A Heartfelt Christmas Promise

by Nancy Naigle

  They walked outside. Anna clicked the button on her key fob, sending the trunk lid up in the air. Vanessa stepped in front of her to get the bag. When she turned around, Buck and Anna were exchanging phone numbers.

  It was kind of adorable, and weird all at the same time. She’d always known Anna as the fun cousin, but never so flirty or even the tiniest bit interested in anyone. This was a whole new side of her.

  Vanessa wheeled Anna’s bag into the house and wandered down the hall to check out the bedrooms.

  Both were equally beautiful. One was painted a warm taupe with crisp white moldings. The bed was in front of old wooden whitewashed barn doors on what looked to be an authentic old iron rail. The bedspread was feminine, in a creamy tone-on-tone pattern with wispy skirted sides that swept the floor. Pillows in rich wine-colored velvet and cream, piled two and three deep, covered half the bed. It would probably take fifteen minutes to get them all moved off to call it a night. A ladder made of birch branches held an extra blanket.

  Across the hall, the bedroom had floor-to-ceiling windows looking over the gardens in two directions. The raised ceiling made of whitewashed boards made it look as if you could dance on the ceiling if someone could just tip the room upside down. She pictured herself dancing on the whitewashed ceiling as the floor, the ceiling fan a pub table, holding a flute of the finest champagne and her skirt flowing around her ankles with each twirl.

  An area rug covered most of the dark-stained wooden floors, probably original to the house.

  She parked Anna’s luggage in this room wondering what fantasies would dance in her cousin’s head when she saw it.

  “Oh, my word,” Anna’s voice echoed from the bathroom next door. “Did you see this tub?”

  Vanessa went to see what all the fuss was about, but when she walked into the bathroom she had to agree. “Oh, my goodness. This is gorgeous. I’ve always loved those freestanding tubs.”

  Anna lifted the top of a glass apothecary jar, scooped up rose petals, and sprinkled them back into the jar. “Seriously? These smell so good. Do you think we can put these in the tub?”

  “Sometimes you just have to ask for forgiveness later. This is definitely one of those situations.”

  “Did you ever in a million years expect this?” Anna stood there shaking her head.

  “No. Definitely not. I also wouldn’t expect him to open up this part of his home to strangers.”

  “Not complete strangers,” Anna reminded her. “I mean he said you two have been talking in the diner all week.” She ran a finger across the dresser. “It’s spick-and-span. Do you think they rent it out?”

  “I don’t know. I was under the impression the corporate apartment was the only place to stay for miles.”

  “Well, thank goodness he was sitting behind you,” Anna said. “Why don’t you take my car and go get some of your stuff so you can stay here tonight. I’ll get unpacked and soak in that amazing tub.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Here’s the key to the car.” She dug it out of her front pocket. “And this place.”

  “Seems like a nice start to our holiday.”

  “All we need is a Christmas tree.”

  Vanessa drove back over to the warehouse, noting the turns on the back of a gas receipt, since she had no idea what the address was. At least the crazy week was ending on a higher note.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Vanessa pulled into the parking area at the warehouse.

  I’m really not going to miss staying here.

  In front of the door, there was a cardboard box with big letters on the side that read THIS SIDE UP. As she got closer, she noticed the bright red envelope tucked into the top flap.

  The box was heavy. Instead of taking it upstairs she took it over to the car and set it on the floorboard. It was probably leftovers from Lilene. That woman ran on thoughtfulness and kindness.

  She let herself into the warehouse using the jiggly twist-lift approach Lilene had shown her, then ran up the stairs and grabbed pajamas and a change of clothes. Halfway to the door, she stopped and repacked all the rations Lilene had stocked for her to take over to the carriage house, too. They’d have plenty to snack on for a while until they had time to go to the grocery store.

  She took two of the bags downstairs and put them in the passenger seat, then left the door open while she went back in to get the rest.

  As she got closer to the car, she heard something behind her. She looked but couldn’t see anything in the dark. Before she took a step, there it was again. A bark?

  She walked over to the car.

  A fluffy burst of gold scared the bags right out of her arms. She leapt back, letting out a yelp of her own.

  “What are you doing in there?” It was a puppy. A little guy dancing around in the leather seat like he belonged. He opened his mouth in a wide yawn that sounded almost like a hello.

  “You are the cutest thing.” She collected everything that had fallen and put the bags in the car.

  In response to the rustling bags, the puppy stepped back and barked, then pounced forward.

  “Aren’t you the little guardian dog? Where is your momma?”

  He cocked his head to the side, then hopped down out of the car wagging his tail so hard his hiney lifted from the ground.

  She reached down and picked him up.

  He kissed her face.

  “No,” she reprimanded him for the assault, but really it wasn’t so bad, until he licked right up her nose. “Eww. Okay, that’s enough.”

  He took a mouthful of her hair and chomped.

  She grabbed it back. “That is not for puppies.”

  He almost sounded like he was laughing as he panted with a “hh-hh-hh”; then he leapt from her arms and hightailed it across the gravel, his back feet kicking up like a burro’s.

  She stood there smiling. Probably late for dinner.

  Vanessa got in the car, keeping a careful watch for her new little friend as she left, but it seemed he was long gone. She turned up the radio on the ride back. No surprise, Anna had been listening to Christmas music on her drive. She wished she were a little more like her sometimes.

  She pulled in front of the carriage house and carried everything inside. She was finishing putting away all the food and snacks that Lilene had gotten her when Anna walked out in a big fluffy robe.

  “Did I die? Because seriously, this is heaven.”

  “I hope not, because we’ve got a lot of time to make up for.” She hugged Anna. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “You too. I forgot to ask you earlier, how was dinner last night? With your assistant’s family?”

  “It was lovely.” She hesitated. “That’s not entirely true. Well, I didn’t actually stay very long.”

  “Why not?”

  “It turned out that one of the guests was the son of the woman I gave a retirement package to. He wasn’t appreciative. It was awkward.”

  She regretted not even getting the chance to get a sip of that wine.

  “Oh, honey. I’m sorry. That’s got to be hard.”

  “It is. Especially because I meant well. There were two outliers who have been eligible for full retirement for years. I gave them really nice incentive packages to ensure they’d get what they’d earned from Porter’s, with a nice bonus. When things change, you just never know who or how people are going to be affected. As old as they are, it’s not likely they’d get picked up for warehouse positions. I was trying to protect them.”

  “No good deed goes unpunished.”

  “That’s what they say.”

  “Give them some time. They’ll soften to the idea. I’m sure it just came as a shock.”

  “Bill took it great. He’s already planning to buy the boat of his dreams with the extra money. Edna on the other hand looked upset at first, but seemed fine when she left. It was her son who came unglued. And about half of the town on her behalf.”

  “Well, look on the bright side. Today has been a much bet
ter day.”

  “It has. Oh!” Vanessa jogged over to the door. “I almost forgot.” She ran outside and got the box out of the car.

  “What do you have there?” Anna asked from the front door.

  “I don’t know. Lilene must have left it at the warehouse door for me. Probably leftovers or something yummy.”

  “This has already been the best Christmas I’ve had in years, and we’ve only been together a few hours.”

  Vanessa laughed, but she honestly knew exactly how Anna felt. She placed the box on the kitchen counter, then removed the envelope and ran her finger under the edge, and slid out the card. On the front, a pair of shiny black horses pulled a red open sleigh through snowy streets with a black dog running ahead of them.

  “Isn’t that a beautiful card,” Anna remarked from over her shoulder. “It almost looks like this town, doesn’t it?”

  “It does. Probably is. Lilene is very in touch with every facet of the town. The woman should be the mayor.” She opened the card and her head jerked back. “Oh?”

  “What is it?”

  “This isn’t from Lilene.” She closed the card and tucked it back into the envelope.

  “What are you hiding from me?” Anna grabbed the card and stepped out of reach. “Ohh.” She raised her eyebrows, a wide grin spreading across her face. “This is from that chicken-stew man that asked you to the parade. Mike. How nice.”

  Vanessa plucked the card back from her. “It’s a mess is what it is.” She opened the box and lifted the Crock-Pot from it. “I’m not sure if we should even eat this. What if he’s trying to poison me?”

  “Vanessa. Don’t be ridiculous. You said yourself everyone in this town is nice.”

  “Everyone but me. I gave his mother a package, encouraging her to take her retirement.”

  “It’s not like you fired her.”

  “No! I gave her a very nice severance package, and a bonus along with her earned retirement. Trust me, it’s better this way. There’s no telling where she’d land when the warehouse comes in. A lot of things could change, and not everyone is going to be as focused on the employees as I am. I was honestly trying to protect the two oldest, most senior people working for the company while I could.” She let out a sigh. The more she explained it the worse it sounded, even to herself. “Her son is overreacting. Totally unreasonable. He’s making me out to be the most uncaring person in the world.”

  “I see. And this is the same unreasonable guy who left you this Crock-Pot of homemade soup?”

  “It’s stew actually.” She folded her arms in front of her. “He’s just trying to make me feel bad now.”

  Anna took a step back. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

  “Maybe I do. I don’t know. Great. Now you think I’m horrible too.”

  Anna didn’t say a word; she simply took the Crock-Pot over to the counter and plugged it in. “No. I don’t, but I do think you’re overthinking that man’s intentions. The note says that he wants to meet you for the parade before it starts.”

  “He was very mad at me yesterday. This doesn’t make sense.” She sat on the couch and dropped her head into her hands. “I know better than to get involved with people in these situations. What was I thinking?”

  “That you might have some fun?”

  “All the time I have for fun will be well spent with you.”

  “Thank you, but I’ve been telling you that you need to get your priorities straight. I’m glad to be among them, but you’re letting work become your everything. Vanessa, you’re going to regret this down the road. Believe me. I know.”

  “What exactly do you mean by that? I always thought you were so happy with your carefree lifestyle.”

  Anna walked over and hugged her. “Everyone wishes they’d done something differently. The problem is the longer you avoid life, the harder it becomes to revisit those things in the future, no matter how badly you might want them.”

  Vanessa could see the pain in Anna’s eyes. Had that always been there?

  “Don’t ask for details, just take into consideration the suggestions I’ve made. I only want the best for you. Your momma would want that too.”

  Blinking back tears that always came when she thought about Mom, she nodded. “I’m so grateful you’ve always been there for me.”

  “You’re welcome. Now let’s get some rest. It’s been a long day,” Anna said.

  They turned off most of the lights and went to their rooms. From between the crisp white sheets of the king-size bed, Vanessa said, “Good night, Anna. I love you.”

  “I love you too. This is the best Christmas gift you could ever give me.”

  Vanessa closed her eyes, thinking about what things she should be focusing on aside from work. Her mind was blank.

  * * *

  The next morning, Vanessa awoke after the best rest she’d had in a long time. It seemed to be very early, but when she checked her phone, she found that it was nearly eight. The heavy curtains had fooled her into thinking it was still dark out. Today was Saturday, thank goodness. She slipped her feet into slippers. The smell of fresh coffee hit her as soon as she stepped into the hallway.

  “Good morning, Anna,” she said, looking for her.

  She made a cup of coffee and turned on the fireplace. Outside everything was white. A light snow had fallen overnight. She watched birds flutter through the nearly bare trees outside the windows.

  Suddenly, Anna strutted past the window, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her bright red coat. The door eased open, and Vanessa sat on the couch watching as Anna tiptoed through the entry hall, pulling her scarf from her neck.

  “Happy snow day,” Vanessa said.

  “You scared the bejeebies out of me. But yes. It’s wonderful. It snowed last night. It took everything I had not to wake you when I came out here for water and it was snowing and swirling at four. It was breathtaking.”

  “You should have.”

  “I won’t lie. I did peek into your room, but you looked like you were sleeping so peacefully. Besides, there’s more snow in the forecast.”

  “I hope there’s a snowman in our future.”

  “We’ll consider this a warm-up.” Anna winked. “You know, for the real thing.”

  “Thanks for making the coffee before you left.”

  “My pleasure. I’m going to get a cup for myself right now.” Anna’s spoon clanked as she added cream and sugar. “What do you want for breakfast?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t usually really eat much breakfast.”

  “Well, I do. And you should. It’s good for your body. Why don’t we have our coffee and then go over to the diner. It’s close enough to walk.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “We’ll need to dress warm. It’s cold out there. I’m going to add a layer.”

  An hour later they were both dressed and walking out the door. A light snow swirled around them as they hitched their hoods up over their heads and made their way around the house toward the street.

  A horn double-tooted behind them.

  She and Anna both hopped over to the side of the driveway.

  “Sorry.” Anna waved as Buck pulled up next to them.

  “Y’all sleep all right last night?”

  “Very well. We can’t thank you enough.”

  “Where y’all headed off to? Goin’ for a walk?”

  Anna stepped up to his window. “We’re headed back over to the diner for some breakfast.”

  “Good!” His eyebrows arched wide over his eyes. “Jump in. I’ll give you a ride. That’s where I’m headed.”

  Anna ran around to the passenger side of the truck, so Vanessa followed her.

  Anna slid into the middle of the seat and Vanessa tried to give her extra room by hugging close to the door handle, but her cousin didn’t seem to even notice. She was leaned in asking Buck questions about the town and what activities would be going on that only the locals might know about.

  They
talked and Anna’s laugh was more of a playful titter. “That sounds like so much fun.”

  “I’ll take y’all if you want to go.” Buck still had both hands on the wheel, but he didn’t have either of his eyes on the road. “I know everyone in this town.”

  All one thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven of them, Vanessa mused to herself.

  When they got to the Blue Bicycle Bistro, nearly every table was full. The snow hadn’t kept anyone inside around here. Buck held the door for them, then sauntered over to his usual table.

  Vanessa craned her neck looking for another one.

  Buck swept his arm out by his booth. “Ladies.”

  “Why thank you.” Anna scooched into the bench seat facing him.

  Vanessa slid in beside her.

  Lisa came over and brought three coffees with her. “Good morning. What’s everyone having? Buck, today is biscuits and gravy for you, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “That sounds so good,” Anna said. “Same for me.”

  “Ooh, yeah, I’m going to have to pass on that. Can I get an egg-white omelet, and the strawberry energy smoothie?”

  “Sure thing. Be right back.” Lisa stopped by two other tables on her way to the kitchen.

  Buck lifted his mug up to that big mustache for a sip. “You know, you’re lucky to have landed in Fraser Hills for Christmas. I’ve never spent the holidays in a better place than here.”

  “Have you spent a Christmas anywhere other than here? I assumed you’ve been here forever.” Vanessa regretted letting that roll off her tongue.

  “Yeah. I have, but my late wife loved to travel, and once the kids were grown Christmas was a great time to do it.” He glanced over at Anna. “But this is home. It’s where I grew up, and this is where I’m happiest.”

  “It’s such a quaint town,” Anna added. “I could see how you could be happy here. There’s just such a good feeling here.”

  “Oh yeah. This place is the real deal.”