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SIOBHAN
New Year’s Eve day began with an icy rain.
As we stared out the living room window after breakfast, plucky Nana shrugged off the dismal weather. “We’ll be indoors all day anyway. Who cares what the forecast is? Besides, think about how romantic it’ll be tonight. This is perfect honeymoon snuggle weather.” She winked and jabbed me with an elbow. “Lou and I have a new bedroom set to break in.”
Ewww! “Nana, please,” I groaned and hid my face in my hands.
She cackled and swatted my butt. “I’m going to jump in the shower, so I have time for my hair to dry before we head to Town Hall. How much time will you need to get ready?”
I turned from the window and aimed for the staircase. “No more than forty-five minutes after I shower.”
“Perfect,” she said as she followed me upstairs. “When you’re ready, you can help me.”
Two hours later, Nana’s hair was dry and braided into one long rope down the center of her back, with tiny peacock feathers interspersed throughout the thick mane. I’d managed to convince her to eschew brushing teal eyeshadow over her entire lid in favor of using the bright blue as a liner for emphasis. Two coats of mascara and some highlighter gave her a glow that would make her eyes pop in photos but keep her complexion natural in harsher indoor lighting.
When she slipped into her wedding outfit, I turned us both to the full-length mirror, me in the sapphire jumpsuit and her in her gown with the silver overlay, clutching a cluster of long peacock feathers—traditional blue and gold with two pure white. She insisted the white feathers represented her and Lou beginning anew.
I had to admit, the effect we’d achieved could stun a man as big and solid as Captain Lou and bring him to his knees. Nana Thea looked her age and yet timeless, bridal but not naïve, and every inch a woman in love about to marry the man she’d chosen.
“Oh, Bon,” she whispered in awe and pulled me up against her. “Look at us.”
“You look amazing, Nana.”
She grabbed my hand and squeezed hard. “So do you, my darling girl. Let’s go get me married.”
By the time we arrived at Town Hall, the rain had stopped, and wan sunlight lit up the bits of ice on the steps like glitter. I halted Nana in the middle of the exterior stairs, pulled up my camera, and snapped a dozen pics. The silver of her gown with the sparkle of the ice at her feet gave her an ethereal quality. This magic wouldn’t last once the ice melted, but luckily, Lou arrived with his family while Nana still posed on the steps. Not the least superstitious about having the groom see her before the wedding, Nana waited for her man, and I managed to capture the happy couple in this mythical starry world before we all went inside.
The pea-green walls and brown steel folding chairs of the waiting room didn’t require my photography skills. No matter how joyous the occasion, this dismal atmosphere could never inspire an iota of romance or happiness. I doubted the interior office offered a softer atmosphere to touch the heart. No problem. I’d focus the ceremony shots on facial expressions, the hands of the participants, anything but the surroundings.
With no photos to take in the meantime, I grabbed a seat and chatted with Lou’s son and daughters. We’d all attended Snug Harbor High School—except Evan’s partner, Dom, our local veterinarian who’d moved to town about six years ago. Though the rest of us had graduated in different years, we all had businesses in the area, so we knew each other fairly well. My heart fluttered when I remembered how I’d be related by marriage to the Rugermans within the next thirty minutes.
Don’t get me wrong. I liked them all. Sort of. Kristen, two years older than me, had brutally teased me about my bulimia while we were in school, but if I held a grudge toward everyone who’d bullied me over the years, I’d be a recluse in this town. All of us had grown up since then. I was no longer Barf Bag Bendlow, and Kristen...well, let’s just say she had more pressing issues needing her attention than what was happening in my life. It was no secret her marriage to Tony Boggs wasn’t a happy one. These days, I kinda felt sorry for her.
When the clerk called out “Rugerman, Bendlow,” we rose from our chairs and began filing into the office. In my job as official wedding photographer, I allowed the others to go first in order to catch a few quick impulse pics of the family.
“Am I too late?” a familiar voice asked from the entrance.
I lowered the camera to find myself eye-to-eye with Jimmy Vais, dressed in a dark gray suit with a blue silk tie that perfectly matched the color of my jumpsuit. “Jimmy? What are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “Your grandmother insisted I had to come. Did I miss the big moment?”
I pointed at the open door. “We’re just going in now.” Questions buzzed in my brain, and I shook my head to clear the noise.
“Great! Shall we go inside then? We don’t want to keep the bride and groom waiting. Sorry I’m late. I keep forgetting I’m moving more slowly since the surgery and I didn’t give myself enough time to get into my suit on my own.”
His self-deprecating grin hit me behind the knees, and I had to steel myself to stay upright. This man made my heart somersault in my chest every time he looked at me. He took my elbow to steer me ahead, but moving forward required more steam than I could muster at the moment.
Instead, I dug in my heels and said, “I can’t believe you came. You could have told Nana you couldn’t make it, you know.”
“I know.” He leaned closer to me to whisper, “I think you’re right. I think she’s trying to fix us up. She probably figures the more time we spend together the more I’ll come to realize we’re meant for each other.”
My face flamed, and I stared at my feet. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. I’ll talk to her. You don’t have to stay here. I’m sure you have a thousand other things you’d rather be doing right now. But you know how she is. She’s like a steamroller when she gets an idea in her head. I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t be. I think she might be right.”
I couldn’t possibly have heard him correctly. I looked up at him, seeking some kind of malevolent gleam in his eyes and found nothing. I tilted my head to study him, to figure out the joke before I became the butt. “I’m sorry?”
He took my cold, empty hand in his much warmer one, but his expression remained inscrutable. “I know. It sounds crazy. You have to understand. I’ve spent so much of the last year in pain, lashing out at everyone who tried to get close to me, anyone who tried to help—even Justin. You were right about him, by the way. We had dinner together the other night and ironed out a lot of our issues. We’ve still got a few lingering resentments, but...” He shrugged. “Don’t all siblings?”
I considered my hot-and-cold relationship with Dee-Dee and nodded. I hoped that answer would be sufficient. My tongue couldn’t form intelligible words. Jimmy’s sudden appearance and his announcement about Nana being right had stunned me into mute stupidity.
He squeezed my hand. “You made that happen. You got me to understand how my stubbornness and anger alienated me from everyone who could make my world better if I only reached out a hand to ask for help. So, here I am. Reaching out my hand toward you and hoping there’s a chance you’ll see me.” He paused, and that charming smile reappeared to lighten his expression and brighten the room. “The last few weeks with you have been the best time I’ve had in a long time.”
His words took me by surprise. I’d never been anybody’s best time before.
“Maybe I’m crazy,” he continued. “Maybe you don’t feel the same way I do. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. I’m an irritant, I know. I can be terse and downright rude sometimes. I don’t always say or do the right thing. I’m only now returning to work and I have a tendency to become too deeply involved when I’m focused on an engineering project. And this one promises to be a real challenge. My sense of humor is caustic, and I often hurt people without meaning to. But I’m working on remembering the fun-loving, adventurous guy I was before the accident. I used to be better. I believe I can be better again. It’ll take time. I won’t be an overnight success at this glorious transformation. And I’m going to need someone with boatloads of patience and humor to help me get there.”
He paused again, longer this time, and I sensed he waited for some kind of response from me. I still couldn’t utter a sound. I was frozen, suspended in some viscous world where the words reached me but didn’t make sense. Why on earth was he telling me all this?
When I didn’t say a word or make any motion at all, he glanced up at the ceiling and sighed. “Jeez, I’m making a mess out of this. Look, Bon. What I’m trying to say is I find myself seriously attracted to you. And I’d like to spend more time with you, see how far we can go. What do you think?”
At last, I found my voice. “I think...that would be great.”
♥♥♥♥
ALTHEA
Upon the declaration of the words, “I do,” I became a married woman again. Unlike my wedding to Archie in Louisiana, this time, I was in my hometown and surrounded by a family who loved me. We returned to Lou’s house—our house—for a celebration with our newly joined families. Joy overflowed from my veins, filling me with appreciation. I had so much to be grateful for, and I sent a quick thank you to the universe for the bounty of gifts in my life.
Now, as I stood in the living room of my new home, I took in the views of love around me. Seated cross-legged at the foot of the Christmas tree, Evan and Dom played with their foster children and their new toys. On the couch, Kristen and a better-behaved sober Tony spoke together in low tones, but their expressions remained civil, thank God. In the opposite corner, Brice surreptitiously rubbed a hand over Courtney’s belly, and the couple shared a wistful smile. Behind the chaos, toward the back of the tree, my kitties slumbered beneath the lowest branches, hidden from most eyes by the detritus of wrapping paper, boxes, and bows. When they woke, they’d have a wonderland of makeshift cat toys to play with.
My beautiful granddaughter took photos of all the attendees, in between exchanging sultry looks with Jimmy Vais. My chest expanded with happiness as I watched them together. Theirs would not be an easy road, but if they could successfully face the challenges that would pop up along the way, life and love could be so satisfying for them both. I looked forward to watching them grasp their shining future.
To that end, I’d done some extra string-pulling on the sly in the last week, not just by insisting Jimmy attend today’s event. The day after Christmas, I’d contacted Paige Wainwright and arranged for Siobhan’s rent on her shop on Main Street to be paid out of a trust I set up in her name. We’d start with a year-long agreement, but revisit the deal at the end of that term. After seeing her engagement photos to Sam, done in a documentary style that focused on the couple with Snug Harbor landmarks as background, Paige agreed with me: Siobhan’s new ideas would be a raging success before long. And I had every faith she’d be on her feet again, if not by the end of next year, certainly within two years. I’d tell her about the deal tomorrow. Today was for me and Lou to enjoy without distractions.
I understood my late daughter-in-law’s insistence that I not help her children financially because they had to learn to stand on their own two feet, but at the same time, it’s hard to get to a standing position when you’re starting out neck-deep in sand. By setting up a trust, I had scooped some of that sand away to give Siobhan room to leap out. The rest was up to her.
To be fair, I’d set up a similar trust for her sister, Deirdre. This trust, though, came with specific caveats: Dee-Dee had to enter a counseling program to curb her spending habits, cut up all her charge cards, and work with a financial advisor to help get her out of the hole she’d dug for herself. At no time would her husband have access to the money, not because I didn’t trust him—after all, I barely knew the man—but because I believed it was vital to a woman’s well-being that she stay independent in her marriage and not be absorbed by her spouse. A good marriage is like oil and vinegar: two separate entities that combine to become something more, something different and stronger. Yet, even after combining, these elements should remain distinct when they needed to, simply by being themselves.
Archie had been the red wine vinegar of my youth, sharp and tangy and predictable. My new husband had a more unique raspberry flavor, mellowed with age, smoother and sweeter.
Lou slipped up behind me, wrapped an arm around my waist, and kissed my bare neck, sending delicious shivers down my spine. “Hey, sweetheart. What are you thinking about right now?”
I spun into his embrace and clasped my hands behind his neck. “Salad dressing,” I replied and used my mouth on his to carry us both away on love’s wings.
I’d come home at last. And a glorious new journey awaited me.
Dear Reader,
Life is full of challenges and opportunities—regardless of age. Nana Thea proves that. I hope no matter where you are in your life journey, you’ll always remember that each of us is going through our own struggles and our own joys. Be kind, be well, and be grateful for each new day you’re given. All too soon, your given days will be gone.
Thanks so much for reading MEMORIES IN DECEMBER. If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll check out the other Calendar Girls books. Whether this is your first book by me or your twenty-first, please feel free to contact me at gina@ginaardito.com to let me know what you liked, what you didn’t, and what you’d love to see in the future.
What do I see in the future? I’m not sure yet. It could be Evan and Dom’s wedding, a story featuring Pan and Justin, or maybe Kristen deserves a break. Write and tell me who you’d like to see find their happy ending next. I won’t promise you’ll get your wish, but you might convince my muse to see things your way.
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As you may know, indie authors are dependent upon you, the reader, to help us reach other readers. If you don’t mind and can spare a minute or two, I’d appreciate your review on whatever platform you used to purchase this book.
Until we meet again, thanks again for reading MEMORIES IN DECEMBER. Stay well and may love always find you!
Fondly,
Gina
OTHER BOOKS BY GINA ARDITO
The Bonds of Matri-money
A Run for the Money
That’s Amoré! (formerly A Little Slice of Heaven)
Chasing Adonis
Duping Cupid
A Love to Keep Me Warm
Lightning in a Bottle
Echoes of Love
Play Action Pass
♦
THE NOBODY SERIES
Nobody’s Darling
Nobody’s Business
Nobody’s Perfect
♦
THE AFTERLIFE SERIES
Eternally Yours
In Your Dreams
Waiting in the Wings
♦
THE CALENDAR GIRLS HOLIDAY NOVELLAS
Charming for Mother’s Day
Detour for New Year’s Day
Fortune for St. Patrick’s Day
♦
THE CALENDAR GIRLS SERIES
Duet in September
Reunion in October
Homecoming in November
Memories in December
♦
THE OSPREY COVE PETS SERIES
Even Now
Twilight Time (Coming Spring 2022)
♦
ANTHOLOGIES
Kaleidoscope Hearts 2
Kaleidoscope Hearts 3
Caught Under the Mistletoe (Coming December 2021)