Page 23 of Gumdrops and Garland

Indigo plastered on a smile and motioned at the barrels. “We’re looking for some candy for the bakery. Our signature dessert this year is going to be gumdrop cake, and we also need candy for decorating gingerbread men at Evergreen Acres.”

“Ahh,” Mrs. Beesweasel exclaimed, clapping her hands. “This sounds delightful! I can help with the candy,” she agreed, sweeping her hand across the barrels. “I’ve got a little bit of everything.”

“Which is why I insisted we stop here before we went to the Saginaw Candy Emporium,” I interjected.

“Well, there’s no need to travel all the way there when I have what you need here.” Mrs. Beesweasel’s voice was brimming with hurt, so Indie held up her hand.

“I had every intention of buying all our candy for the bakery and Evergreen Acres from you, except for the baking gumdrops. I know those are a special order here, but the candy emporium carries them in stock and I need a bunch of them right now. I can’t wait for an order to come in.”

“They usually are special order,” she agreed, “but I have them in stock for the holidays every year. I keep them in the back, so people don’t buy them by mistake. I’m sure I don’t have enough for your needs, though.”

“You do?” Indie asked with excitement. “That’s great! If you can order them for me, it saves multiple orders, which saves me a lot of time.”

“And the bakery and diner already have a line of credit here, so it’s easy to get more when you need them,” I pointed out helpfully.

Mrs. Beesweasel turned to me. “You’re right. I have the potatoes and onions you ordered for the Thanksgiving dinner coming in today. I’ll let Mason know when they’re ready. I can add the gumdrops to them?” she asked, turning back to Indie.

“Yes, that would be wonderful!” Indie exclaimed, giving her another hug. “I’m so glad we stopped here first. I don’t want to wipe you out of gumdrops, though, so only send what you can spare until you get our order in.”

“It’s no problem, dear,” she promised, motioning us toward the front counter. “We have enough to spare for a week. Let’s sort out what you need and get it ordered, so you can be on your way.”

“I don’t suppose you have access to spiced baking gumdrops?” she asked Mrs. Beesweasel when we stopped by the counter.

“Haven’t you heard? I’m a lot like Mrs. Claus, I have access to everything.”

Indigo laughed with abandon and clapped twice. “If you’re serious, I’m buying!”

While Indie and Mrs. Beesweasel put their heads together to get the order ready, I took a step back and started walking up and down the aisles, checking out all the new products Mrs. Beesweasel had stocked for the holidays. I turned the corner and what sat on the endcap brought me to a shaky halt. My eyes filled with tears as I stared at the gold, light-up Christmas star. With my heart pounding, I stumbled out the side door and leaned against the building, wondering if I could withstand the torture of this holiday season after all.

Where did Lance go? I noticed him walking through the aisles, but by the time I was done with Mrs. Beesweasel, he’d disappeared. I waved goodbye to her as I walked out the door, looking left and right for him. It was the shadow to the left that had me turning that direction.

“Lance? Are you okay?” I asked, noticing him leaning against the wall of the building. “I’ve been searching the store for you.”

He banged his head on the wall a couple of times, but kept his eyes closed. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t stay in there.”

I grasped his arm gently and held it. “Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize.” I noticed the tears on his face, so I didn’t say anything, I just waited for him to speak.

“I don’t think I can do this, Gumdrop.” His words were low, soft, and filled with pain.

“Do what, Lance?”

“Christmas, or life for that matter, without my mom. Everything reminds me of her.”

I rubbed his shoulder and stepped a bit closer, so no one noticed us from the street. It was nearly dark now, so at least we had the cover of night to hide us. “I can imagine that’s true right now, Lance. Everywhere you look, you see her favorite things and it makes you miss her that much more.” His nod was immediate and short. “There’s nothing I can say to make it better. I wish there was, so all I can do is offer a hug.”

His shoulders drooped and when he opened his eyes, the sienna globes were filled with unshed tears. He wrapped his arms around me and held me to his warm chest, his cheek resting on the top of my head.

“I saw a Christmas star at the end of an aisle and the first thing I thought was, ‘Mom would love this.’ She would have, too,” he said, pausing when his voice broke.

I rubbed his back a couple of times to soothe him. “Maybe you could think of Michelle as your Christmas star. She spent twenty-eight years guiding you to this place and while she might not be here in a physical sense anymore, she can still guide you. All the things she taught you are still inside you.”

He squeezed me tighter and let out a shaky sigh. “I guess you’re right. I didn’t look at it that way. She always told me I was her star. She told me if I held my head high and followed what I knew to be good and right, then no one could dim my light.”

“I loved her wisdom so much,” I sighed. “She always had those little nuggets for everyone, from you to your friends to her patients.”

“She did,” he agreed, lifting his head. “Thanks for the hug. It was what I needed to get past that moment.”

“There are plenty more hugs where that came from,” I promised. The idea of hugging Lance a whole bunch more was enticing and exciting. I loved the way his strong arms wrapped all the way around me and how he could rest his cheek on my head. It made me feel safe and secure in a world that wasn’t always those things.

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