by Nancy Naigle
Sydney wove the wire through a small space in the back of the book tree and then started tucking the bulbs between the gaps in the books.
The colorful bulbs played nicely against the glossy book covers.
“Mom, it’s going to be beautiful! Like magic. I bet this will be the best display this place has ever had.”
“I hope so.”
They went back to work stacking and then weaving more lights throughout the pockets in the structure until they had a three-foot tree sitting atop that table.
She hoped everything was going to go this well in Hopewell.
Chapter Five
The crowd at Santa’s Village was thinning out. Mac lifted the last child from his knee and set him to the ground.
He rose and gave a hearty ho-ho-ho for anyone still within earshot, committed to the role until he made it all the way back to his dressing room.
Proud of his role as Santa, he couldn’t wait until Seth was old enough that he could tell him all about the experience. Now that Seth was twelve the whole Santa magic had pretty much imploded, but Mac hadn’t been able to bring himself to completely confirm Seth’s misgivings about Santa. Even just a seed of doubt that it could be true was enough to hang on to.
Mac pulled off his heavy plush coat and hung it on the hanger behind the door. His t-shirt was damp from the bulky costume. The air cooled his skin. He stepped closer to the mirror and carefully squeezed oil onto his finger, rubbed it into his skin just above the beard, and then eased the sticky backing of the beard from his face. In thirteen years he’d pretty much perfected the act. Just sticky enough to keep the kids from pulling his beard from his face, but not so much that he gave himself an unplanned epidermal peel in the process of removing it.
He stacked all his gear in the order he’d put it back on tomorrow, then closed his locker.
Just as Mac came out of the dressing room, Rebecca entered the building with the pushcart that held the printing equipment for the photos. “That was the busiest first night I remember. Seems like parents are ahead of schedule this year.”
“It did seem busier than usual. If this keeps up we might be out of business early this year.”
“Wishful thinking. I’m beginning to think that more people are hearing about our extra-special Santa and making the drive to see you. We had several folks from outside the county tonight. I’m going to start asking, just so we can track it.”
“You did a great job out there. Thanks.”
“Thank you for bringing me back again. I really appreciate your support, you know.”
“You earned it.”
“I was a brat that first year. I didn’t want this job.” She looked down at the crazy leggings and outfit. “I was the last person you should’ve hired. I’m lucky you did.”
“I saw a young lady determined to focus on her goals. There was something special about you. If I had a daughter like you in college, I’d hope someone would do the same for her. Don’t shortchange yourself. You’re great with the kids, and even better at managing those parents.”
“They’re harder to handle than the kids!”
“Exactly. I’ve had other people in that role that were older and should have been more mature who couldn’t keep things in order. You’ve got the gift.”
“Well, working for a Santa like you doesn’t hurt. And it’s fair to say this will help me with handling patients when I finally graduate from nursing school.”
The first year they’d worked together Rebecca had come to him at the end of the first week and apologized for being less than enthusiastic. She’d said after being there for a week she felt like he was the real deal once he put on that outfit.
“Did you need a lift?”
“Nope. I’ve got a car this year.”
Mac was surprised. Money was always lean for her family. “That’s great news.”
“Well, not really. Dad got a DUI. Lost his license. So, I’ve got his car.”
“Sorry, Rebecca. I thought he was doing so much better.”
“We all did. What he got better at was hiding his drinking.” She shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m learning to roll with whatever comes my way. As upset as I was, it kind of ended up in my favor.”
“That’s a good attitude. Still sorry that happened to you though. You should come spend the holidays with Seth and me. Of course, my Santa gig is still under wraps. You might be the only person in this town under twenty-five that knows Santa’s true identity.” Only the mayor, Bea, and a few other long-timers knew, and that was the way he liked it. Rebecca had that going for her, too. Rehiring her meant keeping that circle small.
She zipped her lip. “No one will ever hear it from me.”
“I know. But seriously. You’re welcome at our place. My neighbors are planning to come over, and their daughter is home. Her husband is in the Navy. He shipped out so she’s staying with her parents for the holidays. She’s been helping me with Seth. The more the merrier.”
“Thanks, Mr. Mac. I might take you up on that.” She put the cart in the storage room and turned the combination lock. “I’ll see you Saturday.”
It was tough when kids got dealt that kind of stuff. At least she’d been able to stay on track with her studies despite the bumps along the way.
Mac drove straight home. It was still early enough to catch some decent TV before he had to turn in so he’d be fresh for work in the morning. When the two jobs overlapped it was a grueling schedule. But winter break started next week, and he’d be fine until then.
Mac walked into his house to the mixed sounds of music from Seth’s room upstairs and the television downstairs.
“Hey, Mac,” Haley called out from the sofa.
“Everything go okay tonight?”
“Yep. We decorated all of the cookies. Put some aside for you, too.”
“Did Seth give in to calling them Christmas cookies?”
“Sure did. I saved you one of those just to prove it.”
Mac rubbed his belly. If he wasn’t careful he wouldn’t need the padding at the end of the season with all of her cooking. Maybe he’d just take them to work for lunch tomorrow. “Did he finish his homework?”
“Yes. And he has some things for you to sign for him. Don’t let him forget to tell you.”
“Seth. I’m home, buddy,” Mac called up the stairs.
Could have been a herd of thundering mustangs coming down the stairs from the sound of it, rather than a twelve-year-old shaggy-haired boy. “Hey, Dad.”
Mac ruffled his hand through Seth’s hair. Genna would probably be horrified that he’d let Seth grow his hair like that. She’d always been so finicky, but all the kids on the soccer team seemed to be doing it, and Seth liked it. No harm. No foul. And Genna wasn’t around.
“Thanks for the cookies, Haley. It was fun.”
“You got it, buddy. See you Saturday?”
Seth clapped his hand in the air for a high-five with her as she walked past him to go back home.
Mac walked into the kitchen and poured himself a tall glass of iced tea.
Seth backed up to the kitchen island and hoisted himself up on the counter. “Did you have a good night tonight?”
“Yeah. It was. How about yours?”
“Didn’t have much homework. Cookies were cool. Haley is nice. When are we putting up our Christmas tree?”
“You anxious?”
“Maybe. Was just kind of thinking about it.”
Sometimes he looked at Seth and all he could see was Genna. He knew Seth still missed her, but they rarely spoke of it. Which was just as well, because he could never forgive her for what she’d done.
“We usually don’t put up the tree until next weekend, but I guess we can bring the stuff down from the attic so we can get an early start.”
“Cool. Think we could pop popcorn and string it like we did that one year?”
That was the first year Genna had left. His mom and dad had come and spent the holiday with them to help him out. I
t had been one hard Christmas to get through, but they’d all tried like crazy to be sure Seth would be the least impacted. Somehow.
They had managed to leave Seth with at least one special memory that year. You never know what will last a lifetime. Hard to believe it had been six years ago that they’d strung popcorn.
“Yeah. We could do that,” Mac said. “If we don’t eat it all. I know how you are about hogging popcorn.”
“I just have to eat it fast before you do. But that’s cool. I think we can do it.” Seth turned and headed toward the stairs. With one hand on the bannister, he stopped and turned back. “Must be really hard for Haley to be away from her husband at Christmas.”
“Yes, son. I’m sure it is. Military wives give quite a bit for our freedom, too.” He wasn’t sure whether to feel proud of Seth for his obvious compassion to Haley’s situation, or like hell that his son knew what it felt like to be separated from someone who was still around. Damn Genna for leaving like that, he thought. He would call Genna and ask her to come visit Seth for his son’s sake, except he didn’t know where she was, and quite honestly he wasn’t sure it would end well anyway. That woman didn’t have brakes. She just kept moving. She’d always told him that. Only he’d never thought that would be the case with their son.
“I’m glad Haley’s staying with her mom and dad,” Seth said. “And us. Ya know, not alone back in Virginia by herself. Did you know her husband won’t be back until, like, February?”
“I knew he was going to be gone for the holidays. Did you ask her about it?”
“Yeah. She said he’s on a ship that’s bigger than my school. She seemed happy to talk about him even though she’s really sad that he’s gone.”
Was there a message in that innocent statement? Did Seth still miss Genna? Did he silently still hold out hope she might come back? There was no filling the noticeable gap that her exit had left, and no matter how hard Mac tried to do double-duty, deep down he knew that it wasn’t the same.
* * *
Sydney opened the front door to the farmhouse. The rain overnight had caused the temperature to drop drastically. A brisk breeze had her backpedaling into the room.
“We’re going to need our coats this morning.”
“I’ll get them.” RayAnne snagged them off the hooks in the hall and ran back over to the door.
They pulled on their jackets and headed out to the car.
RayAnne rattled on about The Book Bea the whole way to school, and that made Sydney’s morning. She loved seeing her daughter acting like her old self. A good day indeed.
She dropped off RayAnne at school, and then went straight over to The Book Bea.
To her delight the book tree looked just as beautiful in the daylight from the street. She let herself into the store and began turning on the lights.
Being in this place gave her a surge of renewed energy. More than a fancy, highly caffeinated cup of coffee could, which was nice since she would have to drive over an hour just to find a Starbucks.
She walked through the store, taking in every feature. She’d been so busy yesterday that she hadn’t really had the time. In the reading nook there was a coffee station. Paper cups were there for customers, but there was also a whole rack of coffee mugs for sale. Some funny. Some geared more toward the love of books and friendship. One in particular caught her eye. A deep-blue ceramic mug with a quote from Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen:
MY COURAGE ALWAYS RISES WITH EVERY ATTEMPT TO INTIMIDATE ME.
Bea had recommended Pride and Prejudice to her the summer she’d turned thirteen. It was still one of her favorites. She remembered carrying that book out of the store that day, like she’d just earned the rites of passage to adulthood.
The read didn’t make nearly as much sense to her at the time as it had in the rereads over the years, but every time she read it she fell in love with love all over again. That book had made it through her teen years, college, and moves as a married woman. It was on the shelf in the living room right now.
And boy did this quote seem appropriate for what she was going through in her life now.
She walked over to the register and wrote up a sales ticket. “A treat to myself.” Then she rang up the sale and put the money in the register.
She started a pot of coffee and refilled the decanter of water for tea drinkers who might stop in later. There was a journal next to the coffee station, and a small card invited readers to share what they were reading and favorite things around town.
Sydney sat in an overstuffed chair and read some of the entries as the coffee brewed.
I love The Book Bea. Sitting here reading brings balance that a mother of twins never gets at home. I’m reading Jane Austen for the first time. Thanks for the recommendation, Bea.
Passing through Hopewell on our way to Asheville to visit the Biltmore. I have a feeling this might end up my favorite stop on the trip. You were such a joy to visit with while our children picked out books to keep them busy on the ride. This place has healing properties. Nice to meet you, Miss Bea. Best wishes from the Pyatt family.
Reading In for a Penny. Love these over-fifty ladies. Thanks for telling me about this hysterical southern series. Love the shenanigans they get into on those capers.—Gloria on Penny Hill Lane.
Hearing the last gurgles and sputter from the coffee pot, Sydney got up and fixed herself some coffee in her new mug.
“Here’s to the first real turning point in my new life.” She toasted herself, feeling more courageous already.
She tucked the journal back into its spot and then went back to the storage room to see what else might be there to finish the window display. It was still missing a little something-something, although she couldn’t put her finger on what that was.
The storage room was orderly. Cleaning supplies together. Office supplies on a separate shelf. Sydney sucked in a breath when she spotted the stack of fabric. Tablecloths, fabric, and quilts. She lifted them off of the shelf and placed them on a worktable to get a better look. Some of them were obviously vintage. Handiwork you didn’t see much these days and fine fabric that had yellowed slightly with age. Her hand swept across a slippery fabric tucked between two quilts.
Jackpot.
Probably forgotten, the remnant still had the store tag on it. Eighty-nine cents a yard. On sale. The thin fabric had a silvery sheen too it. It would be the perfect backdrop for the window. She’d spread packing peanuts on the floor last night and that gave a whimsical snowy look, but it wasn’t perfect. This could be the sparkly accent she needed.
She unfolded the fabric and pulled it through her hands lengthwise, spreading her arms out with each measure to guesstimate how much was there. Six arms wide had to be at least eight yards of material or so. It should be plenty.
Her heart galloped as she gathered the fabric into her arms and grabbed her cup of coffee. Moving swiftly through the store, she hoped she could make the change before Bea arrived.
She stood at the edge of the window and tossed the fabric into the window display. It caught air like a parachute and drifted down into a delicate blanket of rises and falls on top of the layer of packing peanuts.
Just like freshly fallen snow.
Gently nudging the fabric around the base of the table she was able to cover the entire floor.
So good!
She jogged back to the storage room where she and RayAnne had put the leftover holiday supplies the night before and dug through the box with glass ornaments. With twelve brightly colored ornaments carefully cradled in her arms, she went back out front.
It only took a minute to scatter the bright ornaments around the base of the display. She found six boxes and wrapped them in the shiny foil. Purple, blue, red, green, silver, and gold. She topped each box with a perfect wire ribbon bow of bright blue, to match The Book Bea logo, then placed them beneath the book tree.
“Now all I need is a tree topper,” she said with satisfaction. But Bea should help, too, so Sydney decided
to wait and give Bea the chance to come up with that when she got there.
Thrilled with the window, she turned on the old CD player, grabbed a dust cloth from the counter, and began working her way through the shelves, tidying and dusting as she went. An easy process that seemed to be removing not only the dust that had settled, but also the cobwebs in her own mind.
People were starting to move down Main Street, so even though it was early, she flipped the sign from CLOSED to OPEN.
She put the dusting cloth away in the cabinet under the cash register and checked for any to-do lists that Bea may have left lying around.
The chimes sent a soothing sound through The Book Bea as the door swept open.
“Good morning,” Bea called out. “That window is breathtaking.” Bea looked like the Michelin Man, in a big oversized down coat, with a scarf wrapped at least three times around her neck and over her head.
“Thank you! I’m so glad you like it.” Sydney crossed the room and helped Bea with her coat.
“You’re quite the early bird,” Bea said.
“Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Bea wrestled with the scarf.
“Let me help you with that.” Sydney found one end and began looping it away. “How long is this thing?”
Bea laughed. “You know. I’m an early bird too, so lots of mornings I’ll just get up and come in and knit until it’s time to open the doors. I have to admit this is one of those projects that I got to knitting and just forgot to stop.”
“I’m half-tempted to call the Guinness World Book of Records to come out and do an official measure of this thing. The colors are great though. I’ve always wondered if I could learn how to knit.”
“It’s so easy. I can teach you.”
“Really? That would be a great project for me while RayAnne is away with her dad. I’ll pick up some yarn.”
“Don’t bother. I have tons. I’ll get you started.” Bea walked over to the display window. “It’s just beautiful. Thank you so much.”
“We enjoyed doing it.”
“Of course, you did. That’s what makes holidays special. Doing things with the ones we love.”