by Nancy Naigle
Sydney pressed her lips together. As much as it still hurt, Jon had been the only man in her heart the last fourteen years, and finding the magic in anything lately was hard. She loved spending time with her daughter, but it wasn’t the same as spending time with a partner. She just didn’t think there’d be room for that again in her life.
It wasn’t Jon that she missed as much as it was the companionship, the partnership, of someone else enjoying the moment with her. Sharing a laugh. A soft kiss. The brush of a hand. A passing glance.
“I see that look, Sydney.”
“What?”
“You’re afraid. You’re locking yourself down because of your husband’s stupidity. Don’t do it. No ma’am. You’re going to see something better is ahead of you. Someone better.”
“I’m not looking for anyone.”
“Well, that’s good. Because you won’t find him if you’re looking for him. Just live life and keep your heart open.”
“Bea, that’s all very sweet, but I can’t take another broken heart. I haven’t even survived this one yet.”
“That’s just silly talk. You’re a very young woman. You will find real love. It will be different next time.”
Next time? “I’ve got a daughter to raise. She’s my priority.”
“And she should be. But don’t let a broken heart keep you from being open to something even more special down the road. Some of us end up with a few more heartbreaks than others. Hopefully this one was your last.”
“It will be. I’m going to see to that.”
“Believe me. Happiness lies ahead of you. With or without someone. But I have a feeling you are the perfect piece to someone else’s puzzled life.”
“I’ll take the happiness, but I’ll pass on the puzzle.”
“Do me a favor,” Bea said. “Just remember … you are the gift.”
The twinkle in Bea’s eye made Sydney giggle. The Book Bea had a huge romance novel selection, and Sydney bet that Bea had read each one of them multiple times. “It’s been so long I wouldn’t recognize happiness if it bopped me over the head. And someone else? I’m not ready for that. I probably wouldn’t even recognize that.”
“Oh, sweetie, I guarantee you’ll know it. When you do, you won’t second-guess what they’re thinking. There will be an unspoken understanding. And you’ll see. Finally, things will become easy again. Just keep yourself open. And honey, your perfect happiness isn’t always about a person. I believe that.”
Sydney breathed in deeply. Reuniting with Bea was more than she could have ever hoped for, and darn if that just didn’t make her want to break down into a mush pile of tears.
“I’m thankful for you, Bea. I don’t know about all that romantic hooey, but your friendship has already changed things for the better.” For the past ten months she’d been trying to get past the death of her marriage. Waking up on Valentine’s Day to a chocolate heart next to her pillow wasn’t unusual, but the note with it had caught her completely off guard. A goodbye note. He’d found someone new, and he was sorry. Which she couldn’t have agreed with more. Jon had left a candy heart in RayAnne’s room, too, but with no note. He left Sydney to explain his absence.
That day had come with no warning. A total surprise. To her at least, but not to her friends. From their comments, it seemed that they all knew that Jon hadn’t been happy for a long while.
Bea’s voice brought her back. Which was good, because she was tired of reliving those moments.
“I have a feeling the rest of your life is beginning to unfold in a very special way. You, my dear, can handle anything.” Bea wiggled her brows, then spun on her heel and headed over to pour herself a cup of tea.
Sydney stood there wondering how one old woman could make her feel so much stronger. Then, a tall red-haired man rapped on the front window, giving her a start. It was Wes, the man who owned the bike shop.
“The window display looks great,” he said with a wide grin and a thumbs up. “Are you working here with Bea?” he asked as he walked inside.
“Yes. Just for the holidays. I started yesterday.”
“Good. I still can’t believe she’s going to close down after the holidays. Won’t be the same without this place.”
“Closing?”
Wes clamped his jaw tight. “She didn’t tell you?” He shook his head. “It’s been on the downlow. Only a few people know. Dang. Don’t tell her I said anything.” He looked past her, then whispered. “Here she comes. Our secret?”
“Of course.” Only she couldn’t even process the possibility. This place was Bea’s whole life. She loved it more than anything. Why would she do that? And selfishly, Sydney needed this place to be here.
“Good morning, Wes.” Bea’s voice was vibrant and optimistic. “How’s business down at the bike shop?”
“It’s Christmas. Best time of the year.” He rubbed his hands together and blew into them. “Not sure how we went from summer to winter in two days though. I wasn’t prepared for this today.”
“So you two have met?” Bea glanced between Sydney and Wes.
“I bought RayAnne a bike for Christmas. Wes helped me make a decision. I had no idea how many factors went into picking out the right bike.”
“Candy apple–red mountain bike. She’ll love it,” he said.
“I’d have picked pink,” Sydney said. “But my ex turned my precious little princess into a sports fanatic, starting with the St. Louis Cardinals baseball onesie he’d bought to take her home from the hospital in.” It was weird to refer to Jon as her ex. Technically he wasn’t yet, but he was way closer to an ex than a husband, so she may as well get used to it.
Bea said, “There’s not a thing wrong with that. I used to be Tarzan and make the boys be Jane or Cheetah when I was a kid. I was quite scrappy.”
Wes laughed. “Still are.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Bea said.
“Meant to be one. I just stopped by to see if you needed any help. But it looks like you’ve got things under control.”
Bea and Sydney exchanged a smile. “We sure do,” they both said.
“Then I’ll let you girls get back to it. Give a holler if you need anything. Happy to help out, or send one of the boys down.” He headed for the door, then tucked his chin beneath his collar as he took the stairs two at a time back toward the sidewalk.
“Wes and his wife are always so helpful. Such a nice couple.” Bea watched him turn down Main Street. “It’s still out there, Sydney. Don’t lose sight of it.”
Enough of that already. Sydney was dying to ask about the store, but she’d have to wait until Bea was ready to tell her.
“So, about the window. We need one last thing.”
Bea looked confused. “I think it’s perfect the way it is.”
“Not yet. We need a tree topper. It will give us a little more height. So keep your eye out for something we can use. It needs a flat bottom so I can sit it astride that top book. Meanwhile, care to give me a crash course on the items you think we should focus on selling over the next two weeks until Christmas?”
“Absolutely.” Bea motioned Sydney to follow her through the store, pointing out perfect gift items. “Now these are my all-time favorites. The two new novels will sell themselves. But this pop-up Christmas book is extra special. Look at this.”
Sydney stepped closer as Bea gently opened the book, laying it flat so that the pop-ups fully engaged. Not only was it three dimensional, but delicate die-cuts gave vivid detail and texture to each page.
“It’s gorgeous. So intricate.”
“North Carolina author. Amazing story to go with it, too.”
Sydney snapped her fingers. “This is it, Bea!”
“What?”
“The tree topper. We can open one of these books on the top of the tree. I can tuck a little light right into the scene. It will be gorgeous.” She flipped through the pages. “This one. The village with the church in the middle. What do you think?”
&n
bsp; “I love that idea.”
“Me too. Only the hard part will be picking which scene to use. I like this one with the nativity, too.” Sydney took another copy off the stack. “Come on, let’s try it out.”
In the window Sydney opened the book flat and set it on top of the tree. As she turned the pages, the pop-ups came to life. She flipped through each one until she hit the one she knew was perfect. The nativity scene. Wise men, animals, and all.
Bea took an audible gasp. “That’s perfect!”
“I was just thinking the same thing.” Sydney straightened the book so the scene could be viewed from the front window or within the store. “I think I can use that little battery pack light set to light up the manger and the star. We’ll no doubt sell the last copy of this book right out of the window, but that’s fine. It’s a gorgeous book.”
“A keepsake,” Bea agreed.
Sydney stepped down from the window and swept her hands against her jeans.
“It’s the best window display this store has ever had. Breathtaking.”
“Thank you.” A wave of satisfaction soared through her. “Yeah, it did turn out good.” She raised a finger in the air. “Oh, and I made this bin for the song sheets out of some stuff in the back room. I hope you don’t mind.”
She dragged the box she’d attached to a plant stand that had seen better days out from behind the counter. “I was feeling creative. Plus, you can use it for other things throughout the year.”
“I believe you have fallen in love with my store all over again.”
Sydney looked across the room. She had. Or maybe she’d never stopped. This place held great memories. The stories she’d been introduced to here had molded the curves of her heart. “I’m excited to share the experience with RayAnne, too. Which reminds me. I was supposed to take her back to Atlanta this weekend if that’s not a problem. But then I promise that I’m all yours through the holidays if you don’t mind RayAnne hanging around. Her dad will be picking her up Wednesday afternoon as soon as school lets out for the Christmas break.”
Bea waved a hand in the air. “Not a problem. I’m flexible.”
“I made the promise to take her back to Atlanta to see her favorite Santa a long time ago, and I wish I hadn’t now. She’s so tied to the traditions we had as a family. I think it’s just going to make it harder for her, but a promise is a promise.”
“We have a wonderful Santa here at our Santa’s Village if y’all change your mind.”
“I saw him there yesterday. He really does look the part. We loved all the shops and stuff there. Kind of a magical place.”
“We’re quite proud of Santa’s Village. I’m glad you got a chance to go by there.”
“Me too,” Sydney said, just as the first customer of their day walked in.
The hours swept by, and Sydney was surprised by how many customers the store had throughout the day. She was in the middle of helping a customer put together a Christmas gift for her sister when Bea came over. “How’s it going over here?”
“It’s going great, Miss Bea.” The customer lifted the small basket that contained the items Sydney had helped her select. “I’m so excited. My sister is going to love this stuff.”
Bea glanced into the basket. “I see there are a few things for you in there, too, Diane.”
“You know me so well. I’m using that one-for-her and one-for-me approach to shopping this year. Those bracelets are adorable. I’m checking things off my list.”
“I had you on my list today, too. My call list to tell you about Mary Kay’s new release. I’m glad you stopped in.”
“You know I can’t pass up Mary Kay Andrews’s new release.”
“I’d be happy to gift wrap that for you,” Bea said. “I still wrap the prettiest darn package in all of Hopewell.”
Diane grinned. “Of course, you do. I was counting on that.”
“And you’ve met Sydney. She’s new in town.”
“Not new to the town exactly,” Sydney said. “I used to spend summers here with my grandparents, but new as in I’ve just moved here.”
“Sydney?”
“Named after my dad—”
“—dy’s daddy,” Diane completed her sentence. “I know. I’ve heard you say that before.”
Sydney paused.
“You’re Sydney Rockford, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“Oh my gosh. I’m Diane Hartman. No wonder you seemed like an old friend. You are!”
“I can’t believe it’s you.” But now looking at her, she could almost see the little girl that she’d sat with in this very store, the two of them whispering about the books they’d fallen in love with. Those thick braids that Sydney had always coveted had been lopped off into a chic, short, fringy hairdo that looked more New York City runway than Hopewell.
Diane hitched a hand to her hip. “What brought you back?”
“Long story.”
“I’ve thought of you so many times over the years. We’ve got to get together. I want to hear everything.”
Bea touched Sydney’s elbow. “Honey, it’s about time for you to pick up your daughter.”
“A daughter?” Diane held her hand to her heart. “I have a ten-year-old daughter and six-year-old son. We’ve got to catch up over a glass of wine.”
“We do. It’s great to see you again.” Sydney glanced at her watch. “Oh, gosh. I’m going to be late. Thank you, Bea. Where has this day gone? I’m sorry. I do have to run, but let’s talk.”
“Miss Bea has my phone number.”
Sydney grabbed her purse and coat and headed to the door. “Merry Christmas, Diane. It was so great to see you after all of these years.” She pulled her coat on. “Goodbye, Bea. I’ll see you on Sunday. Diane, I can’t wait to catch up.”
“Thanks, dear. Be careful tomorrow. I hear they’re calling for some bad weather and it’s coming from that way.”
Sydney didn’t even mind the nip in the air this afternoon. Hopewell seemed to be handing out warm hugs today, in the shape of friends.
Chapter Six
Saturday morning Sydney’s alarm went off at six o’clock to allow them enough time to make it to the mall in Atlanta by lunchtime. A visit with Santa, a little shopping, and then dinner on their way home. It was going to be one long day, but Sydney wasn’t about to complain about it. She only had a few more days with RayAnne before Jon came to pick her up for the holiday break.
Division of property hadn’t been much of a problem. Those were just things that had been accumulated during happier times in their marriage. Easy to let go of now.
Having to split time with their daughter was an entirely different situation. Every time Jon picked RayAnne up and spoiled her to the nth degree, it was one more time Sydney had to listen to RayAnne say she wanted to live with him.
Heartbreaking. Not that RayAnne loved her dad more. In her heart, Sydney knew that wasn’t the case. The problem was that all the money and fun seemed to be on his side of the fence, and the emotion and readjustments in her world. It wasn’t a fair fight.
She already missed RayAnne like crazy and she hadn’t even left yet.
Sydney hugged her robe close as she pushed her toes into her favorite slippers, then walked out into the hallway.
This old farmhouse was drafty. Replacing the windows was going to be something she’d have to do eventually, but camping in the living room in front of the fireplace was an economical option for the time being. If it was this cold now, how was it going to be when the real winter weather arrived?
The smell of coffee hit her before she got to the kitchen. Thank goodness for coffee on a timer. She poured a cup, suddenly wishing she’d brought her pretty new mug home with her. She hugged the warm mug to her as she turned on the television that hung near the kitchen table.
The local weatherman enthusiastically made his predictions for the next two days. Freezing temperatures and drizzly rain would create hazardous conditions.
Sydney walked o
ver to the window and peered out. It didn’t look good.
RayAnne came into the kitchen and pulled a chair from the table, the legs screeching against the hardwood floors.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Sydney poured a glass of orange juice and sat down in the chair across from her. “Sleep good?”
“Ummhmm.” She sipped the orange juice. “It’s cold. Do we have any hot chocolate?”
“In the pantry.”
RayAnne climbed out of her chair and put a mug of hot water in the microwave.
“The weather’s not looking good.”
RayAnne snapped her head around. “Mo-om.”
“Icy conditions. I don’t want to drive over the mountain to Atlanta in bad weather. It’s just not worth the risk. I’m sorry.”
“You promised.”
“I’ll take you to Santa’s Village here in town. Bea says they have the best Santa ever. She would know.”
“I like our Santa.”
Sydney really didn’t want to argue with RayAnne this morning. It wasn’t like it was really the same Santa every year that they went to see. That was easy enough to tell by the pictures, but she couldn’t say that to RayAnne. “I can’t control the weather.”
“Maybe it will clear up.”
“Even if it clears up here, the weather is bad all the way to Atlanta. I know you’re disappointed, but can we make the best of it?”
RayAnne stirred her hot chocolate.
The silent treatment? Sydney thought. “I’ll check the hours for Santa today. I think it said ten to four on the sign when we were there the other day.” She searched for their website on her phone. “It’ll be fun. Come on. Say something.”
“So I can go back to bed?”
“Yes. You can go back to bed. I’m going to make a fire in the fireplace to try to chase the chill away. You can sleep down here if you want. Go grab your pillow and quilt. We’ll snuggle, have a late breakfast, and then go see Santa. Deal?”
“I guess.” RayAnne slurped her hot chocolate, then lumbered down the hall and upstairs.
Sydney brought in a couple pieces of firewood from the porch and started a fire with one of those fire starter logs. It might be cheating, but it took her nearly a whole pad of matches just to light the edge of that paper. She wasn’t up for learning to start a fire from scratch.