Page 55 of Christmas Cove

Taking his frustration out on something seemed like a solid idea, but Edwin was not that thing. Leo had only himself to blame for the predicament he was drowning in. America had hit a nerve when she had called him out for not doing enough for the town. But it wasn’t due to his lack of caring. He loved the place so much and wanted nothing more than to preserve it as it had been in his youth.

She was right about one thing. He could have done more. Progress of any kind seemed antithetical to his ends, and he had spent most of his time as mayor avoiding acting on any innovative ideas. It wasn’t until America swept into town that he started thinking about new possibilities. After the dam broke and the lake emptied, he planted his feet in the concrete. But the cement had turned to quicksand, and he was slowly sinking, along with the whole town, past the point of no return.

“I need to get her back, Pa. She was the brightest ray of sunshine I’ve seen in longer than I care to admit,” Leo said and walked to the living area. He looked at the little tree, with its one strand of lights and its smattering of ornaments, and imagined a life where he and America could conquer Christmas together each year. “I need to make some things right, and then I can grovel properly.”

“Anything I can help with?” Edwin asked. “You want me to take this tree down?”

“No,” Leo said and held a silver cross in his fingers, not one of the ornaments that he had brought over. “Leave it up for now. I’m heading over to the Townsends’ to see that little baby of theirs.”

At the ranchon the edge of town, Leo grabbed the tray of lasagna he had prepared earlier in the day. He didn’t know much about infants, but he was sure the last thing that his friend Cam or Jenny wanted to do was cook food.

“Hey, brother,” Cam said and met him at the door. “I’m glad to see you.” He took the glass tray. “And I’m glad to see you brought food.”

“It was no problem,” Leo said and followed Cam inside.

Cam’s face was a mix of exhaustion and elation, but Leo could see how the tiny new addition to their family had already filled the home with joy.

“Come in and take a seat. Jenny is resting upstairs. As you can imagine, having a baby is a lot of work. Can I get you a beer?”

Leo checked the time. It was early, but he figured why not? “What do you have?”

“Same old,” Cam said.

“You need to try Pa’s new brew. It’s surprisingly good. Not that his other attempts have been bad, just boring. But the one I had last week was refreshing and tasted like home.”

Cam laughed. “So, he’s roped you into his hobby, too? That old man has more energy than our four-day-old baby at feeding time.”

Leo took a long swig from the longneck and let the cool liquid rush down his throat. It had been an unexpectedly challenging time over the last week. Though he had loved every moment he had spent with America Greene, he needed a break from the regrets clouding his mind.

“Speaking of feedings,” Cam said. “The little one is gonna be up soon. She’s been down for about an hour already.”

“Should I have called before dropping by?” Leo asked.

“Nah. Babies sleep when they want and wake when they want. You can’t really get a schedule going at first. No, I’m glad you stopped by.”

“What name did you decide on?” Leo asked.

“Charlotte Victoria,” Cam beamed.

“That’s beautiful.”

“Thanks. It was Jenny’s idea to have such an important sounding name. My family goes all the way back to the founding of this nation, and she felt it was right to honor that legacy.”

“I love that. You two are going to be such great parents.”

“And what about you? Any family in your future?”

“That was to the point,” Leo said and shifted his weight in the leather recliner. “Is everyone talking about it?”

“Everyone and their dog,” Cam laughed. “Are you going to marry this woman from the city?”

Marry her? Leo had only just met her. How could he want to, or know whether she was the one? “I don’t know, man. It’s a little fast.”

Cam shrugged. “Jenny would have said yes on our first date. At least I like to think that’s how good my charms are.”

“You did get serious pretty quick.”

“What can I say? When you know, you know.” Cam chuckled. “So, what’s the problem?”

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