Just South of Christmas

by Grace Palmer

  “Joel!” she called out. A moment later, he was beside her, his soft lips on hers and his warm bulk pressed tight against her shivering body.

  “I’m so sorry I was late,” he murmured once they pulled apart from their kiss. “I know how important this event is for you.”

  She waved her hand dismissively. “You can’t rush science, can you? And you are here now, that’s all that matters. And just in time for the mulled wine!”

  Joel wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed just as Alma spotted Ashley and Drew. She rushed forward.

  “Junebug! How lovely you look.” She covered Ashley’s face in kisses, followed by Drew.

  When Alma spotted Eddie Green, Tasha’s boyfriend, she toned down her affectionate assault to just a kiss on each cheek, along with a friendly pat on the shoulder. Eddie wasn’t quite as touchy as Alma was. “And Mr. Green! Don’t you look smashing, always in the blazer of yours. You dress like a true Southern gentleman.”

  “And you are ever the lovely southern belle,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes and a voice smooth and charming. Sure enough, Alma blushed—a rare occurrence for the brash Texan.

  “Say,” Eddie added, “you don’t happen to have seen my leading lady, have you?” He craned his neck to survey the area when a voice called out from amidst the crowd.

  “I’m here! I’m here!” Tasha and rushed down the sidewalk towards them. “I’m sorry; I just wanted to make sure that Caroline met up with the committee members before leaving her. She was such a nervous wreck.”

  Tasha recounted the events of the evening and Georgia shook her head, holding on tighter to Joel’s hand. “It is such a shame the way she’s being treated.”

  Joel scuffed. “And all of that over a volunteer position. Well, that seals it. Evelyn Barber’s not going to be on the invite list for our wedding, is she? One less to worry about.” He winked at Georgia.

  “She was in no danger of being invited, in any case. Besides, it will be a small wedding anyhow.” Georgia lifted the hot toddy, which was no longer hot, to her lips. The flavor was still there, regardless.

  The group marched on and the talk switched entirely to Joel and Georgia’s wedding planning.

  “How many people will you have at the wedding?” Ashley asked as they turned right, onto the final stretch of the walk. The air was scented with the smell of mulled wine and fresh-baked goods as they stepped onto Colliver’s Terrace.

  “Not too many. Perhaps twenty or thirty. I wouldn’t want a bigger crowd than that.”

  Tasha laughed. “That’s what you think, Mom. I suspect it will be a whole lot more than that.”

  ‘What makes you say that, sugar?”

  Tasha winked at Joel. “Joel knows. You’re much more popular than you think. If you think the fight over who will be Winter Queen was something, just wait until people start fighting over who got an invite and who didn’t.”

  “I’m afraid Tasha is right, Georgia. We might have to elope!” Joel snickered. “People will want to run the inn’s doors down for Georgia Baldwin’s wedding, no matter who she married. Especially if Liza does the catering.”

  Georgia sighed, knowing he was probably right. “Oh, dear. Well, we had better keep it all quiet then!”

  “Good luck with that, Mom.” Tasha grinned and joined Eddie, linking her arm with his.

  Georgia walked beside Joel, her hand in his. How odd it was, she thought to herself, that within two years, she had not only found herself abandoned by her husband of forty years, but also robbed of half of her life savings and suddenly alone in charge of a bustling inn.

  And yet, in the same two years, she’d gotten back on her feet with the help of family and friends, and—most surprising of all—also found love again.

  She glanced at Joel. He was everything she never knew she wanted in a man. Supportive, loving, and accepting of all the baggage she brought into their relationship. Perhaps it was because he understood her so well. Just like Georgia, his marriage ended when his partner left for what they perceived as greener pastures.

  While it was crushing at the time, she found herself happier now that she’d been in a long time. Her marriage, she now understood, was nothing but a convenience for them both in the end. What she had now was real, and it didn’t need the county clerk to sign on the dotted line in order to prove it.

  She and Joel – that was her happily ever after. Georgia was certain of it.

  8

  Melanie

  Melanie’s eyes sparkled as they turned the corner onto Colliver’s Terrace. The cul-de-sac was completely transformed. The residents, nearly all of them clients of hers, managed to turn their little corner of Willow Beach into a miniature Christmas market, rivaling the one in the town square.

  As expected, a mulled wine station was set up at the end of the Thompsons’ driveway and handmade ceramic cups with Willow Beach Walkabout written on the front were used to hand out the steaming beverage. Mrs. Del la Guercio stood behind a stand and passed out freshly baked Christmas cookies, and a face-painting station was in front of the Chan family home. Children were already lining up to get their faces decorated with all kinds of designs. Other neighbors were giving out carefully-wrapped presents.

  “Isn’t it quaint?” She had her eyes on the baking station but when Colin didn’t reply, she turned.

  “Colin?”

  “Yeah,” he grunted. “Quaint.”

  Melanie forced herself to remain calm, but she couldn’t hide her annoyance from her sister who joined her just then. “What’s up with Mr. Grumpypants?” Tasha said as she chomped on a sugar cookie shaped like a candy cane. “He’s been in a mood all evening.”

  Melanie sighed. She’d hoped nobody would notice, but it was evident. “He had to fire his assistant Alfie today. Drinking on the job. Of course, as luck would have it, we ran into him in the parking lot. They got into a shouting match right before I managed to pull Colin away.”

  Tasha gasped and her hand flew in front of her face. “That’s terrible. I’m sorry, Mel. You’d think he would make an effort to snap out of it for your sake. He knows how important this day is for Mom and by extension, us.”

  Melanie nodded in agreement. “If it were the other way around, he’d expect me to put a smile on and power through it.”

  Tasha rolled her eyes. “Men. They say women are too emotional to be trusted with high offices or high-powered careers, but they themselves are totally incapable of not dissolving into their feelings when thing don’t go their way.”

  Melanie smiled. Her sister was a feminist through and through. And she was right where it concerned Colin. Whenever she was supposed to accompany him somewhere, no matter how hard her day was, she always made sure to be charming and pleasant to his friends and family. Yet he couldn’t fake his way through a couple of hours of walking through town without letting everyone around them know he’d rather be anywhere but here. She felt her nostrils flare.

  “Uh oh.” Tasha grimaced and pointed at her own nose. “That’s not good. The old angry bull nostrils. I’m sensing Colin is about to get a talking to. I’ll be over there, by the mulled wine.” She winked and left them.

  Melanie took a deep breath and joined Colin, who’d walked off and was leaning against a mail box, in front of a For Sale sign with his cell phone in hand.

  “Colin.” She stopped in front of him and waited for him to put his phone away. When at last he did, he looked up. His eyes were full of anger.

  “What?”

  “Can’t you at least try to enjoy yourself? Everyone is asking what is the matter is with you.”

  He stood up straight. “Are they now? And who’s everyone, exactly? Tasha? I just saw you talking to her. She doesn’t like me anyway. Probably considers me a major part of the patriarchy she hates so much. Who else? Your mom? Alma?” His voice rose with each word and people looked over in their direction.

  “Please lower your voice. Don’t make a scene.”

  “Then don’t attack me. I’m n
ot exactly in the best of moods. You know why and you know I didn’t want to be here, but you dragged me out anyway and…”

  She raised her hand, stopping his flow of words. “I made you? Did I drag you out by the scruff of your neck like a cat? No. You could have said no. In fact, I’d rather you’d have done that, instead of walking around with such a miserable face.”

  He sneered then, a crueler expression than any she’d ever seen him make before. “You don’t like looking at my miserable face? Fine. Then don’t.”

  He shoved himself off the mailbox he’d been leaning against and turned, disappearing into the crowd.

  “Colin!” she called out and started towards him when a strong hand wrapped around her arm and stopped her.

  “Let him go, darling. He looks like he needs a minute.” She looked around directly into the kind eyes of Joel Abbott. Her mom’s fiancée let go of her arm, the hint of a sympathetic smile on his face. “Give him some air. Come, join your mother and me for the rest of the walk and the party.” He nodded encouragingly and Melanie found herself following along.

  Fortunately, aside from Joel and Tasha, nobody seemed to have noticed the spat.

  Not wanting to go down the same route Colin had all night, she did not let her sadness show and instead made sure to engage with the other members of the party in their chatter. She ohh’d and ahh’d at the remaining decorations and shared cookies and pastries with her family and her mother’s friends.

  However, the shock and misery at the terrible fight with Colin refused to loosen its grip on her. Her heart was not at the Walkabout anymore and she wanted nothing more than to go home. She considered asking Tasha to drive her home once they arrived at the inn, but dismissed the idea. There was little she disliked more than having to ask others for help. And her sister was already too aware of the disagreement between Colin and Melanie. She didn’t want to involve her any further.

  Instead, once the party turned onto her mother’s street, she excused herself.

  “Mom,” she said.

  “Yes, sugar?” Georgia asked, turning and resting her hand gently on Melanie’s forearm. “Where did Colin go? Is everything alright? I was beginning to worry, but Joel said …”

  “He didn’t feel well. The fight with his employee…Actually, I think I’m going to head home as well. I don’t feel right being here when he’s feeling so low.”

  She hated nothing more than to lie, especially to her mother. She was the kind of person who took people at their word. Even little white lies such as these bothered her mother greatly when discovered.

  For tonight, though, she would have to live with it. She couldn’t deal with talking about Colin or their argument any further. She just needed to get home and sort things out with him.

  “Of course, honey. I understand. Should I take you home?”

  Melanie shook her head. She felt bad enough about missing the after party anyway. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll make my own way home.”

  She kissed her mother on the cheek, slipped out of the crowd, and walked into the opposite direction of the people streaming toward the inn.

  Pulling her phone out, she tried to call for a rideshare as planned but found herself confronted with a thirty-minute wait. The nearest driver was only just now coming out of Pointe Verde—three towns over. No wonder. Everyone in Willow Beach was either at the Walkabout, heading for the inn, or watching the passersby from their houses.

  “I suppose I can walk.” She sighed and set off toward the house. The walk would take her at least forty-five minutes. Maybe it will help me get into a better headspace before talking to Colin.

  Two blocks later, Melanie was about to regret her decision as blisters formed on her feet when a car honked behind her. She turned and swallowed the moment she recognized the driver.

  “Good evening, Dr. Baldwin. Walking to your mother’s?” Mrs. Swanson asked through the rolled down window.

  “Walking home, actually,” she replied.

  For a moment, the woman’s face seemed to freeze. Her already-thin lips pressed into an even thinner line as she leaned over, pulled the door handle on her old Ford, and pushed the door open.

  “Get in. I’ll take you. Much too far to walk, especially in this miserable weather. Besides, I’m sure you joined the fools on the Walkabout, so you’ve already walked several miles today.”

  “Oh,” Melanie said softly. “That’s very kind of you. I can’t really say no to that.”

  She sank blissfully into the interior heat of the car and pulled the door closed, sealing out the frigid winter air. Funny how the weather could change from happily chilly to miserably cold after just one little squabble with Colin.

  “I take it you didn’t join the Walkabout,” she said after Mrs. Swanson had pulled back onto the road.

  Mrs. Swanson just scoffed by way of reply.

  The car was old and had an overpowering smell of lemon. Melanie wanted to beg her to open the window again, but knew she couldn’t ask. It was surprising Mrs. Swanson would even offer the ride in the first place, and Melanie wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  They drove on down the road in silence for a little while until the woman cleared her throat. “So, she’s going to be alright then? Lily told me all went well.”

  Melanie blinked, momentarily confused. Then it came back to her. The cat. The stray orange.

  “Oh. Yes. Mother and kittens are doing well.” She glanced at the bitter old woman, who was grinding her teeth as she drove on. Clearly, she had something on her mind, but Melanie was not eager to go prying about what that might be.

  It didn’t take long for her to come out with it. As they were passing the town square, now almost devoid of people, the older woman spoke up. “I was thinking I might like to keep her. The cat. She’s feisty. I like that.”

  Melanie could hardly believe her ears. “Really? I didn’t think you liked cats.”

  Mrs. Swanson scoffed again, but this time was a little softer than the first. “I don’t. But this one… Something about her. She’s a fighter, and she’s got a strong spirit. Yes. I would like to take her. Of course, we would have to come to an agreement.”

  And there it was. The reason Mrs. Swanson offered her a ride, and the reason she was being slightly less unpleasant than usual. She wanted the cat. For free. Melanie sighed. People always had ulterior motives. However, in this case it might just work out for the best.

  “I’ll tell you what, Mrs. Swanson. I will treat the cat and her kittens for free and foster them while they wean. Once they are old enough, you are more than welcome to have the momma cat. Free of charge.”

  The older woman flashed her a rare smile, which struck Melanie as downright bizarre, almost like seeing a dog walking on its hind legs. “I’m amenable to that.” The smile was gone as fast as it came, but Melanie couldn’t help hiding a grin of her own. It was nice to know that there was a human with feelings underneath Mrs. Swanson’s gruff exterior.

  Silence returned to the vehicle then, which was just as well. Melanie didn’t really feel like talking. Fortunately for them both, the lack of traffic meant they arrived on their street just a few minutes later.

  Melanie turned to the woman. “Thank you again for the ride. I appreciate it more than you know. And I’ll update you on how Momma Cat is doing.”

  She let herself out of the car and was about to bid Mrs. Swanson goodnight when the old woman spoke up again. “Rudy. That’s going to be her name. The orange one. Rudy.”

  Melanie wanted to protest, given that Rudy was a boy’s name, but then let it go. The cat was lucky enough to go to a home, whatever her name was to be. “You got it, Mrs. Swanson. Rudy. Thank you again.”

  The woman did not say anything else but pulled the door shut and sped off. With a heavy heart, Melanie unlocked the door.

  The moment she stepped inside the house, Bandit was by her side. She reached down to nuzzle the top of his head. “Good boy, such a good boy. Now. Where’s Colin? Huh? Where’s y
our daddy?”

  The dog ran back and forth from the kitchen into the living room and back into the hall when she spotted a note pinned to the mirror beside the front door. She ripped it off and held in in her shaking hand.

  Gone for a drive. Don’t wait up.

  Melanie closed her eyes and leaned against the front door. He wasn’t here. He hadn’t bothered to wait for her or even call her to let her know what he was planning or when he might return.

  A note on the mirror. That’s all she was worth.

  Angry tears sprang into Melanie eyes. No! She would not waste a tear on him. With the attitude he’d displayed tonight, he didn’t deserve it.

  She snatched her own car keys from the drawer, along with Bandit’s leash. “Come on, little man. We’re going on a drive as well.”

  Half an hour later, Melanie returned an albino bunny she’d named Mr. Carrots back to his cage and shut the metal door. “There we go. All done. Now we don’t have to change your bandage until tomorrow afternoon. And the day after, you’re going home.”

  She’d gone through all the cages in the clinic. Five patients—in addition to Rudy and her kittens—were currently in residence at the clinic. Each of them, with the exception of a German shepherd who was being treated for an infection, came from the nearby woodlands. They were animals that had been driven from their homes by nearby construction and were hit by cars or attacked by other predators while alone and disoriented on the highways. She’d been treating them, along with Ashley’s help. The plan was to then re-home them to another part of the woods where humans were not a danger to them.

  At last, she made her way into the back room where the orange cat was sitting in her cage with the four kittens sleeping pressed against her. Rudy was in the process of bathing the smallest, a little charcoal colored boy, when Melanie entered.

  At once, the cat stopped and hissed at her.

  “Please, don’t. I’ve had enough of that.” She pulled up a chair and watched the mother cat. “Don’t think you can win a stare-off with me. I’ve been practicing since Drew was born. I’m the stare-off queen.”