Hope at Christmas

by Nancy Naigle

  Sydney laughed. But it was a nervous laugh, and it sounded odd even to herself.

  “He’s a nice man, and we all need friends. There’s one thing I’d like you to remember. No matter what. The happier you are with yourself, the happier your daughter will be. Be the example of a strong, independent woman without ever saying a word.” Bea tilted her chin up, then threw her arm up in the air in a flourish. “So have some fun.”

  True. It wasn’t like there was a rule that she had to be in a relationship or even date. Just dinner. Kids. Easy.

  “Oh. I almost forgot,” Sydney said. “The mayor came in the other day. He said they’ve been pre-selling tickets to the big caroling night this year and that you need to double your batch of goodies. And he wants you to save one special for him.”

  “My famous chocolate-dipped pretzel rods.” A hearty laugh filled the room. “I’ve been making them for years. Doesn’t even require any baking. Just melting chocolate. I never was a good cook. My poor husband lost about twenty pounds the first year we were married because nothing I made was edible.”

  “That can’t be true.”

  “It is. I just never got the knack for it. He did all the cooking. Now I just heat stuff up.”

  “You’ll have to come to dinner at my house then. RayAnne and I would love that. I’ll even send you home with leftovers to heat up.”

  “Be careful. I’ll take you up on that.”

  “I hope you will.”

  “If he wants me to make a double batch, then I’ll have to order more pretzels, and plastic bags to wrap them in.” She shuffled through some papers on the counter. “Here it is. I’ll call them and get them on their way. We’re almost out of time. I’m going to have to get moving on those.”

  “Do you need help?”

  Bea hesitated.

  “Just say yes,” Sydney said. “Make it easy on yourself. We’re happy to help.”

  “That would be wonderful. They are easy as pie to make. Quite fun actually, but it does take time. And lots of counter space.”

  “I happen to have tons of counter space and a huge island in my kitchen at the farm house. We can do it there.”

  “Great. I’ll ship the rest of these supplies directly to your house then.”

  “Deal.” Sydney went about getting ready for the kids. She draped a long tablecloth over an eight-foot folding table for the snacks, and set out the cups and napkins.

  She picked up her purse from where she’d left it near the tree and carried it over behind the counter. “Oh yeah. Almost forgot. The sweet man at Cookie Doe gave me one of these today.” She held up the whisper-thin cookie. It was so delicate looking that she was afraid it might break.

  “His famous snowflake fortune cookies.”

  “Want a bite?” She held the cookie between her fingers. “I’ll share.”

  “No, but I do want to know what your wish says.”

  Sydney broke off a small piece of the snowflake and popped it into her mouth. “Wow. That’s the best ginger crisp I’ve ever had. You sure you don’t want a bite?”

  “No thank you.” She wove her pointer finger over the cookie, toward a slip of paper folded in the center.

  “Probably just says ‘Merry Christmas’ or something. Cute idea though.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  Sydney pinched the corner of the paper with her fingers and pulled it out. “Oh. It’s not just a greeting. It says, ‘You’re starting a new chapter on your journey. Don’t question gifts of the heart.’”

  “I knew you’d have a real fortune in your cookie. Just knew it.” Bea looked smug. “He only has a handful with real fortunes in them. They are quite special. And they usually come true. I think this means you’ll fall in love.”

  “Are you saying you think he gave me this one on purpose?”

  “Oh, no. He has no way of knowing which is which. He makes those cookies up in huge batches. Ships most of them out all over the country. Internet business and all of that.”

  “I wonder what it means?” Maybe it was about her taking over The Book Bea. Or that Hopewell was the place she’d always been meant to be.

  “You ask me, it’s saying that those boots you saw under the tree a little while ago are going to be part of your future.”

  “Oh, stop it. That’s just silly.”

  “Is it?” Bea removed her glasses and let them drop to her chest on the beaded chain.

  “Yes. It’s a random cookie. And a guy who is just being nice and happens to probably feel sorry for me because he was here when my jerk of an almost-ex-husband let my daughter down.”

  “We’ll see. I’ll let it go for now, but mark my words, there’s more to this story.”

  Sydney didn’t argue. She knew when there was no point to.

  “But there is something else I want to talk about,” Bea said.

  “What’s that?”

  “I’d like to talk in detail about the store numbers with you. I’ve got all of the ledgers here. If you still would like to consider taking over the store, I think we could start with a thirty-day trial. For January. That way if it’s not what you expect you can back out and there are no hard feelings.”

  “I won’t want to back out. I think the only problem will be whether I can make it work financially. I mean this place…” She spread her arms and took it all in once again. “It’s a dream. Who wouldn’t want to run it?”

  Bea’s laugh was hearty. “Not many people have the same love for books that we do, I’m afraid. It’s special.”

  “I’m almost afraid to let myself get too excited. I mean, just the inventory alone is worth … oh gosh it’s going to add up quickly. I don’t know what makes me think I’m going to be able to afford it. I would want to talk to RayAnne too. I don’t want to mislead you, Bea.”

  “I promise you, if this place is in your heart, we’ll find a way for you to afford it.”

  Sydney wasn’t quite sure what to say, or even what that meant, but her heart was filling with hope. “How am I ever going to thank you for this opportunity?”

  “You’re going to run this store and let people know and love you like they have me all of these years.”

  “Those are awfully big shoes to fill.”

  “Nonsense. You are already making your touches known. Today is a perfect example.”

  “Well, then we better get a move on and get ready for the kids who are coming to decorate the tree. We’ll work through all of this later. We have plenty of time to get through the details before the first of the year,” Sydney said, but now she was more anxious than ever.

  Suddenly she felt a renewed excitement that she hadn’t felt in years. She’d have to do both, work the job at Peabody’s and help out at the bookstore for a while. At least until they had everything figured out. The idea of someday owning The Book Bea felt so right.

  This might end up the best Christmas ever.

  Sydney envisioned a fancy advent calendar, only instead of tiny chocolate Santas leading to Christmas Day, it had Hershey’s Kisses, her favorite, in each window until the day The Book Bea would be hers.

  Decorating the tree today was going to be even more special now for so many reasons.

  Chapter Eleven

  After school, Mac and Seth made short work of getting the Christmas decorations down from the attic in the garage by tying a heavy-duty tarp at the top of the attic stairs and securing it at a gentle angle to one of the four-wheeler’s handlebars. Box by box Mac sent the dusty boxes down the makeshift chute, and Seth stacked them to the side.

  “Last one,” Mac called down.

  “Okay, I’m going to take the two big boxes of ornaments in the house to find some to take with us.”

  “Untie the tarp first.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Mac made one last sweep through the attic to be sure he hadn’t missed anything, then untied the tarp from his end. He climbed down the folding attic ladder, then raised it until the door closed with a gentle slap.

&nbs
p; He smacked the dust off the knees of his jeans and went inside to wash his hands. Seth was probably making a mess of those ornaments. Mac could hear tissue paper being wadded and glass tapping against glass. He wanted to call out for him to be careful, but sometimes you just had to let things happen. This was one of those times.

  “How’s it going in here?” Mac walked over and sat on the couch. He bent over, his forearms on his knees, watching as Seth pulled out ornaments. He had a small pile to his side. “Are those the ones you’re thinking of taking?”

  “Yeah. Is that okay?”

  “Whatever you like.” Mac looked at the winner pile that Seth had set aside. An ornament painted like a baseball with Seth’s name and jersey number on it, two multicolored glass balls, a glittery snowman wearing a top hat, and a sled made out of popsicle sticks that Mac’s mom had made for Seth when he was little.

  “I think I’ll take three. I don’t know how many people are coming. It would be nice if the tree looked really good. Might cheer RayAnne up.”

  “That’s true.” Mac sat for a moment, giving Seth time to decide what he wanted to do. “You know, you could take that whole pile with you. We can just take three in, but if you think the tree needs more you can get the rest out of the truck. How does that sound?”

  “That’s a really good plan.”

  “Are you ready to go?” Mac felt like he’d just been given the best gift in the world. He didn’t mean to rush Seth, but a small part of Mac was a little afraid that this switch in Seth’s enthusiasm about something Christmassy might go away as quickly as it had shown up.

  Seth piled the ornaments into a plastic shopping bag, then ran into the kitchen and grabbed his favorite baseball cap off of the bar. “I’m ready.”

  “Then, let’s do this.”

  As they rode to town, Seth turned in his seat. “Can I ask you something, Dad?”

  “Of course.”

  “If Mom never left us, but you got divorced like RayAnne’s parents, would I get to still live with you?”

  Wasn’t like Mac hadn’t thought about that before. “That’s a pretty big question. I really don’t know the answer to that. Most courts think children should be with their mothers. So I’m not sure what would’ve happened. What I can tell you is as sad as it makes me about the way things happened for us, I am really thankful that you’re here with me. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  “Me too, Dad.” Seth nodded. “It’s messed up how things like that work.”

  Or don’t work. And that his son knew enough to worry about that at all bothered him the most. Genna had been a wild one when they’d met, but that had also been part of her allure. He’d never fully understand why she’d decided to abandon them the way she had.

  Her excuse had been simply that she wasn’t happy.

  And then she was gone.

  He’d been hurt, but his love for Seth was much stronger than the hurt in his heart. He’d pushed his own hurt to the side to care for his son, and to never let him see how torn apart he was. He’d never let Seth down.

  Seth was the reason why Mac had been so careful about dating, too. There was no way he’d put Seth’s feelings at risk ever again. He may not be able to fix the past, but he had full control over the future.

  Mac circled the block to find a parking spot. From outside he could feel the hive of activity in the bookstore. It looked like most of the kids from school had shown up to contribute to the special Book Bea tree.

  He and Seth walked in and got sucked right into the youthful energy that hummed at the left end of the store around the Christmas tree.

  Kids snacked and others circled the Christmas tree hanging ornaments. Seth immediately raised his hand in a high-five to Mac, which surprised Mac. He’d seen Seth and Haley do that the last few days.

  “This is good.” Seth disappeared into the throng of people with his ornaments, leaving Mac standing there alone.

  Mac hadn’t heard this much racket in the store ever. It reminded him of his college days at the bars back at UNC.

  Mac veered off toward the register on the opposite side of the store from the kids. He scanned the room looking for Sydney.

  Her laugh caught his attention. He loved the sound of her laugh. He turned to see her standing next to a rack of holiday puzzles chatting. Her hands told a story without having to hear a word she was saying.

  “Hi, Mac,” Bea said from just behind him.

  “Bea? Hi,” She’d caught him off guard, and she had that look in her eye, like she knew he’d been watching Sydney. Caught in the act of staring. Awkward.

  “She’s been such a blessing to have around.”

  He tried to act nonchalant. He looked back over his shoulder, but she’d moved on. “Sydney? Yeah, I bet it’s great to have some help during the holidays this year.”

  “She’s more than that. Very special lady. Not the kind that lets you down.” Bea just smiled and leisurely moved on.

  Was that supposed to be some kind of message or something? Mac wondered. Everyone knew about Genna. In the beginning he had so much help that he could barely do anything on his own. He’d finally had to ask people to stop so he could figure it out on his own. But that had been a long time ago, and people seemed to respect Mac for his relationship with his son.

  A tap on his shoulder made him break free from Bea’s insinuation. He turned around and Sydney stood there with a cup of green punch in one hand and a cookie in the other. Actually, it wasn’t just any cookie. It was one of Cookie Doe’s famous snowflake fortune cookies.

  “Hey, there. For me?”

  She nodded.

  “Thanks. I’d say the tree trimming event is a huge success.”

  She rose on her toes, leaning in, and talking loud over the noise. “It’s a hit! You missed Bea singing ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus’ a little while ago. She was a hoot. Even got RayAnne up there with her.”

  “Sorry I missed that. How’s RayAnne today?”

  Sydney lowered her gaze. “Jon is such a jerk.”

  “Was it as bad as RayAnne thought?”

  “He’s a coward. We traded emails. He’s already on his way to Paris with his girlfriend.”

  Mac sipped the punch. He didn’t want to fan this flame, but he agreed with her. The guy seemed like a jerk.

  “He’s going to come on Christmas Day to see her.”

  “Wow. So from a two-week skiing vacation to a one-afternoon visit. That’s a heck of a trade off.”

  “On the bright side, RayAnne will be here for the Christmas caroling, and honestly I would have missed her like crazy.” She looked around at the crowd filling the store. “I never would’ve made the commitment to help Bea if I’d known RayAnne was going to be home, but I can’t let her down now. I’ll do my best to make it a special holiday for RayAnne. I’ll get creative. Thank goodness she seems to like hanging out here at the store with me.”

  “She can come and spend the day with us whenever she likes. Just let me know. I can pick her up from home or here. Won’t be a problem. She and Seth are becoming good friends.”

  “Thanks. One of the other girls’ moms is willing to help, too.”

  “Just speak up, Sydney. People around here stand by each other. It’s one of the best perks of living in a small town.”

  “You’re right. I’m not used to that,” she said. But she sure did like the sound of it.

  “It won’t take long. I have a feeling you’ll fit right in.”

  She looked him in the eye. A slight smile played on her lips. “I’m lucky to be here.”

  He felt like he was the lucky one right now. “How much longer is this going to go on?”

  “Supposed to close at five, but it’s almost that now. I thought we’d let it run until about six. A lot more people showed up than I expected. It’s been a really strong sales night, too.”

  “Good. I’m guessing RayAnne will be the talk of the school after break.”

  “It was good timing for something positive to
happen for her. I’ve had the opportunity to meet some of the parents. I think they’re enjoying it as much as the kids are.”

  “How does the tree look?”

  “It’s a complete and utter beautiful mess,” she said. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  Bea imposed herself on the two. “Have you seen the tree, Mac?”

  “No, not yet. I might just wait and see it tomorrow when there’s no crowd.”

  Bea’s hearty laugh carried over all of the noise. “Crowds aren’t everyone’s thing,” she said. “My Henry was the same way.”

  “A good man.”

  “The best,” Bea said. “You know we’re going to be working on a huge batch of my special chocolate-dipped pretzels at Sydney’s house Monday night. You and Seth should come. The mayor is asking us to double the number we usually make. We could use the help.”

  “We’d be happy to help,” Mac said. “I’d heard that the pre-sales were going gangbusters.”

  “Yes, that’s why we need more treats.” Bea’s hands flounced around as she spoke. “Many hands, light work, and all of that.”

  “If you don’t mind,” he added, glancing over at Sydney. “Since it’s at your house.” Did Sydney just give Bea a passing stink eye? “You don’t mind, do you?” he asked Sydney.

  “Of course not. Bea’s right. So much quicker with more help.”

  “Good. And we still need to talk about the details for Friday,” he added.

  “Friday?” Bea patted them both on the arms. “Y’all just get to talking that through. I’m going to go check on something.” She left with a skip in her step and a smirk.

  “Sorry,” Sydney said. “She’s relentless.”

  “No worries. That’s just Bea.” He shifted his weight, wanting to talk about Friday but feeling nervous all of a sudden in the busy room. He cleared his throat. “It’s so loud in here. Want to step outside so we don’t have to shout at each other?”

  Sydney motioned him to follow her to the front porch. “When you walk outside, you can really tell how loud it is in there.” She opened her mouth and worked her jaw, trying to pop her ears.

  Mac said, “I think the louder the kids got, the more they cranked up the music. After three hours, it’s probably at full volume.”