The Christmas Promise

by Janice Carter

  “It’s just that my mother has been pestering me about an engagement party...and you know me. I hate the idea of a big party! I’ve managed to pare down her grand plans to a small dinner for family and close friends this Friday night. I’d love for you to come. You can stay at my place, and Drew will stay at the house with me and my folks.” There was a quick pause while she seemed to catch her breath. “It’s asking a lot, taking you away from your own social life at this time of year, but it would mean so much to me. And to Ben. There’s an important town council planning meeting on Wednesday night that’s open to the public, and his condo project is on the agenda. I don’t know how much he’s told you about it, but he’s worked so hard! I hope the project will be a go for him, but that hinges on getting a permit from town council. I’m rounding up a lot of people here to attend the meeting and give their support to the plan. I know he’d be thrilled if you came, too.”

  Ella’s head was spinning. Not from Grace’s run-on explanation, but at the idea of a return to Lighthouse Cove. “Um, can I get back to you? That sounds great, but I have some things to tidy up here first.”

  “Of course! But let me know as soon as possible so I can let my mother know. For numbers, she said.” Grace laughed.

  That gave Ella a second’s pause. Family and friends—like Suzanna and Julie? “I’ll call you first thing tomorrow.”

  She sat for a long while after the call ended, considering every potential consequence of returning to the Cove. Yet going back now would be different. Ben and Grace had apologized. People in town had seen her around and knew she’d reconnected with the Winters family. Well, with Ben and Grace at least. A second visit would be more comfortable. This time she knew what to expect and she felt ready for anything the town might throw at her. But most of all, this was her chance to be with Ben without the memories coming between them. Everything was resolved and for the first time in seventeen years, they could be like any other couple. They could get to know each other all over again. They’d at last be free to say what they felt for each other and maybe—Ella hoped for this more than anything—those words would lead to a future together.

  * * *

  TUESDAY HAD BEEN long and stressful, but Ben was optimistic. A phone call from Portland National Bank’s team confirmed they’d liked his project and weren’t concerned about the handful of unsold houses either. House prices in Portland won’t be going down anytime soon, one VP had commented. Now all Ben had to do was get the project okayed by the town council.

  On his way home, Ben stopped at the site office. Andy had already gone home, but Glen was there, looking unhappy enough that Ben decided to take a few extra minutes and find out what was bothering the man.

  “It’s not just the new baby, Ben,” Glen said. “I’ve been finding some anomalies in the books.”

  That got Ben’s immediate attention. “What kind of anomalies?”

  “Invoices that don’t correspond to orders received.”

  “Well, Andy does the ordering and checks the shipments. What did he say?”

  “That he’d have a look.”

  Ben knew Andy had problems at home that he was trying to sort out. Ben’s buoyant spirits sank as he locked up the office after Glen was persuaded to go home. This could be connected to what Harold had mentioned on Friday—the query from one of their biggest suppliers. The thought that he’d let the problem slide worried him. Harold had sent the information from Harbor Lights Supply and Ben had simply skimmed through it, intending to deal with the situation later. That was two days ago! He’d dropped the ball on what was potentially serious trouble for the company.

  And why? Because every second of the last few days had been devoted solely to Ella. When he wasn’t with her, he was constantly thinking about her. Now he was doubting his commitment to the family business. How could he expect his father to have enough faith in him to hand the company over if he allowed a teenage fantasy to dominate his every decision? Ben had no answers, but whatever was going on needed to be cleared up before the town meeting tomorrow night.

  The aroma of beef stew greeted him as he opened the front door. His favorite winter meal—and if he was lucky, there’d be his mother’s biscuits to go with it. Ben wondered if the stew was a kind of peace offering. He and Evelyn had always had a good relationship. Her support for him as a teen and later, when his marriage was falling apart, had been constant. She’d been the buffer between him and his father for as long as he could remember. Keeping the family on an even keel had been her life’s goal. And that had been no easy feat, as Ben knew, in the days after Brandon’s death. Evelyn had managed it all—Brandon’s family and her own—when everyone else was falling apart.

  Which was why he’d been feeling regret for the recent tiffs with her—the stilted talk and snapped replies to innocent questions, on both sides. He just didn’t understand why she continued to focus on Ella now that she knew what really had happened that summer.

  He called out a “Hello” as he hung up his coat and slipped out of his boots. Loosening his tie, he followed the voices he was hearing into the solarium. Grace was sitting next to Evelyn, who was writing in a notepad.

  “Hey, Ben. We’re making up the menu for Friday night.”

  He took in Grace’s tight face and smiled. The dinner party had been an unsatisfactory compromise for both mother and daughter. Ben thought his sister and Drew would be better off eloping, if Grace could summon the courage to do so.

  “How was your day, Ben?”

  “It was good, Mom, and thanks for making stew! That’s the icing on the cake as far as today is concerned.” Her obvious pleasure made him realize he should compliment her more often. Like Grace, his mother had never liked the spotlight, but praise now and again was good for the soul. He suddenly thought of Ella and the missed opportunities when she was here to tell her how beautiful she was. Too late to change all that now, but he could mend things with his mother.

  “Could you tell your father dinner will be in ten minutes, then, dear? He’s in the den.”

  The dear convinced him his relationship with his mother could be salvaged. As for his father...

  Charles was watching the news, something he’d been obsessed with since temporarily stepping down from running the company. As usual, the volume was full blast, and the first thing Ben did was pick up the remote to turn it down. His father jumped slightly, startled.

  “For crying out loud, Ben! Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

  “That’s pretty funny, Dad. Mom says dinner’s in ten minutes.”

  “Which means fifteen, because she’s with Grace and they’ll be talking.”

  He knows us all too well, Ben thought. He sat down next to his father, watching the TV news play without sound and wondering if he dared bring up his problem at work. Maybe not, he decided, looking at the old man’s profile. The hard set of his jaw had softened over the past months since the heart surgery, and there were a few more lines in his face as well as silver strands in his hair. Otherwise Charles Winters looked pretty good for a seventy-year-old man who had heart and blood-pressure problems. His fall the other day had left him with some bruises, but that was all.

  Ben was about to leave the room when his father asked, “Have you heard anything about your meeting with the bankers yesterday?”

  He knew his father had misgivings about the condo development and would have preferred building more houses in the subdivision. But Ben felt otherwise, thinking the condos would draw a different clientele that would balance out the economic development in the Cove and even beyond. “They like my project and they’re on board. Dependent on the permit, of course.”

  “Congratulations, Ben! And Gracie said you’re on the agenda for the council meeting tomorrow night.”

  “Well, the company is, Dad. I’m simply representing it, as you know.”

  Charles was nodding thoughtfully, and Ben assumed the bri
ef conversation was finished. “Yes, of course. Though speaking of the company...”

  Ben closed his eyes, waiting for whatever came next. One never knew with his father.

  “I called my lawyer this morning, Ben. He’s drawing up the papers for a changeover.”

  Ben looked at his father, whose slightly flushed face was angled to the flickering TV screen. Avoiding looking at me with bad news? He knew Harold Ferguson could probably be persuaded to postpone his retirement if he was offered the chance to take over the company. But if that were to happen...

  “I’m signing the company over, Ben,” Charles said, facing him again. “To you. Full control. I promise.” He cracked a wry grin.

  From Evelyn’s smile when he followed his father into the kitchen twenty minutes later, Ben knew she’d known what was going to transpire. She was holding a bottle of sparkling wine, and Grace, spooning stew into bowls, gave him a thumbs-up. It had been a long time since his family had enjoyed a festive occasion, and Ben decided to relish every second.

  Then the sobering thought about the problem Glen had mentioned plus the council meeting brought him back to earth. It wasn’t until later, after Charles and Evelyn had gone to bed and Grace was wrapping up her daily phone call to Drew, that Ben had a few minutes alone in the den with his sister.

  “Were you surprised about Dad’s decision?” she asked, setting her cell phone on the sofa next to her.

  Ben looked up from the Portland Press Herald he was reading. Or trying to, as his thoughts were everywhere but on the paper. Processing the big news of the night and wishing more than anything that he could share it with the one person who’d understand more than anyone—except maybe Gracie—what Charles’s decision meant to him.

  “Floored is a better word.”

  “You deserve it, Ben.”

  “I dearly hope so, Grace. But it’s kind of scary, too.”

  “I bet. Don’t be afraid to ask him for advice. Now that you’re the boss, things will be different.” She was grinning.

  “You think so?”

  “We can always hope.”

  They laughed—for their first time together in a while.

  “I also hope you won’t be upset by this, Ben.”

  That instantly dissolved the light mood. Maybe Drew found his sister’s penchant for scheming a bit charming, but Ben had been wary of her so-called talent for a while—certainly since they’d both returned home.

  “I invited Ella to come to the engagement dinner Friday night, and she’s accepted.”

  He felt his jaw drop.

  “And she’s also going to attend the planning meeting tomorrow. I told her about it and how I was organizing a bunch of people to go to support you. I’ve offered her my place to stay, and I’ll be here, helping Mom and so on. I really hope you don’t mind, Ben.”

  Mind? He wanted to whoop and sweep up Grace and spin her around the room. Instead he smiled. “I don’t mind at all, Grace.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ELLA SLOWED AS she approached the turnoff from the highway. There was a line of vehicles waiting to access it from the new subdivision. The dashboard clock read 8:30, and she realized this must be morning rush hour in the Cove area. Clearly, people who lived in the subdivision were commuters, and at some point, Ella figured the county would have to install traffic lights or stop signs on the highway.

  She’d told Grace she’d be at the bookstore before it opened and would bring coffee from Mabel’s. Finding a parking space outside Mabel’s was tricky because many customers were running in for take-out breakfast, leaving their cars to idle at the curb. Not advisable in a big city, but it seemed okay for the Cove. These people must also be commuters, and it seemed they preferred to get coffee here rather than at the chain franchise closer to Portland. Weekday mornings in Lighthouse Cove were a revelation to Ella. When she’d been here last week, her days had begun a bit later. She finally found a parking space farther up the side street and decided to leave her car there for the time being.

  Grace opened Novel Thinking’s door right after Ella’s second tap on its glass window.

  “You made it!”

  Her smile was big and warming, easing Ella’s nerves. She’d been doubtful about returning ever since she’d called Grace to confirm, because her excitement at the chance to see Ben again was tempered by the possibility that he might not be feeling the same. Their parting had been coolly polite rather than friendly, and it had been Grace who’d called asking her to come back. Not Ben. Yet here she was, hauling her small suitcase into the bookstore.

  “Good trip?” Grace asked, taking the cardboard tray of coffee and bag of treats from Ella.

  “I left early enough to miss Boston rush hour but surprisingly found one here in the Cove. A lot of the traffic was coming from the subdivision.”

  “I know. People have been complaining about it. The commuters here in town are noticing it’s harder to get onto the highway because of the stream of cars coming from there.” Grace set the coffee and baked goods on the table in the seating area. “Come, let’s eat and talk. I don’t have to open till ten, but I want to show you around upstairs before then.”

  Ella took off her coat, slinging it over the back of a chair opposite Grace’s. “Some county or municipal department needs to take care of that. What will happen when Ben’s condo project is being built and even more commuters move into the area?”

  Grace shrugged. “I don’t know. Someone will figure all that out, I suppose. So, this is what I’m thinking about for the next few days.”

  Ella sipped her coffee and nibbled her muffin, half listening to Grace’s plans, but her attention was caught when Grace mentioned Ben. “He’s going to stay at work until tonight’s meeting. Some problem, I think—he never actually said, but I could see something has been troubling him. He has some wonderful news that I can’t tell you about because he ought to do that himself.”

  The rest of Grace’s recap might as well have been hollered into the wind roaring outside for all that Ella absorbed. Her focus centered on the fact that he’d been troubled. Was that because of their talk? The tidbit about wonderful news was also interesting. Clearly, life in the Cove hadn’t come to a standstill in her absence. Later she followed Grace around her upstairs apartment and settled in while Grace went down to open up. She decided to have a walk around town and arranged to meet Grace for an early supper before the meeting. After pocketing the keys Grace had given her, Ella laced up her boots, zipped up her down jacket and put on her hat and gloves. The wind was picking up, and she wanted to be dressed for a long, cold walk.

  A woman with two small children was entering the bookstore as Ella was leaving. She turned sharply and stared as Ella squeezed past her in the doorway. “Excuse me, but are you Ella Jacobs?”

  Ella froze. Not already. She murmured, “Yes,” and braced herself.

  “Just that I saw your photograph in The Beacon. My daughter, Becky, is a big fan of yours. She came to your book talk and got an autographed copy, which she treasures. Thanks so much!” One of her children said something, and the woman continued on inside before Ella could respond.

  She remembered the teenager who’d rushed up after Ella’s talk—the same girl who worked in the bookstore. The brief encounter lightened her mood, and she walked toward Main Street feeling a bit less anxious about returning. Businesses were slowly opening up. Ella assumed weekday shoppers in the Cove were more likely to be the townspeople who actually lived there, rather than the newcomers in the subdivision. Most commuters probably did their basic shopping in Portland.

  For many years Ella had thought her family owned their cottage; only as a preteen, she’d learned—to her dismay—that they rented it from Charles Winters. The fact had temporarily driven a small wedge between her and Grace. At least, in Ella’s mind. That was the summer she also became aware of the unspoken but obvious division between
the townies and the summer people. Somehow that latter group was different, a fact that was never truer than on Labor Day weekend.

  Now, as an adult, Ella was beginning to see the Cove from a different perspective. It benefitted from its proximity to larger towns along the coast as well as nearby cities like Portland. Even Augusta was less than an hour away. People knew one another and their business here, reinforcing the small-town stereotype. Ella had become painfully aware of that her last summer in the Cove. Enough, Jacobs. You’ve moved on from all that.

  She stopped in front of a gift shop to look at the window display and noticed some scented candles. Her mother loved them, and Ella decided to buy one to add to the Christmas gift she’d already purchased. There were a few customers inside, and Ella browsed a bit before finally selecting a couple of candles, which she took to the woman at the cash register. When she handed the woman her credit card, she saw her raise an eyebrow to someone nearby. Ella turned slightly to see two women about six feet away, whispering, their eyes fixed on her. Then the woman at the register handed back the card along with Ella’s purchase.

  She mumbled a thank-you and headed for the door, feeling their stares the whole way. Out on the sidewalk she took a deep breath, telling herself she was imagining things. They hadn’t been talking about her. But despite the pleasure of meeting Becky’s mother, it was the women’s stares and whispers that stuck with her the rest of the day. When Ella met Grace back at the apartment for supper, she’d decided not to mention it. There were more important matters ahead.

  They set out for the meeting an hour before starting time. “We want to get seats up front,” Grace said. “And I promised to save some for my mother, Henry and Drew.”

  Those inevitable encounters heightened Ella’s nervousness as they waited in line to go through security at Town Hall. Ella had never been inside the building and she paused at the top landing to take in the scene below. A crowd was already pouring in, and she wondered if Ben was among them or if he’d arrived earlier. A couple of security guards directed them to the public areas in the upper galleries on both sides of the chamber floor. The podium and council sections were still vacant.