The Christmas Promise

by Janice Carter

  Grace took a minute to dab her eyes. “So, what now?”

  Ella instantly recalled Ben’s similar question. “Well, as I told Ben, maybe we can take things one day at a time.”

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure people know the truth, Ella. I promise.”

  “Thanks, Grace.”

  After a moment, she asked, “Are you leaving tomorrow as planned?”

  That question had been in Ella’s head since last night, and now she knew what to do. “Maybe today instead, Grace. The three of us need to take some time to process everything. But I’d like to come back soon. If you and Ben—and your parents, especially—will have me?”

  Grace gave a shaky laugh. “Come on, Ella! You already know the answer to that. Don’t be so coy.”

  “Yeah.” She shrugged, smiling. “You were always pretty good at reading me. Sometimes Ben was, too.”

  “Are things cool with you both now?”

  Were they? Ella thought of his solemn face when he’d left. “I think so.”

  “Good. I was hoping to hear that.” She glanced around the room. “Drew isn’t going back to Portland until tomorrow, if you change your mind about staying.”

  “Thanks, Grace, and it’s tempting, but there are things I need to do in Boston. Presents to send off to my family and so on.”

  “Okay.” Grace stood up and went to Ella, clasping her in a hug.

  Ella closed her eyes and let the memories of all her summer goodbyes with Grace flow through her.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  AS ELLA ROLLED her suitcase up the side street to her car, snow was falling so thickly that she could barely see the pavement in front of her. When she reached the lot, her car was covered by a couple inches, which she whisked away with her gloved hands because she didn’t have a scraper. She sat behind the wheel for a few minutes, waiting for the heater and defroster to kick in while the windshield wipers swished hypnotically back and forth. Ella watched them, her mind a blank...until the doubts popped up.

  Should she take Ben and Grace up on their invites to stay? She was tempted, suddenly craving the ambience of family, even though that family was the Winterses. There was no way she could recapture the sense of belonging she’d felt with them when she was a child and a teen. Too much life had intervened for all of them. A wave of exhaustion flowed through her. First the talk with Ben, and then Grace. What she needed was an antidote, something to cheer her up before the long drive home. Henry Jenkins came to mind and Ella smiled.

  Ella texted him after she parked outside his house. He replied immediately.

  Door’s open. Come on in but watch out for my cat.

  She brushed off her coat and stomped most of the snow off her boots before stepping inside. The house was warm—too warm, she thought, removing her coat and her boots.

  “I’m in here,” he called out from the living room.

  Henry was ensconced in his recliner chair with a stack of books and magazines on the table next to him and his cat, Felix, on his lap. When Ella bent over to kiss his cheek, she saw his empty coffee mug. “Would you like more coffee? Or tea?”

  “Tea, please.” His smile was even warmer than the house.

  The pile of dirty dishes in the sink indicated Henry was either not as mobile as everyone had thought or that he was taking a vacation from household chores. She didn’t notice a dishwasher so, while she waited for the kettle, Ella ran hot water into the sink to soak the dishes.

  On her way into the living room with two mugs of tea, Felix darted past her toward the kitchen.

  “I apologize for the mess in there. Wasn’t expecting company.”

  “Is your hip still bothering you?” She set his mug down beside him and sat on the love seat opposite.

  “Not the new one, the other one.” He grimaced. “Getting old sucks.”

  “Better than dying young,” she quipped and instantly realized what she’d just said. Her face heated up and she stared into her mug, afraid to meet Henry’s eyes.

  “You can’t keep doing that, Ella. Reliving the past over and over is a bad idea and won’t help you get on with the future. I’m still trying to get that into Gracie’s head, months after she found the courage to confess.”

  “That’s the problem, Henry. People here won’t let me forget.”

  “Is that why you blew up last night?” Then he winked. “Sorry I missed the drama. Would have been more exciting than the game I was watching in the den.”

  Ella knew from his face he was teasing, which was exactly what she needed after the drama with Ben and Grace earlier. “I couldn’t help it. I didn’t plan it, Henry. It just all spewed out.” She aimed for a grin but tears threatened.

  “Regrets this morning?” His voice softened.

  “Not really regret about telling the truth, but I feel bad about hurting Grace. Maybe embarrassing Evelyn. Plus, Brandon’s mother and sister were there, too.”

  He nodded thoughtfully, keeping his gaze on her. Thinking before speaking. That was Henry’s gift, Ella decided. She sipped her tea and waited.

  “They have their own cross to bear over all that, Ella. Especially Gracie. Don’t assume because she’s confessed and her family has forgiven her that everything that happened has been laid to rest for her. It hasn’t. Might never be.”

  Ella’s eyes welled up again and she dug into her sweatshirt pocket for a tissue, finally resorting to a sleeve.

  “Gracie will struggle with that for the rest of her life. Fortunately for her, she’s found someone who loves her enough to help her fight those inner battles. I hope you do, too.” His thoughtful eyes rested on her. “Maybe you have already.”

  Ella bit down hard on her lip. “I hope so, but...I have some doubts, to be honest.”

  “Don’t give up, Ella Mae. That’s when regret really happens.”

  She smiled at his use of her second name, remembering the first time she’d met him in his bookstore when she was six, formally introducing herself—I’m Ella Mae Jacobs—and offering her right hand to shake. He’d taken it and replied without a trace of amusement, Pleased to meet you, Ella Mae Jacobs.

  “How did you get so wise?” she asked.

  “Seventy years of life has helped, though I’m still learning.” Then he added, “The storm’s already started. Maybe you ought to get going or whatever you’ve decided to do.”

  “You’re right, Henry. I know I have choices.” She picked up their tea mugs and headed for the kitchen, ignoring his shout to forget the dishes. That task was completed quickly, and soon she was kissing him goodbye.

  “Don’t be a stranger,” he called from his chair as she was putting her coat and boots on at the front door.

  “Never, Henry.” She closed the door behind her and paused on the steps outside. The sky was darker now. Common sense argued that she ought to get onto the highway as soon as possible. But Ben had mentioned seeing her before she left town. Did she want to risk the consequence of leaving without seeing him? What would he think? That she’d changed her mind about everything, like wanting a future with him?

  No. While she waited for the car to heat up, she texted Ben.

  * * *

  ELLA MUST BE a mind reader. Ben had been thinking about calling her to arrange a meetup and was disappointed to hear she’d decided to go back to Boston today, rather than tomorrow. But she did want to stop by to see him before she left. He stared at her text long enough for Glen to pipe up, “Problem, boss?”

  “Um, no.” He looked over at Glen, who’d offered to come in on a Saturday to search through some old invoices. “But why don’t you head home now? The weather’s starting to get bad out there.” He peered through the frosted window, but visibility was so poor, he could barely make out their cars parked in the lot next to the trailer.

  “You sure?”

  Ben pursed his lips at the hesit
ation in Glen’s voice and felt bad that he was still shaken about the fraud scheme. He hadn’t been involved at all, but perhaps he’d initially thought he was a suspect. Ben pictured Ella’s face last night when she confronted Julie, and he had a sudden revelation. The whole tragedy and everything that followed it has been about assumptions. Yeah, he could see that now. He personally had made a regrettable assumption about Ella seventeen years ago.

  “I’m sure, Glen. Get going, and I’ll see you Monday if the storm lets up.” He lifted a slat of the window blind to check again.

  He watched Glen clean off his car and get inside, then lost sight of the car before it even left the yard. Maybe Ella’s visit right now wasn’t such a good idea, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to miss saying goodbye because of some snowstorm. When he heard the tap on the office door, he flung it open. A funnel of snow and wind whirled into the office ahead of her.

  “Whoo!” Her burst of laughter died as soon as she saw Ben. “It’s already bad out there.”

  They stared at one another a long moment. “I’m glad you came.”

  She smiled and unzipped her jacket. “So this is where the magic happens.”

  “Magic?”

  “Your work. Designing and building.”

  Ben rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess so, if that’s what you can call it.”

  “Creating things is magic, don’t you think?”

  He didn’t want to get sidetracked from his intention to continue their talk from the morning and maybe also to make plans for Christmas. “You didn’t come here for a philosophical discussion, did you?”

  “No. Just delaying a serious one.” Her grin was sheepish.

  “Take your coat off and don’t worry about the boots.” He pushed a couple chairs close to the electric heating panel. “Want a coffee or tea?”

  “No thanks. I had tea with Henry.”

  Ben decided he needed more caffeine and made a mug of instant coffee as she spoke, heating it up in the microwave. “How is the old man?”

  “Okay, though he said his hip is bothering him.”

  “Again?”

  “The other one now.”

  He stirred powdered creamer into his mug of coffee and hesitantly sipped some, then grimaced.

  “That bad?”

  “Worse than bad. You made the right call there. I suppose Henry might need a second hip replacement.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Look—”

  “I—”

  Ben smiled with her. He didn’t know who ought to go first, but he definitely knew that he wanted to pull her off the chair and into his arms.

  “I need to say this,” she started again. She swept back a strand of hair that fell across her face as she leaned forward on her chair. “This morning we talked about trust, and when Grace came—”

  “Grace came to see you?”

  “Shortly after you left.”

  His sister had been quiet that morning, but she hadn’t seemed upset about the dinner party, though he had to admit he’d been mainly focused on Ella’s article.

  “How was she? Upset?” He sighed with relief when Ella shook her head.

  “No, we had a good talk. I...I think we’ll be fine now.”

  She ducked her head, and Ben had a feeling another revelation was about to happen. He tried not to show his disappointment that the few minutes of cuddling he’d been hoping for were not about to happen. He got up to move around, to prepare for whatever she was about to spill. He suddenly stopped pacing to listen. “Hear that?”

  She looked up. “The wind?”

  “I think so.” He lifted up a window slat, but all he could see was a ghostly swirl of snow. “I think we’d better stay put for a bit. Looks kind of bad out there. Are you warm enough?” he suddenly thought to ask.

  “Yes...but will we be okay here?”

  “Sure. We had the electric heating installed when we figured this office was going to be more permanent than we’d planned.”

  “Do you think it’s too late, Ben?” she suddenly asked.

  “Too late? For us to stay here a bit longer?”

  “No, I mean for us?”

  The appeal in her piercing blue eyes was gut-wrenching. He wanted to embrace her, tell her again how much he loved her—had always loved her—and how she’d been in his head practically every day of the last seventeen years. The hours he’d fantasized about this very moment—not here in the office—but with her, in the flesh and not in a dream. To have the bad memories just gone.

  Was it too late? He didn’t know. And he was saved from answering when the lights went out.

  * * *

  IT WASN’T COMPLETELY DARK. An eerie light filtered through the window blinds and Ella guessed it was only about four or five o’clock. She’d left her cell phone in her car. Ben was typing on his phone, his back to her while he stood staring out the window. She got up and walked over to him just as he finished texting.

  “Thought I’d better let my folks know I’ll be here for a while.”

  “How long do you think this will go on?”

  “No idea. I can’t see beyond a few feet out there. I’ll check the weather networks.” After a few seconds of searching, he said, “Um, well, Portland area weather predicts storm activity—high winds, drifting snow and poor visibility—for the next twelve hours.” He looked up from his phone. “Or until the morning.”

  “Well, we can’t stay here.”

  This time he managed a real smile. “Would that be so bad? The place is insulated, though now we won’t have heating, and those chairs aren’t very comfy, but—”

  “I think we should try to get into town. We could both go in one car and—”

  “That’s not a good idea, Ella. You’ve never been through a Maine winter, much less a storm. People have died trying to get somewhere when they should have stayed in a car or house or wherever.”

  That emphatic tone was new to her. She went back to her chair, slumping down with a slight huff.

  “Is that frustration at not having any control over the situation?”

  It took her a second to realize he was teasing. “Guess we have lots of time to talk, then.”

  She couldn’t tell from his expression if that appealed to him or not.

  “So, back to where we left off a minute ago? When you asked if it was too late for us?” His serious eyes probed hers. He walked over to sit in the chair next to hers and reached for her hand. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that it’s not too late, Ella. Starting right now and, as you said before, taking it one day at a time.”

  She squeezed his hand. “I needed to hear that, Ben. I feel the same, but—”

  “But?”

  “I’m worried about Grace and what will happen when more people learn the truth and how she and your parents might be treated afterward.” Because I’m the one who insisted she tell everyone. That irony wasn’t lost on her.

  “That’s a lot of worrying, Ella.”

  Despite his smile, she bet those thoughts had occurred to him, too.

  “The people that matter to my family—our friends, work colleagues and even Grace’s loyal customers—may be startled or shocked at first, but eventually they’ll forgive and accept. That’s part of belonging in a community, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know. Except for our summers here when I was a kid, I’ve never felt attached to a community, really. I mean, I have the community of my workplace, which is great, but...”

  “But?”

  Ella shrugged. How to explain? “I know if I left it, I’d be quickly replaced, and after a few days, I’d be forgotten.”

  “Yeah, I guess I know what you mean. I felt a bit like that when I was with the architectural firm in Augusta. Even though I was born and raised here in the Cove, my sense of being part of this comm
unity disappeared when I left for college. But lately, I’ve been feeling more reconnected to the town.”

  Ella imagined his life after the prank. All of them had been affected. She was about to mention this, but then a strong gust of wind shook the building. “Oh!” she gasped.

  Ben pushed his chair up against hers and drew her close. “We’ll be fine, don’t worry. This unit is structurally sound.”

  “Tornado-proof?”

  He laughed. “Uh, well, there’s not much danger of a tornado or a hurricane here in winter. It’s just a storm.”

  She wished she had as much confidence in that small word just.

  Ben’s cell phone pinged, and he pulled out of their hug to reach for it on the desk.

  “A text from Grace.” After he replied to it, he said, “She asked if you were here with me. Apparently, she’d texted Henry to see if he was okay, and he told her you might be coming to see me.”

  Henry should take up mind reading, Ella was thinking.

  The phone pinged again. Ben sighed. “There’s never a complete end to Grace’s texts, I’m afraid.” He read the message and set the phone down without a reply. “She said she was glad you were here. She’d been worrying about you driving back to Boston in the storm and told us to stay safe.”

  Ben was right. His sister didn’t hold grudges. But what about me? Ella realized for the first time that she’d held on to grudges for most of her life, blaming the prank for every bad thing that happened. Like her parents’ divorce and even her own divorce, despite knowing months into the marriage that Jake was never going to morph into Ben Winters. Ella bit her lip hard. She’d shed enough tears.

  “Let’s see if we can make ourselves more comfortable. It’s getting pretty dark now.” Ben went over to the counter with the microwave to rummage through the cupboards below. “Okay, this will be handy.” He held up a large flashlight.

  “Anything to eat in that cupboard? Is that a minifridge under there?”

  “Um, yes, but I don’t want to raise your hopes.” He peered into the fridge. “Well, I see a piece of cheese and an unopened little tub of yogurt. Plus—Whoa! A couple of granola bars.”