An Everlasting Christmas

by Mandy M. Roth

  Kelsey motioned to Wil. “We should save this talk for when we’re alone. Girl-time chatting. Wil doesn’t look like he can handle it.”

  “Grandpa is going to stand there and be happy for Jolene,” said Penelope, sounding fierce. “Aren’t you?”

  Unable to deny his granddaughter, Wil nodded, but what he really wanted to do was seek out Marty and let the man know just what he thought about him trying to romance Jolene.

  Jolene scraped the rest of her plate into the sink and ran the disposal. “The food was delicious, Wil. Thank you very much. It was very thoughtful of you.”

  He nodded again.

  She continued to stand there. “And, Wil…”

  “Yes?”

  “Marty better not go missing like so many people have a tendency to do around you.”

  Penelope and Kelsey both turned to face him fully, accusatory expressions on their faces.

  He held his tongue, wanting to let them all know there was a high chance Everlasting would be one resident short before nightfall. “I would never.”

  Kelsey cocked an eyebrow. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you abduct my husband once?”

  With a sigh, he nodded. “Kind of. But he was found again.”

  “Well that makes it all better,” said Penelope, her expression reminding him a lot of the ones Jolene often wore where he was concerned.

  “On that note, I should head out now. Let you have time with the girls. I’ll swing by later and get your decorations put up. And before you protest, I’m hanging them even if you don’t intend to celebrate.”

  “Wil.”

  He eased closer to her. “Jo?”

  “Behave yourself.”

  “I always do.”

  Jolene rolled her eyes. “In other words, he wants to track down poor Marty and try to scare the man to death.”

  “Huh, I didn’t know were-polar bears scared easy,” said Kelsey.

  Wil held up a hand. “Oh, they do if you know how to scare them right.”

  The women all watched him in a way that made him wonder if he might actually be the next person to go missing in Everlasting (which had to have the highest murder-per-capita ratio in the entire state).

  His granddaughter focused on Jolene and took a seat at the kitchen table. “You look lovely today, Jolene.”

  Jolene fussed with her hair and then glanced shyly at Wil. She then sat in a chair next to Penelope. “Is the baby sleeping through the night yet?”

  “I wish. She gets up two times a night to feed. Hugh claimed he wanted to help so I made sure to fix bottles for him, but he slept through her fussing,” said Penelope.

  “Want me to break his legs?” offered Wil.

  Jolene touched Penelope’s arm lightly. “He’s all talk when it comes to Hugh.”

  “I know,” said Penelope, smiling up at him. “Hugh talked about wanting to have another baby when Grandpa was over last, and Grandpa hung on his every word. Then they both stared at me like I was going to green light that. Pfft. Hugh needs to learn to wake up at night and help with the little one he already has before he pushes for more.”

  Kelsey chuckled. “Jake wants more too. I threatened to take him to Wil’s old hunting cabin and tie him to a chair. We all know how much Jake loved when Wil did it to him.”

  All eyes came to him once more, and it became very clear there was estrogen overload in the kitchen.

  He shrugged. “What? I didn’t kill him or anything. I just tied him to a chair. I left the television on for him. It wasn’t like I tortured him or anything. And I was protecting you, Penelope. He thought you were responsible for the deaths of those two men.”

  Silence fell over the room—and Wil realized the error of his words.

  Jolene’s nephew, Sigmund, had actually been the one who had killed two men. In his defense, he’d done so without realizing as much. He’d come into his shifting abilities when he was thirty, which was extremely late in life for a shifter male. Normally that happened by puberty. Sigmund’s change had been triggered by a new allergy medicine he’d started taking.

  Jolene had learned what he’d done, and she’d tried to stop him and handle the situation herself. Her ankle had ended up hurt again during it all. Sigmund had felt horrible and the guilt had driven him away from Everlasting and down to Louisiana. Hedgewitch Cove was where he called home—at least for now. That hurt Jolene. She thought of him as a son and missed him terribly.

  Jolene stood, cleared her throat and averted her gaze as moisture filled her eyes.

  Wil went to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He rubbed them gently as he eased up behind her. “He’s a good boy, Jo. You know that. And I know you miss him something fierce. Say the word and I’ll go down to Hedgewitch Cove again, but this time I’ll throw Sig in my trunk and bring him back here to you.”

  She laughed through her pending tears. “Thank you, but no. He needs to find his own way to deal with everything that happened. I know it is eating him alive.”

  “Yes, but can I just say that I’ve seen him down there firsthand. He’s doing well there. It’s good for him. You’d know that if you’d go down to visit him like he’s asked more than once,” said Wil. “I’ll take you if you want. You could visit with him, I could see Curt and Petey. And it would get you far away from Marty.”

  The last bit fell out without him meaning for it to.

  His granddaughter lowered her head and shook it. “I don’t believe for a second that my grandpa has ever been a smooth talker. Just look at him.”

  Kelsey was all smiles. She clasped her hands together. “I love it. Let’s leave the two of them be. We can go order cupcakes ourselves. They already ate, so Jolene won’t want to do breakfast with us anyways.”

  “No way. I’m coming with you. I’m still trying to recover from the last order the two of you placed at the bakery.” Jolene grinned. “What was it again?”

  The girls both seemed very interested in the ceiling all of the sudden.

  Wil snorted as he thought about the last baked good Penelope had ordered. “If I remember right, wasn’t it pickle-flavored brownies?”

  Penelope groaned. “Hey. Kelsey and I were in our last month of pregnancy. That sounded delicious then.”

  “Didn’t quite taste as awesome as it sounded,” confessed Kelsey. “In fact, the smell alone was enough to make you run from the room.”

  Jolene turned and stayed close to Wil. “You good locking up here while I run with the girls to order cupcakes?”

  “I am.”

  She glanced at the table and then him. “Nothing had better happen to the present, the flowers or Marty while I’m gone.”

  He perked. “So you’re saying Marty needs to stay safe only while you’re gone?”

  “Grandpa!”

  “What?” he asked, doing his best to feign innocence. “I just wanted to be sure I had the rules right.”

  Jolene put a hand to his chest. “Wil.”

  He sighed. “Fine. I’ll behave myself.”

  “Hey, who is the present from?” asked Kelsey.

  Penelope waggled her brows. “My guess is her secret admirer.”

  “Oh. So romantic,” said Kelsey. “Jake could take a few lessons.”

  Penelope laughed. “Jake? He’s Prince Charming compared to my husband.”

  “Yes. He is,” said Kelsey.

  “Come on, ladies. Baked goods await us.” Jolene headed for the living room and the girls followed quickly behind her.

  Wil’s gaze slid to the table, settling on the present and the flowers.

  “I’m serious, Wil!” shouted Jolene from the other room as if reading his mind.

  With a grunt, he folded his arms over his chest.

  Barry rushed in from the hall and rubbed against his leg. He bent and picked up the cat. It purred softly as he rubbed it’s back. Wil’s attention returned to the table.

  How was it someone had gotten so close to Jolene’s house two times while he’d been there, and he’d
not noticed? Was he slipping with age?

  Chapter Five

  “I can’t believe we got a table so quickly,” said Penelope as they sat in Chickadee’s Diner. “I figured we’d be standing outside for at least thirty minutes.”

  “The snow is keeping some folks home,” said Jolene, enjoying her girls’ day out so far. As she looked in the direction of the entrance, she saw a line forming. The soft sounds of Dean Martin singing “White Christmas” filled the popular town eatery. “Or we got lucky. Looks like we came just in time.”

  Kelsey touched a small dessert menu that was propped near a napkin holder on the table. “Oh, yum. Blueberry cobbler. I’m so getting some of that.”

  “I want a piece of chocolate chess pie,” added Penelope. “I’ve been craving it. What about you, Jolene? What are you eyeing for dessert?”

  Jolene looked over the menu. “I’m not sure I’ll have room after I eat the sandwich I ordered.”

  “I should have ordered what you did,” said Kelsey, frowning. “I always end up with order remorse. The open-faced shredded beef sandwich sounds so good now. It’s probably too late to change my order to that from the chicken salad, isn’t it?”

  “Tell you what,” said Jolene. “When the food comes, if you’re still hungry for the beef, I’ll switch ya.”

  “Really?” asked Kelsey, smiling wide.

  “I like chicken salad too. I was going back and forth on which to order.”

  Kelsey reached across the table and put her hand over Jolene’s. “Don’t forget, lunch is on me today.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” argued Jolene. “The two of you already insisted on paying for my coffee this morning. Then you surprised me with a manicure and a pedicure. Which I’d never had before, and I’m still not sure how I feel about someone touching my feet. Plus, that entire place did nothing but talk nonstop. You’d think they’d get tired of gossiping.”

  “We’re not taking no for an answer,” said Penelope sternly. “We’re treating you to a day out, remember? And they never tire of gossip at the salon.”

  “I’m not used to all this attention.” It was true. While Jolene had female friends who were close to her own age, they didn’t tend to do anything remotely close to girls’ days out. One of her best friends, Sheriff Francine Bull, was as rough around the edges as Jolene. Maybe more. They did swap books often, each liking what the other read, but that was about the extent of it all.

  When Francine found out that Kelsey and Penelope had already managed to get Jolene to sit still for a pedicure and a manicure, she’d laugh for days.

  Glancing down at her nails, Jolene felt a strangely warm and fuzzy feeling fill her chest at the sight of just how clean and tidy her nails looked now. Of course, that would end the minute she got under the hood of another vehicle, but for the moment it was nice.

  Penelope, who was sitting to Jolene’s left at the table, leaned. “You should have gone with fire-engine red. Like what’s on your toes.”

  Jolene gasped. “On my nails? Everyone would see.”

  “That’s the point,” said Penelope. “Of course, there is a chance someone will see your toes.”

  Jolene shifted awkwardly in her seat, wiggling her toes in her boots. “No one will see them. It’s enough I let Wil see my kitten socks.”

  “Not even Marty?” asked Kelsey, a devious grin on her face.

  Heat flared through Jolene’s cheeks. “No.”

  “What about Wil?” questioned Kelsey. “After all, he did sleep over.”

  “Did you hear that? Wil slept over at Jolene’s last night,” said Geraldine Shaw from the table nearest them.

  Geraldine was something of a town gossip. She and her group of friends always had their ear to the floor for juicy news. She probably made the hair salon a normal stop. Hearing Wil had stayed the night at Jolene’s would no doubt leave everyone thinking they were having a torrid affair.

  Jolene tapped her finger on the table before putting her hand over her butter knife, her gaze never leaving Geraldine.

  Geraldine gulped and faced the other way.

  Penelope laughed. “Way to threaten her without saying a word.”

  “What? I was just getting ready for my food,” said Jolene as the edge of her mouth turned upwards. “And I wouldn’t really do it.”

  Kelsey and Penelope shared a look. Then they laughed and spoke in unison. “You would.”

  Unable to stop herself, Jolene laughed. “I really like you two.”

  “We really like you, too,” said Kelsey, fiddling with sugar packets. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Were you married before?”

  Penelope made a small sound of disbelief. “Kelsey.”

  Lifting a hand, Jolene calmed Penelope. “It’s fine. Really. I don’t mind the question.”

  “I asked Grandpa about your husband,” said Penelope, surprising Jolene.

  “And what did he say?”

  Wil had never said anything to her when Lloyd had gone missing. Then again, he’d spent nearly a hundred years barely saying a word to her at all.

  Penelope focused her attention on the napkin on his lap. “He got kind of quiet, but it was easy to see he wasn’t happy.”

  “What is it you wanted to know about Lloyd?” asked Jolene, feeling strange talking about the man. She rarely did, and no locals dared whisper his name.

  Geraldine glanced nervously in Jolene’s direction, obviously listening in on the conversation. The small nod Geraldine gave her spoke volumes. She knew what Jolene had lived through back then. The two women may not see eye to eye on much, but on dealing with an abusive ex, they did. Geraldine’s sister had suffered through something similar. From what Jolene could recall on the matter, Francine had stepped in and handled it.

  Oddly enough, that man went missing, same as Lloyd.

  “Why did you keep your maiden name?” asked Penelope.

  Jolene chuckled at the harmless question. She’d expected Penelope to want details of what Jolene had gone through. Or want to know what happened to Lloyd. She wasn’t expecting to be asked about her last name. “I didn’t. I took his last name while we were married. About ten years after he went missing, I had my name legally changed back to Bails. I make a better Bails than I do a Morton.”

  Penelope put an arm around Jolene’s shoulders and pulled her closer, giving her a sideways hug. “Yes. You do.”

  “You’d make a great Messing,” blurted Kelsey before covering her mouth with her hand.

  Jolene sat back fast in her chair. “Messing?”

  “I meant Hanover,” corrected Kelsey.

  Jolene shook her head. “I don’t think so. Marty and I aren’t to that point.”

  “But you are at some point, then, right?” asked Penelope, seeming very interested in the topic.

  One of the newer waitstaff came by and refilled the women’s coffee cups. No one said anything until the young girl had left.

  Jolene smiled as Kelsey smelled her cup of coffee. “You okay there?”

  Kelsey nodded. “I’m breastfeeding so Jake has it in his head that I should cut caffeine from my diet.”

  Penelope groaned as she held her cup of coffee as well. “He got that idea from Hugh. I swear, they go on and on together like two old hens. I caught them swapping recipes the other day.”

  Kelsey choked on the sip of coffee she’d taken. “W-what?”

  Penelope nodded. “I also overheard them talking about child-rearing tips and tricks.”

  “When in the world did they learn any tips or tricks?” asked Kelsey as she leaned back for the waitress to set her plate of food before her. “It’s all Jake can do to diaper Jayson. Two diapers have actually fallen off after Jake was done. Poor Jayson. I left him home alone with his father.”

  “Francine knows what she’s doing,” said Jolene. “You know, you have a son, Penelope has a daughter…”

  The girls shared a look.

  Penelope sighed. “We me
ntioned hoping the two would grow up and get married. Our husbands freaked out. Neither child is ever allowed to date, apparently.”

  Kelsey grinned. “So say our husbands but when have we ever listened to them?”

  Jolene laughed.

  Penelope nudged her lightly. “You’re the matchmaker. Do you think they’ll end up together?”

  “They’re little yet. I’ll get a better feel for it when they’re a touch older,” she said, looking at the young woman who had refilled their coffee. “She’d go nice with the new bag boy at the grocery store. Don’t you think?”

  The girls smiled wide.

  “What?” asked Jolene.

  “Who do you see for yourself?” asked Penelope.

  Jolene focused on her coffee, wanting off the subject.

  Betsy, the waitress at Chickadee’s Diner, approached and set a plate before Jolene. “You should know that Mrs. Mays and her church group were in here for breakfast this morning. They seemed very interested in your love life.”

  Jolene nervously bumped her silverware and had to quickly catch her fork before it hit the floor. The action caused others in the diner to look her way. Trudy Mays loved a juicy story. She wouldn’t let one go with any ease. “What love life?”

  Penelope and Kelsey leaned in, all ears.

  Betsy handed Penelope her lunch plate and then put the tray under her arm, popping out a hip as she chomped on her gum. She glanced at Jolene. “You didn’t hear? Apparently, you and Marty Hanover are about to elope.”

  Jolene wasn’t sure her eyes could get any wider. She and Marty had only gone on a few official dates and those were in no way leading to marriage. “Since when?”

  Betsy checked her watch. “About five hours ago. Jerry was nearby, and he overheard them talking. He then told Bob McGee. Then Bob told Monte and Sam, who I’m sure have phoned Petey by this point. By my calculations, Sugar, the eastern seaboard and most of the south has heard by now.”

  Just then, the door to the diner opened and Father Walker entered, all in black, his white collar in place. The priest came right for Jolene’s table, a man on a mission. He smiled, and dimples formed in his chubby cheeks. “Jolene, I’ve been looking for you. I tried the service station first.”