Nora held the lollipops carefully in her hands. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
As Nora handed William a lollipop, Megan slid the cake she’d just finished onto a shelf beside the others. “Four down, one to go.”
Brooke studied the cakes. “I don’t know which one I like the best. They’re all fantastic.”
“That’s what I keep telling her,” William said. “But I don’t think Megan believes me.”
“You’re nice because you have to be.”
William’s eyes widened. “Why do you think that?”
“Because we’re living in the same house and you like eating my cakes and cookies. If you said the cakes were horrible, I might go on strike.”
William took the wrapper off his lollipop. “No, you wouldn’t. You like baking too much.”
Nora giggled.
“Hey,” Megan said. “Whose side are you on?”
“You told me it’s not good to take sides. I have to do what’s right, and William is right. You love making cakes and cookies.”
Megan dabbed a blob of buttercream frosting on the end of Nora’s nose. “And I know at least two people who enjoy eating them.”
“Me and William,” Nora said proudly. “Especially when we make gingerbread men.”
Brooke sighed. “You wouldn’t be interested in making three dozen gingerbread men for my store, would you?”
“When we bring them into town, William could take me to the animal shelter,” Nora said. “We could see Timmy again.”
Megan didn’t know what was worse—giving in to the pleading look on Nora’s face or Brooke’s.
William wasn’t much help, either. He stood sucking his lollipop, waiting for her to make everyone happy. “Okay. I’ll make the gingerbread men, but we limit our time at the animal shelter to twenty minutes.”
“Yeah,” Nora squealed. “Wait until you see Timmy. You’re going to fall in love with him right away.”
As long as they didn’t take him home, Megan would be happy.
On Friday, Nora looked at William as if the end of the world had arrived. “Why are you going away?”
He knelt beside her. “I have a meeting in Bozeman and a few other things I need to do. I’ll only be gone for four days.”
Megan handed Nora a bowl of granola. “We won’t be alone on the mountain. William has organized another person to look after us. After we’ve made some gingerbread men for Brooke, we could take the new special agent sledding.”
“But you don’t like sledding.” Nora’s bottom lip dropped into a pout. “It’s not fair. I want William to stay with us.”
Megan sat beside Nora. “William is flying to Bozeman this morning. We’ve been lucky that he’s lived with us for so long.”
“Can’t you stay a little bit longer?” Nora pleaded with William. “You could work from here. I wouldn’t make any noise.”
William shook his head. “There are some things I can’t do from here. I know you’re disappointed, but I should be back on Monday night. If anything changes, I’ll let Megan know right away.”
Megan cradled a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. “You could draw William some pictures of what we’re doing.”
With a grateful glance at Megan, he nodded. “And when I come back, you could tell me a story about each picture.”
Nora picked up her spoon. “Don’t you want to live with us?”
Her question caught William off guard. For a moment, he simply stared into Nora’s disappointed face. His heart squeezed tight when he realized how much he would miss them. “I can’t stay, Nora.”
“Are you sure?”
William nodded.
“Okay. But I’ll miss you lots.”
He took a deep breath and sighed. “I’ll miss you, too. Apart from baking gingerbread men and sledding, what else will you do while I’m gone?”
While Nora talked about making beds for the barn mice and a toy for Timmy, the kitten from the animal shelter, William watched her face. He didn’t know if she was more resilient because of what had happened to her mom, or if it was part of her bubbly personality. Either way, he needed to find a way to do the same thing.
Work wasn’t the only thing taking him away from Sapphire Bay. On Saturday morning, he was flying to Chicago to visit his dad. If he wanted to move forward with his life, he needed to find peace with his past.
Chapter 12
William lifted his suitcase off the luggage carousel and followed a stream of people out of O’Hare Airport. His flight from Bozeman had been uneventful. Given the overnight storm that had covered Chicago in two feet of snow, he was grateful the plane was able to land.
In between dodging more than one tired traveler, he admired the glass and steel canopy above him. Whoever had designed the building deserved an award. Even in the middle of winter, light shone through the panes of glass and bounced off the black and white tiled floor. If you didn’t look outside, you’d swear it was the middle of summer.
“William!”
He looked to his right. With the agility of someone half his age, his dad rushed across the terminal. William changed direction and raised his arm to let his dad know he’d heard him. The only disadvantage to the glass, steel, and tile floor, was the way noise bounced off the hard surfaces.
To prove his point, a group of carolers burst into a rousing rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
Hearing anything above their singing was impossible.
James Parker slowed and gave the carolers a wide berth. William’s dad had never been the type of person who joined in with any musical group. Even the shopping mall sound systems couldn’t wriggle one chorus of a catchy tune out of him. He was a typical, introverted history professor, except when it came to his family. He used to be more open and willing to listen to everyone’s point of view. William didn’t know what his dad was anymore, but he wanted to find out.
His dad stood in front of him, hardly out of breath. “Your flight was early.”
Four years ago, their relationship was so bad that William would have bristled at his dad’s tone. But that was then, and today was a new beginning. “The pilot said we had a tailwind. I was going to text you as soon as I reached the main entrance.”
James nodded. “Let’s get out of here. The carolers are giving me a headache.”
William followed his dad. James was already five steps ahead of him, plowing through a large group of people standing like lost souls in the middle of the concourse.
He remembered another airport, a different group of tourists who were caught in the middle of Megan’s attempted kidnapping. William moved closer to his dad, watching the people around them like a hawk hunting its prey.
His dad’s sharp gaze swung toward William. “Nothing’s going to happen. You can relax.”
William shrugged. He hadn’t relaxed in years, and he wasn’t about to start now.
“Suit yourself,” James muttered.
He intended to.
His dad turned away from the main walkway. “I need to speak to you. The airline only uses these gates during peak times. It’s the quietest place in the terminal.”
William’s suitcase rumbled over the tiles. There must have been another ten or fifteen gates in this part of the building. Because no one was using the facilities; they nearly had the entire area to themselves.
William studied a cleaner pushing a cart full of bathroom supplies.
His dad frowned. “If he’s got a bomb in the cart, I’ll eat my hat. The FBI has made you cynical.”
Pointing out that the FBI’s influence was minor compared to what had happened six years ago wouldn’t help anyone. Instead, William moved his attention to a woman pushing a stroller. “Occupational hazard. Wouldn’t it have been better to head to the parking lot?”
James looked uncertainly at his son. “This can’t wait.” He stood in front of a window overlooking one of the runways. “Before your mom died, she told me to look after you. I haven’t don
e a very good job, and I’m sorry. I know you weren’t to blame for Lacey’s death, but I took my anger out on you.”
William’s grip tightened on the handle of his suitcase. “We both made mistakes.”
“I’m your father. I should have known better.” His dad’s eyes filled with tears. “I let you down. I let Lacey down. She would have wanted her grandpa to be there for you.”
William’s dad had never been the hugging type of person. He kept his feelings close to his chest and rarely let anyone close. But today, in the middle of an almost empty terminal, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around William’s shoulders.
“I missed four years of your life,” James said quietly. “I don’t want to miss another day.”
Breathing deeply, William held onto his dad. Tears filled his eyes when he thought of the nights he’d stayed awake, reliving the accident, over and over again, trying to change what had happened. If he’d let his ex-wife leave Chicago, if he’d driven another way home, if he’d left the railway station ten minutes later, Lacey would still be alive.
But there was nothing he could do about the night of the accident, the aftermath that had destroyed him. All he could do was hold his dad and pray Lacey was happy. That somewhere in the universe, she’d found peace and didn’t blame him for the tragedy that had taken her life.
Megan closed the back door of Special Agent Lydia Knox’s SUV. “That’s everything.”
Lydia held a box of gingerbread men in one hand and Nora’s hand in the other. “We were lucky to find a parking space right outside the candy store.”
Megan stepped onto the icy sidewalk. “Someone must have been looking after us. I can’t believe how many people are in Sapphire Bay today.” The drive into town had been slow. Even though the road had recently been plowed, black ice made the surface slick and dangerous. Thankfully, Lydia was used to driving on roads that were much worse.
The special agent had arrived yesterday, just before William left for the airport. She seemed like a nice person. William had assured Megan that, with Lydia’s experience in the FBI and in the Los Angeles Police Department, they were in good hands.
Brooke opened the door of her candy store. “That was great timing. Let me help.” She took a box out of Megan’s hands and smiled at Lydia. “Hi, I’m Brooke.”
“I’m Lydia Knox.”
“Lydia is a friend of mine,” Megan said quickly.
Brooke didn’t seem concerned about her extra visitor. “It’s good to meet you. Come into the store. It’s freezing out here.”
They walked through to the kitchen. The smell of cinnamon and chocolate made Megan smile.
Brooke placed the box on the counter. “I’m surprised you made it into town. There’s been an accident on the main road.”
“Was anyone hurt?” Megan asked.
“Not that I know of, but the road is blocked in both directions. It could be a long afternoon for the people visiting Sapphire Bay. Where’s William?”
“He had to go away,” Nora said sadly. “But he’s coming back.”
Megan took Nora’s red hat off her head. “He had some work to do in Bozeman. He should be back by Monday night.”
“That’s a shame,” Brooke said. “He’ll miss the lighting of the Christmas tree.”
Nora climbed onto a kitchen stool. “We have a Christmas tree. It’s really pretty.”
“This one is twenty feet tall. It’s higher than the roof of the candy store.”
“That’s tall,” Nora said.
Brooke made a fresh pot of coffee. “The mayor will officially wish everyone a merry Christmas at six o’clock tonight. Before then, there are lots of activities to keep everyone busy.”
Megan opened one of the boxes she’d brought into the store. “Is that why the farmers’ market is on today?”
“Exactly. If you need any last-minute presents, go to the market. It’s only two blocks away in the high school gymnasium. There are so many craft and jewelry stalls that you won’t be able to decide what to buy.”
Nora unzipped her jacket. “Can we go? Just for a little while?”
The small shake of Lydia’s head gave Megan the answer to Nora’s question. “I’m sorry, Nora. We don’t have time today. But we could make Christmas cupcakes when we get home. I’m sure Lydia would like to try some.”
“I certainly would,” Lydia said. “Especially if they’re vanilla cupcakes. They’re my favorite.”
“We make vanilla cupcakes all the time.”
Megan smiled at her niece. “I bet you could almost make them without the recipe book.”
Nora nodded confidently. “They’re real easy.” She slipped her backpack off her shoulders and smiled at Lydia. “I could draw you a picture of how we make them.”
“I’d like that,” Lydia said. “I just need to have a quick look outside.”
“Okay. I’ll stay here.”
Brooke silently watched Lydia leave the kitchen. “One day you need to tell me why William and Lydia are so interested in the back of my store.”
Megan sighed. “I wish I could tell you now but I can’t.”
“Don’t worry,” Nora said as she took a pink crayon out of her pencil case. “We’re safe and that’s all that matters.”
Brooke’s eyes widened. “Now I’m really worried.”
“You don’t need to be,” Megan reassured her.
“William said if you worry too much you get gray hair and wrinkles.” Nora picked up another crayon. “I like gray ’cos it’s the color of Aunty Millie’s hair.”
Megan smiled. Her mom’s sister had beautiful hair and said it was the best thing about turning sixty.
While she unpacked the trays of gingerbread men, Megan only half-listened to Nora’s chatter. Over the last couple of days, she’d thought long and hard about Brooke’s suggestion of working from Sapphire Bay.
There were so many reasons why it was the perfect time to move, but what if it wasn’t a good idea? She really needed to focus on her business and Megan wasn’t sure Sapphire Bay was the place to do it.
Nora loved living here, but a big part of that was William. If he was willing to move to Milwaukee, would he move to Sapphire Bay? The likelihood of having an FBI office near here was almost zero. She couldn’t ask him to find another job, to change his life for them.
Brooke handed Megan a cup of coffee. “You look as though you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders. If you need anyone to talk to, I’m a good listener.”
Tears stung Megan’s eyes. “Thank you.” She took a sip of coffee and tried to think of something positive to say. But after living in Sapphire Bay for the last few weeks, she was emotionally drained. The constant worry about the terrorist group finding them was bad enough. But discovering her entire childhood was a lie had been worse.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Brooke asked.
Megan forced a smile. “I’ll be all right. Tell me what you think of the gingerbread men. We iced them with red, green, and white frosting. The buttons are made from candy-coated chocolate.”
“We baked lots,” Nora said excitedly. “And they taste extra yummy.”
Brooke smiled at the trays Megan had placed on the shelves. “They’re perfect. They’ll look wonderful in the cellophane bags I bought. And to finish off the festive look, I’ll tie some red and green ribbon around the top of each bag.”
Megan looked around the kitchen. Brooke must be working long hours to have so much candy ready for the store. “Would you like us to help wrap the gingerbread men?”
“I can’t ask you to do that. You’ve already done so much.”
Lydia walked into the kitchen. “Everything is okay, except for the main road out of town. The Highway Patrol expects the road to be closed for at least another hour.”
Megan turned to Brooke. “That gives us plenty of time to wrap the gingerbread men.”
“I’d really appreciate the help, but only if you’re sure it’s okay.”
“It�
��s more than okay,” Megan said with a genuine smile. “If you get the bags and the ribbon, I’ll start right now.”
Lydia sat beside Nora. “I can help, too. We’ll have your cookies ready in next to no time.”
As Megan placed the first gingerbread man in a cellophane bag, she thought about how much their lives had changed.
Before William arrived on her doorstep, her main focus was Nora and making sure she was happy. It wasn’t until their lives were threatened that she’d appreciated just what they had. And now, sitting in Brooke’s warm kitchen, Megan realized there was another person whose happiness she had to work on—hers.
William pulled his jacket closer. An ice-cold nor’wester tore across the cemetery. He trembled, not from the cold, but from the fear twisting his stomach into knots.
He had visited his daughter’s grave six months ago, stood in the same spot, dreading the pilgrimage along the narrow gravel path. But this time, he wasn’t alone. His dad was beside him, staring in front of them as if they were on their way to hell.
“Are you ready?” his dad asked.
William stepped forward, sheltering the pale pink roses he was holding from the wind. The top of Lacey’s white granite headstone glowed in the mid-morning sunshine, beckoning them forward.
The headstone was the only thing William and his ex-wife had agreed on in years. Even now, his heart tore in two when he saw the sleeping angel, her arms folded under her head, a gentle smile softening her face for eternity.
His dad’s footsteps slowed.
William wondered if he felt the same sense of dread. Nothing would ever bring Lacey back. Being here only made his grief more real. Her death more tragic.
Time stood still, frozen as solid as the path they walked along. He remembered the sound of Lacey’s laughter, the way his heart would pound when she wrapped her arms around him and whispered that she loved him.
Hot tears scalded his eyes. Images of Lacey’s funeral stuck in his mind. It had been as cold as today, biting into his grief like a shark looking for fresh blood. As the small white coffin was lowered into the ground, grief temporarily paralyzed the guilt that had sent him into a spiral of depression. In its place, a hollow, shadow of who he was had emerged. Unable to love or be loved, he’d retreated behind a rainbow of multi-colored drugs. They’d blocked the pain but left nothing in their place.
A Christmas Wish: Sapphire Bay, Book 3 Page 13