Christmas Forever

by Sophie Love

  Chantelle’s eyes widened as though the thought of an overseas wedding had never even crossed her mind. “You could get married in Lapland! Reindeers and white snow!”

  Amy laughed. “I was thinking more the Bahamas. Turtles... and white beach.”

  “That sounds nice too,” Chantelle conceded.

  “If you need any help planning it,” Emily said. “I’d be very happy to help. You were so great with my wedding, I’d love to return the favor.”

  Amy looked touched. “Really, Em? That would be the best. But honestly, you’re the one who's got a ton of stuff to organize before I’m even ready to get married. You’ve got to give birth, for starters! And what about a babymoon? You’re running out of time.”

  Emily laughed and shook her head. “Not you too! A babymoon? My doctor asked us if we were going on one. Is this a new thing?”

  “What’s a babymoon?” Chantelle chimed in.

  Amy looked shocked. “I can’t believe neither of you have heard of it. A babymoon is the last chance for the mom and dad to be to have a holiday before the demands of a newborn take up all their time.”

  “I’ve never heard of anything so indulgent,” Patricia said with a snort.

  Ignoring her mom, Emily noticed that Chantelle looked a little concerned about the prospect of her and Daniel leaving for a weekend away. She always had a wobble when they left her because her terrible beginning in life had taught her when people left, they didn’t necessarily come back home. It was such hard work trying to undo the destruction Sheila’s parenting had caused.

  “Don’t worry, hun,” Emily told her. “I can’t fly anymore, so there wouldn’t really be much point.”

  “Emily!” Amy cried, sounding incredulous. “The point is that you and Daniel get one last chance for a romantic trip together. Your lives are about to change forever. Don’t you want a last hurrah? It’s not like you’d have to go far. You could drive up to Quebec City. It’s beautiful there at this time of year.”

  For the first time, Emily really began to consider whether a babymoon would be fun. Just her and Daniel, all the stresses of running their business and all the anxiety over giving birth left behind.

  “You don’t think it’s cutting it a bit fine?” Emily said. “My due date is in three weeks.”

  “And only, like, twenty percent of babies are born on their due dates,” Amy replied.

  “You were late, by the way, Emily,” Patricia told her. “So was Charlotte. And so was I. If you’re anything like I was, she’ll be late. I was 42 weeks plus seven days with both of you.”

  “No way!” Emily cried. She’d never been informed of this. “That sounds extremely uncomfortable.”

  “Not at all,” Patricia replied. “Your body knows what it wants. You have to trust it.”

  “I didn’t even know you could go that late,” Amy said.

  Patricia nodded. “In my day, you’d avoid being induced if you could, and trust that nature would do its thing. It’s more common than people realize. Some babies just take longer to bake.”

  Amy and Chantelle laughed then, but Emily felt queasy at the thought. Pregnancy was hard! She didn’t want it to last any longer than need be! But maybe her mom had a good point. The older generations were much less pampered and fussy. They didn’t have babymoons or anything like that. Sometimes the practical, fuss-free way of doing things was better.

  They finished up decorating the hallways and went into the dining room next, where they placed sparkly snowflakes on all the tables and replaced the fall themed centerpieces with winter ones. It looked beautiful, and Emily felt even more excited for Christmas.

  But excitement wasn’t enough to stop her from yawning. The decorating work was rather strenuous and she just didn’t have anywhere near as much energy these days.

  “I’m going to have to stop for a bit,” she confessed. “If I even attempt the ballroom I might fall asleep!”

  She noticed then that Amy and Chantelle were exchanging mischievous looks with one another.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

  “Nothing,” Amy said in a tone that suggested the opposite.

  “Can we show her?” Chantelle asked Amy.

  “It’s up to you. You’re the one who wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “Show me what?” Emily exclaimed.

  But Chantelle and Amy were just talking to each other. She grew impatient.

  “Guys, I want to know what the surprise is!” she cried.

  “Okay,” Chantelle said. “Come with me.”

  She took her hand and led her into the low-ceilinged corridor that opened out into the ballroom. But instead of walking straight along, she turned right, along the even smaller passageway that weaved all the way to the outhouses and garage. They stopped at one of the doors.

  Emily frowned, curious.

  “We weren’t sure where we could do this,” Chantelle told her. “Because we didn’t want to take one of the inn rooms. Then Amy suggested one on of the outhouses. So…” She paused for dramatic effects, then threw open the door.

  Emily blinked, then gasped. The small room had been completely transformed. Instead of exposed brick walls, it had been plastered and painted yellow. Instead of the cement floor, vinyl had been laid down, and on top of that was a fluffy rug. The room was filled with lights -- night lights and fairy lights and spinning musical lights that projected stars onto the walls.

  “What is this?” Emily asked, stunned.

  “It’s the playroom!” Chantelle exclaimed.

  Amy spoke then. “We thought it would be nice for the girls to have a place to play away from the rest of the inn. Somewhere they’re allowed to make as much noise as they want without disturbing any of the guests. And somewhere to keep their toys so they don’t end up all over the place.”

  Emily was so touched. The room was lovely. It just needed to be filled with toys now!

  “I love it, thank you so much guys,” she said, hugging Amy and Chantelle in turn.

  They went back into the living room so Emily could have a rest before the rest of the decorating commenced. Then, once she felt rejuvenated, they took on the mammoth task of decorating the ballroom.

  “You know there’s something missing,” Emily said, once she’d strung up the last of the fairy lights.

  “What’s that?” Chantelle asked.

  “A Christmas tree!” Emily cried.

  Chantelle’s eyes grew round and excited. “Of course. But we need more than one, don’t we? We need one for the ballroom and one for the hallway. And one for Trevor’s. And the spa. And the restaurant.”

  “Sounds like you need a whole forest,” Amy joked.

  “How about we all go tomorrow?” Emily suggested. “Yvonne was telling me about an amazing Christmas Tree farm out of town. It’s not the one we went to last year, it’s supposed to be really huge. We could make a day of it?”

  “Can Nana Patty come too?” Chantelle asked.

  Emily shook her head. “She’s leaving today,” she said.

  Chantelle’s expression became downcast. Emily hated to see her sad.

  “Why don’t you ask her?” she suggested.

  Patricia had been surprising her recently. Maybe she’d stick around if they made it clear they wanted her too.

  Chantelle bounded out the ballroom and down the corridor, to where Patricia was relaxing in the living room.

  “Nana Patty!” Chantelle cried, her voice loud enough to carry all the way to where Emily was waddling through the house, trying to catch up to her. “Can you come Christmas tree shopping with us tomorrow?”

  Emily entered the living room, just as Patricia was shaking her head.

  “I have a flight booked to get me home,” Patricia said. “It’s leaving this evening.”

  “Please,” Chantelle said. She got onto the couch beside Patricia and wrapped her arms around her neck. “I really, really want you to stay.”

  Patricia looked stunned
by the affection. She patted Chantelle’s arm and looked up at Emily standing in the doorway. Emily smiled, touched by the sweet scene, by how much love Chantelle had to give, even to those who had behaved in ways that ought to preclude it. Her capacity for forgiveness and kindness always inspired Emily.

  “Well, I don’t want to be in the way,” Patricia said, speaking to Chantelle but directing her words at Emily.

  “You’re not in the way,” Emily said. “We’ve loved having you here. And it’s not like the inn is busy at the moment. It’s the perfect time to stay. If you want.”

  “Please!” Chantelle begged.

  Finally, Patricia smiled. “Okay. I will stay and help you pick out a tree.”

  Emily could tell that Patricia was touched to be invited, to be welcome in after all her bad behavior and the terrible fights they’d had. Emily felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude then, realizing that life could always change for the better. It seemed that one was never too old to feel Christmas cheer for the first time!

  CHAPTER TWO

  Chantelle looked overjoyed when Emily and Daniel arrived to pick her up from school the next day, with Patricia sitting patiently in the back seat. She looked very out of place in the truck in her two-piece outfit and blazer combo but Chantelle didn’t seem to notice. She leaped into the backseat, beaming, her cheeks pink from the chilly weather.

  “Christmas tree time!” she declared.

  Daniel drove them. The weather still hadn’t fully turned yet, though it was much colder than it had been. There wasn’t even any frost, which was common at this time of year. Emily was grateful that the weather had held up so far. It meant that Evan, Clyde and Stu had been able to do their work on the island unimpeded.

  The Christmas Tree farm was quite a way out of Sunset Harbor. They could, of course, just go to the depot at Ellsworth, but that was hardly a magical experience for Chantelle! So they went even further, to the one in Taunton Bay.

  As they pulled down the small, bumpy, potholed road that lead to the farm, Emily could see the extra journey was well worth it. The Christmas Tree farm was enormous, and thanks to the sloping hillside that ran all the way down from the road to the lake, they had an amazing view of all the trees.

  “It’s like a whole forest of Christmas,” Chantelle said, in awe.

  Daniel pulled up into the makeshift lot, which was really just a patch of flattened ground, covered in hay to stop it becoming too muddy. There was a small wood-panelled house to one side, with a handmade sign proclaiming; Christmas Trees!

  Emily looked over at Patricia in the backseat beside Chantelle. She was wearing her typical snooty expression, and peering out the window with a fearful expression for the dirty ground she was about to step on. But she held her tongue and Emily smiled to herself. That, in itself, felt like a small victory.

  Everyone climbed out of the pickup truck, just at the same time the front door to the house opened. A man stepped out, waving at them. He seemed very jolly, with a round belly. Emily wondered if he’d ever considered becoming a Santa, he certainly had the look for it.

  “Hi folks!” he said, grinning. “I’m Terry. Are you here to cut down your own tree?”

  “We certainly are,” Daniel said.

  Chantelle hurried up to the man. “Actually, we need five trees. We have an inn, you see, and a restaurant and spa and they all need a tree. So does the ballroom.”

  “How about we just start with one?” Emily suggested, thinking of the fact there were no guests at the inn right now to enjoy the trees. “Then if we need more, we can come back for another day trip.”

  That seemed to please Chantelle, and she nodded in agreement.

  Terry showed them the tools they would need, then they waved goodbye and headed out into the forest of trees. Emily thought of the farm they’d visited last year, which had been very busy, run more like a fare with tractor rides and hot chocolate to purchase. She liked this more back-to-basics experience, especially since the moment they were inside the forest everything became very quiet.

  “It’s like we’re the only people in the world,” she said, her hands protectively cradling her bump.

  She looked back to see how Patricia was getting on. Despite walking on her tiptoes and wearing a slightly pinched expression, she wasn’t complaining at all. Emily wondered if perhaps she might be enjoying herself, though too proud to admit it.

  “Nana Patty,” Chantelle said, hurrying back and grasping her hand. “I think there’s some really, really dark green ones over here. Come on!”

  Emily smiled to herself as she watched her daughter pull her mom along. She couldn’t recall a time when Patricia had been so compliant, joining in with an activity. Chantelle was clearly rubbing off on her.

  Daniel put an arm around Emily’s shoulders, bringing her body close to his.

  “This is wonderful, isn’t it?” he said. “I love how enthusiastic she gets about these sort of things. I can’t wait to see how much she enjoys Hanukkah.”

  “What date does it start this year?” Emily asked him.

  “Sixteenth.”

  “So after Charlotte has joined us?” she asked, grinning, thinking about having a newborn in the house during this wonderful time of the year, when everyone was celebrating.

  “Maybe even on the first day,” he said, smiling. “Wouldn’t that be lovely?”

  Emily nodded in agreement. It would certainly be delightful for Daniel to have his daughter born on such a significant day.

  Just then, they heard Chantelle calling through the trees.

  “Mom! Dad! We’ve got it!”

  They smiled at one another then trudge towards her voice. Chantelle was standing next to gorgeous tree, with the darkest pines Emily had ever seen. It was wonderfully symmetrical, too, the sort of perfect tree that would be used in magazines. And of course, it was enormous.

  “Nana Patty chose it,” Chantelle said, looking proudly at Patricia.

  “Did she now?” Emily asked, pleased to see how well the two were bonding.

  Even Patricia looked quietly pleased.

  “In that case,” Daniel said, “Nana Patty ought to have the first go.”

  “Oh goodness, no,” Patricia said, shaking her hands at the saw Daniel was offering her.

  “Yes!” Chantelle cried, jumping up and down, clapping her hands. “Please Nana Patty! It’s really fun. I promise you’ll enjoy it.”

  Patricia hesitated, then finally relented. “Oh, all right then. If you insist.”

  She took the saw from Daniel and glared at the tree like it was an enemy. Daniel bent down and moved the large branches out of her way, exposing the truck where she was to cut. Patricia squatted, clearly in an attempt to not let her knee touch the muddy ground. Emily couldn’t help but laugh to herself. Her mom looked like a frog!

  Patricia reached in and sawed across the trunk of the tree. She squealed, elated, and looked back at the family watching on.

  “You’re right,” she said to Chantelle. “That is fun!”

  Emily chuckled aloud. Just a few days in Maine with her family and Patricia had eaten smores and chopped wood!

  Terry arrived then with his tractor and put the tree in the back.

  “All aboard,” he said.

  They all got into the back with the tree, but Patricia didn’t move. She looked stunned.

  “You want me to ride in that?”

  Chantelle bounced up and down on the wooden bench. “It’s fun! You have to trust me!”

  “Do I have a choice?” Patricia asked.

  Chantelle shook her head, still grinning wickedly.

  Patricia sighed and climbed into the tractor trailer.

  Once everyone was settled, Terry drove them back to their car and helped Daniel secure the very large tree onto the roof of his truck. Then they paid him and left the farm, all feeling exhilarated.

  “I can’t wait to decorate it,” Chantelle said. “Will you help Nana Patty?”

  Patricia nodded. “Yes, but t
hen I must leave after that. Okay?”

  Chantelle pouted, looking a little sad. “If you have too. But I’ve loved you being here. Will you come back for Christmas?”

  Emily watched her mom in the rear-view mirror. She couldn’t even recall the last time they’d spent Christmas together. Even when she was living in New York with Ben, they’d tended to spend Christmas with his family rather than Patricia. It wasn’t like the woman ever particularly got into the Christmas spirit and it seemed like a dumb idea as far as Emily was concerned to put themselves through the misery. She wondered whether the softer side of Patricia she’d seen over the last few days could extend that far.

  “Maybe,” she said, evasively. “I think your mother and father might have a lot on at that point in time. The baby will be born by then, won’t she?”

  “Even better!” Chantelle pressed. “She needs to meet her Nana Patty.”

  Clearly realizing that she’d come up against Patricia’s stubborn side, Chantelle offered another suggestion. “Or if not Christmas, maybe New Years? We have a party at the inn. You can come to that, right?”

  Patricia remained evasive in her answers. “We will have to see,” was all she’d commit to.

  Chantelle looked over at Emily next. “Do you think Papa Roy might want to come for Christmas?” she asked.

  Emily felt tense. It was even less likely her father would be able to come with his health deteriorating.

  “We can ask,” Emily told her, and the conversation died down to silence.

  They reached the inn and Daniel parked up. Stu, Clyde and Evan were home, so they came out to help carry the tree inside. Then, together, the four men heaved it up into its position in the foyer.

  “That’s one big tree,” Clyde said, whistling. He wiped the perspiration from his forehead and looked down at Chantelle. “How are you going to get the angel on the top? Even on my shoulders I don’t think you’ll make it.”

  To iterate his point, he swept a giggling Chantelle up into his strong arms and plonked her on his shoulders. He began parading her around. Emily noticed Patricia wincing. Probably worrying about the hard wooden floor beneath them, a mother’s instinct that even Patricia possessed!