. It wasn’t the expensive one he examined longer, but he would know it was out of her college student budget.
She plugged in her soldering iron and went to work.
nineteen
An inch of snow covered Gertie’s windshield. It would be a white Christmas. Tessa hummed tunes as she loaded the trunk. Margo gave her some wrapping paper from the gift shop after Tessa told her about the stained-glass ornaments. She needed to wrap the ones for the Cavanaghs she’d left in the storage area and return the key.
Turning on Gertie’s wipers, she couldn’t help but wonder if the snow was beginning to fall harder now. She pulled in, turned the car off, and started toward the church.
What was that leaning against the back door? Halfway there she recognized the eight-foot-long boxes.
She turned and ran through the snow for the parsonage. “Sean! Sean!”
The door opened as she was lowering her fist to knock, and she hit Sean’s chest. At least it hadn’t been his grandfather. “The pipes! The pipes are at the church!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him after her. Sean quickly took the lead.
They ran up the stairs and stared at the boxes. “Where did they come from?”
Tessa searched for prints in the snow. “Where are your shoes?”
Sean looked at his bare feet. “Let’s get these in the church, and then I’ll go get some.” He felt his pockets. “Do you have a key?”
Tessa produced the candy-cane-shaped ring and unlocked the door. They moved the boxes into the corridor.
“I can’t believe it.” Sean tried to pull the tape from the boxes. Tessa handed him the key to use. “They are all here, and they are repaired. How?”
Tessa ran her hand down the pipes, hoping to find a clue. “Look, a packing slip.”
Only the address of the church and the list of repairs. Words in red ink replaced the spot where the dollar amount should have been.
Have a Merry Christmas concert. St. Nick.
“St. Nick?”
“Saint Nicholas, maybe?” asked Tessa.
“Granda is never going to believe this.”
“Speaking of which, you need some shoes, and maybe you should dry your hair?” Tessa nearly added putting something on other than the thin T-shirt he wore, but she knew if she mentioned it, she would turn bright red.
Sean stood still, holding the key. “I am going to lock these in. I am afraid they are some sort of mirage.”
“I think those happen in the desert, not in the snow.”
They ran back to share the news.
The reappearance of the pipes perplexed Reverend Cavanagh too. “You are sure no one else was in the building that day?”
“I heard someone come in the back door. I assumed it was you. I didn’t hear anything else for a minute or two. Then this man, Mick, or Rick, came looking for you. He didn’t leave a message, but he did ask me about the pipes.”
“How did he know about the pipes?” Sean practically yelled his question.
“I told him about them the night before at the inn.”
A broad smile bloomed on the reverend’s face. “I think I know who our pipe angel is. Nick.”
Sean started laughing, then he grabbed Tessa in a hug and spun her around. “I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to tell the one person in town who has the resources to help with the pipes.”
“You know he will deny it,” said the reverend. “So we are left with a Christmas miracle.”
“Okay, Granda, I agree with you. We have Christmas!”
Tessa’s phone rang. “Mom?”
The panic in her mother’s voice echoed through the phone. “Are you driving?”
“No, I haven’t left yet.”
“Well, don’t you dare in this snow. They’re saying the nor’easter is turning into a blizzard!”
“A blizzard?”
“Yes, don’t you dare drive, okay?”
“I won’t.”
“I’ll call back later. Your grandmother wants me to check on her neighbor. Love you.”
The television flared to life, the reverend working the remote. Every local station confirmed the news. All nonessential travel was discouraged as the storm had started.
The reverend lowered the volume. “Better bring in your bags. You can stay in the sewing room tonight.”
“I’m sure I can go back to the inn.”
“If as much snow falls as Channel 5 is predicting, we could well lose power. Margo will need those rooms for people with young children or stranded travelers. We own a real fireplace and lanterns. You’d better stay here.”
Tessa looked at Sean. He nodded. “Why don’t you get what you need out of the car, and I’ll finish getting dressed. Then, if you would help me install those pipes—”
“Will there still be a Christmas Eve service?”
“Yes!” both Cavanaghs answered.
“We always have Christmas,” added the reverend.
“The snow will stop in less than twenty-four hours, and almost everyone will be working today to keep the sidewalks clear. People will come out. We New Englanders don’t let a few measly inches of snow bother us.”
“The news said up to two feet. That isn’t a ‘few measly inches.’”
Both men laughed.
All things considered, it was a good evening. The pipes were installed, and his run through of various sections of the Messiah sounded so much better than the other evening. The power was still on, which, according to the news, put them in a better situation than many people. And he wasn’t averse to having Tessa around for another day. During the installation, she had proven a valuable helper.
Right now she was challenging Granda in a game of chess and was a worthier opponent than most. Sean went to see if the sewing room was ready for their guest. On occasion, his mother stayed in the room, but the sheets could have turned to dust since the last time she visited.
His mother’s flight had been delayed multiple times and finally canceled due to a storm in Florida.
He hesitated to think of his mom’s delay as a positive thing, but he wasn’t quite ready to introduce Tessa to his mother. He wanted to wait until . . . until what? He had no idea. He’d never wanted to introduce anyone to his mother before.
The portfolio lay where Tessa had left it. Sean moved it over by the door. The sheets both looked and smelled fresh. He pulled a set of towels out of the linen closet and added them to the bathroom.
The lights flickered. Sean found a flashlight, checked it for batteries, and put it on the bed in case Tessa needed it. Grabbing the portfolio, he headed downstairs.
Tessa was just putting up the chessboard, and Granda’s seat was vacant. “He’ll be back in a minute. I am going to make some hot chocolate. Do you want some?”
“Sure. I also thought we could finish looking at my father’s drawings.”
Tessa disappeared into the kitchen.
The tap-tap of Granda’s cane echoed down the hallway. “I think I am going to tell you two good night. Chances are we won’t be holding our morning service, but I want to make sure I am prepared, just in case. I don’t know that I have ever gone two weeks in a row without preaching.”
“Good night, Granda.”
Tessa’s voice echoed the sentiment from the kitchen.
Sean moved the couch closer to the fire.
Tessa brought in the hot chocolate. “I don’t know if you like flavors in your chocolate, but I found these peppermint patties.”
“I like mine pure, but I’ll show you something with the patty.” Sean unwrapped the candy and held it to his ear, where he broke
it in half. “It sounds like opening a can of soda.”
Setting her cup down, Tessa gave him a skeptical look but tried it. “Cool. Not quite ocean-in-a-seashell cool, but still pretty cool.”
Sean drank most of his cocoa before opening the portfolio. “I would say I am surprised someone kept these all this time, but you saw this house and the catacombs, so you know I shouldn’t be.” He opened the portfolio, and Tessa scooted closer.
“Is this your mother?”
“I think that was about the time they got married.”
The drawing of him in his father’s turnout gear caught him off guard. Tessa leaned into him in a side hug. “How could I have forgotten? I would put them on and try to move. They were so heavy. Dad told me as soon as they fit, I could be a fireman like him. Every birthday we would go down to the station and I would try them on. I assume he wore them that day. His body was among the 40% that weren’t––” Sean felt tears gathering behind his eyes, so he leaned back and studied the ceiling. Tessa laid her head on his shoulder.
When Sean felt ready, he sat up and turned to the next drawing. Nana and Granda. “I think I should frame this one.”
The last one was of him in his Mets cap at a game, sitting next to his father. He recognized it as his tenth birthday. The drawing wasn’t finished, his father only lightly sketched in, unlike Sean’s likeness. The photograph remained paper clipped to the corner, the paper clip having rusted and stained both the photo and paper.
“If you want, my old roommate Mandy is a master at photo manipulation. As in the CIA-wants-to-hire-her good. I am sure she could scan and repair the photo if you would like me to ask her.”
“The negative might—”
This time the lights flickered and went out.
Sean closed the portfolio and set it on the coffee table. When he sat back, he draped his arm around Tessa’s shoulder.
“At least we got to look at the whole thing.”
“I’m glad you could be with me for this. I don’t think I could have done it alone.” Sean watched the fire. Yes, today had been pretty close to perfect.
