“Really?” Jeff gave her a look. “Okay, we’ll see about that.” He turned to Ben. “Dad, we’ll meet you back at the inn.”
Ben nodded. “Sounds good.”
As Ben and Gail walked off together, Haley looked up at Jeff. “So, what is this you want to show me?”
A HALF HOUR later Haley was hiking with Jeff through the woods when they came to a spectacular scenic overlook with a magnificent view of the snow-covered mountain range.
Haley looked around in awe. “This view is amazing . . .”
Jeff smiled as he looked toward the mountains. “I always come up here when I need to clear my head and slow down.”
“I can see why,” Haley said, taking a deep breath.
“The locals call it Star Peak, because it’s a great place to see the stars at night. My dad proposed to my mom right here, right before Christmas.”
“Really?”
Jeff nodded. “And every year after that, on the anniversary of his proposal, they’d come up here and find a pinecone to bring back to the inn.”
Haley looked confused. “A pinecone? Why?”
“When he proposed, he put the ring in a pinecone, gave it to her, and said it was his Christmas wish for them to build a home up here in the mountains and be together forever . . .” As Jeff’s voice trailed off, Haley could see the sadness in his eyes, and it made her own heart ache. She wanted to say something, to offer him some comfort, but when no words came, she reached out and touched his arm.
“I’m sorry.”
Jeff smiled through his pain. “Thank you. You know I am thankful that they got a chance to move here and live their dream for a little while. I just wish they’d had more time together. You should have seen them. They were best friends. They helped each other be better people, and they were happiest when they were together. They had the kind of love everyone wants . . .”
“What kind is that?” Haley asked, genuinely wanting to know.
“The kind that makes you a better version of yourself. The kind you can count on no matter what.”
Haley walked to the edge of the overlook and stared out at the horizon. She tried to think if she had ever felt love like that and realized she had not. She’d always had her career, and that had been enough, but now she wasn’t so sure.
“And you think that kind of love is what everyone wants?” she asked.
“I do,” Jeff said as he joined her. “My parents showed me how powerful that kind of love is. If you have that kind of love, you have everything.”
“So, was that their Christmas wish?” Haley asked. “Love?”
Jeff nodded. “And I can’t think of a better one, can you?”
Haley didn’t know what to think. She’d never made any kind of Christmas wish before, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to start now.
When she didn’t immediately answer Jeff gave her a questioning look. “You disagree?”
Haley shrugged. “I just don’t think love is the be all and end all. You said if you have that kind of love you have everything, but my parents had that love and it didn’t pay the rent. We really struggled, and it was especially hard this time of year, at Christmas.”
Jeff looked at her like some pieces of the puzzle were finally fitting together. “So, is that why you don’t like celebrating Christmas?”
“Probably. I’ve always thought of Christmas as something to get through, not something to celebrate.” She took a deep breath. “My parents always tried so hard to make it special for me, but even when I was little, I knew what a strain it was, that they didn’t have the money. We couldn’t afford Christmas trees and presents and all the decorations. I know my parents felt bad for me, so I acted like I didn’t care, and over time I really did stop caring.”
Jeff shook his head. “That had to be so hard on you and your parents.”
“It was,” Haley said. “When Christmas came all my friends would be excited, but I couldn’t wait for it to be over. That’s why when I was finally making enough money to give my parents any kind of Christmas they wanted, we all agreed to spend it in the Caribbean, and instead of focusing on the holiday, we’d just make it a vacation. None of us have the best memories of Christmas, so this is just easier.” She stood up straighter, lifted her chin a little higher, and turned her gaze to the view. She didn’t want to look up at Jeff. She didn’t want to see the pity in his eyes. She was embarrassed by what she’d just told him. She rarely told anyone about her past. Even Kathy didn’t know how bad her Christmases were growing up.
After a few moments of silence, Jeff finally spoke, and Haley was surprised that she didn’t hear any pity in his voice. It was quite the opposite. He sounded impressed.
“Your parents are very lucky to have a daughter like you,” he said.
Surprised, she looked up at him. “Why do you say that?”
“Because look how much you love them. Even growing up, you put their needs in front of yours. You were a child who worried about her parents at Christmas when no child should have to bear that burden. That’s real love.”
All of a sudden a wave of emotion caught Haley off guard. She turned away from Jeff so he couldn’t see how she was fighting off tears. It was like all the years of sadness and pain she had felt at Christmas and had buried so deep inside were now rushing to the surface.
To buy herself some time to pull herself together, she walked over to a pine tree. As she bent down to pick up a pinecone, she thought about what Jeff had said about what love really is and should be.
“Are you looking for your Christmas wish?” Jeff asked softly as he moved closer to her.
She looked down at the pinecone she was holding, still struggling with her emotions. “I guess I am.” She showed him the pinecone. “How does this one look?”
Jeff took the pinecone, studied it, and then studied her. “I’d say it was perfect.”
When their eyes met, she saw he wasn’t teasing. She stood up, turned her back to him, and took another deep breath. Her emotions felt raw. So much was running through her head.
When Jeff stood up and joined her, she saw that he, too, had picked up a pinecone.
Haley fought for something to say. “So, what do we do with these now?”
“Bring them back to the inn and make a Christmas wish.”
“That’s really how it works?”
“It’s my family’s tradition. We do it every year.”
“So, wait, all those pinecones in the basket by the fireplace . . .”
Jeff nodded. “That’s right. They’re all Christmas wishes from over the years.”
Haley smiled, thinking of all the things at the inn that had a special meaning. The decorations weren’t just from some fancy department store. They all had memories attached to them. The sadness she had felt at reliving her Christmas memories was fading. She was hoping they were getting locked away again in a safe place where they couldn’t hurt her. She looked at the pinecone in her hand. “I’ve never wished on a pinecone before . . . or anything, for that matter.”
“Do you believe in Christmas wishes?” Jeff asked.
She took a deep breath. “I would like to believe. I really would . . .” When he smiled back at her, it warmed her heart and gave her hope.
“I think that’s a great start,” he said. “We’ll make a believer out of you yet.” They stood together taking in the view. “We should probably be heading back.”
Haley nodded and then looked up into his eyes. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said. “I mean, I know it’s no Caribbean beach or anything, but it’s someplace that’s special to me.”
“I can see why. Being up here, in the mountains, in the snow, with all the trees and beautiful scenery . . . it really is a magical winter wonderland,” Haley said. “It’s like a Christmas dream.”
“But your parents really like going to the Caribbean, right?”
“Yeah, I mean, I think so. They’ve never said they di
dn’t like it . . .” Her voice trailed off as she realized they’d never really talked about it. All they’d said was that they wanted to spend time with her.
Chapter 26
When they got back to the lodge, Haley headed up to her room. Halfway up the stairs, she stopped and backtracked to find Jeff where she’d left him in the sitting room. He was putting the pinecone he had picked up at Star Peak into the basket of pinecones by the fireplace.
“Jeff?”
He looked up, surprised to see her.
“I wanted to ask you . . .” She struggled to get the words out. “I mean, you can say no. It’s okay. I’d totally understand. I was just thinking, hoping, that maybe . . .”
“Haley, what is it?”
She took a deep breath. “Sorry. Okay. I know we have another activity tonight, and we’ll probably get our phones and computers back pretty late . . .”
“So?” Jeff asked.
“So, I was just wondering if I could borrow my phone for two minutes. I wanted to call my parents. It’s not a work call, I promise, and I totally understand if . . .”
But Jeff was already heading out of the room.
Haley covered her face with her hands. She’d ruined it again. But before she could beat herself up any more, he was back, and without a word, he handed her the phone.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m just making the one call. I’ll bring it right back. I promise . . .”
Jeff slowly smiled. “I believe you.”
Haley looked into his eyes. “Thank you.”
“For the phone?”
“And for believing me.” She turned and hurried up to her room, where she called her parents on FaceTime.
When her mom answered, she looked concerned. “Hi, honey, is everything okay?”
Haley laughed. “Why do you always assume something’s wrong when I call?”
Her dad popped into the picture. “Because we know how busy you are with work, and you don’t have a lot of time to call us. So, is everything okay?”
Haley smiled back at them. “Everything’s fine . . .”
“Oh, then I bet you’re calling to make sure we got our plane tickets for the Caribbean,” Haley’s mom said. “Don’t worry, they just came, and we’re all set. We can’t wait to see you! Your dad even has new swim trunks.”
Haley laughed. “That’s great. I’m actually calling because I had a quick question . . .” When she hesitated, her mom and dad leaned in, trying to see her better.
“What is it, honey?” Haley’s mom asked.
“You’re sure everything’s okay?” her dad added.
Haley smiled so her parents could see everything was fine. “I promise, everything is fine. I just wanted to ask you guys about going to the Caribbean for Christmas. I know we always go. It’s what we do . . .”
“So you can work and we can still all be together,” Haley’s mom jumped in.
“Right,” Haley said. “But you guys like going to the Caribbean for Christmas, right?”
Haley’s mom and dad exchanged a quick look.
“Honey, as long as we’re with you at Christmas, we’re happy,” her mom said.
“We know how busy you are,” her dad added.
She glanced around her room, saw all the angels looking back at her, and knew what she needed to do.
“Well, what would you say if we changed things up this year? How about we just stay home and celebrate. We could get a tree, make cookies . . .”
“Really?” Haley’s mom looked like she was about to cry.
Haley’s dad put his arm around her. He looked equally excited. “That sounds wonderful, honey. We would both really love it.”
Haley’s mom nodded enthusiastically. “We would. We really would . . .”
“We can’t wait to have you home,” her dad said. “We’ve missed you.”
Now Haley was fighting back her own tears. “I love you guys . . .”
“We love you, too,” said her parents in unison.
Haley kissed her fingers and touched the screen. “Bye. I’ll see you soon.” She was still smiling after she hung up and ran back downstairs. But when she entered the sitting room, Jeff wasn’t there anymore, but Ben was. When he saw her phone, he looked surprised.
“It’s not what you think,” she said, rushing over to him and handing it to him. “Jeff said I could borrow it to call my parents.”
Ben looked concerned. “Is everything okay?”
Haley smiled. “Everything’s good. Really good, actually. We’re going to celebrate Christmas at home this year and my parents seem really excited about it; and honestly, I am, too. It’ll be a nice change.”
Ben looked very pleased. “So, you’ll actually be celebrating Christmas this year?”
Haley nodded. “I guess it will be this year. Do you know where Jeff is? I wanted to tell him. He’s the one who actually gave me the idea to talk to my parents about it.”
“I think Blake and Madison roped him into taking them into town. They wanted to try that ice cream place you and Gail went to.”
Haley tried to hide her disappointment. “I guess I’ll just tell him later.”
“I bet Laura could use some help in the kitchen with dinner if you’re up for it?”
She laughed. “I’m not sure how much I can help but I’ll go see if there’s anything I can do.”
IT TURNED OUT Haley was worth more in the kitchen than she thought as Laura put her to work peeling potatoes and cutting up vegetables for a homemade turkey vegetable soup. What was even more surprising to Haley was that she enjoyed helping. She felt a real sense of accomplishment learning how to make something from scratch. She was just finishing up with the soup when Jeff came into the kitchen looking for a snack. When he reached for a sugar cookie, Laura swatted his hand away.
“Dinner is almost ready,” she scolded him.
Haley laughed. “And didn’t you just take Blake and Madison for ice cream?”
Jeff gave her an incredulous look. “Really? You’re selling me out after I let you use your cell phone?”
Now it was Laura’s turn to look surprised. She turned to Haley. “He let you use your cell phone? Even when it’s totally against the rules? Rules he loves to enforce,” she said. She gave Jeff a teasing look.
Haley played along. “You know it really was pretty shocking considering he is the Christmas Camp police and all . . .”
“You two are hilarious,” Jeff shot back at them. He then looked quite pleased with himself as he held up a sugar cookie he’d managed to get his hands on. He was about to take a big bite when Laura snatched it away and gave him an apple instead.
“Wait, what!” He tried to grab the cookie back, but Laura was too quick.
Haley laughed. “You know what they say, an apple a day keeps the—”
“—Christmas spirit away!” Jeff finished for her. “I want my cookie!”
Laura and Haley laughed.
AT DINNER THAT night, everyone looked afraid when Laura told them Haley had made the soup, but Jeff stuck up for her.
“Hey, I’ve tasted it myself, and let me tell you, it’s pretty good.”
Haley smiled at Jeff. “Thank you. Laura and I might let you have dessert after all.”
Jeff laughed. “I’m easily bribed with treats.”
“You and Max, good to know,” Haley said.
Everyone laughed.
At the end of the meal, Ben stood up and raised his glass of wine. “Let’s all toast Laura and Haley for a delicious dinner. To another special holiday meal.”
As everyone lifted their wineglasses, the teenagers lifted their water glasses.
“Cheers!” Ben said as he clinked glasses with Gail, Susie, Ian, John, Jeff, and finally with Haley. Looking into her eyes, he said, “Nice job. I think you’re starting to find—”
“My unknown cooking skills?” Haley finished for him.
Ben smiled at her. “That too.” He then addressed the rest of the group. “And that brings us t
o our next Christmas Camp activity Laura’s going to help us with.”
As he sat down Laura stood up. “First of all, thank you. You’re all so wonderful to cook for because you’re so appreciative . . .”
“We love your pie!” Madison grinned at her.
“We really do!” Blake agreed.
Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement.
“And your cookies!” Jeff added. “Even when you try to hide them from me.” When he gave Haley a pointed look, she just feigned innocence.
Laura blushed a little at all the praise. “I’m so glad you enjoy everything. You know Christmas is a time when family and friends get together to share a meal. The food we eat becomes part of our Christmas traditions.”
Ben stood back up. “And that’s why you’re all going to help Laura put together a special Christmas menu for tomorrow night since it will be our last night and meal together.”
Haley’s smile faded a little. She knew she should be relieved that Christmas Camp was almost over and she could get back to work, but instead she felt . . . sad.
She told herself it must just be because she still hadn’t figured out her Tyler Toys campaign pitch, and she was just stressed about work. But as she snuck a peek at Jeff, she knew that wasn’t the only reason for her sadness. There was no denying she felt something for him. What exactly that was she wasn’t sure, and it scared her to think about it too much. She had told him more about her past than she had told most people, and she knew that had to mean something; she just wasn’t sure what.
Laura picked up a pen and notepad. “So, let’s get started. Madison and Blake, what are some of your favorite things to have for Christmas dinner?”
Before the teenagers could answer, their dad jumped in. “Madison loves the dinner rolls. When she was little, that’s all she wanted to eat.” John smiled, remembering. “And Blake loves sweet potatoes.”
“Dad! I don’t eat rolls anymore. They have too many carbs!” Madison gave her dad a look like she was wondering what was wrong with him.
“And I like mashed potatoes now. Not sweet potatoes,” Blake said.
John’s smile faded. Now he looked apologetic. “Oh, okay, sorry. Good to know. Scratch the rolls and sweet potatoes; we’ll buy some mashed potatoes this year.”
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