Page 146 of The Blessings of Christmas
“Josie, I wanted to talk to you about the holidays. Have you made any decisions yet?”
Setting down her plastic glass, Josie leaned forward and dropped her head into one hand. This day had been way too long. “Not really, Mom. We're going through some changes at the library and I really have to be here.” That was sort of true. But she didn't want to break away and go to Florida. Not this year.
Her mother’s hurt silence got to her. Josie had given the same excuse for Thanksgiving. Taking that long ride to Sarasota didn't appeal to her. But that wasn't her real excuse. Christmas in Sweetwater Creek could be magical. And this year Malcolm was here. “Why don't you let me think about it?”
“Your father will be so disappointed if you don't come.”
“I know, Mom. I know.” Guilt crested over her shoulders. Weren’t the holidays all about family?
“Are you seeing someone? Is that why you don’t want to come down here? You could always bring your...friend?” Her mother’s question was full of hope.
Her poor parents. Josie was probably a huge disappointment. No husband. No babies. No grandkids to buygifts for. She hated to burst her mother’s bubble. “No, Mom. I’m not seeing anyone. I’m just...busy.”
The conversation ended shortly after that. Sitting on the deck hearing the squirrels rustle through the trees overhead, she wasn't thinking of her parents. No, all Josie could think about was how great it would be to have Malcolm on staff again.
Was she kidding herself? How was she going to handle this? What if he jabbered on about his wedding non-stop? Well, she’d have to listen. When his fiancée came down to check out Sweetwater Creek, she might be expected to smile and show her around. Yuck.
She needed a serious attitude adjustment and got out her phone. Josie had Emily on speed dial.
CHAPTER 3
“Guess I’m not surprised.” Josie stared at her hot fudge sundae. Why had she even ordered this? Apparently her stomach had gone on strike. Although she had no appetite, during their quick call the night before, she'd agreed to meet Emily at Sweet Creamery. Dusk was falling over the square and the Christmas lights had come on, offering a cheerful, twinkling display. But Josie wasn't feeling cheerful.
Her stomach was a tight knot. “This is stupid. I should never have told him that I had a position open.”
“That's ridiculous. Granted, the engagement part is a downer. When you told me he was coming back, I thought…” Emily glanced down. She’d left Alexander at home with Jackson and Josie was glad. For this kind of conversation, she needed Emily's total attention. Josie was in desperate need of help. But right now, Emily was a bit distracting. Should Josie mention it? Probably. If Josie had a blob of something on her shirt, she’d want to know about it.
“Emily?” Josie motioned to the front of Emily’s shirt. Some kind of cereal was clinging to her top.
Emily glanced down. “Oh my gosh. Again?” Her friend grabbed a napkin, dipped it in her water glass and swiped at the goop. “Baby oatmeal. I'm teaching Alex to feed himself.”
“So he's at that point?” How fun that would be to teach your child to eat. Fun, but messy.
“The kid changes every day. Jackson's afraid to go out and meet with clients. Afraid he's going to miss something.” Scraping back her chair, Emily dashed over to the trash with her napkin.
“Alex is messy,” she said after she’d returned and had gone back to her sundae. “Maybe all boys are like that. He crows with delight when I hand him a spoon. After digging into the oatmeal, he waves his spoon everywhere, like he's conducting an orchestra. He thinks it's great fun when food lands on Spartacus or Maximilian. The two dogs camp out under his highchair, waiting for whatever comes their way.”
That sounded messy and fun at the same time. Emily did look tired. “Are you getting any sleep now that the baby is getting older?”
“A little. Jackson is great about getting up with Alex. But most of it does fall on me, I don't care what they say. Most of the child care winds up with the mother.”
Josie tried to imagine that. Teaching a child to eat in her cottage where books were stacked everywhere, along with a fair number of magazines. Most of the magazines were opened to another article that she wanted to read. She had a bad habit of not finishing them.
“Aren't you going to eat?” Emily asked, her own spoon poised in the air.
“What? Oh yeah.” After hearing about Alex eating, Josie had more of an appetite and drove her spoon into the ice cream. Sweet Creamery churned their own ice cream and it washeavenly. She whisked her spoon through the whipping cream and hot chocolate for another mouthful.
“Bryn didn't want to come today?” she asked. Often they were a threesome although Josie liked to think she had a special friendship with Emily.
“I didn't ask her.” Emily swirled her spoon through the whipped cream. “You know, because we're talking about Malcolm.”
Josie swallowed a mouthful of ice cream so quickly that it gave her brain freeze. She pressed two fingers against her forehead. “I know. Bryn and Malcolm.”
“We always thought those two would get married. Guess Malcolm wasn't to be. Not for Bryn. But you know.” Emily shook her head. “In my mind you and Malcolm would have made a perfect couple. You’re both fitness freaks. You run marathons and you both love camping.”
Here was the sticking point. “Remember the time that Malcolm asked Bryn to go on that camping trip? Do you remember how horrified she was?” Josie had wanted to kill her friend because Bryn had tried everything to weasel out of that two-week trip. Meanwhile, Josie would've killed to go on a trip that included kayaking in the wild.
“Oh my word. She was so horrified when he mentioned that to her. Remember?” Emily started to laugh, and Josie laughed right along with her. “All she could talk about were the bugs and the lack of bathrooms.”
