Dad walked by the doorway and then backtracked. “What’s going on?”
Tannon shook his head and sat on the edge of the couch, his knees bent and his elbows on his knees. “Nothing.”
“Right. You’ve worn a pattern in the carpet for no reason.”
Tannon glanced at his dad and then looked away. If he was quiet, Dad would leave.
Dad sighed. He walked around the armchair and then settled in. He laced his shaking fingers together and rested his chin on top of them. “When you were sick, I couldn’t stand to see you suffer as you did. I used work as an excuse to miss your appointments.” He dropped his chin. “Bless your mother, she let me. She was the strong one. I let her carry too much.” He cleared his throat. “I couldn’t stand the thought of the putting her through that again, so I, uh, I had a procedure done so we wouldn’t have any more children.”
That got Tannon’s attention. His mouth dropped open. “Does Mom know?”
Dad pressed his lips into a thin line. “She does now. I didn’t tell her back then. We’re going to counseling.” He cleared his throat. “The counselor thought it would be a good idea to tell you—so you would understand why we’ve clung to Brody so tightly.”
Tannon scooted back into the cushions—not sure he was ready to hear more.
“When we saw him in the hospital, it was like we’d been given a gift, another chance. But we’re coming to realize that some decisions aren’t reversible and you have to figure out how to live with the consequences.” He tugged his ear. “It’s a big pill to swallow.”
“Wow.” Tannon hadn’t even begun to process the information.
“We’ll try to back off a little, give you and Frost some space to make your own family with Brody. Who knows? We might like being the cool grandparents.”
Tannon shook his head. “Frost and I. We aren’t. There was this thing …”
Dad stared at him for a long time. Long enough that Tannon had to shift positions so his good leg didn’t fall asleep. Finally he said, “If you love her, really love her, then don’t let her go. But if you can see a life without her, then perhaps it’s for the best.” He rubbed his palms together. “Dad Advice 101.”
Tannon chuckled. The weight of the ring-sized jewelry box suddenly heavy in his pocket. “It’s good advice.”
Dad put his hand on Tannon’s prosthetic knee. Tannon sucked in. Dad had never touched his leg before. “Then what are you waiting for?”
Tannon cringed. He wasn’t quite sure what he was going to say to her, but he felt bad for not believing in her enough to wait her out a few days. A few days? What was that? It was a blink in the grand scheme of things, and he’d not even bothered to give her a wink. “She’ll be mad at me. I walked out on her.”
“Woo her. Turn on that Cebu charm.”
Tannon rolled his eyes as he got to his feet. “Brody’s helping Mom wrap neighbor gifts. Call if he needs me, will you?”
“You bet.” Dad leaned back in the chair and picked up a Golf magazine off the side table. “Take your time.”
Tannon drove to Frost’s house faster than he should have. He knocked on the door and rang the bell, snapping his fingers in anticipation. The door stayed shut; the lights stayed off. He turned away, feeling as though he was pulling Jacob Marley’s chains along behind him. He’d come back in a little while and then a while after that until he found Frost and they worked this out.
Chapter 29
Frost sat between her grandparents during Sunday services. She wore a lightweight sundress in Christmas green with beadwork around the hem that brushed her ankles and whispered the sound of jingle bells. Palm leaf fans swirled above their heads to create a breeze for those in the congregation who struggled with the heat.
Thankfully, Baron, Grandpa’s reindeer, didn’t have the same aversion to her that those back at the North Pole seemed to have. He’d let her hitch a ride to church in Cabo San Lucas without dropping her in the ocean. Of course, Grandpa had a tight hold on the reins and Baron’s feed bucket, so the old guy wasn’t likely to try anything fishy.
Her mom had stayed long enough to see the last guest out of the mill and put things to rights. She’d sent leftover cookies and brownies home with the managers and their families, making sure they knew how grateful Bison was for the extra time they put in at the mill.
Grandma and Grandpa had helped take out the trash, sweep the floor, and remove the lights from the ceiling. Grandpa didn’t say, but she suspected Baron had an antler in the process. She couldn’t count how many times she had wished for a flying reindeer while hanging them up. Afterward, Grandma had swept into her rental house, gathered her into the sleigh, and flown her to Mexico for some much-needed TLC. They’d sipped cocoa with chili powder as Frost told Grandma all that had happened, from the first letter to the last goodbye. Grandma tsked her tongue and clucked about honesty in a relationship, which Frost listened too with a leaden heart. She ached for Tannon.
The pastor, a man shorter than Frost with silver hair, continued his sermon. “There’s no mountain too tall for God. You may think things are bad in your life. You may even feel as though you are buried in the depths of the sea. But God sees you, and He calls you His.”
Frost took comfort in the knowledge that she belonged to someone. God would never forsake her. He loved all his children—even when they screwed up.
The pastor wrapped up the sermon, and they headed out for a lunch of fresh fish and mango salsa. As they were sitting around the table, Frost picking at her food, Grandpa said, “I liked what you did on Main Street with the Nativity. It’s stunning.”
“Thanks, but Joseph carved it.”
“I know; I recognized his work. But I’m talking about the note board.”
Frost sat up. “What board?”
“The one on the stable wall.” Grandpa fished his cell phone out of his shirt pocket. He lifted his nose, squinted, and then went back into the pocket to find his glasses.
Frost sat on her hands and bounced in her seat. Finally, he tapped the screen a couple of times and handed her the phone. She held it close to her face. There, behind the baby Jesus, were hundreds of notes tacked to the stable wall. She zoomed in and was able to read one.
Thank you, Jesus, for my children.
She moved the screen to find another one.
Thank you for my home.
And another.
My biggest blessing is being able to go back to school.
I talked to my daughter for the first time since she ran away. She’s coming home for Christmas. Thank you, Jesus.
Her head spun. “Are all these thank-you notes?”
Grandpa nodded. “Most. Some are lists of blessings. Some are prayers.”
Frost set the phone down next to her plate. “I didn’t do this. I had no idea.”
Grandma patted her hand. “You did. You brought Christmas back to Elderberry, and the Holy Spirit followed.”
Frost’s eyes dropped to her plate. “I can’t take credit. I wasn’t honest.”
Grandpa’s blue eyes twinkled. “Well, the Lord works with who He has.”
“And no one’s perfect, sugar,” added Grandma. “The important thing is to keep trying to spread good in the world.”
Frost let that soak in. She spoke slowly as her thoughts came together—some assembly required. “I wasn’t doing that in the mail room, and I think that’s why I behaved like a small person. But since I’ve been in Elderberry, trying to make a difference, I feel … bigger.” She smiled ruefully. “I think Mom was trying to tell me that the other night. That it wasn’t about organizing a party or planning a parade—it was about going through something hard and letting it refine me.”
“Losing Tannon was hard,” Grandma agreed.
Frost winked. “I think I may still have a shot.”
“What do you have in mind?” Grandpa loved a good show.
“Hang on.” Frost picked up Grandpa’s phone and dialed Ginger, putting the call on speaker.
&n
bsp; She picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Gramps.”
Grandpa leaned close to the phone and yelled, “Hello, sugarplum!”
“Hi, Ginger.”
“Frost?”
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m in Mexico. I’m going to patch in the others.” She made short work of getting a lot of people on the phone, saving Stella for last.
Stella answered with a groan. “Grandpa, you know it’s the day before Christmas Eve, right?”
Grandpa chuckled and pointed at Frost, telling her she’d better explain.
“It’s me.”
“What’s the dire emergency, Frost? Because someone had better be stuck up a chimney for you to be calling me today.”
“Hey,” griped Ginger.
“Oh, good,” groused Frost, “we’re all here.”
“Every one of us, dear,” responded Mom as a warning to keep her sarcasm to a minimum.
“Start talking. I’ve got Talks-a-Lot dolls that need shoes,” Stella barked.
Frost felt the rush of Christmas. If she were home, she’d be reading her eyes raw right now. She needed to make this work.
“I believe this is what Grandpa would call a Hail Mary.” Frost rubbed her hands together and motioned for her grandparents to move in closer as she explained her plan. When she was done, she held her breath. She’d never be able to pull this off without her family. “I know you’re all super busy, but, well, I’m hoping this will level things off at home and we can go back to Christmas as normal.”
“Leveling off would be the preferable course of action,” said Quik. He’d been silent through her whole explanation, and she was grateful for his support. Sometimes, she didn’t know what her über-smart brother-in-law thought of her love of textiles and penchant for high elf fashion. “I’ll stay here and monitor things so Lux can come. She should be there.”
Frost fisted her hands and pulled them against her cheeks. “There’s a navy ball gown in your closet. Please wear it.” She’d bought the dress four months ago, knowing it would look stunning on her sister. “And Robyn, we picked up that navy dress when you were here.”
“I know the one. I’ve been dying for a reason to put it on.”
Frost squealed. “Stella—”
“You’ll be lucky to have me in whatever I have on.”
Christmas Eve toy production, Frost reminded herself. “Cobalt blue? If you have it. It’ll make your light skin glow.” She threw that last part out as an incentive, hoping Stella would take thirty seconds to find the dress.
Frost closed her eyes and pictured the paintings in the Hall of Santas Past. “Ginger, you and Joseph will have to go into the archives to find Great-Grandpa’s and -Grandma’s blue velvet.”
“I’m already halfway there,” Ginger promised.
“And I’m so excited to wear old people’s clothing,” added Joseph, deadpan.
“What about me, Auntie Frost?” chirped Layla.
Frost chewed her lip. “Wear your Halloween princess dress.”
“My costume?” She could picture her niece scrunching her nose.
“Its silver, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s perfect. You are a Christmas princess, after all.”
Layla squealed. Frost’s heart leapt. She wanted a daughter so badly! “Mom—”
“I’ll take care of me and your dad. I think I get where you’re going with all this.”
Frost nodded quickly, even though they couldn’t see it. “I’ll whip up something for Grandma and Gramps in my Kringle bag, and we’ll meet you in Elderberry. Don’t forget my dress. It’s in the back of my closet.”
“I won’t, dear.” Mom’s smile came through in her voice.
“Dad?” He’d been silent, and she needed to hear his jolly voice. “Do you think this will work?”
Dad sniffed. “If it doesn’t—he doesn’t deserve you.”
Frost’s face scrunched up. After all she’d done, the years of misleading them and breaking a Santa rule, her Dad still thought she was worth defending. “Love you, Dad.”
A chorus of I-love-yous came through the line, and then they all hung up. Frost giggled. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“Well, you aren’t doing anything sitting there. We need to get back to Elderberry.” Grandma was on her feet, snatching Grandpa’s plate right out from underneath him. He scowled.
Frost patted his tummy. “Don’t worry. I have cookies at my place.”
He smiled, his beard lifting. “Let’s go win the heart of this young man.”
Frost giggled nervously. She hoped Tannon’s heart was still up for winning.
Chapter 30
Tannon paced in front of the baby-blue convertible. His family was in the grocery parking lot around the corner from Main Street. The marching band’s rendition of “Sleigh Ride” rang through the air. He’d looked between buildings only to find the back of hundreds of people lined up to watch the parade. “She’s here somewhere.”
“You’ll find her,” Mom called after him. She and Dad were all smiles tonight. They’d approached the parade with childlike glee that rivaled Brody’s excitement. It seemed everyone in town floated on a wave of Christmas cheer.
Tannon wasn’t as cheery as the rest of Elderberry. Oh, he felt the Christmas Spirit, all right, and he had a lighter heart than he had in a long time, but he wanted Frost. Wanted to hold her close and tell her how much he loved her over and over again. He’d asked everyone he’d met if they’d seen Frost. Almost all of them had seen her at sometime during the day, but no one knew where she was now.
Dad patted Brody on the back, encouraging him to scoot over and make room for Tannon on the back seat of the blue convertible. “You’re not going to find her back here. Come on. We were supposed to go first, and now we’re at the end.”
“I’m coming,” Tannon grumbled. The driver, another Santa look-alike with a white beard and a blue business suit, held the front seat forward so Tannon could step into the back. He managed to get in without any trouble.
The driver flipped the seat back, his blue eyes twinkling. “I think you’re going to like this seat. Best one in the house.”
Tannon nodded absently. The longer he was away from Frost, the more agitated he became.
They maneuvered into position and made their way to Main Street, waiting for the announcer to give them their cue. The street, which had bustled only moments before, suddenly went quiet.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you’d please welcome our Grand Marshals—the Cebu Family.”
A cheer went up, and Tannon’s attention went to the faces in the crowd. There was Cratchit, his bowler hat perched on his head and his arm around his wife. He gave Tannon a thumbs-up. There were other employees and familiar faces from church. Tannon smiled and waved, not wanting to let his pain ruin this moment for everyone else. He’d contemplated not riding in the parade, but in the end, he couldn’t turn his back on the old and also new Christmas tradition.
The float in front of them turned off Main Street, and Tannon realized there was a stage set up at the end of the square. It was all lit up and covered in snowflakes. “Frost outdid herself,” Tannon said.
“She always loved a party,” said the driver. He parked the car right in front of the stage and got out, pulling his seat forward.
Mom motioned for him to get out. She and Dad were grinning widely. Brody looked between the three of them, wondering what was going on. At least Tannon wasn’t the only one who was lost.
Tannon gave the driver a questioning look. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a gold-embossed envelope. Aged and well handled, Tannon recognized his own eight-year-old script. He stared into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen, watched as they twinkled with Christmas Magic, and believed he was staring at Santa himself.
Santa spoke quietly. “You captured my daughter’s heart with one letter, Tannon Cebu.”
“Your daughter?” Tannon reached for the envelope, hardly believing what he sa
w. “You know Miss Kringle?”
He let out a hearty Ho Ho Ho. “So do you.”
Tannon shook his head, and it was like his thoughts tumbled into place. “Frost.”
Santa tapped the side of his nose. The marching band played a quick burst of trumpets as if they were announcing royalty.
A couple wearing blue Santa costumes climbed stairs at the back of the stage. The crowd went crazy waving at them. A young girl in a silver dress walked with them. Tannon caught sight of a tinsel tattoo on the woman’s arm, glinting in the stage lights. “Ginger?” He glanced at Santa for confirmation.
“And Joseph. He’s a carpenter by trade but fills out the suit nicely, don’t you think? And that’s Layla—she’s our Christmas princess.”
Tannon grinned. This was Miss Kringle’s—Frost’s—real family. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and yet he knew exactly who they were. Next came Lux and Robyn—he’d recognize Lux’s curly red hair anywhere, and Robyn had a biggest-sister air about her. According to Frost’s letters, Lux’s husband was wanted all over the world and couldn’t exactly show up at a public event.
Mom grabbed Dad’s sleeve. “Their dresses,” she said reverently.
Tannon laughed. He’d bet dollars to doughnuts Frost picked them out.
There was a mad ringing of jingle bells and the sound of sled runners on concrete. Tannon only recognized the sound because he’d heard it when he’d pushed the sled through the big door.
Half a breath later, Stella, wearing navy leggings, a silver miniskirt, and a gray fur top, stepped up on the arm of a man Tannon couldn’t place. She glanced at him from under lowered lashes. He stared around in wide-eyed wonder as if he couldn’t quite believe he was there.
“That’s my cue.” Santa hopped spryly onto the stage to take Gail’s hand as she made her way to the growing group of Kringles. Behind her were Frost’s grandparents, also dressed to the nines. Frost’s touch was all over everything happening onstage, and Tannon’s heart was calling for her.
Marrying Miss Kringle: Frost Page 24
