by J. L. Jarvis
Ella said, “That’s a good sign, isn’t it?”
Finn nodded. “They’ll know more after a CAT scan and an MRI.”
Ella set her phone in the armrest pocket. “I should have talked to him before he left.” She stared out the window with tears in her eyes.
Finn glanced back at her. “He was too stubborn to tell you again that he didn’t do anything wrong.”
That tipped Ella over the edge. Tears trailed down her cheeks. “He should have told me again.”
“I’m not saying he was right, but he thought you should’ve trusted him no matter what.”
Ella dug through her purse and pulled out a crumpled tissue. “That’s a pretty tall order, don’t you think?”
Finn said, “I think he loves you, and you love him.”
Ella nodded as she blew her nose and wiped the tears from her face.
Annie glanced at her daughter in the rearview mirror. “It’ll be okay.”
That brought on a new surge of tears. “You always say that.”
Their phones dinged, and Finn read his text. “It’s not life threatening.”
Ella stared through her tears at her phone then gave up and set it down. Looking relieved, she laid her head back on the car seat. “What else?”
“That’s all for now.”
Finn put down his phone and stared straight ahead at the road. Annie could see he was worried, but she suspected he was trying not to reveal it to Ella. Annie reached over and gave Finn’s hand a squeeze. He held on to her hand for a moment then released it. From the sniffles and snorts in the back seat, it was clear that Ella was falling apart—not that Annie could blame her. But Ella had always been calm in emergencies. Annie reminded herself that Ella had never been through anything like this. This was her husband.
Annie set aside her worries and forced herself to focus on driving. The best thing she could do for Ella and Finn was to get them safely to Connor.
After a miserably long three hours, they pulled into the hospital parking lot. Georgina’s fiancé, Adam, met them at the entrance, looking like the sort of guy who did men’s outdoor magazine underwear ads, complete with a smug, crooked smile. He and Finn managed to ignore the awkwardness of the situation while Adam brought them all up to speed. Georgina couldn’t leave Connor’s side. He had just come back from a CAT scan and an MRI and was back in his room. Adam would take them there now.
Ella whispered to Annie, “What if he doesn’t want me there? Should I wait outside? But I want to be with him. I don’t know what to do.”
Annie assured her, “He needs you.”
“But what if he doesn’t want me there… ever?”
Annie paused outside the hospital room and took Ella’s hands in hers. “Do you love him?”
“Yes, of course I love him!”
“Then love him. Be there for him.”
Despite her obvious distress, Ella nodded, took a deep breath, and went inside.
Georgina turned and watched Ella come into the room, but she made no effort to move.
Ella rushed to the opposite side of the bed. “Connor!” Ella took his hand then froze. “I’m sorry. Does that hurt?”
He smiled. “No, my hand’s fine, but my head’s pounding.”
The doctor walked in, still reading Connor’s chart. “There’s a good reason for that.” She glanced around at the others.
Connor said, “Go ahead. They’re all family.”
“I’m afraid the tree was harder than your head. You’ve fractured your skull.” The doctor set down the chart and pulled out a small flashlight. “Let’s take a look.” She examined his eyes, checked the goose egg on his head, then checked his strength and reflexes. She picked up Connor’s chart. “Luckily, no brain bleed or damage. But you have a good scalp hematoma, which is some superficial bleeding over your skull. It’s a slight crack that should resolve on its own. You can thank your helmet for that.”
Connor looked up at the doctor. “So, what now?”
“There’s no surgery indicated at this point. The pain should subside in five to ten days, but the healing process can take months. So no contact sports for a month. That includes Christmas shopping. No brawling in the store aisles over TVs. And no sports of any kind until you’ve seen your doctor at home. Any questions?”
“No, got it.”
“We’re keeping you overnight for observation, then we’re sending you home tomorrow whether you like it or not.” She grinned, wished them happy holidays, and left.
Ella returned to his side. “Connor, I love you.”
“Does this mean you forgive me?”
She answered with teary eyes. “Yes.”
“Will I always have to be hospitalized before you’ll forgive me?”
“It depends.” A smile bloomed on her face.
Everyone gathered round and chatted until Connor yawned. “Sorry, guys. I’m really tired.”
Finn said, “We’ll let you get some rest. Ella, why don’t you keep an eye on Connor while we step outside?”
In the hallway, they stood in a clump and conversed with polite restraint about Connor. When they got to the weather, Annie turned to Finn. “We should go get checked into the hotel.” The hotel that we haven’t booked. Panic struck as she thought of the hotels being full. She could only imagine having to stay at Georgina’s—Finn, his ex-wife, her future husband, Ella, and Annie—all together under one roof. Before she did that, she would carve out a bed in a snowbank amid the throes of a raging blizzard until snotsicles hung from her nostrils like Doctor Zhivago.
That was when Georgina proved that she wasn’t all bad by having the good taste to be silent.
It was Finn himself who actually made things just a little more awkward by taking so long to pick up on Annie’s cue. “Our hotel? Right. Can’t miss check-in. Better go. We’ll see you around.” He ducked his head into the hospital room. “We’re going out for a bit. We’ll bring you back something to eat.”
As they slid into their car seats, Annie said, “Thank God.”
She hoped Finn would assume she meant Connor’s prognosis, but as she booked a nearby hotel on her phone, she was almost as thankful for avoiding a visit with Georgina and Adam. Five minutes later, they checked into their rooms and headed for a restaurant one of the nurses had recommended. As they followed the hostess, they turned a corner, and there, smiling over their menus, were Georgina and Adam.
Finn couldn’t think of a way not to join them.
The next morning, after having endured enough small talk with Georgina to last a lifetime, Finn stood in Connor’s room with the rest of their group, waiting for Connor to be discharged. By this point, they’d practically resorted to saying random words to avoid awkward silences. Connor was repeating his treatment instructions to Georgina when he got to the part about no contact sports for six months.
Ella said, “Is childbirth considered a contact sport?” That got everyone's attention. Her eyes shone as she exchanged glances with Connor then smiled at the others. “While Connor was having some tests, I grabbed a test of my own at the hospital pharmacy.”
Georgina gasped and clutched Adam’s shoulder while Ella turned to her mother and shrugged. “Turns out I am pregnant, after all.”
Annie gave Ella a long hug. For the first time since they’d all arrived, they were all far too ecstatic to be awkward.
16
It was close to noon by the time Connor was discharged from the hospital, so Georgina insisted they all go to her place for a celebratory lunch. Connor’s positive outcome seemed to enable everyone to ignore any tension that might lie under the surface, as well as Georgina’s enormous engagement ring—or at least they tried. In truth, no one could ignore something like that, especially when Georgina took every opportunity to gesticulate wildly with her left hand. Once, Annie overheard Finn mutter to himself, “That’s a statement.” Other than that, everyone was impressive in their restraint.
As soon as they were able, Finn and Annie headed for
home, leaving Connor and Ella with Georgina for Christmas as planned. By late afternoon, Christmas lights decking houses and storefronts were beginning to twinkle. Every village they drove through seemed to have come to life from a storybook, sporting festive town squares, enchanting lighted gazebos, and sparkling Christmas trees that shimmered in the night sky.
It was Finn’s turn to drive, so Annie leaned back and enjoyed the ride home. She felt blessed to be able to take in the sights, knowing that a ski accident that could have ended in tragedy instead would end with Connor’s full recovery. And a grandchild. Annie paused and drew in a breath. I’m going to be a grandmother. That filled her thoughts for a number of miles.
After riding along lost in thought, Annie realized she and Finn had barely spoken a word. Granted, driving Vermont country roads at dusk did command his attention, but this was a little beyond what was required. She wondered if his pizza-party mood had come back and wedged itself between them. Unable to stand the silence any longer, Annie pulled out her earphones and listened to an audiobook for the remaining two hours.
It was dark when Finn pulled into the driveway. As they got out of the car, Finn said enough to be civil, then they went their separate ways. The cottage was cold, so that kept Annie busy turning up the heat and starting a fire. Mr. Willoughby was happy to see her. That and the Christmas lights lifted her spirits as she made some hot chocolate and settled down by the fire. She picked up a book, took a sip of hot cocoa, and read. But thoughts of Finn ruined her concentration until she gave up trying to read. With a sigh, she got up and pulled Six Weeks from her Christmas movie collection and wept over Dudley Moore’s exquisite score.
Then she wept over Finn. How long should it take to fall out of love? Couldn’t love just expire then vanish along with the pain?
Annie woke up on the sofa with an array of crumpled tissue scattered about. Well, that was productive. She hadn’t stayed up late crying over Finn in a very long time. She tried to blame it on the stress of the past few days, but she knew that wasn’t it. Here she thought she’d done such a good job of relegating what they had to friendship. But when he shut her out with no explanation, she was devastated. Relationships had breakups, but friends simply drifted apart with no explanation required.
Annie stood. I am not going to spend Christmas like this. She had the perfect opportunity to have the Christmas of her dreams, and she was determined to make it happen. For starters, she’d have a leisurely coffee.
The first thing she saw on the way to make coffee was Alex's card peeking out from beneath the napkin holder. She slid it from its hiding place then stared as though it were toxic and could not be touched. She turned away and made coffee without looking back.
With Christmas two days away, this was the perfect time to do some last-minute housecleaning—not that anyone would see it. She would be completely alone. She and Finn had talked about spending Christmas together, but those plans were obviously off. Still, a light cleaning served two purposes. It would keep her mind off Finn, and the house would be perfect for Christmas. She convinced herself there was something appealing about being alone in a spotless house. She could do what she wanted and create her own Christmas magic with books, movies, music, and food. She would make all her holiday favorites and wear fuzzy socks and flannel pajamas all week.
She finished cleaning everywhere else and arrived in the kitchen. A quick wipe down and mopping was all it needed. But then she spied the business card sitting where she’d left it.
She finally broke down and picked up the card. Alex Laghari. When she’d stared at it and wondered long enough, she exhaled and opened the junk drawer. Something stopped her. So what if we have coffee? It wouldn’t be like a date. It would be more of a practice date. And he was really nice—and interesting. It wouldn’t have to be anything more.
But thinking and doing were two separate things. Maybe later. She got her purse from the hook by the door and tucked the card inside her wallet. It could wait. It was too close to Christmas, and people had plans. If she did call, she would do it after Christmas—after the new year was better.
She became engrossed in her recipe files and spent an hour compiling a shopping list. It was helping. She felt better already. With the exception of one stolen glance toward Finn’s cabin on her way to the car, she managed to focus on her objective—creating her ideal Christmas.
The village of Cedar Creek was humming with holiday energy. The Dickensian Christmas festival of the previous weekend was over, but the charming Victorian shop stalls remained. There wasn’t a window on Main Street that wasn’t framed in fresh evergreen garlands. The sight lifted her spirits. This was going to be a magical Christmas. She would have complete control of her environment. No one would be there to bring down the room or to ski into a tree. For her, Christmas was going to be all about twinkling lights, delectable treats, and scented candles. She’d get into bed, fluff up her six pillows, and lean back and read while snow gently drifted down outside her window.
Still caught up in her holiday daydream, she was about to go into the bakery to stock up on her favorite holiday treats when she heard someone calling her name. She turned to find Alex heading her way from the shop next door.
He said, “I just walked out of the hardware store and saw you. I decided it had to be fate.”
Annie smiled. He was indeed charming, and she hadn’t been charmed in years. “So how are you settling into your new house?”
“Very well.” He lifted his bag from the hardware store. “Picture hangers. There’s a lot to be done, but I’ll get there.”
“It takes time, especially with a vacation home when you’re not there all the time.”
“Oh, no, this is my full-time home now. I’ve taken a small apartment in Albany for when I have work there, but most of my work can be done by remote, so Cedar Creek is home now.”
Annie smiled then feared she looked a little too pleased by the news. “Well, that’s nice. I hope you’ll like it here.”
“I’m sure I will.” His smile faded, but his gaze lingered. He hesitated then asked, “Do you have time for a coffee?” He glanced inside the bakery. “That table by the window looks awfully inviting.”
“Sure.” As they went in and sat down by the window, Annie felt thoroughly content. There was something so wonderfully self-indulgent about sitting at midday in a coffee shop with nothing pressing to do. Doing so with a fascinating man made it even more so.
Alex was easy to talk to and even easier to listen to. He had an engaging manner that made her feel comfortable. She was bringing him up to date on her life story, culminating with Connor’s ski accident, when the church bell chimed on the hour. She glanced at her watch. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to take up so much of your time.”
“Not at all. I’ve enjoyed it.”
She believed him. “Me too.” She tore herself from his gaze. “I’ll let you get on with your life, and I’ve got some grocery shopping to do.”
Alex insisted on paying the check. Without thinking of what she was saying, Annie said, “I’ll get it next time.” Next time?
They parted ways outside the shop, leaving Annie deep in thought as she wandered up and down the grocery store aisles. What is this? Could it turn into something?
Her phone dinged, and her heart leaped. Then she remembered Alex didn’t have her number. That was why she sucked at dating. A savvy woman would’ve found a way to slip that to him. The only one with the phone number was Annie, which put the ball back in her court. When she finally dug her phone out of her purse, it was only the utility company warning of the oncoming storm. She’d been so caught up in the trip to Vermont and Connor’s accident that she hadn’t paid much attention to the news or weather. She was thrilled to read it was going to snow. There had hardly been any snow season. All the ski resorts had relied on their own man-made snow. But now, snow was coming. She would have her white Christmas.
Finn had a few errands to run before he settled in for the holiday wee
kend. At the top of the list was stockpiling a week’s worth of food. He loaded his cart with frozen pizzas, hot dogs, hamburger patties, and spaghetti, then he walked out to his car. He was reminding himself to get fuel for the generator when he glanced at the bakery window and saw Annie and Alex Laghari looking starry-eyed at each other over coffee.
It wasn’t enough that I had to spend two days with Georgina and Adam—now this!
Annie started to turn toward him, so he lifted a grocery bag in front of his face, and he walked past the bakery to his car.
Alex didn’t waste any time. He’d just met her last night. And what about her? Miss I-don’t-want-to-be-in-a-relationship, so I’ll stay single for two decades to prove it! Years of independence tossed away in an instant. And for what? A pretty face! He’d thought Annie was deeper than that. It would be different if she’d known Alex—maybe even for years—and knew what she was getting into. But this was just reckless behavior.
Finn thought he and Annie had grown closer since they’d both moved back to Cedar Creek. But now things were different. He felt different. Maybe he even had feelings for her. It was too early to tell. And he had just gotten divorced. The last thing he wanted was to jump off a cliff into a relationship. No one could blame him for that. So he’d assumed he and Annie had time. Apparently, Annie didn’t want time. She wanted that disgustingly good-looking guy.
This is ridiculous. Didn’t you learn your lesson from going through this the first time? No, that was different. I was in love—or so I thought. But how could it have been love with Annie when I’d just come back from a summer in Europe with my girlfriend?
The thing was, she was Annie. She’d always been that—his best friend. They were there for each other. That was what made it so good. All those feelings of love were just roadblocks between them, keeping them from being... what they were.