Christmas in Evergreen

by Nancy Naigle

  “Hey! Allie!” Zoe shouted as she came out of the diner. “Will you promise to send me pictures of the festival?” She counted off on her fingers. “I want to see the stockings, the choir, and the tree.” She pointed her finger at Allie. “Don’t forget the tree!”

  “Well, I won’t. I promise. It’s the only tree I have this year!” She glanced at Ryan, and then hugged Zoe. “Merry Christmas, Zoe.”

  “Merry Christmas, Allie.”

  Still holding Zoe to her chest, she rested her cheek to Zoe’s soft hair. Would she ever be so lucky to have a little girl like Zoe of her own? Her heart warmed, feeling more whole for having had this time with them. She didn’t want to let them go.

  She straightened, letting go of Zoe. Her warm heart pinched as if the edges were being singed. It hurt to know she’d never see them again.

  She turned to face Ryan. His blue eyes seemed sad. Or maybe that was just what she wanted to see. “Merry Christmas, Ryan.”

  “Merry Christmas, Allie.”

  Allie already missed them. There was a heavy void in her chest, but there was nothing more to say. She forced herself to walk away, crossing the street back to the diner.

  Ryan watched Allie walk away. Her soft brown hair swished against the back of her coat, and his good mood seemed to be leaving with her. When he’d watched Allie with Zoe at the table, dancing their gingerbread men across the table, he’d had a moment of euphoria. He wasn’t ready to lose that.

  This could be the last time he’d ever see her.

  His breath caught. He hadn’t realized it until this moment, but she’d reopened his heart. This short accidental meeting in a town he’d never heard of…it had changed him.

  “Dad?”

  He pulled himself from the thought and turned back. “Yeah?”

  With all the innocence of a child, Zoe lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. “Where’s Santa going to leave all of Allie’s presents if she doesn’t even have a tree?”

  His little girl’s eyes filled with worry broke his heart. She was such a sweet child, with a generous heart.

  And then it struck him.

  Why let Zoe worry? He could fix this.

  “Jump in the truck, Zoe.” His heart raced. “Buckle up.”

  He started the truck and took off. Zoe stared out the window at the shops. “I’m going to miss this place.”

  “Me too.” But they were going to make one more stop before they left this town for good. It was the least he could do. For Allie, for Zoe, and for himself.

  “Dad? You just passed the inn.” Zoe looked at him like he was cuckoo.

  “I know.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “We’re going on a mission.”

  She grinned. “Am I going to like this?”

  “You are going to love it.” One more turn, and he was back at the Christmas tree lot.

  “We’re getting Allie a tree?”

  “It was your idea,” he teased. “You ready to decorate one more tree?”

  “You bet!” She jumped out of the truck. “Can I pick it out?”

  “Any one you want.”

  He didn’t even care if the tree was perfect or not. He needed to get a message to Allie, and this was how he intended to deliver it.

  Zoe picked out a tree, and interestingly enough it was a beautiful Fraser fir like the one he’d picked out for Allie originally, only as he got closer he noticed something extra special about this one.

  “Zoe. Look.”

  She tiptoed to see where he was pointing. “It’s a little bird’s nest.”

  “It sure is.”

  “Dad, that has to be lucky.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” He lifted the nest from the branches. “Here, why don’t you hold on to this until we get to Allie’s? We can put it back then.”

  She held it delicately in her hands as he talked to the lot manager.

  “And I was wondering, do you have a tree topper? And any ornaments?”

  “I’ve got this star tree topper. The only ornaments I have left are these clear plastic ones.”

  “I’ll take them all.”

  The lot manager started stacking the boxes together. “No problem, man. I’ll put them in the truck for you.”

  “That’d be great,” Ryan said.

  The guy wrote up the ticket and handed it to the cashier. “He’ll get you settled up while we get everything loaded.”

  “Oh, I’ll need ten boxes of those white lights too. And one of the extension cords.” Ryan handed over his credit card. “Am I forgetting anything?”

  “Got a tree stand?”

  She probably had one, but he didn’t want to be rifling through her things. “You’d better toss that in too.”

  Zoe danced alongside him. “This is so awesome.”

  “I hope we can get there and get it set up without her seeing us,” he said.

  “We’ll be super fast.” Zoe did a little jig. “Like Santa’s elves.”

  “You’re all set.” The cashier handed him his credit card back. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you.” Ryan dug a twenty-dollar bill out of his pocket as a tip and handed it to him. “Thanks for all of your help. Merry Christmas.” He and Zoe ran to the truck. “You ready for this?”

  “Mission Tree Lighting. Top Secret.” She took Allie’s sunglasses off the dash and put them on. “I accept this mission.”

  Ryan laughed out loud. “I see that.”

  They drove over to Allie’s. “How do we know she’s not here?” Zoe asked.

  “Good question.” He thought for a second. “Tell you what. You run up to the door and ring the bell. If she answers, tell her that you wanted to say goodbye. If she doesn’t answer…wave me in.”

  “You got it, Dad.” She clamored out of the truck, her jacket hood bouncing on her back as she ran up the stairs to ring the bell.

  He held his breath, hoping the surprise would work out. A moment later, Zoe was waving him in with big wide arm gestures. He ripped the keys from the ignition and carried all the boxes to the door. The second key he tried from her key chain worked. “We’re in,” he said. He laid the boxes down. “You move these on into the living room. I’ll be right in with the tree.”

  “Got it.” By the time he got inside with the tree, Zoe had laid all the supplies on the dining room table for easy access. “Where are we going to put the tree, Dad?”

  “I’ve got a plan.” And when he said those words, it made him think of Allie. She always had a plan. When she got that impish grin and her eyes lit up followed by “I’ve got an idea,” he never knew what to expect, except that it was going to be good.

  Ryan moved the boxes she’d stacked up in the living room to the sun porch, then slid the chairs over, opening up the corner. Where the lighted ficus tree had stood, there was now a tall Christmas tree. They got the tree in the stand in the corner.

  “Dad. This tree is perfect.”

  “It is, isn’t it?” He turned and grabbed a velvety soft throw off the couch on the other side of the room and draped it under the tree as a makeshift tree skirt. “Zoe, you start putting the hooks on all of those clear ornaments, then stack the boxes right here by the tree as you get that done. I’m going to get these lights on in a hurry.”

  “I’m on it, Dad.”

  He was about halfway through putting the lights up when Zoe said, “Too bad they didn’t have any colored ornaments.”

  He finished stringing the lights, then got down on his knees and plugged in the tree.

  “Light test!” They both stood in the middle of the room and squinted.

  Zoe said, “Yes!”

  “It looks good.”

  �
�Good? No way, Dad. It looks awesome.”

  “Let’s get these ornaments on.” They double-teamed placing the ornaments on the tree. Ryan hung all the high ones, and Zoe covered the bottom half. “That’s all of them.”

  He carried the empty boxes out to the sun porch and tucked them in the corner out of the way. He didn’t want to leave a mess.

  “Dad, I never would have believed it, but those clear ornaments with the lights make the prettiest Christmas tree I’ve ever seen.”

  He wrapped his arm around Zoe’s shoulder. “I think so too, kiddo.”

  “We’d better skedaddle before she catches us.”

  “I’ve got one last thing to do. Go jump in the truck. I’m right behind you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Light snow fell as Allie made her way down Main Street. She should’ve been home hours ago, but she’d made a hollow excuse to help out around the diner. Not because she was being helpful, but because she simply wasn’t ready to be home alone yet tonight. She also needed time to figure out what she was going to say to Spencer. His surprise trip to Evergreen had been eye-opening.

  She walked along the block of shops she knew so well. The decorations and merry lights usually made her happy, but tonight she felt lonely in their midst.

  The town gazebo sat empty tonight. So many happy things took place here in the town square, but tonight it seemed unusually quiet. Probably because everyone was across town at Henry’s place getting ready for the grand finale. The Festival.

  Every year since she’d come back from college and set up her clinic, she’d run that festival. From start to finish, she’d plan, negotiate, purchase, craft, and coordinate the event into a night to remember.

  Suddenly, she realized not working on the festival this year had left her with an unexpected gap. She missed it. It was part of her.

  She reflected on the previous years. There were always last-minute problems, and a scramble to get things right, but in the end the festival always delivered. Walking here in the quiet snow, it occurred to her that the festival’s success had never been based on how good a job she’d done. In the end, it was really all about the people of Evergreen. The fellowship they shared as they rejoiced over the holiday, making memories they’d carry with them not only all year long, but for every Christmas going forward.

  Someone was sitting on the park bench in front of the gazebo. As she got closer, she saw that it was Nick.

  “Good evening,” he said.

  She continued walking in his direction. “Good evening.”

  “Are you ready for the Christmas festival tomorrow?”

  “Yes. I am. Are you?”

  “I’m definitely ready for Christmas.” Nick hopped up from the bench with a bright smile. “It’s a time when wishes come true.”

  “I always thought that.”

  Nick’s brows knit together. “But you don’t anymore?”

  “No, I’ll always believe in Christmas wishes. But…what if you don’t know what to wish for?”

  He paused. “Is this about leaving Evergreen?”

  “I—”

  “…or Spencer?”

  Allie’s jaw dropped. “How did you know that?”

  “It’s amazing what you learn while sitting at a table in the town diner.”

  “Right. Of course.” That made perfect sense. She relaxed a little. “Well…I guess it’s kind of about both.”

  “So what did you wish for on the snow globe?”

  “I wished that everyone I love would have a Merry Christmas even though we can’t be together.”

  “And yet here you are, in Evergreen, with all the people you love.” He lifted his chin.

  “But I’m supposed to be in Washington D.C.,” she explained.

  “The further away you are from where you started, the closer you get to where you belong.”

  Allie recited the last part along with him.

  He couldn’t know that from just sitting in the diner. Grandpa used to always say that. It was practically the whole reason she’d dreamed of leaving Evergreen for so long. An emotional tidal wave lifted inside her, making her eyes tear.

  He spoke slow and directly to her heart. “Sometimes you end right back where you started, because that’s the place you’re supposed to be.”

  His smile and message warmed her, but she was overcome.

  She swallowed back tears. Her grandpa had been the wisest man she’d known. He was the whole reason she was so driven to go places, to see the world…to find where she belonged even though she loved her life here in Evergreen. It had never occurred to her that this was where she belonged.

  And Zoe had said the same thing. Wise beyond her years.

  Was it true? Was Evergreen where she was supposed to be all along?

  She choked out a gasp, trying to hold back the flow of tears.

  “Oh, my dear.” Nick put his arm around her to comfort her. “There, there.”

  She held him tight until she could pull herself together. She stepped back, running shaky fingers underneath her eye to sweep away the tears.

  “Good night,” he said and walked away.

  “Good night.” That was the strangest thing. Did that really just happen?

  Things suddenly seemed so clear. The sadness she’d just been carrying had lifted.

  She stood there for a long moment, and then walked at a fast clip through the streets of Evergreen toward the inn. Everything was dark. Rather than disturb Barbara, she used the hide-a-key to get her truck. She’d get the key from Barbara another day.

  Thankful the truck started on the first try, she drove home, thinking about the cyclone of emotions over the last few days. And especially tonight.

  She parked in front of her house. “Grandpa, I still miss you.” She patted the steering wheel, and then opened the door and walked up the sidewalk. As she started to take the stairs, she almost let out a yelp. She hadn’t expected Spencer to be standing on her front porch. “Hey. Spencer? What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to stop by.” He stood there in jeans and a leather jacket. “I think if we leave first thing in the morning, we can still get to the airport and make it to the firm’s Christmas Eve party.”

  Allie stepped by him and unlocked her front door. “Right. The swanky one?”

  “Yeah, the swanky one.”

  She swept passed him, but he followed along.

  He seemed to notice her lack of enthusiasm. “Allie, what’s wrong? Don’t you want to go to DC?”

  “I’m so sorry, Spencer.” She couldn’t do this anymore. She didn’t know what her future held, but she was pretty clear on what wasn’t in it. She at least knew now that Evergreen was where she belonged. She tried to be gentle. “I think I want to stay here.”

  He shook his head. “For Christmas, or…” His eyes narrowed.

  “For Christmas and…I don’t know,” she said. Trying to not let him down, she added, “But why don’t you stay here for Christmas? I love this place and I love these people and I want you to understand why.”

  “Allie, I love Washington D.C. And I love my job and the people I work with are really great. I mean, that’s where I belong.”

  She nodded, tears brimming, and took his hands in hers. “Spencer, I don’t think it was just the distance that was getting in our way.”

  “Allie, don’t do this. Okay?” Shaking his head, he whispered, “Please?”

  “You do belong in Washington D.C. And I don’t. I belong here.”

  “But what about your new job?”

  “I love my job here.” He’d been great to tell her about that job lead, and it had sounded exciting, but it wasn’t what she wanted. She loved her small-town patients. “I get to take care of tiny little puppies and I ge
t to birth calves. That’s incredible!” The enthusiasm as she said those words lifted her spirits. “And I have a family and friends and Christmas in a place that I love.”

  “I think you’re just nervous about making such a big change.” He spoke softly as if trying to calm her down, but that wasn’t it at all.

  “Well, you see, I think that’s the thing. I thought I was ready for this big change…and I am…but I think I thought I had to leave Evergreen to find it. I kept telling myself that I needed more when everything I needed was right here all along.”

  Spencer squeezed her hands. “What can I do to convince you that I’m right about this?”

  There was nothing he could do or say. She’d never been so sure of something in her life. Tears filled her eyes. He cared about her, but DC wasn’t where she belonged, and Spencer didn’t love the things that made her happiest. “I think you’d be trying to convince yourself.” She kissed his cheek, then patted his arm, hoping he understood. “Merry Christmas, Spencer.”

  “Merry Christmas, Allie.”

  He let go of her hands and walked out.

  It had been the hardest conversation to have, but she was thankful she hadn’t had to think or plan it. It had just come out. The way it was supposed to.

  Her life was here. She was where she belonged, and that made her happy. She walked into the kitchen and flicked the light switch, but instead of the ficus that she’d strung lights on in the corner by her favorite reading chair, that corner of the room glowed, illuminated by Christmas lights on a festive tree in the corner.

  Allie gasped. The only color on the entire tree: a single bright red envelope with her name on it in big block print letters.

  She walked over to the tree and pulled the envelope from the center branches where it was propped.

  Her hands shook as she opened it and pulled out the Christmas card inside.

  The card had a simple pine wreath with a red ribbon at the bottom a lot like the one on her front door. Inside the handwritten note read,