by Nancy Fraser
“We need to get back in there. There’s a tree to decorate.”
“Are you going to be alright? Uncle Frank’s proposal was not what I expected tonight.”
“Me either, but now is not the right time for me to have a pointed conversation with Mom. You’ll need to talk with your uncle. They are moving way too fast.”
“But you have to admit that was one heck of a proposal. I wouldn’t have guessed my uncle was such a romantic.”
“Vera, Tony, we’re ready to decorate the tree.” Mom’s voice drifted in to the kitchen.
“Hold on, Mom. I need to let Mollie out first.”
Hearing her name, Mollie trotted to the back door and waited for it to open as if by magic. Vera watched her run into the snow, do her business, and hightail it back inside where it was warm and comfy. Mollie made a detour to her bowl for a snack and a drink and then meandered back toward the living room.
Tony said, “Let’s try to keep the conversation away from the impending nuptials and stay focused on the task at hand.” He brushed a lock of hair out of Vera’s eyes. The simple gesture was sweet and when she looked up, she could see longing in his. Or did they reflect what was in hers?
“Um. Well, let’s.” She pointed to the living room.
Tony let her lead the way. “After you.”
THE FIRST THING TONY noticed when they entered the room was Uncle Frank’s smile. It was as if it began at his toes and was so powerful, it burst through the top of his head. How could he have a conversation and tactfully tell this man he should slow down this romance? It was witnessing the looks between Georgia and Uncle Frank that he felt a gut punch. What he wouldn’t give to be on the receiving and giving end of a similar connection. It was palpable between the newly engaged couple.
“Tony, you should be the first one to hang your new ornament on the tree.” Vera handed him the small brown paper bag that bore the logo from the Trim-A-Tree shop.
“You should. After all, this is your home. I’m just a guest.”
Georgia walked to him and placed her fingers on his hand. “Nonsense. You’re family.” She pointed to the tree. “Pick a spot and let’s get this party started.”
The expectation of just the right placement weighed heavy on him.
Vera quickly lost patience with waiting for him to choose. “It’s a large tree and you can always move it.”
He placed it at his eye level in the middle, it was a replica of the town tree. He said “Ta-da” and stepped aside. “How’s that?”
“Perfect.” Vera gave him a heart-thumping smile. There had to be something in the air. He loved dating, but in meeting Vera, things were different. The pulse racing, heart hammering, and the way her perfume teased his senses was putting him off kilter.
With each box that was opened and ornaments hung, there were stories of Vera in school, making orange juice lid ornaments complete with her photo, teeth missing and beaming, and a jar’s worth of glitter on front and back. All of these were proudly hung on the tree.
Uncle Frank opened a box and handed him a popsicle angel. “Do you remember this, Tony?”
“I made it.” He took it carefully, afraid the decades-old ornament would break apart in his hand. “I can’t believe you kept it.”
With a twinkle in his eye, Uncle Frank gestured to the box. “I kept all the ornaments you made. Go ahead and add what you want to the tree.”
“But—”
Georgia was nodding. “This is so much fun and we’re getting to know each other even more as we unearth the multitude of treasures.”
Vera peered into the box and pulled out a construction paper Santa, complete with cotton balls for a beard. Holding it, she crossed the room to a box with her name on it and withdrew a Mrs. Santa. She said, “These have to go on the tree. For years, Mrs. Claus has been wondering what the heck happened to her hubby, and it’s clear he was hiding.”
Georgia took the paper ornaments and hung them on the tree. “When all the kids in Vera’s class were following the directions to make Santa, she thought it wasn’t fair that his wife was overlooked. As usual, she blazed her own path and made the Mrs.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “Now that I think of it, you never did make Santa. All these years, we’ve just had her.”
“It looks like they belong together.” Tony’s eyes sought Vera’s. “It’s official. They’ll be together forever now.”
Was he talking about a child’s simple ornament or something more?
“Who’s up for more cookies?” Vera asked. “Cocoa or tea?”
“Vera, I’m going to hold off on more cookies until tomorrow. It’s been quite the day and after we clean up, I think we’re going to head to bed.” Georgia began to stack boxes inside of boxes.
At the same time, Tony and Vera said, “We’ll clean this up.”
Georgia looked at Frank. “Do you want a snack?”
He patted his belly. “I need to watch my weight. I have a tux to fit into at some point.”
Tony sensed that Vera’s heart dropped at the mention of a tux. Did this mean they had set the date? He wasn’t going to ask tonight. Tomorrow, he’d get Uncle Frank alone and Vera would talk to Georgia. That was all they could do.
“Goodnight Uncle Frank. Goodnight Georgia.”
Vera kissed her mom’s cheek and murmured, “Sleep well.”
As the happy couple ascended the stairs, Georgia called out, “See you at eight for breakfast.”
Vera plopped on the couch and dropped her head on the back. She groaned. “Can you believe they’re already making wedding plans? What’s the rush?” She looked at Tony. “Why don’t you seem that upset?”
“There is nothing I can do about it tonight.” He stacked a few more boxes and sat next to her. “Did you see their faces? The way they were looking at each other. Pure joy.”
“That doesn’t mean they can’t slow down and wait a while to get hitched. It’s not like they’re old, with one foot on a banana peel, sliding into home plate at the pearly gates.”
“Interesting mental image.” He patted her leg. “It’s late and like I said, tomorrow is a new day. Do you want to talk to your mom right after breakfast or wait a while?”
Vera sat up and took a snowman cookie from the plate. She nibbled around the edge before taking a bigger bite. She munched and her face was screwed up in concentration.
“After breakfast, you and Frank can go check on your truck, leaving me here with Mom. I’ll talk to her while you’re gone, and you can get the lowdown from your uncle at the same time. Then when you get back, you and I will take off into town, leaving them to talk and agree to put the potential wedding on hold.”
She polished off the last of her cookie and grinned. Crumbs clung to the corner of her mouth. He brushed them off while thinking he’d rather kiss her lush lips instead.
“Tony? Do you have a better idea?”
He shook his head. “That’s as good as any plan. But one question; what do we do if they get so mad they stop talking to us?”
“Hm. We need to be really careful with what we say and how it’s said so it doesn’t come off sounding like I don’t like Frank or you don’t like Mom.”
“Your mom is great. It’s easy to see why Uncle Frank loves her.”
Vera perked up. “Thanks, and Frank is sweet to Mom. I can see the attraction, and she’s been alone a long time. It’s been almost twenty-two years since my dad died.”
“Has she dated much since?”
“Frank is the first guy I know of; that’s why I’m worried. How can she possibly know he’s the one if she has nothing to compare him to?”
“Uncle Frank had lots of friends, but no one special either.”
“I mean, when I meet the guy I want to spend my life with, I’ll know. I’ve certainly kissed enough frogs.”
“I hear ya. I’ve kissed enough frogettes to last me a lifetime.”
Vera laughed, “Is that even a real word? Frogette?”
“No. I made it up si
nce I wasn’t sure how to compare to kissing frogs.”
Vera hooted with laughter. “You’re so funny. I’m glad we’re going through this together and when all this is settled, we’ll be related.” Her laughter died.
They’d be together for holidays, and eventually Vera would have a man in her life. What if Tony didn’t like him? That was going to be hard to swallow. She deserved the best.
He asked, “What will we be to each other? Will you be like my cousin or something?”
“Sounds about right.”
She nodded her head. “Well. I’m just going to finish cleaning up the glasses and cookies and head up.” She stood and crossed the room. “See you in the morning.”
“I’ll help.”
“No, there isn’t much to do and it will only take a few minutes.” She bopped her head toward the stairs. “Goodnight.”
She waited until she heard Tony’s bedroom door shut before she walked into the kitchen. She needed to be alone. So many feelings threatened to overwhelm her. Mom engaged. Frank living here. Meeting Tony. She didn’t even want to delve too deeply into the way she felt when they were together. Today had been more fun than she had ever had on any first date. Not that this was a date, she quickly reminded herself. Even if they had done date kinds of things. Tony was easy to talk to and he made her laugh. It was too bad her mind kept drifting back to his eyes and dark hair and the smile that could make any girl’s knees get weak.
She finished loading the dishwasher and fixed a cup of sleepytime tea with honey. She would need all the help she could get tonight.
“Come on, Mollie. Time for bed.”
Chapter 7
FOR THE SECOND DAY in a row wonderful smells woke Vera from a sound sleep. Mollie was already sitting next to the door, waiting to be let out of the bedroom.
Vera dressed in a long red turtleneck sweater that covered her rear and leggings that had Santa faces all over them. It was two days until Christmas and she wasn’t going to work, so why not be comfy? After a quick bathroom stop, she was ready for the day.
She still didn’t know what she was going to say after Tony and Frank left, but she was confident she’d find the right words and tone. She didn’t want to hurt her mom, but better she be honest now to save Mom potential heartbreak later.
She descended the front stairs so she could swing through the living room and turn on the tree lights. Why wait until it was dark before enjoying it? To her surprise, it was already on. Mom must have taken care of it. She strolled into the kitchen, taking note of the baking supplies spread out on the dining room table. It looked like the elf factory was going into full production today.
“Good morning everyone.” She made a beeline for the coffee pot and snagged a piece of bacon on the way.
“Morning, Vera.” Tony walked to her and took the other half of her bacon. “You need to share the good stuff.” He winked.
“Someone slept well last night.” Her tone was light and teasing.
“Like a rock. You?”
Mom and Frank were putting the finishing touches on plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, and cinnamon rolls. Vera took two plates and carried them to the table.
Over breakfast, they talked of plans for the day.
Tony asked, “Uncle Frank, any chance you can take me down to the garage after breakfast? I want to check on the truck and see if it’s ready.”
“Give them a call.”
“Well, I also wanted to do a little shopping and thought maybe you could help me.”
“Why didn’t you say so.” Frank glanced at Mom. “Do you need anything while we’re out?”
Mom said, “No. I’m on the fence about what to fix for dinner.”
“Mom, I’ll take KP duty. You made breakfast and by the looks of the dining room, you’re baking cookies today too.”
“I thought it’d be fun if we all circle back and make a couple of batches this afternoon. Then after dinner, we’ll go to the village green for caroling.”
Tony piped up, “Sounds good to me.”
Vera sipped her juice. “Me too.”
THE HOUSE WAS QUIET. Mom had walked Frank out to his truck, which would have been cute if Vera hadn’t been about to broach the very touchy subject of the engagement. Mollie was cavorting in the backyard, enjoying the freedom that came with a fenced in backyard. Her move to Dickens would be good for Mollie too. Well, that’s if Mom would be receptive to her moving back after this conversation.
Mom whisked in the back door, color high in her cheeks, and Vera was sure it wasn’t the winter weather that put the pink there.
“Isn’t he just the sweetest man you’ve ever met?”
“He’s pretty great.”
Mom gave her a sharp look. “Vera, do you have something on your mind?”
She could never get anything past her mom. “Can we talk for a bit?”
She pulled two kitchen chairs out from the table and sat down. Mom sat across from her.
“Mom.” She placed her hands palm side down on the table. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were dating Frank? Instead you led me to believe a woman named Fran had moved in with you.”
She waved her hand. “I never said a woman, although I do recall dropping the K in his name.”
“Why? You knew I’d come home and find out eventually. Especially since he’s living here.”
“In my defense, I didn’t expect you to come home in the middle of the night. Imagine my surprise when headlights flitted across the living room.”
“You’re avoiding the question. Why didn’t you tell me about Frank?”
“I didn’t think you’d understand. Or accept that I was moving on. I’ve been waiting for you to be ready, and when I met him, it was like a brilliant light was turned on in a dark room that was full of plants. I began to grow outside of the walls I had built around myself. You’re living in the city, and it’s time for me to have a life.”
“But how well do you know him? Do you think you should rush into marriage? Live together a little longer and if at this time next year you still think marrying Frank is the right thing to do, you’ll have my full support.”
Mom sat up straight in her chair, her face a mask.
“First of all, you seem to have forgotten that I’m not some naïve schoolgirl with her first crush. When I met your dad, I knew within an hour that he was the man I would marry. Less than six months later, we said I do. Six months.” She let that sink in for a long minute.
“I didn’t know that,” Vera said after she thought about what her mother had just said. “I always thought you took your time, got to know each other.”
“You didn’t ask, either. I guess you assumed. But love happens like that sometimes. It just jumps into your heart and won’t let go.”
“But Frank and you...” Her voice trailed off.
“Our relationship has evolved slowly. We were friends first, then started to date, and we love spending time together. With his business, he can work from anywhere and travels occasionally and with me writing cookbooks, as long as I have a kitchen, I can create and work.”
“Mom, are you sure this is the right thing to do for your future?”
She took Vera’s hands. “Yes, it is. But there is something you should take to heart. When the man walks into your life who makes you laugh, not that fake polite laugh we all do, but the kind that warms you from the inside out, he’s the guy you keep. Don’t think just making a heartfelt wish does all the work for you. Open your eyes before your wish leaves town.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tony. All the signs are there, but you need to see them for yourself.” She squeezed Vera’s hands. “Trust me. I know what I’m talking about. I got lucky. I’ve met two men in my life who made me really laugh. Your dad and now Frank.”
Mom left Vera sitting at the kitchen table with much to think about. Vera wondered how it was going with Tony and Frank.
“UNCLE FRANK, WHAT HAPPENED to your house?” They were leav
ing the garage and headed down to Dorrit’s Diner for a coffee. It was as good a place as any to have the dreaded conversation.
“I’ve still got it. Any interest in moving to town? It’d make a great home to raise a family.”
“In order to have a family, I need to start with a wife.”
Uncle Frank gave him a side-eye.
“I know what you’re thinking and I just met Vera. How do I know we’ll be compatible long-term? I mean, she’s smart, pretty, and has that amazing laugh that is infectious, but it takes a long time to really get to know if someone will stick.”
Tony opened the door to the diner and they took a booth. The high sides were perfect for keeping their conversation from becoming part of the telephone game for the locals.
“But I didn’t ask you to come out and talk about me and Vera. I wanted to talk about Georgia.” He held up two fingers to the waitress for coffee. He didn’t seem to notice Uncle Frank never even mentioned Vera.
She came over and poured. After asking if they needed anything else, she left them.
“Isn’t Georgia the most amazing woman you’ve ever met? Talk about the complete package. She just does it for me.” He put air quotes around does it.
“How long have you been dating?” Tony added cream and sugar to his overly dark coffee.
“I see where this is going. You think I’m rushing into something and I need to pull back. Slow it down and make sure I love her and she really does love me before we take the plunge.”
Tony nodded. “Something like that.”
“I appreciate your concern, but there are a few things you need to understand and maybe then you’ll see why she is so important to me and why I’m going to marry her.”
Tony listened while Frank extolled Georgia’s virtues and how he had never been this happy.
“Do you know she is the only woman I’ve ever wanted to propose to?”
“But you dated a lot of nice women. I met a few.”
“You’re right, but they all were missing something and I never wanted to settle for less than a woman who would touch my soul.”