Curious, Maggie reached for the box.
Scarlet wagged a finger at her. “Don’t make me come over there and tear off the wrapping paper again.”
“Okay, okay!”
She pulled off the bow and ribbons and tugged at the paper, rending it to pieces. Her frugal, eco-conscious side wailed at the waste, but Scarlet was pleased.
“Hurry and open the box!”
Maggie shook her head and laughed. “I’m going as fast as I can.”
She opened the box and drew back the tissue paper protecting the contents. A set of wooden candlesticks, intricately turned and polished to accent the grain of the wood, was nestled in the box. She lifted one out to examine it more closely. “Oh, Cam. You made these?”
“I did. I made a set for Harper, too, but with a different turning and species of wood. Yours is in oak.”
“They’re gorgeous. Thank you so much.” It touched her to know he’d made something especially for her.
“You made a set for me, too?” Harper sat next to Maggie “Where is it?”
Scarlet pointed to a box wrapped in the same silver paper as Maggie’s. “That one.”
Harper pounced on the box and opened it, revealing a set of candlesticks totally different from hers.
“Thank you so much. I love them.” Harper’s words wavered. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to be with you all tonight. Last year on Christmas Eve, I volunteered to work a double shift at Miller’s so I didn’t have to be alone.”
“I thought you had to work because they were short-staffed,” Maggie said.
Harper shrugged. “I only took those shifts after I found out you and Scarlet weren’t coming home for Christmas.”
Maggie reached over and squeezed her hand. How like Harper to go out of her way to make sure she and Scarlet didn’t feel guilty. She’d had to work last Christmas to make enough money for rent, but of course she hadn’t told Harper that. “It’s so much better to be with family at Christmas.”
Harper nodded and squeezed back. “It definitely is.”
The moment of connection eased Maggie’s heart. She was still raw from the morning, but whatever they decided to do about Willy would be the right decision, as long as they made it together.
Luke sat beside her on the floor near the Christmas tree. “You haven’t opened my present yet.”
She grinned at him. “Oh, yeah? What did you get me?”
He handed her an eight by ten-inch package. “You’ll have to open it to see.”
“Is this a picture frame? What’s the picture?”
“All I’ll say is that I got the same gift for Scarlet and Harper.” He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. “I have something else I’m going to give you tomorrow at Mom and Reese’s house.”
“So do I,” she whispered back.
Tomorrow, she’d give him the hand knit sweater she’d found at the yarn shop in Brainerd, but tonight she’d give him the silver art deco frame. She’d put a picture of Abby she’d found in her mother’s photo album into the frame. Abby was young, probably about twenty-five, and she was laughing, her hair blowing in the breeze.
She opened Luke’s present and found two eight by ten-inch pictures in silver frames. One was of her mother, with her sisters as little girls and herself as a baby. The second was of her and her mother alone. She blinked at Luke. “Where did you get these?”
“Mom had them. She didn’t think you’d seen them before. Is that true?”
“No, I’ve never seen them.”
Maggie ran her finger over her mother’s face. She was so beautiful. And so young and happy. Perhaps it was good not to know what life had in store. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She held up the pictures for Harper. “Have you seen these before?”
Harper knelt on the floor beside her and closely examined the picture of the four of them. “No. But I think I remember going to the photo studio. I wore my favorite dress.” She touched her mother’s image. “Isn’t this odd?”
“What?”
“Mom is wearing earrings in the picture with you, but not in the one with all of us. And I wonder why she took a separate picture only with you?”
Definitely odd, now that she mentioned it. One more secret, one more mystery.
Harper looked intently at the picture of baby Maggie with Miranda. “Aren’t these the earrings you inherited from Mom? I remember Grandma giving them to you. I think she said they’d been a present to Mom when you were born. Daddy must have given them to her.”
Maggie swallowed, hoping Harper wouldn’t ask any more questions about the earrings. “Yeah, those are the ones I inherited.”
“I haven’t seen you wear them in ages.”
“I’ve put them away. They hurt my ears.” The lie tasted bitter on her tongue.
Her gaze met Luke’s and she tried to send him a silent message to change the subject. She hated lying, but Harper would be upset if she told her the earrings were gone, and even more upset if she explained the reason why.
Fortunately, Luke got her message. He rummaged under the tree and produced two more wrapped gifts identical to hers. “I have copies of the same pictures for you and Scarlet. I thought you’d want them, too.”
Harper accepted the presents from him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Luke. This is very thoughtful.”
“You’re welcome.”
Harper went back to her place on the sofa next to Ethan, and Maggie pulled the art deco frame from under the tree and handed it to Luke. “This is for you. I guess we’re on the same wavelength tonight. In case you haven’t guessed, it’s a photo, too.”
Luke tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box. When he pulled the picture frame from inside, he said nothing. Maggie was afraid something was wrong, that she’d upset him.
But then he lifted his gaze to hers, his eyes bright with emotion. “This is how I want to remember her.”
She nodded. This was how she wanted to remember Abby, too. Laughing, happy, and full of life and love.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair. “Thank you, Maggie. You couldn’t have given me anything better.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
She kissed him, intending to brush a chaste kiss across his lips. But the instant she touched him, inhaled his unique scent, all she could think was that she wanted more. She touched her lips to his again and cupped his face as he deepened the kiss. She forgot that her family was in the same room watching, forgot that Abby was dying, forgot Luke would soon be leaving. In that moment, kissing him was all that mattered. She wound her arms around his neck and poured everything she had into her kiss.
She couldn’t deny it any longer. She loved him, and she couldn’t bear to lose him again.
A loud throat clearing penetrated her tangled thoughts. Reluctantly, she pulled away from Luke. He wore a shell-shocked expression, as if he’d been affected by their kiss as much as she had.
But she didn’t know if it was enough to make him stay.
Cam got to his feet and pulled Scarlet up with him. Tessa ran to them and he lifted her into his arms. “Now that we have your attention,” he said winking at Maggie, “we have something we want to share with you.” He put his arm around Scarlet’s shoulders.
“We’re pregnant!” Scarlet blurted.
With a whoop, Harper scrambled to her feet and ran to Scarlet, throwing her arms around her. Maggie hugged both of them, tears of joy blurring her vision. “I’m so happy for you. For both of you.”
She’d never thought of her career-driven sister as the maternal type. A couple of years ago, if someone had told her Scarlet would become the best stepmother a little girl could want, she wouldn’t have believed it. Maggie knew friction had developed with one of Scarlet’s former fiancés over having children. Scarlet didn’t think she knew how to be a mother.
But that was before she met Tessa and Cam.
“When are you due?” Harper asked.
“In August,” Scarlet said. “Probably not the best timing, considering how busy we’ll likely be next summer.”
“It’s perfect,” Harper said. “Absolutely perfect.”
There were handshakes and hugs all around, and Celeste went in search of champagne. Maggie’s eyes filled with happy tears. She was so happy for Scarlet and Cam. They were wonderful parents to Tessa, and they’d welcome this new little one with love. They deserved this happiness.
She glanced at Ethan and Harper, who toasted each other with the champagne Celeste handed around. They’d soon be parents too, she’d guess. Harper would be a wonderful mother. No one was more loving than her sister.
Maggie’s gaze drifted toward Luke, and he smiled back at her. Would she ever know the kind of happiness Scarlet was experiencing? What did the future hold in store for her?
Perhaps, like her mother, she was better off not knowing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Luke picked Maggie up at her cottage early on Christmas morning. Together, they loaded her presents and ingredients for the dishes she planned to make into the back seat of his truck. She wanted to get to Abby and Reese’s house early so she could put the turkey in the oven for Christmas dinner. But despite arriving before nine a.m., they hadn’t been able to beat Phyllis. As they entered the kitchen, they found her stuffing the turkey with a bread dressing.
Maggie threw her coat over a kitchen chair. “I thought I was supposed to be cooking. You’re supposed to be having a relaxing Christmas day.”
Phyllis waved her hand, a look of dismissal on her face. “Relaxing? That’s no fun.”
“Is Mom asleep?” Luke asked quietly.
“Yeah, and Reese, too, poor man. He looked exhausted last night,” Phyllis said as she slid the turkey roaster into the hot oven. “We’ll stay in the kitchen and try to be quiet so they can sleep a little longer.”
For over an hour, they worked together in almost complete silence. Phyllis peeled sweet potatoes, while Luke washed lettuce for a salad, and Maggie worked on dessert. She’d brought all the ingredients she needed to make a pumpkin pie, not sure what was available at Abby’s house. As she rolled out the pastry, Luke leaned over her shoulder.
“I haven’t had pumpkin pie in ages,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“I hope Abby is able to have some. I made some brownies if she doesn’t feel like pie.”
“These days she doesn’t eat much of anything,” Phyllis said. Profound sadness etched the lines in her face, making her look far older than her seventy-five years. “I’m making all her favorite dishes, but I doubt she’ll be able to enjoy much of them.”
Neither she nor Luke replied. They all knew the days of Abby’s life were winding down. If this was to be Abby’s last Christmas, Maggie reasoned, then she’d do her best to make the memories of it happy. A celebration of life rather than a countdown to death. Luke and Reese and Phyllis deserved that.
“I think we need Christmas music,” she said.
She wiped her hands on her apron, then turned on the small TV in a corner of the kitchen. Maggie flipped through the channels until she found one showing a fire roaring in a brick fireplace and Christmas carols playing softly in the background. When “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree’ came on, she grabbed Luke’s hand and twirled him around the kitchen table. Luke pulled his grandmother into their dance and together the three of them pranced around the kitchen in silly abandon, doing their best to stifle their laughter.
“And Merry Christmas to you, too.”
Reese stood at the entrance to the kitchen. Even though he smiled, the lines of fatigue around his eyes told Maggie he hadn’t slept well.
“I hope we didn’t wake you,” she said.
“No, not at all. It’s nice to see some laughing faces this morning.”
“Is Abby still sleeping?” Phyllis asked.
Reese dragged his hand through his hair, making it stand up on end. “Yeah, finally. She made me promise to wake her early so she could spend the day with all of you.”
“We want to be with her, too, but let’s let her sleep a little longer.” Maggie laid her hand on his arm. “Merry Christmas, Reese.”
“Merry Christmas, Maggie.”
To her surprise, he pulled her into his arms for a hug. When he let her go, his eyes were bright with tears. She wished she could do something for him, say something to ease his pain. But there was nothing. The best she could do was to provide a diversion. “Now that you’re here, you can help us. How are you at setting the table?”
He smiled at her, but she could see the effort in it. “Not great, but with some direction from Phyllis I think can do a passable job.”
Phyllis patted his arm wordlessly and then retrieved a pretty tablecloth in Christmas red along with some crystal candlestick holders. As they set the table with Abby’s best china, Maggie poured her pumpkin filling into the unbaked shell.
Reese rubbed his hands together. “I love pumpkin pie. It’s my favorite.”
“Mine, too.” She trimmed the crust with a sharp knife. “I’ll take pumpkin pie over any other kind of dessert, no contest.”
He gave her a strange look that she couldn’t decipher, but she put it down to the stress of Abby’s illness.
“I’m going to check on Abby, see if she’s ready to get up. I gave Paula the day off so she could be with her family.”
“If she needs help getting dressed, give me a shout,” Phyllis said. Reese nodded and left the room.
Maggie slipped her pie into the oven, shoving the turkey to one side to make room. While the oven door was open, she basted the turkey, glad to see the skin turning a golden brown.
“We’re coming along,” she said as she checked her watch. “We should be ready to eat in about an hour, at one o’clock.”
“Why don’t we sit down in the living room for a while? I’ll put on some coffee,” Luke said.
“You two go ahead.” Phyllis banged around a couple of the pots that Maggie had washed and left to dry on the drain board. “I need to put this stuff away.”
Luke looped his arm through hers. “It can wait, Grandma. I need to talk to you about something.”
Sighing, she let him lead her to the living room where he made her sit on the sofa. Maggie sat beside her as Luke went back to the kitchen to make coffee. Phyllis rolled her eyes. “He’s so bossy.”
“I can’t imagine where he gets that bossiness from,” Maggie said with a grin.
“Oh, don’t you start on me, too.” Phyllis’ light-hearted banter faded. “If I keep busy, I don’t have time to remember.”
Maggie clasped her hand. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for Phyllis to lose her only child. “I know.”
Luke returned in a few minutes with cups of coffee for each of them. He handed Phyllis a cup and then sat in the upholstered chair opposite her. “Grandma, remember I was telling you that the cottage Maggie’s staying in will soon be needed for guests of the lodge, and—”
“She could stay with me.” Phyllis turned to face Maggie. “I’ve been thinking about it ever since Luke mentioned it. I want you to stay with me. I’ve got all this extra room.”
“I don’t want to make any work for you.” Maggie’s fear was that Phyllis would fuss over her too much. She didn’t need to be cooking and cleaning for her.
“Nonsense. Like I said, I like to be busy. It helps. As would having a lively, young person in the house. Once Luke leaves, the house is going feel very empty.”
Maggie nodded, understanding perfectly. The lodge would feel empty without him, too.
As will my heart.
“It’s only temporary, until I find a place of my own.”
“I know, but there’s no rush.”
“And I insist on paying rent.”
Phyllis’ mouth formed a straight, stubborn line. “Absolutely not. I won’t take your money, so you might as well keep it in your pocket.”
“At least let me pay for groce
ries.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Phyllis’ stubborn expression told her the answer would be no. Maggie crossed her arms over her chest. Two could play that game. “I’ll pay for groceries, or I’ll find a hotel room to rent somewhere.”
“That’s ridiculous! It would be too expensive.”
“Those are my terms.” Maggie lifted her chin a notch. “Take it or leave it.”
Phyllis puffed out a breath. “Oh, all right. You can pay for groceries.”
“And I’ll help you with housework.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re working all day. I’m at home with nothing to do and all day to do it.”
Maggie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Finally, Phyllis shook her head and rolled her eyes once more. “Okay, fine. You can help with housework.”
Maggie stuck out her hand. “In that case, I believe we have a deal.”
Phyllis shook her hand. “You drive a hard bargain, young lady.”
“What’s this about a bargain?”
Reese wheeled Abby into the living room. She wore a bright blue wrap over a black turtleneck sweater and the familiar red and black plaid blanket across her knees. Despite the thinness of her face, and the dark circles under her eyes that spoke of fatigue and illness, her smile was warm.
Luke kissed his mother on the cheek. “Maggie’s going to move in with Grandma for a while.”
“That’s wonderful!”
Reese nodded. “Sounds like a good solution. Maggie will have a safe, affordable place to live, and Phyllis will have someone to fuss over.”
“I told her she couldn’t fuss.”
Reese laughed. “Good luck with that.”
“I think this calls for a toast. Luke, there’s some sherry in the cupboard above the stove and some sparkling grape juice in the fridge,” Abby said.
“I’ll give you a hand,” Maggie said.
While Luke retrieved the bottles, she found some brandy snifters for the sherry and wine glasses for the sparking grape juice. When she turned to look at Luke, his head was bowed as he leaned over the sink, his arms braced on the surface of the counter. Her heart constricted painfully. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his back. As with Reese, there was nothing she could do or say to make things better. All she could do was hold him and hope her presence gave him some measure of comfort.
Truth and Solace Page 20