by Nicole Ellis
Angel gave her a look that said that she didn’t believe her.
Maggie sighed. “Okay, okay. Things are so busy right now at the café that I just don’t have time during the day to eat.” She looked around the table. “But don’t worry, I intend to make up for that now.” The waitress came back to take Maggie and Angel’s orders.
Sarah eyed Dahlia. “Now that everyone’s here, are you going to tell us your big secret?”
Dahlia took a big breath. “You know how Garrett and I have been talking about having kids soon?”
Sarah’s chest tightened unexpectedly.
Dahlia dragged out the suspense for as long as possible, then her face broke out in a huge smile. “We’re pregnant!”
Gretchen and Charlotte cheered.
“That’s great news!” Charlotte said.
“Congratulations,” Sarah said, trying to fight against the waves of pain welling up inside of her. Her friend had just announced amazing news, so why was she feeling like this?
“I’m so happy for you, Dahlia,” Angel said warmly. “When is the baby due?”
“The middle of June.” Dahlia’s face was glowing with happiness now. “We’re really excited. Garrett’s already taken out his baby name book that he uses for character names and is trying to find the best boy and girl names.”
Gretchen laughed. “Sounds like him. Just make sure you don’t end up with some over-the-top name like they have in some of his romance novels.”
“Don’t worry,” Dahlia said. “I get final approval.”
Maggie hadn’t said anything yet, but after everyone had congratulated Dahlia, she said, “I guess then this is a good time for my news.” She turned to face Dahlia. “It sounds like our babies are going to be born around the same time.”
Gretchen squealed. “Are you serious?”
Maggie nodded, and Gretchen threw her arms around her.
“Wow,” Angel said. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” She slugged Maggie lightly on the arm.
“I didn’t want to say anything until we were out of the first trimester. I didn’t want to tell Alex he was getting a sibling and then have it not come true. But now, I can’t wait to tell the world.” Maggie’s face lit up.
Sarah looked down at her lap and pretended to be fishing for something in her purse while congratulations echoed around the table. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and she surreptitiously wiped them away before anyone could see her. Of her group of friends, she was the only one who hadn’t met their “Mr. Right.”
Would it ever happen? She’d thought Patrick might have been that person, but he was happy now with someone else. Maura had been busy since her date with Patrick and Sarah hadn’t had a chance to talk with her about him, but why wouldn’t they have hit it off? She pressed her lips together. He was such a nice guy – everything she’d ever wanted in a man. If only she hadn’t set him up with Maura.
“Are you okay?” Charlotte asked in a low whisper.
“I’m fine.” Sarah forced a smile onto her face. “I had something in my eye.”
“Okay.” Charlotte shot her a dubious look but didn’t press the issue.
Sarah glanced up at Dahlia and Maggie who were chatting animatedly across the table about baby stuff. She looked back down at her half-full plate of nachos, but her appetite had disappeared. The cheese had congealed, creating an unappetizing mess of chips and salsa. She pushed it away.
“I’m so happy for both of you,” Sarah said. “I’d better get going though. I’ve got papers to grade.”
“See you later,” Dahlia said. The others murmured their goodbyes as well and Sarah left.
When she returned home, she sat in her living room staring at the samples on the coffee table that Patrick had left for her. He’d made an effort to bring her these and she’d thought maybe he had feelings for her, but his abrupt departure had proven otherwise.
13
After working at the bookstore all weekend and then getting some things ready in her classroom while the kids were on break, Sarah completely forgot about buying a Thanksgiving dinner for Tommy’s family until Tuesday evening. She managed to find everything at the grocery store – except for a turkey. Every unfrozen turkey in Candle Beach was sold out, so she called the one person she knew who could always manage to magically pull things out of the air.
“Mom?” Sarah held the phone to her ear, crossing the fingers of her left hand. She needed any luck she could get to pull this off for Tommy.
“Hi honey,” her mother said warmly. “How are you doing? Are you enjoying getting to have the classroom to yourself with the kids gone?”
Sarah laughed. “It has been nice. It’s amazing how much faster things go without them there.” She sobered. “But actually, I’m calling because I have a student whose family can’t afford a turkey dinner this year.”
“Oh,” her mother murmured sympathetically. “Is there something I can do to help?”
“Actually there is.” She looked over at the pile of food she’d bought from the grocery store. Without a turkey, it wouldn’t be much of a Thanksgiving dinner. “I was hoping you might know of someone who has a defrosted turkey that I could give to them. The grocery store only has huge frozen ones left and they’ll never thaw in time.”
“Hmm. That is a tough order.”
Sarah imagined her mother sitting in her favorite recliner in their living room, staring out the window.
“You know, I think I might know someone who has an extra. I’ll check with them and call you back, okay?”
“Thanks Mom.” Sarah hung up and got to work on the pumpkin pies she was baking, both for her own family’s celebration and for Tommy’s family.
A few hours later, her mother called back. “I’ve found you a turkey,” she said triumphantly.
Sarah’s spirits rose. “That’s great.”
“I’ll have it for you by tomorrow morning, okay?”
“That’s perfect. I’ll stop by and grab it on the way over to my student’s house with the other food.”
They said goodbye to each other and Sarah hung up the phone. She eyed the line of pies that covered her kitchen table. Moving into a new house with more kitchen space would be wonderful. She got everything ready to take over to Tommy’s house the next day and went to bed, feeling more optimistic than she had in a long time.
On Thanksgiving, Sarah went over to her parents’ house early in the afternoon to join everyone for a turkey dinner. She’d successfully dropped off the food at Tommy’s house and his mother had shed a tear when she’d handed her the freshly baked pumpkin pies.
When she arrived at her parents’ house, her older sister Jenny, along with her husband Rick and their two kids, was already there.
“Auntie Sarah!” five-year-old Kara shouted. “I’m so excited you’re here.”
As she allowed Kara to pull her down the hall to the room that Sarah’s mother had outfitted with bunk beds and toys for the grandkids, she thought about how lucky she was to have her family. Even though she didn’t have a special love interest in her life that year, at least she had them.
Later in the evening, when Adam and Angel were snuggled up together on the couch and she could hear Jenny and Rick joking with each other in the kitchen as they packed up leftovers to take home, she wasn’t feeling so lucky. It seemed like everyone but her had someone special in their life. Kara seemed to notice how she felt.
“Auntie Sarah?” She tugged at Sarah’s dress. “Do you want to come play dolls with me?”
Sarah looked around the living room again. Her parents were now talking with Angel and Adam, and she was acutely aware that she was the fifth wheel in the room.
“Sure honey. I’d love to.” She and Kara went into the playroom and Kara handed her a Ken doll.
“They’re getting married.” She held up her Barbie doll, who was dressed in a long white gown.
“Oh.” Sarah eyed them. Even with a five-year-old, she couldn’t escape being around
couples. She swallowed a lump in her throat. She’d hoped to have had a date lined up for Gretchen’s wedding by now – maybe even Patrick – but that didn’t look like it would be happening. It would be just one more event this holiday season where she’d have to fly solo.
She pasted a smile on her face and held Ken out in front of her. “Where should they get married?”
Kara grinned and pointed across the room at a tall dollhouse. Sarah felt a little better. At least her niece was happy.
The bookstore was closed for the evening on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but Dahlia knew Sarah was looking for extra shifts and had enlisted her to decorate the store for Christmas while it was free of customers. Charlotte had come downstairs to help her, and they’d turned it into an impromptu Christmas party, complete with sugar cookies and holiday music.
“Can you help me with this string of lights?” Sarah held out the end of a long string of multicolored lights.
Charlotte came closer and picked up the other end. “What are you doing with these?”
Sarah pointed at the front bay window where they usually had a seasonal display. “I’m going to put them around the inside of the window, so people can see them from the street and from inside the bookstore. Then I’ll put some ceramic houses in the window and add some fake snow.”
“Dahlia has ceramic houses?” Charlotte carried her end of the lights over to the window where there were already hooks above the window to hang them from. “I never pictured her as being that into Christmas.”
Sarah laughed. “I have a bunch of ceramic Christmas village houses. I’ve been collecting them since I was a little kid. Dahlia thought it was a great idea to use them in the display, so I brought a few of them in.”
“Good thinking.” Charlotte watched as Sarah pulled the lights tight at the top. “Looks good.”
Sarah plugged them in and the colorful lights flashed on, bathing the dark bay window in warmth. A sense of joy washed over her. There was something about the Christmas season that always made her happy, even when her personal life felt chaotic.
Charlotte followed Sarah to the bookstore’s back room, where Sarah removed two medium-sized boxes from a larger box. They carried them to the bay window, and carefully unwrapped the tissue paper from around the contents.
“These are beautiful.” Charlotte ran her fingertip along the faux snow coating the roof of a ceramic house.
“Thanks.” Sarah laughed. “I know some people like to make fun of Christmas village displays, but there’s something magical about them, as though you’re getting to see the whole town from above, like it’s set in a snow globe.” She thought back to Patrick’s expression when he saw her collection set up in her living room. Unlike most people, he almost seemed to understand how much decorating for Christmas meant to her. Her heart twinged, and she shook her head to remove any thought of Patrick. “Do you and Luke have any plans for Christmas?”
Charlotte shrugged. “I think we’re going to be spending the holidays with our families in Haven Shores. My family always has very interesting holidays, and I’m not sure what Luke is going to think. They tend to go a little overboard with decorations and outdoing each other on gifts.”
“Well, at least he’s met them before and knows what to expect,” Sarah said.
“Yeah, I guess. I’m looking forward to seeing Luke’s grandfather, Pops, on Christmas Eve though. We plan on having dinner with him and his friend at the retirement home.”
“Will any of the rest of his family be there?” Sarah tucked the cord to one of the houses under a cloud of cottony snow.
“Luke doesn’t have a very big family, but his sister is coming out to Haven Shores for the holidays. Actually, she’s going to be staying with me since Luke’s studio apartment is so tiny.” Worry flickered over Charlotte’s face.
Sensing her friend’s concern, Sarah asked, “Have you met her before?”
“Kind of. I knew who she was back in high school because Luke and Parker were best friends, and Zoe is Luke’s twin, but I haven’t seen her as an adult. She’s a wedding coordinator up in Willa Bay, so she doesn’t get much vacation time to come visit.” She twisted a red ribbon between her fingers. “I hope she likes me.”
Sarah hugged her. “She’ll love you. Don’t worry.”
Charlotte gave her a smile, but her lips wavered. “I hope so.” She stood up straight and gave the display a discerning look. “I think it looks pretty good, at least from the back.”
“Me too.” Sarah flicked on the lights and gestured to the door. “Let’s check it out from outside.”
On the sidewalks outside, the street lights cast a warm glow but the air itself was cold and their breath came out in little puffs.
Sarah folded her arms across her chest. “Looks good.” She knelt down. “Except that person in the corner. He’s just standing there, looking like he has no idea why he’s in the display.”
Charlotte looked at the man and burst out in laughter. “He looks as confused as I do when Luke starts telling me about software engineering.”
They went back inside, and Sarah moved the figure over to stand near a woman who was watching children make a snowman. “There,” she said. “Now he belongs.” She stared at it wistfully.
“Are you okay?” Charlotte asked.
“I’m fine.” Sarah turned away from the display.
“No, you’re not.” Charlotte’s eyes narrowed. “Something’s bugging you.”
Sarah shook her head. “It’s nothing. It’s just hard seeing everyone so happy with their significant others. I thought maybe I’d have someone special to share the holidays with this year.”
“Oh.” Charlotte quieted for a moment. “I know all too well what that’s like. Last year, I watched Dahlia, Gretchen, and Maggie fall in love and I spent Christmas wishing I’d finally meet the love of my life.” Her face flushed, and she laughed. “Little did I know that I’d already met him.” She peered at her friend. “Hey, do you want me to try to set you up with someone?”
Sarah shook her head vigorously. “Uh-uh. No blind dates. The last one I had turned out horribly.”
Charlotte smiled and held up her hand. “Okay, okay. I won’t fix you up with anyone.” She appeared thoughtful. “I feel bad talking about Luke so much though. I hope it doesn’t bother you.”
“No, it’s not that.” Sarah sat down on the floor with her back against the wall. From there, she could see the entire bookstore. She stared at the window display they’d created. The image of the man and woman standing next to each other burned into her eyes. “The truth is, I can’t get my friend Patrick out of my mind.”
“Patrick?” Charlotte sat down across from her and eyed her critically. “Who’s he? I don’t remember you mentioning him before.”
Sarah sighed. “I probably haven’t, because we’re just friends. He’s a teacher I know. We met last year at the Drama in the Classroom course and I saw him again this previous summer.” She flushed, remembering their kiss at the Fall Harvest Festival. “And a few other times since then.”
Charlotte’s eyebrows shot up. “You really like him.”
“I do.” Sarah’s stomach lurched. “But he’s dating someone else. My friend, in fact.” She laughed ironically. “I even set them up.”
“Ouch.” Charlotte pushed herself up from the floor. “You know, this sounds like a longer discussion and we’re getting too old to sit on the floor for long.” She held out her hand to Sarah. “Want to raid Dahlia’s coffee bar?”
Sarah laughed. Charlotte always knew what would cheer her up. “Coffee sounds perfect.”
When they were settled on the stools at the coffee bar with steaming mugs of coffee in front of them, Charlotte’s face turned serious. “So, this Patrick guy. What are you going to do about him?”
“What do you mean? I told you he’s dating someone else.” She shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Have you told him how you feel?” Charlotte sipped her coffee,
but Sarah could feel her eyes drilling into her face.
She squirmed. “No. Of course not.”
“Well, you should,” Charlotte said matter-of-factly. She set her mug down on the counter and uttered a long sigh. “Maybe he’s secretly pining over you as well.”
At that thought, a glimmer of hope rose up in Sarah’s chest before she could tamp it down. She bit her lip and looked at Charlotte. “I sincerely doubt that.”
“There’s always a chance.” Charlotte grinned. “I never thought Luke liked me before he asked me out. In fact, I thought he hated me.”
Yeah, but he wasn’t dating someone else, Sarah thought, but didn’t say out loud. “Maybe.”
“You should definitely say something.”
Sarah’s stomach tightened, and irrational annoyance flooded through her. She forced herself to be calm. Charlotte was happy in her relationship with Luke and she wanted the best for Sarah too. She knew that.
“I don’t think this is the right time.” She gulped her coffee, regretting doing so as the hot liquid burned her tongue.
“Maybe not, but when will it be?” Charlotte grinned.
Sarah couldn’t take it anymore. “Can you please drop it?”
A wounded look came over Charlotte’s face. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes met Sarah’s. “I just wanted to help.”
Her stomach twisted. She knew Charlotte had been trying to help but it didn’t matter if she told Patrick how she felt. “I know. But I don’t really want to talk about it anymore, okay?” It was bad enough that she was alone for Christmas – she didn’t need her friend constantly reminding her of that, or to face Patrick’s rejection if she told him how she felt. Plus, she couldn’t do that to Maura. She stood. “It’s getting late. I’m going to turn off the lights in the window now, but I think Dahlia is going to love it when she comes in tomorrow morning.”
Charlotte rose from her chair and hooked their coffee cups with her fingers, placing them carefully in the sink behind the bar. “I think she’ll be pleased, especially to have decorating the store off of her plate.”