Page 92 of About Last Christmas
He sweeps up my gloved hands in his bare ones. “I wasn’t angry at you. I didn’t want you to give up something you loved. That set is special to you.”
I nod. “It was.”
“After you dropped me off at the station, I let Chief Todd know I was leaving town and drove back to Sugarvale. I remembered what you said about that other antique store.”
“Alice’s Emporium?” I mentioned to Leo at the hotel that we should visit her place, though I hadn’t realized he was paying that much attention. I should’ve known better.
He nods. “I returned to see if she had a Garrick, but the shop was closed. Alice passed away two years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” She was a lot like Midge but with a softer approach to life.
“Around that time, my mom called, and I explained to her about the sets. Turns out, she knows a lot of people who are into antiques. Is it a rich people’s hobby or something?”
I laugh. “Well, antiques do get expensive.”
“Anyway.” He shrugs. “She has a friend in Berlin who’s downsizing her collections. So, I bought you something.” He tugs me toward the bench, and I spot a box, my heart billowing with hope. His slow grin builds as he watches me. “Open it.”
With shaky hands, I lift the flaps. “Cinnamon bears?” Several packages of my favorite childhood candy fill the box. “Um, Leo, you didn’t need to go to foreign lands for these. They have them at Walmart.”
He steps closer with a chuckle. “Look underneath.”
After I pull the bags of bears out and set them on the bench, I see another box inside. I work free the lid and spot it immediately. “A Garrick! You found a Garrick!” My eyes sting as I pore over the distinct figures. The antiquarian in me wants to inspect each piece to ensure the set’s legit, but that can wait. What can’t wait is me launching into Leo’s arms. “Thank you.”
His hands settle on my back, and he brushes his lips to my temple. “That’syourGarrick, Greta.”
“What? How?” I rear back so fast I nearly knock Leo’s jaw. I make up for it by pressing a quick kiss to it. “My Garrick traveled abroad?”
“Long story short. My mom’s friend had a set that I flew over and got. Then I came back to the States this morning and went to New Castle.”
“And that is?”
“In Pennsylvania. Where Candace and Sal Whitman live.”
My jaw drops. “How’d you know?—”
“When you were talking with Candace Whitman in the ladies’ room, her husband was trying to sell me office equipment. He only came to SugarFest because he heard a rumor that Mrs. Langston needed new copiers. I couldn’t escape the conversation without his card.”
Ah, that’s why—when we were standing outside the hotel—Sal looked pointedly at Leo and told him,“Think about what I said.”I’d thought it was odd then, but now it makes sense.
“This afternoon, I convinced them to trade the Garrick I found with the Garrick you gave. Plus, I’ve got a state-of-the-art printer arriving Friday, so there’s that.”
I laugh even as a tear slides down my cheek. “No one has ever done something like this for me.” I’m still wrapping my brain around it. All week I thought he refused my calls and texts, yet he was tracking down a nativity set. “That was a lot of trouble togo through.” Especially since he lost his phone. I’d be terrified to be in a foreign place without having all that’s familiar at my fingertips.
He brushes away the tear and gathers me close again. “I remembered what you said.” His voice is soothing as he strokes my hair. “When a man’s in love, he’d do all he could to make her world right again.”
His words are like a slow drip into my heart, steadily filling my soul until my entire being is affected by that single sentence. Leo crossed oceans to fix the problem I created. He recovered the treasure I stupidly gave up. But most importantly, he’s in love with me. Could anything be equal to that? I wind my arms around his neck. “I can’t even say how much that means.”
He drops a kiss on my lips. “Looks like we’re even because I can’t say how much you mean to me.”
I press against him, my insides ready to explode with happiness. “Now that you brought this set, you have another one to deliver. It seems we’re both playing Santa this Christmas.” That sweet widow will be overjoyed.
“The Vallerton.” He smiles. “I plan on going tomorrow night. Would you like to meet her?”
“I would.” The wind picks up, but I can hardly feel it. I’m cocooned in the surrealness of it all. “And to think this started by my skewering you with an elf.” I skim my gloved fingers over my stitchwork on his coat. It’s strange to think how little things, small decisions, can accumulate, changing the direction of your life. And sometimes, those moments that seem to tear apart your soul can rebuild your vision. I didn’t see how much I abandoned myself until Leo challenged me to chase what I want. Which reminds me. “I have something for you too.” I disentangle from his embrace and reach into my pocket. My gift seems silly compared to the enormity of his, but it’s time for me to be brave. “I promised you I’d fill this out.”
His brows lift as I hand him the folded paper. The confusion in his gaze clears as he takes in his own handwriting—Greta’s Christmas Wishlist—at the top of the page. Over a week ago, we sat in his living room, and Leo insisted on knowing what I wanted.
I wrote two words:
