by Tonya Kappes
The citizens of Grandberry Falls instantly became divided. Leaving Mitch, as new mayor, to clean up the mess. The younger generation loved the idea, while the older generation wanted to keep their sleepy little town the best kept secret in the south. Plus the Greenlee farm is a working farm, and if they took it, a hundred folks would lose their job.
Mitch approached Hazel about asking Maggie to look at it. He wasn’t a lawyer. But Hazel refused. And she refused to even tell Maggie about it. “She’s got enough on her plate,” Hazel claimed. And Mitch wasn’t going to fight with Hazel. No one did.
As a matter of fact, she made everyone in town swear that they wouldn’t mention it to Maggie if they ever saw her, including Mitch. He intended to keep that promise. After all, it was Hazel.
“I guess you’re right, Mamie.” Mitch laid some cash on the table to cover breakfast for both he and Tommy.
“So we are good?” Tommy questioned Mitch when Mamie walked away. “Maggie has left your brain?”
Mitch stood up. He only nodded. He had somewhere to be, but he wasn’t sure if she’d show up.
Chapter Six
“I wasn’t sure if you’d come.” Maggie sat on the lowest branch of the tree, her legs dangling, exactly how she had every other year.
It had been hell climbing up there in her lace-up Uggs, especially with her skinny jeans on. She was going for more of a fashion look these days.
“Have I ever missed a Christmas Eve?” Mitch said, stepping into view with an unmistakably serious look on his face.
It was the same look she had seen on his face the night before she left for college when she crawled through his bedroom window. She‘d only gone there to say goodbye, but she couldn’t stop herself from climbing into bed with him.
She jumped down, trying to land in the tracks she’d already created in the deep snow, but missed and fell flat on her butt.
Just my luck, she held out her hand to Mitch.
“Aren’t you going to help me?” She jabbed at the air with her hand, and as always, Mitch came to her rescue.
She placed her left hand in his. noticing the five carat ring was missing from her ring finger. She’d accidentally forgot to put it on when she put hand cream on in the car. Or so she told herself.
Truth be told, she wanted to tell Mitch about the engagement, but she wasn’t sure how. He’d always been there for her, and the guilt she felt for not always being there for him played on her. She didn’t want to hurt him anymore than she already had.
Even after she left for college, he continued to call, wanting to see her. She didn’t take or return his calls. There was no sense in it. Her life was in New York City, while his was in Grandberry Falls.
She dusted her jeans off, stomped the snow off her fur Uggs, and started their Christmas Eve ritual.
“Are you coming?” She looked back, and couldn’t help but smile.
After so many years, he wasn’t the scrawny kid anymore. He’d grown into a handsome man, with strong features.
She took an apple out of her coat pocket and tossed it to him.
They made their way through the trees and into the cemetery in silence. Her parent’s grave sat just on the edge of the woods. Every year on Christmas Eve morning, they’d meet at this very spot.
Each would eat an apple in honor of her parents, honoring a Greenlee superstitious tradition. They would also tell her parents about their good luck over the year.
Only this year, she planned to leave out the part about Grady Cohen and what her new life would be like as Mrs. Cohen.
As always, Mitch slid his hands along the tops of the stones, brushing the snow off them, while she made a clearing in front for the blanket that they would sit on.
“So, Maggie, what’s new with you?” Mitch’s expression stilled and grew even more serious.
He was fishing for something and she wondered if Wendy Owens had already blabbed it to the entire town. But she knew better. If there was one person in this town Mitch hated, it was Wendy Owens.
Maggie spent most her childhood breaking up heated arguments or even fist fights between the two of them.
“Not much.” She took a bite out of her apple. “Here’s to mom and dad.”
Relief washed over Maggie when she saw Mitch hold up his apple.
***
No matter how badly he ached to hear it from her lips that she was engaged, he wasn’t going to ask her about the ring he was certain he’d seen. Belle had already confirmed it, but he needed closure, and needed to hear it directly from her.
His best friend.
She’d never kept anything from him. She did tell him about Grady, and all his millions, but that means nothing if you don’t have love. He knew it and so did she.
Where’s Grady? he thought, wondering why he wasn’t in on this little ritual. If he was going to be part of the Greenlees, he better start acting like one.
“Yes, to another good year.” He took a bite of the apple to appease her.
Oh how he did love Maggie’s take on life, and the superstitions she believed in.
At first he thought she was crazy or just pretending when she begged him to eat an apple on Christmas Eve morning at the cemetery, but oddly embraced the idea when she explained it was something her mom had made them do.
“We have to eat an apple every year. Right here. On Christmas Eve morning.” Her five-year old pig tails dangled down, and her nose was rosy red.
“That’s dumb.” He said, but was mesmerized by her.
“No it’s not, Mitchell Dozier.” She placed her tiny hands on her hips. “My momma said if you eat an apple on Christmas Eve morning, you’ll have good luck all year.” She held out her pinky. “Now you pinky swear that you’ll meet me here every year for the rest of our lives, Mitchell Dozier.”
He did.
And so did she.
Every year.
“Well, I’ll start.” He stood up to address her parents. “I was elected mayor of our fine little city.”
He sat back down. He didn’t’ mention Wendy or the eminent domain case.
“My turn!” She stood up and turned on her heels. “I got a step closer to partnership. And a really big case I was recently assigned should put me over the top.”
He turned to look at her. What did she expect? How could she pretend her life was no longer going to include him? Did he mean so little to her?
“Look, we have separate lives now. Every year we talk less and less. I don’t really know you anymore, and you don’t really know me.” He stood up. “This is going to have to be the last Christmas Eve we meet.”
A thick chill hung on the edge of his words.
He couldn’t bring himself to look at her. She’d become someone he didn’t even recognize and there was no sense in pretending.
Chapter Seven
“Uh…Maggie, can I see you in the other room for a minute.” Grady’s curt voice stopped her as soon as she walked in the kitchen.
Granny was sitting in the middle of the family room with her wood-burning stove stoked up super high, watching Paula selling her Christmas Eve Special of the day, surrounded by cardboard boxes.
Maggie checked her watch. She was over an hour later than she intended to be. Most of the hour was trying to get over the shock of Mitch’s words.
She knew this day would come, but not today.
“How was Mitchell?” Satisfaction pursed Granny’s mouth.
“Did you tell Grady about Mitch?” Anger instantly flashed in Maggie’s eyes.
No wonder Grady wanted to see her. It was no coincidence that Granny would bring up Mitch like that. Normally he’d be here, ready to decorate the house for all of the Greenlee traditions. There was only one thing keeping Mitch from the Greenlees’, and it had to be seeing Grady in the car when they came into town.
“Maybe I let it slip.” Granny sheepishly put her hand to her mouth. Only Maggie knew better. Hazel never let anything slip. “I got Grady to retrieve the cardboard boxes for me si
nce Mitch wasn’t here.” She flung her hands in the air, bangles jingled in the wind. “And he brought back every cardboard box I had out there. When I corrected him, he had the nerve to tell me that he’d go buy new candles. I don’t need new candles, I need my candles.”
“No.” Grady appeared from the hall and interrupted. “You said you didn’t need my help and would call Mitch, but you knew he was with Maggie.”
“Did you say that?” Maggie played referee between the two.
“I told him,” Granny folded her arms and put her back to Grady and said, that nothing was open but The Trembling Cup and they were getting ready for the annual Christmas Eve hoedown, and they didn’t sell candles.”
Grady placed his hand belligerently on his hips. “I told her not to go through the trouble of decorating on our account, since we don’t believe in all this superstitious nonsense.”
“And I told you it wasn’t for you. It’s to make sure we have good luck all year long.” Granny answered in a rush of words. “I can’t believe you’d bring someone like him home for Christmas.”
“What’s all the yelling? I bet people all the way in town can hear you.” Belle walked in the kitchen and threw her keys on the table. “Why did you get all the boxes out?”
Maggie threw her hands up in the air and stormed back to her bedroom. She could hear footsteps coming up behind her. They were heavy. They were Grady’s.
“This is ridiculous.” Her voice was horse with frustration.
She threw her clothes back in her overnight bag. This wasn’t going well, and she wasn’t going to spend her Christmas like this. She’d rather be back in their cold, penthouse eating Chinese takeout, and watching the parade on television.
“I knew this was going to be a disaster. I just don’t understand why you can’t put up with it for one weekend. For me!” She was careful to put her Louboutin’s in their dust cover.
“Baby.” Grady sat on the bed, and patted the spot next to him. “You know I don’t believe in this childish nonsense about lighting candles for good luck and she sent me over the edge when she said you were with that Mitch guy.”
Maggie sat down and settled back in his arms. She felt good there. It made her feel like they were back in their penthouse in downtown Manhattan.
“Were you with that Mitch guy again?”
“Honey, I went to visit my parent’s grave.” She closed her eyes.
There was no way she was going to tell him the whole truth, so she told him the little truth about the apple and how it’s a childish ritual that she said goodbye to both the ritual and Mitch today—forever.
And she didn’t tell him it was by choice, because it wasn’t. Mitch saw to that. She would’ve kept her pinky promise until she died.
“Can’t you just bite your tongue for a couple more nights?” Maggie pleaded. She wasn’t sure how they were going to make it through the annual ornament dinner at The Fatted Pig, then the hoedown tomorrow night. Everything was centered on Greenlee superstition. “Can’t you humor her?”
She raised her mouth to his. Maybe she could persuade him. She gazed into his eyes. He didn’t promise her anything and that scared her.
She couldn’t choose between Grady and Granny.
Or Mitch.
Chapter Eight
Everything around Grandberry Falls reminded Mitch of Maggie. The busy Main Street was littered with citizens and that only intensified the madness of the season. Mitch couldn’t decide what to do. Of course he had a lot of friends he could visit for a little holiday cheer, not to mention extra time with Wendy, but he wasn’t in the mood.
He checked his watch.
Yep, he sighed. It was this time every Christmas Eve that Hazel had him get the candles out of the barn and help her put them in the Greenlee’s windows.
“So do you want to go grab a little Christmas cheer?” Tommy motioned toward The Thirsty Turtle. As the owner, he could open up as early as he wanted to. “Drink on me.”
“Nah.” Mitch tapped his watch. “I’ve got a few loose ends to tie up for the city before the end of the year.”
Actually, he had already finished all the city’s business. He wasn’t in the mood for any holiday cheer, and working on Hazel’s eminent domain case was as close as he was going to get to the Greenlees this Christmas.
“Alright, Man.” Tommy shook Mitch’s hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the hoedown?”
“Okay.” He knew he had to make an appearance, but that was all it was going to be—an appearance.
He knew he couldn’t hide out from Maggie every time she came into town, but for now, not seeing her helped to ease the stinging pain in the depths of his heart.
The office was quiet. Everyone was probably with family and friends. After all, it was a city holiday.
The case was building up against Hazel which frustrated him. Normally, Hazel was a fighter and she wasn’t fighting for her land. Mitch wanted to fight, but he was mayor. So he had to find an alternative to this mess.
“There you are.” Her sweet voice broke the silence. Wendy lightly tapped on the door. “You can take Christmas off, you know.”
She walked into the room and her beauty radiated through her smile. Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders, leading his eyes to her tight knit black dress and tall black high-heeled boots.
He offered her a loving smile.
“I didn’t want to disturb your family this morning.” He was well aware that he was alone this year.
The son of a single mother, the Greenlees were all the family he had now.
He’ll never forget the day Clarice from Busy Bee Yarn Shop had called to tell him that his mom had suffered a heart attack in her shop. Before he could get her to the nearest hospital in Lexington, she’d already passed.
He had never known his father and he never intended to find him.
Wendy sat down in one of the old chairs. He had to admit they weren’t the most comfortable seats, and he was eager to see what Liz Day was going to come up with. The pleather on the chairs was cracked and the varnish was sticky to the touch.
“I’ll be glad when Liz is finished with this office, smells so musky.” Wendy scooted to the edge and put her hands in her lap.
“Yes, dear.” He watched her reaction. He’d never used a romantic word with her before.
“Dear?” She had an intense but secret expression. “You saw Maggie, didn’t you?”
He glanced out the window. He was never one to answer questions right away. He always took time to come up with the most appropriate way to answer, and this time was no different.
All the shops were decorated with lights, snowmen, Santas, mistletoe, and holly. Carolers gathered on the corner, getting ready to begin their performance for all the Christmas Eve shoppers.
Tomorrow would be a different story. He could already picture The Trembling Cup setting up their hot chocolate booth, and Mamie fixing the old popcorn stand along with Hazel’s famous eggnog.
Wendy snuck up behind him and whispered into his ear, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
His large hands took her face and held it gently. Her blue eyes stared innocently back at him. He could tell she missed Maggie as much as he did, only in a different way.
“I did meet her at the cemetery.” He said. Wendy knew about his ritual with Maggie and there was no sense in keeping it from her. “I told her it was the last Christmas Eve I would be there to meet her.”
Hearing himself say it out loud gave him a little more closure. He needed to move on with his life, and Wendy Owens was a great girl. He wasn’t going to blow his chance with her now.
“I figured.” Her arms felt good around his neck. “I called Hazel to wish Maggie congratulations on her engagement, but she sounded funny. I’m not sure if she knew about it.”
Mitch wasn’t surprised. The only person who seemed to know was Belle. Generally Belle was the last person Maggie told anything to and Mitch was the first. Still, he hadn’t seen a
n engagement ring on her finger at the cemetery, but why would Belle say she was engaged if she really wasn’t?
“I even said I’d help plan a wedding shower.” Wendy said.
Mitch didn’t understand why she’d want to do that. Maggie only visited twice a year, and when she was home she didn’t hang out with the old gang. Leave it to Wendy to see the good in everyone.
He didn’t want to hear any more talk about Maggie. He only had to live through a couple more days with her in town, and then life would be back to normal.
“Let’s skip dinner at The Fatted Pig tonight and just have a special night by the tree and the fire.” He sat down in his chair and pulled Wendy into his lap.
“I think that’s a great idea.” Wendy kissed him. “We can see everyone tomorrow night at the hoedown.”
He kissed her. His future was here in this office. This perfect woman sitting in his lap.
Chapter Nine
Even though Grady had reluctantly agreed to get along with Hazel, Maggie still gave him specific instructions to make sure he wasn’t involved with anything to do with the family’s superstitious rituals. Forty-eight hours couldn’t come quick enough. The sooner the better.
She and Belle performed their ritual of placing the candles of each window in the old farmhouse. Maggie walked through the house and made sure the candles were far enough away from Granny’s drapes. The last thing they needed was for the house to burn down. With her luck right now, anything could happen.
“Good.” Hazel inspected each candle with Maggie following close behind. “You know, Paula sold these to me years ago.”
Maggie smiled. She did miss these intimate moments with Hazel. Nowadays she didn’t seem to get enough of them.
“Did you tell Wendy Owens that I was engaged?” Maggie tired not to dwell on what she overheard this morning, but she knew Wendy was still part of the gang and the news would inevitably reach Mitch somehow.
“Oh, that reminds me.” Belle chimed in. Her heavily massacred lashes cast shadows on her cheeks. “I want to throw you a bridal shower at The Hair Pin.”