The Christmas Promise

by Janice Carter

  Her failure to follow through with her more important reason for returning to the Cove—getting an explanation from Ben—was what had compelled her to stop kissing him last night. She’d been sidetracked, thinking all the social events—the dinners, the skating, even the shopping—were the outings of an ordinary couple. But she and Ben weren’t an ordinary couple, and unless she got what she’d come for, they never could be. She’d wrestled with that dilemma all night, knowing that a confrontation with Ben might bring her some satisfaction but could also—and this frightened her most of all—destroy any possibility of a second chance with him. A second chance she was beginning to realize she wanted.

  After packing up, Ella had remembered she hadn’t properly thanked Grace for her gift, so she’d texted to invite her to join her at Mabel’s. Perhaps the decision about whether or not to leave town was best made on a full stomach.

  Greeted by the same young woman from yesterday, Ella impulsively asked, “Is there a Mabel? Just that this place is so great, I wanted to thank her for such wonderful food.”

  “There used to be a Mabel, but she’s retired. The new owner is Sam, but he decided to keep the diner’s name.”

  “Well, please pass on my compliments. I’m waiting for a friend, so I’ll order when she arrives.”

  “Will do. Sit anywhere you like. I’ll be over with coffee in a sec.”

  Turning away, Ella noticed a few copies of The Beacon on the counter and picked one up to read while waiting for Grace. She started to flip through it when a photo caught her eye. A picture of her sitting at the book table in Grace’s store. Then she noticed the headline—Fact or Fiction?

  When she finished reading, she lowered her head onto her hands. The reporter with all those questions at the book talk. The one Grace had insisted was nothing to worry about. Yet here she was, speaking through the town’s only newspaper and drawing conclusions about Always Be Mine that Ella had preferred not to be drawn—certainly not while she was still in the Cove. Plus, there was her photograph, and not a very flattering one either. She peered around at the handful of other diners, wondering if any would recognize her.

  You’re being silly, Jacobs.

  Her mother had once said when Ella was a teen, Life isn’t always about you, Ella.

  But life in the Cove—past and present—felt very much like it was all about her. The guarded expressions when her name was uttered, the cool greetings and the brush-offs were testament to that. By the time her coffee arrived, she’d read the review again and was debating skipping her planned visit to Henry and returning to Boston right away.

  She folded the paper and set it aside. If Grace didn’t come soon, she’d leave a note with the server and go. But she’d no sooner had the thought than Grace breezed through the door, full of apologies.

  “Sorry, Ella. A bit of drama at home. My dad fell in the shower this morning.”

  “Oh no! Is he okay?”

  “Some bruises. Luckily he didn’t hit his head. He refused to be driven to emergency in Portland, so Mom called their family doctor and he came to check him out. Dad has to go for an X-ray tomorrow, and we’re supposed to keep a close eye on him.” She sat down opposite Ella and unzipped her jacket. Then her gaze fell on the folded newspaper. “Oh.”

  “Did you—”

  “Uh-huh.” Grace gave a half-hearted shrug. “She liked the novel.”

  “Yeah, that part of the article was okay. It’s just all the rest that bothers me. Raising baseless issues and implying I had something to do with what happened to Brandon.”

  “I’m sorry about that, and just to let you know, Ben had nothing to do with it.”

  “Why would Ben be involved?”

  “Well...um...because he owns the newspaper. Kind of.”

  “Ben owns The Beacon?” Ella saw Grace wince and lowered her voice. “Since when?” She noticed the server heading their way. “Let’s order first.”

  After the young woman left, Grace explained. “Ben owns it, but he doesn’t run it. He bought controlling interest a couple of months ago when the owner—a former school friend of his—needed financial help to keep the paper from going under. The Beacon has been in the Collins family for a couple of generations, and Ben hated to see it disappear or sold to some conglomerate.”

  “Has Ben read it?”

  She nodded. “Yesterday, but as I said, he didn’t know about it before.”

  “Yet he didn’t say a word to me last night.”

  “Maybe he didn’t want to...you know...put a damper on the evening.”

  Or see his chances of getting another kiss evaporate. Get a grip, Jacobs. You’re not a teenager anymore.

  “He was angry about it,” Grace added.

  “How do you know?”

  “Something my mother said. He jumped at her about...” Her voice trailed off.

  “About what?”

  “Just things. Family and business issues,” Grace said.

  Ella had no doubt she’d been part of that conversation—otherwise Grace wouldn’t look so uncomfortable. She decided to let the matter drop. Grace wasn’t the problem and, she had to admit, neither was Ben. The article simply highlighted what she’d been experiencing since her return. She was still being blamed and she had no idea how to set that right. At least, not with the town. Ben was another matter. For now, she’d end this last visit with Grace on a friendly note. She decided to change the subject. “I just found out that the real Mabel is retired and her counterpart is really a Sam.”

  Grace smiled. “Yeah. He’s new to town. Well, new a little more than a year ago.”

  Ella wondered how long a person would have to live in the Cove to be considered a genuine “townie.” Would she ever know? Not likely now.

  “You mentioned at dinner that you’d like to see Henry before you leave,” Grace said. “Are you still up for that or do you have to go right away?”

  Ella didn’t want her goodbye to Grace to end on a sour note, and she genuinely wanted to see Henry. “I can stay long enough for a short visit with him. Listen, don’t worry about the review. I’ve gotten negative comments about my writing over the years. My skin is pretty thick by now.”

  “Okay,” Grace said, her voice sounding relieved. “I’ll give you directions, but I can’t come with you. I promised Mom I’d help out with Dad this afternoon. Also, she asked me to let you know that she’ll have to take a rain check on dinner.”

  Ella had forgotten all about the dinner invitation and didn’t recall accepting anyway. “A rain check? Your mom was always so wonderfully... What’s the word I’m looking for here?”

  “Old-fashioned?”

  “Yeah, but in a nice way, not a stodgy one. I have warm memories of her.”

  “She is a good mother, especially when I was a teen. Not too intrusive. Just enough to reassure me she was thinking about me. That she knew I had stuff on my mind.”

  Ella thought of the weeks after her parents split up. The undercurrent of anger from her mother and Ella’s belief that she was being blamed for it. Not true, her mother had told her years later. But it had been hard for Ella to believe her, the words coming so long after she’d needed to hear them.

  “How did your parents react when you told them what really happened that summer?”

  The unexpected question clearly threw Grace off. She flushed and peered down at the table for a minute before answering. “They were stunned. Couldn’t believe it at first. I think they still struggle with that. Their darling girl doing something so mean.”

  Ella thought back to what Ben had said about Grace suffering, too. Cassie had taken full advantage of Grace’s teenage insecurities.

  “No one knew Brandon would do what he did,” Ella said. She reached across the table to clasp Grace’s hand. “We were just kids, and not bad ones either. Maybe it’s time to stop beating ourselves up about it.” S
he kept her eyes on Grace’s. “You asked for my forgiveness and...well...I’m sorry I haven’t come out and said it, but...” Grace’s eyes welled up and Ella felt the sting of her own tears. “I want you to know that I do forgive you.” There was a moment of silence before she added, “So how do I get to Henry’s place?”

  * * *

  “I’LL GET ONE of my men to install grab bars in the shower and by the toilet. And we need to get mats for the shower and bathtub, too.”

  Evelyn was shaking her head and Ben felt a rise of irritation. “It’s not a big deal.” He and Evelyn were sitting in the solarium after they’d persuaded Charles to rest.

  “Your father won’t like all this fuss.”

  “He doesn’t have a say in this, Mom.” He took in the worry lines in her pale face. His father’s fall that morning had frightened her badly, as it had Ben and his sister. The fact that Charles hadn’t seriously hurt himself was meaningless next to the possibility that a fall could happen again and with more serious consequences.

  Evelyn pursed her lips, obviously unhappy about riling her husband. Too bad, Ben was thinking. It was time to let Charles Winters know he was no longer running things at work and even here, at home.

  “We can’t take away his independence, Ben. That’s what gets him up in the morning. He needs to know he has a say in things.”

  “A say is merely that. It’s not him telling us what he will or will not do.”

  “The doctor says the fall might have been due to low blood pressure. I know Charles had problems last year with that.”

  “Grab bars are simply safety measures, Mom.”

  “You’re right, Ben. I’m just glad you and Grace were here. I couldn’t have gotten him on his feet by myself.”

  Any thoughts that he could resume a life beyond the Cove had slowly faded over the past several months as Ben gradually came to terms with the reality of being available for aging parents. He was thirty-five years old, divorced and essentially still working for his father. And living at home, though that would change soon.

  He hadn’t really considered what living in Lighthouse Cove permanently would be like for him. Was there a woman out there for him? Someone who could make all thought and memory of Ella Jacobs disappear? He doubted that now. The hard facts of his situation hadn’t hit him until Ella had arrived and he’d seen how his life might have been.

  Earlier that morning Ben had decided to see Ella before she left. Their parting last night had been awkward. First, she’d wanted to say good-night outside the hotel on the sidewalk—in the middle of winter. He hadn’t been expecting an invitation up to her room or even somewhere for a nightcap after that impulsive kiss, but really? The sidewalk?

  Then when he’d tried to hug her, she’d stepped back and offered a handshake instead. Awkward didn’t do justice to the moment. Now he was doubting if going to see her one last time was a wise move. If his father hadn’t fallen, he might have already been enjoying a last coffee with her at Mabel’s. Though perhaps it wasn’t too late. Perhaps his sister could take over here at home. “Where’s Grace, by the way?”

  “She went to meet up with Ella for breakfast. At Mabel’s, I think.” Evelyn pursed her lips disapprovingly. “I asked Grace to mention our dinner plans for tonight were off, since she was the one who’d suggested inviting her. All for the best anyway.”

  Ben had forgotten about the unexpected dinner invite Grace had passed on to Ella last night. His mother never ceased to surprise him, but right now her tone did. When Grace had confessed about giving Brandon—and Ella—the notes from Cassie, his mother had forgiven her daughter in the space of a heartbeat. Whereas Ella couldn’t seem to shake the role of villain in the whole sad affair. However, there was no point talking to her about it now that Ella was leaving. What really pained him was the fact that Ella had invited Grace to join her for breakfast and not him. But maybe he could fix that.

  When he turned to leave, his mother asked, “Where are you going?”

  “Uh, I have some work to do. You’ll be okay, right? Dad’s resting, and you can text me or Grace if you’re worried about him.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll be fine, Ben. I’ve decided to cook after all. Take-out pizza isn’t my idea of Sunday dinner.”

  Ben smiled, knowing puttering in the kitchen had always been therapy for his mother. As he left the solarium he texted Grace, asking if she was still with Ella at Mabel’s. His phone dinged at once.

  I’m at my place with Drew. He’s helping me unpack a shipment of books before going back to Portland. Ella went to see Henry.

  Okay. He hadn’t seen the old man since his return to town, so that would work. Minutes later he was pulling up in front of Henry’s bungalow. Another car was already parked there that he guessed was Ella’s.

  “Ben?” She stood in the doorway, surprise and something else he couldn’t identify in her face. Her lovely face, he amended.

  “Um, thought I better pop around to see Henry before my work week starts.” He cringed at the lame excuse.

  She held the door for him to step inside, where he bent down to remove his boots and place them on the mat next to hers. She was wearing jeans and the blue sweater from the other day—the one that highlighted the dramatic color of her eyes. Her hair gleamed in the shaft of sunlight pouring in from the open door, and Ben wanted so much to bring her into his arms that he had to clench his jaw.

  “Henry will be happy to see you. We were just talking about you and your father. How is he?”

  “He’s okay, thanks. It was more of a scare than anything.” He was far more interested in hearing what they’d been saying about him than recapping his dad’s fall.

  “Henry’s in the living room, and I was about to make tea. Would you like some?”

  “Please.” He searched her face for any sign of softening since last night’s goodbye but found nothing more in it than simple courtesy. As if he were a neighbor popping in for a visit. She went down the hall leading from the entryway to the kitchen while Ben turned right into the cozy living room.

  “Ben! What a wonderful surprise.” Henry was sitting in a recliner, his legs propped up on the ottoman extension and his cat, Felix, sleeping on his lap. A cane leaned against one of the chair’s arms and a walker stood nearby.

  Ben had a pang of guilt at the pleasure in the old man’s face. He’d seen him only a handful of times since Ben’s return to town almost a year ago. The most recent was a visit to the rehab center where Henry had been recuperating after his surgery. Grace had always been closer to the former owner of Novel Thinking, because she’d been buying books from him since she was a kid.

  “Ella has been telling me a bit about your father. How is he?”

  Ben went through the morning’s events, but most of his attention was tuned to the kitchen and the sounds of Ella making tea. He was relating his mother’s concerns about Charles heeding the doctor’s advice when Ella returned with a tray of cups and saucers, a teapot, milk, a bowl of sugar and a plate of cookies.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I rummaged through your cupboards and fridge, Henry.”

  “Good for you. I’m impressed that you could put all that together, and I’m sure those cookies didn’t come from a cupboard.”

  Ben met Ella’s eyes and they both smiled.

  “I’m embarrassed to say Mabel’s became something of a daily routine while I was here.”

  “Too bad you have to leave, just when I’ve come home.” Henry shooed Felix from his lap as Ella handed him a cup of tea.

  Ben thought he saw a streak of pink rising up her neck at the old man’s reference to leaving. While they drank and nibbled cookies, Henry told them about his rehab experience and some of the other patients he’d met there.

  “One lady was from the Sea View Retirement and Nursing Home in Portland. When I said I was from Lighthouse Cove, she mentioned that a woman at her nurs
ing home was also from here. Violet Fielding.” He paused. “But Violet had recently passed away.”

  The reference to Cassie’s mother had Ben glancing quickly at Ella. Her face revealed nothing, but the hand holding the teacup was shaking. She set the cup onto a saucer. “I should really get on the road.”

  Ben hoped his own disappointment wasn’t as obvious as Henry’s.

  “Will you come back for a longer visit next time?” the old man asked.

  “Of course. I’ll put all this away before I leave, Henry.”

  “Let me help with that.” Ben got up, ignoring the look she shot him, and carried the tray into the kitchen. As soon as he set it down on the table, she hissed, “What’re you doing here?”

  “I came to see Henry.”

  “Did Grace tell you I was here?”

  He nodded.

  “We said goodbye last night, Ben.”

  “Ella—”

  “And frankly there’s nothing more to say.”

  But there was so much more to say that Ben didn’t know where to begin. What she blurted next, however, solved that dilemma for him.

  “I read the review in The Beacon this morning and wondered why you hadn’t mentioned you were an owner. Not that it matters, of course, but then I also wondered if there were other things you haven’t told me.”

  For a minute Ben thought she’d somehow found out about the rest of it—what he’d done himself that night seventeen years ago. But no, she couldn’t have. Grace had promised not to tell anyone about the note handed over to the police. The note that had triggered community animosity for Ella.

  Until she added, “Like why you disappeared the day after Brandon was found.”

  “Please.” He kept his eyes on hers in spite of the anger he saw in them. “Let’s talk. Come to my place.”

  “It’s about time we did talk, Ben.”