by Nancy Naigle
He held back a snicker. She had trivia about everything. “Did you know the owner of the most winning greyhound in 2011 was from right here in Pleasant Sands?”
“I can honestly say that I did not.”
“It’s true. Oh, and my sister called me earlier today. She offered me a position as a secretary in her law office.”
“Is that what you want to do?”
“I haven’t really done anything else other than work at Heart of Christmas. My sister always said that was a big mistake. I thought she only said that because she was jealous of the relationship Momma Grace and I had.”
“What do you think now?”
Angela’s mouth turned down. “I’m thinking maybe she was right. I don’t have a great fallback plan. My life has been very focused.”
“Well, everyone’s path is different. There’s not a right or wrong way.” Geoff thought about all the places she’d shown him over the past week. “You know all of those places you showed me over the past few days? I’d have never known about any of those if it hadn’t been for you.”
“It’s been fun for me.” She sat back, offering a gentle smile. “I’m glad we’ve been able to put our business differences behind us.”
“Me too. You’re very nice. And smart. You know everything about this town. So tell me, why are all the brochures only about the beach?”
“That’s easy. It’s why people come to Pleasant Sands.”
“It’s what gets them here, but what keeps them coming back?”
Her wheels were turning. He could tell that much.
He pushed further. “What do the visitors and tourists in this town do on a rainy day, or after they get their Northern pasty-white skins so fried in the sun that they can’t go back out on the beach?”
She laughed so hard she snorted. “It’s so easy to pick out the tourists. They always look like steamed crabs. Is there a point to all of this commentary?”
“Maybe. I’m just thinking you need to give yourself a break. Your store isn’t even closed yet. You don’t really have to take the first job that’s offered to you. Trust me, you have a lot to offer. The right thing will happen for you.”
“You seem so sure,” she said.
“It’s the night before the night before Christmas. Christmas magic is in the air.”
And he couldn’t have planned that comment better, because the curtain rose and the music began as the lights dimmed in the auditorium.
* * *
It was Christmas Eve morning, and Geoff was standing on the front porch steps of the Pleasant Sands Town Hall building, freezing.
Across the way in the middle of a green grassy field, the town’s Christmas tree stood in the center of the story-and-a-half-tall gazebo. It was as big as a carousel. Maybe it had been one once. He should ask Angela about that.
Town Hall wasn’t actually one building but a row of buildings that had been gutted and converted into space for all of the offices the town needed: Zoning, Planning, even the courthouse were all on this one block. There were also several lawyers, bail bondsmen and accountants along here.
All the buildings were sea green with white trim. Scrolling gingerbread with seashells in the corners had been added sometime along the way. It was kind of a 1950s-meets-cottage-style mishmash of architecture.
The mayor walked up, huddled in a heavy wool coat. “It’s colder than a … a…” The rest was just a grumble. “You must be Mr. Paisley.” He extended his hand.
“I am.” Geoff shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mayor. Call me Geoff.”
The mayor gave him the once-over and a nod. “Nice to meet you.”
“Thanks for meeting me here on such short notice and on Christmas Eve, but I have an idea … well, a proposition really … that I think you’re going to really like.”
“I hope so. I’ve still got Christmas shopping to do.”
“I know the guy who owns Christmas Galore,” he teased. “I can get you a discount.”
The mayor unlocked the door and invited Geoff to follow him in. “So I’m guessing that you’re considering our request to have you on the new tourism board. This has been something we’ve been talking about doing for a few years now. The recent growth in our town has been wonderful, but we’re not leveraging it to its full potential. I think having some forward thinkers like you added to our local team can help us make strides toward our goals. I’m looking forward to hearing what you have on tap.”
Geoff entered the meeting room at Mayor Jessup’s side. The room held a few familiar faces—people he’d seen at the merchant meeting, the local bank branch manager—as well as several people he hadn’t yet met.
An hour and a half later the meeting concluded.
He’d not only satisfied his mother by accepting the position on the tourism board, but he’d got exactly what he wanted, right out of the gate.
The group dispersed and the mayor and Geoff were the last in the room. “Thank you for pulling everyone together. I know it was poor timing.”
The mayor laughed. “You know, sometimes things have to come in their own time. All of us want what’s best for Pleasant Sands. I do believe you will fit right in. I’ll contact Angela this evening and talk to her. If she accepts, there’s no reason to open the position up for general applicants.”
“I agree. She is the most qualified for this position. She knows the history of this town like the back of her hand. She can make the connections so easily, and people trust her around here.”
“I don’t think there’s anyone that disagrees,” the mayor said. “With your generous donation, how could we object?”
“You couldn’t,” Geoff said. He shook the mayor’s hand. “Please don’t mention that part to her.”
“I don’t mean to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why are you doing this?”
“I’ve come to really like this town. My mother loves this town. She has old ties to it.”
The mayor lifted his head in surprise. “Really? We had no idea.”
“My father was from this town. I never knew him, but now I understand why he loved it.”
“He was from Pleasant Sands? I’ve lived here all my life. I probably knew him.”
“He died the summer before I was born. A drowning accident. He was only twenty at the time.”
The mayor settled back on his heels. “You would have been Robbie’s son. I should’ve known when Virgil came back to town there was something up. They were best friends. Virgil left and never came back after that summer. That accident hit this whole town hard. Robbie was a good young man.”
Something unexpected ran through Geoff. Hearing the void that Robbie’s death left behind, even to this day, not only in his mother’s heart but in this town made him feel more complete. Like part of something bigger. Connected to something, some place, for the first time.
“I’d really love to talk to you in more detail after the holidays about my father, if you don’t mind.”
“I’d like that,” the mayor said. “I have some great memories from our younger days.”
Geoff said, “My mother’s health is beginning to fail. She wanted the connection with this place. I just learned of all this recently.” He looked around. “But, this place, all of you, the people … I can understand why.”
“Thank you, and welcome to Pleasant Sands. We hope you plan to make this a permanent home.”
“I do.”
The mayor patted him on the back. “That Angela is just as enchanting as her grandmother was.”
Geoff tried to hide his smile. She was definitely that.
The mayor lifted his fingers to his lip and turned the invisible key, pretending to toss it away.
Geoff gave him a nod and headed outside. There was a certain lift in his step as he came out of the building and headed to his car.
“Geoff?”
He turned. “Yes?” The woman who’d called out to him … It took him a minute to place her face as Angela’s lawyer sister. “Hi, Marie. It�
��s good to see you again.”
“Has to be better than last time. That was ugly.”
“It was a bit … uncomfortable.”
“My sister can be a bit passionate about things.”
“That’s nothing to apologize for,” he said. Although he’d admit, that day he’d thought she was bordering on nutjob. But that was before he really knew her.
“I just came back to pick up a couple gifts from my office. That little girl of mine is quite a snoop. What are you doing here at Town Hall on Christmas Eve?” she asked.
“Well, it’s still morning, technically, but I just came from a meeting.” He didn’t want to tell her what meeting, because the last thing he wanted was for Angela to misconstrue his motives. If she knew he was on that board, she might not stay open to what he hoped would be a happy ending. He hoped too Marie wouldn’t ask for more details.
“Oh, well good to see you.”
He turned to leave, but Marie’s voice carried.
“I know this isn’t any of my business, but I hope you’ll move carefully around my sister. If you’re being nice to her out of some sense of guilt for putting her out of business … just stop. She’s hurting right now. Grieving the loss of that business. She doesn’t need a heartbreak on top of it.”
“I can respect your concern,” he said. “I assure you my motives are sincere.”
“I hope so. Y’all have had a tumultuous start, and I’m just a little wary of the two of you together.”
“Afraid we’ll combust?”
“Possibly,” she said with a smile.
He spoke mindfully, hoping to put her at ease. “I can promise you that I wish we’d opened our store at a different time. I didn’t set out to put her out of business. We always scout where we feel like there’s enough market share for everyone. The timing was horrible, and I don’t like that we had any impact on that outcome.”
“Thank you for saying that. My sister is very dedicated, and she wanted to keep things the way they’d always been. Hang on to the past. I’m sure most of her problems came from not adjusting her business approach to the current times, but that really doesn’t matter now. I just want to know that you’ll consider that when you cross her path.”
She clearly didn’t know that they’d been doing a lot more than crossing paths lately. They’d been walking paths, together. “You’re sort of her guardian angel, aren’t you?”
“Sisters are like that. My mom used to say that sisters were angels-in-waiting. I remember Angela’s face the first time Mom said that. She looked at her, so wide-eyed and innocent, and asked if she’d grow wings.”
“Cute.”
“Yeah, but Mom was sick by that time. We didn’t know it, though. She’d said, You girls are my angels, and I know you’ll always take care of each other, because sisters are angels-in-waiting. You’ll do lots of good things before you become real angels. Make me proud, okay? I’ll never forget her saying that.”
“I bet. It’s nice you have each other. As an only child, I can just imagine how it would be to know you always had someone beside you.”
“Yeah. That doesn’t mean we’ve always seen eye to eye, though. I was the oldest. I was always trying to take care of her. Losing my grandmother was really hard on her. She was so little when we lost my mom, and then Dad ran off and abandoned us with Momma Grace. Don’t get me wrong. We had a wonderful life with Momma Grace, but Angela really clung to her for that stability. Always did. It’s why the lighthouse and Heart of Christmas are so important to her.”
“I’m glad you shared that with me.”
“Probably sharing way too much, but I wanted you to understand why she reacted the way she did that night at the parade. She really is the most kind and generous person I know. That was really out of character for her.”
“I realize that.”
“Good. Well, I’m sure we’ll see you around.”
“I hope so,” he said. And more than that he hoped Angela would give him a chance to prove that his interests were in her happiness. Both business and pleasure.
Chapter Thirty-four
DID YOU KNOW?
The poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” was originally titled “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” It was anonymously published in 1823. It has been attributed to, and claimed by, Clement Clarke Moore but there is some controversy as to whether he actually wrote it. Clement is a distant relative of Zane Moore, owner of Moore Lumber on Shore Drive.
It was almost three o’clock on Christmas Eve.
The last customers had left. Jeremy had officially closed down Snow Valley two hours ago and packed up the equipment to return to Angela’s friend in Boone on his way to go skiing, and both Stephanie and Emma had left at noon. There hadn’t been enough inventory to even really bother staying open until three, but Angela hadn’t wanted to let down even a single customer all the way to the end.
She boxed up the last few ornaments and placed them on the counter. The bigger items could wait until the new year.
She’d be taking some time to figure out what her next steps were going to be anyway. Working for her sister wasn’t the answer. Sure, it was now, and it was convenient, but that wouldn’t keep her satisfied for long.
The sleigh bells jingled from the front door. She half expected to see Geoff walk in. He’d been nearly a fixture around here the last couple of weeks.
“Mayor Jessup?”
“Hello, Angela.” He unwrapped the long scarf around his thick neck. “It’s bitter cold out there today. Dare I say we might actually get a white Christmas this year?”
“I wouldn’t. The warm ocean water will keep anything more than a little flurry at bay. You know that.” She thought of her note to Santa. The one where she said what she wanted was as unlikely as snow in Pleasant Sands. “Don’t tell me you’re still doing Christmas shopping at the last minute?”
“Guilty. I’ve been your last customer the last seven years. Why stop today?” He lifted his chin in a smile, his red cheeks as rosy as if he were Santa Claus himself.
“I’m afraid I’m not going to be of much help this year. With the close-out sale, just about everything is gone.”
“A good problem to have.”
“Indeed. What was it you were shopping for?”
“Something extra-special. What’s the nicest thing you have left? If you were going to be gifted one thing that you have left in the store today, what would that be?”
“Easy. I’d want the calliope. It’s been my favorite piece for a long time. Maybe that’s why it hasn’t sold. I never really was sincere about selling it.” She walked over and took it down from the shelf.
“Well, then, you should keep that. What’s your second favorite?”
“This piece.” She carried a hand-carved Santa from the shelf to the counter. “This is a one-of-a-kind. It’s funny, because all of the Jim Shore pieces fly off the shelves, but this one is just as beautiful. And more unique. It’s carved out of an old wooden rolling pin.”
“You know my Patsy loves to bake.”
“I do know that. It’s actually kind of the perfect gift for her. The colors are brilliant. The details so refined. Look at it.”
He stooped to eye level. “That is really interesting. And unique. I’ll take it.”
“Excellent. I even have a box that will be perfect for it. Would you like it wrapped?”
“You spoil me so.”
“Well, we have done this for seven years running.”
He gave her a wink. “Thank you, my dear. You are one of the good ones.”
She went to the back room and retrieved the box for the carved rolling-pin Santa. She tucked twisted lengths of tissue paper around the rolling pin to keep it from moving. “She’ll never guess what this is.”
Angela made quick work of wrapping the gift, finishing it off with a fluffy bow from the gold wire ribbon. “All set.”
“It’s beautiful. Thank you, Angela.”
“You’re so welcome.”
“Business? What is that?” She was confused by his comment.
“We are looking to create a town brand, and bring more tourists to the area while evaluating our plan to attract new businesses to our town. We are collapsing the Merchant Group and a couple other committees into one.”
“That makes sense.” Angela nodded. “What does that have to do with me?”
“We need a tourism director who can lead all of that while retaining the small-town charm of Pleasant Sands.”
“You certainly don’t want to sacrifice the small-town feel. That is what people love so much about this place. Both the residents and the tourists.”
“I agree. Which is why we’d like for you to fill that position.”
“Me?”
“You,” Mayor Jessup said. “It’s a salaried position. Now, there is a hitch. The position is guaranteed with funding from an outside source for the first eighteen months, but we’ll count on you to hit targeted goals to ensure that funding of the position is ongoing.”
“I don’t have that kind of experience,” she said.
“You have everything you need. You know this town. You know the people. You will have the support of the tourism board we’ve put together to help.”
“I’m overwhelmed. This is so unexpected.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. “I’ll put my résumé together, but frankly all I have is this job and a degree. That’s it. Not very impressive.”
“We don’t need your résumé. We need you.”
She’d just lost her business. Why was this happening? And why was it happening on Christmas Eve to boot?
But it did sound like a dream job. She’d be able to incorporate the history of the town into things to attract tourists and help them get the most out of their visit there. “We might even be able to create small collectibles to keep them coming back year after year to add to their collections, not so unlike those national park pins or state quarters. People love collecting things. Maybe even town Christmas ornaments. The people that didn’t make it back might even be willing to buy those online.” Her wheels were turning.