“I’ll sit by Mark,” April said.
Everyone shifted as George slid the chair beside Mark. April leaned across him to talk to Sasha, pointedly ignoring Eva, who pretended to not notice. By now, she was used to April’s hostility. Still, her rudeness grated.
When everyone had their fill of food, they moved to the living room for coffee and pumpkin pie. The children built houses with Lego while the adults chatted. Eva purposely chose a seat away from Mark, who sat on the sofa. April plopped down beside him, and Sasha climbed up to cling to his other side.
Half an hour later, Mark said, “We’d better hit the road, Eileen. Our little gal here appears to have had enough Thanksgiving.” He pointed to Sasha, who had fallen asleep with her head against his shoulder. “What about you, Eva?”
Eva nodded. “It’s been fun, but I’m ready to go.”
“Me, too,” April said. “My roommate dropped me off…” She cast a sideways look at Mark.
“We can give you a ride,” Mark said and then slanted Eva a questioning look.
Eva shrugged. Why did he think he needed her approval? They weren’t on a date.
“That would be great.” April beamed.
When they reached Mark’s SUV, Eva immediately said, “I’ll sit in back with Sasha.”
Eva hoped her gesture would send a signal to both Mark and April that she had no designs on breaking up their relationship, even though she still didn’t know exactly what that relationship was.
No one spoke during the drive home as Sasha slept. Eva stared out the window at the dark streets, wishing more than ever that she’d spent the day in Seattle, even if it meant being alone.
*
THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, Mark waited in his office for Eva to arrive for their weekly planning meeting. At exactly nine-thirty, she appeared in his open doorway.
“Come on in.” He motioned to her.
Today she had on black slacks and a black-and-tan knitted sweater, and her hair was loose rather than in the twist she wore when she first came to town. He liked her casual look.
Her “Good morning” was as cool as the breeze drifting in from his open window. Was she in a bad mood? “Have a seat.” He motioned to the chair near his desk, which he’d positioned especially for her.
She crossed the room and took another chair farther away. Opening her iPad, she fiddled with the attached keyboard.
He cleared his throat and studied the notes he’d made in preparation for their discussion. “So, you’ll edit the mayor’s column and the letters to the editor this week.”
She raised her head and smoothed a lock of hair from her forehead. “Right. Then I have a lunch appointment with the owners of the new gallery on Main Street.”
“You ought to enjoy that.” He pumped enthusiasm into his voice. “I hear they’ve contracted some really fine artists.”
“That would be nice. This town could use a little culture.”
Ouch. “What about those antiques shops on the first floor of your apartment building?”
“Yeah, but the souvenir shops outnumber them three to one.”
“Visitors like them. Haven’t you ever visited a place and brought home a souvenir?”
“Not that I can remember.”
“Well, maybe you should.”
She pressed her lips together. “Could we get back to the agenda, please?”
“Yeah, sure.” He shuffled his notes.
They discussed the rest of the week’s schedule and then she scooted to the edge of her chair. “Are we done here? I have a couple of phone calls to make.”
He spread his hands. “That’s all I have.”
She rose and headed for the door.
“Eva…”
She stopped and turned, giving him raised eyebrows.
“I, uh, how’d you like our Thanksgiving?”
“Dinner at Eileen’s was nice.”
He tried again. “What did you think of working at the community center? You seemed to enjoy yourself.”
“I did. I was glad I could help out.”
“We were glad to have you.”
She tapped her pen against her notebook. “Are we done now?”
“Sure. Sure. See you later.” He gave her a dismissive wave.
After she left, Mark sat there shaking his head. While working side by side with Eva at the center and sharing Thanksgiving at Eileen and George’s, he’d sensed something different about their relationship. A camaraderie of sorts. Today, the ocean might as well have separated them. Why?
He figured April was part of the problem. After she’d arrived at Eileen’s, Eva had withdrawn and kept her distance. Darn April. He’d told her time and again there was no personal relationship between them, but whenever given the chance, she acted as though they were a couple. He needed to be more forceful. But that wasn’t his style. He had no trouble establishing leadership on the job, but personal relationships were another matter.
*
EVA SAT ON THE BENCH at the edge of the dunes watching the waves break on the sand and, farther out, the whitecaps rising and falling with the rhythm of the tide. The ocean was her favorite part about being back in Willow Beach.
She’d walked here today, a Saturday, because she’d hit a block in her writing and hoped to find inspiration. Maybe it was the holiday blues that had her stuck. True, she’d enjoyed herself on Thanksgiving, but with that over, and everyone revving up for Christmas, her spirits had hit a new low.
She pulled her jacket tighter against the wind and watched a pair of gulls swoop down and land on the sand. They hopped about, pecking at the earth, and then took off again. She traced their path across the sky until they disappeared from sight. If only she could be as free as they were. She was like a caged bird. Her father had made this cage for her and made sure she’d have to stay in it.
What was the point? Had he thought being here and working for the newspaper for a year would change her mind and she’d want to stay in Willow Beach forever? How could he have been so deluded? Had he thought she’d forget all about their argument or what had happened to Brett at Pine Lake? If he had, he was very much mistaken. Being here for the past six months had only made her more eager to leave.
She longed for her condo, for her friends, for her old job. Here she felt as out of place as one of those seagulls would on a mountaintop.
Making it to Seattle for Thanksgiving hadn’t worked, but maybe, just maybe, she could be home for Christmas. As soon as she returned to her apartment, she’d give Susan a call.
*
MARK FINISHED TIGHTENING the screws in the tree stand and then stood back and surveyed his work. The evergreen reached almost to the ceiling with just enough room left for the gold star. He turned to Sasha, who was busy opening boxes of ornaments. “What do you think, honey? Is it straight?”
Sasha studied the tree, tilting her head. “I think so, Daddy.”
“I think so, too.” He put down his screwdriver and opened the box of lights.
Earlier that day, they’d picked out the tree at the local lot. It was so early in the season that the trees were still being unloaded from the truck. Mark would’ve waited until closer to Christmas, but Diane always wanted the tree up shortly after Thanksgiving, so he had carried on the tradition.
He pulled out a string of lights and began winding them around the branches. “Soon as I get these done, you can start hanging up the ornaments,” he told Sasha.
She nodded and continued lining up the ornaments, purple in one row, blue in another.
He finished with the lights and plugged them in. Their purple glow always gave him a start. He’d have preferred traditional red and green, but Diane had wanted purple, and so that was what they bought. The ornaments were not traditional balls, either, but triangles and squares.
While they hung the ornaments, Sasha told him about the holiday party they were planning at school. “Santa Claus will be there,” she said, “but I know who he really is.”
“You do?”
Mark hung a blue ornament near the top of the tree, filling in a place Sasha couldn’t reach.
“Yes, he’s Bella’s daddy.”
“You sure about that?” he teased. Yet he knew she spoke the truth. Bernie always did the Santa Claus gig for the grade school.
“I am.” Sasha danced around to the back of the tree to fasten an ornament. “But that’s okay. I’ll pretend I don’t know.”
After a couple minutes, she said, “Do you think Eva could come for Christmas?”
He jolted. “You mean for Christmas Day?”
“Uh-huh.”
“But we usually go to Eileen and George’s.”
“I know, but I just thought it.”
“I’m sure Eva already has plans of her own.”
“She came to my birthday party.”
“That’s right, she did.” And she helped out at the community center and then joined them for dinner at Eileen and George’s. Maybe she would be hanging around for Christmas, too. Not because she wanted to, of course. Bad weather might keep her from traveling to Seattle. Or, just like at Thanksgiving, her condo might not be available.
He tried to picture her here, with just him and Sasha. Scary thought. Maybe he should have a party and invite her. Having other people around would be a good idea. He really wasn’t much of a party host, though. Sasha’s birthday party had been a success thanks to Eileen—and, okay, to April, too.
Still…
“I’ll think about it,” he told Sasha. “Meanwhile, let’s finish Mommy’s decorations.” He gestured to the remaining boxes sitting on the floor. Garlands for the mantel and underneath the window sashes spilled from one, and the candle from a table centerpiece poked from another. He blew out a breath. They’d be busy for the rest of the morning.
*
FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS, Mark stewed over the idea of inviting Eva to his and Sasha’s house for Christmas. He reminded himself that he didn’t want Sasha to get attached to Eva, since she’d eventually be leaving, but he didn’t want to deny his daughter something she wanted, either.
He’d ask her at this morning’s meeting. They’d be in his office, just the two of them. That way, if she flatly turned him down, no one would know. Breaking the news to Sasha would be a problem, but he’d worry about that when and if the time came.
Eva appeared at his office door promptly at nine-thirty for their weekly meeting. Carrying her tablet computer, she swept across the room with an unusual energy and settled into the chair next to his desk. A smile lit up her face. That was unusual, too—and certainly a change from their last meeting, when she was in a grumpy mood.
Mark swallowed and gripped his pen. Should he wait until after their meeting was over or begin with his invitation?
Do it now.
He leaned toward her. “Eva, Christmas will be here in a few weeks, and I—”
She looked up at him, her brown eyes dancing. “I know, and I have great news.”
He drew back, alert and puzzled. “Really? What?”
“I’m going home for Christmas.”
Her words hit him like a bucket of cold water thrown on a blazing fire. “Oh, that’s, er, nice…”
“Nice? It’s fantastic. Susan phoned last night. She’s spending the holiday in Hawaii with her boyfriend, Greg, and his parents.”
“Well, uh, good for her.” He twirled the pen between his fingers.
Her eyes took on a faraway look. “I’ll have a Christmas Eve party, like I used to. I’ve already called some of my old friends and invited them. Oh, I can hardly wait. And if I leave on Wednesday, I’ll be able to attend the party at Seattle’s Best on Thursday.”
He cleared his throat and shuffled some papers on his desk. “Don’t forget our tree-lighting ceremony. That’s an important town event and one that belongs in your Our Town column.”
“I know. I’m not taking off that early. Susan won’t be gone until the week before Christmas anyway.” She peered at him. “Mark, are you okay?”
“Of course I’m okay,” he said, infusing gruffness into his tone. “Let’s move on to our agenda. I have a ten-thirty appointment at city hall.”
Mark forced himself to focus and somehow made it through their meeting. After she left, he could’ve kicked himself all the way to his appointment. What was he thinking to even consider inviting her to spend Christmas with him and Sasha?
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
EVA SAT AT her apartment’s kitchen table making a list of things she needed to do for her Christmas Eve party. Planning an event from a distance presented problems. Good thing she had firm connections in Seattle for everything that needed to be done.
She was composing an email to the caterer when the strains of “Jingle Bells” drifted into her consciousness. She jumped up and ran to the window, gazing down into the street. Two blocks to the south, a crowd had gathered at the turnaround. The Christmas-tree-lighting ceremony. She’d forgotten about it and she’d promised Mark she’d be there.
She shut down her computer, shrugged into a wool jacket, set a matching wool hat on her head and hurried out the door.
Mark had been correct when he’d told her the ceremony was a big event. Quite a throng had gathered around the towering evergreen in the middle of the turnaround. Strings of lights encircled the tree, waiting to spring to life. At the top perched a huge star, poised to send its golden glow into the night. A five-piece combo and a chorus of high-school students, looking like something out of a Dickens novel in their Victorian garb, entertained the crowd with Christmas carols. Their voices rang with the joy and celebration of the season.
Standing on tiptoe, Eva scanned the crowd for Mark. She finally spotted him and Sasha on the other side of the chorus. She worked her way over to them.
“Sorry I’m late.” She bent to say hello to Sasha, who held her father’s hand. “Hey, Sasha.”
Sasha’s eyes danced. “Eva, you’re here. Daddy said you’d forget to come, but I knew you’d be here.”
Eva’s gaze slid to Mark.
He shrugged. “I figured you were busy getting ready to go to Seattle.”
”I am. But I said I’d be here, and I do try to keep my word.”
“I appreciate that. So does Sasha.” He smiled at Sasha and squeezed her hand.
The leader of the chorus invited the crowd to sing along with them, and Eva turned her attention to the program. After a few songs, Mayor Fitzsimmons gave a short speech and then gave the signal for the tree to be lit. To an accompanying drumroll, the evergreen blazed with hundreds of colorful bulbs. The star on top winked on, its light a beacon against the black sky.
“Oh, wow!” Sasha jumped up and down and clapped her hands.
Eva caught her breath at the stunning sight. The ceremony was new since she’d lived here nine years ago, and she’d had no idea it was such an important—and impressive—occasion.
After a couple more songs, the crowd dispersed to the nearby establishments, where shop owners were serving hot cocoa and cookies. Sasha looked up at Eva. “Come with us, Eva.”
Eva was about to refuse. She still had her list to finish. Then she caught Mark’s gaze over the top of Sasha’s head.
“If you have time,” he said.
“I’d love to come,” she said and grasped Sasha’s free hand.
They fell into step and headed for the nearest store, which was Cooper’s Hardware. As they waited in line for refreshments, Eva spotted Fran. Since the fashion show, Eva and Fran had met several times for coffee, and Eva had spoken to Fran’s class. Her husband, Jason, and Mark knew each other and played on the same basketball team. The couple’s eight-year-old twin boys, Tyler and Kyle, were with them.
Once everyone had their cocoa and cookies in hand, they found a table where they all could sit together. Another couple appeared. The man tapped Mark on the shoulder.
Mark looked up. “Hey, Joe.” He gave the tall, bearded man a playful punch on the shoulder.
Fran’s husband stepped in to make the introduct
ions. “Eva, meet Joe and Rene Helman. Joe’s the best center we’ve ever had, and Rene is Mayor Fitzsimmons’s number-one assistant.”
Rene and Eva pointed fingers at each other and said in unison, “University of Washington, News Writing 101,” and then they both laughed.
“I thought you were headed for New York after graduation,” Eva said to Rene, a petite blonde with a wide, friendly smile.
Rene tossed back her head and laughed. “That train got derailed.” She gave her husband an affectionate look. “I love my job at city hall.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Eva said, not knowing how else to comment on something she couldn’t understand. Give up the glamour of New York for Willow Beach?
“I’ve been meaning to call you,” Rene said. “I belong to a group of university women that meets once a month. Would you like to join?”
“Why, uh, you probably know I’ll only be here until next June.”
“So I’ve heard. But you could come to a few meetings. We have fun as well as do some charity work. Here are the particulars.” She dug into her black tote, pulled out a business card and handed it to Eva.
Eva took the card, glanced at it and stuck it in her pocket. “I’ll see if I can make a meeting. Thanks for thinking of me.”
“You and Mark have done a great job taking over the Herald,” Joe put in. “Your dad would be proud of both of you.”
Eva didn’t dare to look at Mark. She merely nodded. Had she really been trying? Or just coasting?
*
ON CHRISTMAS EVE, in her Seattle condo, Eva finished setting the dining-room table with her best china and flatware and then stood back and smiled with satisfaction. Everything was ready for her party. The caterer had delivered the food, and the florist had brought several lovely potted poinsettias and a centerpiece of holly and candles for the table. The spicy scent from a cut-glass bowl filled with potpourri added a festive touch, and Christmas songs rang out from the CD player.
Yesterday, Eva had attended Seattle’s Best’s Christmas party, where she was welcomed and fussed over. Even the new assistant editor was gracious and forthcoming with compliments she’d heard about Eva. Seeing her old colleagues was fun but also sad. Eva couldn’t help wishing she were back on her career track instead of fulfilling her obligation to her father in Willow Beach.
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