Page 36 of Christmas at Pine Ridge Inn
“Of course,” Mike said immediately, already pulling out his phone. “Let me check what’s available.”
The table erupted with congratulations and concerned questions about the baby and Ali’s sister. While Mike worked on finding flights, the group rallied around Ali with support and excitement.
“A Christmas baby,” Carol said, her voice soft with wonder. “How magical.”
Something about Carol’s tone, combined with the coincidence of a baby being born on Christmas Eve, or maybe even Christmas Day if labor took a while, triggered a decision in Lila that surprised her. She felt Brady’s eyes on her and realized this was the opening she’d been waiting for.
“You know,” Lila said, her voice carrying over the conversation, “I’m actually a Christmas baby myself.”
“Really?” Kimberly said. “How fun! Your birthday is tomorrow?”
“Christmas Day,” Lila confirmed, her heart hammering against her ribs. Next to her, Brady put a supportive hand on her knee.
“That must make Christmas extra special for you,” Miles said warmly.
Lila took a deep breath, knowing this was her moment. “It’s always been a little complicated, actually. I was adopted as a baby, so I’ve never known much about the circumstances of my birth.”
Carol’s fork clattered against her plate, and Sarah coughed as she choked on her wine next to Lila.
“In fact,” she glanced at Brady, who gave her a reassuring nod, “it’s why I came to Pine Ridge this Christmas. I discovered that the quilt my birth mother sent with me was made by Emily, who owned the quilt shop on Main Street. So, I thought maybe I could find answers about where I came from here.”
As Kimberly, Kendall, and Ali all spoke at once with excited, “Omigosh, really?”, “That’s crazy!”, and “That’s incredible!”, Carol stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the hardwood floor.
“I’m sorry, I just need to check on the dessert,” Carol said, her voice tight with emotion.
“I’ll help you,” Sarah said immediately, rising from her chair. “That’s a lot of dishes to manage alone.”
They disappeared into the kitchen together, leaving the rest of the table in slightly awkward silence. Brady reached for Lila’s hand and squeezed it gently. She wondered if she should follow them into the kitchen, but she didn’t want to confront Carol about her suspicions in front of Sarah. Based on her reaction though, Lila was even more sure she was on the right track.
“That’s incredible that you traced the quilt here to Pine Ridge,” Sophie said. “Have you ever tried to search for information about your birth family before?”
“Not until recently,” Lila admitted. “Losing my parents made me realize how important family connections are, and I started wondering more about the people I came from.”
“I got a flight,” Mike announced, looking up from his phone. “Well, Christmas night. Nothing available before then, but we’ll be able to make it back late that evening.”
“I guess that’ll have to do,” Ali said. “We can keep checking in case anyone cancels and opens up seats.”
In the kitchen, Lila could hear the murmur of voices but couldn’t make out specific words. Carol and Sarah had been in there for several minutes now, longer than it would take to simply check on dessert. It seemed like Sarah had followed Carol to offer support after her obvious distress over Lila’s revelation.
“I assume you asked Cynthia about the quilt?” Sophie asked.
“I did, but she didn’t have much to go on,” Lila said, intentionally leaving out that it had been delivered to the inn. There was no need to expose Carol to everyone else.
When Carol and Sarah finally returned, they were each carrying a pie, and Carol had a pot of coffee in her other hand. Carol’s composure seemed restored, but both her and Sarah’s eyes were slightly red.
“I hope everyone saved room for dessert,” Carol said with forced cheer. “We’ve got a sweet potato pie and a pumpkin pie.”
As they served the pie and passed around coffee, the conversation gradually returned to lighter topics. Ali shared more details about her sister’s pregnancy, the sisters debated whether the new baby would be spoiled by having a Christmas birthday, asking Lila whether she hated having her birthday presents wrapped in Christmas paper—she did—and Tom told stories about other memorable Christmas Eve dinners at the inn.
But Lila noticed how Carol kept glancing at her when she thought no one was looking, and how Sarah seemed to be keeping a close eye on Carol as well.
“This has been the most wonderful Christmas Eve dinner,” Sophie said as the meal wound down. “Thank you, Carol and Tom, for making it so special.”
“It’s been my pleasure,” Carol replied, but her smile seemed fragile. “Having all of you here sharing stories and traditions, it’s what Christmas is all about.”
As the group began clearing dishes and preparing for the evening’s sleigh ride, Lila caught Carol studying her face with an intensity that made her stomach flutter. Tomorrow was Christmas Day—her birthday—and somehow she knew that everything would change.
Brady appeared at her elbow as she carried plates to the kitchen. “How are you feeling?” he asked quietly.
