SuAnn’s favorite time of the day had always been morning. She loved getting to the bakery early and beginning her work to create the best pound cakes the town had ever known.
Still, her heart was heavy this morning after the discussion that she had with Nick. She had no idea where they stood, and that was making her feel very uneasy. In fact, she hadn’t talked to him since the day before, and she worried that he had already left town. Maybe he decided being with her wasn’t worth it, after all.
“Good morning,” Darcy said as she walked through the back door.
“Good morning. If you don’t mind cutting up the cakes I set aside for the festival, that would be great. We’re going to be handing out samples.”
“No problem. How was the cookie party yesterday?”
SuAnn stirred the ingredients for her favorite gingerbread pound cake in a large stainless steel bowl. “It was fun. My new grandson had a great time at the fire station tour.”
Darcy nodded. “You seem a little down today. Is everything okay?”
“Oh, it’s fine. Just pesky life stuff.”
Darcy reached for the large serrated bread knife and put one of the pound cakes on the cutting board in front of her. “It sounds more like it might be relationship stuff?”
“I don’t have a relationship,” SuAnn said, continuing to stir.
“I thought things were going pretty well with you and that Nick fellow that came searching for you?”
“So did I.”
Just as she was sure that Darcy was going to stick her nose into her business, the door opened, the loud bell announcing the arrival of a customer. SuAnn took that as an opportunity to go into the back room and let Darcy take the lead. She could hear her out there, chatting up their regular customers, ringing up their orders and pouring their coffee. This morning, she just didn’t feel like doing any of it.
This was the perk of owning her own business. She could decide on when she worked, how late she worked, and what she did when she got to work. But she would leave each day feeling proud of her accomplishments.
For most of her life, she had been a caretaker. Being a mother and a wife for so many years, she never had a lot of time for herself. All of her dreams had gotten pushed to the back burner a long time ago. That was why the bakery meant so much to her.
It was the first thing she had built from the ground up, all by herself. Its success or failure depended completely on her. All the responsibilities rested on her shoulders, and she liked that. If she was honest with herself, she wanted other people to admire her accomplishments because that had never happened before.
Although she had loved being a mother, this was a time in her life that she felt belonged to her. She wanted to see what she could accomplish, and that’s why Nick wanting her to leave Seagrove when she had just gotten started with her business made her feel so upset. It was like she was having to choose between the two great dreams of her life - owning a successful business and having a relationship with the person she believed to be her soulmate.
“Darcy?”
“Yeah?” Darcy said, after finishing up with the last customer that had come during the morning rush.
“I know it’s highly irregular for me to do this, but do you mind if I leave you here alone for a little while? I just want to take a walk and clear my head.”
“Of course. You’re the boss anyway,” she said in her normal blunt style.
“Very true,” SuAnn said, reaching for her cardigan sweater on the hook where she hung it next to her apron. “I’ll be back soon.”
As she walked out onto the town square, she looked around at her new hometown. Never had she thought this place would have grown on her so quickly, but it did. The people were friendly and they accepted her for who she was. The scenery was beautiful. And, best of all, her family was there.
She loved how the town had decorated the square for the holidays. They had wrapped each of the quaint light posts in garland and lights. On the light poles, they had also attached lit up candy canes with silver and red tinsel attached.
In the center of the square, where the grassy area was, there was a nativity scene, temporary ice-skating rink and of course the Christmas tree that would be lit later that night.
Sometimes she looked around Seagrove and thought about how it was like a town out of some past era that didn’t exist anywhere else anymore. It often reminded her of her own childhood when things were simpler and she could go to the corner drugstore and get a soda.
Maybe that was why she had fallen in love with the town because it reminded her so much of her younger years. Maybe simple was exactly what she wanted in her life, and that was why traveling to some remote place with Nick wasn’t appealing.
“Are you lost?”
She turned to see Nick leaning against one of the light posts. It reminded her of how he looked back in high school when he would lean against the wall outside of her math class waiting to walk her to science. He’d been so handsome then, with a thick mane of dark brown hair and broad shoulders. Somehow, he was even more handsome now. A long life and plenty of earned wisdom had served him well.
“Are you accusing me of having dementia?”
He chuckled. “No. Just trying to sound funny. I can see I didn’t hit the mark.”
She kept walking, albeit at a slower pace since she was hoping he would try to keep up. He fell in step behind her, eventually meeting her stride. She continued staring straight ahead, but having no particular place she was going. Her intention was just to walk round and round the square.
“Are you not speaking to me?”
“I never said that.”
“But it seems that way.”
“Look, I’m not the one who decided he wants to gallivant around the world. I’m perfectly happy right where I am, so it seems we are at cross purposes here.”
“Susie, I don’t want to bash the wonderful business you’ve built for yourself. That’s not what I meant to do at all. You should know better than anybody that I sometimes stick my foot in my mouth.”
She chuckled under her breath. “Yes, I do remember that about you.”
“And if I remember correctly, you do that your fair share too.”
“I won’t admit to that.”
“It’s just that I’ve dreamed my entire life that we would find our way back to each other, and I want to give you the world.”
She stopped and looked at him. “I don’t want the world. What if I want you and my business and my kids?”
“That just seems like such a letdown.”
“Excuse me? A letdown?” she said, putting her hand on her hip.
“See? I just stuck my foot in my mouth again. I meant a letdown for you.”
“Why would it be a letdown for me?”
“I know that you’ve been a wife and mother for most of your life. And now you have all of this freedom, and I feel like I need to show you the world that you haven’t seen yet. Take you places. Have adventures with you we didn’t get to have when we were younger.”
“But what if everything I want is here, including you? What if I don’t want to do all that traveling? Are you going to be okay living the simple life right here in Seagrove?”
“Susie,” he said, putting his hands on her upper arms. “I have the rest of my life planned out. And the only thing written on that list is to be near you. So, if this is where you want to be, then this is where I’ll be. But I still want to go fishing in Montana at some point.”
She couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “How about this? Twice a year, we plan some amazing trip, and I leave my bakery in the hands of my capable assistant, Darcy.”
Nick grinned. “I do believe that sounds like the perfect plan. So, I guess I better look for a house for me right here in Seagrove. Looks like I’ll be staying a while.”
She looked up at him. “With any luck, you’ll be staying here with me forever.”
“That sounds like a dream come true, Susie Q.”
They walked arm in arm down the sidewalk, and SuAnn couldn’t believe her good fortune. Maybe she was going to have her own second chance after all.
* * *
“But where is he?” Julie asked, holding the phone to her ear. How could a Christmas festival be this incredibly stressful? “The kids are already lining up… I understand that he’s not feeling well but…”
She paced back-and-forth on the grass right in front of the nativity scene. For some reason, she felt very exposed right in front of baby Jesus. She didn’t want to say anything inappropriate, but she was getting pretty irate.
The man they had hired to play Santa Claus for the children’s pictures had called out sick an hour before he was set to start the job. He had been Santa Claus at the Christmas festival for the last six years, but he had to pick this day to come down with the flu.
“I understand. Thank you for letting me know and please tell Wendall that we hope he feels better soon.” Right now, she honestly wanted to throttle Wendell, but it didn’t seem in keeping with the Christmas spirit to say that out loud.
As she pressed end on the call, she couldn’t help but freak out a little. There was already a line of kids and parents forming in front of the Santa Claus display, and the only person there was an elf who looked very lonely. She didn’t know what they were going to do.
“Janine!” she called from across the grassy area. Janine was helping to set up the cakewalk game that they would play later in the evening.
“What’s up?” she asked, breathless from running across the square.
“We have a major problem. Santa Claus has the flu.”
“Oh no, I hope Rudolph doesn’t catch it!” Janine said, laughing.
“This is no time for joking. Kids are lined up already, and there’s not going to be a Santa Claus.”
“Well, what are we going to do?”
“Do you think William would…”
“Absolutely not. William vowed never to put that costume on again. He’s glad to give it to someone else, but he’s not the jolliest Santa Claus I’ve ever seen.”
“I don’t know what to do…” Julie looked around at all the people. “Wait. I have an idea.”
She ran off in the other direction with Janine watching her in confusion. She had seen her mom and Nick walking around the square, arm in arm and obviously not having problems anymore. Now was the time to strike if she needed a favor.
“Mom!” she said, running up behind them.
“Julie? Dear, you are really messing up your hair by running around like this. Do you want to be sweaty in front of all the people in town?”
Julie rolled her eyes. “Please. Not now. You must be Nick?”
“Yes, I am. It’s very nice to meet you, Julie.”
Julie smiled. “Nice to meet you too. Listen, I’m in a bind so I’m going to cut right to the chase. I can’t help but notice how much you look like Santa Claus.”
“Julie! Honestly, remember your manners!”
“It’s okay, Susie. Everybody says that.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I’m kind of in a time crunch here and our Santa Claus just called out sick with the flu. I have a line of kids over there ready to sit on Santa’s lap and get their picture taken.”
Nick chuckled. “And you’d like for me to put on a red suit and sit in that chair, right?”
She put her hands in the prayer position. “Please? You’ll save the Christmas festival if you do this.”
“No problem. I’ve played Santa Claus my fair share of times in my life. Susie, would you like to be Mrs. Claus?”
SuAnn shook her head. “I think I’ll give you a no on that one. Besides, I have to get back and help Darcy at the store. We’ll be closing early today to take part in the festival, and I’ve left her there alone for a couple of hours already.”
Nick leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you in a little while.” As Julie walked away with Nick, she saw him look back one more time at her mother.
“You two are very cute.”
He chuckled. “I have to tell you, I can’t remember a time in my life that I’ve been so happy to see somebody again. Your mom is just like I remembered her.”
Julie had to giggle inside about that. There weren’t many men in the world who could handle her mother, so if this one loved her just how she was, he was good in her book.
* * *
“So explain to me again how this works? They just walk in a circle and then the music stops? Like musical chairs?” William asked.
“Kind of. Except when the music stops, we don’t kick that person out of the game. We draw a number from this hat and we call it out. Whoever is standing on that number gets to pick one cake as a prize.”
He nodded. “ And people enjoy this?”
Janine elbowed him. “Yes, they do. Don’t be a sourpuss.”
“I’m just really looking forward to the tree lighting later tonight.”
“Oh yeah? Why is that?”
“I don’t know. I guess it brings back memories from when I was a kid. I used to love watching them light the tree. Back in those days, we did it just after Thanksgiving, but I guess it’s okay that we do it at the Christmas festival now. When I was a kid, my dad would hoist me up on his shoulders so I could get the best view in town.”
“That’s a sweet memory.”
“It is. He always made holidays special. Not that my mom doesn’t. I guess I’m just missing my dad lately.”
“Your dad would be so proud of the man you’ve become, William. I have no doubt about that.”
“Thanks.”
“I guess I need to get a tree for the yoga studio soon. Maybe you could help me pick one out?”
“Of course. Now that the boat parade is behind us, I’ve got plenty of time on my hands,” he said with a laugh.
“Did you meet Mom’s boyfriend?” Julie asked as she walked up, frazzled as usual.
“I did. He’s the perfect Santa Claus! He seems like a really nice guy.”
“He basically told me that Mom is his dream woman. Can you imagine that?” Julie said, giggling.
“They say there’s a lid for every pot,” William said. The women looked at him. “What? My mom says that all the time.”
“Still, it’s funny to hear it come out of your mouth,” Janine said, laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Dixie asked as she walked up with Harry following closely behind her.
“Your son is turning into you,” Janine said, putting her arm around his waist.
Dixie reached up and pinched his cheek. “Good! I happen to think I’m wonderful!”
“And modest.” William said, rolling his eyes.
“So, how can we help?”
“Well, if you and Harry don’t mind doing a little organizing of the cakes over on the table, that would be great. And William and I are going to start putting the numbers on the ground,” Janine said.
Dixie did as she was told and started re-organizing the cakes and pies that were lining the long folding tables on the edge of the grassy area.
Janine looked around at all the families enjoying the festival so far. Things hadn’t even gotten into full swing yet, and they would certainly get more festive when the sun went down. It was good to see so many cheerful people, laughing and smiling, and children running all over the place.
Off in the distance, she could see Nick playing the part of Santa Claus, each little kid sitting on his lap and whispering in his ear what they wanted for Christmas. The photographer was steadily taking photos, and parents were happily paying to get their prints at the other end of the line. The money would go into the town coffers, probably to fix up some roads or buy school supplies.
The great thing about Seagrove was that everybody did their part. People were so nice here that it was sometimes hard to believe, and Janine had traveled all over the world. To find a place like this to call home was special, which was why she never planned to leave.
* * *
Meg stood there, going over the words in her mind. It wasn’t like she was going to be singing a solo or anything, but she certainly didn’t want to be the person to yell out the wrong word during any of her songs.
Christian, with his thick French accent, sounded like he should be a singer on the radio. She sounded like she should sing down in the sewers.
“We go on in just a few minutes,” Christian said as he walked over. The men and women would sing separately and then coming together for a couple of songs at the end. The school had donated a platform from the chorus department for them to stand on. She felt like she was about to be on full display, which was something she had never overly enjoyed.
“I’ll be so glad when this is over,” she said, nervously rubbing her hands together. He took both of her hands and squeezed them.
“This is going to be a very special night, Meg.”
“Do you think so? Because I’m just thinking about all the things that could go wrong.”
“Have fun! It’s just Christmas caroling! Nobody is judging you.”
“I am going to need a great big cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows on top when I finish singing these songs,” she said. Christian pulled her into a hug.
“Just think that Vivi is going to be watching you, and she will be so proud of her mother.”
“I just hope she gets your singing skills,” Meg said, laughing.
A few minutes later, she found herself standing on the platform. Being so short, she was in the very front, of course. And that was the last place she wanted to be. No lip-synching was going to work in this situation.
Christian, being the tallest one there, was all the way on the other end of the platform in the very back. She desperately wished she could slowly slip into the back row.
They started out singing Silent Night, and then the men sang a rendition of Jingle Bells alone. The women followed with O Holy Night. Things were going well, and it surprised her. At least she hadn’t fallen off the platform or sang a wrong note.
The last song was finally coming up, and the choir director decided to say a few words. She wasn’t sure why the director was stopping the show, as they hadn’t practiced that in rehearsal. But at least it would give her a couple of minutes to suck on a cough drop.
“We want to thank everyone for coming out to the Seagrove Christmas festival tonight!” the director, Beatrice, said. The crowd smiled and clapped. “Christmas is the most special time of the year for so many people, and we are thrilled to have something even more special happening tonight. So before we get started with our last song, I’d like to invite one of our members down to the front.”
Meg was confused. Now she really didn’t have any idea what was going on. Craning her head, she looked down at the twenty-five or so members of the choir, trying to figure out who was being called to the front.
When she realized that Christian was no longer standing in his spot, she was even more confused. She hadn’t seen him walk down front. But then there he was, tapping her on the back and taking her hand.
“Christian, what are you doing? I don’t want to go over there.”
He smiled. “Come with me, my love.”
He pulled her out in front of everyone. Never in her life had she wanted to crawl under a set of bleachers so badly.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, a fake smile planted on her face.
“I’m doing something that I should’ve done long ago.” Before she realized what was happening, he started to lower himself onto one knee. It was at that moment that she figured it out.
“Christian…”
He smiled at her. “Meg, you are the most amazing woman I’ve ever known in my life. Not only are you a wonderful person, but you are an outstanding mother and partner. I can’t think of anything else that I would want this Christmas other than to hear you say yes. Will you marry me?”
Her face burned, and she was sure that her cheeks were flaming red at this point. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through every vein in her body, causing her heart to practically beat out of her chest. She covered her face with her hands, trying to will away the tears that were threatening to fall.
“Yes!” she said, jumping up and down. Christian grinned.
His hand shaking, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. When he opened it, Meg saw the most beautiful ring. It was perfect and everything she would’ve wanted if she had picked it out herself.
He slid it on her finger before picking her up and swinging her around. The crowd cheered. The director walked over and congratulated them and then told them they didn’t have to take part in the last song if they would like to celebrate with family. Thankfully, Christian agreed that was the best course of action and they slipped off into the crowd as their choir mates sang a medley of Christmas songs for the finale.
“Oh my goodness! Congratulations! “ Julie said, hugging Meg and Christian.
“Congratulations, man!” Tucker said, shaking his hand.
For the next few minutes, they went down a line of family and friends, giving hugs, high-fives and handshakes. When they finally were alone again under one of the large oak trees, Meg looked up at him.
“I had no idea. I can’t believe you pulled this off.”
He laughed. “Me either. I had to talk you into Christmas caroling just to do this!”
“Wait. You mean that’s the only reason you made me do this?”
“Yes, it is. I hope you’re not too mad at me.”
She chuckled and then hugged him around his waist, pressing her cheek to his chest. “I could never be mad. I was so afraid you would never ask me to get married again.”
“And I was so afraid to ask because I thought you would say no.”
She pulled back and looked at her ring one more time. “And this is the most beautiful ring I could ever imagine. It looks so custom made.”
He held her hand and looked at the ring. “It was my grandmother’s. I had my mother send it to me. She was so excited to hear the news. I just couldn’t imagine you wearing any other ring.”
Meg hugged him again as Colleen brought Vivi over. She picked up her daughter and realized just how blessed she was. Her family had started in a very unorthodox way, but she wouldn’t have changed a thing.