Small Town Christmas (Blue Harbor Book 4)

by Olivia Miles

  It was different when he dealt with businesses, company takeovers. He didn’t have to face the people. He didn’t have to know their stories.

  “Oh, look at the time!” Cora’s eyes went to the Nutcracker themed coo-coo clock on the wall. “It’s just about time to close up shop!”

  “You can come with us if you want,” Georgie said.

  “Oh, Georgie,” Phil said urgently. “I’m sure that Cora has her family waiting for her. They have their traditions.”

  Cora’s cheeks flushed. “It’s true we do, but…”

  But? He held his breath, wanting to get away from this woman almost as much as he knew he really should continue their conversation, lay it all out there.

  “Well, my sisters all have boyfriends now,” Cora replied, with a shrug. “I was going to meet some of my cousins…but…maybe I’ll look for you. I happen to know they have really good cider at this event,” she whispered faux conspiratorially. “And my cousin Jenna is the head of the Christmas choir. They always put on quite a show.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Phil said, backing away to the door.

  A good plan, actually. A nice plan, by all accounts. But not the original plan. Not at all.

  *

  Well, that was smooth.

  Cora rolled her eyes skyward as she closed the door and turned the lock. Her eyes met the ball of mistletoe and she tightened her lips. She’d never get a Christmas kiss at this rate! Every time she ran into Phil, she was all nervous and jittery. She should be grateful that Natalie had already left to take her daughter to the tree lighting event, or Cora was pretty sure that she would have been on the receiving end of a lecture on how to flirt. As a single mother, Natalie wasn’t shy about her desire to settle down and find a father figure for her young child.

  She wasn’t shy in general.

  Whereas Cora…She pulled in a breath.

  Tonight she would have to do better.

  Tonight. Her stomach rolled with fresh nerves and she dashed up the back stairs and into her bathroom to touch up her hair from a long day’s work.

  Bundled in her warmest coat and softest scarf, she headed down Main Street a few minutes later. Even from her building, she could see that the town square was already bustling. The annual tree lighting was one of her favorite traditions in town; the large, illuminated tree was the centerpiece of the annual Winter Carnival.

  Cora didn’t care what people said. Blue Harbor may be a summer destination for most, but in her opinion, nothing could top the tried-and-true holiday festivities that were a hallmark year after year.

  Except maybe a newcomer to town…

  Her eyes somehow fell immediately on Phil and Georgie when she approached the snow-covered square, but rather than approach them right away, she decided to say a quick hello to her sisters while she was still alone. Maddie had already been suggestive enough for one week, and tonight she didn’t need anyone ogling her or teasing her if she was enjoying a few minutes of Phil’s company. Which she hoped to do, very much.

  Amelia and Maddie had decided to join forces for the snacks stand, while Britt and Robbie were handling the cider stand, with mulled wine also on the menu. It was just like old times, seeing Amelia and Maddie together, and Cora felt a warm glow fill her chest.

  Maybe her sisters were right. They’d each moved on and grown, but ultimately, everything was still very much the same.

  “Don’t look now, but—” Maddie started, but Cora just shook her head.

  “I already saw him,” she said, hoping that she could retain a neutral expression.

  “Saw who?” Amelia perked up with interest. Even though they were standing near one of the many bonfires set up as warming stations, she shivered in her coat.

  “Oh, just a very attractive single father who happens to be staying in town until Christmas.” Maddie waggled her eyebrows. “Or possibly longer.”

  Cora’s heart flip-flopped. “Did he say that?”

  Maddie pointed at her. “See! I knew you liked him! But no, he didn’t say anything. I was just guessing. I mean, if he’s in town for a month, who says he can’t stay longer?”

  Cora tried to hide the disappointment she felt. “He’s in town for the holidays, Maddie. He lives in Chicago. He made it very clear that he has a big job to get back to. And I know that his daughter spends most of her time with her mother, too. Besides, I’ve only bumped into him a few times. It’s not like he has sought me out. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.”

  “Point him out,” Amelia ordered, clearly ignoring Cora’s excuse, and Maddie all too happily obliged. Craning her neck, Amelia nodded approvingly. “Very cute. And so is the little girl. So what are you doing standing around talking to us, Cora? Go over there!”

  Cora shifted the weight on her feet, feeling the snow crunch beneath her boots. “I will, in a minute. I was just…giving them time to settle in.”

  “To settle in? Or to have one of the many single and searching women in town swoop in?” Maddie tsked under her breath. “And here comes one now.”

  Cora looked over in alarm, and was almost relieved to see that it was just Candy.

  “Well, now you have to go over there,” Amelia said, laughing.

  “You need to save the poor man,” Maddie agreed.

  “Fine. I did promise Georgie that I’d get her a hot cider,” Cora said, pulling in a breath for courage.

  “Did you now?” Maddie replied, and even though the great tree had not yet been lit, her eyes twinkled merrily.

  Not exactly, but it was enough of a promise to give Cora a little courage. She couldn’t let a little girl down, especially at Christmastime.

  Cora thrust her hands deep into the pockets of her coat and trekked across the square to where Phil was standing, listening to Candy talk with full-animation.

  Seeing her, Candy nearly squealed, and before Cora could brace herself, she was enveloped in a long, squishy hug.

  “We were just talking about you!” Candy cried joyfully, when she finally released Cora, causing her to nearly lose her footing.

  Cora took a step backward, steadying herself, and flashed a glance at Phil, who looked appropriately amused. Cora, however, was not.

  “All good things, I hope?” Only she needn’t have asked. Candy was forever singing the praises of the Conway girls. It was endearing, she knew, and it was probably why their father loved her so much, but Cora wasn’t so sure how she felt about Candy pushing her on a man she had just met.

  “Of course!” Candy gave her an exaggerated wink and giggled loudly. “I was delighted to hear that you and Phil already know each other!”

  That was a stretch, but because Cora didn’t feel the need to explain, she said nothing. “I was going to see if Georgie wanted to try some of that cider? It’s nice and warm, and the line is already pretty long.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, where sure enough, the queue was wrapped in both directions, and Britt and Robbie stood side-by-side, working quickly.

  “Oh! I see!” Candy’s eyes were round. “Well, don’t let me get in the way! I was just about to run and find Denny. He got to talking to Robbie’s parents, and when I saw this tall, dark, and handsome stranger over here, I couldn’t resist the urge to introduce myself.” She honked loudly, chuckling at herself, and Cora saw Georgie frown in confusion.

  “How about that cider?” Cora whispered to her.

  Georgie nodded happily and Candy mercifully jogged away, looking back a few times to give a less than discreet thumbs-up sign.

  Cora closed her eyes briefly. She was happy in the dark that Phil probably couldn’t make out the flush in her cheeks that now heated her more than her wool scarf.

  “That’s my father’s girlfriend,” she explained as they began walking toward the stand. “She’s mostly harmless, but certainly not shy.”

  “Your dad has a girlfriend?” Georgie looked at her with interest as they joined the back of the line.

  Cora sighed. He had been alone for more than f
ourteen years after her mother died, and none of them had even considered the possibility that he would find love again, much less want it. Yet here he was, happily attending the holiday event with Candy, who was an increasingly permanent fixture in their lives.

  “My mom passed away a long time ago,” she said, seeing the sympathy pass through Phil’s eyes. No need to be a downer just now, not when it was one of Blue Harbor’s most festive nights of the year. “And yes, my dad has a girlfriend. And I should warn you that she works at the café next to the bakery, along with one of my older sisters.”

  “Do you know everyone in town?” Phil laughed.

  Cora looked at him quizzically. “Of course! That’s small-town living for you. My entire family lives in town. Over there is my cousin Gabby. She owns the flower shop. And her sister is a piano teacher. She’ll be performing tonight with the carolers. Now her other sister moved away, so I guess not every one of my family members lives in town right now.” And she was babbling. Cora was happy to see that they were nearly at the head of the line now. “And just to warn you, that’s my oldest sister, Britt, serving the cider.”

  “Conway,” Phil observed, reading the sign. “Family business?”

  Cora grinned. “Of course. Best fruit and wine in the county. Best in the state, really.”

  “Best cider too, I hope,” Georgie said, watching as someone passed them with a steaming cup.

  “The very best,” Cora said with a smile. She introduced Phil and Georgie to Britt and Robbie when their turn finally came, averting as best she could the look of curious interest that came over her eldest sister.

  “Robbie has a daughter a little younger than you,” Britt told Georgie. “If you guys are in town through the weekend, you girls could make cookies together at the gingerbread event.”

  “Gingerbread event?” Phil looked confused.

  Cora explained, “Each year the town comes together and makes a big gingerbread house or village. It’s held in the town hall basement, where there’s a big industrial kitchen for various town events. But my sister Amelia who owns the café is technically in charge this year, and Maddie is helping.”

  “I don’t remember that…” Phil said, and Cora looked at him sharply.

  “So you’ve been to Blue Harbor for Christmas before?”

  Phil looked away, evasive. “Just once. We mostly came in the summer.”

  He didn’t elaborate, and Cora didn’t want to press. She was talking too much already. Out of practice. Not that she’d ever had much practice. A few boyfriends here and there, nothing that every really stuck.

  Nothing like what her parents had. Or like her sisters had now found.

  “It’s been going on for about twenty years now, maybe more.” Meaning by her rough calculation, Phil hadn’t been to Blue Harbor for Christmas since he was about Georgie’s age. Sure enough a sign for the event was tacked to one of several tree trunks and she motioned to it now.

  “I want to decorate a gingerbread house! That sounds like fun!” Georgie said.

  “Then I guess that means we’ll go,” Phil said, and Cora couldn’t resist the way her heart tugged with excitement.

  “Great, I’ll be there, too,” Britt said. “We all will, right, Cora?” She gave her a meaningful look.

  Obviously Cora had intended to go. She never missed a tradition!

  “See you then,” Phil said pleasantly as they walked away.

  Cora wondered how many yards they had to walk before Britt whipped out her phone and began texting their other two sisters across the town square. Two yards, she hedged. Three at most.

  “This cider is the best! You were right!” Georgie said, smiling.

  “I used to help make it when I was younger,” Cora confided. “The orchard has been around for generations, and now my sister Britt runs it.”

  “And offering cider here at the tree lighting? Is that new?”

  “Oh, no, that’s tradition,” Cora answered.

  Phil seemed to peer at her. “You really like your traditions around here.”

  “Who doesn’t? Isn’t that what makes the holidays so great?” Cora stared at him, only to come to realize that he didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm. Still, he was here, and he had agreed to the cookie baking. There was hope for him yet.

  And maybe, hope for her too.

  “We still haven’t decorated our tree,” Georgie complained, giving a meaningful look at her father.

  “Well, you did just buy the ornaments today,” Cora pointed out.

  Georgie’s face lit up. “Can you come over and help us decorate? Please? You do such a good job! You’re like…an expert.”

  Cora laughed, but her cheeks had warmed and she didn’t dare look Phil in the eye. “I will admit that I am quite an expert when it comes to Christmas.”

  “Cora might have to work,” Phil said gently, eliciting a groan of disappointment from Georgie.

  “It is a very busy time of year for the shop,” Cora agreed. “But I find time to keep things balanced and still enjoy the season.” She could practically hear her sisters applauding her for that smooth line!

  “It seems to do well,” Phil observed.

  Cora didn’t want to admit just how slow her post-Christmas months could be, until the tourism picked up again in the spring. Or that she had ventured into Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays as a way to grow her revenue. Her sisters were probably right: she should stop buying new merchandise until she sold what she had. But she loved keeping things fresh and exciting. Could she help it if she was passionate?

  “So you could come after work?” Georgie said hopefully. “I could wait another day. I’ve already waited all week.” She slid her father a rueful look, and Cora started to laugh.

  “We really don’t want to put Cora out,” Phil insisted. “She probably has plans tomorrow night, honey.”

  He glanced up at her, and Cora’s mind went blank. Plans? Not unless you called a date with her television and a Christmas movie plans. And she had been looking forward to that. It was part of her traditions, and all. But she wouldn’t mind changing things if she had the opportunity to spend a little more time with Georgie. And Phil.

  “I wouldn’t want to impose,” she said politely. “Decorating a tree is a very personal experience, after all.” When both looked at her in confusion, she continued, “It’s usually something that each family has a way of doing. Certain rituals.”

  “We don’t have rituals,” Georgie said. “My dad doesn’t usually have a tree.”

  Phil tossed up his hands. “Guilty as charged.”

  “And why is it that you have no tree?” Cora tilted her head, waiting with a smile.

  He shrugged. “Too much work.”

  “Too much work or too little time?”

  “Both.” He grinned. “I run a private equity company. There’s always something to do.”

  “So you help struggling companies?” she asked, trying to imagine him in a suit and a conference room every day. Sure, he seemed a little out of place here in Blue Harbor in his sleek wool jacket instead of a parka and those fancy leather gloves, but she couldn’t quite imagine this other life of his.

  But then, she struggled to imagine any life outside of Blue Harbor. It was all she had ever known, or wanted to know.

  “Something like that,” he said. “But when it comes to all this…Christmas stuff, well, I’m afraid that this is all sort of out of my element.”

  Clearly. And she was an expert, after all. “Well, I’m happy to help—”

  “Please!”

  “Only if you’re sure…” Phil’s eyes looked torn. “No pressure.”

  “We live in the blue cottage on Forest Road,” Georgie interrupted, and for some reason, a strange look took over Phil’s face. He opened his mouth and then closed it, growing quiet.

  Cora frowned. She knew that house. In a town this small, you tended to know every house that you pedaled past on your bike day after day, and the blue cottage on Forest was no except
ion, especially because it belonged to the Keatons.

  “The Keaton house?” She’d been renting her own building from the Keaton family for years.

  “Err…yes.” Phil blinked at her slowly. Georgie opened her mouth to say something, but Phil added, “We’re, uh…staying there for the month.”

  “Oh!” Cora grinned, warming at the connection between them. Small world. She didn’t even know the family had finally decided to rent out the place, as most seasonal people did. Still, since the Keatons had moved away last winter, it made sense, she supposed.

  Another happy coincidence, or maybe, just maybe a sign. Phil and Georgie kept passing into her life, and the more that their lives were brought together, the more that Cora couldn’t quite think it was just pure coincidence.

  Maybe, it was a little bit of fate. Or a little bit of that Christmas magic that had finally come her way.

  6

  Before turning the sign on the door the next morning, Cora tossed on her coat and trekked down the street to Gabby’s flower shop, knowing that her cousin would have her order ready and waiting.

  Like every other shop in town, the flower shop was decked out for the holidays, with a fresh pine wreath on the door and poinsettias and ivy arrangements all over the small room. Also like Cora, Gabby lived right above her shop, only unlike Cora, she had to walk outside to access her own front door.

  “Sometimes I feel like I live at work,” she complained today, shivering as she turned on the lights.

  “You didn’t put on a coat?” Cora stopped to smell some lovely red roses, knowing that by the first week of January, her store would have its share of heart and cupid and rose-themed decorations to balance out the Christmas stock she displayed all year round.

  “The doors are side by side!” Gabby brushed away her concern. “Besides, I have a feeling I will get all too warm and tingly hearing about your new beau.”

  Cora laughed. “My new beau? You mean the one with the little girl?” She didn’t dare say his name, or she’d really risk stoking that fire in her cousin. Clearly, one of her sisters had been talking last night at the tree lighting.