by Leah Atwood
“In an hour, give or take a few minutes. We were packing up to leave when you called.”
“Did you eat yet?”
“No. I’d planned to pick up sandwiches on the way home.” Mom sounded tired. “It will be something quick and easy.”
Brenna opened the freezer then refrigerator and did a quick survey. “Don’t worry about the sandwiches. I’ll make dinner tonight.”
“You don’t have to do that, sweetheart. We’ve had sandwiches plenty of times.”
“I know, but I’m sure you and Beth worked hard today and want a meal with more substance.”
Mom gave a tired chuckle. “If you want to cook, I won’t argue with you.”
***
Brenna sank into the armchair and propped her feet on the ottoman. Unused to standing all day, she felt the effects in her sore calves and the stinging balls of her feet. If she had the energy, she’d fix an Epsom salt bath with a few drops of lavender oil and soak in it.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw Beth come into the family room and stretch out on the love seat. Brenna didn’t look at her for fear that any eye contact would invite Beth to launch another tirade against her, and, quite frankly, Brenna wasn’t in the mood. She knew she’d made mistakes and didn’t need them thrown in her face every single time she saw her sister.
“Thanks for dinner.” Beth’s rare compliment surprised Brenna. “I’ve never had that before, but it was delicious. What’s it called again?”
“Chicken ossu buco and thanks.” Brenna raised her gaze, still wary of interaction with her sister. “Is Mom okay? She went to bed awfully early.”
“I think so—nothing a good night of sleep won’t cure.” Beth stared toward the steps. “She overdid it today, although I kept telling her to slow down.”
“How much do you have left to pack?”
“All that’s left is the kitchen. We’re going back Thursday to finish.” Lips trembling, Beth pulled a tissue from the box on the end table.
“I can help and give Mom the day to rest.” She held her breath, waiting for the scathing comeback Beth was sure to respond with.
“Really? You’d do that?”
“Sure, why not?” She stifled the yawn that overcame her. “We might not always get along, but you’re still my sister.”
“It hasn’t felt that way in a long time.” Beth sniffled and dabbed her eyes.
Here we go. “I’m sorry. Everyone grieves differently and I know I should have found a healthier way other than escaping, but I can’t change the past.”
“I lost Dad, too, but losing you was harder in a way. Dad didn’t choose to leave us—you did.”
She had no viable explanation, but for the first time, she saw past her sister’s hardness and felt her pain. Brenna left the armchair and crossed the room to sit beside Beth. “I’m here now.”
“Until you get bored or the memories are too hard?”
The question hit her in the gut. “Can I tell you a secret? But you have to promise not to tell Mom.”
Beth tilted her head to a slight angle and her forehead crinkled. “I promise?”
“I mean it. I don’t want to get Mom’s hopes up until I make a decision.”
“On what?”
Brenna drew in a long breath of air and let it out slowly. “If I can work it out with my boss, I might move home.”
“Really?” Beth sat up straight. “That would be great.”
“You think so? I wasn’t sure how’d you feel about it.”
“This divorce has taken everything out of me. My entire life fell out from under me, and I’m left to put it back together without all the pieces.” Beth pulled an afghan off the back of the loveseat and draped it over her lap. “I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you this last week. To be honest, I’ve been battling bitterness and jealousy, but I need my sister. I can’t get through this without you and Mom by my side.”
“I’m sorry, too. I didn’t know you and Hayes were having problems, but I also didn’t make an effort to know.”
Beth’s jaw tightened. “We weren’t having problems, not that I knew of until I discovered his affair.”
“His what?” Brenna’s mouth gaped. She’d never been crazy about her brother-in-law but hadn’t considered him capable of cheating.
“I caught him in a year-long affair. With his assistant.” Beth rolled her eyes. “How pedestrian.”
“My goodness, I had no idea.”
“No one except Mom does.” A combination of growl and groan came out of Beth’s mouth. “His family wouldn’t believe me even if I did tell them, or they’d find a way to blame it on me.”
She scooted over to give Beth a hug. “I’m so sorry. I sound like a broken record, but I really am. You don’t deserve to be treated that way.”
“No, I don’t, but it took me a few months to realize that. Once I moved past the initial hurt and anger, I made him enter marriage counseling with me, but that was a joke.” Beth smirked, but the pain didn’t leave her eyes. “He’d tell the counselor what she wanted to hear, but never had any intentions of ending the affair.”
Her sister’s pain weighed heavy on her heart. “He’s a scumbag.”
Beth’s lips twisted into a wry grin. “We finally agree on something.”
“Wonders never cease.”
Both broke out in laughter. With each giggle, the strain of their relationship faded into oblivion.
Once they calmed down, Beth locked eyes with her. “It’s good to have you back, Brenna. Even if you decide to stay in New York, I’ll support your decision—if you promise not to pull away from us again.”
“Easiest promise I’ve ever made.” She squeezed Beth’s hands. “I’ve learned I can’t run from the memories, and that I’m better off embracing them. And more importantly—family means everything and life’s too short to neglect them for any reason.”
Chapter Six
In an odd twist of fate—or divine intervention—only baby Jesus could be found from Noel’s nativity set. After half a dozen phone calls, Derek found out the set had been stored in the city barn with all the maintenance equipment. When he went to retrieve them, however, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, wise men, and angel were nowhere to be found.
He’d searched the loft, the multiple sheds, every corner. After two hours of scouring every inch of the grounds, he got on the phone and made more calls. Each person who might know the location of all the pieces gave the same answer—the entire set had been there last time they’d passed by it.
Finally, he accepted it was a God thing. While all of the others played a significant role in the Christmas story, Jesus was the true star. It was His birthday the town would gather to celebrate tonight and honor through song and worship.
Derek set the manger with baby Jesus in it on a cement pad in front of city hall. It looked bare but fitting. He’d run to George Denison’s farm later this afternoon and pick up some hay to scatter in and around the manger . Then he’d stop by his parents to borrow the large, light-lined star they hung from their barn
Did he need to collect anything else to add to the scene? He put his grand ideas on hold and reminded his creative side of the event’s purpose. If ever there was a time to be a minimalist, this was it. The entire goal was to bring the focus of Christmas back to Christ, and remind the citizens of Noel that Christmas could, and should, be celebrated even when times were tough.
He jogged to the bakery—not for speed or exercise, but to stay warm. The forecast called for the temperature to drop as the evening progressed, possibly dipping into the low twenties before the event would end. He prayed that didn’t scare people from coming or give them an excuse to stay home.
Hank Martin came out of the bakery, carrying a box of donuts. Derek slipped through the door after him and blew on his hands. Too bad he didn’t have any hand warmers on him.
Vanna greeted him from behind the counter. “Ready for tonight?”
“Getting there.” He lowered his arms and stuck hi
s hands in his coat pocket. “I wanted to check on the cookies, and make sure you’re still bringing them.”
“I had Brenna pick them up earlier. I had two special orders come through this morning, and I might be late getting to City Hall tonight.”
“Thank you for volunteering your time and products for this. I really appreciate it.” He smelled a fresh pot of coffee and ordered a cup.
Vanna held a cup under the carafe and pressed the nozzle, releasing a steady flow of coffee. “It was my honor. I’m thrilled you and Brenna put this together. To be honest, I don’t know why no one thought of it earlier.”
“But will it help?” As the time drew closer, he wrestled with doubt.
“I think so.” Vanna snapped a lid on the cup and handed it over. “I’ve heard lots of buzz about it since you all put the signs out.”
“If it returns hope to only one person, then I’ll deem it a success.” He drank a bit of coffee and smiled. “But hopefully we reach more than that.”
“You have faith in this town. So does Brenna.” Vanna sighed. “Maybe one day she’ll stop running and realize this is right where she belongs.”
A wry laugh slipped out unannounced. “She’s coming around.”
Vanna, always on the move, wiped down the counter with a dishrag. “Anyway, the two of you are just what this town needs. People need to see and know they haven’t been given up on, even though many of them have given up on themselves.”
“I’d like to say I’d do differently in their situation, but I don’t blame those who’ve thrown up their hands in defeat.” He cupped his drink in both hands, accidentally squeezed it too hard and sent coffee spilling out the spout. “My family has struggled lately, but we’ve been fortunate compared to most. Yet I’ve still asked God why quite often.”
Vanna met his gaze. “My grandmother always told me that someone always has it worse than me, and I think about that often. It doesn’t negate the pain and frustration of the moment, but it does help put the situation into perspective.”
“Your grandmother is a smart woman. She has words of wisdom for every situation.”
“True, although that wisdom doesn’t always make sense.” Vanna laughed. “Gama has some odd sayings. Sometimes I ask her to explain them, and other times I let it slide. One thing’s for sure, she always knows the right thing to say.”
“Gama is a character. I’ll never forget the times she substituted at school.”
“Oh my goodness, those were the best days.” Vanna stopped cleaning and looked up. “She was everyone’s favorite because she rarely stuck with the teacher’s plan.”
“Like the time she took us for a nature walk, and it started raining out of nowhere.” He wiped his forehead as though he’d been transported in time and had to clear the water from his face. “Is she coming tonight?”
“Last I heard. Mom is bringing her.”
“Great.” The church bells chimed three times, reminding him he had lots of work still to accomplish. “I’ll see you all there.”
The bell above the door rang, and Brenna walked in with taut facial features, and she was out of breath. “I’ve been trying to call you.”
“Is everything okay?”
“No, the sound system isn’t working.” She stopped to catch her breath. “I tried calling our church and Abundant Life Church, but neither has a sound system we could dismantle and set up in time.”
Why was everything going wrong? First the missing nativity set, now this? He drew a long breath and pushed out his frustration on the exhale. “We’ll make it work. Do you know anyone who has a karaoke machine?”
“Alyssa does,” Vanna volunteered.
“Would she let us borrow it?” It wasn’t ideal, but they’d have a microphone at least.
“I can ask.” Without waiting, Vanna grabbed the cordless phone from beside the register and called her baby sister. She hung up a minute later with a smile on her face. “Alyssa will have it to you within the hour.”
“Awesome.” Brenna’s face relaxed.
He checked his watch, saw the seconds and minutes ticking away. “We should go. There’s still a lot to take care of.”
Brenna waved him away. “Go ahead, and I’ll meet you there in five minutes.”
“See you soon. Thanks again, Vanna.”
He ran out the door, right into a man on the older side of middle-age. The man wore a thin coat that had several holes in the sleeves. Narrowing down an approximate age would be hard due to the man’s weathered appearance. He wore no hat or scarf. His cheeks, nose, and fingers had turned bright red. The stench emanating from him suggested he hadn’t bathed in several days, nor had he shaved in double that time, if not triple. He had a faded camouflage backpack strapped to his back.
“I’m sorry.” Derek’s apology for bumping into him didn’t seem sufficient. That still, small voice in his conscience whispered to slow down and speak with the man, find out his needs.
“No problem.” The words were barely intelligible through the man’s shivering.
Vanna approached and handed the man a cup with steam leaking through the lid. “You look like you could use them.”
The man cast his eyes toward the ground. “Can’t afford no fancy drinks.”
“It’s on the house.” Vanna sent Derek and Brenna a questioning expressing over the man’s head when he bent his neck to take a drink, and she mouthed, “We have to do something.”
“Mind if I sit?” The man’s shaky voice caused alarm.
“Go ahead.” Derek sat at the table across from him. “I’m Derek Thomas, the town’s mayor.”
“Sam Houston,” the man offered as he slipped off his bag and clumsily lowered himself to a chair.
Suuuuureeee. Derek doubted the man told the full truth about his name, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibilities. People often named their children after historical figures. “Nice to meet you, Sam. I haven’t seen you around these parts.”
“Just passing through.” Sam gulped the remaining hot chocolate, an indication he hadn’t eaten in some time.
Derek caught Brenna and Vanna having a silent conversation with their eyes. He picked up on sufficient body language to know Brenna had asked Vanna to bring Sam a plate of food, and Vanna had readily agreed.
“Do you have any family in the area?” Derek tried to find the balance between prying but gaining pertinent information in order to help the man without being intrusive.
“Nope. No family left anywhere.”
“Where are you from?”
Sam grinned, showing off a surprising level of white teeth. “Here, there, everywhere.”
This wasn’t going as planned. He had a feeling Sam wouldn’t give any straight answers. “If you’re staying through tonight, join us outside of City Hall. The town’s gathering to sing Christmas carols and celebrate the birth of Jesus.”
“Wish I could, but I gotta move on.”
Vanna laid a plate of pastries and bread in front of him. “For you, also on the house.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Much obliged.” Sam scarfed down the food in less than two minutes.
“Be careful traveling out there. I heard they’re calling for six inches of snow by morning.” He glanced outside for any sign of an unfamiliar car, but he saw none. “The roads could get dangerous.”
Sam grinned. “I’m traveling by foot, so no worries for me about the road.”
“With all due respect, I’m not sure that’s the best idea. By foot will be even more dangerous.” He said a brief, silent prayer for wisdom. “You’ll have no protection from the elements.”
“Why don’t I get you a room at the motel for the night, and you can head out come morning?” That would buy Derek time to strategize a better plan to help this man who, by all accounts, had no home.
“Thanks for the offer, but no can do.” Sam started to stand. “I need to get back out there. I just stopped in to warm the old bones a bit.”
Times like this, Derek wished he had
more authority as the mayor, but even if he called the police chief over, what good would it do? They couldn’t detain Sam without cause. He slid his arms out of his jacket and slipped it off his shoulders. Unwound his scarf and removed his hat. “Take these. If you’re going to be out there all night, you’ll need better protection.”
Sam shook his head. “This coat has served me just fine since Nam.”
“Even so, please take my coat.” Derek pushed the items toward him again. “I’ll rest better tonight knowing you had extra layers of warmth.”
The man twisted his lips but ultimately took the offerings. “Thank you.”
Vanna stood to the side of him. “Can I get you anything else, sir?”
“You’ve done more than enough.” Sam smiled at her and sat back down. Derek noted the lines around his eyes. “If it’s okay with you, I think I would like to sit here for a few more minutes and warm up a bit more.”
“Take all the time you need, Mr. Houston.” Vanna moved behind him and shrugged, not hiding her confusion.
The situation was rather peculiar, but Derick wasn’t sure what else he could do. If the man wouldn’t let them help, they had to accept that. Sam was a grown man who made his own decisions. He said goodbye and left the bakery, running the conversation through his head multiple times. Who was Sam Houston, and how had he found his way to Noel?
Chapter Seven
Thirty minutes before the caroling event started, Brenna had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Only thirty-two people gathered in front of City Hall. She’d counted three times in hopes her numbers were way off.
It wasn’t a horrendous number, but a much lower turnout than she’d hoped for, especially since the majority of people there were shop owners who had walked over after they’d closed for the day. The town as a whole didn’t have a large presence.
Then again, Mom and Beth hadn’t shown up yet either, and they were excited to come. That gave her hope others would show up still.
Derek sidled up to her and slipped an arm around her shoulder. “Relax. People will show up, but this is Noel. We run on our own schedules.”