Angela and Philippe followed the rest of the group to Fair Street and St. Paul’s Episcopal church. Lisa led the way inside and found two empty pews in the middle of the church, which was already filling up. Angela had never gone to a Christmas Eve service.
It had been many years since she’d gone to church at all. One of the foster families she’d lived with went every Sunday, and while she lived with them she attended Sunday school, but it was short-lived as she was only with them for a few months. It had left a bad taste as that family had been one of the strictest and least kind of all the families she’d stayed with.
But in St. Paul’s as she sat with friends and listened to Christmas carols and a lovely sermon, she felt a sense of joy and hope that she’d never experienced before. And when they stepped outside after the service, it was starting to snow and the flurries of twirling flakes felt magical to Angela.
“See you all tomorrow,” Lisa said as they walked to their cars.
It didn’t take long to reach Angela’s cottage.
“Well, that was a fun night. I’m looking forward to more of the same tomorrow. I’ll be by around noon to get you,” he said. “Hopefully, the heavy snow won’t kick in until later.”
“Thanks so much for driving. It was a wonderful night. Drive careful on your way home.”
“Will do.”
Philippe waited until she was safely inside before he drove off. Angela was still smiling as she scooped up Sam, who’d come running when she walked in the door.
“Maybe Santa brought you something, too,” she told him. She had two small stockings hung on the mantle and in Sam’s she’d put a fluffy catnip mouse that she’d bought at one of the shops downtown. It was the first time she’d bought stockings, and made any kind of effort for Christmas. She’d seen the stockings and two silvery reindeer stocking holders at the same shop where she bought the catnip mouse. She’d impulsively bought them and they stayed in a bag until she started bagging up the soaps before heading to Lisa’s. She’d almost bought a tiny tree as well, but that seemed like too much. Now she was wishing that she had, after seeing how beautiful and full of light Lisa’s tree was.
Angela took another look out the window at the falling snow before changing into her softest flannel pajamas and climbing into bed. For the first time ever, she didn’t feel stressed about the holidays and fell into a happy, deep sleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
14
The snow stopped during the night, so when Philippe arrived a little before noon to pick Angela up, the roads were clear and the air was damp and cold, but there was not a flake to be seen yet.
“It’s definitely coming,” Philippe said. “I can feel it in my bones, literally. I broke my leg skiing years ago and whenever bad weather is on the way, my leg aches.”
“Your parents made the right decision postponing, then. Although it doesn’t really seem too bad. We only got a dusting of snow last night.”
Philippe laughed. “Just wait. I’m going to remind you that you said that later.”
Everyone was at the Inn except for Kate and Jack, who were spending the day with Jack’s family and, if weather permitted, Lisa said they would try to stop by later in the day. She had her new grandchild, Natalie in her arms and the baby was adorable.
“I told them to play it by ear, and to stay safe. They were here last night, so I told them to just relax and plan to spend the day with Jack’s family. We can see them the day after.”
“I always loved the day after Christmas,” Kristen said. “We’d just spend the day playing with all of our new toys.”
“And eating all the leftovers,” Chase added.
“I always love it, too,” Lisa added. “It’s a relaxing day, nothing to rush around for.”
“If this storm is as bad as they predict, there won’t be anywhere to rush off to,” Rhett said.
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to amount to much,” Abby said as she looked outside. The wind had picked up some and the trees were blowing but there was still no sign of snow.
“That’s what Angela said earlier, too,” Philippe said with a chuckle.
“Anyone ready for a little coffee cake and a mimosa?” Lisa offered. She had a cinnamon walnut coffee cake on the island next to a pitcher of mimosas and glasses.
After everyone had a slice of cake and a mimosa or coffee, they spent the next hour watching It’s a Wonderful Life, a holiday classic that Angela had never taken the time to watch before.
“This is Mom’s favorite, and it’s a tradition to watch it together every year,” Kristen explained.
By the time the movie ended and the bell rang announcing that Clyde had received his angel wings, Angela’s eyes were damp. It really was a wonderful, uplifting film. Philippe was sitting next to her on one of the sofas. As the credits rolled, he turned to her and said, “Now that is good storytelling.”
When the movie ended, Lisa went to the Christmas tree and picked up a box wrapped in red paper with a big white bow on top. Much to Angela’s surprise, she handed to her. “I know we said no gifts, but this isn’t a Christmas gift, it’s a birthday gift.”
Angela was speechless. Other than Jane, who always made a point to give her a birthday and Christmas gift, no one else ever had since her mother died. Chrissy at least had always remembered and always gave her what she could, usually something small. Angela opened the box and gasped as she pulled out an absolutely gorgeous cream-colored fisherman’s knit sweater. The yarn was soft and the pattern was beautiful with intricate cables all over it.
“Thank you so much.” Her eyes fell on the tag inside the sweater, which read, ‘Made with love, Lisa’. “You didn’t actually make this, did you?”
Lisa nodded and Rhett added proudly, “She knits constantly, while watching TV or talking to me. I don’t know how she does it.”
“I love to knit. It relaxes me and it was a pleasure to make it for you. Now you’ll look like a real New Englander.”
Angela stood and gave her a hug. “Thank you so, so much.”
Kristen handed her another box. “This is from the three of us. We noticed that you don’t have some necessary winter apparel.”
Angela opened the box and smiled as she saw a bright red knit hat, and matching mittens and a scarf.
“Thank you. I really do need these, all of them.”
“Last but not least, I got you a little something, too.” Philippe handed her a heavy box and Angela wondered what it could be. She opened the package carefully and drew out a leather bound, signed special edition of Philippe’s first and most popular book. Angela had admitted that she hadn’t yet read any of his books.
“Thank you. I can’t wait to read it.” She got up and found the tote bag she’d left there the day before and handed out her little plastic bags tied with the red ribbon. She’d curled the ribbon so it fell into spirals and looked festive.
“I thought we said no gifts,” Lisa protested as Angela handed her one of the soaps.
“It’s just something little and you can’t actually use them for a month. They still need to cure.”
“You made these?” Kristen sounded impressed.
“I found a soap-making kit in the basement and it was something I’d always wanted to try. It was really fun, actually, and I want to make some more with different colors and scents.”
Abby held hers to her nose and inhaled deeply. “It smells wonderful, like a candy cane. Next time you make soap, please let me know. I’d love to do it with you.”
Philippe smiled as she handed him his soap. “Thank you for this. I’ll have to hide it from Mandy. She has a thing for ribbons. I caught her chewing on one when I was in the middle of wrapping some gifts.”
“Sam does the same. I think it’s a cat thing,” Angela said.
“Look, the snow is here.” Angela followed Lisa’s gaze out the window and sure enough, snow was falling, fast and furious.
“I’ll get some more wood for the fire.” Rhett stood and
went into the garage and returned a few minutes later with an armful of wood and set it by the fire.
“I hope the power doesn’t go out,” Angela said. The snow looked fierce and the wind was howling outside.
“Doesn’t matter if it does,” Kristen said. “Mom has a generator. My parents installed it years ago and if the power goes out, it kicks on automatically.”
“I’m very glad we put that in,” Lisa said. “Especially now that we have guests staying here. It’s fun for about five minutes when the power goes out and then the thrill wears off fast.”
Angela and Kristen helped Lisa in the kitchen and took several hot dishes out of the oven. Rhett took the rib roast out and set it on the counter to rest while Abby brought the serving dishes to the table. Philippe opened two of his bottles of pinot noir and poured a glass for everyone that wanted one. There was roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and Yorkshire pudding popovers and honey butter to slather on them.
Rhett carved the roast and put the slices on a platter so that everyone could help themselves. Once everyone had a full plate, they settled in the dining room and enjoyed a delicious dinner with good company. Everything was good but the popovers, which were as light as air and melted in her mouth, were Angela’s favorite.
The lights flickered a few times while they ate and the storm intensified. They could hear the wind howling even more loudly as it roared in off the ocean.
“Usually, being this close to the water means that we don’t get as much snow. It just blows away, but a Nor’easter is different. You never know where the wind will blow,” Chase said.
“At least we are up high enough that we’ve never had to worry about flooding,” Kristen said. Lisa’s house was set back from the beach and had a staircase with about twelve or so steps down to the water level.
When they were just about done, the lights flickered again and then they heard a whirr of something and Abby said, “The generator just kicked in. I wonder how many have lost power?”
“I imagine it will be most of the island, if this keeps up,” Rhett said.
“Well, I’m glad we’re all here, and safe,” Lisa said. “Unless this storm stops soon, I think everyone should plan to stay over. There’s plenty of room, no sense driving in this weather, especially with the power out and possibly lines down on the road. The winds can be brutal.”
No one protested. It was clear that the storm was only going to get worse. They put the news on and watched the storm coverage for a while. The whole East Coast was getting a Nor’easter and cancellations we’re rolling in. The boats and local airport closed earlier and even Logan was almost completely shut down. Angela was fascinated and she’d never seen anything like it before. The storm was expected to wind down sometime during the night but total expected snowfall was close to two feet in some areas.
“We have Paul Thompson set to come plow us out in the morning,” Lisa said. “He comes automatically if we get more than a few inches of snow.”
“We’ll all be out there shoveling our cars out, though,” Rhett added.
“Enough talk about snow,” Kristen said. “I’m already sick of winter. Philippe, what is Jessica doing for Christmas? What did you get for her gift?”
Philippe looked slightly uncomfortably, Angela noticed, as he answered the question.
“She’s spending it with her parents. I got her a nice bottle of wine and gave it to her yesterday at lunch. I’m not sure she liked it all that much, to be honest.”
Abby looked intrigued. “Do you think she was expecting something else? Jewelry, maybe, possibly a ring?”
Kristen laughed at the idea. “She’s not very bright if she expected a ring.”
“I think she might actually have expected jewelry, and ideally a ring. I thought we were on the same page with this relationship, but it doesn’t seem that we are. She was also expecting to meet my parents and I told her that wasn’t likely.”
“Why not?” Angela asked.
“If I introduce someone that I’m dating to my parents, they will expect it to be someone I’m serious about. I don’t want to get their hopes up or set the wrong expectation with someone.”
“How did she take that?” Kristen asked.
“Not well. She told me we’re done, and she took back my Christmas gift.”
“She did? What did she give you?” Abby asked.
“A titanium Apple Watch. It was really nice, but she said she wasn’t going to waste it on me if I wasn’t looking to take things to the next level. I’m not sure what made her think that I would be. I try to be so clear with people.” Philippe looked so perplexed that Angela almost laughed.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Lisa said. “One day, you’ll find yourself so head over heels for someone that you’ll be excited to introduce her to your parents.”
Philippe smiled. “Kate said something similar to me recently.”
“So, you’re on the market again? I’ll have to warn all my friends,” Abby teased him.
“I’m not in any hurry to rush back out there,” Philippe laughed.
They relaxed over coffee for a while and when everyone was ready, Kristen and Abby brought out the pies they’d made earlier in the week.
“We usually get together at Kate’s and make three pies—an apple, a pumpkin and a blueberry. Mom likes us to stay out of her way in the kitchen, so this is our way of helping.”
“It works out perfectly,” Lisa said as she cut herself a slice of blueberry pie.
Once everyone had their fill of dessert, Abby and Angela helped to clear the table while Kristen got a deck of cards and they spent the next few hours playing a rousing game of pitch, a game Angela hadn’t played before. Philippe helped her during her first few rounds until she got the hang of it. It was a fun game and Angela quickly learned that the Hodges family was very competitive but it was all in fun.
Later that evening, Lisa brought out a platter of sandwiches and Angela was surprised to find that she was hungry again. They all were and everyone collapsed in the living room to watch another Christmas movie. This time it was the Will Ferrell comedy Elf, a movie that Angela had seen before and loved.
By the time the movie ended, everyone was yawning.
“I think I’m going to call it a night,” Lisa said. “Angela and Kristen, why don’t you girls take the room that has the two beds, and the rest of you can decide amongst yourselves on Tyler. Angela knew from cleaning them that all the rooms were about the same size except for the one with two double beds, which was a little bigger.
Everyone headed upstairs. Angela and Philippe were the last in line and as they passed out of the living room, Philippe laughed and stopped under the mistletoe again. He looked down at her and smiled. “It’s the Christmas rules, remember?”
“So it is.” Angela was feeling happy and sleepy and a little curious to see if Philippe’s second kiss would be as good as his first.
It was—though like the first, it only lasted a few seconds.
“Merry Christmas and happy birthday, Angela.”
The next day, Angela looked outside her bedroom window to see a blanket of white everywhere. The snow had stopped, the sun was shining and it was really beautiful.
Kristen was awake, too, and when they went downstairs, Angela saw that Philippe and the other guys were already outside shoveling the cars out. Lisa had hot coffee ready and they gathered around the kitchen island, drinking coffee and eating leftover coffee cake.
When Philippe and the others came back inside, Angela asked how deep the snow was.
“We have about a foot, I’d say. Maybe a little more in some places,” Rhett said. “The wind blows it all around. They probably have a little more inland.”
“Do you know if you have any snow shovels at your place?” Philippe asked.
“I think I saw a few in the garage,” Angela said.
“When I drop you off, we’ll get your driveway shoveled out then. It’s a short one, so it won’t take lon
g. It’s better to do it now, while the show is light and fluffy. It will get harder the longer it sits there.”
“Oh, okay. I guess we should do that, then. Thank you.” It hadn’t even occurred to Angela that she might need to shovel snow. It wasn’t something she’d ever done before.
“Well, if you want to get your car out of the garage and go anywhere, it will help.” Philippe grinned.
“It looks like the plows have been by. The road actually looks pretty good,” Jeff said. “I think Abby, the baby and I are going to head out.”
“We should go, too,” Philippe said. Angela grabbed her coat and after they said their goodbyes, Philippe helped her to carry her boxes out to the Jeep.
It didn’t take long to drive the short distance to Angela’s cottage and as Philippe had said, her driveway was a blanket of snow about a foot tall. They trudged through the snow with her packages and once they were inside, they went into the garage, got the shovels and after Angela put on her new hat, mittens and gloves, she helped Philippe shovel out the driveway. By the time they finished, about twenty minutes later, her muscles were protesting and her cheeks were frozen. She invited Philippe to come inside and warm up before he headed home.
“I can make us some coffee or hot chocolate. What sounds good to you?”
“Hot chocolate for me, thanks. Oh, hello there.” Sam looked like he’d just woken up from a nap as he slowly strolled into the kitchen and immediately went over to Philippe and sniffed his leg, then rubbed against him.
“Sam’s twelve. He doesn’t act his age though. He thinks he’s still seven.” Angela handed Philippe a mug of hot chocolate and made one for herself as well.
“Oh, you made the good kind, with the little marshmallows.”
“Is there any other?” Angela laughed.
They went into the living room and settled on the sofa.
“I’m lucky that I didn’t lose power here,” Angela said.
“You lost power. I noticed your coffee machine was blinking. You are lucky that it’s back on, though. I hope mine is, too. Unlike the Hodges, I don’t have a generator. Though now that I’ve seen one in action, maybe I’ll get one.”
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