by Jenny Hale
“You gave me a picture of Delivery-guy Stan?”
“It’s for your desk,” Leah said, barely able to get the words out. “It’s his employee photo!” She doubled over.
“Ha. Ha,” Roz said, trying not to laugh herself for the sake of drama.
Once Leah could stop laughing, she told her that the gift was really the frame. It was stained glass, using recycled glass from antique soda bottles. It would match Roz’s living room perfectly. By the look on Roz’s face, she was truly touched.
“Okay, my turn,” Roz said, getting up and scooting the obnoxious gift bag toward Leah.
Leah pulled the unmentionables off the bottom and stuffed them into the bag. Then, she rooted around for the gift. When her fingers hit something hard, she pulled it out, and peered down at a beautifully hand-carved cedar box. As the carving came into focus, her mouth nearly dropped open. It was Evergreen Hill. “Oh my gosh, Roz. How did you get this?” She turned it around so her parents could see. Then she held it in view of the others.
“I found a photo of Evergreen Hill online from one of the old ads that your nan had put up. I gave it to the artist and asked if he could carve it. I figured that, as you go through your nan’s things, you could put keepsakes in it.”
Leah stood up and threw her arms around Roz. “This is amazing.” She blinked away her tears, unable to say anything else.
“Don’t go getting all sappy on me,” Roz said, but her embrace told a different story. She pulled away, and Leah let her, knowing how she was about showing emotion. “Go ahead, Louise, open yours.” Roz handed the other gift bag to Louise.
Louise took her undergarment off the bag and hid it as well. Then she reached inside to retrieve her present from Roz. It was a snow globe with a little boy in the center that looked just like Louise’s son. He was holding a blanket, with the name Ethan. “You are so thoughtful, Roz,” Louise said, giving her hug.
Both ladies unwrapped their presents from Louise. They’d been meticulously wrapped in brown paper and tied with a dark green bow. Louise beamed as Leah and Roz held up tote bags made in their own individual fabric patterns. “I figured that you can fill them with your books and things when we take trips,” she said.
“I love it, Louise,” Leah said, giving her a hug. “Thank you.”
They took a break to grab breakfast and help Ethan set up one of his racecar tracks. “I got presents for Sadie and Ethan too,” Roz said, lighting the new candle she’d bought for Leah and setting it on the coffee table. The sulfur smell of the match took Leah back to all the nights she’d had with The Girls. They’d been through so much together—broken relationships, laughter, and long nights just being there for each other. She’d never seen Roz so sentimental and she wondered if her friend was going to miss their time together as much as she would.
“That’s thoughtful of you!” Leah said.
“When I saw Sadie’s, I couldn’t pass by it. It screamed ‘Sadie.’ I think we should get the kids in a minute and let them open them.” Roz followed her back into the kitchen and ran the match under the water at the sink, then tossed it into the trash. “They’re from both Jo and me. Jo wrapped them.”
“Thank God for that,” she teased, remembering the Christmas undies. She made eye contact with Louise and they both laughed.
“Everyone needs new underwear.” Roz was looking back and forth between them, pretending to be put out by their laughter.
“Yes,” June said, sneaking in on their teasing. “And socks.”
“I was just being practical,” Roz agreed with mock-seriousness.
“Thank you,” Leah said, chewing on a grin.
She set the empty dishes in the sink but her mother shooed her away, telling her to relax and enjoy herself. Even her father and her uncle were helping to clear the dishes to free her from the duty. Could they tell how much this Christmas meant to her? With a happy heart, she snapped a photo.
“What was that for?” her dad said with a playful grin.
“I just needed to document that you and Uncle William were doing dishes,” she teased.
“Oh, they’re good men,” June said. “And good men do dishes.” She lumped an armful of plates toward David with a wink.
“I’ll get the kids ready for more presents,” Louise said, standing up and leaving them in the kitchen.
When everyone was back in the sitting room, Roz pulled two haphazardly wrapped presents from the shopping bag by her feet. Jo had written Sadie’s and Ethan’s names in large uppercase letters across the front of them and added a premade bow to each one. She set them on the table. Christmas music was playing in the background—“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”.
The kids came barreling down the stairs before Louise, having taken some of their toys to Sadie’s room. They sounded like a herd of reindeer as their feet pounded on the hardwoods. Sadie was the first to enter, sliding to a stop in her fuzzy red socks. Ethan came in shortly after, and Jo pulled up the rear with Louise.
“Ethan first!” Jo said, recognizing her own wrapping, her excitement making Ethan smile. She grabbed the present from Roz as the family gathered around.
The three kids sat down on the floor and Ethan ripped open the paper. He gasped, recognizing the box before he’d even turned it over to the front. “It’s a Lego landscape kit!” he said with a huge grin as he looked up at everyone. “Thank you, Roz! Thank you, Jo!”
“You’re welcome! Now you should have everything you need to make that Lego city,” Roz said. “You all can take them upstairs and play with them today.” She reached over and handed Sadie the rectangular present.
With a thrill in her eyes, Sadie tore it open and held the large frame in her tiny hands, a look of astonishment on her face. “I love it, Roz,” she said, not taking her eyes from it.
Leah leaned around to view what it was. In the style of Norman Rockwell, it was all white with a simple painting of a blonde-haired girl wearing a blue leotard, her thin body stretched into a dismount pose, a tiny shadow by her feet.
“I can put it on the wall in my room upstairs!” she said, her words tumbling out in her elation. “The blue and white will look so pretty in that room because they match my pillow and comforter! I want to hang it up right now!”
Leah remembered the day Sadie and Nan had gone out shopping for the bed linens for that room. Nan had let Sadie pick, telling her that one day it would be her room. And now it was.
* * *
By the time the tree skirt was empty of gifts, the whole floor was full of balled paper, boxes, and piles of goodies by each person’s feet. David had even thought to buy some gifts for Samuel when he’d gotten Sadie’s surprises. Leah smiled when she realized he’d signed Samuel’s card from the both of them. Leah hadn’t been sure what to get David, but she knew she’d wanted to get him something nice. She’d found a Pete Rose baseball card online, using her phone. The most inexpensive one she could find was still more than she’d ever spent on a gift, but she knew he’d love it, so she put it on her charge card. She’d gotten both her mother and June a pair of earrings, and her father a new sweater. She hadn’t forgotten Samuel either. He’d been the hardest to buy for. But she’d settled on a leather journal so he could write his stories down.
Everyone was looking through their gifts, sharing small talk, when David handed Leah a tiny box. It was wrapped in holly paper with red berries and a matching red bow. “You didn’t think I’d forgotten your gift, did you?”
Until that moment, it hadn’t occurred to her. She was having such a perfect Christmas that she didn’t need anything else. What he’d done already was enough. She took the box as he sat next to her on the settee, and pulled the end of the ribbon to untie the bow. Then, she slipped her finger under the paper where it was taped shut, and opened one end. She slid the box out. It was a flat, square box, and she was baffled as to what could be in it. It was as light in her hands as if it were empty.
Her parents, Samuel, and June looked on as she lifted the
lid. It was empty—except for a business card. She took it out and read the name. “The Mason-Schuster Company,” she said. “Historical Restoration.” She looked at David.
“They’re the company that will be here on Thursday to begin the restoration of the servants’ quarters out back. It’s the company that your grandmother always used. I’m having them restore it to exactly as it was during the Truman era. I never told you this, but your nan had shared the blueprint with me, and she’d told me she’d always wanted to do it, but in retirement it would require more funds than she was willing to provide. She also mentioned that it was one of your favorite places.”
“You’re keeping the building?” she said, excitement swelling in her chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, making him chuckle.
“Yes,” he said in her ear. “We’re keeping the building.” He looked over at June. “I’ve got the restoration crew on a tight schedule. I’d like to get it done by the time the weather breaks.”
Leah waited for further explanation.
June leaned into view. “I want to get the business up and running sooner rather than later. I have our first wedding scheduled for February in the ballroom. It’s a small affair but it would help us get our feet wet. Think we could be ready for that? Could you be all moved in by then?”
Leah put her hand to her chest. “Absolutely.”
“Well, I hope she’d be here by then,” David said. “I picked up Sadie’s entry forms for school. And I grabbed the forms from the gymnastics gym too so she can get started using that mat Santa brought her.”
Unable to stop the tears, Leah smiled.
He took her face into his hands and kissed her in front of everyone. After, she looked around, ready to explain, but it was as if they already knew.
That night, with the presents all set aside, Leah’s mother slipped on the fuzzy Christmas socks that June had gotten everyone as a present and sat next to June on the floor. The house was drafty in the evening, as it always was, and they’d all lined up in front of the fire. “Put yours on,” she told Leah.
“Everyone should put them on,” June said. David and Samuel playfully rolled their eyes, but they all did, and sat next to each other—Sadie in the middle, with Lucky on her lap—and warmed their feet by the fire. Leah had always wanted a big family, rows of fuzzy-socked feet in front of the fireplace, an enormous tree with so many presents she couldn’t fit them all beneath it, and a snowy house filled with friends and the golden glow of lamplight. Well, she got just what she’d always wanted. And more. She knew what Nan meant now about regrets, and she suspected that Nan hadn’t been warning her; she was paving the way for her, so she wouldn’t have any regrets in life, and Nan had done a little matchmaking while she was at it.
Chapter 27
Leah had slept like a baby. As she sat in the kitchen the next morning, stroking Lucky, who’d balled herself up in Leah’s lap, she was completely at ease.
Roz and Louise had gone with David to get their car from town and then packed it that morning. They’d headed back home to their respective houses. Once he’d dropped them off, David had stayed out quite a while with work errands, he’d said. Her family had spent a lot of the day with Samuel, hearing about his life both with and without Nan. And Leah had been able to finally kick back and read that book she’d been given by Louise. It had been a relaxing day.
“Sadie,” David called, startling Leah, coming into the house and looking from room to room. “Sadie!” he called again.
“What is it?” Leah asked, just as Sadie started down the stairs.
“Get your coat on! Where are your boots?” David seemed almost frantic with excitement. “You too, Leah! Hurry! I have a surprise!”
Leah and Sadie dressed for the snow as quickly as they possibly could, David’s enthusiasm causing them both to rush, Sadie nearly falling over trying to put her boots on. Samuel, June, and the rest of the family were at the windows, curiosity getting the better of them.
David took Sadie by one hand and Leah by the other and led them outside, down the steps, and onto the long front lawn. The entire property was completely white, except for the few tire treads left by the farm truck, the trees leading the way out, covered in fluffy snow. David stood with them right at the front of the drive as Leah waited for what he had to show her.
Then, faintly, she heard bells. Jingling bells. She strained to make out the source of the sound but couldn’t see anything.
Then, Sadie gasped, her eyes round, her mouth open, her hand squeezing Leah’s. Coming up the drive between the lines of evergreens was an enormous red-and-gold sleigh, pulled by eight reindeer, each one wearing a thick collar of golden bells around its neck. Sitting in the seat of the sleigh was Santa Claus, his red velvet hat bouncing as the sleigh slid along the snow-covered path.
“Ho ho ho!” Santa cried, raising his white-gloved hand in greeting. “Miss Sadie! Is that you?”
To Leah’s surprise, Sadie started crying. “Yes!” she gasped again. “Yes! It’s me! I didn’t think you knew me!”
“I know every child in the universe, little lady.”
Sadie squinted. “You’re a day late.”
Santa Claus burst into a hearty “Ho ho ho!” and Leah and David bent over laughing.
“Ah. I’ve already been here!” he said. “Didn’t you get my gifts?” Santa said, his cheeks storybook rosy. “That chimney gives me trouble every year. Those old ones are a tight squeeze.”
Sadie looked over at Leah in amazement.
“How did you do it?” Leah whispered to David.
“It only took a few phone calls and a trip into town,” he said, looking down at her with a smile. He leaned in and kissed her nose.
Santa said he was just passing through, and he couldn’t stay long, but he asked if she’d like to climb up in his sleigh. With undeniable excitement on her face, Sadie got up into it and sat down on his lap.
“Did you get everything on your wish list?” he asked.
Sadie nodded. “And I got something even better that I didn’t even think to write down.” She looked over at David and Leah, who were arm in arm.
Santa pointed at Sadie then tapped his temple, like he’d read Sadie’s mind. Sadie laughed.
“You were a very good girl this year,” he said. “You think you can top it next year?”
Sadie nodded furiously.
Santa’s bright cheeks lifted with his grin. “Well that’s good to know. Now, I have a lot of other little boys and girls to check up on.”
“Okay,” she said, climbing out of the sleigh and hopping down onto the snow. “I’m glad you came to see me,” she said.
“And I’m glad I could make you happy, Miss Sadie. Merry Christmas!” With that, he shouted, “On Dasher and Dancer! Prancer and Vixen! Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen!” The reindeer all turned slowly, two by two, until the sleigh was facing away from them, then, the jingle bells sounding once more, Santa Claus headed back down the long drive between the trees.
“Merry Christmas!” he called out just before he disappeared. And that, it was.
Epilogue
It was a warm summer’s night. Leah lit the white lanterns in the weeping willow tree, the James River lapping happily beside her, the evening sun making its surface look like diamonds. The Virginia heat had relented somewhat, but just in case, she had peppered the yard with enormous white buckets of ice containing iced tea, water bottles, and lemonade.
June unrolled the white satin runner that stretched from the front steps of the house all the way to the yard. They’d lined the entire path with gardenia bushes in white pots, their sweet perfume filling the air. The lush green grass was shaded from the sun by white tents that stretched across the property, their edges dripping with white lights, paddle fans and chandeliers wired in to the ceilings underneath. Beneath the tents were large, round tables covered in linens, more gardenia blooms in their centers. Leah set out the place cards in heavy stationery that she’d had printed, catching a glim
pse of Lucky, who was pawing at something in the lush grass under the tree. In the past couple of years, she’d planned more weddings than she could count, but this one was special.
Before long, it was time to get the kids into their wedding clothes. She hoped that David had Sadie’s eight-month-old brother, Mason, dressed in the cool cotton onesie she’d bought just for the wedding. She looked down at her own wedding ring, the diamonds set in Nan’s wedding band, and remembered her day like this one, on this property, when she’d said “I do” to the man of her dreams under the night’s sky. She had a picture of the two of them sharing a kiss, her long white gown blowing slightly in the wind, her blonde hair pinned up into a diamond clip, his hands on her face like he always did when he kissed her. They were standing in the center of that path, Evergreen Hill behind them.
Leah stopped and looked around at what she’d done today. She’d worked her fingers to the bone to make it perfect for Louise and Bret. Today was their day, and she couldn’t wait to celebrate it.
“Somebody’s fussing for his mama,” Roz said, walking toward her in her pale pink bridesmaid’s dress and a pair of flip-flops. She had a cloth diaper over her shoulder to protect her dress, and Mason in her arms. “David’s making sure Sadie’s getting dressed in her flower girl dress now.”
“Fantastic,” she said, taking little Mason into her arms.
Leah and David had named him Samuel Mason Forester, after Samuel, who was like a grandparent to the kids. They’d changed plans completely, and decided to have the servants’ quarters converted back to a residence, the relics moved to a room off the parlor, and he lived at Evergreen Hill with them.
“I think it’s time to get ready!” Leah said. “Better go get those heels on before Louise sees you,” she teased. “The guests will be showing up shortly. I’ll wait out here to seat them.”
The business had taken off, and, while June had mentioned she might want to retire, she loved it so much that she kept working on the next project as it came. Leah didn’t mind at all. She loved having June with her, and she’d continue on as partners as long as June wanted to work.