Erin was happy that Noella had worked things out with Finn. Part of her wanted to be able to talk to Noella about what was going on with James, and yet, having just given her friend all kinds of advice, Erin wasn’t all too sure she wanted to have it dished back at her. Even though she had told Noella she’d have her shot when Erin did eventually find herself falling for a guy, she hadn’t thought it would happen so soon. Well, what Noella didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“She seems really nice, man,” Van said as they made their way back to the office.
James glanced over at his friend to make sure he wasn’t joking then grunted in response. What could he say? She was really nice. He couldn’t deny that he felt better now than he had before stopping at A Spoonful of Sugar. And he was happy that Erin and Van seemed to get along.
“That’s it? Total non-verbal response?” Van asked when James didn’t say anything more.
Before James could reply, his phone rang through the Bluetooth. Van reached out to touch the display to accept the call.
“Hohoho! Merry Christmas!” he called out cheerfully, obviously having seen who was calling.
“Van?” Kaylee’s voice came through the speakers of the SUV. “What are you doing answering James’s phone?”
“Don’t you want to talk to me, Kayl?” Van grinned even as his tone of voice was pouty.
“Oh, be quiet, Van. And don’t call me that.”
“I’m here, Kaylee,” James said with an exasperated shake of his head. “What’s up?”
“Calling about Christmas plans. Do you have a minute?”
“Yeah, we’re in the car.” He slowed and came to a stop behind other cars waiting at a red light. “So what have you got planned for us?”
“Funny thing, apparently Mom and Sam are heading off to Europe tomorrow for a few days.”
James frowned as he accelerated with the traffic when the light turned green. “And she just told you this now?”
“Yeah.” Kaylee sighed. “But honestly, it just made things easier for planning. I talked to Dad and he’s up for something on Christmas Day with Nana, so I figure we will just hang with him then.”
“What about Christmas Eve?” James asked, not wanting Nana to be on her own if she wanted company.
“Nana said that she would prefer a quiet evening. Ellie will be there with her.”
Eleanor Brooks had been Nana’s nurse for almost ten years now and was pretty much a member of the family. Since she had no close family of her own, Ellie had ended up moving in with Nana full-time about five years ago. She made life for them—and Nana—infinitely easier, but James knew she was well-compensated for her efforts.
“What about you?” James asked. Now that there was a possibility his own Christmas Eve had just been freed up, he was seriously considering taking Erin up on her invitation to go to her church to help out. But first, he needed to make sure that his sister didn’t need him.
“I’m good. I think I’m going to have a quiet evening myself. I have a few more presents to wrap and for the first time ever, I’m going to have a stress-free Christmas Eve.” She paused. “Will you be okay?”
“I’ll be more than okay, sis. I think I’ll enjoy a stress-free evening as well.”
“Good. We both deserve that for a change. See you on Christmas Day at Nana’s.”
After the call had ended, Van turned to him as James guided the SUV into the parking lot of their building. “Do you want to come to my folks’ place on Christmas Eve? You know they’d be happy to have you.”
“Nope. I’m going to church.” Just saying it made happiness unfurl in his heart. Yes, he was going to church on Christmas Eve, and he couldn’t be happier about it.
Erin couldn’t believe that Noella and Finn were late. She sighed as she put her hands on her hips. Okay, maybe she could. She glanced around the room in the basement of the church where she and a handful of other volunteers had set up several tables. All were covered with Christmas table clothes and some already held cups and large coffee urns that would produce enough coffee to satisfy the masses.
Not that they expected a huge crowd, but it was known that the church would offer something for those who had nowhere else to go after the service. Erin did have somewhere to go after the service, but she was going to stay at the church until the last person left. The Johnsons understood what she and Noella chose to do on Christmas Eve. It wasn’t the first year they’d stayed to help out.
It was, however, the first year A Spoonful of Sugar was responsible for a good chunk of the Christmas goodies people would be enjoying. Or they would be if Noella and Finn showed up with the rest of the baking.
Erin went to each table, making sure that everything on it was perfect. But of course, it was perfect. She’d already checked it over three times as she waited for Noella and Finn to arrive. As she did, she found herself wondering what James was doing for the evening. He hadn’t had definite plans when they’d last talked so she hoped he’d figured something out. The thought of anyone being alone on Christmas Eve—unless it was by their choice or desire—saddened Erin, and she didn’t want that to be the case with James.
“Sorry we’re late,” a voice called out.
Erin looked over to see Noella and Finn walking toward her, boxes in their arms. “I was wondering what had happened to the two of you.”
“I take responsibility, Erin,” Finn said with a rueful smile. “I got held up at the shop and made Noella late. I do apologize.”
“Well, you’re here now, and that’s all that matters. Let’s get this stuff set up so we can go enjoy the service.”
After they had all the goodies set out, the three of them went upstairs to the sanctuary. Finn led the way into the pew, and Noella scooted in behind him. Once they were settled into their seats, Erin let out a sigh of contentment. Her gaze went to the front of the church where a string quartet was playing What Child is This. People filled the pews, but unlike on Sunday mornings where people might be inclined to stand around and chat, they were quietly sitting down.
“Is there room for me?”
Erin looked up in surprise to see James standing at the end of the pew looking down at her with a smile. She glanced over at Finn and Noella and noticed there was still space on the other side of Finn.
“Scoot down,” Erin whispered to Noella.
Noella turned toward Erin, her gaze going to where James stood. Her brows rose briefly, but she said something to Finn, and soon they were shifting down so that James could sit on the pew beside her.
“I didn’t expect to see you here tonight,” Erin said, her voice low so as not to disturb those around them.
James bent his head down near hers. “You did invite me, remember?”
Erin nodded. “I’m glad you came.”
His gaze held hers for a long moment before he nodded and said, “I’m glad I came too.”
Warmth rushed to Erin’s cheeks as she turned her attention to the front of the church again. Just then the worship pastor stood and read a passage of scripture.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life. Tonight we celebrate the gift that God gave to the world when Jesus was born in Bethlehem as it had been foretold.”
The worship leader was then joined by his team as they led the congregation in singing O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. She felt the tension from earlier slip away, replaced instead by a nervousness because of James’s presence.
Why had she invited him?
Given that she was trying hard to not let her little crush on James develop into something more, it wasn’t the smartest thing she’d ever done. It had been hard enough when she’d first seen him and fallen a little in like with how he looked, but his attitude had helped to rein that back in. Then he’d changed. And now the appreciation she had for him initially had grown with each of their interactions.
From the moment he
’d walked into her kitchen and been in awe of her lily, Erin knew she was headed down a slippery slope that was definitely going to end in heartache. What else was possible when the girl loved romance and was searching for her happily ever after and the guy had absolutely no interest in marriage?
She definitely shouldn’t have invited him.
As James watched a teen light a candle on a table at the front of the sanctuary, he felt a real sense of gratitude that Erin had invited him to the service. He couldn’t quite figure out how things had changed over the past few weeks. All he knew was that so much had.
Erin had literally swept into his life and forced him to look at things in a different light. He hadn’t been prepared for her at all. When Nana had asked him to make sure that her cake came from A Spoonful of Sugar but hadn’t tried to talk Erin up to him, James had assumed that she was married.
Instead, he’d gotten a very single Erin who, with her blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and friendly smile, had kind of knocked him for a loop. He was used to a certain type of woman. One who was out for what they could get from him. He’d had relationships over the years with women who’d known that marriage was not the end game for him and had been fine with taking what they could from him before moving on the moment a better offer came along. He’d also been fine with those types of women and relationships, but then along came Erin.
James hadn’t expected to find his life turned upside down because he’d met a woman his grandmother hadn’t thought he was good enough for. His grandmother had welcomed all his questions the night following the trip through Bethlehem Live and had given him some direction on how to find the peace and joy in his life that she and Erin had.
And now as he listened to the readings and songs that were familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time, James felt something stir within him. A longing to truly know and experience the reason for Christ’s birth being celebrated. The music moved him in a way it never had before, painting a very real picture of the birth of Jesus and the reason God sent His Son.
He was so caught up in the moment that it took him a minute to register what Erin was saying to him as the congregation stood and began to sing Silent Night.
“We need to head down to finish getting everything ready to serve,” she whispered just over the music. “You can stay up here until the service ends or come downstairs with us.”
James had no problem stepping out into the aisle and then following Erin downstairs with the other two people who were with her.
“Finn, Noella, this is James Dawson,” Erin said when they’d come to a stop in a large room in the basement. “James, this is my sister, Noella Sanderson, and her boyfriend, Finn Kinnaird.”
“Dawson?” Noella asked. “As in Joanna Dawson?”
“Yes,” James said as he shook the hand she held out to him. “I’m her grandson.”
Her brown eyes widened at that but then narrowed as she turned her gaze to Erin. There was communication going on between the two, but James was clueless to interpret it. He glanced at the man standing beside Noella. When he happened to catch Finn’s gaze, the man shrugged as if he too had no idea what the women were communicating through looks alone.
“Sounds like the service is over,” Erin said, her gaze going to the ceiling as they heard movement from the sanctuary. “We’d better get ready.”
James followed Erin to a long table with cupcakes and cookies on large platters.
“We’ll be at this table, and we just need to make sure people get what they want and refill any serving plates that empty,” she said as she straightened some napkins at the end of the table. “And you can chat with the people as well. Most are here because they don’t have any other plans for the night, so feel free to strike up conversations with them.”
If there was one thing James could do, it was talk. And so he did. First, there was the young boy who had happily divulged what he hoped Santa would bring him while standing next to his mother eyeing the cookies. A puppy or a visit from his dad. James swallowed hard with the knowledge that this little guy was likely to be disappointed on both levels. The boy’s mother looked like she was barely holding things together.
James took the time to tell him about the year he’d gotten books instead of the dog he’d wanted, and how much he’d ended up loving them. The books hadn’t been his only gift, but they had been from Nana and though she had the money to buy him and Kaylee more expensive presents, she’d always given them what she thought they needed, not what they wanted. And more often than not, they loved what she gave them.
“So maybe even if Santa doesn’t bring you those things, you’ll still love what’s waiting for you under the tree tomorrow morning.” James glanced up from where he’d dropped to his haunches to talk to the boy at eye level to find the mother and Erin watching them. The mother had a sad smile on her face while Erin looked like she might cry. Turning back to the boy, he laid a hand on his shoulder. “Just remember that regardless of what Santa does or doesn’t bring you, you have your mom, and she loves you. Being together is the best gift ever.”
The little guy looked up at his mom and gave her a huge smile. “I love her too.”
James got to his feet. “Well, I hope you have a Merry Christmas together.”
Erin looked like she wanted to say something to him, but more people approached their table and distracted her. That first interaction had left James a little raw. In his job, he fought for the children’s best interests, but he rarely, if ever, interacted with them directly. And that was why. He knew that each interaction would strike a blow at the walls he’d erected around his heart a long time ago. There were only a few people he’d let past those defenses, but tonight one little boy had threatened to bring it all down.
He smiled as he spoke to an elderly gentleman who had come with a group from a nearby nursing home. Even though it seemed likely that the man had no family to spend the holiday with, he was upbeat and interesting to talk to. Next came a young woman he figured was in her early twenties. She looked at him through her lashes as she bent her head and tried to flirt with him a bit. James gave her a gentle smile but didn’t flirt back like he might have at a different time and in a different environment.
It came to him as he spoke with her that the only woman he wanted to flirt with was Erin. She’d likely brush it aside, but her eyes would still sparkle, and that was all James hoped to achieve.
“Looks like we can start to pack things up,” Erin said after he finished talking to a teen who was there with his older sister who was his guardian since they had no one else.
As he helped to clear off the tables and put stuff away, James felt an odd mixture of sadness and hope. Each person he’d talked to had had a story for why they were at a church on Christmas Eve eating cupcakes and cookies instead of with their family. Many were sad stories, and yet there had been hope in their eyes, and most had just needed to be able to talk. Some had reminisced about Christmases past. Some had shared their hope for what Christmas Day might hold for them. All had reminded James of how much he had to be grateful for.
“Do you have plans for the rest of the evening?” Erin asked as they put the last of the tablecloths in a bag for someone to take and launder.
James shook his head. “I was just going to head home.”
Erin’s brows drew together, and her gaze went to where Noella and Finn were standing together talking. She appeared to be trying to decide something. Finally, she looked at him and said, “Would you like to come with us to my foster parents’ place? It’s nothing fancy. We just get together to sing some Christmas carols, eat food, and sometimes play games. You’d be welcome to join us.”
“Really?” James didn’t want to intrude on a family celebration, but it held an appeal to him that made him want to say yes.
“Really. As long as you don’t mind a little madness. There are kids of all ages around most of the time. I don’t think they have any babies this year, but they do have some elementary aged kids. Their do
or is open to anyone. You’d be most welcome.”
“In that case, I’d love to.” For someone who had previously eschewed holiday gatherings, he was certainly jumping in with both feet this year. It was like he was making up for lost time because he truly felt like this year he was finding so many things he hadn’t even known were lost to him.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Erin leaned forward and bumped her forehead against the steering wheel. It was far too late to try to knock some sense into herself for this day, but maybe it would work in the future. Her sigh combined with a laugh at the absurdity of it all. Even though she was a romantic, she had always thought she also was fairly level-headed and would still be able to make sound decisions regardless of her romantic ideals. The past few weeks had shown glimpses of that level-headedness, but sadly, not enough of it.
She straightened at the sound of a horn behind her and pressed the accelerator to head through the intersection. Knowing she had to give her foster parents a head’s up, Erin called them on the Bluetooth in her car.
“You’re bringing a guest, sweetie?” her mom repeated in surprise.
“Yes. He’s actually the grandson of a customer we’re doing some work for. He didn’t have anywhere to go after the service tonight so I invited him. I hope that’s okay.”
“You know that’s perfectly fine, sweetheart.” Her mom chuckled. “I just hope you warned him about us. The younger kids are raring to go, and Nicole came over with her kids and her new boyfriend.”
Nicole was a couple of years older than Erin and had been bounced around foster families for several years before ending up at the Johnsons. Though she had been with them for a couple of years before aging out of the system, she had never been as close to the Johnsons as other foster children they’d had. Erin was surprised to hear that she was going to be there.
The Sweetness of Her Love: A Christian Romance (Fostered by Love Book 2) Page 6