I had to admit, when we pulled up to William’s parents’ home, I thought it was lovely. Stately and large, the edges of the roofline were decorated with lit white icicles all the way around, with straight white lines of lights around the windows and doorways.
William took a brief look at it and shook his head. “Leave it to my parents to never do a little when they could do a lot.”
Through the door a party was well underway, with tinkly piano music in the background and the sounds of chatter and laughter filling the space. Everyone was beautifully dressed. A quick glance around told me I’d chosen my ensemble well. I fit right in.
“William, there you are!”
My eyes followed the voice. The woman walking toward us had to be William’s mother. With her brown eyes and dark hair, the resemblance was striking.
William’s demeanor changed instantly. He stood taller. His shoulders straightened. “Mom. Hi.”
“Merry Christmas!” She wrapped him in a warm hug, stepped back, and straightened his sweater. “Please introduce me to this young lady.”
“Oh, yeah. Mom, this is Sara.”
“Sara…”
“Burkholder,” I filled in, as she shook my hand.
“Sara Burkholder. So nice to meet you. Call me Meredith.”
“Absolutely,” I said, trying to figure out what to say next. I had no practice at fancy social talk. “It’s a lovely party. I’m so glad I could join William tonight.”
Meredith grinned. “Oh, so am I.”
I found myself paraded in front of William’s family members for the next hour. His father, brother, aunts and uncles…everyone wanted to meet me. I shook hands and smiled, gave compliments and answered questions.
“Your dress was how marked down? What a find! To be able to alter things yourself—saves a fortune in seamstress fees,” Meredith said when I answered her question about my dress.
“The Art Institute? Such ambition,” William’s father, Kip, said after I mentioned the start of classes to come. “Ambition is so important. Don’t you think so, William?”
“Sure, Dad. I’m going to get some food. Sara? Want a bite?”
I assumed the food would have no questions, so I followed without argument. The buffet offerings really were tasty, but I grazed lightly, knowing I’d be heading to the restaurant.
“Ten minutes,” William said. “Or two insults. Whichever comes first, we’re heading out.”
“Your dad…”
“He wants what’s best for me, and he thinks the best way to get me there is by making thinly veiled verbal slights. Hasn’t worked so far, but he’s an incurable optimist.”
“I’m sorry about that.” I tried a stuffed mushroom. It was almost as good as one of Gemma’s. “I had a great dad growing up.”
“It’s all about expectations, and I learned not to have any. Try the gray stuff—it’s good.”
I spooned some of the gray dip onto a cracker and took a bite. “You’re right, it is good,” I said after swallowing.
“I have no idea what it is, but Mom serves it every year. Oh, here we go,” William said, patting my arm. “Uncle Louie’s heading for the piano.”
I turned and watched as a portly middle-aged man made a determined path toward the piano, which was already occupied by the professional musician, “Oh, does he play?”
“And sings. Does both very well when he’s sober. In a moment, he’ll start singing Christmas carols, but he’ll get the lyrics mixed up as he goes.”
“How do you know?”
“He does this every year. Probably my favorite Christmas tradition, and it’s the one my parents don’t pay for. Last year he sang about Rudolph nipping at boughs of holly. One of these days I need to find a way to record him. For posterity.”
I watched as Louie began an opening roll of chords, each perfect until the last, where a finger slipped and sent the note awry. I looked around to see the reactions of the other guests. William’s parents paid Louie no mind, not even glancing in his direction. Other guests looked over, expressions of confusion, amusement, and annoyance on their faces. William’s face though, was my favorite, with its expression of complete contentment.
He shook his head. “Gotta love it. The night can only get worse now. Let’s leave on a high note.”
I lifted my eyebrows innocently. “But I haven’t heard anyone speak of a pinstriped suit yet.”
“Like I said, let’s leave on a high note. We’ll say goodbye to my parents. They’ll probably offer to disown me and adopt you in my place.”
“I can’t top your Uncle Louie, but you’re welcome to come to the party at DiGrassi,” I offered as William drove me back to my car. “Good food, no insults—at least, none directed at you. You might like it.”
“Thanks, but I should get home,” William’s eyes didn’t leave the road. “I have some book repair work to catch up on.”
“On Christmas Eve?”
“Jesus’ parents didn’t take a night off for Christmas. Why should I?”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. “So you consider yourself a Christian?”
“I do, just not the way my parents might. My beliefs are very personal. My journey is my own, you know?”
“Do you attend church?”
“Every week. But I do it because I want to, not because people will think differently of me if I don’t.”
“Oh.” I nodded, remembering a time where not attending church could have very serious ramifications.
“It’s not something I talk about much.”
Clearly, since this was the first time it had come up.
William sighed. “Next couple of weeks, things are really going to change.”
I exhaled. The word change seemed like an understatement. “I start classes.”
“Zach will be back.”
Would we be able to continue in the friendlier pattern we’d found ourselves in? I hoped so. But I had no idea.
“You’re sure you don’t want to come?” I could see the alleyway where my car was parked.
William turned in, pressing the button that caused the wall to move upward, making a place for him to park. “Thanks for the offer. Maybe another time.”
When I finally arrived at the restaurant, everyone was glad to see me, and I was pleased to see them. Music, louder and more joyful than the music at Meredith Blythe’s, filled the air. Every flat surface seemed to be covered with platters of appetizers or with deep dishes heated underneath, full of lasagna and boeuf bourguignonne. Everyone talked, everyone ate, everyone talked some more.
Levi gave me a hug and told me he’d missed me. But by the way Jayne was curled up at his side, I knew he’d survived with little damage. “How was the party?” he asked.
“Fun,” I said, leaving out the insults and inquisition. “William’s family is very nice.”
Nice, as long as they were talking to me and not William.
Levi joined us for Christmas breakfast the next morning and then helped pack the car as we readied for a trip to Lincoln City to visit Jayne’s family.
“Seems a shame not to open gifts under our own tree,” I remarked. I’d looked forward to that part of the English Christmas tradition.
“I have a gift for you in the truck,” Levi said. “You can open it here if you want.”
“Really?” I felt my face brighten.
“Sure. I’ll get it. One less thing to pack.”
I sat at the foot of the tree in anticipation. Levi returned and sat next to me, and Jayne joined us.
“I hope you enjoy it,” Levi said, handing me a medium-sized square box.
Curious, I removed the wrapping paper, folded it, and set it aside before opening the box. I pulled apart the cardboard flaps to find objects wrapped in newsprint. “It’s a set,” Levi said. “You have to unwrap each of them.”
So I did. One at a time, I lifted each piece from the box. A hand-carved sheep. A king. A cow. A tall simple man and a short simple man. A woman. A child in a manger.
“A nativity set!” I examined each piece. “Your carving is so beautiful.”
Unlike the sets I’d seen on occasion as a child, every one of the pieces Levi carved had faces—beautiful, expressive faces.
Beneath the figures I found several round, flat pieces.
“The stable fits together. I know technically it was probably closer to a cave, but that’s a bit more intensive when it comes to carving. With the wise men on the scene, we’re obviously not going for historical accuracy.”
“I love it. I do.”
Before we left, I set up the whole scene on top of one of the living room bookcases. The last figure to place was the baby Jesus.
Maybe this Christmas would be a start. Maybe, if I could start fresh with the child in a manger, He and I could get to know each other all over again—slowly and truly this time.
Christmas in Lincoln City was better than I could have imagined. Jayne’s mother, Kathy, welcomed me into her home and even had gifts beneath the tree with my name on them. Seeing Jayne’s niece, Emilee, made me miss my sisters, but I enjoyed the feel of family, complete with mothers and children.
I was happy for my brother, glad he had Jayne and her family. And I wasn’t the only one who was glad.
“So, when are you guys getting married?” Jayne’s sister, Beth, asked after lunch.
Levi smiled. Jayne grimaced.
Kathy swatted Beth’s shoulder. “Leave them alone. Let them have their privacy.”
“What?” Beth protested. “I didn’t ask when they were starting a family. We all know these two are engaged, and frankly, my calendar’s filling up.”
“Heaven help us if you have to cancel plans to attend your sister’s wedding,” Beth’s husband, Gary, commented dryly.
At the mention of starting a family, Jayne’s face flushed. “I’ll keep you posted, Beth. I promise.”
I shot a glance at Levi. I knew he’d marry Jayne over the weekend if she would consent, but Jayne wasn’t about to rush into anything. Especially something as permanent and domestic as marriage.
“Sometimes you have to plan these things ahead. My bridesmaid dresses took four months to arrive, not that you’d remember.”
I sat up a little straighter. Bridesmaid dresses. Wedding dresses. When Jayne and Levi finally got married—Beth was right, they would marry—Jayne would need dresses, lots of dresses. I wasn’t deluded enough to think I’d be able to design a wedding dress while going to school, working at the bookstore, and quilting, but would Jayne let me suggest styles for her?
A thousand ideas flew through my head—fabrics, cuts, silhouettes…I knew Jayne wouldn’t want anything fancy, though her tastes were more traditional than she’d admit. My sketchbook was in my luggage upstairs. I knew I couldn’t bring it down to work out concepts without raising eyebrows. But if I had perfected one skill during my childhood, it was the ability to remember ideas and sketch them when no one was looking.
We opened gifts after the lunch dishes were cleared. Jayne gave Levi a beautiful merino wool sweater, and he gave her a cashmere hat and scarf set. I gave Jayne a hoodie I’d been working on, with an appliquéd pie on the front pocket and cherries near the heart. Kathy gave me a silk scarf that I wrapped around my neck the moment I lifted it from the box.
For Levi I’d made a simple yet oversized quilt from cozy flannel, something to keep him warm when he was home.
I loved watching Emilee open her gifts—every box and bag was a new, exciting discovery. I couldn’t help but think of the Christmas a year before.
That year, few things had changed in our household. Levi had been gone several years, and Rebecca was married and in Washington with her own family. I hadn’t met Jayne. I still kept my piles of secrets in my bedroom, tucked away from the eyes of my family. For Elizabeth, I’d made a cloth doll and an extra dress. I gave Leah a special set of grown-up soaps in a basket I’d lined for her.
My mother gave me a new dress, one I hadn’t had to make for myself.
I felt Levi’s hand on my shoulder before I realized there were tears in my eyes. “It’s okay,” he said, softly enough that no one else heard. “Want to step out for a moment?”
“No, it’s fine.” I dashed the tears from my eyes as quickly as they’d appeared. “Just a little homesick, that’s all.”
My thoughts were interrupted by Kathy’s announcement of pumpkin pie. I followed everyone into the kitchen and tried not to think of home.
The rest of our time away passed quickly. Before I knew it, I was back at work at the bookstore, noticing the other vehicle in the tiny employee parking area. In my space, actually.
“Hey!” Zach spread his arms open wide when he saw me. “How’s it going?”
My brows lifted in surprise. “You’re back! Good to see you. Thought you’d be out another week.”
He shrugged. “Time to get out of the house, you know? So. What’s changed since I’ve been gone?”