Page 22 of Wishing for Christmas
“Nope. After a year apart, I’m ready to get the rest of our lives moving. I figured enough planning; now it’s time for action.”
His mom laughed. “Well, I see you haven’t changed much over the past year. Oh, sweetie, I’m so happy for the two of you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“And, Brent, I want you to know how proud of you we are, of everything you did during this deployment. This year was alot for all of us.” She sniffed. “You are truly a hero.” She paused, then let out a long sigh. “I’m just so glad you’re home safe.”
Brent blushed. He could always count on his mom to gush over him and make a big deal of any accomplishment, big or small. He suddenly regretted not inviting her to be on base to greet him today. He knew she would have been thrilled to welcome him home with all the warmth in the world.
“Well, I’m glad to hear someone thinks I’m great, even if it is my own mother.” He couldn’t stop his mind from jumping to the stiff homecoming reception he’d received from Clara by contrast.
“Oh, I know I’m not the only one. So how did Clara react? Was she surprised?”
He wasn’t sure how to answer the question. “She was . . .” He considered his next word.Uneasy. Shaken. Instead, he said, “Yeah, I think she was pretty shocked.”
“Well, that’s wonderful, honey. I assume the two of you will be at our Christmas party?”
“We wouldn’t miss it. I’ll see you then.”
Brent hung up the phone and lay his head back on the sofa again. He closed his eyes and thought about what he had told his mom. It was true that Clara had seemed shocked. But he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that it was more than that.
He thought back to this time last year when he’d found out about the deployment. She’d been so upset about it. He remembered she’d been unsure they’d be able to make the relationship work. Brent thought about the day he had left, how he’d been so scared that she wouldn’t show up at all, unwilling to get involved in a long-distance relationship.
But theyhadmade it work. Shouldn’t any doubts she’d had then be gone by now? Especially after the long year they’d just gone through together. Especially now that he was home. Shouldn’t their relationship be stronger than ever at this point?
Brent’s eyes popped opened, and he took in the welcome sight of his house. It was clean and unlived in. It needed a touch of Christmas. He decided to brush aside his insecurities for now and instead focus on enjoying the holidays with Clara. They would get through this adjustment period in no time. He sprung up from the sofa and walked over to the kitchen drawer where he kept all his important papers. Right on top was the one he was looking for—his Christmas checklist. Sure, he had written it a year ago, but it was finally time to get started on it. He glanced at the first item on the list and smiled.
Get a Christmas tree at the Cranberry Pines Tree Farm.
Perfect. This was exactly what they needed to get things back on track. It was time to pick up right where they had left off last year. The only difference was that, instead of a new girlfriend, Clara was his fiancée. Instead of someone he was getting to know, she was the person he knew better than anyone in the world. Instead of a new relationship, they were in a lifelong commitment together.
Thoughts of Christmas filled his mind as he moved about the kitchen with energy. He needed to do some shopping, to spruce this place up. Brent was going to make sure the next few weeks were memorable. He thought back to Christmas morning last year when Clara had opened the gift that he’d made for her. Her reaction had justified all the work involved. It had been time well spent to see the sincere gleam in her eyes. Now, he just needed to do that again with the perfect Christmas itinerary.
Maybe her tepid reaction to the proposal today was simply a reminder that he needed to put a lot more work into their Christmasthisyear. He needed to come to terms with the factthat things wouldn’t automatically become easy just because they were now together. In fact, it could get more difficult.
He wouldn’t let that happen. Brent pulled a pencil from the drawer and immediately got to work, updating his checklist. He needed to make sure he covered everything so that no mistakes were made. Yes, he was going to make sure this would be a perfect Christmas for the two of them.
Brent just hoped he wasn’t a year too late.
CHAPTER TWELVE
CLARA
The early Monday streets were deserted. Clara stepped outside her townhouse into the frigid morning air.
Cranberry Pines was not a place that changed much from year to year, especially at Christmas—to her relief. After the chaos of yesterday’s events, she craved consistency. At least she could count on her town for that, even a year in the future. Yes, a walk down Main Street was exactly what she needed to clear her head.
The early-morning hours had always been her favorite time for wandering around. The streets had just been plowed, and the sidewalks were freshly shoveled after the most recent batch of snow. The sun was beginning to rise over the powdery ground. The smoky aroma of a wood-burning fire drifted from a nearby house. Clara took a deep breath and savored the feeling of comfort.
She had always appreciated the beauty of her town in the winter, especially after a fresh snowfall. It made everything revert to a state of simplicity. It erased the ugliness of everyday life and covered it with a fresh blanket. Clean and simple. That was exactly what she needed.
Clara shuffled along the quiet street in her fur-lined snow boots and heavy down coat. Her favorite coffee tumbler was filled with steaming-hot gingerbread tea. She took her first sip and felt the warmth travel throughout her entire body. The soothing smell of gingerbread made her eyelids soften. The heat of the mug against her chilled lips felt just right underneath her favorite scarf. She took in her surroundings and admired the delightfulness of her little town. She appreciated all the familiar decorations, looking exactly as she had seen them yesterday—just as she had seen them for years.
The stores were still closed at this early hour, but the storefronts were as inviting as ever. A bright electric candle sat in each shop window. The standard-issue town garland surrounded each door frame. With their polished version of quaint village life, the Cranberry Pines downtown association made sure each business on Main Street was not only uniform in their holiday decorations but also utterly charming. The cranberry-filled wreath on every lamppost was the signature touch that made sure the town lived up to its name.
Clara walked past the historic town hall, the anchor of the downtown area. It looked like a small castle lit up from within. In front stood a giant Christmas tree with white lights and thick strands of cranberry garlands. The snow-covered mountains looming in the background only added to the picturesque sight. She looked around and let out a contented sigh. The vapor from her warm breath rose like smoke before her. Clara had always thought her town looked like a jigsaw-puzzle image of an idyllic Christmas village. Yes, even a year in the future, everything looked exactly as it should—just right.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t say the same for anything else in her life. The quiet of the usually bustling downtown gave her a chance to gather her thoughts. This morning, they were all over the place. She still couldn’t believe Brent had proposed. Howcould he possibly think they were ready for this? Well, maybe it was because she’d wished him into thinking they’d been together for a year. She clenched her fists, annoyed with herself for her short-sighted stupidity.
