A Christmas by the Sea

by Melody Carlson

  “I’m on my way! I’ll search along the road as I drive. And I’ll call my friend Jim Burns. He’s the Seaside sheriff, and he can let his guys know to be on the lookout. We’ll find him.”

  She thanked him, then shaking from fear and trembling from cold, she went back into the house. Where could Jackson be? Had he been kidnapped? In a small town like Seaside? It made no sense. But why would he stay in town and not go to Caleb’s shop? He loved working with Caleb. And to take off on foot in this storm? Nothing made sense. Please, God. She got down on her knees next to the sofa. Please, get him home safely to me. Please, please, please!

  She was still praying when Caleb arrived. “Did you find him?” she demanded as she opened the door, letting the wind and Caleb in, peering over his shoulder, hoping to spot her son loping up the walk.

  “No. I didn’t see anyone walking out there—not in this weather.”

  “What about your sheriff friend?” She closed the door against the wind. “Does he know anything? Do you think Jackson could’ve been kidnapped?”

  “Jim’s on it, Wendy. He’s told all his men to be looking. And he said there’ve been no reports of anything out of the ordinary or suspicious lately. Seaside is a small town,” he assured her. “Nothing goes unobserved here—and there has never been a kidnapping.”

  “Then where is my son?” She dissolved into tears again.

  “Would he have any reason to, uh, run away?” Caleb’s tone was cautious.

  “Run away?” She blinked, wiping her tears with her hands. “Are you serious?”

  “Jim asked me to ask you. He said that when kids his age go missing, nine times out of ten, it’s a runaway.”

  “Jackson would not run away.”

  “No, I didn’t think so.” Caleb unzipped his jacket. “He seems like a well-adjusted young man.”

  Wendy stared out the window. “Maybe I should go out there and look for him.”

  “Where would you look?”

  “On the beach?”

  “In the dark? In this storm? Plus, it’s high tide right now. Pretty soon we’d be looking for you. And by then Jackson would probably be sitting by that fire all warm and dry. No, you just need to stay put and let the sheriff’s department handle this.”

  “Where will they look?”

  “Jim said they’ll check out the typical places, around the school, and the arcade and burger joint—wherever kids hang out.”

  “Taylor said he stayed in town to work with you this afternoon,” Wendy told him again. “Are you absolutely certain he didn’t show up? Maybe you’d stepped out or—”

  “I was in my woodshop all day. Jackson never came.”

  “Maybe Crystal saw him,” she tried. “Was she there this afternoon? Did you ask her if she’d seen him?”

  “She’d already gone home by the time you called me.” He pulled out his phone. “But I’ll call and ask her.” Wendy listened anxiously as Caleb explained the situation and how worried they were. “He came into the store?” Caleb locked eyes with Wendy as he listened. “Why didn’t you send him back to my woodshop?” His mouth grew firm as he waited. “What did you say to him, Crystal? Tell me right now!” He listened a bit longer, then without saying goodbye, he hung up.

  “What is it?” Wendy demanded.

  “A pretty important piece of the puzzle.” He pursed his lips, rubbing his chin.

  “What is it, Caleb? Tell me!”

  “Crystal was making small talk with Jackson, and she let it slip that you were selling the cottage and you guys were moving back to Ohio.”

  Wendy felt a surge of rage well up in her. “How on earth did Crystal know about that? Did you tell her?”

  “No. She admitted that she overheard us in the woodshop this morning. In other words, she was eavesdropping.” He pounded a fist into his palm. “And interfering. Believe me, Crystal will be unemployed tomorrow.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “The good news is that he hasn’t been kidnapped, Wendy.”

  “That’s true.” She nodded, still feeling shaky. “Did Crystal say how Jackson reacted to this news?”

  “She said he didn’t believe her at first. And then, he was pretty upset. I think she actually felt a little guilty.”

  “I’m the one who should feel guilty.” Wendy made her way to the sofa, sinking into it with trembling knees. “This is all my fault. I should’ve made it perfectly clear instead of allowing him to hope there was a chance we could stay. I’m such a coward. Such a lousy mom.”

  He sat next to her, slipping an arm around her shoulders. “You’re a good mom, Wendy.”

  “I’m a dishonest mom.” She turned to look at him. “But I thought it was for his own good. I really did.” And like a cork popped off a bottle, she spilled out the whole story—how Jackson had been so down after Edward died, how he’d changed and been hurt by his peers and started to hate school. “But when he thought we were moving here, he completely perked up. It was like a miracle. He was so happy . . . I just hated to burst his balloon.” She wiped her tears on her sleeve. “And now this.” She stared down at her phone. “Jackson, where are you?” She texted him again. This time she told him she was sorry she hadn’t been more definite about selling the cottage, begging him to call so they could talk and telling him that she loved him.

  “Okay,” Caleb said calmly. “Let’s assume this is a runaway situation. Jackson was obviously upset . . . perhaps he was very angry at you . . . he didn’t want to go home . . . So where would he go?”

  “Taylor was my first guess, but she hadn’t seen him since earlier.”

  Caleb continued to question her, trying to dig out any clues there were—but there just weren’t any. Then he called his sheriff friend, explaining that it might be a runaway situation after all. He was just hanging up when Wendy’s phone jangled. It was Kara on the other end. “Taylor just confessed to me that she’s been hiding Jackson in our shed, Wendy.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “Hungry and cold, but he’s fine. And Taylor said to tell you she’s very sorry. Jackson swore her to secrecy. But she said you’ve been such a good friend to us that she felt too guilty.”

  “I’m on my way!” Wendy thanked her and hung up.

  “I’ll drive you,” Caleb offered. “Unless you’d rather I didn’t. I don’t want to force my way into your family business.”

  “I wish you’d stick around.” She pulled on her coat then smiled. “You’re the closest thing we have to family right now.”

  He smiled back. “That’s nice to hear.”

  After a silent drive home, the three of them sat in the living room with the Christmas tree twinkling cheerfully on one side, the fireplace crackling on the other, and Oliver sleeping peacefully by the hearth. But with somber faces and downward glances, no one looked likely to speak.

  Finally, Wendy decided to initiate the conversation by confessing and apologizing to Jackson. She poured out her story, explaining how being disingenuous had been tearing her apart. “I kept meaning to make you understand we could never stay here,” she finally said. “But I knew it would only make you miserable.” She wiped a tear. “And it was so nice seeing you happy. I love you so much. I just wanted you to be happy, Jackson. And if I could pull a miracle out of thin air, it would be for us to stay here forever, but I’m sorry, I just can’t do—”

  “I have a confession to make too, Mom,” Jackson interrupted. “I knew all along you planned to sell the cottage.”

  “You really knew?”

  “Yeah. You pretty much told me from the start,” he reminded her. “And you tried to remind me lots of times, but I kept twisting it into what I wanted to happen. I thought I could convince you, make you want to stay. And it seemed like I was making good progress.” He jerked his thumb toward Caleb. “I even tried to get you interested in him, hoping that would make you want to stay.”

  “Really?” Caleb’s brows rose.

  “Remember the night I wanted to stay home with Oliver?” Jackson’s smile grew
mischievous. “I just wanted you two to have a real date.”

  “I suspected as much,” Wendy admitted.

  “We did have a nice evening,” Caleb reminded her. “And since everyone is making confessions, maybe I should make mine too.”

  “What?” they both said in unison.

  “When I asked for Jackson to help me with the lights on my store that day, well, I didn’t really need help. I just wanted an excuse to see Jackson’s mom again.”

  “Oh, I knew that.” Jackson waved a hand.

  “But then I saw what a hard worker you were,” Caleb continued. “And I really did want your help in my woodshop. In fact, I missed you today.”

  “I’m sorry.” Jackson turned back to Wendy with sad eyes. “So, it’s really true, Mom? You sold this place to some rich people?”

  “Well, it’s not sold yet. But we do have a potential buyer.”

  “And we’re going back—back to Ohio?” His eyes were filling with tears now.

  “We don’t really have a choice, Jackson.”

  “What about Oliver?” Jackson pointed to the oblivious dog sleeping by the fire. “Does that mean I have to give him up? I don’t get my dog and I have to go back to Ohio? This is going to be the worst Christmas ever!”

  Wendy didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry, son. I was imagining ways we could try to make this work—and I was taking your advice about trusting God to take care of us. I made those items to sell in town.” She felt a painful lump in her throat. “But the fact is—I’ve got to make the responsible decision here. It’s not easy being an adult. Someday, you’ll understand that better.” She swallowed hard as she reached for her son’s hand. “I really don’t have any other options. I’m expected at work. We have to go back.”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” Caleb declared.

  They both turned to stare at him.

  Wendy noticed that his cheeks were flushed, probably from the fire. But it was his eyes that drew her attention. They were clear and bright—and intense.

  “What do you mean?” Jackson demanded.

  “Well, I’ve been thinking about your, uh, situation too,” Caleb said slowly, looking from Jackson to Wendy. “I’ve actually given it a fair amount of thought these past two weeks.” He pointed to the Christmas tree. “For starters, Wendy, I never got the chance to tell you that in just one day I must’ve sold a couple dozen of your Christmas tree ornaments.”

  “Really?” She felt a tinge of hope.

  He nodded. “Maybe more. And remember the couple that you helped in my store the other day, the ones who ordered the dining table?”

  “Yes.” She waited.

  “Well, they loved your mirror and the husband told me on the sly that he plans to come get it for his wife for a Christmas present.”

  “Seriously?” She felt a bigger rush of hope.

  “So, I honestly think there’s a future for you here in Seaside,” he declared.

  “I’d like to believe that.”

  “Listen to him!” Jackson leaped to his feet, going over to the tree where she’d added more decorations earlier. “These are so cool, Mom. I’ll bet you sell every single one by Christmas.”

  “That would certainly help,” she admitted. “But it’s not the same as a full-time job with benefits.”

  “I’ll be looking for someone to replace Crystal in my shop,” Caleb told her. “It’s not full-time, and I don’t have much in the way of benefits. Although you’d get commission.”

  She considered this. As badly as she wanted to remain in Seaside, to carve out a new life, she still had Jackson’s future to consider.

  “And you have a marketing background,” Caleb continued. “Maybe you could help me in that department too. I could sure use it.”

  She brightened. “I was wondering why you don’t have a website or even a catalogue.”

  “Because I never have time to set that stuff up.” He held up his hands. “Or the know-how.”

  “Come on, Mom,” Jackson urged. “Please say we can stay here.”

  “As much as I’d love to say yes, I’m the grown-up in this family, Jackson. I have to do what’s best for—”

  “Okay.” Caleb stood, holding up both hands with an uncertain expression. “I doubt this is the proper way to do this. And I’d really been planning on something more romantic—like on Christmas Eve.” Caleb dropped down on one knee. But instead of facing Wendy, he turned to Jackson. “I’d like to ask your permission to marry your mother, Jackson.”

  Jackson’s whole face lit up. “Really? You mean it?”

  “I absolutely mean it.”

  “Yeah!” Jackson nodded. “Well, if it’s all right with Mom. I guess you should ask her too.”

  Caleb pivoted around to face her. “Wendy, I know this must seem sudden to you, but something inside me clicked that day we met in the hardware store. Remember, when you thought I was a pesky salesman?”

  “But you won me over,” she said quietly, trying to absorb what was happening.

  “I won you over?” he repeated with hopeful eyes. “So will you? Wendy, will you please marry me?”

  Wendy was speechless. “Wait a minute.” Her voice trembled with emotion. “Is this a pity proposal? Because if it is, I can’t possibly—”

  “I assure you, this is not a pity proposal.” He reached for her hand with both of his. “I love you, Wendy. I love you from the bottom of my heart. I think I fell for you almost as soon as we met. I want you for my wife. And I want Jackson for my son.” He paused. “But I realize this is sudden. If you need some time to think about it, I’ll understand and—”

  “Yes!” Falling to her knees next to him, Wendy threw her arms around him, and right there in front of her son, they kissed. “Yes, Caleb, I do love you!” she declared. “And I do want to marry you.”

  Jackson let out a loud cheer, rousing Oliver from his snooze. Suddenly the three of them, with Oliver bouncing about their heels, were all dancing around the room in joyful celebration.

  “God really did it, Mom!” Jackson shouted. “He answered my prayers!”

  “Mine too,” Caleb said with his arm still around Wendy.

  “Mine too,” Wendy confirmed.

  “Yours too.” Jackson hugged Oliver. “We’re all going to have the best Christmas ever!”

  Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, including Christmas at Harrington’s, The Christmas Pony, A Simple Christmas Wish, The Christmas Cat, The Christmas Joy Ride, The Christmas Angel Project, and The Christmas Blessing. Melody has received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books. She and her husband live in central Oregon. For more information about Melody, visit her website at www.melodycarlson.com.

  Books by Melody Carlson

  Christmas at Harrington’s

  The Christmas Shoppe

  The Joy of Christmas

  The Treasure of Christmas

  The Christmas Pony

  A Simple Christmas Wish

  The Christmas Cat

  The Christmas Joy Ride

  The Christmas Angel Project

  The Christmas Blessing

  A Christmas by the Sea

  MelodyCarlson.com

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